Fallen Stars: A Setting in a Mutant-Filled Post-Apocalyptic America

Fossilized Rappy · 03-30-2016, 01:28 PM

All-American Near-Humans
Unlike the previously covered worldwide near-human mutants, the following four are widespread, but only within the confines of the North American continent.

Karkinos
Scientific Name: Homo osteodorsum
Range: Gulf Coast and Mississippi Bay

Physical Characteristics: Standing 6 ½ to 7 feet tall (though seemingly somewhat shorter due to their hunched posture), karkinoi have large dermal plates scattered across their body, under which is similarly hard pebbly skin. Their former human arms have engorged into exceedingly thick knee-length limbs ending in large foot-long pincers, secondary arms ending in still humanoid hands have sprouted a few inches below their standard shoulders, and thick legs end in padded feet with three stubby toes. Finally, a karkinos's thick head has small, deeply inset eyes, slitted nostrils, no ears, and a jagged mouth. The only external sexual dimorphism that karkinoi have is that males have circular pelvic plates and females have triangular pelvic plates.

Psychological Characteristics: Karkinoi are slightly less mentally developed than standard humans on average. While not crippling or severe enough to limit their ability to utilize and understand technology (though some clans may have Low Tech Level nonetheless), it does cause difficulties concerning innovative and creative concerns. This tends to also cause greater occurrences of stress and cases of species-based dysphoria from pre-apocalyptic changees than most near-human mutants, which typically retain their intellect.

Other Information: Like the deep ones of the Atlantic Coast, karkinoi are a semi-aquatic species that depend on moisturized bodies to avoid dehydration. Their enclaves are typically found scattered along shorelines and inside wrecked ships, submerged buildings, and oil rigs, though some groups engage in a nomadic existence. While karkinoi reach adulthood at the same time as humans, they typically reach the end of their lifespan at the time a human would be attaining middle age.

Racial Template [71 Points]
Attributes: ST +3 [30], IQ -1 [-20], HT +2 [20].
Secondary Characteristics: Basic Move -1 [-5].
Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell 3 [6], Amphibious [10], Arm ST 4 (Two arms) [20], Cutting Attack 2 (Limb, -20%; link with Extra Arms, +10%) [13], Damage Resistance 3 (Can't wear armor, -40%) [9], Doesn't Breathe (Gills, -50%) [10], Extra Arms 2 (Link with Cutting Attack, +10%; temporary disadvantage, Ham-Fisted 2, -10%) [20], Immunity to Disease [10], Injury Tolerance (No neck) [5], Nictitating Membrane 1 [1], Rapid Healing [5], Reduced Consumption 5 (Cast-iron stomach, -50%) [5], Regrowth (Minor, -50%) [20], Terrain Adaptation (Sand) [5], Terrain Adaptation (Water) [5], Vibration Sense (Water) [10].
Perks: Burrower [1], Injury Tolerance (No Nose) [1], Limited Camouflage (Sand) [1], Striking Surface [1].
Disadvantages: Appearance (Monstrous) [-20], Bad Sight (Nearsighted) [-25], Dependency (Brackish of saltwater, hourly) [-20], Disturbing Voice (Alternates between raspy and gurgling) [-10], Hard of Hearing [-10], Hidebound [-5], Hunchback [-10], Short Lifespan 1 [-10].
Quirks: Bulky Frame [-1], Slightly Unusual Biochemistry [-1].
Features: Early Maturation (reaches maturity at human age rather than Short Lifespan age) [0].

Pugwis
Scientific Name: -
Range: Northern United States and southern Canada

Physical Characteristics: Pugwis have thick, stocky bodies with a layer of blubber beneath rugose skin. Their hands have thick and hard nails with a short layer of webbing in between the fingers, not enough to endow a fully amphibious lifestyle but enough to aid in swimming beyond the average human level. Other defining characteristics of pugwis are their large and pointed ears, thick brow ridges above large and glossy black eyes, long and thick incisors sharpened into a vicious point, and a back covered in porcupine-like spines.

Psychological Characteristics: Pugwis are ill-tempered but socially active mutants, gathering in groups that often shun outsiders to keep in-community cohesion and avoid tension rather than out of isolationism.

Other Information: The largest groups of pugwis are found in the Pacific Northwest and around the Great Lakes. While not truly amphibious as previously noted, they tend to stay near water due to a taste for fish and mollusks, as well as feeling more comfortable with their bulk submerged in its cold liquid embrace.

