Monster: The Khoulak

Background

The khoulak are a race of winged, carnivorous humanoids who live in rocky aeries. They are near-silent in flight and prey on all living things (not the undead). All creatures that walk Benu fear them.

Livelihood/Society

Little is known of khoulaki society except that they are nocturnal and seem to be of a hive mind, often acting in unison. They live in caves in the highlands or atop cliff sides, keeping them as cavernesque aeries.

They attack in feasting parties, preferring to eat what they can on the site of the attack. They will, however, take prisoners to hold captive and eat later. They have at least primitive tools for fashioning prey cages and setting up basic campsites.

They employ no familiars or other beasts, surely they eat anything in their domain.

Appearance/Physicality

No one has ever seen a khoulak's (obscured) mouth and lived. They envelop their prey in batlike wings attached to their arms and--presumably by the sound--vomit corrosive acid to digest their prey. The only facial features apparent are a pair of large, pupil-less, lidless eyes. They have no discernible ears or noses, though they seem to still possess those senses.

Senses
Khoulak have large eyes which give them infravision, allowing them to see in darkness, but are exceptionally nearsighted. This ability makes them less effective in broad daylight. They also possess a keen sonar sense which allows them to zero in on their prey with extreme accuracy in total darkness.

Smothering Grapple
They are powerful adversaries--for most victims they are nearly impossible to escape from, once enveloped in their terrible, suffocating wings. Anyone caught in their grasp will find it nigh impossible to escape. Their wings are attached along their arms down to their wrists.

Methods of Attack

Their idea of combat is to eat their enemies.

Rumors

Khoulak are thought to be demons from the Plane of Death. They sound a "devouring scream" as they feast on their prey, which causes a paralyzing fear in any future victims in the vicinity.

Their presence is felt before they are seen--usually a feeling of terrible dread or foreboding.

It's said that the khoulak were summoned by accident through the incompetence of a boastful wizard, who was immediately punished for waking them from their astral slumber.

Gullible travelers believe the khoulak to be worshipers of the moon goddess Zeth. These fools wear her sigil (three cobalt-colored eyes in various states of opening) on a pendant or charm as a desperate hope for safety.

If encountered as a monster:

STATS
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: Packs of 8 or more
ARMOR CLASS: 11
MOVE: 5 on ground, 20 in flight
HIT DICE: 2d8+2
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Acid vomit 2d12; Bite 1d8+2; Paralyzing scream - stunned for 1d4 rounds
SPECIAL ABILITIES/SKILLS: Sonar - Emit a clicking noise that helps them detect moment and objects up to 100 meters (in air); Coordinated attack - can intimidate prey through practiced attack patterns. Infravision, but limited by nearsightedness (range of 5 meters).
SPECIAL DEFENSES: ?
MAGIC RESISTANCE: They cannot be harmed by diseases or acid
INTELLIGENCE: Excellent
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: It's believed that the khoulak possess some form of telepathy to communicate with one another, since they are a mostly silent species. It's not know if this ability extends to other races.

If played as a PC:

Prime Requisite Requirements: PHY 13, AGL 15
Hit Dice: Add +2 for being a scary-ass bastard
Max Level: 10
Alignment: Play as True Neutral

Races: Beetlemen

Background

Beetlemen are a colony race of hybrid insectoids that live among the vast sand warrens, worshiping the gods of the wastes. If encountered, Beetlemen will attack with intent to capture so as to bring any bounty back to their queen who likely will decare prisoners to be sacrificed in order to appease the gods. Beetlemen will fight until they lose 2/3 their number and if not reinforced, will retreat.


Horns have yet to grow for this young adult.

Occassionally, a beetleman will wander so far from his colony that he'll not be able to find his way back. After 24 hours he will lose the scent of his people and they will disown him. Self-sacrifice is a sin without the queen's direct order, so they typically have no other choice but to wander in search of a purpose or adventure.

Livelihood/Society

Beetlemen live in vast underground and tunnel colonies which are divided into subgroups (clans) of as many as 500 individuals. A hundred or more subgroups that make up a supercolony (city). There are, perhaps fewer than three dozen supercolonies left on Benu. They have a long gestational period as larvae. Their nurseries are constantly tended by feeder bugs (giant beetles) that bring food to fat, grub-like young, which are under careful protection by heavily armed guards. Young adults are thrown into single combat rounds to determine the strongest. Weak individuals are not killed, but merely ignored by the colony. They become as ghosts and are not fed or cared for, dying from neglect.

