Neanderthals, as described in the Basic
D&D rules, are treated in a superficial
manner -- just as they are in the AD&D
game Monster Manual.  Both versions are
colored by having to reside in fantasy
game universes, and neither is especially
authentic.  For example, the Basic D&D
game notes that Neanderthals have unusually
large leaders and keep apes as pets.

However, unlike the treatments given
them in other game systems, Neanderthals
are bassically benevolent in the D&D game,
being of Lawful alignment, and they are
treated as a demi-human rather than a
humanoid race -- but Neanderthals lack
the range of development that the other
demi-humans have.  This article offers
suggestions for a more detailed treatment
of Neanderthals.

Real Neanderthals
The Neanderthals of paleoanthropology
were members of a distinct subspecies of
Homo sapiens. They were inhabitants of
Europe, eastern and southern Africa, and
much of Asia as far as Java approximately
70,000 to 30,000 years ago.  Physical characteristics
of Neanderthals included thick,
heavy bones, a sloping forehead, and a
receding chin under powerful, often protruding
jaws.  The skull was slung low
behind the face, giving Neanderthals the
low foreheads and beetling brows seen in
many illustrations.  They were also heavily
built and physically powerful, though
slightly shorter than modern humans,
with a few minor skeletal modifications
which made them proficient in some tool
and weapon uses.  The brain size of Neanderthals
was actually larger than that of
modern man.  They had a primitive culture
-- but they were not stupid, and a Neanderthal
raised in a modern society would
adapt to it as well as any of us.

Neanderthals had a well-developed
speech area of the brain and spoke something.
However, they may have had trouble with vowels,
due to the shape of their
throats, so most modern languages would
have been beyond their abilities.  "Click"
group languages from Africa or Sino-Tibetan
from Asia would have been easiest
for them to learn.

Neanderthals were cave dwellers in
western Europe and the Near East, and
nomads of the plains in southern Russia.  It
is believed that they developed woodworking
skills which allowed them to make
tools, build tents when living away from
natural shelter (caves), and prepare skin
clothing with the aid of thorns as needles.
These folk developed sophisticated spear-heads
and stone axes, and they are also
credited with inventing the knife -- a long
flint blade.

Neanderthals also had the earliest beginnings
of artistic and religious expression.
Many of their dead were carefully buried
and provided with tools and food, presumably
for the afterlife.  It is assumed in this
article that their way of life resembled
that of some modern hunter-gatherers.
Because so much of their lives revolved
around hunting, animal motifs are commonly
found among the remains of these
people. Interestingly, there is evidence for a
cave-bear cult in many European remains,
as cave-bear skulls and bones are
often found set about in caves in special,
ritualistic positions.  Perhaps Neanderthals
worshiped cave bears as kindred beings,
or admired (at the same time they feared)
these creatures' ferocity.

Many Neanderthal remains show signs
of violent death, often from massive blows
to the skull.  It seems likely that, though
Neanderthals did not practice war as we
know it, they were quite familiar with
violence and fighting, and probably respected
physical might among their men.
There is some evidence that cannibalism
was practiced by some of them as well.

Neanderthals in the game
According to the Basic D&D rules, Neanderthals
appear as 2-HD monsters and
have Lawful alignments. They are shy, but
usually friendly. Being cave dwellers,
Neanderthals like both dwarves and (to a
lesser extent) gnomes, and usually trade
with them, exchanging food from the hunt
for manufactured items. The strength and
good nature of the dwarves, in particular,
make them admired by Neanderthal
tribes.

However, Neanderthals hate goblins and
kobolds because of their conflicting attitudes.
Goblins and kobolds are weak and
cowardly, and are prone to attack noncombatants
and the helpless ? a base
action in the eyes of a warrior people who
only respect might.

White apes are kept as pets for a number
of reasons. First, like most humans,
Neanderthals are amused by the antics of
primate pets. Second, the apes are vegetarians
and pose no threat to the cavemen;
the apes accompany Neanderthal females
and children while the males hunt. Third,
the keen senses and defensive abilities of
the apes serve to protect the nonwarriors
from foes. In many cases, the apes act as if
the humans were members of their own
white-ape tribe.

Ogres are hated as competitors in the
same (primitive) economic level who desire
the same sort of food and lodging, yet
have a hostile alignment and prey on the
Neanderthals from time to time. With the
respect that Neanderthals (like any primitive
culture) have for brute force and
physical might, ogres rate highly as the
most dangerous foes of these people.

Neanderthal leaders are a special type of
human, but they are not truly a separate
race. When a leader dies, the most powerful
tribal cleric selects the most powerful
male or female (as appropriate) among the
Neanderthals in the area. This person is
then fed a special series of herbs and
other foods, and the cleric calls upon an
unknown force or power (possibly an
Immortal spirit). As a result, this person
slowly grows in size, strength, and power
until he or she becomes in all ways like
the leader-types mentioned in the Basic
D&D game rules. Because these leaders
are solely concerned with their tribe?s
welfare and rarely go adventuring, they
are rarely player characters ? unless the
Dungeon Master develops a good reason
for such to be otherwise.

As a rule, Neanderthals are not familiar
with magical items or powerful magic
(beyond what tribal clerics can perform).
NPC Neanderthals have a -2 penalty to
their morale when confronted with powerful
magic, though PC Neanderthals may
be braver.

PC Neanderthals
Neanderthals, if used as a player-character
race/class in the D&D game,
have the following statistics:
 

Strength	10+
Intelligence	normal
Wisdom	normal
Dexterity	normal
Constitution	normal
Charisma	13 (max.)

