Thri-kreen
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, the thri-kreen, or "mantis warriors", are an insect
-like monstrous humanoid race. Thri-kreen are one of the primary player character
races of the Dark Sun
campaign setting
, and have also appeared in the Spelljammer
and Forgotten Realms
campaign settings, as well as the Dungeons & Dragons v3.5 Monster Manual II and the 4.0 Monster Manual 3.
for the second set of Monster Cards
. They have persisted into 3rd and 3.5 editions and appear in the Monster Manual II, Expanded Psionics Handbook, and various sourcebooks for the Forgotten Realms
.
The thri-kreen appeared in second edition AD&D for the Forgotten Realms
setting in the Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (1989), and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). The Athasian thri-kreen appeared for the Dark Sun
setting in Dragon
#173 (September 1991), and Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium Appendix II: Terrors Beyond Tyr (1995). The thri-kreen was presented as a player character
race in Player's Option: Skills & Powers
(1995), and for the Dark Sun setting in the Dark Sun Campaign Setting, Expanded and Revised
(1995).
The thri-kreen appeared in the third edition Monster Manual II (2002). The thri-kreen appeared as a player character race in Savage Species
(2003), and the Expanded Psionics Handbook (2004) The Athasian thri-kreen appeared as a player character race for the Dark Sun setting in Dragon #319 (May 2004). The thri-kreen appeared as a player character race for the Forgotten Realms setting in Shining South (2004). The thri-kreen appeared as a playable character class
in the Complete Psionic
(2006).
The thri-kreen is one of the monsters that appeared in the Monster Manual 3 (2010).
s. They have excellent physical capabilities, allowing them to jump great distances. They also have sharp claws, poisonous bites, and psionic abilities.
An average thri-kreen has the life expectancy of only 30 years. However, this is countered by the fact that thri-kreen do not require sleep. A thri-kreen truly lives out every moment of its precious 30 years.
ic hunters who respect the land and hate creatures that despoil it. They will attack anyone who disturbs their home.
Thri-kreen have two signature weapons: the gythka, a polearm with a blade at each end; and the chatkcha, a dasl crystal throwing wedge which returns when thrown. Dasl is made from thri-kreen venom, modified by the zik-thok (fejik) plant. Creation of dasl is a racial secret and is only suitable for making three-sided weapons such as the chatkcha and gythka.
Thri-kreen sometimes use other species' weapons, but this is rare.
Variant forms of thri-kreen include the civilized tohr-kreen (of which there are six subspecies), the mentally and physically altered zik-trin, the alien zik-chil (which physically modify themselves and other species), and the spacefaring xixchil of the Spelljammer
campaign setting.
The thri-kreen society is very organized, and they have a strong hive mentality when in groups. Not much more is known since they have a difficult time associating with the humanoid races.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, the thri-kreen, or "mantis warriors", are an insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
-like monstrous humanoid race. Thri-kreen are one of the primary player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
races of the Dark Sun
Dark Sun
Dark Sun is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting featuring the fictional desert world of Athas. The original Dark Sun Boxed Set campaign setting was released in 1991....
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
, and have also appeared in the Spelljammer
Spelljammer
Spelljammer is a campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, which features a fantastical outer space environment....
and Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign settings, as well as the Dungeons & Dragons v3.5 Monster Manual II and the 4.0 Monster Manual 3.
Creative origins
The thri-kreen race was first introduced to D&D in 1982 by Paul Reiche IIIPaul Reiche III
Paul Reiche III is a game designer, particularly for computer games. Reiche is best known for being the co-creator, together with Fred Ford, of the Star Control universe.-Pen and paper RPGs:...
for the second set of Monster Cards
Monster Cards
Monster Cards is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:The Monster Cards were a DM's aid, with each set containing twenty 3" by 5" cards, each with a color monster illustration on one side and statistics on the other side...
