VLIS
ATTACK 15
Spear (2d4+1, 5) or kick (1d6+3)
DEFENCE 8
Armour Factor 3 (innate: 1)
MAGICAL DEFENCE 3
EVASION 6
Movement: 12m
Health Points 1d6+10
STEALTH 11
PERCEPTION 8 ("elfsight")
These are the stats for a 1st rank fighter. Vlis sorcerers are also encountered. To make its screech attack, the vlis makes no attack in melee and and at the end of the round must roll its rank or less on 1d6. If a vlis preparing a screech attack is injured during the round, the screech is aborted. If the screech is made, anyone within 3m must roll Strength or less on 2d10 or be stunned (0 ATTACK, DEFENCE and EVASION) the following round. Even if the Strength roll is made, the character is disconcerted, losing initiative for the next 1-6 rounds. Vlis are powerful climbers and can leap twice as far as a human. The strong legs (strictly speaking, the arms) can strike backwards or forwards with equal force, and anyone hit will be knocked back 1-6 metres and must roll Reflexes or less on 2d10 to avoid falliing over.
ULEMBI
ATTACK 13
Vambrace strike (d6+1, 5) +1 vs unarmoured foe
DEFENCE 8
These are the stats for a 1st rank fighter. Vlis sorcerers are also encountered. To make its screech attack, the vlis makes no attack in melee and and at the end of the round must roll its rank or less on 1d6. If a vlis preparing a screech attack is injured during the round, the screech is aborted. If the screech is made, anyone within 3m must roll Strength or less on 2d10 or be stunned (0 ATTACK, DEFENCE and EVASION) the following round. Even if the Strength roll is made, the character is disconcerted, losing initiative for the next 1-6 rounds. Vlis are powerful climbers and can leap twice as far as a human. The strong legs (strictly speaking, the arms) can strike backwards or forwards with equal force, and anyone hit will be knocked back 1-6 metres and must roll Reflexes or less on 2d10 to avoid falliing over.
ULEMBIATTACK 13
Vambrace strike (d6+1, 5) +1 vs unarmoured foe
DEFENCE 8
Armour Factor 2 (innate: 1)
MAGICAL DEFENCE 6
EVASION 7
MAGICAL DEFENCE 6
EVASION 7
Movement: 15m
Health Points 1d6+11
STEALTH 16
PERCEPTION 8 (darksight)
These stats apply to a typical 1st rank ulembi, though most encountered will also be mystics. The ulembi's psionic ability to instil fear is resolved as a fright attack equal to the creature's rank (+1d6 if it gets surprise) effective on all enemies within 5 metres. If the fright attack succeeds, the opponent drops his weapons and tries to flee - or surrender, if escape is impossible. Even if the fright attack fails, the opponent takes -2 from ATTACK and -1 from damage for 2-12 rounds. The ulembi is able to strike in melee while making the fright attack, but must treat it as a first level mystic spell for purposes of psychic fatigue. Humans captured by the ulembi can be slowly brought under complete mental control, rather like the mystic Enthrall spell but with unlimited duration.
These stats apply to a typical 1st rank ulembi, though most encountered will also be mystics. The ulembi's psionic ability to instil fear is resolved as a fright attack equal to the creature's rank (+1d6 if it gets surprise) effective on all enemies within 5 metres. If the fright attack succeeds, the opponent drops his weapons and tries to flee - or surrender, if escape is impossible. Even if the fright attack fails, the opponent takes -2 from ATTACK and -1 from damage for 2-12 rounds. The ulembi is able to strike in melee while making the fright attack, but must treat it as a first level mystic spell for purposes of psychic fatigue. Humans captured by the ulembi can be slowly brought under complete mental control, rather like the mystic Enthrall spell but with unlimited duration.
CHURUK
ATTACK 15
Sword, etc (d8+1, 5)
DEFENCE 6
Armour Factor 5 (innate: 2)
MAGICAL DEFENCE 3
EVASION 4
Movement: 9m
Health Points 3d6+7
Movement: 9m
Health Points 3d6+7
STEALTH 10
PERCEPTION 10 (panoptical)
These stats would be appropriate for a full complement of the three churuk morphotypes (Strider, Brain and Worker) fighting together, assuming the gestalt's skill was equivalent to 1st rank. Churuk are rarely encountered singly in any case, and are the most tractable of the intelligent nonhuman races inhabiting Earth in 38,000 B.C., though raiding parties are sometimes sent into human territory.
These stats would be appropriate for a full complement of the three churuk morphotypes (Strider, Brain and Worker) fighting together, assuming the gestalt's skill was equivalent to 1st rank. Churuk are rarely encountered singly in any case, and are the most tractable of the intelligent nonhuman races inhabiting Earth in 38,000 B.C., though raiding parties are sometimes sent into human territory.
NEANDERTHAL
ATTACK 14
DEFENCE 6
Armour Factor 1 (innate: 0)
MAGICAL DEFENCE 1
EVASION 5
Movement: 10m
Health Points 14
STEALTH 13
PERCEPTION 4 (normal)
Neanderthals are a valid player-character choice. Although not native to Abraxas, they are found on other land masses and could have been brought to the continent as slaves or "barbarian" bodyguards, possibly leading to a Kull-style campaign. Neanderthals get +1 on Strength and Health Points, but roll only 2d6 for Looks (as perceived by other human races) and 1d6 for Psychic Talent. Play a neanderthal character as intelligent but lacking the capacity for abstract thought; your school gym teacher would be a good model. The major difference from other humans is that neanderthals do not think symbolically and therefore have not developed a high degree of art, science, politics or religion. They are superstitious and usually fearful of magic (which to a neanderthal means anything he doesn't know about). They live in small family groups and may be wary and/or contemptuous of the large, well-organized cities of Abraxas. The stats given are for a typical 1st rank fighter. Neanderthals usually fight with spears and wear leather armour.
Hi! Long time fan and reader (and fabled lands group moderator) checking in. Love this blog. The Vlis is cool and reminds me of your Nightshrieker from Bloodsword 5 (#175) - giant bat walking on its wings with back legs as arms (which in turn seems to be borrowed from the Night Stalker in Dougal Dixon's After Man book!). More on that here:
ReplyDeletehttp://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2007/03/oh_no_not_another_giant_predat.php#more
Love the Churuk too, especially Russ Nicholson's concept sketches. Sounds like a mash-up between Tekumel and David Brin's Uplift aliens!
Cheers
Andy
Hi Andrew - yes indeed, I am fascinated by Dougal Dixon's books and in fact we originally intended to try and licence all the regular fauna of Abraxas from him. But then, on a trip to the Natural History Museum to explore some of the galleries adjacent to the dinosaur areas, Jamie and I realized that there were plenty of interesting mammalian monsters of the last 30 million years or so, and they could logically have hung on in the lost world of Abraxas until 40,000 BC. Never use fantasy if reality does the job better, that's my motto!
ReplyDeleteBut Dr Dixon's influence (and that of Professor Barker and Dr Brin) is definitely there, especially obvious in the nonhuman intelligent races. And now that a new human species is being discovered pretty much every week, we may have more to add to Abraxas soon.