Thursday, December 5, 2013

Aliens of the Directorate: Froguloids


Appearance and Biology
Froguloids appear as humanoid frogs roughly 1m in height.  They typically have green skin, though males often possess more exotic colors.  Sexual dimorphism is fairly subtle in Froguloids, but there are enough differences to tell one gender from another.  Froguloids require a larger amount of food - especially protein - and moisture than terrans, though they can usually exist in the same environments.

History
Froguloids were originally created by terrans as an experiment in uplifting.  It was thought that the process would be fairly easy since the anatomy - as opposed to the physiology - of a frog is not that dissimilar from a human.  Froguloids have long been employed by Imperial scientists in order to jump start the terraforming process on prospective planets.  It was thought that their fast metabolism as well as their propensity for mutation would help scientists identify potential atmospheric hazards undetectable by the Directorate's astropsychics.  This history has made Froglings somewhat paranoid, though not enough to damage their relationship with other species.

Froguloids now have their own systems and colonies, with a capital known as Frogulon.  They are still technically part of the Terran Directorate, but they enjoy a great deal of autonomy.  Their social structures are more or less the same as terran society except as noted below.  There is also a splinter state known as the Bullywug Star Empire, but this is fairly small and acts more as a base for piracy than an actual state.

Psychology
Froguloids are fairly gregarious and adventurous, though they have a habit of distrusting terrans.  They make excellent traders, scientists, and explorers, a fact that both terrans and Froguloids take credit for.  
They enjoy diversions of all sorts, but often tire of things very quickly.  Forguloids often become frustrated with humans, whom they accuse of being "slow." They are also known for their propensity for drink and mind altering substances, though these are usually very strong by human standards to account for the differences in Froguloid biology.

Flavor
Froguloid society largely resembles its human counter part, including both noble titles and dress; however, they possess strongly entrenched "houses," or large family units, that act as the major political players on both Frogulon and in the Bullywug Star Empire.  They are a mix of Toad of Toad Hall, Mass Effect's Salarians, and Frog from Chronotrigger

Froguloids as Player Characters
Small (1d6 Strength, 3d6 Dexterity,) Fast metabolism (+2 DM to Initiative, double life support costs,) can survive underwater 10x as long as human characters.

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