Working on a new race concept

[Oracle]

After seeing the new show on Animal Planet this past week called:

Mermaids: The New Evidence

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertai...special-nets-ratings-record-article-1.1357487

I wanted to work out a home world for this race of humanoid creatures with their own home world. I wanted them to be air breathers, with their homeworld having like 60% water with a ice cape at both poles. I also was thinking that I would have another race on the land designed like Bigfoot/Sasquatch. I wanted both races to be primitive cultures with the Sasquatch race slightly higher in developement.

The two races know of each other but really do not interact very much. I am designing a new system for my game and want to fully develope his new solar system, with this being the main world. Both races naturally developed upon this world, and this will be both their native homeworld. The system is all but uncharted and almost nothing will be known. The players will be Scouts, and the first team within this system

So I am looking for ideas on the UWP stats?

Stat ideas on both the Mermaids race and Sasquatch race.

Also I was considering placing 2-3 gas giants in system with 2 asteroid belts as other orbits. I was even considering using that idea of a Space Leviathan monster that Kracken that would live in space and be found in the gas giants orbits and asteroid belts too. I just figure that would add more plot for the fun of this system. I was also considering making both asteroid belts mineral rich, adding to the draw of investors for the system. maybe I should also consider extremely rare element on the homeworld for the two races too.

 

[Myrm]

One thing with the mermaids is if you plan to do that how does it fit into your version of the Traveller Universe with the Luriani present?

What origins did they share or where do they differ? What can they do that the Luriani cannot etc.

Otherwise you might be running a redundant setup...if you don't like the way the Luriani are done, could you rather adapt the Luriani to your preferences rather than make a new race?

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Suggested Alien Traits from the Core Rules:

Aquatic
Feral (1d6 EDU)
Large (3d6 STR & CON, 1D6 DEX)
Natural Weapon - Claw

 

[Oracle]

One thing with the mermaids is if you plan to do that how does it fit into your version of the Traveller Universe with the Luriani present?


What origins did they share or where do they differ? What can they do that the Luriani cannot etc.



Otherwise you might be running a redundant setup...if you don't like the way the Luriani are done, could you rather adapt the Luriani to your preferences rather than make a new race?

All good questions...let me try to better define:

1Hmmm I had to look Luriana up, they are a kind of humanoid type that has a high technology base, star travelling. I want my race to be a tribal based groups / pods, and more nomadic types with using natural elements (bones and scales based tools), with a language of sorts. They might live in the open oceans or in sea caves, and build no structures at all.

2I thik I will say that both the Mermaid types and Sasquatch type come from the same common stock, and over time have greatly changed to better fit into their given environment. So the Mermaids were land based at one time but went into the oceans and then further developed to better fit that environment. I am guessing there must of been multiple steps in the chain of evolution to what they look like now on both sides.

As to what can they do, I am looking for two different life forms that the players will discover and have to play out "First Contact" and figure out different things about both races. Now the Sasquatch are like Pop-Culture Big-Foot creatures that average 9 feet tall, strong, hairy, cunning, tool using but they have climbed slightly higher than the Mermaid race in the way of both Technology and Language. They even draw pictures and ruins. They use stone knives and axes heads, and make simple clothes. They even know how to manage herds of animals and plant some crops. Still very simple and primitive culture, perfer to use natural caves for tribal homes.

3 I like to tinker and feel it would be fun to build out these two races and begin to add in more plots and other fun situations to the mix. I also wanted to make them look and feel much more Alien than just a Humanoid culture with bumps on their heads (Star Trek reference).

4 I like the Kracken idas that people have created on here in the past, that was extremely good. I feel they will feed off energy discharge and lightning in the Gas Giants atmosphers, and new element I will have in the asteroid belts of Energy Crystals.

 

[Oracle]

I would think the land based Sasquatch race, would have stone age weapons and tools and would live in caves mostly in a tribal setting. They have started to herd some animals, and there would be a wolf like creature that they have begun to tame. They have discovered the secret to making fire, and have a spoken simple language and draw pictures and simple runes. They also have started to burn their dead in a ceremonial fashion. They are climbing the technology ladder, and seem to be on the cusp of making some new steps to physically evolve and technology growth.

Now the Mermaids are stagnet in their growth, but they seem to becoming more interested in what the Sasquatch race is doing as of late. The Mermaids are more willing to try and show themselves to the Sasquatch race and try to interact or communicate. Both races are about the same size roughly, and do not seem to be affraid of each other. They just lack a common ability to communicate currently.

 

[Oracle]

Some details for the UWP:

X Starport
8 Size
6 Atmosphere (standard)
7 Temperature
6 Hydrographics (water 65%)
0 Population (5 for the two different primitive races each)
0 Government (tribal)
0 Law Level
1 TL

UWP: X86765001 Ga IC Lt (Ga - Garden World, Ice-Capped, Low Tech)

Now to choose the Sun type, that I am not so sure about. I was thinking I would like the sun to be a Red sun and bright. I wanted the 1st orbit to be a Volcanic and lava covered world. For orbit 2 I want a asteroid belt. 3rd orbit would be this world (Prime Name), 4th orbit be a Large Gas giant, 5th orbit was a Asteroid belt, 6th orbit a Small Gas Giant, and the 7th orbit a small Ice ball planet.

