Monday, February 15, 2016

GURPS Hekinoe Racial Templates: Children of Volung

Alright, here goes. Forgive any font/formatting oddities here, I'm basically going to be typing these in the main Google Drive document and pasting them here. I've already completed the Children of Volung racial template before on the blog, so I'm just going to copy and paste that into the post instead of getting into the what and why of the various advantages and disadvantages and whatnot. Once I get into some races I haven't finalized before I'll take longer and discuss things as I figure out the precise components of each race.

Children of Volung

Origins: The Children of Volung originally came to The Known World in the year 5006 DK from the distant homeland they refer to only as The North.
Favored Regions: Kusseth, Volungshemle, Whurent.
Physical Appearance: Volung's Children stand head and shoulders above other races, with the majority of them reaching at least seven feet in height when their bodies mature. Their bodies are composed of very tough hide-like skin, lean and wiry muscles, and thick bones that are evidently more durable than the bones of other races. It is said that beneath their skin, their ribcages have an additional layer of protection in the form of bony overlapping plates similar in structure to that found in dragon scales and archaic forms of scaled armor.
Their hair is universally raven black, as are their eyes. The eyes of Children appear to be orbs of solid black with no sign of white or iris. Their lips are thin and like their skin they have a leathery appearance and behind them are the pointed teeth of a carnivore. The ears of their race are long and taper backwards to points.
Like the Uncout and the other humanoids of The Known World, they have the standard collection of humanoid features, two arms, two legs, a head, ears, a nose, etc. Like other races, they require food, water, and air to live.
Racial Characteristics: One of the main characteristics of the Children of Volung is that they are physically immortal. Once they reach maturity, their bodies cease to age. Barring injury, their lives seem to extend indefinitely. They also appear to have an innate resistance to poisons and diseases. This resistance to ailments is fortunate as common treatments and elixirs found in The Known World often work unexpectedly on Children unless specifically designed for them.
Perhaps due to their origins in the distant north of Hekinoe, the Children of Volung possess an increased tolerance for cold temperatures. This advantageous adaptation is unfortunately of little use in the warm climate of The Known World.
Children of Volung also appear to be incredibly durable. Whether this is merely a side effect of their tough skin, muscle, and skeleton, or a separate adaptation is unknown. Regardless, they tend to be more difficult to kill outright or knock out than other races.
The most iconic characteristic of the Children of Volung is their rage. Admittedly, popular culture and gossip makes the rage of Volung’s children out to be more than it is, but as a species, they do possess what might be called a racial rage or bloodlust, though how vulnerable they are to this innate aggression is of course down to the individual.

Children of Volung Racial Traits

8 points
Mandatory Traits
Basic Attribute Ranges At Character Creation
ST 9 - 15
DX 8 - 14
IQ 8 - 14
HT 9 - 15
Secondary Characteristics
SM +1 (6’ 6” - 7’)
Advantages [33]
Hardiness [10]: Resistant (Common: Diseases; +3 HT To Resist, x1/3) [5], Resistant (Common: Poisons; +3 HT To Resist, x1/3) [5]
Immortal [5]: Unaging [5]
Northern Blood [1]: Temperature Tolerance 1 (Cold) [1]
Plated Rib Cage [5]: Damage Resistance 1 (Partial: Torso, -10%) [5]
Tough Bones [5]: Injury Tolerance (Unbreakable Bones; Limited Effect: x1.5 Damage To Cripple Limbs, -50%) [5]
Tough Hide [3]: Damage Resistance 1 (Tough Skin, -40%) [3]
Tough To Put Down [4]: Hard To Kill 1 [2], Hard To Subdue 1 [2]
Disadvantages [-25]
Strange Biology [-5]: Unusual Biochemistry [-5]
Volung’s Rage [-20]: Berserk (Self Control: 12, x1) [-10], Bloodlust (Self Control: 12, x1) [-10]

Optional Traits
Advantages
Secret Access [25]: At character creation, Children of Volung characters may take Unusual Background: 24 [25]. This advantage grants you access to a special selection of equipment available only to Children of Volung. You may not know what this equipment is before taking this Unusual Background, and neither the player nor the character may speak of what is available to other players or characters. Doing so will cause the advantage and the purchased gear to be removed with no refund of character points or marks.

Features
Feature: Children of Volung may purchase up to 3 levels of Hard to Kill and Hard to Subdue (4 levels for player characters) rather than the normal maximum of 2 levels (3 levels for player characters).
Feature: Volung’s Rage is a longstanding biological trait of the Children of Volung, and the Self Control numbers to resist their Berserk and Bloodlust disadvantages may be modified, but the disadvantages themselves may never be completely bought off.

Alright, so that's the Children of Volung. Woo!

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