(Celestial Cetaceans of Sphere III / Alpha Ceti)
Challenge: +1
Type: Animal/Trans-Cetaceoid
Size: Really Big (12' long or more)
Movement: Swim (0')/Flight
Armor: Medium (D6)
Damage: M
Hit Points: 6
Special: + (Green Star Whales are adapted biologically and technologically to be self-sufficient, in effect they are autonomous whale-shaped micro-habitats that freely move between solar systems as though they were small-scale ships unto themselves, which in point of fact, they are. Also, as cyborgs, each Green Star Whale has 1d6 random biological or cybernetic mods.)
Three hundred years ago the cool luminous star Alpha Ceti appeared fairly non-descript and barely merited much attention by astronomers, aside from certain obscure pop cultural references and it being the favored star of a discredited eccentric who claimed to be the spokesperson for a collective entity she claimed inhabited the 'eleven orbital paths of Alpha Ceti.'. That was all before the Green Star Whales arrived in-system from Sphere III in the Gamma Eridani system. Over the course of three centuries, the Green Star Whales have reformed and restructured the Alpha Ceti system into a thriving Solar System Level Macrocology with millions of verdant habitats and other linked mega-structures to the extent that the immediate vicinity surrounding this solar system now appears to be a greenish haze.
Green Star Whales are descended from a hybridized sequence of aquatic mammalian genelines incorporating Orca and Dolphin DNA. Their nervous systems are augmented with organo-crystalline AI cores that develop in tandem with the inherent internal systems of each Star Whale, allowing them to learn, transfer information among themselves at light speed, and transfer identity/personality profiles when the need arises.
These beings are highly motivated, very intelligent and incredibly dedicated to their species' rather unique and idiosyncratic interpretation of the Panspermia Doctine. It is their mission, as a collective species, to spread, scatter and seed life across the otherwise Empty Void.
It is also curious to note, if only for trivia's sake, that the Alpha Ceti system does in fact have eleven orbital paths, if one does not count the very minor debris cloud that has shifted outwards from Orbital Zone 5 due to some undisclosed and unidentified mishap or possible sabotage.
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S.H.I.P.S. Data
Name: Green Star Whale
Class: Autonomous Interstellar Cyber-Cetacean
Speed: 1 to 4
Percent Section Detailed
40% Shields (1) L
10% Howitzers (1) Laser
10% Interior (1) Core-Mind (treat as Bridge)
40% Propulsion (2) Fluke-Mounted Drives (Unknown configuration)
100% Structure 10
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The whole thing works wonderfully. There's a childish magic, but some major themes woven in too, and as ever enough loose ends and ideas unspoken to leave huge scope for interpretation.
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic, and really expands Rogue Space far beyond what I thought it could be. So much imagination and creativity, its exciting and I am going to use it in my next adventure!
ReplyDelete"It is also curious to note, if only for trivia's sake, that the Alpha Ceti system does in fact have eleven orbital paths, if one does not count the very minor debris cloud that has shifted outwards from Orbital Zone 5 due to some undisclosed and unidentified mishap or possible sabotage."
ReplyDeleteI like the casualness with which little details like this are dropped. :)
Thanks guys! We had fun making these critters. Rogue Space lends itself nicely to trying out stuff like this, and it is a lot like designing creatures for Original Edition D&D in a lot of ways--the rules don't get in the way, and you're obliged to just get busy making stuff. There is a distinctly 'old school' feel or vibe to these rules that aids and abets creativity in a way that is immense good fun.
ReplyDeleteWe always try to slip in a few casual references to help make things easier to build off of, or to spur a bit more development. It is possible to reveal a great deal about a setting through those little off-hand comments even more than just pounding our tons of encounter tables. Each monster's description hopefully gives the GM a bit of possible context or color to work with in developing possible encounters or a hint for integrating the creature into an adventure.