Tusken Raiders

Secrets of Tatooine Exclusive Sneak Peak

An excerpt by JD Wiker

Named for the fort they destroyed after the first Human settlers arrived on Tatooine, the Tusken Raiders are primitive desert warriors skilled at defending their harsh way of life and surviving in an even harsher environment. Roughly 2 meters tall, they are covered from head to toe in dusty bandages, as required by ancient custom. Protruding circular lenses protect their eyes, and filter masks cover their mouths, lending them an aspect most people find frightening. Their "language" -- punctuated with grunts, growls, and honking noises -- is only comprehensible to other Tuskens.

Tuskens barely qualify as sentient. While they wear clothing and fashion crude tools, most of their "technology" is actually stolen from settlers; slugthrower rifles are a prime example. If they have a rationale for their fierce hatred of offworlders, the settlers do not understand it. To Tatooine's inhabitants, the Sand People simply appear as vicious savages who attack anyone and anything they do not recognize.

When the first settlers arrived, the Sand People came together in a massive gathering and destroyed the walled edifice known as Fort Tusken. Although the attack ultimately failed to force the settlers to leave Tatooine, the slaughter is still spoken of centuries later. The Sand People have yet to repeat such a stunning attack, but it is remembered as an example of their bloodthirstiness, by simple virtue of the name it lent them in the outlanders' tongue. The settlers' hatred and fear of the Sand People is tied up in this memory. Most believe that until the Sand People are wiped out, no settler is truly safe.

Most Sand People are fringers. Experienced Sand People tend to be higher-level fringers.

Tusken Raider Species Traits
Whether Sand People are native to Tatooine or arrived there from another world has long since been forgotten, even by the Sand People. Nonetheless, they are only found on Tatooine. Although they do not usually cooperate with outlanders, Gamemasters may decide to allow them as heroes, especially for adventures set on Tatooine.

+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -4 Intelligence.
Medium-size. As Medium-size creatures, Tusken Raiders have no special bonuses or penalties due to size.
Tusken Raider base speed is 10 meters.
+2 species bonus on Survival checks in hot, dry conditions. Tusken Raiders are born and raised in desert wastelands.
+2 species bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks made under desert conditions. Tusken Raiders survive by avoiding detection -- either by predators or other sentient beings.
Language: Tusken.

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