 August 8, 2011 - 7:14pm | My-xine (Snot Snake): Average Size: 1 meter Average Mass: 15 kg Average Lifespan: 150 years Reproductive System: Asexual, regeneration. Body Temperature: Varies, but remains always within about 5C (9F) of ambient air (or water) temp. Typically they are most comfortable in the 13C (55F) range, but can survive adequately in temperatures ranging from -7C (20F) to 38C (100F). Physical structure: Typical adult my-xinei (plural) are approximately 1 meter (3 ft) in length and about 25 cm (10 in) in diameter. They are worm-like creatures who’s skin is a mottled dark and light brown in color. They have a single iridescent green eye that sits out at a right angle to their body on a thick stalk, just in front of their head. This eye is protected by a second, transparent eyelid that remains closed to protect the eye during adverse conditions. My-xinei have an internal cartilaginous skeletal structure which consists of a skull (about 10 cm [4 in] in diameter for an adult) and exactly 25, 2.54 cm (1 in) thick x 2.54 cm (1 in) diameter vertebrae stretching from the base of their skulls to about 2/3rds of their body. They have underdeveloped jaw bones and no teeth. When feeding they swallow their food in whole gulps and can consume any organic material (carrion, dirt, etc) and process it for nutrients - any organic material that is except wood or wood products (paper). If they inadvertently swallow something they can not process (a small stick, wad of paper or a rock for example) they will simply regurgitate that item and move on. As detailed below, they are incapable of passing such an item like a human might. The last 1/3 of their body is nothing more than musculature and some rudimentary, redundant internal organs. Procreation in this species is through a process of asexual regeneration. The my-xine (singular) will shed the last 1/3 of its body in a body of water (in a protected area like a crevice in a rock) where it will quickly regenerate into an exact genetic duplicate of it’s parent. Once shed, the parent my-xine abandons their offspring to its own fate. It takes about 10 days for this immature my-xine to sprout a head and eye and other necessary internal organs for it to function normally, at which point it is quite capable of fending for itself. It will live in this body of water for at least another two years before it attains a length capable of allowing it to create offspring of its own. In this way, the my-xinei as a race are able to pass down from parent to offspring, genetic knowledge and are therefore able to perpetuate their mentalist abilities (see below). Similar to Dralasites, my-xinei are able to breathe through their skin. They have no lungs. Their respiration system allows them to draw oxygen from either air or water. This species originated in a liquid environment - shallow water seas (they have the same depth limitations as humans) - and has since adapted to an amphibious lifestyle. It can live perfectly well in or out of water. Though if living out of a liquid environment it must keep itself moist to keep its skin from drying out and thereby, suffocating; as the skin would then lose the ability to pass oxygen into the blood stream. My-xinei secrete waste products from digestion through their skin. Normally this occurs in small amounts continuously. There are specialized subcutaneous reservoirs between their skin and muscles. These reservoirs remain constantly full as a by-product of digestion and as these reservoirs become overfull, tiny ducts leading to the surface of the skin channel that extra waste material to the skin’s surface. In short, my-xinei do not pass waste material in the same way as humans, they have no anal or urethral vents from which to discharge waste. Rather, waste is discharged through the skin - over the entire body of the my-xine. Under normal conditions the creature’s body only releases small amounts albeit continuously. But in this condition those small amounts aren’t noticeable or objectionably scented (though a slight ‘musky‘ scent is discernible by the human olfactory system). However, under extreme conditions, a my-xine can cause the reservoirs beneath their skin to release their payload of waste by-product all at once with extremely dramatic effect (see below). Senses: My-xinei have good color vision, sensing the spectrum between infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths. They have good depth and motion perception but can only see things within a 45 degree arc of whichever direction their eye is facing. Their anatomy is such that they can swivel their heads around 180 degrees to look behind them if they wish. Their skin is very sensitive to tactile stimuli. They also have an organ similar to fish called a lateral line that runs along the sides of their bodies. This line is sensitive to electrical impulses such that they can sense the synaptic activity of other living beings. It also produces a very weak electrical field itself that bounces the energy off the environment around the my-xine and produces a mental picture something like radar. This lateral line affords them a 360 degree radar-like view of their surroundings. Out of water this effect has a range of only 25 meters (82 ft) - in water this range is 100 meters (328 ft). Lighting conditions (darkness, smoke, etc) do not hamper this ability. A curious effect though is that anyone wearing any sort of electrical defense (anti-shock implants do not count - just suits & screens) are rendered invisible to this effect. They have no sense of taste or smell. Speech: My-xinei have no vocal cords and can not vocalize - in fact, they have no way of making any noise whatsoever short of noises made during normal movement (see special abilities below for further information). Society & Customs: These worm-like creatures are not social within their own race since everyone is an exact genetic copy of everyone else, conversations tend to be a bit repetitious. But that does not mean they are anti-social with other races they may happen to meet. They are intelligent beings after all - and with their mentalist-based abilities and their heightened mental acuity they are naturally a very curious and social race. Once they are able to leave the confines of their current planet, they would be exceedingly eager to interact with any other race. Attitudes: Staying true to their scavenger roots, the my-xinei will take advantage of any being that they can gain from. Need to leave a planet? Nothing wrong with stowing away on a ship to do so! Need some protection? Why not befriend that tough Weren and hang out in his backpack, poking your head out every so often to use some of your mentalist abilities. Ability Scores: STR/STA -10 DEX/RS +0 INT/LOG +10 PER/LDR +0 Movement: Walking 3 meters per turn Running 12 meters per turn Hourly 2 kilometers/hour Swimming: They are no faster in water than on land. Playing a My-xine: When playing a my-xine character it is important to keep a couple things in mind. Foremost is that they are descended from original scavenger stock and much of their outlook and attitudes reflect that. Though not at all an evil race, they could be viewed as unscrupulous in that they have no particular concept of belongings or money. Eating the leather handbag of some nearby human female and then regurgitating the lipstick and mirror in a saliva and mucus coated puddle that you couldn’t digest might seem perfectly fine to a my-xine since it was simply food…even though that human female may well harbor some objections to such activity! Similarly, stowing away on a transport wouldn’t be seen as particularly bad by a my-xine either since the nature of a scavenger is to utilize whatever is at hand that fulfills your needs at the time. Now this doesn’t mean that a my-xine PC can’t ever learn that other races have things like laws that prohibit such behavior. But it does mean that “old habits are hard to break” as the saying goes and it could take time for a new my-xine character to ‘adjust’. And there may always be some minor cultural differences that rear their ugly heads from time to time no matter how old the my-xine character is. Oh no! Little Susie’s precious pet kitty just got squished on the streets of Port Loren by that articulated ground truck right in front of poor, horrified, little Susie! Looks just like a great snack to that passing my-xine! What’s this? Susie’s having nightmares and therapy the rest of her life with a deep-seated disdain for worm-like creatures? Ah well, there was no sense letting a perfectly good cat go to waste! The other aspect of playing a my-xine, and probably the most challenging is it’s form of communication (see the Special Abilities section for more detail). Speaking is through a form of blended telepathy that utilizes both words and images. When spoken to or speaking, the my-xine is able to troll the thoughts of its target conversationalist(s) and associate words with images in order to impart ideas. This means that there is always an inherent degree of delay built into any conversation with a my-xine. Both sending and receiving. This leads to uncomfortable pauses and occasionally speaking over each other until such time as the conversationalists get used to the method of communication. This means that a group that has a my-xine as a member will eventually become accustomed to communicating with it and the communication will then flow more naturally. But whenever meeting any other individual (except another my-xine of course), the communication will be exceedingly slow and awkward. Similarly, this method of communication has inherent flaws that make it unreliable to a degree (see Special Abilities below for further detail). Miscommunications are a built-in part of their language and will always persist because word/image association can pair multiple words/images that mean the same or nearly the same thing - but the context could be completely off and the my-xine has no real way of correlating the meaning with the context. Special Abilities: Unable to Carry or Adequately Use Equipment: Lets face it, not having simple things like arms, legs…shoulders…kind of makes it difficult to carry back packs, fire laser rifles, etc. These beings are 100% committed to their mentalist disciplines and rely on them completely. This is not as debilitating as it may seem at first glance. Telekinesis for example, gives enough lee-way for a my-xine to be able to manipulate everday items adequately - exerting presure on a lever, button or toggle switch to open doors, turn on lights, that sort of thing. This simply means that the Telekinesis ability doesn't provide enough manual dexterity and precision for a my-xine to effectively aim and shoot a weapon or wield a vibroknife, etc. Common sense should be an adequate guide in dealing with this disadvantage. Have no Concept of Money - and no need for it even if they did: Again, lets face it - these guys can survive on