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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
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Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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 Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2019 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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| MrNexx wrote: | | So, just for fun, let's talk about a d6 Floating Octopus, which I will call Octo-boctos. |
How about "Ouboctos", which is nicely alien, but also a nicely obscured scrambling of the letters in Octopus (with the P inverted, and an extra 'O', but whatever)?
| Quote: | | I'm picturing these as smaller, about Ewok size, but with a lot of Dexterity |
That works. I've considered allowing some smaller races to have a Scale below Character on my Scale System, but few species are actually small enough to cross into this range.
Makes sense.
It's my understanding that real octopods suck in the surrounding water and eject it under pressure, so I'd probably go that route (drawing in and expelling compressed air) instead of having it expend its own natural gases. Maybe with a really loud squeaking or raspberry noise...
Maybe the alien can control which one it is...
The problem here is that hydrogen isn't naturally combustible, so there'd need to be some mechanism for it to ignite in an oxygen environment. That combined with the vulnerability to flame you mentioned below makes it... questionable that this species would be capable of naturally generating an effect that it itself is vulnerable to. I'd probably go with some sort of caustic mist that's also flammable if in the presence of open flame, so that there's a chance of blowback if the alien uses this in the wrong circumstances.
Perhaps also a bonus to Str when grabbing onto something due to the suction cups...
Probably also needs rules for some sort of Contortionist skill or natural ability (maybe write Contortionist up as a general skill - since humans are capable of doing it - but give the Octopod additional bonuses for it).
I'd definitely like to include the Chameleon ability factor; as in the wild, something this slow will most definitely be an ambush hunter, so the ability to hide from both prey and predators will be essential.
Good point.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
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MrNexx
Rear Admiral
Joined: 25 Mar 2016
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Location: San Antonio
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| Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2019 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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| CRMcNeill wrote: | | MrNexx wrote: | | So, just for fun, let's talk about a d6 Floating Octopus, which I will call Octo-boctos. |
How about "Ouboctos", which is nicely alien, but also a nicely obscured scrambling of the letters in Octopus (with the P inverted, and an extra 'O', but whatever)? |
Works for me; I hate naming things, and it was the first one to pop into my mind.
Taking in your other commentary:
DEX 3D/5D
KNO 2D/4D
MCH 2D/4D
PER 2D/4d
STR 1D/3D
TCH 2D/4D
(Why the stats they have? I like to design from a base of 12D-24D as an attribute range, unless something absolutely must change. I'm picturing these as smaller, about Ewok size, but with a lot of Dexterity)
Special Abilities:
Float: Ouboctos float naturally, using reserves of hydrogen generated within their body. They tend to remain at a height of approximately 2m, but can moderate their buoyancy to sink as lower or higher. They can ascend and descend at .5m per round as part of any other action, and 1m per round as a non-roll action.
They also take +1D damage from Blasters and fire-based weapons; constantly containing and exhaling flammable gases has its disadvantages.
Normal movement for Ouboctos is quite slow; a mere 1, with 3 as the maximum. Furthermore, if they are floating free, every 1D of damage will push them half a meter along the vector of the attack. However, if they can reach tentacle-holds on walls or other protrusions, they may move by Climbing, and at Climbing speeds, and are immune to the push.
Alternatively, they can Jet or Plume.
Jet: Ouboctos move slowly most of the time, but are capable of accelerating to great speed for brief bursts. As an action, they may roll up to STR and move half that distance, in meters, in a single round, in a straight line. However, they do not control this movement precisely; they pick a vector and move, and will suffer falling damage if they encounter a solid obstacle before the end of their jet. The strain of rapidly taking in and expelling air is stressful; Ouboctos may use Jet dice equal to their stamina dice, but no more than STR dice at a time; every die spent requires 10 minutes of normal breathing to recover.
Plume: Ouboctos may use their Jet in another way. While their usual jetting movement is simply an expulsion of local atmosphere, Ouboctos can choose to also expel an aerosolized mix of digestive juices, with corrosive effects. "Pluming", as it is called, allows the Ouboctos to expel acid for 1 meter for every 1D of Strength that they devote to pluming, simultaneously Jetting in the other direction. The acid will do damage equal to the amount of Strength the Ouboctos devoted to the attack, and is aimed with a special skill, Plume, which is based on Dexterity; all attacks with Plume are at short range. Like Jetting, dice used for Plume return at the rate of 1D per 10 minutes of normal breathing, and are capped at stamina.
Tentacles: Ouboctos have eight, strong, boneless arms, lined with powerful suction cups. Individually, each arm is not as strong as a human, but the Ouboctos can naturally Combine Actions with the arms for Strength tests; so, if an Ouboctos with 1D Strength is able to devote all eight arms to a task, they may act as if their strength is 3D+1 (1D for the first arm, +2D for six additional arms, and +1 for the 7th). This applies for all Strength tests and skills, save tests made to resist damage and Jet or Plume. Additionally, the suction cups on their arms provide them a very agile grip; they receive 1D less in penalties from the slickness of anything they climb, and 1D bonus to maintain their grip on objects.