Racial Template [29 Points]
Attributes: HT +1 [10].
Secondary Characteristics: Basic Move -2 [-10], Water Move +3 [15], HP +2 [4].
Advantages: Acute Hearing 3 [6], Acute Taste and Smell 2 [4], Claws (Blunt) [3], Damage Resistance 1 (Tough skin, -40%) [3], Long Spines [3], Nictitating Membrane 1 [1], Racial Skill Bonus (+2 to Swimming) [4], Teeth (Fangs) [2], Terrain Adaptation (Ice) [5], Thick Blubber [18].
Perks: Sure-Footed (Snow) [1].
Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly) [-8], Bad Temper (9 or less) [-15], Chummy [-5], Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10].
Quirks: Bulky Frame [-1], Slightly Unusual Biochemistry [-1].

Stone Giant
Scientific Name: Homo giganteus pachydermus
Range: Major highland regions across temperate North America

Physical Characteristics: These muscular 10 foot tall humanoid figures gain their name from their extremely thick and pebbly gray skin (they are not truly made of stone like some Advanced Humanoid Aberrations). Other notable features include large hands with sharp claws, short legs, squashed faces, and chisel-like shearing teeth akin to those of piranhas.

Psychological Characteristics: Stubborn, vicious, and disturbingly violence-prone, stone giants are the terror of other near-human species that have communities near their dwellings. Their technological knowledge has also collectively regressed to around the Renaissance, with some tribes having even lower prowess in such matters.

Other Information: Stone giants are the bane of those who live or travel in the mountains, from the Appalachians and Ozarks to the Rockies and Sierra Nevada. Dwelling in tribes of between five and forty depending on the availability of resources in a region, stone giants spend most of the day asleep before waking to stalk the night, hunting for food to keep in their larders and tools they can use to craft more traps and weapons. Perhaps the most terrifying facet of these raids is that stone giants can and will kill entire groups of humans to keep stowed away as prime meat. While stone giants typically love weapons that rip and tear, some have been known to use makeshift sledges of rebar with an end encased in a chunk of concrete (GURPS After the End 1: Wastelanders, pg. 31) or TL 4 hand cannons. Tales from those lucky few who have crossed the Atlantic and returned alive claim that there are even larger man-eating giants in Europe, a truly terrifying concept if they are anything as ruthless and ravenous as the great gray giants of the American wilderness.

Racial Template [80 Points]
Attributes: ST +10 [90]; DX -1 [-20]; IQ -1 [-20]; HT +3 [30].
Secondary Characteristics: SM +1; HP -; Per +2 [10].
Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell 3 [6], Acute Vision 1 [2], Claws (Sharp) [5], Damage Resistance 3 (Tough skin, -40%) [9], Discriminatory Smell [15], Reduced Consumption 5 (Cast-iron stomach, -50%) [5], Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+8) [15], Teeth (Sharp) [1], Terrain Adaptation (Uneven) [5].
Perks: Limited Camouflage (Stone) [1], Sure-Footed (Snow) [1].
Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly) [-8], Bloodlust (12 or less) [-10], Callous [-5], Low Tech Level (TL 4) [-20], Odious Racial Habit (Eats other sapients) [-15], Stubbornness [-5].
Quirks: Slightly Unusual Biochemistry [-1].

Wampus
Scientific Name: Homo feliformus americanum
Range: United States, Canada, and northern Mexico

Physical Characteristics: Wampuses are lithe 5 foot tall mutants that have distinctive feline features – heads that are almost fully like that of a mountain lion, clawed hands, digitigrade legs, sinuous tails, and short coats of fur that can come in varying shades of gray and brown. While they do not have human hair, male wampuses have lower head fur that grows in a pattern not unlike a human beard, to the point that some even groom and trim it into traditional beard and goatee shapes.

Psychological Characteristics: Claustrophobia tends to keep wampuses away from any non-spacious human habitation and leads them to prefer open caves or large huts akin to the yurts of Mongolia for their lodging.

Other Information: Most wampuses live nomadic lifestyles, tending to keep to wooded areas or rocky highlands where animals to hunt are easily found. Those that set down roots typically live in isolated enclaves in the same wilderness regions rather than in more settled areas.

Racial Template [40 Points]
Attributes: DX +1 [20].
Secondary Characteristics: Per +2 [10].
Advantages: Acute Hearing 3 [6], Acute Taste and Smell 4 [8], Catfall [10], Claws (Sharp) [5], Flexibility [5], Night Vision 5 [5], Super Jump 1 [10], Teeth (Sharp) [1].
Perks: Penetrating Voice [1].
Disadvantages: Phobia (Claustrophobia, 9 or less) [-30], Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10].
Quirks: Slightly Unusual Biochemistry [-1].

