Welcome to Outland
A Guide to Outland
Races of Outland
Classes of Outland
Character Creation
Societies of Outland
Geography of Outland
Creatures of Outland
Magic of Outland

"Children, children, begin the day,
The kark is here, its time to play!
Children, children, on the floor,
The kark is hiding, hear it roar!"

     - Find the Kark, Children's Nursery Rhyme


Kark

Climate/Terrain: Grassland/Farm land
Frequency: Common
Organization: Pack
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Omnivorous
Intelligence: Semi-intelligent (4)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral

No. Appearing: 1 or 1d6+4
Armor Class: 9
Movement: 3, Jp 15
Hit Dice: 2
THACO: 19
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 1d2 or special
Special Attacks: Leap
Special Defenses: Leap
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: Medium (3' tall)
Morale: 7 (16 in defense of pack)
60

A kark is an egg-shaped mammal, covered in short, mottled fur. The kark's fur allows it to blend in well with tall grasses and weeds. The kark has powerful rear legs which allow it to leap great distances (up to 150 feet per hop, or to a height of 50 feet), but its front legs are thin and weak. The kark's head is seemingly part of the body, and it has no visible neck. Kark have large, expressive eyes, and a thin but wide mouth. Kark have no teeth, and instead have powerful bony gums which they use to grind their food.

Combat: Kark are poor combatants at best. While physically powerful, kark are peaceful creatures, who prefer to flee when danger presents itself. However, when backed into a corner, or in defense of their pack, kark make deadly enemies. Kark have relatively weak bites (which do only 1d2 hp of damage). However, a kark's preferred mode of attack is the leap. The creature attacks by leaping into the air, and attempting to land on its prey (gaining a +2 bonus to hit in the process). A kark which hits in this manner does 2d6+10 hp of damage. Kark continue their leap attacks until their enemies are dead (or have fled), or until their pack is safe.

Wise Outlanders know better than to provoke a kark.

Habitat/Society: Kark live in small family units of 5-10 members. They are primarily herbivores, but do eat insects and small rodents, reptiles and birds. They have a particular fondness for honey, and become very docile when they have eaten any. Kark seem to prefer to live near human settlements - why this is, none are certain. Some Mentors believe that kark actually like people, while others vehemently disagree.

Some people in Outland consider the kark to be nothing more than a pest. This is mostly due to the kark's somewhat annoying habit of hiding near the side of a road and waiting for someone to pass by. When they do, the kark jumps high into the air, and bellows out its deep, croaking roar. This invariably scares the poor traveler out of his wits. The kark will then retreat to a safe distance, and chuff quietly to itself. While commoners insist that this is the kark idea of a practical joke, the Mentors insist that this is nonsense.

Ecology: As yet, no one has found any particular use for a kark. Their meat is tough, stringy, and nearly inedible. They resist training, and have yet to be domesticated.

Nuttin
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