Beetlemen are scavengers and horde hunters that fan out across the great deserts in search of food and hardware they can use, in addition to collecting intelligence about other races--such as their sworn enemies, the Bando.

For Queen and Glory
Their queen has never before been seen by other species. It's unknown if she is the same queen that has ruled since antiquity or if there are new queens with every generation.

Though they fight enemies in large numbers, beetlemen relish fraternal combat. They'll hold sparring sessions as a means of proving acumen in single combat. They fight for status and preferential treatment from the queen.

Appearance/Physicality

Beetlemen have heads resembling several varieties of stag and "rhino" beetles, but stand erect as hominids. They are bulky at the shoulders with two narrow primary limbs (arms). It appears their secondary limbs have evolved to become a set of shorter arms just underneath--nearly at the same joint.

Their exoskeletons appear as black, brown, and the darkest red and so may be hard to spot until it's too late. They also have a pair of thin, rapid-beating wings that don't provide full flight, but do allow them to hover for short periods (no more than 12 meters high). A beetleman's exoskellatal thorax (torso) provides protection to his chest and back.

Super Strength
They are extremely strong and agile, owing to their insect-like physiology. They stand a mere 1.5 meters tall, but can lift and carry up to 20 times their own weight for up to 1d0+1 rounds. Their hind legs allow them to leap up to 30 meters at a time.

Senses
Beetlemen have an innate tracking ability based on scent and detection of ground vibrations for up to 4 kilometers. They can communicate using microvibrations when in complete darkness at about the same range. They have excellent senses hearing and sense of smell (see below) but are susceptible to gas-based weapons.

Methods of Attack

Beetlemen like to surprise and surround their prey, overwhelming them with their numbers. Because their powers of flight aren't a tactical asset in surprise, they prefer to burst from underground--being proficient diggers--in large numbers.

Raiding parties generally attack, gravitating towards the footsetps (vibrations) of their intended targets. Camps and villages with lots of activity at night should be extremely cautious that they don't attract unwanted attention.

Attackers will first attempt to close in on enemies using electro-stun spears and nets. If things go badly and foes are not rendered incapacitated in 6 rounds or less, they will resort to more violent methods to bring prey under control. On the ground, they are quick and adept in combat, despite their slow speed in the air.

Rumors

Beetlemen were the result of ancient alchemical experiments performed by the Ancient Kings. Legend has it that when the rulers of old laid eyes on their creations, they recoiled in horror and sought to erase their mistake. One King took pity, and convinced the court to merely banished them to the wastes. Over the eons, the Beetlemen took this as a divine mandate and consider the wastes a holy land.

It's said that the Beetlemen worship a silent but imposing god--an ancient nuclear weapon--buried deep within their warren catacombs. The device's armament, range, and condition remain unknown.

Subgroups have their own altars at which they make offerings to the gods, but supercolonies are said to have elaborate underground temples for sacrificing their prisoners.

It's believed that the smell of garbage dumps and junk piles can attract a raiding or scouting party if not properly buried or burned.

In recent years, Bando traders have heard that the beetlemen have an unlimited supply of radium and metal in their great hives. It's thought that while they possess little knowledge of weapon making and so some prisoners must be kept as slaves to mine and forge.

If encountered as a monster:

STATS
FREQUENCY: Common
NO. APPEARING: In colonial subgroup (500); Raiding party (20-40); Scouts (3-9)
ARMOR CLASS: 10
MOVE: 7 on ground, 4 in flight
HIT DICE: 1d8+2
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 per drone, 2 per champion
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Pincer claws, 1d6+1; mandible bite 1d8; common weapons include stun-ray spears, tridents, electro-stun nets, obsidian-bladed short swords or daggers; champions (1d20) carry long handled maces or battleaxes with large obsidian-carved heads. 1d6 subgroups is an elite troop that will carry radium rifles.
SPECIAL ABILITIES/SKILLS: Sense of hearing and vibration detection up to 3 kilometers. Can smell and identify most species up to 5 kilometers away with ease. Mandibles can create microvibrations to communicate at hypersonic register, reverbartory surfaces can extend this method for miles while underground.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hard carapace shell acts as a armor (see Armor Class).
MAGIC RESISTANCE: None
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Rare, only 1 in 1d100 exhibit psionic abilities, but lesser beings may equate their special abilities with "magic".

