The natives
This planet is populated by anthropomorphic animals, more commonly
known as furries. They live side by side with their non-anthro animal
counterparts, along with many other species of animal that did not spawn
an anthro form. Exactly how and why they came to being is still a
mystery, and it remains a hot topic amongst scientists, theologists and
politicians. These people have inherited many features from their
ancestors, like fur and tails, but also superior senses compared to
humans and other small details. However, they did not only inherit
attributes from their own counterparts, but also from each other. For
example, all have the canine habit of being stuck together after mating.
The world closely resembles Terra in form, history and layout (mostly
because the author is too lazy to think of his own version), except for
the great diversity in different races. These races live together in
relative harmony, having long since discovered there was not much point
in trying to kill each other. Specieism is rare, and mostly limited to
chauvinism and name-calling.
All sentients on the planet are mammals, ranging from the ordinary cat
and dog to dolphins and bats. Specific species are most common in places
where their animal counterpart lives, but centuries of migration caused
nearly every species to have at least a few of their kind on every
corner of the planet.
Nearly all people on the planet share the same Character Template, and
due to its relatively high point cost GM's should modify the campaign
point-level to match.
Furry racial template:
Attributes: ST 10, DX 11 [10], IQ 10, HT 10.
Advantages: Discriminatory Smell, Empathy [23], Fur [4], Blunt Claws
[15], Sharp Teeth [5], Ultrahearing [5], Alertness 2 [10], Acute
Hearing 4 [8], Acute Taste/Smell 4 [8], Night Vision [10].
Disadvantages: Stress Atavism, Severe, Rare [-5].
Total point cost: 93.
In addition, all people on the planet possess a small amount of psionic
powers. A person will either have two powers at very low level (1-6) or
one at below average (1-11). These may be picked by the player or
generated from the table below.
Psionic ability table:
die roll (2d6) power
2 Astral Projection
3 Psychokinesis
4 Psychic Vampirism
5 Healing
6 Telepathy
7 ESP
8 Telepathy
9 Healing
10 Psychokinesis
11 Electrokinesis
12 Teleportation
After determining which powers a character received, roll another die
to determine the power level. If both rolls come up with the same power,
roll two dice instead. Take the highest roll and add the difference
with the other roll. For example, if you roll a five and a three, you
would take 5 and add 2 (5-3) for a total of 7.
Psionics are little understood and difficult to master. There is still
no explanation why people are developing psionic abilities, or whether
they will continue to grow in power or a limit will soon be reached.
Because of this, Psionic training is hard and tedious but most of all
expensive.
A character must pay $1,000 for each point spent on a psionic skill.
Furthermore, a character may not spend more points on psionic skills
than one-fifth their age, rounded down.
While most other areas on this world are considered TL 8, psionic
technology is limited to TL 7. The people on this world simply have not
had enough time to properly research the phenomenon.
Outworlders
Outworlders are people who were somehow transported to this world. At
this moment, they make up 0.1% of the total population. Except in the
most rural areas, it is almost impossible to go out of the house
without meeting at least one, even though most of them are
indistinguishable from the natives at first glance (or sniff for that
matter). The most reliable way to test whether someone is an Outworlder
is to scan for psionic powers. Only a fraction of the Outworlders
possess psionics, compared to 99.99% of all natives. Physically most
Outworlders are little different from natives, though they may exhibit
slight variations in proportions or coloration. These Outworlders can
and are taken into society with little problem. Some Outworlder though,
have substantial physical differences from natives that they literally
stand out in the crowd. These differences may manifest as extreme
proportions, radical fur coloration or even extra or new body parts. An
Outworlder may have wings, extra tails or breasts, or a blue fur where
a red would be expected. Depending on the severity of the difference,
attitude and/or luck these may be accepted or even welcomed in society.
However, a small percentage are not so lucky, and are forced to live
together in they're own parts of the city, often in appalling
conditions. Then there are the Outworlder who cannot be compared to any
native species at all. The most common of these are the dragons. These
Outworlders are rarely accepted, and if substantially powerful may even
pose a definite threat to the safety of their environment.
