Ah, finally! Definitions for the different categories of animals. This is going to be a useful section; hopefully, it includes examples from real-life animals to make it easier to visualize them.
First up, as always, the prey...I mean, herbivores. Now, we all know that an herbivore is an animal that eats plants. Well, Traveller extends that definition to include anything that eats 'unresisting food.' Including unresisting animals. As examples, anteaters and humpback whales (which eat ants and krill, respectively, and I'm having Finding Nemo flashbacks already) are included as herbivores because they eat 'unresisting animals'. Well, I'm sure the krill would resist if they could, but they are at a slight size disadvantage in that fight.
Subtypes come next, and we've got the grazers. These spend most of their time eating, and they're best defense is fleet feet. Some travel in herds, some are solitary. They can stampede, which can really wreck your day, and when they are forced to fight they get medieval on your butt. Examples are the antelope and the moose, although the aforementioned whale gets a nod as well, since it just swims around slurping up those helpless krill as it goes.
Intermittent. This is the one I wasn't sure about before. All it means, though, is that eating is not their full-time job. They're usually solitary, but not always. They'll run from bigger threats, or freeze if they're surprised. They might get violent to protect their territory or their babies. Examples are the chipmunk and the elephant. Well, that's a broad category. Although the elephant will run from smaller things, since nothing is bigger. On land. On Earth. Maybe elsewhere the rules are different.
Finally, there are the 'filters.' These guys don't move; the food comes to them. This is a long description, but it basically boils down to 'this eats whatever comes into its range.' The example they give is a barnacle, and note that most filtering herbivores that we know of are aquatic; they strain the water as it passes through them, sucking out the nutrition they require. They aren't going to be moving very often, if at all. The sucky part (sorry) for adventurers is that if they catch you, you're taking automatic 1D damage per 50 kg of the critter. They latch on to their adventurous prey on a 6+, requiring a 7+ to pull free. These are actually pretty deadly; imagine an elephant-sized barnacle. That would be horrifying. And awesome.
Next, we look at the omnivores. These are animals that don't care if the food resists them or not; they're like Mikey in those old Life Cereal commercials: They'll eat anything. The most obvious example is the bear, which will eat fruit and berries while hunting for fish and other small animals.
Gatherers are like the herbivores of the omnivore kingdom; they're a lot like intermittents, but they eat more meat. Raccoons and chimpanzees are given as examples. So, garbage counts as omnivore food. Yuck.
Hunters are the opposite of gatherers, being closer to the carnivore side of the animal equation. Baboons and humans are the examples given. I thought we were hunter-gatherers. We're just that versatile. I lean toward the 'carnivore' side of the argument, myself.
Then there are 'eaters.' These are the true omnivores, who will eat anything that has the misfortune of crossing their path, and they don't care what it is. They are Tom Petty fans who won't back down from anything. The example given? Army ants. Yeah, that's a scary thought right there. A swarm of insects that will turn a jungle into a desert. Now, make them bigger, and you've got a truly terrifying threat for your players to wet themselves over.
Let's move on to something less frightening: Carnivores. These are, simply enough, animals that eat other animals, almost exclusively. There are five types, three of which we'll cover on this page.
First up, the pouncers. Hiding, stalking and springing are the key components of this animal's style. Obviously, cats are the example given. They're solitary, since it's tough to coordinate that sort of action. If they surprise their prey, it's an automatic attack; if the prey knows they're coming, they'll still go on a 9+. They're jumpy, though, and if they're surprised will take off like a cat out of hell.
Chasers tend to be pack animals, and will run down their prey in order to catch it. Wolves are the example here. Much safer than army ants.
Third is the trapper. They just sit back and wait for their prey to walk into their trap, then start dining. Most of them prefer their food dead first, which is a small consolation to the person who gets stuck. They're not fast, and they work alone, but they will go after anything that gets trapped, no matter its size. If the prey is surprised, they are trapped on a 5+ roll; it's a 9+ to escape, costing an endurance point each time you try. There's a DM of +1 for anyone helping the escape, but they can be trapped, too. Traps generally don't hurt; they just keep you in one place. The example given should be obvious enough: Spiders. Oh, and ant lions, but we don't see them nearly as often.
Next up: more animal definitions.
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