I need to design out the system as well too.

 

[Oracle]

For names...

I was thinking of naming the Mermaid race Muressie and the Bigfoot race Sasquatue


As to the system name that I am not sure of yet!

 

[Oracle]

Another research point, when mankind travelled into the stars they took with them Dolphins. Now since Mankind landed their Arks on Earth II, they have continued their Genetics work on Dolphins and have managed to uplift them greatly. When they discover that this new world has intelligent life in the oceans, they will bring the Uplifted Dolpins there and they will take to that world extremely well. It is a plot line that I am building out, to connect to that Mermaid race.

Basically Dolphins and Mermaids will be able to communicate, and through that bridge they will be able to bridge a way to communicate between Humans and Mermaids as well as Dolphins too. My plot here is long term to have the Humans help uplift both the Mermaids and Bigfoot races to a point that they can become allies with Mankind. The goal is as Mankind spread across the stars, they will end up taking all three of these other races with them. Each having a special niche that aids better the Human situation. Now the Mermaids and Dolphins are kind of the same niche, but they will aid one another. This really will not fully be realized within the scope of the campaign unless the player advance time somehow.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Some details for the UWP:

X Starport
8 Size
6 Atmosphere (standard)
7 Temperature
6 Hydrographics (water 65%)
0 Population (5 for the two different primitive races each)
0 Government (tribal)
0 Law Level
1 TL

UWP: X86765001 Ga IC Lt (Ga - Garden World, Ice-Capped, Low Tech)

Now to choose the Sun type, that I am not so sure about. I was thinking I would like the sun to be a Red sun and bright. I wanted the 1st orbit to be a Volcanic and lava covered world. For orbit 2 I want a asteroid belt. 3rd orbit would be this world (Prime Name), 4th orbit be a Large Gas giant, 5th orbit was a Asteroid belt, 6th orbit a Small Gas Giant, and the 7th orbit a small Ice ball planet.

I need to design out the system as well too.

I would suggest increasing the native populations to 7 (tens of millions), at POP=5, you have less than one million beings spread all over the planet. Human population as been in the millions for tens of thousands of years.

You should not place an asteroid belt in orbit 2, it needs to be just inside a gas giant. I suggest put the garden world in orbit 2, Asteroids in orbits 3 and 5, with Gas Giants in 4 and 6.

A bright red star also wouldn't work. The only bright red stars are red giants and they are stars that are evolving off of the main sequence and will eventually collapse into white dwarfs.

If you want a red star, fine, but it will be very dim and the habitable planet will be tidally locked (same side always facing the star), which is probably not what you really are looking for in a garden world. If you went this way, there is likely a certain latitude around the planet on the sun side that is perfect climate with everything else quickly becoming non-habitable.

You COULD use an Orange star, they are dimmer than the Sun, but would still let you have normal day lengths. If you are using the fixed orbital radius' of Classic Traveller (or T5), then this is the star type you need to make Orbit 2 be within the habitable zone.

Regarding your world UWP, don't classify it as an Ice-Capped world - that classification is limited to worlds with no atmosphere and ice. All temperate worlds are assumed to have at least a small ice cap if they have a hydrographics rating above 0.

All of the above is presented strictly from a "hard science" point of view. If you and your players don't care that much about that kind of stuff, then do whatever you want and don't worry about it.

Your world sounds very interesting. The common ancestor for the Mermaids and the Sasquatch was likely a primate type animal a couple of million years ago.

There is a VERY GOOD alien creation book for Traveller called "Flynn's Guide to Aliens". It can guide you through developing a LOT of detail about your aliens, you can either use random rolls or pick from the tables.

Please keep posting info on your setting, I find it very interesting.

 

[Oracle]

Thank you [iRikki Tikki Traveller][/i] all are very good ideas

A Oracle Star sounds good...just wanted something different than a Yellow sun.

so Orbit 2 for the Prime world then with a Moon

Orbits 3 and 5 for Asteriod belts

Orbits 4 and 6 for gas Giants

For the UWP:

UWP: X86767001 Ga IC Lt (Ga - Garden World, Low Tech)

I can work with that just perfectly...so from space with the first Survey before the PCs land the world would appear to be UWP: X86760001 Ga (Ga - Garden World) perfect place for a new Human colony world.

I am thinking as they attempt to land they will experience a system failure on final approach for landing, with regards to a stablizer and landing thruster. Not something that they can not fix, BUT it will cause them to set down roughly. Lots of noise and flare. Yes it will attract attention of the locals and in the process of making repairs first contact will be made. I wonder what will happen? Depending on where they land, depends on which race they make contact with first.