In game terms, being an Outworlder can be as simply as one small
disadvantage or as complicated as a complete Template. For a start,
nearly all Outworlders have no psionic abilities at all, though if they
do posses them they may be far higher than a native would posses.
Secondly, all Outworlder speak the language from the place they land,
and are usually capable of procreating with the natives. An Outworlder
may have any Advantage the GM deems appropriate, but each Advantage that
is clearly visible and unusual (like wings) ALSO counts as an Unusual
Feature, with all the usual effects. As such, all advantages that make
the character stand out as an Outworlder cost 5 points less, after all
other limitations and enhancements.
Example: An Outworlder is a fox with wings. He starts with taking the
normal fox template, then adds the Flight Advantage. Total cost for
the Flight Advantage is 25, 40 - 25% for the Winged limitation and -5
for the Unusual Feature Disadvantage. Up to now, the character would
receive a -1 penalty to all reaction rolls.
Disadvantages appropriate to Outworlders:
Low Appearance: The character might be considered unattractive or worse
by the natives. Some Outworlder exhibit such different proportions or
colors that natives might be offended by their mere presence.
Low Wealth: Outworlder enter this world naked and without possessions.
New Outworlders automatically possess the Dead Broke Disadvantage.
Furthermore, some Outworlder never manage to make a decent living
because of their nature, and will be Poor or Struggling.
Reputation: An Outworlder who is completely indistinguishable from a
native has the Reputation Disadvantage: -1 penalty, Small Class,
Sometimes for a total of -1 point. The same goes for Outworlders who
possess no psionic powers or are not what they seem.
Low Status: See Low Wealth.
Social Stigma: Any Outworlder who can easily be recognized as one
automatically has the Minority Group Disadvantage. Exactly when a
character would normally be recognized is up to the GM, but a character
with one or more Unusual Features will usually have this Disadvantage
as well.
Primitive: Since Outworlder enter from a multitude of worlds, it is not
surprising many of them come from a technologically inferior world.
However, most Outworlders quickly adapt, so the GM should limit this
Disadvantage (especially at higher levels) to newly arrived Outworlders.
Enemies: Sadly, some natives see all Outworlders as dangerous, and
simply want them to leave or die. These organizations can range from
town militia to semi-powerful organizations. The more unusual an
Outworlder is, the more likely he or she is to attract their attention.
Fortunately, both the general public and the government see these
organizations as a far higher risk than Outworlders, so they are dealt
with harshly when encountered.
Secret: An Outworlder who is indistinguishable from natives may belief
(and sometimes rightly so) that the discovery of their nature would be
harmful for their status. This Disadvantage will rarely be more serious
than Utter Rejection.
If the GM imposes a limit on the number of Disadvantages, these should
not count towards them. An Outworlder with one Unusual Feature will
already have 15 points of Disadvantages, and if you add low Status and
Poverty in may climb to 30. With only 10 more points for Disadvantages
Outworlders would become rather boring, as they would all have the same
Disadvantages.
Unusual Background: Outworlder are common enough that not all of them
should be forced to buy this advantage. Only when the character
possesses rare of powerful powers should the GM enforce it.
Why play an Outworlder?
At first glance, Outworlder seem like a bad choice as a character, with
all their social Disadvantages, but they can provide an interesting
role-playing challenge.
Firstly, because of all the Social Disadvantages, Outworlders are
cheap. The points gained from the compulsive Disadvantages and the lack
of Psionic powers can range from 20 to 100 points. These points can be
used to buy all kinds of interesting Advantages or skills, and make the
character stand out from the others. Though some of these points could
be used to buy Good Looks and/or Charisma, in order to offset the Social
Stigma and Unusual Features, it can also be interesting to play a
character trying to struggle up the social ladder.
One Outworlder in a party of natives can bring some wonderful variation
into play, or a party made up completely of Outworlders could use their
powers to perform all sorts of missions.
Role-playing an Outworlder
Role-playing an Outworlder is not as straightforward as playing a
native. It has to be remembered that Outworlders do not come to this
world for their amusement. Each Outworlder is ripped from their world by
a mysterious force, and dropped in an alien world naked and alone. They
have to start their life all over again, and if they are different from
the natives, they will always be treated as a stranger.
