GEAN RACES Copyright 1997 John L. Jackson, Huntsville, AL Beolynx@io.com These races are used in my "Gea" game-world, and are detailed below: Beaverik Froggers Kangas Kurgans Lizarians Volgans Note: I don't use racial packages, but merely indicate the races most common advantages and disadvantages which the PCs are free to take. Likewise with attributes. I'll indicate the racial average, but all are bought from a base of 10. I often indicate skills the race is good at or is known for, which GMs might want to assign a racial bonus for in a standard racial package. Beaverik Beaveriks are like large bipedal sentient beavers in appearance, but with opposable thumbs. Beaveriks have three fingers and a thumb. They prefer to dwell in caves or in underground buildings. They love the water and have been known to build underwater lodgings. They are artisans of great wonder in painting, cooking, and music. They are fairly chivalrous, and honest to a fault. Names are chosen by the paternal grandparents, and given once the Beaveriks cubs hatch, usually in egg clutches of five. The average Beaverik has toughness, +1 ST, +2FT, and is good at swimming. Literate ones are often quite knowledgeable in law. Many are honest and / or pacifistic (self defense). Frogger Froggers are an amphibious race of warm-blooded bibeds. They have heads shaped much like frogs, and have webbed hands and feet, and are egg-layers. Froggers come in various shades of green, and have very smooth (almost slimy) skin. They have a long forked tongue which can be used to grab small prey or objects. Froggers take great delight in zapping food off their plate or out of the air, which most races find disgusting. Froggers have gotten a bad rep as "demon spawn" from earlier times. Froggers are disliked and often have a hard time in human societies. Double Jointed, Ambidextrous, High Pain Threshold, and the Amphibious advantage (CI) are common among the race. Almost all Froggers have Gills (10 points), Tongue (Extra Arm-short, no physical attack = 2 points), Pressure Tolerance (5 points). Kanga Kangas are a race of sentient marsupials. They look like giant kangaroos. They stand about 6-7 feet tall, and are covered in a short, soft fur; dark red with a blonde belly and often blonde markings on face and paws. Kanga society is loosely organized, but very entertaining. Kangas enjoy life to the fullest, but they can knuckle down and accomplish amazing tasks. When perturbed, they are fierce warriors, and can attack with their feet with deadly force. They can also do a tail sweep in hand to hand combat, much like a sweep in Karate. Kangas are omnivores, and have a fondness for salt and hot spices, they are fools for pickled cucumbers and pickled eggs. In Kanga dominated cultures, Kangas generally go for a flexible style of government. Though many are feudal, the king usually doesn't have absolute power, and relies on a cabinet to take over affairs of state when he wants to take vacations. A large informal parliament often helps the King run things. Kanga justice systems are the model of efficiency (though not always of fairness). Many non-kangas have come to rue the day they were sentenced in a Kanga court, and their legal systems have become known as Kanga Rue Courts. Many kangas are stoic and stand-off-ish. The average Kanga has luck and/or combat reflexes. As a race, they tend to be IQ +1, DX +1 compared to humans. Kangas typically grow up fighting with their feet, and have the kicking maneuver on par with their hands in combat. Kangas can use their tails to perform a tail sweep, to sweep the floor, or to make a comfortable squat position that they can even sleep in. Many Kangas are overconfident swashbucklers. They often leap to impulsive judgements, and then stubbornly defend them. Absentmindedness and short attention spans are also more common among Kangas than other races. Kurgan Kurgans are a hairy race, almost ape-like in physical build, but much thinner, and with a more 'human' face. Some claim they resemble tall elves on steroids, with three inch fur. They are 10% taller and heavier than normal humans for a given ST. They have four fingers and two opposite thumbs on each hand. Their ears are long, erect, and pointed, almost wolf-like, sitting higher on the head than for humans, but not quite on the top of the head. Their eyes are large and usually gold, green, or brown in color. Their fur varies in coloration from black, dark brown, honey brown, and dark indigo. Their furs are valuable, and can be tanned and cured to make tough leather armor, or rich warm blankets, and are believed to have mystical properties. The leather is very distinctive, and most unpopular with Kurgans. Ownership of such leather is illegal in some parts of society, and will usually bring retribution from local Kurgans. Kurgans are a gracious people, but prefer to live isolated from the other races. They prefer to build communities in the woods and forests, usually many feet above the forest floor in tree houses. They have also been known to build settlements on cliff faces. Often they will settle near a large mixed-race city and interact and work in the city. Though they aren't a sylvan race, they have gotten along with the sylvan folk quite well in recent history. The race in ancient times was known as the "Karpe", a very violent and blood-thirsty race, famous for eating sentients, raping, pillaging, the works. Then they met Saint Kurgan, a priestly warrior mage, who taught them "civilized manners" and christianized