Apr 27, 2014 05:11
Just trying to stat up a mostly "Bad guy" race for my Red Vixen universe
* * *
“When you want muscle, hire a wazagan. When you want dumb muscle, hire a hss'a”
-Traditional space pirate saying.
Background: Discovered approximitely a century ago by gliten explorers, the hss'a, depending on who you ask, are either a people exploited by their technological betters for use as the universe's punching bag, or bunch of bloodthirsty thugs exploited for their cheery disregard of other people's pain. Either way, they aren't very bright.
The hss'a homeworld is a large, heavy planet with a gravity twice that of Earth, and with only 40% of its surface covered with water. Much of the land is dry as a bone and terribly hot, with animal life clustering around rare oasises or on the shores. The hss'a developed intelligence and cunning to fight for those rare spots of life giving water, but not much beyond that. With a seeming instinctive need to dominate, cooperation is rare between hss'a, usually spurred by a charismatic leader, and falling apart shortly after they die, giving few chances for long term civilizations such as ancient Egypt or China to develop. By the time the hss'a were discovered, they were at a Bronze Age level of technological development, and had been stuck there for at least 5,000 years at best guess by alien archelogists.
These days Hss'a Prime is not a popular place to visit. The high gravity is unpleasant to almost everyone, even wazagans, though many of blue skinned pseudo-lizards make the journey anyway in the hopes of bringing the Word of God to try and mitigate the hss'a tendency towards violence and bloodshed. So far they haven't had much luck.
Description: Hss'a are large, snakelike people rising to about eight feet tall, with long torsos featuring two sets of arms, and twelve foot long tails that they use to slither along the sands of their world. True lizards, they're cold-blooded, preferring tempertures above 65 degrees, and dropping into a coma-like sleep at night when the temperture drops. Their scales come in a variety of colors, ranging from bright orange to deep green, with a contrasting pattern of stripes. Their mouths are filled with fangs, which can inject a halucenogenic poison to incapcitate their foes as they wrap their arms and bodies around their prey to crush them to death before consuming their bodies whole. Hss'a eat about every two to three days, gorging themselves on meat and digesting it slowly.
Like the wazagans, they reproduce by laying eggs, buried in the warm sands of their homes. Children are born in clutches of six, but the low tech of their homeworld and deadly predators generally insure on one or two of the clutch survive to adulthood.
In combat they're deadly in hand-to-hand, easily grabbing and crushing their opponents as their victims convulse in pleasure. Which is why standard tactics when facing one or more hss'a general involve shooting them from as long a distance as possible...
Psychologically they tend to be touchy. With their already legendarily bad tempers combined with a racial IQ signifigantly below that of the Galactic norm, and tendency to speak bluntly, they're often on the defensive, ready to lash out at any percieved slight and unlikely to unravel any jokes directed at them. Cooperation between is hss'a is difficult but possible, usually with a physically stronger leader pushing about a few weaker allies. Among other races they can actually be polite, so long as they have someone to look down on. Smart bosses give them a pet to look after. Smarter bosses don't inquire too closely into the pet's health...
Culture: In so much as they have one, it's limited to small tribes on their homeworld, their mental makeup making them ill suited to work in larger groups. Offworld they're likely to be working for someone, rather than plotting and planning on their own.
Game Use: In general, these are the guys used by the Boss to guard his lair, board innocent ships, and otherwise cause general mayhem. In other words Cannon Fodder. After while, the GM should feel free to change up player expectations and show them how dangerous a smart hss'a can be.
Statistics: ST +3 [24]*, DX +2 [40], IQ -1 [-20], HT +2 [20]
HP +2 [4], Will +1 [5], Basic Move -1 [-5], SM +2
Advantages: Affliction/2 (Blood agent -40%, melee attack c -30%, Ecstacy +100%) [26], Sharp Claws [5], Constriction Attack [15], 2 Extra Arms [20], Double Jointed [15], Nictating Membrane/5 [5], Single Minded [5], Sharp Teeth [1], Terrain Adaptation (Sand) [5].
Disadvantages: Bully [-10], Cold-Blooded (65 degrees) [-10], Disturbing Voice (hissing lisp) [-10], Low Technology (TL 2) [-35], No Sense of Humor [-10], No Legs (slithers) [0], Slow Healing [-5], Truthfulnes [-5].
Quirks: Dull [-1], Staid [-1]
Total: 78 points
* -20% for size bonus.
red vixen,
wazagans,
rpg,
gurps,
science fiction