Gand
Species: Gand
Home Planet: Gand
Attribute Dice: 12D
DEXTERITY 1D+1/4D
KNOWLEDGE 1D/4D
MECHANICAL 1D+1/4D
PECEPTION 1D/4D+2
STRENGTH 2D/5D
TECHNICAL 1D/4D+2
Special Abilities:
Ammonia Breathers: Most Gands do not respire. However, there is a small number of Gands that are of older evolutionary stock and do respire in the traditional sense. These Gands are ammonia breathers and find other gases toxic to their respiratory system–including oxygen.
Exoskeleton: The ceremonial chemical baths of some findsmen initiations promote the growth of pronounced knobby bits on a Gand’s exoskeleton. The bits on a Gand’s arms or legs can be used as rough, serrated weapons in close-quarter combat and will do STR+1 damage when brawling.
Eye Shielding: Most Gands have a double layer of eyeshielding. The first layer is composed of a transparent keratin-like substance: the Gand suffers no adverse effects from sandstorms or conditions with other airborne debris. The Gands’ second layer of eye protection is an exceptionally durable chitin that can endure substantial punishment. For calculating damage, this outer layer has the same Strength as the character.
Findsman Ceremonies: Gands use elaborate and arcane rituals to find prey. Whenever a Gand uses a ritual (which takes at least three hours) he gains a +2D to track a target.
Mist Vision: Having evolved on a mist-enshrouded world, Gands receive a +2D advantage to Perception and relevant skills in environments obscured by smoke, fog, or other gases.
Natural Armor: Gands have limited clavicular armor about their shoulders and neck, which provides +2 physical protection to that region (they are immune to nerve or pressure point strikes to the neck or shoulders.)
Regeneration: Many Gands-particularly those who have remained on their homeworld or are of one of the very traditional sects- can regenerate lost limbs. Once a day, a Gand must make a Strength or stamina roll: a Very Difficult roll results in 20 percent regeneration; a Difficult roll will result in 10 percent regeneration, a Moderate roll will not assist a Gand’s accelerated healing process, and the character must wait until the next day to roll.
Reserve Sleep: Most Gands need only a fraction of the sleep most living beings require. They can “store” sleep for times when being unconscious is not desirable. As such, the Gand need not make stamina rolls with the same frequency as most characters for purposes of determining the effects of sleep-deprivation. Unless otherwise stated, this is an assumed trait in a Gand.
Ultraviolet Vision: Gand can see in the ultraviolet color spectrum.
Martial Arts: Some Gand are trained in a specialized form of combat developed by a band of findsman centuries ago. The tenets of the art are complex and misunderstood, but the few that have been described. Two techniques are described below. There are believed to be many more. “Piercing Touch” Description: The findsman can use his chitinous fist to puncture highly durable substances and materials. Difficulty: Very Difficult Effect: If the character rolls successfully (and is not parried or dodged), the strike does STR+2D damage and can penetrate bone, chitin, and assorted armors. “Striking Mist” Description: The findsman can sneak close enough to an opponent to prevent the victim from dodging or parrying the blow. Difficulty: Difficult Effect: If the character rolls successfully, and rolls a successful sneak versus his opponent’s Perception, the findsman’s strike cannot be dodged or parried. The Gand must declare whether they are striking to injure or immobilize the victim prior to making the attempt.
Move: 10/12
Size: 1.6-1.9 meters
Background: The Gand were a sentient species of humanoids that xenobiologists believed to have evolved from an insect genus that inhabited the ammonia-gas planet of Gand. Several physical varieties of the species existed, differing from one another in the structure of the head and the texture and color of the exoskeleton, but the species was usually divided into two main subspecies: those with lungs and those without. Gands with such organs were adapted to their homeworld’s atmosphere, but like Kel Dors, required specialized breathing gear if they wanted to leave Gand to manage potentially poisonous offworld gas mixtures. Gands without lungs, however, did not respire and were immune to poisonous gases; thus they could venture offworld without worry of suffocation. Both races possessed an exoskeleton and regenerative properties.
Gands were considered by galactic society to be a very humble species, a trait resultant of their culture, which dictated that an individual’s identity had to be earned. Accordingly, most Gands were self-deprecating and polite, and usually referred to themselves in the third person. First-person pronouns were reserved for the most legendary of Gands, as the usage presumed that one was so renowned that everyone knew one’s name. However, an accomplished Gand often responded with humility if praised and even downplayed his or her achievements.
Within Gand culture was one of the species’ more notable professions: the findsmen. Shamanistic bounty hunters, these Gands tracked their quarry by divining omens sent to them via rituals based around the religious worship of the thick ammonia mists that covered their homeworld. Although their methods were sometimes viewed as arcane, the accuracy of the findsmen was considered unsettling to the casual observer. Zuckuss, a bounty hunter, and Ooryl Qrygg, a pilot in Rogue Squadron, were two notable Gands.
