Need help with unusual character request

[mavikfelna]

I'm starting to prepare a Pirates of Drinax campaign for my twin sons, 12 years old. One just wants to be Han Solo that can fight, easy, we can do a Rogue or Corsair or what have you. But my other son want to play a Slugcat from Rainworld, not just a Slugcat, but an Artificer. I know nothing about Rainworld but here's the wiki link, https://rainworld.miraheze.org/wiki/Artificer. I have no idea how to turn this into a race. I can do he wants with Psionics, but my son insists it can't be Psionics, it has to be natural abilities. These things can blow themselves up to jump, can turn rocks and spears into explosives and are mostly immune to explosives. They also don't have mouths, they feed via a proboscis and cannot speak so they have to use sign language.
I can use the rocket jump from the Weeven in Solomani Front for the jump mechanic and user the Hiver communications rules for the sign language stuff. But I have no idea about the explosive rocks and to make it balanced so he's not super overpowered.
Does anyone have any idea oh how to do this?

 

[rinku]

These things tend to balance themselves. The further a species is from the norm, the harder they'll find it to interact with it.

Natural explosive abilities might see them banned from many planets, or ships, or at least heavily restricted. Actual explosives are banned at Law Level 1, so if the species is known to have the abilities, they may be refused entry. If they're NOT well known, the legal problems only start once they demonstrate their abilities.

Treat them as a human who carries around a stock of hidden grenades, basically.

Don't be afraid to apply prejudice.

 

[Arkathan]

So, high DEX, STR, Unarmed Combat, Survival as pre-reqs, then they start learning demolitions and can craft explosives and attach them to weapons/projectiles... like a shotgun shell on a bangstick. Or first two hits with a hammer in melee really hurt.
The link says they can craft explosives from certain objects, not transmute (although that may be in the core rules - not familiar) So chain survival and demolitions when making them from scratch.
Edit: With regards to converting Psionics, call the PSI rating max food pips and use the psionic rules to limit the frequency of ability use.
Although, eating corpses to regain pips is going to be frowned on nearly as much as the explosives.

 

[rinku]

If it's actually crafting explosives from available materials and not an inherent power, much less problematic.

 

[Arkathan]

If it's actually crafting explosives from available materials and not an inherent power, much less problematic.

I read a little further... the spears were getting pulled out of their... tails.

 

[rinku]

Yeah, but it's a videogame.

 

[mavikfelna]

I read a little further... the spears were getting pulled out of their... tails.

In the game they have some sort of natural coating that somehow becomes explosive when applied to the spears or to rocks. If I understand what my son was saying, they have to put them into an orifice, he says mouth even though they don't have one, to activate the explosive.

 

[rinku]

Honestly, I'd probably just roll with it and make the species Unknown to Imperial Researchers. As things progress, and people find out about it, legal issues will come up, Interested Parties will want to examine and experiment on the critter, and mobs with pitchforks may assemble...

 

[mavikfelna]

What do y'all think of this?
Slugcat
Characteristics: +1 DEX, +1 END, -1 EDU, -1 SOC

Traits:
Non-verbal: Slugcats do not have a mouth, feeding via a probiscus, so cannot talk. They communicate via sign language or a voder similar to Hivers

Small (-1): Slugcats are smaller than humans, making them slightly harder to hit in combat.

Natural Weapons (Spear tail, rng 5m, 1D): Slugcats can shoot or throw their tail spikes as a spear. This uses Gun Combat (Archaic). All Slugcats naturally have Gun Combat (Archaic) 0

Natural Armor (+4): Slugcats are resistant to explosives and naturally tough.

Explosive Secretions: Slugcats are able to excrete an explosive gel that they can use to coat rocks and their tail spears causing an extra 2D in explosive damage on impact.

Rocket Jump (5m): Slugcats can ignite their explosive secretions to perform a rocket jump of us to 5 meters in standard gravity. They suffer 1D damage that is mitigated by their natural armor.

Slugcats are a primitive species from an unknown planet. The only known specimen was captured and brought into a lab in 1069. It promptly escaped and has been wandering Charted Space ever since.

 

[G'Naakbusters]

I don't have anything constructive to offer, but I wanted to say that I think it's great that your sons' character ideas are "Han Solo type" and "A slugcat".

I'm imagining a visit to Tech-World, or maybe Floria, with the slugcat taking up spear and just disappearing into the foundations, emerging with skewed lizards and bits of TL-16 plus technology.

 

[steelbrok]

Just treat the slugcat like Chewbacca with natural wepaons instead ow the crossbow-blaster thingie

 

[rinku]

Small change I'd make - spears use Athletics (Dex), not Gun Combat (Archaic), and generally speaking natural weapons use Athletics or Melee skill anyway.

 

[mavikfelna]

Small change I'd make - spears use Athletics (Dex), not Gun Combat (Archaic), and generally speaking natural weapons use Athletics or Melee skill anyway.

I did not know that. Since it's a thrown weapon I figured Melee was out for it. But Athletics (DEX) works!

 

[rinku]

It's sort of tucked away in the combat section (p.74) and the Athletics skill description could use an explicit reference that it applies to Thrown Weapons in its examples, but Gun Combat (Archaic) does mention that that skill is used for non-thrown weapons.

The animal section in the CRB doesn't have any examples of natural ranged weapons, but Athletics skill is given to many creatures, so I just extrapolated that from the general thrown weapon rule. If you had an animal that picked something up and threw it, you would definitely use Athletics (Dex), and if that animal was known for it they should have the skill.

It would be sufficient in this case to take Athletics as a Background skill if they want. Intelligent aliens generally don't start with free combat skills just because they have claws or fangs, but it's up to you on that point.