dirt, literally. They can’t wear a shirt, and even if they improvised and slipped into a sock how long would it take for the thing to slide right off? Yeah - who needs money under those circumstances? Natural Psionics: Again, as a result of their genetic knowledge, these creatures have passed down their extensive knowledge of mentalist disciplines that they have adapted over the course of many centuries of development. These creatures are required to take mentalism as their primary PSA. They have knowledge of all the mentalist disciplines (as passed down through their genetic memory) but lack the control to call upon all of them at first and must develop the mental control to do so over time (simulated by the experience point system). This means that they do not require teachers to teach them any of the mentalist disciplines, they are already aware of them - they simply need the maturity to access them. Except for those exceptions listed in this racial description, all mentalist disciplines are handled as per the Mentalist rules from Alpha Dawn Remastered starting on p.145. As with any other character type, this species is allowed to choose skills from the other skill groups if they wish. Some obvious things to note though; a beam weapon skill will be of no use - but a tracking skill could be useful. Just use common sense when shopping around for skills. Can Not Speak or Read: Though they can inherently use Send Thoughts and Read Thoughts at skill level 1 without having to spend exp to attain them. This race developed with no written language and no books to expand and record their language so the my-xine communicates through images and words. Thus, their ‘sentences’ incorporate simple phrases and/or single words in conjunction with images. Since this race has adapted to this form of communication throughout their existence the Send and Read Thoughts abilities are slightly more powerful than those listed in in the AD remastered Rules p.145. The my-xine’s ability allows them to associate a word or a very simple combination of words with a mental image to be broadcast between them and their communicative target. The word(s) in question would be ‘heard’ by the target(s) in whatever language the target(s) is most comfortable with (meaning that if there are multiple targets receiving the communication of the my-xine it could potentially be perceived in different languages simultaneously). Similarly the ‘word’ in question can be taken from the target (as a surface thought) and associated with an image (also taken from the target as a surface thought). If the target is actively attempting to hide that word or image then they would be considered an unwilling target as outlined in the AD remastered rules governing Send & Read Thoughts. This form of communication, though superior in that no poly vox is needed to communicate with a receptive target, also means that miscommunications are quite possible and indeed, maybe even probable. Since the my-xine is a being like any other being, when trolling the surface thoughts of a communicative target the my-xine is most likely to use whatever word association comes to them first when pairing it with an image. For example the word ‘toxic’ which could mean deadly might be paired up with the image of a shark - leaving the target with the phrase ‘toxic shark’ or even simply, ‘toxic fish’ when in fact the my-xine was attempting to communicate that sharks are deadly physically - not necessarily if consumed. This also means that complex ideas are exceptionally challenging to explain in the my-xine language - even though a my-xine may well be able to understand a complex idea if it is being explained, for the my-xine to explain it in return would be daunting and would take an extreme amount of patience and time to impart. One last component of this style of communication that comes into play is the delay between the my-xine trolling surface thoughts for image/word association and the time it takes to broadcast that ‘sentence’ to the respective target(s). Though only a couple seconds, this delay necessarily creates pregnant pauses bordering on the uncomfortable. It causes moments of accidental interruption and speaking over the verbal conversation of others until such time as the target(s) of a my-xine’s conversation becomes accustomed to the way they communicate. Natural Swimmers: As a result of their genetic knowledge, these creatures take readily to a liquid environment and start with a swimming skill of 1 without having to spend exp to attain it. Natural Resistance: Since they originated as scavengers (carrion eaters) they have a natural resistance to toxins and disease. They get a +10% to rolls concerning such. No Cybernetics: Though an anti-shock implant would be alright, any other cybernetic devices would negatively affect their mentalist abilities (to the point of completely blocking their ability to use them). This species has grown so attached to their mentalist abilities that severing that bond would be like amputating a human’s arms and legs and leaving them that way. No my-xine would willingly do that. Chemical Defense: Under extreme conditions this species can suddenly and explosively expel copious amounts of a very viscous, mucus-like goo from every pore in their epidermis. This goo coats their bodies in a two inch thick layer. It is extremely foul-smelling, very slippery, greenish gray and viscous like axle grease. It is a defensive mechanism (similar to that of a