Nuclear Beasts

Breed Writeups

Let's take the Breeds that I'm toying with and see what sort of Edges they'd get.

First Generation: all have the Flaw: No Hands and the Edge Improved Natural Weapons

• Wolves: Pack Hunter, Keen Nose, Very Fast
  Skilled at Awareness, Endurance, Stealth, Tracking, Wilderness
• Panthers: Big +1, Night Vision, Very Fast
  Skilled at Stealth, Acrobatics, Wilderness, Awareness
• Bears: Big +2, Tough
  Skilled at Wilderness, Herbalism, Wrestling
• Musk-ox: Big +2, Herd Defense, Cold Adaptation
  Skilled at Herbalism, Wilderness

Second Generation: they all have Small -1, +1 movement (after applying the -1 for Small)

• Mice:
  Skilled at Awareness, Burrowing, Contortionist, Stealth, Thievery, Craft
• Squirrels:
  Skilled at Acrobatics, Awareness, Stealth, Thievery, Herbalism, Wilderness
• Bats: Flight, Keen Ears, Silent Speech
  Skilled at Acrobatics, Awareness, Wilderness
• Otters: Water Adaptation
  Skilled at Contortionist, Herbalism, Swimming x2, Wilderness

Third Generation: reduce their size adjustments a step because they're more human

• Hyenas: Scavenger, Pack Hunter, Night Vision, Improved Bite
  Skilled at Awareness, Endurance
• Lions: Big +1, Pack Hunter, Night Vision
  Skilled at Stealth, Awareness
• Elephants: Big +2, Keen Ears, Tusks
  Skilled at Endurance, Herbalism
• Goats: Sure-footed, Cold Adaptation
  Skilled at Acrobatics, Herbalism, Wilderness
• Cheetahs: Keen Eyes, Keen Ears, Night Vision, Burst of Speed
  Skilled at Awareness, Stealth

Explanation of Edges:
Big: Adds to all strength checks and makes your character bigger and more durable. Penalizes skills like Acrobatics, Contortionist and Swimming.
Cold Adaptation: you get +8 to save vs environmental cold.
Flight: you can fly. Roll Speed & Acrobatics to perform special maneuvers.
Improved Bite: your bite attack does extra damage.
Improved Claws: your claw attack does extra damage.
Keen Ears: your hearing is so acute that you get +2 to Awareness checks involving hearing. You can also hear sounds that are too high or low pitched for the ears of other Beasts.
Keen Nose: you get +2 to Awareness checks involving Scent and to Tracking rolls vs creatures that have a recognizable scent.
Night Vision: you ignore up to 2 points of penalties from darkness, provided that there is any light source at all.
Pack Hunter: you get an improved flanking bonus when cooperating with other characters against a single foe. You also have an Echoing Cry of some sort which can carry for a great distance without revealing your current location.
Silent Speech: your Breed has a secret language which only folks with Keen Ears can hear.
Small: Subtracts from strength checks and makes your character smaller and more fragile. Gives a minor bonus to movement, Acrobatics, Contortionist and Swimming.
Sure-footed: you ignore up to 4 points of penalties due to bad footing.
Tusks: you have tusks, which are a very potent natural weapon.
Water Adaptation: you can hold your breath for minutes instead of rounds and get a bonus to Swimming checks.

Hm. I'm not too impressed with Goats. Maybe Rats would be better if I wanted another humanoid Breed? Elephants might also be overpowered... I'll have to work out whether or not Big should really be twice as valuable as the other special Edges.

Actually, Cheetahs might be worthwhile. Sure, I end up with 3 different Breeds of cat, but they're super-fast. That might be worthwhile to select for. Also, I've already got some humanoid Cheetah art.

If I wanted a 12th race (just to round out the numbers), it would need to be a Low Beast (1st generation). I'm thinking Musk-ox. They weigh as much as grizzlies.

Posted by Kiz at June 9, 2004 11:07 AM