Boneless: Ouboctos seldom fall, but not infrequently impact walls and other hard objects at a high rate of speed when Jetting and Pluming. Their boneless nature gives them +2D armor against blunt force trauma, be it running into a wall or being hit by a speeder. This may not apply, at the GMs discretion, if the force is not quite blunt enough; it will protect quite well against a board, not so well against a board covered in spikes. Additionally, they can fit through very tight spaces; though most are half a meter in diameter, they can regularly make it through any space that can accommodate their brain; .2m or more.
Chameleon Skin: Ouboctos are naturally a pink-beige in hue, but are able to shift their skin color at will, and can alter the texture of their skin to further hide; with one round of preparation, they may alter themselves to receive +1D to hide when motionless or Floating; this is lost if they Jet.
Story Factors:
Weird Bodies: For whatever reason, the species of the galaxy are most often based on a relatively common plan... 1m-2m in height, with four limbs, and a protruding head. There are some variations on that; the legless Hutts, the symbiotic Paaerduag; but the plan is common enough that it is predictable.
Ouboctos are nowhere near any of those.
Their tentacle-like arms are agile enough that most things designed to be used by hand are they pose no trouble to an Ouboctos, but equipment designed for a whole body, or even a creature with a back, can pose an issue. At the Game Master's discretion, many devices will pose a 1D to 2D penalty to use, and others (such as clothing and armor) will be completely unable to be used as intended. Furthermore, even custom-ordered equipment must be designed and manufactured to the Ouboctos' exact dimensions, adding 50-100% to costs.
Move: 1/3
Size: ~.5m in diameter, with arms that are another 1-1.5m
_________________
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“We're going to win this war, not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.”
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16178
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 12:54 am Post subject: |
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I like it. There's a few things I'd probably do differently, and I have some ideas in mind for how to write up a Contortionist skill (and these beings would be supremely good at it), but this is pretty much dead on for what I pictured.
One question: what would Ouboctos' Move be when they have something to grab onto and pull?
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
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MrNexx
Rear Admiral
Joined: 25 Mar 2016
Posts: 2248
Location: San Antonio
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| Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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| CRMcNeill wrote: | I like it. There's a few things I'd probably do differently, and I have some ideas in mind for how to write up a Contortionist skill (and these beings would be supremely good at it), but this is pretty much dead on for what I pictured.
One question: what would Ouboctos' Move be when they have something to grab onto and pull? |
All I have in mind is "Climbing Speed".
I'd say that their speed while pulling themselves along would be more like 5; not as fast as a human moves, but fast enough to move quickly.
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“We're going to win this war, not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.”
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garhkal
Sovereign Protector
Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 14034
Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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| MrNexx wrote: | So, just for fun, let's talk about a d6 Floating Octopus, which I will call Octo-boctos, because it's about on par with calling a greedy bounty hunter "Greedo", and less obscene than "Kitt Fisto". And it will tweak a small subset of parents, which is a bonus.
DEX 3D/5D
KNO 2D/4D
MCH 2D/4D
PER 2D/4d
STR 1D/3D
TCH 2D/4D
(Why the stats they have? I like to design from a base of 12D-24D as an attribute range, unless something absolutely must change. I'm picturing these as smaller, about Ewok size, but with a lot of Dexterity)
Special Abilities:
Float: Octo-boctos float naturally, using reserves of hydrogen generated within their body. They tend to remain at a height of approximately 2m, but can moderate their buoyancy to sink as lower or higher. They can ascend and descend at .5m per round as part of any other action, and 1m per round as a non-roll action.
Normal movement for Octo-boctos is quite slow; a mere 1, with 3 as the maximum. Furthermore, if they are floating free, every 1D of damage will push them half a meter along the vector of the attack. However, if they can reach tentacle-holds on walls or other protrusions, they may move by Climbing, and at Climbing speeds, and are immune to the push.
Alternatively, they can Jet or Plume.
Jet: Octo-boctos move slowly most of the time, but are capable of accelerating to great speed for brief bursts. As an action, they may roll up to STR and move half that distance, in meters, in a single round, in a straight line. However, they do not control this movement precisely; they pick a vector and move, and will suffer falling damage if they encounter a solid obstacle before the end of their jet. An Octo-bocto may devote less than their full Strength to movement; every die spent requires 10 minutes of normal breathing to recover. (For example, and Octo-bocto with 2D+1 strength may choose to Jet with 1D+1 die of Strength, then jet immediately, on a different vector, with their remaining 1D of Strength. Said character would be unable to jet at all for 10 minutes, at which point they would regain 1D of Jet ability).