While most Outworlders manage to make a decent living, their chances are
simply less than a native's. An Outworlder who is completely alien will
probably never have a good job, more than a few friends or a good
relationship. They will always know that they are different, and since
the number of Outworlders from the same world is so low, they will never
meet others of their kind.
However, that does not mean all Outworlders are depressive and paranoia.
Most manage to adapt, despite physical and social shortcomings. An
Outworlder who does not wallow in self-pity will gain the respect of
their neighbors, and may grow to be well known and well liked. Even an
alien creature like a centaur may find himself living next to people who
respect or even admire their form and spirit, find himself doing a low
paid but good job and find a loving companion. In fact, because of their
exoticness, relatively many Outworlders find themselves in the
entertainment industry, be it as television heroes or as adult movie
actors. Their physical differences may be seen as attractive and
interesting, and many make good use of them.
In short, Outworlders rarely have average lives. They tend to be either
poor and unhappy, or well-liked and happy.
Off course, this applies mainly to the more alien Outworlders.
Outworlders who have little or no physical differences with the native
population will simply be registered, find a job that suits them, and
settle down. While they generally tell others about their origins, it
will not be a major part in the rest of their lives. They may still
miss their old world, friends and family, but they will find new ones.
Holidays
The two major holidays on this world are the Time of Mating and the Time
of Birth. Both of these last for three weeks, during which little work
is done and most time is spent partying or some laborious activity.
Time of Mating
All people on this world, with the exception of Outworlders, come in
season once each year, in the middle of January. Outside of this time,
both male and female are completely sterile. The scents produced by both
sexes causes all to feel light-headed and slightly drunk. Because of
this, the Time of Mating is a holiday, since little work would be done
anyway. A male and a female in the same would not rip each others
clothes off, but they would certainly dream of it. Since the chance of
pregnancy is 99%, and cross breeding is impossible, most sex is either
to reproduce or cross-species. It is not uncommon for two married
couples to 'exchange' partners for the duration of the holiday, to avoid
an unwanted pregnancy but allowing all to act on instinct.
Outworlders feel even more uncertain during this holiday, since most of
them have a monthly period like humans.
Curiously, even the scent of an Outworlder can drive a native crazy,
and they could be the victim of an over-amorous admirer.
The Time of Birth
Since all conceptions occur during January, all natural births occur
during October. And because of this, all birthdays also fall in October.
The people on this planet do not really celebrate birthdays, but simply
exchange gifts and congratulations during the Time of Birth. Outworlder
who give birth outside this time are treated with curiosity. They may
have troubles getting time off from work or school since most people
will have trouble accepting births can occur outside the Time of Birth.
Getting stuck
It is a fact that furs on this planet inherited a great deal of
attributes from their animal counterpart. Most of these are useful, some
useless, and some are a great nuisance. One of these is the possibility
of the male and female (or male and male, but we will ignore these for
now) being stuck together after copulation.
Most of the time, this is just an inconvenience, but it can get very
dangerous or embarrassing.
In GURPS terms, the chance of getting stuck is determined by a die roll
(what else?) and the length of being stuck determined by the outcome of
this roll.
To determine whether a couple gets stuck after having sex, you roll
against a basic roll of 10. On a 10 or lower, the couple gets stuck.
However, this roll assumes both male and female are capable of getting
stuck (the male by inflating the base of his penis and the female by
tightening her vagina), and having normal, relaxed sex.
Modify the required number by the following modifiers:
Either partner is in heat : +1 per partner*
The sex was particularly good : +1 to +3 per partner*
The male's penis is relatively
larger than the vagina : +1 or more****
'doggie style' sex : +1**
Penis remained in vagina for
30 seconds after the male orgasm: +1
The female is incapable of
tightening her vagina : -2***
Rushed, or unsatisfying sex : -1 to -3 per partner*
Either partner makes a Will roll: -1 per partner*
The male is incapable of
inflating his penis : -12***
The male's penis is relatively
smaller than the vagina : -1 or more****
*: Determine separately.
**: Only if both partners are natives.
***: If this applies, no other modifiers apply from the (fe)male, except
for relative size of the penis.
