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| Kokatik exploring Gamma Polaris |
The
Kokatik
Located rimward, toward the
edge of known space and out toward the edge of the Milky Way, the kokatik have
been exploring space and slowly colonizing worlds for nearly two thousand
years. They are a species of amphibious beings, coming from their gaseous
waterworld once in the Kunares star system that was once designated KOI-314c by
humans. The kokatik are a hearty species that has adapted very well to both
temperature and pressure extremes due to their warm gassy homeworld. Because of
this adaptability they are able to colonize a wider range of worlds than humans
can, and often find warm gaseous worlds within 1-3 Gees to be comfortable.
Despite having the appearance of some sort of batrachian, the kokatik are a
distinctly unique vertebrate species of something more closely resembling a
cephalopod. The hardened shells of their ancestors turned into a sort of
exoskeleton, which provides a web of internal support structure for high
gravity and high pressure environments.
Kokatik are a slow,
methodical species. They are not aggressive though they will employ deadly
force if needed to resolve an issue, and they are more than capable of it, having
developed some very sophisticated weaponry and maintaining an impressive
stellar navy. Early contact with the kokatik, which actually took place with
some anticipation due to the discovery of abandoned research stations on Gamma
Polaris, revealed that the kokatik are suspicious and concerned about other
species, and slow to earn trust. After contact was formally initiated and they
were invited into the Federated Commonwealth more history came out and it was
revealed that the kokatik had fought an extensive interstellar war early on in
their spacefaring days, against an aggressor race called that fashan, a war
which they won, bombing the fashan back to the stone age and quarantining their
homeworld. Needless to say, the Federation Navy took note of this capability
for such total salting-the-earth destruction against a declared foe.
Kokatik come off to humans
as inscrutable and mistrusting, regarding other species with a persistent sense
of caution.
Kokatik Alien Profile:
Kokatik are
hydrocarbon-based lifeforms, so indigenous to worlds that Terrans will also
find somewhat comfortable. The kokatik are perfectly at home in underwater
environments. They can breathe in water environments and have a filtration
system in their gill-like lungs which can filter necessary oxygen and other
gasses even from more exotic liquids, but they have a secondary set of lungs
that process air when out of water as well. Kokatik are still amphibious, and
must remain immersed in water or other liquid with a fair amount of oxygenation
for at least 1 hour per Terran standard cycle (day). Kokatik usually wear
pressure suits with filtered water systems when moving about in human
territory. Kokatik are also very hearty in high pressure atmospheres and very
cold environments due to the deep sea environment of their home world. This
adaptive advantage has given them a unique edge, including improved survival in
both the bottom of the ocean and the depths of space. Finally, kokatik come off
as cold, aloof and mistrusting of others, making their interaction with humans
a difficult experience.
You can make a Kokatik
character with the following template:
Kokatik Racial Package (57 points)
Attribute Modifiers: IQ+1 [10]
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Move-2 [-10]
Advantages: Amphibious
[10], Doesn’t Breathe (trigger: water, common, -20%)[16], Nictitating Membrane
2 [2], Pressure Support 3 [15], Dark
Vision (can see colors) [30], Temperature Tolerance 6 (cold from -25 to 90
degrees for HT 10)[6]
Disadvantages: Dependency
(water immersion, very common; daily)[-15], Intolerance -3 (all aliens)[-10],
Callous [-5]
Skills: Swimming
HT+3 [8]
Kokatik Explorer (sample NPC, 207 points):
Ras M’Lond, Senior Scout
Ras M’lond is a Kokatik
scout who works for the Kunares Exploratory Survey Fleet, which is slowly
mapping out the galaxy and paying close attention to the actions of the
Commonwealth. He is at once repulsed by alien races not of the Kokatik biotype
and also singularly obsessed with them, albeit in a creepy stalker-with-cameras
kind of way, so he made a perfect candidate for the Exploratory Survey Fleet’s
astrographic mapping initiative. His stats are based on the kokatik racial
package above plus the GURPS Space Explorer template.
ST 12, DX 12, IQ 13, HT 12
HP 15, Will 12, Per 13, FP 15, Basic Speed 6, Basic Move 4
Advantages: amphibious,
doesn’t breath (trigger: water, common), nictitating membrane 2, pressure
support 3, dark vision (can see colors), temperature tolerance 6 (cold), danger
sense, G-Experience 5
Disadvantages:
dependency (water immersion, daily), intolerance -3 (all aliens), callous, loner
12-, workaholic, xenohilia 6- (loves aliens even if he doesn’t trust them)
Racial Skill: Swimming
15
Primary Skills: Cartography 13, Geography (terran worlds) 13, Navigation (sea)
15, Piloting (transitional space drive) 12, Vacc Suit 12
Secondary Skills: Biology (terran worlds) 11, Survival (desert) 13, Electronics
Operation (sensor) 13
Background Skills: Computer Operation 13, First Aid 13, Swimming 12, Writing 12,
Beam Weapon (rifle) 12
Protection: Kokatik
Expedition Suit (works as the suit in Ultratech pg. 178, but provides a water
moisturization to skin when worn; a human in this suit could drown if the
settings aren’t corrected); DR 5, flexible
Armament: Blaster
(Electron) Rifle (Damage 6D(5) burn, sur; ACC 10+2, ROF 3, Shots 10(3), Bulk
-4, Recoil 1, Range 700/2100)
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