Yars' Revenge (Part Two - The Yar)

In the first part of this two-part story, I presented a rough outline for a crystal sphere based on the old Yars' Revenge video game for the Atari 2600.  In this chapter, we will review the Yar themselves and their abilities...

Yar (2^nd edition)
Climate/Terrain: Any
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Hive
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Nectarivore
Int: Ave to High
Treasure: Z (J, K, M, Q)
Align: LN
No. Appearing: 1 or 2d4
AC: 5 or 0
MV: 12, fly 15 (B)
HD: 4+2
THAC0: 15
No. of Attacks: 5
Dmg/Att: 1d6+1/1d6+1/1d6+1/1d6+1/1d3
SA: Breath Weapon
SD: - -
MR: - -
SZ: S (4’ tall)
Morale: Champion (15-16)
Xp Value: 420

The Yar are a race of four-armed humanoids evolved from flies.  They tend to dour and taciturn following the destruction of their home planet.  They cling tightly to a Warrior’s Code of Honor.  Their carapace ranges from blue to iridescent green with translucent wings and red compound eyes.

COMBAT

In combat, Yar attack with four claws and a savage bite.  Their mandibles are strong enough to chew through 3” of wood, 2” of stone, or 1” of most metals in a single round.  They are also capable of spitting a nodule of caustic chemicals up to 50’ away that explodes on impact with a solid object for 2d8 fire damage in a 10’ radius (save vs BW for ½).  Warriors are outfitted in a lightweight, silvery armor similar to mithral when they go into battle.  They are capable of flying from the surface of a planet and into the void of space.  They can achieve speeds up to one-third of Ship’s Rating 1 while doing so and survive in Wildspace for up to 10 days without eating, drinking, or breathing.

HABITAT/SOCIETY:

Yar originally hail from the world of Razak IV.  They live in hive cities ruled by a queen, who also serves as the spiritual leader of her people.  They worship a goddess they call A’tari (domains and abilities identical to the Faerûnian god Akadi).

ECOLOGY:

Before the destruction of their world at the hands of elves, workers would gather pollen from numerous carnivorous plants and return it to the hive where it was processed into a substance they call Zorlon.  This Zorlon served as a staple of their diet but could also be treated by the priesthood to make potions that augmented the potency of their breath weapons – increasing the damage to 10d6 and doubling the radius.  Following the Unhuman War, the Yar despise elves and will attack them whenever the opportunity presents itself as long as it does not endanger their hive.

VARIANTS:
WORKER/MALE YAR: as above but 3 HD, THAC0 17, claw damage is decreased to 1d4.
6HD QUEEN YAR: as above but casts spells as a 6^th level Cleric.
10 HD HIGH QUEEN: as above but casts spells as a 10^th level Cleric

Yar (3.5e)
CR5
Small Monstrous Humanoid
Init +2, Senses: Listen +5, Spot +1, Low-Light Vision
Languages: Read/Write and Speak CommonAC: 22 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +3 Natural, +5 Silver Breastplate); t: 12, ff: 20
Hp: 20 (4HD)
Immune: - -
Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +5
Spd: 30’, fly 150’ (good)

Melee: +4 4 Claws: 1d3+1 and +2 Bite: 1d4
Ranged: - -
Combat Gear: Silver Breastplate, 2 Zorlon Potions
Str 12, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 9
SA: Breath Weapon, Powerful Bite
SQ: Interplanetary Flight, Low-Light Vision
Feats: Flyby Attack, Multiattack
Skills: Craft (any one) +2, Knowledge (Nature) +4, Listen +5, Survival +5

 

• Breath Weapon (Su): Yar are capable of spitting a nodule of caustic chemicals up to 50’ away that explodes on impact with a solid object for 2d8 fire damage in a 10’ radius. Ref ½ DC12

• Powerful Bite (Ex): The Yar have powerful mandibles that can tear through most materials with ease.  They ignore the first 10 points of Hardness when attacking an object with their bite attack.

• Interplanetary Flight (Ex): Yar can fly from the surface of a planet and into the void of space.  They can achieve speeds up to one-third of Ship’s Rating 1 while doing so and survive in Wildspace for up to 1 day/3 points of Constitution without eating, drinking, or breathing.  Beyond this, they must make a Fortitude save (DC10+1/previous save) for each additional day spent in the void.

 

Treasure: Standard

Advancement: by class