Drowlasite

AVERAGE HEIGHT: 1.3 m tall, 1 m wide

AVERAGE MASS: 65 kg

AVERAGE LIFESPAN: 250 years

REPRODUCTION: hermaphroditic, budding

BODY TEMPERATURE: 30 C

TYPE: Omnivore

Source: Ragnarr

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Physical Appearance and Structure

Drowlasites are short, rubbery aliens that have no bones or hard body parts. Their skin is a flexible membrane that is very rough and scratchy. It generally is dull black with darker veins that meet at the Drowlasites two eye spots.

The internal structure of a Drowlasite is very different from the other races, although nearly identical to that of the Dralasites. The Drowlasite's central nerve bundle (brain), numerous small hearts and other internal organs float in a pudding-like mixture of protein and organic fluids.

Drowlasites breathe by absorbing oxygen directly through their skin, so they have no lungs. They are carnivores, but eat by surrounding their food and absorbing it, so they also have no digestive tract or intestines.

All Drowlasites go through male, female, and neutral stages during their lives (these phases can be controlled with medicines). Males release spores into the air, which drift until they become attached to a female. A young Drowlasite then "sprouts" from its mother, eventually maturing and dropping off.

Senses

The most important sense for a Drowlasite is smell. They breathe directly through their skin, and the entire membrane is sensitive to odors. Their sense of smell is so keen they can identify persons by smell alone and can recognize familiar smells on objects or persons. The membrane also is sensitive to touch and vibrations, allowing the Drowlasite to hear and feel. Drowlasite see only in black and white. They see shapes and light and darkness very clearly, and can see the difference between distinct colors (blue and green, for example) because one is darker than the other, but they do not see actual colors.

Speech

Drowlasites have a voice box, but it works like a bellows because they have no lungs. A Drowlasite's voice can vary from a soft whisper to a thundering roar and from a bass rumble to a piercing screech. Among themselves, they also use shapes, odors and touch to communicate.

Society and Customs

Drowlasites are stoic in their mannerisms. Their communities are usually large, with many Drowlasites preferring to travel in groups (or "gangs"). Drowlasites only care about wealth, power, and status symbols. They judge themselves by their ruthlessness and cunning in achieving their goals. Drowlasites often hold secretive meetings to discuss plans and strategies that will bring them more of what they desire most.

Steam baths are a usual Drowlasite recreation. They will mix intoxicants with the blood of recent victims in the steam. These effect Drowlasites the same way that alcohol does a Human or Yazirian.

Drowlasites are widely known for their nefarious plots and sinister activities. They despise humor in any form, and perceive it as a weakness in any creature who partakes in it. Any Human comedian who attempted to find work in a Drowlasite community would quicky be imprisoned, tortured, and executed.

Drowlasites do not normally wear clothing, because it makes breathing difficult and interferes with their sense of smell. They usually carry their equipment on web belts. When they must wear clothing to protect themselves, they use special materials that let air reach their skin.

Attitudes

Drowlasites find it difficult to like any creature that is not of their own race, but have a special hatred for Dralasites. While they realize that they are nearly identical to them in physiology, the Drowlasites view Dralasites as disgusting mutations that need to be annihilated as quickly as possible.

Special Abilites

Elasticity: A Drowalsite's skin is stretchable and supported by a complex muscle structure. This allows them to change the shape of their bodies, within limits. They can "grow" arms and legs to use for walking and handling tools and weapons, and re-absorb limbs when they are not needed.

A Drowlasite can have a number of limbs equal to its Dexterity divided by 10, rounded up. The player must decide whether a limb is an arm or a leg when grown. For example, a Drowlasite with a Dexterity score of 45 can control up to five limbs. It could have three arms and two legs, two legs and one arm, no legs and five arms, or any other combination that adds up to five or less.

Growing or absorbing a limb takes five minutes. Only one limb can be grown at a time. A limb can be up to 1 meter long, and no less than 10 cm thick. "Fingers for handling items can be up to 10 cm long and no less than 1 cm thick.

Even though a Drowlasite can have many arms, it can not fire more than two weapons at once. When a Drowlasite player creates limbs, he must specify one as the dominant limb, the same way a Human must choose to be either right or left handed. Also, despite a Drowlasite's stretching and shrinking, the patterns of veins and ridges on its skin does not change, so they have a permanent "fingerprint" for identification.

Sleep Touch: Drowlasites have the ability to render another character unconscious. Cnidoblasts in the Drowlasite's epidermal skin layer are able to inject a toxin much like that of sleep darts. A creature touched in this manner that fails a STA check will become unconscious for 5d10 minutes. Note that Vrusk, Demu, and Mirelurk characters are protected from the Drowlasite sleep touch by their thick carapace. A Drowlasite character begins with a Sleep Touch success rate of 5%, and the ability can be improved by spending experience points.