****: Per 10%.
Compare the rolled number to the required number, and look up the result
on the below table:
rolled 2 or more above the
required number : The partners are not stuck, and may
disengage without problems.
rolled 1 above the required
number : The partners are stuck together only
slightly. They may pull apart
without harm, but the female must
make a Will roll not to cry out in
pain. Otherwise the partners are
stuck together for 3d seconds.
rolled the exact number required: The partners are stuck together for
one minute. Pulling apart is extremely
painful, and both partners must make a
Will roll at -4 or cry out. When
pulled apart both sustain 1d-3 damage
to their reproductive organs
(determine separately) and are
incapable of using them for that many
weeks.
rolled under the required number: The partners are really stuck
together. They have no chance of
pulling apart without major damage to
their private parts. They are stuck
together for a number of minutes equal
to (a number of die equal to the
difference between the die roll and
the required number).
Example 1: Both partners are natives, not in heat and had sex
doggie-style(+1). Total modifiers +1. They roll a 14, and are not stuck
together at all.
Example 2: The female is an Outworlder and incapable of tightening(-2).
The male is native and kept his penis within the female for a minute
after his orgasm(+1). The GM decides they get a +1 to the roll because
sex was good(+1). Total modifiers none. They roll an 11, and are stuck
together for 5 seconds. They decide not to pull apart, and go to sleep
instead.
Example 3: Both partners are natives and in heat(+2). Total modifiers
+2. They roll a 12 and are stuck together for one minute. The male
panics and pulls out of the female, causing the female to cry out (the
male made his Will roll) and causing 1 hit to the penis and 1 to the
vagina. Guess they wont be having sex again.
Example 4: Both partners are natives and in heat(+2). They had sex
doggie-style(+1) and both get a -1 penalty for being rushed (making
love in an elevator, -2). Total modifiers +1. They roll a 4 and are
stuck together for 7d minutes. They roll a 29. Better hope no one needs
to use the elevator for another half-hour.
Panicking after getting stuck:
It is possible one or both of the partners find being stuck a traumatic
experience, and must make a Fright Check after finding out they are
stuck.
Roll once for each partner separately, modified as below:
The partners are not stuck together,
or this person has lots of experience
with this phenomenon : no roll required.
The person is experienced with the
phenomenon : +2 to +5*
The person has been stuck once or
twice before : +1*
The person has a good understanding
of the phenomenon : normal roll.*
The person has seen other stuck
together : -1*
The person has heart stories about
others being stuck together : -2*
The person thought it can happen to
normal animals, but not sentients : -3*/**
The person can recalled hearing
about it once or twice : -4*/**
The concept of being stuck is
totally alien to this person : -5*/**
It is the person's first time getting
stuck : -2
The partners know each other well : +1***
The partners love each other : +2***
The other person has experience with
getting stuck : +1
*: Only one of these per person.
**: Usually only applies to Outworlders.
***: Only one of these per person. Be aware that one person may get a
+1 and the other a +2.
Example 1: Both partners are inexperienced natives(-1), making love for
the first time(-2). They are in love(+2). Total modifiers +1. Both
partners make their Fright check, and simply wait until it wears off.
Example 2: The partners from Example 1 make love again, and this must
make a roll at +4. They both have been stuck once or twice (+1), they
are still in love (+2) and both have a partner who has experience with
getting stuck (+1).
Example 3: The partners from the previous examples have now been married
for several years, and each time they make love and get stuck they must
make a Fright check at +7. Both are experienced (+4), in love (+2) and
have an experienced partner (+1).
Example 4: The male is an inexperienced native (-1), and the female is
an Outworlder who has never heart of getting stuck with a sentient
being (-3). Both off them will be stuck for the first time(-2). The male
must make a fright check at -3 and the female at -5. The male makes his
Fright check but the female fails it. Rolling on the Fright check table
the GM declares she panics, and tries to pull apart.
It is clear from these examples that the risk of panic is greatest with
inexperienced couples. Even two complete inexperienced natives are
unlikely to have more than a -1 penalty to their Fright Check. An
experienced person will generally have a modifier of +5 or more. If we
assume the average person has a Will of 10, anyone with even a little
experience is unlikely to suffer from the coupling, and even when he
does it is unlikely it will be serious.
