Wasteland Nomad
"I would rather die in the desert free from tyranny than die under a sorcerer-king's booted heel."
Civilization huddles behind the towering walls of the Seven Cities, citizens and slaves alike subject to the tyrannical sorcerer-kings and their power-mad templars. Life in the dusty streets of the cities might be easy compared to the harsh barrens of Athas, but the comfort and security the sorcerer-kings offer come at a terrible price. Freedom is just a dream, and countless thousands endure crushing poverty and injustice because it is the only way they know how to live. Only in the wide deserts and trackless wastelands beyond the grasp of the sorcerer-kings' rule can people truly be free. The nomads' lives are hard, but they are theirs to lead—or spend—as they see fit.The Tyr Region is home to hundreds of wandering bands of herders, hunters, and scavengers eking out hardscrabble lives from the deserts. Nomadic tribes roam the stony barrens and crisscross the sandy wastes as they follow kank herds or seek out new water sources. Owing no allegiance to any but themselves, they are the only Athasians (other than the recently freed people of Tyr) who know freedom's sweet taste. Many nomadic tribes have rejected the city-states for generations, surviving despite the hardships by learning the desert's secrets and mastering the survival techniques needed to provide the bare essentials.
In addition to those who are born to the nomadic life, there is no shortage of fugitives from the cities who hope to join them. Deserters, escaped slaves, and other refugees flee their homelands and the fate they would face if they stayed, preferring to risk their lives in the certain hardship and probable death the wastelands promise. Some find new homes alongside the nomadic tribes. Others go it alone, becoming hermits. But the desert claims most, with thirst, hunger, and exposure taking their toll until nothing remains but a slow, lingering death. Those who survive this grim test of survival are the toughest, the strongest, and the most willing to do what they must to meet whatever struggle they face.
The sorcerer-kings loathe the wasteland nomads, seeing them as nothing more than rabble and brigands who thieve and murder to make ends meet. In their eyes, the nomads are a cancer, weakening the sorcerer-kings' legitimate governments. Nomad tribes must contend not only with the environment, but also with the city-states' armies and patrols, which range the lands to round up new slaves to toil or fight or die, depending on the templar who seizes them. For this reason, and of course the never-ending quest for food and water, nomads must stay on the move.
Wasteland FuryWasteland Nomad Feature
You catch the merciless sun's cruel radiance in your weapon and redirect it to dazzle your foe, covering your movement.
Encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged weapon
Effect: If you use this power while you are not adjacent to any of your allies, you can shift 1 square before or after the attack.
Target: One creature
Attack: Primary ability vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + ability modifier damage. If you have combat advantage against the target, you deal extra damage equal to your primary ability modifier.
Level 11: 2[W] + ability modifier damage.
Level 21: 3[W] + ability modifier damage.
Lone ResolveWasteland Nomad Utility 2
Isolation clarifies your senses, helping you to shrug off your enemies' attacks.
Daily ✦ Primal
Free Action Personal
Trigger: You start your turn while you are not adjacent to any of your allies.
Effect: You can make a saving throw with a bonus equal to your primary ability modifier. If the saving throw fails, you do not expend this power.
Stalking the PreyWasteland Nomad Attack 3
You see a gap in your foe's defenses and deliver an attack that leaves your enemy reeling and unable to protect itself.
Encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Primary ability vs. AC. If none of your allies are adjacent to you or the target, you gain combat advantage on the attack.
Hit: 2[W] + ability modifier damage, and you gain combat advantage against the target until the end of your next turn.
Level 13:
Hit: As above, but 3[W] + ability modifier damage.
Level 23:
Hit: As above, but 4[W] + ability modifier damage.
Nomad's PursuitWasteland Nomad Attack 5
You catch your prey's scent. No matter where it flees, you will follow.
Daily ✦ Primal, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Primary ability vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + ability modifier damage.
Miss: Half damage.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever you start your turn and you are not adjacent to the target or any ally, you can shift a number of squares equal to your primary ability modifier as a free action. This movement ignores difficult terrain. You must end this shift closer to the target.
Level 15:
Hit: 3[W] + ability modifier damage.
Level 25:
Hit: 4[W] + ability modifier damage.
Dune DancerWasteland Nomad Utility 6
You roll with the attack, taking a better position where you are bound to make your enemy pay.
Encounter ✦ Primal
Immediate Reaction Personal
Trigger: An enemy hits you with an attack while you are not adjacent to any of your allies.
Target: The triggering enemy
Effect: As a free action, you shift a number of squares equal to your primary ability modifier. You gain combat advantage against the target until the end of your next turn.
Flensing Wind StrikeWasteland Nomad Attack 7
Your attack creates a sandstorm around the foe, shredding its flesh until it escapes.
Encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
Standard Action Melee or Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Primary ability vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + ability modifier damage. If the target doesn't move at least 2 squares during its next turn, it takes extra damage equal to 5 + your primary ability modifier at the end of its turn.
Level 17:
Hit: As above, but 2[W] + ability modifier damage.
Level 27:
Hit: As above, but 3[W] + ability modifier damage.
Monstrous SavageryWasteland Nomad Attack 9
Bloodlust drives you into a wild frenzy, and your attacks fall with shocking power.
Daily ✦ Primal, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Primary ability vs. AC, two attacks. If none of your allies are adjacent to you, make three attacks instead.
Hit: 5 + ability modifier damage per attack, and the target takes a penalty to attack rolls equal to the number of times you hit it with this power (save ends).
Miss: Half damage.
Level 19:
Attack: As above, but Primary ability + 2 vs. AC, two attacks.
Level 29:
Attack: As above, but Primary ability + 2 vs. AC, two attacks.
Hit: As above, but 10 + ability modifier damage per attack.
Lone NomadWasteland Nomad Utility 10
You're toughest when you're all alone.
Daily ✦ Primal, Stance
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You assume the lone nomad's stance. Until the stance ends, you have resist 7 to all damage. If you end your turn adjacent to an ally, this stance ends.
Published in Dark Sun Campaign Setting, page(s) 70.