several of the clans. This brought the race from the brink of extinction (the other races had lost their patience with Karpe). The Kurgan race was so thankful for this service, that they all adopted the uber-clan name of Kurgan. Since it was the only uber-clan left, it also became the name of the race. There are occasional rumours of a lost clan of Karpe, but the Kurgans will usually be the first to hunt them out and convert or kill them. The average Kurgan has higher dexterity and health than humans, and are a bit faster. Most have at least one level of toughness. They are usually good climbers, often having double jointedness, as well as superior vision at night. Kurgans are omnivorous, having a high intake requirement for carbohydrates. The females of the race can produce three "demas" (babies) in their life time. With feudal infant mortality rates and the occasional war, this is resulting in a slow decrease in the Kurgan populations. The racial bent towards overconfidence, berserker rages, and on-the-edge fighting furies, don't help with this population problem. Volgans react at +1 to Kurgans. Lizarian Lizarian are generally considered to be major jerks. This can be a very fun race to role play, but don't expect everyone to appreciate all your nasty character traits. Lizarians have many differences from Reptile Men. Lizarians love swamps, while Reptile Men prefer plains and deserts. Lizarians are more brightly colored and have a neck flap that rises (and turns red) to become a hood when they are angry. Lizarians have an extra large bladder for storing water for their water blast; Lizarians can pee like other creatures, but don't need to if they are using their blasts frequently, other races don't realize that their water blasts contain urine, and the Lizarians aren't going to bring it up. Lizarian are 10% taller than human standard for ST, and have weight +15% for their ST and size. They have an alligator like tail which is useful for balance or striking. Lizarians can also do a tail sweep in hand to hand combat, much like a sweep in Karate. They are not cold -blooded. Their body temperature is around 80oF. Their scales are more lizard-like or snake like. Coloration is usually dark green, grey, black, or indigo. Stripes are uncommon until older age. Old lizarians, when found, will have black stripes in their neck flap. The typical Lizarian has toughness, and is ST +2, DX +1 above the human average. They usually have the claws advantage, the shorter claws in the vast majority, with longer (higher cost) claws and stubby (no cost, no effect) claws not being too unusual. Lizarians are famous for their water jets, which are respectable weapons, as detailed below. Lizarians often have bad temper, and many are overconfident, swaggering bullies. Bloodlust and berserk rages aren't too unusual to the race either. The race has a -1 reputation (Social Stigma, eat non-lizarian sentients -5 points). Water Blast: Range 4 hexes. Skill based on Magic Jet (Lizarian) skill with a DX-6 default, can be improved. 1d+1 dice crushing damage. Costs 1 point of fatigue per die of damage (cut fatigue by half if standing in water over knee deep). After water blast is used, the fatigue loss from the blast can not be regained until the user drinks 1 quart of water per dice of blast and rests thirty minutes. Blast can not be maintained. The blast is shot from an orifice on either wrist, and range penalties do not apply on the to hit roll. Water Blast costs 9 points for each level (15 point ability, -6 because it costs fatigue, has reduced range, requires recharge, and must be learned). PCs may buy up to 3 levels. Each level adds 1d+1 of damage and does not extend range. PCs may also pay 9 points to have a water blast with double range (8 hexes). Example, Sam buys 3 levels of Water Blast, costing 27 points, and buys double range for 9 more; he can now do 4d damage (3d+3=4d) and has a range of 8 hexes, for 36 points. Volgan Cat-Men, largely omnivores, coloration varies from Siamese, Black, Gray, Tabby, Blue, White, or Purple. Hold order very highly. Hate change and chaos. Logical thinkers. Hold dry humor in high esteem, love puns, hate slap-stick comedy (especially Hobbit-style). 10% taller than human norm of same ST, 10% lighter in weight. Volgans have 4 fingers and two opposite thumbs on each hand. Volgans have long, erect, pointed ears (very cat-like), positioned near the top of the head. They have large eyes, usually gold, green, or blue in color. While Volgans esteem logic highly, they are not unemotional, nor are they peaceniks. When a Volgan decides its logical to kill someone, they can be very cold blooded about it! Volgans are biased in their honest belief that they are the superior race in existence. This quirk is often found as a full-blown intolerance. This hasn't exactly made them popular with other races at times... The average volgan has ST+1, IQ+1,DX+1 compared to normal humans. Most have Night Vision and are Double-Jointed, the claws advantage is not unheard of. Volgans are stereotypically truthful, honest, and logical, and most are at least semi-literate. The chivalric and gentlemans codes of honors are keystones of the culture. Most Volgans are good climbers. The strong similarity between Volgans and Kurgans hasn't been lost on most thinking folks, and the Kurgans and Volgans consider each other to be distant cousins. The cultures of the two races are quite different, however. Kurgans and Volgans can not interbreed. Kurgans react to volgans at +1.