. They have persisted into 3rd and 3.5 editions and appear in the Monster Manual II, Expanded Psionics Handbook, and various sourcebooks for the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
.
Publication history
The thri-kreen first appeared in first edition AD&D in the original Monster Manual II (1983).The thri-kreen appeared in second edition AD&D for the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
setting in the Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (1989), and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). The Athasian thri-kreen appeared for the Dark Sun
Dark Sun
Dark Sun is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting featuring the fictional desert world of Athas. The original Dark Sun Boxed Set campaign setting was released in 1991....
setting in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#173 (September 1991), and Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium Appendix II: Terrors Beyond Tyr (1995). The thri-kreen was presented as a player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
race in Player's Option: Skills & Powers
Player's Option: Skills & Powers
Player's Option: Skills & Powers is a supplemental sourcebook to the core rules of the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. This 192-page book was published by TSR, Inc. in 1995. The book was designed by Douglas Niles and Dale Donovan...
(1995), and for the Dark Sun setting in the Dark Sun Campaign Setting, Expanded and Revised
Dark Sun Campaign Setting, Expanded and Revised
Dark Sun Campaign Setting, Expanded and Revised is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1995.-Contents:*1 large canvas foldout map*2 paper foldout maps*1 dungeon master screen...
(1995).
The thri-kreen appeared in the third edition Monster Manual II (2002). The thri-kreen appeared as a player character race in Savage Species
Savage Species
Savage Species is a sourcebook for use as a supplement in the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game, detailing the use of monstrous races as PC races.-Contents:...
(2003), and the Expanded Psionics Handbook (2004) The Athasian thri-kreen appeared as a player character race for the Dark Sun setting in Dragon #319 (May 2004). The thri-kreen appeared as a player character race for the Forgotten Realms setting in Shining South (2004). The thri-kreen appeared as a playable character class
Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by his or her chosen class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes in order to...
in the Complete Psionic
Complete Psionic
Complete Psionic is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast released in April 2006...
(2006).
The thri-kreen is one of the monsters that appeared in the Monster Manual 3 (2010).
Depiction
The thri-kreen are depicted as resembling humanoid mantids with golden-brown coloration. They possess six limbs, and usually use one pair for locomotion and the other two pairs as armArm
In human anatomy, the arm is the part of the upper limb between the shoulder and the elbow joints. In other animals, the term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired forelimbs of a four-legged animal or the arms of cephalopods...
s. They have excellent physical capabilities, allowing them to jump great distances. They also have sharp claws, poisonous bites, and psionic abilities.
An average thri-kreen has the life expectancy of only 30 years. However, this is countered by the fact that thri-kreen do not require sleep. A thri-kreen truly lives out every moment of its precious 30 years.
Society
Thri-kreen are formidable nomadNomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic hunters who respect the land and hate creatures that despoil it. They will attack anyone who disturbs their home.
Thri-kreen have two signature weapons: the gythka, a polearm with a blade at each end; and the chatkcha, a dasl crystal throwing wedge which returns when thrown. Dasl is made from thri-kreen venom, modified by the zik-thok (fejik) plant. Creation of dasl is a racial secret and is only suitable for making three-sided weapons such as the chatkcha and gythka.
Thri-kreen sometimes use other species' weapons, but this is rare.
Variant forms of thri-kreen include the civilized tohr-kreen (of which there are six subspecies), the mentally and physically altered zik-trin, the alien zik-chil (which physically modify themselves and other species), and the spacefaring xixchil of the Spelljammer
Spelljammer
Spelljammer is a campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, which features a fantastical outer space environment....
campaign setting.
The thri-kreen society is very organized, and they have a strong hive mentality when in groups. Not much more is known since they have a difficult time associating with the humanoid races.
Additional reading
- Nina Hess "A Practical Guide to Monsters" A Practical Guide to Monsters ©2007 Wizards
- Richards, Johnathan M. "The Ecology of the Xixchil." DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#266 (TSRTSR, Inc.Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
, 1999).