Uncle Jimbo's Bug Huntin' Range

High character
High concept
High violence


Bug Huntin' Home
Aliens

Signs and Portents #47 provides four new intelligent aliens, of which, to me, the Torta show most potential. The article compares them to sharks, though I wonder if leopard seals might be an equally instructive comparison.

Torta

Torta are a lately-aquatic carnivorous species whose watery home planet's orbit was disrupted by a major impact and its surface encrusted with ice, driving them to emerge onto cold shelves and volcanic island chains. Little-known to outsiders, a large proportion of their population still live below the waves in warm ocean rifts, kept in servitude to farm food for the advanced surface-dwelling caste.

Ability Score Limits
STR6-15Torta are relatively large, powerful in body and physically intimidating.
DEX6-13
CON6-12They are susceptible to environmental factors, no longer truly adapted for either air or water.
INT6-14
WIL4-12
PER4-12

Free Broad Skills
STRAthletics
STRUnarmed Attack
Sub-surface: CONMovement
CONStamina
INTKnowledge
Surface: INTSystem Operation
WILAwareness

Special Abilities

Walking Fins: Torta have Sprint, Run and Walk rates 2/3 those shown for their ability scores in Table P8, but Easy Swim and Swim rates multiplied by 3 from those listed.
Aquatic: Torta can no longer survive indefinitely under water, but can hold their breath for 5 times their CON scores (whether or not they have a chance to take a breath) and need only make Stamina-endurance checks for suffocation by water each 10 rounds.
Water-Dependent: After spending 12 hours in a dry environment, a Torta must make a CON feat check to avoid becoming Ill, then further checks each day to avoid the illness progressing. Unless bathed in water and kept moist while recovering, the Torta cannot improve from an Ill or Extremely Ill state caused by this effect, although he can recover from Terminally Ill to Extremely Ill.