RAZAQS
(45 points.)
DX +2 [20]
Acute Vision, 2 levels (4)
Amphibious [10]
Winged Flight (liimited) [30]
Night Vision [10]
Fragile (Hollow-Boned) [-20]
Racial Reputation -2 as being untrustworthy (-10)
Sense of Duty (to razaqs community) [-15]
Racial Skills:
Flight at DX [8)
Swimming at DX+3 [8]
Note: Razaqs lose fatigue at twice the normal rate when flying.
Razaqs are a small triphibian race originating on
a world with 94% surface water orbiting a G2 subdwarf star. They average
1.4m (4'7") in height and 22.5kg (50 lbs) in weight. Razaqs are basically
humanoid, with the addition of a prominent head crest running front to
back across the skull and leathery wings. The size and color of the crest
is important to razaq social and mating encounters, though the distinctions
are nearly invisible to non-razaqs. Their skin is smooth, running from
light to dark green in color with brown or grey mottling, and the fingers
and toes are webbed.
Despite being hollow-boned, razaqs can barely fly
under their own power and most often simply glide. They are, however, excellent
swimmers and can stay underwater indefinitely, as they have both gills
and lungs. The wings do create a slight drag to swimming speed, however,
reducing it by 10%. Most senses are comparable to those of humans, though
razaqs have good vision in darkness (but not total darkness). Razaqs reproduce
much like Terran frogs, with females lay a clutch of fifty to seventy eggs
once a year, of which less than ten percent reach adulthood. Eggs hatch
about four or five weeks and the tadpole stage lasts another six to eight
months.
The razaq's development has been hampered by two
major behavior characteristics: paranoia of and compulsive lying to all
sapients outside their immediate community, both of which are linked survival
traits. The extremely hostile ecology of the razaq's homeworld resulted
in competition for food and shelter that was so fierce that only blood
relatives were trusted. Everyone and everything else was seen as an enemy.
Due to their environment, razaqs live in small communities of ten to forty
members, excluding tadpoles. Their society is basically a social democracy,
with all members having a voice in the affairs of the community, though
older and more experienced members have more influence. The ultimate responsibility
of a razaq is to the survival of his community and any member is expected
to sacrifice anything (including his or her life) to keep the community
safe.
Overall razaq technology is low, but the race is
quite intelligent and creative, easily understanding higher technology
if given the chance. In addition, they are highly developed in philosophy
and organic engineering. Razaqs see their plight as the result of some
angry god. Since over the centuries they never found a way to placate him,
razaqs assume he can't be appeased and no longer bother to try, resulting
in a rather fatalistic outlook. Razaqs are also skilled at adapting their
environment to them by growing many things rather than build them.
In all, razaqs culture is somewhat bland and uneventful
aside from freak hurricanes, rampaging predators and other communities
making war on them. Cultures constantly at war with their environment rarely
produce anything that isn't practical, and the razaqs are no exception.
Even their language is dull; to aliens, a furious, screaming razaq sounds
like he is apologizing. Most names are a combination of grunts and whistles,
and descriptive in nature, though razaqs usually adopt human names around
non-razaq; an alien trying to pronounce a razaq name sounds like a frog
being trodden on.
Campaign Uses: Most fantasy worlds have large coastal
swamps or tropical islands, which are both good locations for razaq communities.
SF Notes: Razaqs, if studied on their homeworld,
present a nightmare for any xenologist who tries, though some government
or organization would probably pay well for the attempt. Of course, being
stranded on the planet would be quite an experience... Some razaqs are
able to overcome (or at least suppress) their paranoia and compulsive lying.
Such individuals make up the bulk of spacefaring razaqs, though most other
races still consider them to be untrustworthy. Off-world razaq are popular
as philosophers, geneticists and members of scout or survey organizations,
which helps exploit their triphibian nature. A razaq in an adventuring
party would prove to be an unusual companion.
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