The risk is greatest when one of the partners is completely unaware of
the danger, but even then the penalty may be low if she knows her
partner well and he has some experience with getting stuck. Two things
have to be noted here, most Outworlders who panic will be female, as
males who know nothing about getting stuck are generally incapable of
doing so. Furthermore, it is unlikely that someone will have sex
without his/her partner warning about the danger. This is most likely
if the partner is also inexperienced, unwilling, or oblivious of his/her
partner's inexperience. For example, a native male is unlikely to warn
his lovely Outworlder partner if he does not know she is an Outworlder.
More unusual couplings
Up until now, this document has assumed there are two partners, one male
and one female, and that they have normal sex. It did not take any of
the following in account: multiple partners, M/M or F/F relations, anal
or oral sex. These will now be explained below.
Multiple partners: In the case of multiple partners, i.e. a
hermaphrodite mounting a female and a male mounting hir, roll once for
each penetration. Unless no other unusual coupling apply, there are no
other effects, except that some or all of the participants may be forced
to make two Fright Checks.
Example: A hermaphrodite(H) mounts a native female(F) and is in turn
mounted by a native male(M). H is incapable of expanding hir penis and
of tightening hir vagina. Shi has only heard of being stuck with
non-sentients. Both F and M have some experience. All persons get a +2
for good sex.
F and H roll do not roll, since the total modifier is -10 (10 + good
sex(2) - incapable of inflating penis(12)). H and M roll against 10
(10 + good sex(2) - vagina does not tighten (-2). They roll a 4, and
are stuck together for 6d minutes. F and H can disengage as normal, but
H and M are stuck together for 29 minutes.
M makes a fright check at 12 (10 + experience (2)) and succeeds H makes
a fright check at 8 (10 - inexperience(3) + experienced partner(1) and
fails by 4. Shi faints.
Note that H got only +1 for having an experienced partner, despite the
fact that shi had two partners. Since you roll separately for each
coupling, the modifier only applies once.
If H was capable of inflating and tightening as well, F and H would
have rolled against 14 and H and M against 14 as well. In this case,
everyone would have made a Fright check at 13.
Male/Male: Same as Anal sex.
F/F: Very unlikely.
Anal/Oral sex: Same as normal sex, except that the 'female' is always
incapable of tightening (-2). Off course, the female is either an anus,
a mouth or a paw, so remember to check for relative size! For example,
if someone sucked a male off, the total modifier would be -6. -2 for
the 'female' being incapable of tightening and -4 for the penis being
substantially smaller than the 'vagina'. You might want to make
another roll to see if the penis fits back into the sheath. Again,
treat this as if the female is incapable of tightening (-2), and the
relative size of the penis is always normal. Look up the result on the
table as normal, but assume the male is unable to return his penis to
his sheath without ripping it.
Example 1: Two native males have anal sex, they roll against 9 (10 -
vagina unable to tighten(2) + doggy style(1). The roll a 10 and are
stuck together for only a minute. The bottom male makes a roll against
8 (10 - vagina unable to tighten(2). He succeeds and can retract his
penis as normal.
Example 2: A native female sucks off a native male, they roll at 4 (10
- vagina incapable of tightening(2) - relative size of penis (4)). They
roll an 8 and can 'disengage' normally. The male rolls against 8, and
rolls a 12, he can retract his penis.
Example 3: A native male paws off, he rolls against 8, and rolls an 8.
He is incapable of retracting for one minute.
When should a roll be made?
Off course, it is not necessary to roll each time a couple has sex. The
GM should only enforce a roll if he thinks the situation could be
dangerous, embarrassing or frightening.
A roll should always be made if:
1: Being caught would be dangerous or embarrassing to the couple.
2: At least one of the persons has a reasonable chance of panicking.
3: There is a reasonable chance of being stuck.
4: The GM wants to know how long the couple gets stuck.
A roll should not be made if:
1: The total modifier is -8 or worse.
2: The GM has predetermined both whether and how long coupling occurs.