hagfish) employed to keep would-be predators at bay. Aside from being absolutely repulsive because of the vile rotting flesh/sewage-like stench, it is also extremely bad-tasting for any creature unlucky enough to have a my-xine in their mouth at the time this defense is employed. It has another potent characteristic of note. This goo completely nullifies damage caused by (only the following) acid, flame, cold, lasers, bolt, electricity and rafflurs - up to 50 points. After that the goo is burned away and the my-xine is vulnerable. Once this defense is triggered, the my-xine can not employ it again until at least 1 hour after eating a full meal. After the attacker has left the my-xine alone, it will loop itself into a square-knot configuration and slide the knot free, scraping off the goo (exactly as a hagfish does), leaving behind a viscous 3 gallon puddle of digested organic matter. Another effect of their natural chemical defense is it’s completely repulsive (by human standards) stench. This stench naturally repels anything within 5m (assuming that creature or being has olfactory senses equivalent to those of a human being). Optionally, if the game master (GM) wishes, he or she could perhaps, expand that repulsive radius from 5m to say 10m if the creature or being in question has olfactory senses that are more sensitive than that of a human. This repulsion effect would grant anyone smelling this foul concoction of rotting flesh/sewage a -5% to all actions while in the area of effect. The GM should use common sense when applying this effect of course, as some creatures with exceptional olfactory senses are attracted to the above-described stench. Vultures for example can smell rotting flesh from 10 miles distant and are attracted to the source…to feed. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you!  |
 August 8, 2011 - 8:54pm | Nice work Rollo! Maybe one of this forum's talented artists can work up a sketch of My-xinei to go with your write up. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
August 11, 2011 - 11:41am | Thanks for the input Rags. Yeah, I wish I could draw - just don't have that talent. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
 August 12, 2011 - 7:30am | I keep getting confused as to who is who between Rollo and Rags! ;) I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 August 12, 2011 - 8:35am | Hiya, I'm w00t. This is my brother Rollo and my other brother Captain Rags. We just done got us a possum on the way over. Wanna ride hover bikes? @rollo, I have not read your thread... yet. |
August 12, 2011 - 2:00pm | I'm the good-looking one...he's the smart one. :) I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
August 12, 2011 - 8:33pm | Me olwyz nEw dat mE wuz duh sMart juan! Tank ew Rollo!  Well I'm definitely on the low end of game artistry compared to the talented silver-backs that regularly post on this forum, but I'll certainly try giving the art a shot. My plan is that if my art is hideous enough, it'll force the aforementioned silver-backs to work their magic with a better pic (hee). My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
August 13, 2011 - 3:02pm | Alright Rags, I uploaded the picture that I used as inspiration for this critter as my avatar (I know, I know - I'm MUCH better looking now! :). Unfortunately, this picture is not from an open source so it can't be used here. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
August 13, 2011 - 3:58pm | AH! Perfect! I was looking all over Google for an open art close to your write up's description that I could either alter or use as a guide. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
August 13, 2011 - 5:35pm | One has to wonder if Rollo is a sathar client species? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 14, 2011 - 6:29am | Jedion, look into my eye... I'm just a lowly worm, really...you can trust me.  I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
August 14, 2011 - 3:28pm | This is one of the best alien races I've seen written in the SF universe; its no pet in space, fantasy game escapee, or human cluture dressed up in a weird alien suit. I think its even better than the one I did that is going into issue 18, and I'm very opinionated about mine. Couple things, you listed pretty much all the beam weapons as being defended against by the chemical defence and I'm pretty sure that the maser (if not that one then one of the others from Zebs Guide) is based on microwave technology and I just dont see how the defense would stop that. The defense works fine as its limited to 50 points then its gone and that is sort of game balancing since the race cant collect equipment. But but other wise I'd nix the defense stopping something like a maser. Second this is an ideal race for NPCs, to make it a PC race you might need a few paragraphs that explain playing a my-xine to players so they can wrap their heads around it. But for me I think it works better as an NPC race. In fact it might be tailor made to be what D&D 4.0 calls an adventure companion or what I like to call a referee's voice in the party. Its got potential for comic relief- especially when it uses its chemical defense- anyone within X amount of meters (2 to 5) suffers a -5% penalty on all actions- this mean that a PC might be affected too. Imagine the radio chatter: Hudson, "OOOOOH SSSHH_T!" Vasquez, "What is it, Hudson?" Hudson, "The Damn worm sh_t himself!" Vasquez, "Aaah hah!" Apone, "Alright knock off the