Plume: Octo-boctos may use their Jet in another way. While their usual jetting movement is an expulsion of local atmosphere, Octo-boctos can choose to expel near-pure hydrogen, with explosive effects. "Pluming", as it is called, allows the Octo-bocto to expel fire for 1 meter for ever 1D of Strength that they devote to pluming, simultaneously Jetting in the other direction. The fire will do damage equal to the amount of Strength the Octo-bocto devoted to the attack, and is aimed with a special skill, Plume, which is based on Dexterity; all attacks with Plume are at short range. Like Jetting, dice used for Plume return at the rate of 1D per 10 minutes of normal breathing.
Tentacles: Octo-boctos have eight, strong, boneless arms, lined with powerful suction cups. Individually, each arm is not as strong as a human, but the Octo-bocto can naturally Combine Actions with the arms for Strength tests; so, if an Octo-Bocto with 1D Strength is able to devote all eight arms to a task, they may act as if their strength is 3D+1 (1D for the first arm, +2D for six additional arms, and +1 for the 7th). This applies for all Strength tests and skills, save tests made to resist damage and Jet or Plume.
Boneless: Octo-boctos seldom fall, but not infrequently impact walls and other hard objects at a high rate of speed when Jetting and Pluming. Their boneless nature gives them +2D armor against blunt force trauma, be it running into a wall or being hit by a speeder. This may not apply, at the GMs discretion, if the force is not quite blunt enough; it will protect quite well against a board, not so well against a board covered in spikes. However, they also take +1D damage from Blasters and fire-based weapons; constantly containing and exhaling flammable gases has its disadvantages.
Story Factors:
Weird Bodies: For whatever reason, the species of the galaxy are most often based on a relatively common plan... 1m-2m in height, with four limbs, and a protruding head. There are some variations on that; the legless Hutts, the symbiotic Paaerduag; but the plan is common enough that it is predictable.
Octo-boctos are nowhere near any of those.
Their tentacle-like arms are agile enough that most things designed to be used by hand are they pose no trouble to an octo-bocto, but equipment designed for a whole body, or even a creature with a back, can pose an issue. At the Game Master's discretion, many devices will pose a 1D to 2D penalty to use, and others (such as clothing and armor) will be completely unable to be used as intended. Furthermore, even custom-ordered equipment must be designed and manufactured to the octo-bocto's exact dimensions, adding 50-100% to costs.
EDIT: The parts I always forget
Move: 1/3
Size: ~.5m in diameter, with arms that are another 1-1.5m |
Nice write up.
Though onto a few questions; For 'going straight up', what's a max flight ceiling they could reach?
Can they survive in the vaccum of space, or in the water?
Can they wear armor or use blasters?
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Telsij
Captain
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MrNexx
Rear Admiral
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Posts: 2248
Location: San Antonio
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| Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2019 11:09 am Post subject: |
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Personally, I eventually just went with a flumph.
_________________
"I've Seen Your Daily Routine. You Are Not Busy!"
“We're going to win this war, not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.”
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16178
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2019 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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I'm partial to the visual of an actual floating octopus.
Incidentally, I have some thoughts on the Ouboctos' life cycle, as well. Real Octopods die after mating, either a few months afterward (the male) or once the eggs have hatched (female). What I'm thinking is maybe having the Ouboctos' do the same, except that a small percentage of the species don't experience the mating urge, so while the majority of the species lives fast and dies young, the small subset of sterile adults continue to develop, learn and grow, and all character-level Ouboctoi are of that sub-group.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
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MrNexx
Rear Admiral
Joined: 25 Mar 2016
Posts: 2248
Location: San Antonio
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| Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 11:17 am Post subject: |
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| CRMcNeill wrote: | I'm partial to the visual of an actual floating octopus.
Incidentally, I have some thoughts on the Ouboctos' life cycle, as well. Real Octopods die after mating, either a few months afterward (the male) or once the eggs have hatched (female). What I'm thinking is maybe having the Ouboctos' do the same, except that a small percentage of the species don't experience the mating urge, so while the majority of the species lives fast and dies young, the small subset of sterile adults continue to develop, learn and grow, and all character-level Ouboctoi are of that sub-group. |
I like it. Ace Ouboctos are the maintainers of culture and such, while most of them are breeders?
_________________
"I've Seen Your Daily Routine. You Are Not Busy!"
“We're going to win this war, not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.”
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16178
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 11:20 am Post subject: |
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| MrNexx wrote: | | I like it. Ace Ouboctos are the maintainers of culture and such, while most of them are breeders? |
That's my thought. Sort of like how the Ruurians (Skynx from Han Solo and the Lost Legacy) are a large sentient butterfly, with the "adults" as the caterpillar stage.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
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