Klar

''An immense, bearlike creature, this beast has thick, sandy-colored fur but sports a chitinous plate across its back. Strange, tendrilous growths hang from its upper lip and it has a short tail that appears to be of little use, save perhaps for balance.''

Combat
The klar readily uses its psionics in battle, preferring to scare its opponents into submission. In melee combat, a klar buffets and slashes with its two paws and attempts to grapple and crush its target if possible. The klar is fond of playing with its food, so it often releases its victim after a single crush and tries again the next round. A klar that is losing its battle maintains its hold until it or the victim is dead. A klar will also bite if possible, dealing terrible injuries with its massive jaws.

Description
Descended from the more common species of bears that roamed Athas in earlier ages, the klar is a dangerous ursine predator with psionic powers and a developed, if animalistic intellect. Klars dwell in caves but are not territorial, instead choosing their hunting grounds for convenience and efficiency. Klars will drive out weaker creatures and steal their cave dwellings where this is necessary.

Klars communicate through growls and grunts, or through psionics when they wish to be silent. It has recently been discovered that klars do not generally consider humanoids intelligent, and friendly communication is rare.

The klar is not particularly territorial and knows that it can find a home anywhere in the mountains by killing other cave-dwellers. However, young klar will be fiercely defended by their parents as their nascent psionic powers make the young klars' minds highly unstable. It is not unheard of for an adolescent klar to be completely overwhelmed by its growing inner abilities and adults of the species are always anxious to protect their young from any disturbances that might precipitate such a breakdown. Klars live from 60-100 years and rarely succumb to other creatures before that time. Those that are able will hunt klars for their skins, however, as these can fetch a handsome price in the city-states. A klar's chitinous shell, on the other hand, is impossible to shape without magical aid and is of little use.