More animal stuff. Or, at least, the encounter tables. Last page introduced the four types of animals: Herbivores, Omnivores, Carnivores, and Scavengers. We now get a blank encounter table, which places the types according to their frequency. Herbivores, not surprisingly, get the middle three numbers (6-8), so out of 36 possible rolls, 16 give a result of Herbivore. Carnovires get 9, 11, and 12. Omnivores are 3 and 5, and Scavengers at 2 and 4. Did I miss one? Why, yes, I did: a result of 10 is an 'E', for 'Event.' What's the event? It's not determined from the animal table; it could be something described elsewhere in the rules, or the referee can just make it up.
So, once you know what type of animal you're creating, the specifics need to be generated. Most animals are walkers, but there are also flyers, swimmers, amphibians, and 'triphibians.' Is that a flying amphibian? Ah, yes it is, as they are described in the next paragraph. There's a special attribute table to check (probably on the next page, of course) to see how the critter moves. There are DMs for world sizes and atmospheric types, too. That makes sense; a heavy-gravity world with a thick atmosphere isn't going to have a lot of birds. Or at least you wouldn't want to meet them.
Flyers will tend to be smaller creatures, and swimmers will be bigger. Well, whales are the largest creatures on this planet, so it stands to reason. Bear in mind, these encounter tables are pre-generated; it's not like you're going to roll up a new creature in the middle of a session. Even in old-school games, that can take up some time. So, prepare your alien animals ahead of time.
Okay, so after you know what kind of animal it is and how it gets around, the next question is, "How big is it?" These rules allow for critters as small as about a kilogram (2 pounds in the States), and as big as 6 tons or more. So, lots of leeway. Again, it's a two-die roll. There will be DMs for the planet's size and the terrain, as well as a possible one for mobility.
Sizes are measured in ranges; the base number can be up to 20% varied in either direction. The bigger the animal, the more damage it can take, too. Well, you wouldn't expect a rabbit to take as much punishment as a coyote. Especially if said coyote is a certified genius. Like characters, if an animal takes damage above its total hits, it's dead. If it takes twice as much damage, it's destroyed, and you can't even scavenge the remains for food or pelts. So, don't hunt a squirrel with a laser rifle. Unless it's really ticked you off.
More to come!
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