NPC Neanderthals are treated in all ways
as the non-leader types in the Basic D&D
game rules. Female Neanderthals have 1
HD and save as 1st-level fighters. Each
family band (see below) has one cleric,
treated in all ways as a human cleric: 60%
of these clerics are 1st level; 30%, 2nd
level; 9%, 3rd level; and, 1%, 4th level.
Clerics never travel away from their
bands, and cannot be player characters.

Warrior Neanderthals wear thick furs to
give themselves AC 8; few of them have
mastered shields, though there is no reason
why they could not use shields and
even heavier armor and weapons, if given
the training and equipment. Though NPC
Neanderthals have a +l bonus to damage
due to their generally great strength,
individual PCs will have varying strength
bonuses.

Neanderthals, unlike other demi-human
races, are not organized into clans.  Instead,
they are grouped into family bands
of 10-40 adults and 4-40 children (1-6 hp
each).  These are each led by 2 leaders
(as mentioned above) and are formed into
large tribes of 3-12 family groups.  The
bands come together a few times a year to
TRADE, gossip, and so forth, as detailed
below.  Within each tribe, there are 2
leaders, male and female, with maximum
HP (for 6 HD), and a cleric of level  <cf. shaman>
4-7.  The band with the most powerful
leader (in terms of HP) usually has
the most powerful fighters, since the
leaders of the less-powerful bands encourage
such warriors to join the band of the
strongest leader.  This band fights with a
morale of 8 rather than 7, as it will have
more prestige.

Neanderthals can find slanting passages
and sense direction underground on a roll
of 1-2 on a d6.  Also, they can make weapons
and tools out of the appropriate types
of stone, taking one day of work per device.
They generally speak common
(though poorly), their own language, and
the goblin and dwarven tongues; as well as
their alignment tongue.  All of them are
quite skilled in the basics of wilderness
survival, hunting, and plant identification;
these talents should be handled by the DM
as seen fit.

PC Neanderthals are like human fighters
in that their talents are wholly based
upon warrior skills.  The appropriate tables
are given below.  It is assumed that PC
Neanderthals are known to be exceptionally
powerful members of their tribe, and
only the PCs within a tribe will have level
advancement (the leaders are assumed to
have once been 2-HD Neanderthals who
were advanced to 6 HD by special means).
Only PC leaders can rise above 6th level;
as such, PC Neanderthal leaders automatically
gain a 13 CHA (if they did not
have it before).  Additionally, leaders gain
1 CHA point per level over the 6th,
though this bonus applies only to dealings
with other Neanderthals.

Neanderthal Experience Table

XP	Level	Title
0	1	Youth
4,000	2	Hunter
8,000	3	Axe Master
16,000	4	Bear SLAYER
32,000	5	Great Bear SLAYER
64,000	6	Leader
120,000	7	7th-level Leader
240,000	8	8th-level Leader
480,000	9	9th-level Leader
600,000	10	10th-level Leader
720,000	11	11th-level Leader
840,000	12	12th-level Leader

Neanderthal Saving Throws Table

Level:	1-3	4-8	7-9	10-12
Death Ray or Poison	8	6	4	2
Magic Wands	13	11	9	7
Paralysis or Turn to Stone	12	10	8	6
Dragon Breath	15	13	11	9
Rod/Staff/Spell	16	14	12	10

Hit Dice: Tough, hard PC Neanderthals
gain 1d10 per level, with a maximum of
6d10 at 6th level.  Thereafter, they gain +3
HP per level.  This great toughness is
balanced by their slow level advancement.

Neanderthals cannot advance beyond
5th level without taking the special ceremonial
treatment that makes them leaders.
If leader PCs are allowed for whatever
reason, they save as human fighters.  Because
of the CEREMONY making them into
leaders, PC Neanderthal leaders must
work to support and protect their tribe
and people at all times; selfish adventuring
cannot even be considered.  All treasure
gained by adventuring is brought back to
the tribe and distributed as seen fit among
the people, so that the tribe as a whole is
enriched.  DMs using the
Companion D&D game rules may create
information on relics and additional
powers; Neanderthal relics, for some
reason, are always cave-bear skulls of
exceptional size.  It is rumored that an
Immortal spirit guides the Neanderthals;
this spirit is said to resemble a gigantic
cave bear.

Daily Neanderthal life
Neanderthals are hunter-gathers, which
usually means that the males hunt for
meat and the females gather edible plants.
While most bands dwell in caves and often
venture deep into dungeons and cavern
complexes, they are nomadic and tend to
MOVE at regular intervals.  They occasionally
TRADE with other peoples, especially
exchanging furs, hides, and food for tools,
and a young man may work for an outsider
as a laborer.  If the seasons permit, Neanderthals
dwell in tents outdoors,
and usually winter over in harsh
climates in a cave or dungeon.

Young women frequently marry a member
of another band and go to join that
band.  Sometimes, tensions within the band
or an imbalance in the sexes lead a young
man or married couple to MOVE to a nearby
band.  In each of these cases, the band is
usually (but not always) within the same
tribe.

Once or twice a year, the bands of a
tribe get together to renew old acquaintances,
arrange marriages, carry on trade,
perform religious ceremonies, exchange
information, give judgments on difficult
tribal problems, and so forth. During these
gatherings, the leader types in each tribe
form what amounts to a band of their
own, deep in the wilderness. After exchanging
their own series of rituals and
information, the leaders part and return
to their own tribes.  These leaders are held
in awe by other Neanderthals, and their
word is law.  Leaders speak a variety of
tongues, including the Lawful, common,
dwarven, goblin, and ogre languages, as
well as Neanderthal speech.
 

FEBRUARY 1987