If played as a PC:

Prime Requisite Requirements: PHY 15, AGL 10
Hit Dice: Add +3 for hard exoskeleton and constitution
Max Level: 8

Nomadic tribesmen: The Bando

The BANDO

(A new race for X-plorers RPG)

Requirements: PER 10, PHY 9, INT 10
Prime Requisite: PER and PHY
Hit Dice: Add +1 for a hardy, rigorously physical lifestyle
Max Level: None

Background

Benu has been home to many races over the eons. At several points in the planet's history, different humanoid species existed at the same time and though the diversity and number are greatly reduced, a few races still persist. Only one though is humanoid. The Bando are a race of human nomads that travel in giant caravans across the deserts, badlands, and steppes of Benu and are the progeny of whatever humans previously lived there. The bando live in hostile conditions but have met their genetic potential for longevity which is around 270 years old. The bando language is a complex system of whistles, tweets, and throaty calls that presents an intentional barrier for would be adversaries and outsiders.

Livelihood

The Bando raise quarra as pack animals and for other purposes. While they used to treat them as livestock they now know better of it. They raise a variety of other domesticated animals have a talent for husbandry. They are talented scavengers, traders, and craftsmen (basically making things they find "useful"). While finding things comes naturally to them, occasionally certain finds present themselves to be ancient, mysterious, and possibly dangerous. These items are held in high regard and taken to the the Cryptotherium for further study.

They also make excellent guides and wayfinders for travelers who find themselves on Benu (usually stuck there for one reason or another). Occasionally an offworlder may come to Benu looking for a Bando Protector for hire, as they are highly regarded warriors and body guards. Protectors swear an oath to fight to the death to defend their masters, but generally very few can be persuaded to leave Benu, let alone to look after someone else.

For the most part though, the Bando live off whatever they can find as far as food, shelter, and tools/weapons to fight off the marauding races and dangerous fauna that still exist on the planet. It's important to note that the Bando are not the dominant species on Benu and they travel largely to avoid becoming sitting targets.

Appearance/Physicality

The Bando obscure their physical appearance in mainly blue colored cloaks, capes, veils, and the like over grey or tan colored wrappings to protect against the desert sands. It's unknown what their true likeness are, but though they appear to be humanoid. They are comparable to other human races in size and frame, though they are nearly all strong and lean, having grown accustomed to the harsh climes and difficult lifestyle on Benu.

Special Abilities/Bonuses

The Bando gain a +1d4 + level on searching, scouting, or hiding as they've developed keen eyes (even in the dim Benu daylight) for finding artifacts, fossils, etc. and detecting predators. Edged weapons are hard to come by, but the Bando have made due with a variety of handcrafted spear, staff, and club weapons with barbed or hooked implements. In addition bando have mastered several types of ranged implements (slings, javelins, and nets) and gain a +1 per level in their use.

The Bando also seem to retain a natural ability to "activate" or make use of found objects regardless of whether they know how to use them or not. As a result they often consider special finds to be "magical" or imbued with the "Song of the Kings," which should translate to a +1-per-level psionics bonus. Ability without knowledge is dangerous however and there's a 1d8 chance of mishap or accident occurring.

Rumors

There are many mysteries about the Bando, but the most common question about them is often their hidden faces. Travelers often gossip that they were once very attractive in appearance, which is thought to be a genetic trait handed down by their supposed forefathers, the long extinct Kings of Benu. It's rumored that many millennia ago they likely were more than 12 feet tall, and had angelic faces that would put the meanest disposition at ease with their sublime grace. Legend says the Kings, having been obsessed with human dominance over everything, apparently imbued their lines with physical perfection. A superior standard, that offworlders claim has been slowly ground away by the passage of time into a hard-skinned, cragged, and gnarled forms --a shadow of their former race.

When distressed, it's said that a Bando tribe member can call her or his bonded quarra to their side simply by thinking it.

Bando widows hold vigil for several days praying for a colossal sandstorm. When one finally appears they are said wander into them, cooing and whistling, lamenting their lost loved ones--and then disappear forever.