5.- REFLEXIÓN TEORÍCA
6.2.- RADIOGRAFÍA DE LAS DISTINTAS EXPRESIONES DE LA IDENTIDAD MUXE
all seas, and their queen rules over all of it. They are, however, xenophobic and aloof, preferring to keep to themselves. Thus, many people call them the “quiet empire.”
Octopuses vary in size, color, and, to some degree, shape. For the most part, they all have eight extremely flexible limbs, a surprisingly malleable body, two sophisticated eyes, and a beaklike mouth. They can change their color and, to a large extent, their shape to appear as a rock, a fish, or some other creature. They perceive not just with their eyes but, in a limited way, with all their skin. They think not only with the brain in their head but also with the distributed neural network that runs throughout their limbs.
Octopuses are extremely intelligent, often possessing mental powers a human would deem supernatural. Thanks to their advancement in various sciences, they are also immortal.
Motive: Hungers for flesh and solitude Environment: Anywhere in the ocean Health: 15
Damage Inflicted: 4 points Movement: Long underwater
Modifications: Stealth as level 5; all defense, perception, knowledge, and Intellect-based tasks as level 4.
Combat: All octopi can use camouflage to help them hide. They can attack with their beak, but if they must fight, most use weapons such as short spears. All octopi can emit a cloud of ink in the water that blocks vision in an immediate area. Many octopuses carry a nilstone that lets them extend their telepathy into something that can affect the physical realm. Nilstone powers might include:
• Psychokinesis (uses their own strength, but at long range) • Forceblast (at long range, inflicting 4 points of
damage)
• Clairvoyance (can see something occurring up to 10 miles [16 km] away)
• Kinetic shield (Armor 3)
In addition, octopi have specialized weaponry
(often nilstone based) that they can wield. Interaction: All octopuses can communicate
telepathically with each other, and about one in five can communicate in a similar fashion with other creatures—although they rarely do so. Language does not seem to be a barrier in this form of communication, although sometimes octopi lie and pretend that it is, mostly when they do not want communication to happen. Use: A lone octopus knows the secret
of how to get into an underwater installation, but getting him to talk to the PCs at all is difficult enough— and getting him to give up the valuable information may require diplomacy, trade, a favor, or serious intimidation.
Loot: A few octopuses will carry 1d6 + 4
abadis.
The plural of octopus can be octopuses, octopi, or octopodes. Nilstone, page 49 Octopus weaponry, page 49 Abadis, page 13 GM Intrusion: The
octopus produces a small substance that it absorbs through its skin to fully restore its health, double its speed, or double its melee damage. These latter effects last at least an hour.
Human bodies stare with red eyes from inside translucent slabs of unmelting ice studded with unknown devices and machines—that’s how the average Ninth Worlder sees an omath. Each omath has a specialty, be that research, communication, or war, but all have the ability to speak telepathically, fly and swim via levitation, and interact with their surroundings via short-range telekinesis.
Omaths who pursue the path of direct force are called rangers. They learn to unlock the latent functions of their metallic ice carapaces, gaining increased carapace integrity and various methods to inflict egregious damage on their foes.
Motive: Defense
Environment: Almost anywhere, in exploration groups of two rangers and 1d6 level 3 omath researchers
Health: 15
Damage Inflicted: 6 points Armor: 4
Movement: Fly or swim a short distance each round
Combat: Omath rangers can generate and direct different kinds of energy at a foe within long range. The three most common energy attacks are telekinetic force, heat rays, and psychic blasts.
• A telekinetic attack pummels a foe within short range for 6 points of damage.
• A heat ray targets a foe within long range for 6 points of damage; the ray ignores Armor provided from cold, ice, or similar methods.
• Finally, a psychic blast targets up to three foes within short range for 2 points of psychic damage (ignores Armor). Those struck by a psychic blast must also make an Intellect defense roll or lose the desire to continue attacking omaths for up to one minute, unless attacked or damaged by an omath. Omaths (both rangers and other varieties) are immune to a wide
variety of environmental conditions and can operate in air, the ocean deeps, the vacuum of space, and several other hazardous environments without coming to immediate harm.
Interaction: Omaths in general are open to communication via telepathy; however, omath rangers prefer to delegate such interaction to other omaths making up their group.
Use: Characters exploring a ruin discover a chamber filled with what at first appear to be icy coffins, but which are actually omaths in a research and exploration group. The leader of the group has been taken captive by a force deeper within the ruin; the other omaths retreated to this chamber to assess options.
Loot: Looting the remains of an omath yields a bounty of 1d6 + 1 cyphers and an artifact, all made of metallic ice that doesn’t melt until used or depleted.
OMATH RANGER
5 (15)
Omath, page 68
GM Intrusion: The
omath lands on or falls atop the character, inflicting 8 points of damage. Both the character and the omath lie prone on the ground, and the PC is pinned. A Might-based check (difficulty 7) allows the character to free himself. Each round the PC remains pinned, he takes 3 points of damage from the cold.
“The cold spurns death, giving life to the dead frozen into solid coffins of ice.” ~Staven, wandering healer