chatter and stay sharp. Oh, and Hudson, you ride on top of the APC on the way back." EDIT: oh yeah some thought should be put into how does this race sound when it projects its thoughts- what I mean by that is how might it construct a sentence; I just read a bit of fiction for the sfman that had phrases like "prey/slave" and "close food consumption oriface" in the mouth of an arrogant aline character which worked quite well in that bit of fiction. perhaps a bit of fiction involving the my-xine would give referees and players a feel for how they operate and communicate. just a thought. Damn I really think this race could be a lot fun even if you did not allow mentalism generally. EDIT 2: I was just thinking about sculpting one of these as a miniature, though the picture of your avatar does not quite match the physical description. Still I may need a minature of one of these. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 14, 2011 - 6:43pm | Thank you for your input Jedion, all of the help I can get would be much appriciated as I don't wish to put a lame race out there for people to have to deal with! I believe you are 100% right about the microwave energy miscalculation on my part and I'll edit the original race description to reflect that. Concerning your thoughts about it being a PC vs NPC race I can certainly agree that playing it could be challenging as it is alien in every respect - much like the mechanon discussion that I read previously on this site - very lengthy and detailed and difficult to wrap your head around. I think that the mechanons have a greater potential to be more difficult to play but then again maybe not. Its hard to judge without having yet had an opportunity to play test this race myself. I REALLY like the idea of this race however and would deffinetly like to play it myself so I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts would be if I took Jedion's suggestion to heart and wrote up something in an attempt to give players an idea of how to play one of these and then labled them as an NPC race that was an optional PC race similar to the way the mechanons are handled? Ok, about how it constructs its sentances and its speech patterns. I admit I hadn't even considered that. Gonna have to think on it and get back to you on that one. I envision this race as being one that would take advantage of a situation in order to attain whatever goals they are working toward at the time - though I don't envision them as being inherantly evil. They are scavengers so though I wouldn't think that they would go out of their way to harm another being, I could certainly see them breaking minor laws in order to achieve a goal or even stowing away on space craft to get from point A to point B, etc...unscrupulous, but not evil. Their speech patterns would certainly reflect that mindset in general. I know this doesn't exactly address your idea of how they construct their sentances, but it would at least form the basis of how they construct their sentances. I'll have to think more on it and see if I can think of anything suitable. If anyone else has some ideas of how to handle this, please let me know.  I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
August 14, 2011 - 7:39pm | I too think that this race would be interesting to play but that I might tire of it since I couldn't collect shiny new guns and toys. But then collecting shiny new mentalism powers could compensate. I think a bit of fiction that lets us see how this race communicates and interacts with others will go along way, plus fiction is good for the fan zine. I do have a suggestion about their communication patterns. Since we are talking about telepaths. They are not likely to have a highly structured language as a race, they have no books. I believe that their language would follow a very primitive sort of idea flow. the best way I can explain it is sort of the difference between the King James Bible and the NIV. The JKV is a word for word translation and the NIV is an idea translation. When a my-xine speaks in another creatures mind I expect that that they might simply communicate ideas and not words. Since an idea is not straight syntax communication there is room for something being lost. Sort of like the wolf telling the moron that he's going to have him for supper. Each is thinking of something different. i dont know if that helps. Oh i also think the my-xine would be able to pick ideas and images from a targets mind and use these, perhaps even frame them in a voice stored in that mind. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 15, 2011 - 9:25am | After reading your suggestion concerning comic relief Jedion, I thought that your suggestion made alot of sense. -5% to all actions for those that smell the chemical defense. So I wrote up an addition and edited the original post. Since it's only a -5% penalty I don't think that it really impacts the balance of the game overmuch and it provides the possible comic relief that you mentioned. Cheers...and be sure to take a nice, deep breath!  I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
August 15, 2011 - 11:42am | Alright Jedion, I've made some adjustments to the original post with some of your suggestions in mind. Hopefully I've captured the essence of what you were saying. Let me know if I've done so or if I need to do some more tweeking. Meanwhile, if anyone else has any suggestions I'd love to read them. The more input from people the more cohesive this critter can be I think. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