03-30-2016, 01:28 PM	#7
Fossilized Rappy Join Date: Jun 2015	Re: Fallen Stars: A Setting in a Mutant-Filled Post-Apocalyptic America All-American Near-Humans Unlike the previously covered worldwide near-human mutants, the following four are widespread, but only within the confines of the North American continent. Karkinos Scientific Name: Homo osteodorsum Range: Gulf Coast and Mississippi Bay Physical Characteristics: Standing 6 ½ to 7 feet tall (though seemingly somewhat shorter due to their hunched posture), karkinoi have large dermal plates scattered across their body, under which is similarly hard pebbly skin. Their former human arms have engorged into exceedingly thick knee-length limbs ending in large foot-long pincers, secondary arms ending in still humanoid hands have sprouted a few inches below their standard shoulders, and thick legs end in padded feet with three stubby toes. Finally, a karkinos's thick head has small, deeply inset eyes, slitted nostrils, no ears, and a jagged mouth. The only external sexual dimorphism that karkinoi have is that males have circular pelvic plates and females have triangular pelvic plates. Psychological Characteristics: Karkinoi are slightly less mentally developed than standard humans on average. While not crippling or severe enough to limit their ability to utilize and understand technology (though some clans may have Low Tech Level nonetheless), it does cause difficulties concerning innovative and creative concerns. This tends to also cause greater occurrences of stress and cases of species-based dysphoria from pre-apocalyptic changees than most near-human mutants, which typically retain their intellect. Other Information: Like the deep ones of the Atlantic Coast, karkinoi are a semi-aquatic species that depend on moisturized bodies to avoid dehydration. Their enclaves are typically found scattered along shorelines and inside wrecked ships, submerged buildings, and oil rigs, though some groups engage in a nomadic existence. While karkinoi reach adulthood at the same time as humans, they typically reach the end of their lifespan at the time a human would be attaining middle age. Racial Template [71 Points] Attributes: ST +3 [30], IQ -1 [-20], HT +2 [20]. Secondary Characteristics: Basic Move -1 [-5]. Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell 3 [6], Amphibious [10], Arm ST 4 (Two arms) [20], Cutting Attack 2 (Limb, -20%; link with Extra Arms, +10%) [13], Damage Resistance 3 (Can't wear armor, -40%) [9], Doesn't Breathe (Gills, -50%) [10], Extra Arms 2 (Link with Cutting Attack, +10%; temporary disadvantage, Ham-Fisted 2, -10%) [20], Immunity to Disease [10], Injury Tolerance (No neck) [5], Nictitating Membrane 1 [1], Rapid Healing [5], Reduced Consumption 5 (Cast-iron stomach, -50%) [5], Regrowth (Minor, -50%) [20], Terrain Adaptation (Sand) [5], Terrain Adaptation (Water) [5], Vibration Sense (Water) [10]. Perks: Burrower [1], Injury Tolerance (No Nose) [1], Limited Camouflage (Sand) [1], Striking Surface [1]. Disadvantages: Appearance (Monstrous) [-20], Bad Sight (Nearsighted) [-25], Dependency (Brackish of saltwater, hourly) [-20], Disturbing Voice (Alternates between raspy and gurgling) [-10], Hard of Hearing [-10], Hidebound [-5], Hunchback [-10], Short Lifespan 1 [-10]. Quirks: Bulky Frame [-1], Slightly Unusual Biochemistry [-1]. Features: Early Maturation (reaches maturity at human age rather than Short Lifespan age) [0]. Pugwis Scientific Name: - Range: Northern United States and southern Canada Physical Characteristics: Pugwis have thick, stocky bodies with a layer of blubber beneath rugose skin. Their hands have thick and hard nails with a short layer of webbing in between the fingers, not enough to endow a fully amphibious lifestyle but enough to aid in swimming beyond the average human level. Other defining characteristics of pugwis are their large and pointed ears, thick brow ridges above large and glossy black eyes, long and thick incisors sharpened into a vicious point, and a back covered in porcupine-like spines. Psychological Characteristics: Pugwis are ill-tempered but socially active mutants, gathering in groups that often shun outsiders to keep in-community cohesion and avoid tension rather than out of isolationism. Other Information: The largest groups of pugwis are found in the Pacific Northwest and around the Great Lakes. While not truly amphibious as previously noted, they tend to stay near water due to a taste for fish and mollusks, as well as feeling more comfortable with their bulk submerged in its cold liquid embrace. Racial Template [29 Points] Attributes: HT +1 [10]. Secondary Characteristics: Basic Move -2 [-10], Water Move +3 [15], HP +2 [4]. Advantages: Acute Hearing 3 [6], Acute Taste and Smell 2 [4], Claws (Blunt) [3], Damage Resistance 1 (Tough skin, -40%) [3], Long Spines [3], Nictitating Membrane 1 [1], Racial Skill Bonus (+2 to Swimming) [4], Teeth (Fangs) [2], Terrain Adaptation (Ice) [5], Thick Blubber [18]. Perks: Sure-Footed (Snow) [1]. Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly) [-8], Bad Temper (9 or less) [-15], Chummy [-5], Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10]. Quirks: Bulky Frame [-1], Slightly Unusual Biochemistry [-1]. Stone Giant Scientific Name: Homo giganteus pachydermus Range: Major highland regions across temperate North America Physical Characteristics: These muscular 10 foot tall humanoid figures gain their name from their extremely thick and pebbly gray skin (they are not truly made of stone like some Advanced Humanoid Aberrations). Other notable features include large hands with sharp claws, short legs, squashed faces, and chisel-like shearing teeth akin to those of piranhas. Psychological Characteristics: Stubborn, vicious, and disturbingly violence-prone, stone giants are the terror of other near-human species that have communities near their dwellings. Their technological knowledge has also collectively regressed to around the Renaissance, with some tribes having even lower prowess in such matters. Other Information: Stone giants are the bane of those who live or travel in the mountains, from the Appalachians and Ozarks to the Rockies and Sierra Nevada. Dwelling in tribes of between five and forty depending on the availability of resources in a region, stone giants spend most of the day asleep before waking to stalk the night, hunting for food to keep in their larders and tools they can use to craft more traps and weapons. Perhaps the most terrifying facet of these raids is that stone giants can and will kill entire groups of humans to keep stowed away as prime meat. While stone giants typically love weapons that rip and tear, some have been known to use makeshift sledges of rebar with an end encased in a chunk of concrete (GURPS After the End 1: Wastelanders, pg. 31) or TL 4 hand cannons. Tales from those lucky few who have crossed the Atlantic and returned alive claim that there are even larger man-eating giants in Europe, a truly terrifying concept if they are anything as ruthless and ravenous as the great gray giants of the American wilderness. Racial Template [80 Points] Attributes: ST +10 [90]; DX -1 [-20]; IQ -1 [-20]; HT +3 [30]. Secondary Characteristics: SM +1; HP -; Per +2 [10]. Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell 3 [6], Acute Vision 1 [2], Claws (Sharp) [5], Damage Resistance 3 (Tough skin, -40%) [9], Discriminatory Smell [15], Reduced Consumption 5 (Cast-iron stomach, -50%) [5], Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+8) [15], Teeth (Sharp) [1], Terrain Adaptation (Uneven) [5]. Perks: Limited Camouflage (Stone) [1], Sure-Footed (Snow) [1]. Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly) [-8], Bloodlust (12 or less) [-10], Callous [-5], Low Tech Level (TL 4) [-20], Odious Racial Habit (Eats other sapients) [-15], Stubbornness [-5]. Quirks: Slightly Unusual Biochemistry [-1]. Wampus Scientific Name: Homo feliformus americanum Range: United States, Canada, and northern Mexico Physical Characteristics: Wampuses are lithe 5 foot tall mutants that have distinctive feline features – heads that are almost fully like that of a mountain lion, clawed hands, digitigrade legs, sinuous tails, and short coats of fur that can come in varying shades of gray and brown. While they do not have human hair, male wampuses have lower head fur that grows in a pattern not unlike a human beard, to the point that some even groom and trim it into traditional beard and goatee shapes. Psychological Characteristics: Claustrophobia tends to keep wampuses away from any non-spacious human habitation and leads them to prefer open caves or large huts akin to the yurts of Mongolia for their lodging. Other Information: Most wampuses live nomadic lifestyles, tending to keep to wooded areas or rocky highlands where animals to hunt are easily found. Those that set down roots typically live in isolated enclaves in the same wilderness regions rather than in more settled areas. Racial Template [40 Points] Attributes: DX +1 [20]. Secondary Characteristics: Per +2 [10]. Advantages: Acute Hearing 3 [6], Acute Taste and Smell 4 [8], Catfall [10], Claws (Sharp) [5], Flexibility [5], Night Vision 5 [5], Super Jump 1 [10], Teeth (Sharp) [1]. Perks: Penetrating Voice [1]. Disadvantages: Phobia (Claustrophobia, 9 or less) [-30], Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10]. Quirks: Slightly Unusual Biochemistry [-1]. Last edited by Fossilized Rappy; 05-23-2016 at 08:48 AM.