 May 25, 2011 - 8:04am | Yes indeedy do, the Hok tu (omg ew). No one likes a new alien race more than the ol' captain as you might have well deduced by now, and I have just coughed up yet another; the Hok Tu. In a nutshell, they're glowing greedy miners that will spit nasty gobs of goo on you if you anger them. Go to this link to be completely offended... http://ragnarr.webs.com/deepspaceraces.htm#744279965 Hmm, I'm thinking of a Hok Tu mining vessel named the 'HTSS Screaming Phlegm'.  My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
 May 25, 2011 - 2:44pm | Nice race nothing to get thrilled about but definitely a good NPC race for players to encounter who clearly stated goals and objectives. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
May 25, 2011 - 10:20pm | [Nice race nothing to get thrilled about...] Hmm, well let me try to thrill the unthrillable: "You're a Hok Tu that has been locked up by the space cops as a person of interest in a recent violent dispute over mineral rights on a large moon colony. You wait in your cell memorizing the time schedule that the guards change shifts, the times that they bring you meals, etc. When you see your opportunity (the cell door open), you spit one of the goop balls from your jowls (PATOOEE!!!) and hit the first guard in the face. As he wrangles around temporarily blinded by your sticky goo, the second guard makes for the station's alarm on the wall. (PATOOEE!!!) The other well spat goo ball pins the second guard's hand to the wall before he can reach the alarm button. (BIFF! BLAMO! OOMF!) You finish off both helpless guards, then sneak down to the basement. Once there, you find the metal grate of the station's drainage shaft that another inmate told you about recently. The dark passageway before you lights up as you illuminate the palm of your hand, using it like a flashlight." It's possible (but admittedly unlikely) that a game player would be bold enough to attempt playing a Hok Tu player character, but yes, Hok Tu would be a better NPC race that PCs would interact with during an adventure. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
 May 26, 2011 - 9:54pm | Guess I'm bold! By the Post I wasn't thinking it sounded all that interesting (funny yes  ), but looking was worth it, again a well thought out alien. Not impressive, I suppose, but not worse than the Core-Four, as far as that goes. Certainly not harder to contemplate than the Dralasite, as behaviorally subdued as the Vrusk, or wild and aggressive as the Yazerian, not entirely a rubber-suit either...I could see these guys making web-like homes, and preferring live food. ew... kewl.  I think I would also run a pigmentation range by ethnicity, from Pinkish-violet Black-light to Reddish-pink Soft-light to Brownish-yellow Blue-light, and have some suffer skin-spotting problems from sun tanning. Think I would put them in the outer-capellan as one of the Ifschnit's gaurded pre-contact clients, and use the Ifschnit as part of the catalyst to their jump into space. Mining their system's asteroids and moons, for trade with the Ifschnit. Chkuuwoakhw-kTh'tuu-nese phonology.. he-he A B E F H I J L M N O R S U V W Y Z... Ae Eu Ui Sh Dzh Bph Wh Ll Chk Kh Khw kTh h't Anokther'chkewl'chkrihttier, Chkabphtain! lots of playable possibility......and plenty of plot-hook'n, argg! Oh humans!!  We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
May 26, 2011 - 6:05am | Let me clarify a bit. These guys are not the Borg. They are not going to take over the game and make everyone cringe when they see them. They have the capability to be the Ferengi. Lots of interaction some possible player playability but nothing game tipping. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
May 26, 2011 - 7:55am | @rattraveller: Ohh, I get what you saying now. I was a bit puzzled there for a second thinking, "b-but like there's no other game races that are able to spit potential weaponry or light up their skin. Why doesn't he think the Hok Tu would be a kinda neat race to play like I do?" When I stumbled across that art by Miles Teves, I was both horrified by the jowls (they look a lot like "something else" as does a few others of Teves' work) and also interested because of new SF race potential. Two other races that I used Teves' art for are the 'Grosh' and the 'Klendatu' found in the Mysterious Race section of my SF website. @thespiritcoyote: I dig your idea of the Hok Tu using their mouth spittle as building material. While certainly revolting, it would make sense as there are critters here on earth (likes bees) that do the same thing. If you don't mind, I'll add it to my Hok Tu write up.  My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
 May 26, 2011 - 3:52pm | I love all of the Mysterious races and empire races. The Jakar, Leonids, and Za'Tet are too close to Earth creatures for my taste. The same reservations I have about the Humma. Great pictures! Reasonable men adapt to the world around them; unreasonable men make the world adapt to them. The world is changed by unreasonable men. Edwin Louis Cole |
