Good source for creatures on Noricum
- Thread starter MonkeyX
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The die-back world in Trojan Reach, or the water world in the Solomani Rim? Apparently there are two Noricums - seems unlikely, but maybe it's a common word in the far future.
The water world is easier for me. Low grav, thick atmosphere and abundant aerial lifeforms reminds me of something from the Vorkosigan universe. A native gas-bag floater "jellyfish" (not really, but close enough as a description) with dangling stinging tentacles, almost invisible in poor lighting, and with such a different biology that it tends to explode and rain stinging tentacle pieces when hit with stunner fire.
Trojan Reach is probably more likely, but I don't actually know that one outside of Travellermap's wiki stub, so no ideas yet.
The water world is easier for me. Low grav, thick atmosphere and abundant aerial lifeforms reminds me of something from the Vorkosigan universe. A native gas-bag floater "jellyfish" (not really, but close enough as a description) with dangling stinging tentacles, almost invisible in poor lighting, and with such a different biology that it tends to explode and rain stinging tentacle pieces when hit with stunner fire.
Trojan Reach is probably more likely, but I don't actually know that one outside of Travellermap's wiki stub, so no ideas yet.
My approach has always been basically by the book. Roll or pick a number of limbs or body plan, vary by creature type, carry on. But you've prompted me to realize, irradiated/mutant opens up a lot more variety. Things that used to be human. Things that used to be earth animals. Things that some asshole scientist spliced together from two completely different creatures right at the beginning of the end, and somehow they bred true.
Or more simply, just giant cockroaches.
Or more simply, just giant cockroaches.
Forgot about this one. I meant to stat it up once, and never did. I imagine the tentacles do a lower damage but grapple you the first round, dump you into the pitcher plant type bulb on top the second round, then you get very slowly digested unless you cut yourself out or someone else cuts it down to knock it over.
Giant camel spiders. (No pic, google if you dare.)
Cannibal mutant humans with 2 Soc, 2 Edu and minor psionic powers (maybe only one each, sometimes just a "psychic scream" that freezes an enemy in place for one or more rounds). For a pulp favor game, a few of the women are improbably clean and sympathetic.
Hostile, feral k'kree.
Packs of scavenging dogs, with parasitic or symbiotic brain leeches clinging to their backs or necks. Parasites have the sole psionic power of communicating with each other, and provide communication between the canids. Shoot a canid, the parasite scrambles free and land-squids its way towards you. Can try for the parasite but they're smaller targets, and disconcertingly fast over short distances.
Feral sligs. Would be mostly harmless if they had more natural garbage to dispose of, but they don't.
Cannibal mutant humans with 2 Soc, 2 Edu and minor psionic powers (maybe only one each, sometimes just a "psychic scream" that freezes an enemy in place for one or more rounds). For a pulp favor game, a few of the women are improbably clean and sympathetic.
Hostile, feral k'kree.
Packs of scavenging dogs, with parasitic or symbiotic brain leeches clinging to their backs or necks. Parasites have the sole psionic power of communicating with each other, and provide communication between the canids. Shoot a canid, the parasite scrambles free and land-squids its way towards you. Can try for the parasite but they're smaller targets, and disconcertingly fast over short distances.
Feral sligs. Would be mostly harmless if they had more natural garbage to dispose of, but they don't.
GypsyComet
Emperor Mongoose
Repeated names are uncommon in Charted Space, but that still leads to a bunch. There are multiple examples of repeats in the same sector, even.
Noricum/Trojan Reach is noted in both Mongoose versions of the sector book, offhandedly, as having sheep. Not sure why except for the purposes of the prose, but it does strongly suggest that the world hosted more Terran transplants. If the old Gamma World materials didn't have a strong bias toward sentient mutants I'd say look at that game for ideas. As it is, you could use the Animal Encounter rules and match up mass and ecological niche to a familiar animal, or go read the webcomic "Stand Still, Stay Silent" and use some of that nightmare fuel for the world.
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