FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 10-100
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 13"//19"
HIT DICE: 4 + 4
% IN LAIR: 80%
TREASURE TYPE: H
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 claws and 1 bite, or 1 weapon
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-2/1-2/1-4 or by weapon type
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Imprisonment
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Spell immunities; poison resistance
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Average to high
ALIGNMENT: Neutral good
SIZE: L (6' - 10' tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
    Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: IV/210 + 5/hp
    "Imprisoners": V/285 + 5/hp

    Sind, or "marshwiggles," are a humanoid
race who dwell in marshlands in peaceful
colonies. They speak common as well as the
tongue of their alignment, and sometimes
(10% chance) also that of lizard men.

    Sind work and trade with other beings,
but prefer privacy, each dwelling alone in a
dry, warm straw-lined wigwam built of
sticks arranged in a conical shape and
sealed with a thick layer of mud. Such
wigwams are always located within a
marsh, where the sind fish for small eels,
crayfish, frogs, and small fish. Because of
their size, they seldom capture a meal by
swimming after it, but prefer to fish with a
hook and line, a net, or even by snatching
prey from the water with their long, webbed
fingers.

    Sind tend to be dour, cynical pessimists,
but they are also stubborn, pragmatic,
good-natured and sensitive. If one is befriended,
he will trust, and can be trusted,
absolutely. Sind have a dry, slow sense of
humor. When at leisure, they enjoy a good
smoke (employing pipes and a tobacco
mixed with marsh-mud, which produces a
thick, black smoke heavier than air). They
avoid intoxicating drinks except for special
occasions, for they are easily made tipsy,
and when inebriated they become wildly
joyous and reckless. Sind are greatly feared
by some for a power that only some sind
(30%) acquire as they mature; the power to
entomb one creature (cf. the 9th level
magic-user spell imprisonment) per day by
touch. No words or knowledge of the target's
name and background are required.

    Sind see as well as a human, carrying
lanterns at night to light their way (the
source of many bobbing lights seen deep in
marshes), and can detect all creatures up to
3" away by smell. They have tough, horny
skin that is not easily harmed by sharp
weaponry and surroundings, and they can
handle prickly or sharp objects, or scratching
and biting animals, without harm. Sind
have sunken-cheeked, sharp-nosed, grim
faces. They +3 on all saving throws vs.
poison becasue of their hardy constitutions.
They have standard magic resistance, except
that they are immune to the following
spells: charm, suggestion, sleep, hold, and
slow.

    Sind are not avaricious, but value treasure
highly highly for its bargaining power in
obtaining goods (such as clothes and weapons,
which they seldom make) and services
(such as leaving the sind alone), and will
collect any they find in the marsh (from
hoards, burials, or unfortunate intruders).

    Sind generally mate for life and produce
children ("wiggles") once every 3-4 summers,
having 1 or 2 at a time. Such children
are miniature (1' tall) replicas of their
parents (1 HD, attacks 1/1/1-2, powers as
an adult) and are able to fend for themselves
immediately. Normally they remain
with their parents for 2-6 years, until full
grown. Sind colonies are loosely ruled by a
council of elders, but their word is by no
means absolute.

    Marshwiggles will fight to defend themselves
or their fellows, or for a cause or
being they support, but are not aggressive.
A marshwiggle will always have a staff and
a dagger when encountered, and may also
(20% chance) possess a sword, bow, trident,
or spear.

    Sind worship Sindar, also called
"Marshwinter" or "The Tall One." Sindar
is a wandering, immortal sind who aids his
people in their need; if a colony of sind is
threatened, there is a 10% chance he will
appear, unannounced, to lead them in
battle. Sindar will be known upon sight by
any sind, even if they have never seen him
before, and they will obey him absolutely.
He appears as a 20' tall sind, and is AC 0
with 111 hp, attacks 3-12/3-12/3-24, 35%
magic resistance, and is immune to all
enchantment/charm, mind reading,
influence/control spells or psionics. Sindar
speaks common, neutral good, and the
tonuge of lizard men, and can communicate
(by touch) telepathically with any creature.
He can imprison one creature per round, by
touch (use of this power usually takes the
place of one of his hand attacks). SInd gain
no spells or clerical abilities from their
worship of Sindar -- indeed, there is no
priesthood or organized worship; each sind
makes his or her own private devotions,
consisting of prayers, promises, and confessions.
Sindar has no symbol and no permanent
home, although he inhabits the Prime
Material Plane. He is said to be very dextrous,
able to catch and hurl back missiles of
all sorts hurled or shot at him in battle.

    Sind and lizard men are sometimes allies
against common enemies, being more often
neighbors who coexist peacefully, largely
ignoring one another. There is seldom strife
between the two races.

    Sind have small torsos but very long arms
and legs. Their skin is brown to green, and
they have green-gray, reedlike hair (but no
facial hair). Their hands and feet are
webbed like those of a frog, and they wear
loose, earth-colored clothes, often with a hat
to help keep the hot sun from drying their
skin. They can swim very well, can breathe
water like a fish and walk on water at will,
and prefer to remain still and inconspicuous
as much as possible. They do not count as
humanoids for purposes of ranger attacks
against them.
 

    by Ed Greenwood