May 26, 2011 - 7:52pm | @jacobsar: Good to hear you liked the races. The Jakar was a race I found from an old, partially non-functional SF website; the Leonids and the Za'tet I did because I liked the art, and decided to build the write-ups around them. I hear what your saying about Earthcritter/Humanoids, but they can still be fun to play. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
May 26, 2011 - 11:12pm | I find it is difficult to come up with a biologically viable form, that doesn't reflect some known form on Earth. Too many obvious ones, however, and it can feel a little cheesy. Another issue I am wary of, is introducing too many Type-I and/or Interstellar societies, this also tends to become a dilution factor, making the Type-Is and Interstellars less special. Same problem again, putting too many Type-II enemies in the mix, then it begs the question, as to why every alien threat the players encounter, is saturated with mysterious magi-tech. @Captain Rags Ouf khwaours'h'teuw mah'iie eii'oodzh'ih't. shchkeck'out'h ktha bphaonehmikth shchkarh't, ahndzh'ekthnikh't variah'tshauns h'teuoo. Llaichk'h ktha Yadzhiiriiaen ekthnikh't 'khlaahns', ahndzh'ekthnikh't 'haiivh't-llieniieaajdzes' ouf ktha Vrauskth.Ethnic variations Chock-phull Pinkish-violet "Black-light"; Phlemn'tsquish Reddish-pink "Pink-light"; K'Throuh'tlle'oogie Brownish-yellow "Blue-light"... Common pet:  Keeping a few of these around for pudding, is like keeping chickens for egs, but with the advantage of having a smooth strokable skin, and making a soothing throught-clearing song. No Hok-tu colony would be without a few... (eh.. ralph! ...)Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
May 26, 2011 - 11:13pm | omg ew! You have certainly outdone even the creator of the Frontier's foulest race (me & the Hok Tu).  I'm trying to decipher your... "Hok Tu'an"? Can't seem to consume enough caffine for it to make any sense to me. Maybe another pot of java or 20 will do the trick. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
May 27, 2011 - 6:16am | I know, my heavy hoktuan accent kinda runs-on, with breaks between individual words being very subtle and almost indiscernible, and many elongated enunciations, but it is actually UPF-standard spacers basic... [english] Anokther'chkewl'chkrihttier, Chkabphtain! [translation: Another cool critter, Captain...] Ouf khwaours'h'teuw mah'iie eii'oodzh'ih't... [translation: Of course you may use it...] The words; Chockphull, Phlemntsquish, and Kthrouhtlleoogie, were constructed with a more Hoktuan specific language in mind, using the suggested phonemes I've provided. Hok-tu [Chkuuwoakhw-kTh'tuu] Open Vocal: A[stack], Ae[cat], E[play], Eu[sleuth], I[free] O[row/caught], U[boot/hook], Ui[Frenchoui], Y[Southern English book] Hard Oral: F L R Sh V W Soft Oral: H Ll M S Wh Stops: B kTh* h't* Kh Voiced: J Z N Dzh Bph Chk Khw *kTh doesn't exist in the IPA, I am imagining a co-articulated radical-dental fricative stop, few Humans I know can pull this off, most do so for long range spitting contests. *h't is a slackened inversion of kTh, a co-articulated radical-dental implosive stop. Gave the list a bit of a 'squishy phlegm' sound, in addition to the elongated tones, and slackened [and largely lacking] consonant plosive stops. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
May 27, 2011 - 5:13am | This is why the translator is soooo important on any mission. Especially one on a settled planet. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
May 27, 2011 - 6:18am | totally agree rattraveller! frequently wish I had one just for this planet!  Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
May 27, 2011 - 7:57am | @thespiritcoyote: AH! GOT IT! I thought I was having a minor stroke here for a sec. (whew)  Will likely beef up the Hok Tu right after I get back from camping this weekend with my medieval group (SCA). Fighting in armor tomorrow, and after all the bruises, sitting back home with SF is the least painful thing to do. hApPy MeMoRiAl DaY to the list! Be safe! My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
May 28, 2011 - 2:28am | @Captain Rags L'amour qui meut le soleil et les autres étoiles, voyage avec vous. To no man sell, or deny, or delay, the right or justice. Veni, sancte spiritus, et emitte coelitus lucis tuae radium. -or- simply put; Fight Well! Fight Justly! Ride Home! Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
 June 3, 2011 - 1:14pm | Funny enough, there is a species in Cosmic Enforcers (a sci-fi/superhero rpg) that can spit a wide variety of acids and poisons to attack their foes. They are called the Lek-Tu, which translates as Death Spitters, and they look like seriously ticked off bipedal Vrusks. "Well they tell you: never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious." - Malcom Reynolds, captain of the trader ship Serenity |
June 3, 2011 - 2:08pm | Some thri-kreen can spit too. have to check out that RPG though.
Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
June 3, 2011 - 2:25pm | It's an...odd game, to say the least, with some weird identity issues. It's superheroes in a sci-fi setting with a downright horrific introductory adventure that involves a demon-possessed kid's show host butchering the young studio audience on air. And then resurrecting the kids as zombies to fight the PCs.  The layout of the book and the rules are so reminiscent of Palladium that I thought that it was a Palladium game. It did have a lot of neat ideas that I mined for other games though. "Well they tell you: never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious." - Malcom Reynolds, captain of the trader ship Serenity |
June 3, 2011 - 3:08pm | Beyond the Nightspawn Unlimited Zombie Apocalypse?  Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
June 3, 2011 - 10:32pm | Spitting acid or poison is okay I guess, but spitting goop that's like a small tangler grenade? Priceless! Just about finished beefing up the Hok Tu writeup on my SF website. TSC's mind is a terrible thing to taste. Thanks again for the help TSC! My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
June 4, 2011 - 8:37am | Yeah, I like the goop-effect, guess the Nickelodeon Slime-time wouldn't be seen as very interesting to them, the way it is to Human kids... Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
June 4, 2011 - 8:50pm | Ha, that's great. Actually, I've been working on an adventure where the PCs travel to the Hok Tu's homeworld of Hok, in the Ven's Star system. Besides the obvious breakdown of Hok Tu subspecies based on skin/glow color, there's also a ongoing struggle between Hok Tu traditionalists and Hok Tu progressives. Traditionalists believe in using the old ways, using sling & stone as their favorite weapon, and generally avoiding direct contact with the frontier races that visit and trade at Hok's only spaceport. The progressives obviously enjoy dealing with the off-worlders exchanging their planet's mineral resources for frontier tech, etc. Amid all this, the PCs have a mission to accomplish that will involve many caves, caverns, and exploring the remote wilds of Hok. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
June 5, 2011 - 7:55pm | Nice premise. Could be accused of being a little cleche', but tropes exists because they work. I can definitely see them in that light, and sounds like an easily incorporated introductory adventure for them. I like the new additions, kewl, and I would love to see an adventure like that. Introduced to the frontier as a recently discovered Rim-Route, that the CFM have been using for a couple centuries, PC's are either the in a position to be one of the first to 'stumble into the system' along with a couple Frontier corporate exploration crews, or are hired by one of the Corporate expedition teams. Maybe CFM approach PC's already proven to be trustworthy to them, and request assistance protecting their interests. And of course the PC's might need a morality check, should they encounter our lil Churrl'hoohli... can they be party to exploiting the young girls home for profit, or stand-by allowing other agencies to do so? With Trans-Travel, PanGal, Streel, And DevCo, siding against CFM interests, and the precarious balance of the Hok Tu politics riding the line... how do the PC's tip the scales of nations... or manage to maintain a steady transition to a new era for a would be reasonable ally... an ally that could be valuable in an area that could open traffic beyond the Rim... and into unregulated regions not yet under the CFM's diplomatic influence. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
June 6, 2011 - 7:51am | Just wait until you see the Hok critters I have planned for the PCs to bump into during their underground adventure. Ah yes, even now I can hear their pitiful pleas for help and mercy, warming my GM's heart (or lack there of).  My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
June 10, 2011 - 9:48am | Do share! Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
June 10, 2011 - 8:36pm | Well the Hok adventure is still in its infancy, but the majority of it will of course be underground, as that's the Hok Tu stomping grounds. The party 'might' choose to take short cuts on their trek and travel on the surface at certain points, but it'll soon become apparent to the PCs exactly why the Hok Tu civilization chose to live underground (heh heh). Not to say that traveling underground is going to be a picnic either, just a little safer. More to come... My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
