The Kirre is a large psionic feline with horns and eight legs. The kirre is one of the more vicious animals of the forests and jungles of Athas. Prides can be found in small numbers throughout the Crescent Forest or in the Forest Ridge. Resembling a tiger in many ways, the kirre is a beast not to be trifled with.
A Halfling and a Kirre
At first glance, the kirre looks like a great cat, but upon closer examination, the differences quickly become clear. The kirre is eight feet in length and has eight muscular legs, each ending in paws which sport very sharp claws. The kirre also has large horns on either sides of its head and a sharp barbed tail spike often used as a weapon. The mouth of the kirre is large and has sharp, canine teeth, which are used mostly for tearing food that has been killed. The kirre is a fur-covered animal with coloration similar to a tiger (both are striped). But the kirre's fur varies in coloration considerably, brown, grey, green, black, biege, yellow and orange can all be found in a kirre's fur coloration. A kirre is one of many breeds (others include the tigone and the reptilian lirr) believed to have evolved from antiquity’s great cats.
Combat[]
Kirres are no ordinary dumb beasts. They have a strange, feral cunning and patience, when not overly hungry. They are able to assess their opponents, identifying weapons, gear, and health. They adjust their tactics depending on the creature they hunt. They might make noises to unnerve their enemies and drive them into foolish actions. They could also be silent, keeping to the shadows until it is time to strike. They watch and wait or hit and run as circumstances allow, delaying their final assault until the heat and sun have taken their toll. Being predators by nature, kirre are very well equipped for combat. This creature is very quick in melee combat darting around far more nimbly than other beasts of their size. Kirre will attack with their claws, teeth, horns and tail switching fluidly between them. Like many of the creatures of the Athas, kirres have natural psionic powers and innate psionic defenses.
Kirre Statblock 2e
Kirres hunt in packs, stalking creatures for several hours, following them for miles, learning their prey’s capacities, and wearing them down before engaging. During the hunt, the kirre stays back, growling and chirping to rattle the quarry. As the kirre grows hungry and its prey grows fatigued, the beast draws closer. The kirre attacks only when the quarry is weakened or distracted, or when it appears the prey might escape. The kirre leaps at its prey, raking with its claws before springing away. When it closes for good, the beast viciously rips its victim apart. They refuse to hunt with less intelligent allies, treating them as prey instead. The beasts sometimes accept humanoids as pack mates. They are found in the company of halflings most often, but wilderness half-giants and gith tribes also regularly hunt with kirres.
Kirre Statblock 4e
Habitat/Society[]
Kirres are normally solitary creatures, until the approach of their mating season, at which time a male and female will join and produce offspring. Kirre litters number from three to five young. Kirres are mammals, and females produce milk for their young. Young kirres survive on milk for the first five months, at which point they begin to eat solid food such as small forest animals and other mammals.
When the female is ready to give birth, both she and her mate will make a den in a remote area of the forest where they will be unlikely to be disturbed. During the first five months after birth, both the male and female protect their den ferociously, attempting to kill any creature who threatens their young.
Ecology[]
Kirre are a favorite game of many hunting tribes of races who live in the forests of Athas. The meat from kirres is some of the finest on all of Athas, and it is sought after by many (Pterrans in particular love their meat). Aside from a source of food, the kirre also has other uses when killed. The creature's horns can be cut off and used as spear heads; in some cases, they can be carved into ornate daggers. Also, the tail of a kirre has a sharp, bone spike at its end that can be fashioned into either an arrow head or a dart.
References[]
- Monstrous Compendium - Dark Sun Appendix I, 2nd edition Dungeons and Dragons (1992) TSR, Inc.
- Dark Sun Creature Catalog, 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons (2010), Wizards of the Coast.