August 16, 2011 - 9:20pm | I was thinking (always a cause for all of you to be alarmed btw) that running a My-xine player character would all too often run into the problem of not being able to use or manipulate equipment. If not teamed up with another character, the simplest things like opening a door could lead to some very bad situations. SO, I'm thinking the very first thing a My-xine player character should do is get a personal robot to ride on the shoulders of. With some sort of mentally operated controll device, the robot would serve as the My-xine's arms and legs; a relationship sort of like Master Blaster in Mad Max beyond Thunderdome. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
August 17, 2011 - 4:53am | Aw young paduwan, you do not comprehend the full width and depth of the mental force. A full master has the ability to manipulate the environment with just his mind. EDIT: I do agree that the race is better as an NPC but that said, I'd run one as a PC myself and totally revel in the part of being the stinky crap exuding worm. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 17, 2011 - 9:52am | I had thought of that when I was coming up with the race actually Capt. Rags. But I think that the mentalist talent, Telekinesis in AD remastered gives enough lee-way for a My-xine to be able to manipulate everday items adequately - exerting presure on a lever, button or toggle switch to open doors, turn on lights, that sort of thing (and in fact, could do it from several meters away according to the TK description in AD remastered). I can't see how Telekinesis would allow them to adequately aim and shoot a weapon however as that would be way more precise than I am willing to allow for Telekinesis. Picking up a laser rifle and throwing it through the air as a projectile, sure - but aiming it and firing it effectively, no. It's just a matter of the GM making common sense calls in such situations I'd think. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
August 17, 2011 - 10:32am | You'd almost have to take the psychokinesis PSA to run this character. That let's you get fire control and inertial barrier which gives you attack and defense. Telekinesis gets you another attack if you work on your thrown weapons skill. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 17, 2011 - 7:33pm | I had thought of that when I was coming up with the race actually Capt. Rags. But I think that the mentalist talent, Telekinesis in AD remastered gives enough lee-way for a My-xine to be able to manipulate everday items adequately - exerting presure on a lever, button or toggle switch to open doors, turn on lights, that sort of thing (and in fact, could do it from several meters away according to the TK description in AD remastered). I can't see how Telekinesis would allow them to adequately aim and shoot a weapon however as that would be way more precise than I am willing to allow for Telekinesis. Picking up a laser rifle and throwing it through the air as a projectile, sure - but aiming it and firing it effectively, no. It's just a matter of the GM making common sense calls in such situations I'd think. Ah I see. Well the telekinesis would work instead of hands then. I suppose the My-xinei could fight other characters by using their mind in interesting ways such as pulling the pin on the grenade still attached to their belt, make their laser pistol that's still in its holster fire repeatedly, or maybe cause their unaimed rocket launcher to fire prematurely while the barrel was still pointed downward next to their feet. Mmmm yes! I want to play a My-xine player character! My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
August 17, 2011 - 7:42pm | Whoa! Capt Raggs that sounds over powered. I'd be curious to hear a game report evaluating its game balance. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 18, 2011 - 8:51pm | This is MY My-xine, not YOUR My-xine! Just kidding. It can be yours too. http://ragnarr.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=135021521 My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
August 18, 2011 - 9:43pm | Whoa! Capt Raggs that sounds over powered. I'd be curious to hear a game report evaluating its game balance. I'm sorry Jedion; those were just the first three examples that popped into my noggin of how I might fight using a My-xine character. I suppose the creature could just as well fry their enemies brains using its mentalist abilities, but my examples sounded more humane... um, My-xane... in comparison.  I suppose a My-xine character with knowledge of a specific race's internal anatomy could use its telekinesis to squeeeeeze a specific artery or vein just enough to... well, get your freeze-fields ready if you know what I mean. These are just a few of the dangers of allowing a mentalist player character into your campaign. As a NPC race, the GM can control My-xine characters actions so as not to mess with game balance. In the hands of a thoughtful player (me for instance), game balance can quickly get out of hand. Something to consider certainly. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
