DX +1 [10]
IQ -3 (-25)
HT +1 [10]
Bite, Cutting [10]
Dark Vision [25]
DR +2 [6]
Peripheral Vision [10]
Short Claws [5]
Color Blindness [-10]
Illiteracy [-5]
One Eye [-15]
Poverty: Dead Broke [-25]
Primitive (TL 0) [-30]
Social Stigma: Animal [-15]
Racial Quirk: Shy (-1 point)
Status is no better than -3 with respect to non-salakar. The
salakar language is M/E (for mammals) but cannot be learned beyond level
8. Salakars may learn no other languages beyond this level, either.
A salakar is a mammal vaguely resembling a large
cat with ape-like features and could easily be mistaken for a normal, if
unusually clever, animal. It can walk on its two hind legs but normally
moves on all four limbs. Its fur ranges from light to dark tan with black
or dark blue vertical stripes. A salakar has a single multi-lensed eye,
much like an insect's. It has difficulty distinguishing colors, but has
a very wide field of vision and can see into the infared and ultraviolet
spectrums. Speed on two legs is half normal human speed, but is double
human speed on all fours. Salakars weigh 55 kg (120 lbs) and stand 1.4
m (4'7") on two legs and 1.1 m (3'7") on all fours. They have a normal human life span
of about seventy-two years and female salakar have a litter of 3-5 pups
every eight months. It takes about two years for a pup to reach maturity.
Salakar have no written language and their spoken
one consists of less than two hundred words, most of them dealing with
hunting. They have no personal names, instead using a combination of generic
names (Mother, Leader, Hunter, Child, etc.) and pointing. This makes it
difficult to refer to individuals who are not present. The language itself
is made up of barks and growls, and some body language. What few skills
they have are related to hunting and survival. Their society has a structure
similar to that of Terran wolves, the pack being lead by an Alpha male
(Status +2). Next are other males (Status +1), females (Status 0), pups
(Status -1) and outcasts (Status -3).
Pups and pregnant females and will be protected by
any means unless such a defense could destroy the pack. Salakar will flee
humans unless the pack is near starvation, the females and young are in
danger or the salakar greatly outnumber the humans. Their religion consists
of little more than respect (and fear) for various nature spirits which
manifest themselves in occurrences such as tornados, floods and brush fires
(this is an early version of animism). Punishment for infractions against
the pack and the spirits ranges from shunning (treating the offender as
a non-person for several days) for minor offences to exile (which usually
amounts to a death sentence) for severe offences. Outcasts' tails are clipped
to half length using a stone axe as a sign to other packs of their status
Salakar prefer temperate forests with a mild climate
and few large predators. They are stalking carnivores, but normally feed
on small (1-10 kg or 2-20 lb) animals, and usually attack by biting, though
sometimes they throw rocks or use short, thick branches as clubs. Salakars
hunt in groups, each one containing about 3-4 of the adult males of the
pack, plus one or two adolescent pups. A salakar pack wanders over a wide
area, averaging 1000 square kilometers (400 square miles), and are very
territorial. When a pack become fairly large (over thirty members), some
of the younger adult members will leave, forming new packs with those leaving
other packs for the same reason. This not only aids in the survival of
individual packs, but keeps inbreeding down. Salakar packs do not fight
each other, except in extreme situations (a pack encountering an outcast
may do as it pleases, however).
Campaign Uses: Salakars will stay away from civilized races (wilder elves
and new colonies/settlements being the main exceptions). On the other hand,
they may be found inhabiting the ruins of some forgotten city, especially
one the party is searching for...PC Salakars might be a challenge.
SF Notes: Salakars are not much different in a sciense fiction setting. Since many scientists place salakars
on the borderline between smart animals and protosapients, it would not
be hard for various groups and organizations to classify them in whichever
way was most beneficial to that group. The party could be given the job
of protecting, exterminating or studying them, or perhaps they are the
first to make contact. Salakars are strictly NPCs, as they are far too
primitive for inclusion in a high-tech party.
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