August 19, 2011 - 9:44am | I suppose a My-xine character with knowledge of a specific race's internal anatomy could use its telekinesis to squeeeeeze a specific artery or vein just enough to... well, get your freeze-fields ready if you know what I mean. These are just a few of the dangers of allowing a mentalist player character into your campaign. As a NPC race, the GM can control My-xine characters actions so as not to mess with game balance. In the hands of a thoughtful player (me for instance), game balance can quickly get out of hand. Something to consider certainly. That's not something that would or should be allowed because it falls out of the scope of the mentalist ability I would think. If you can't 'see' the part you wish to manipulate with TK I'd say it wouldn't be a viable target for the mentalist using TK. So I don't believe this example should ever come into play. It would be up to the GM to exercise a bit of game balance and explain why such wouldn't be allowed as I've just done. As a comparison, a person shooting a gun can not target something they can not see and neither could a person using TK imo. It could be argued that the person shooting the gun (in my last example) could shoot in the general area and hope to hit that aforementioned target (thereby indirectly targeting the target). The difference though is that a gun fires a solid object (for simplicity I'm just making the assumption that the gun in this example is a standard projectile weapon) which could conceivably pass through an object and into another behind that object. With TK it is a mental energy that can not pass through objects in order to interact with other objects behind the first object, imo. Of course, I wouldn't think that what I've just outlined would preclude a mentalist from squeezing the neck of a target and choking them or perhaps, squeezing the reproductive organs of a target and well...you get the picture. The difference is that those
are external areas and will not disrupt game-balance by causing instant
death and this isn't any more powerful than targeting a specific area
with a weapon.If anything I would think that this race would be a bit underpowered in regards to the other characters that can be played - specifically because they can not interact with gear nearly to the degree of the other races. This leaves them fewer options than the standard character. For example, when a my-xine runs out of mental endurance they can not simply 'drop the clip and slap in another' to keep fighting. They have to be pretty smart in their use of their mental endurance and need to know when to run and hide and when to stand and fight, etc. This isn't a rambo-style character, it would require more finesse to play. I agree that it is important whenever you create a new race, new house-rule or whatever, that you plan to incorporate into any existing game setting that you closely consider the impact that it might have on the game's mechanics and balance. So thank you very much for helpping to shift through this potential addtition to the Frontier Rags, your input is very helpful! I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
August 19, 2011 - 10:20am | This is MY My-xine, not YOUR My-xine! Just kidding. It can be yours too.
http://ragnarr.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=135021521 Looks like crap. ;-) j/k |
August 19, 2011 - 10:30am | Ahh... the game balance question. Pffftt. One of my characters with TK attempted something sneaky and would have been a game turning point. There was no skill check required for my part, however the GM said the NPC could make an opposed roll to detect my actions... and succeeded! Oops! We got out of Port Loren faster than dropping a kurbanda from a 100 meter tree. |
August 19, 2011 - 10:13pm | Thanks Rollo. I might have gone a bit overboard as to how strong telekinetic ability can or cannot be. I also didn't consider that using mentalist abilities can wear the mentalist out quickly. I should re-read Zeb's Guide as to what Mentalists can and can't do, and at what range. I really dig the My-xinei though, and I'm considering adding them to my campaign here in New Joisey. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
August 19, 2011 - 10:15pm | This is MY My-xine, not YOUR My-xine! Just kidding. It can be yours too. http://ragnarr.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=135021521 Looks like crap. ;-) j/k Hmm.. thought it looked more snotty than crappy. Maybe I used too much brown? My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
August 20, 2011 - 12:08am | I'd recommend the mentalist rules in AD remastered as better thought out then the original Zebs guide mentalist rules. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 20, 2011 - 4:37pm | Captain Rags: http://ragnarr.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=135021521 Looks good! If you decide to use this race then that pic would be a fine addition to your website! Captain Rags: "I should re-read Zeb's Guide as to what Mentalists can and can't do, and at what range. I really dig the My-xinei though, and I'm considering adding them to my campaign here in New Joisey." I agree with Jedion's advice; it's likely a good idea to look over both books (Zeb's and AD Remastered). But I'm with Jed in his opinion that AD Remastered has thought out the mentalist abilities a bit better. I did develope this race with the AD Remastered mentalist abilities in mind. I should go back and add in a bit more detail to the origional post concerning the issue you brought up about interacting with equipment as well Rags - clarify that a bit I think...yeah, gonna go ahead and re-do that now. I don't have to outrun that nasty beast my friend...I just have to outrun you! |