3: Neither partner can expand/tighten.
Some extra information about natives
Doggie-Style
It is a common belief on this world that doggie-style sex improves
chances of pregnancy. The +1 bonus to the roll is caused by the extra
excitement of both partners, even if not in heat or of different species.
If only one of the partners is native his/her excitement alone is not
enough to warrant any bonus.
If there are more than two partners, this bonus only applies to
doggie-style couplings where both partners are natives.
Example 1: F, H and M are having sex, again with H mounting F and M
mounting H at the same time. Neither the F/H nor the H/M coupling
receives a +1 bonus since H is an Outworlder. If F and M would have sex,
they would receive the bonus since they are both natives.
Example 2: A native fox and a native skunk are having sex doggie-style.
They are not in heat. They receive a +1 to their roll despite the fact
that neither is in heat and they are of different species. Total
modifier is +1.
When is a native in heat?
On this world, any person, male or female, comes in heat in the seconds
week of January, lasting until the end of the month. Outside of this
period, neither sex is capable of fertilizing or being fertilized. Even
if one of the partners is an Outworlder, he or she cannon fertilize or
get pregnant of a native outside of this period. As a consequence of
this, all children (except those of Outworlders) are born in October.
Both these periods are the major holiday seasons on this world.
Outworlders who give birth at any time other than October may be the
victim of a great deal of curiosity. However, this is rare, since it
would either require two Outworlders, a pregnant Outworlder entering
this world or a species with a different gestation period.
Example: A native and an Outworlder can have all the sex they want, but
the female wont get pregnant unless they have sex in January. In
addition, if the Outworlder is the female her period must fall in the
middle of January as well.
Because of the reliability of this period, contraceptives are extremely
rare. They were in fact imported to this world by Outworlders, whom do
not benefit from such a reliable period. In the eyes of the native
population, the best contraception is not to have sex with someone of
your own species in January. Since cross-species breeding is completely
impossible, people can let their instincts run wild during their heat,
without the chance of pregnancy, by only having sex outside of their
species.
To determine when a native comes into heat, roll three dice each time
her or she wakes up each morning. If the number rolled is equal or less
than the date in January, he or she comes into heat. Since it is
extremely obvious when someone is on heat, a native will notice this
immediately.
To determine when a native comes out of heat, roll three dice each time
he or she wakes up each morning. If the number rolled is equal or less
than the number of days he or she has been in heat, he or she comes out
of heat. This is obvious as well, and will be noticed immediately.
Alternatively, the GM can simply roll three dice and declare this is
they day a person comes into heat, and roll another three dice to
determine how long the heat lasts.
Because of this, a native will come into heat between the 3rd and the
18th of January, with an average of 10th January. The heat will last
between 3 and 18 days, also with an average of 10. A native could come
in heat on the 3rd of January and stay in heat for three days until the
6th, or come into heat on the 18th, last for 18 days, and come out on
the 5th of February.
The entire Time of Mating would fall between the 3rd of January and the
6th of February, but because of the low number of people who are
already/still in heat in the extreme areas, the actual Time of Mating
lasts from the 8th of January to the 22nd of January. People who come
into heat outside this time will get extra days off from work.
If two furs are in heat and have sex, there is a great chance the
female becomes pregnant. Between two natives, the female becomes
pregnant when you roll 17 or lower on three dice. A native and an
Outworlder's chance of becoming parents varies from species to
species. Note that it does not matter whether the female is native or
an Outworlder when determining the chance of pregnancy between a
native and an Outworlder.
Pregnancy Table:
Couple Maximum roll on Number of die rolled
three dice to determine number
of children
Two natives of the 17 1
same species (fox/fox)
A native and an
Outworlder of 14 2
the same species
(skunk/skunk)
A native and an
Outworlder of
roughly the same 11 3
species (fox/wolf)
A native and an
Outworlder of 8 4
different species
(canine/feline)
A native and an
Outworlder of
radically different 5 5
species (canine/reptile)
A native and an
Outworlder of
completely different impossible X
species (feline/centaur)
Two natives of different species impossible X
(fox/skunk)
The chance of pregnancy between Outworlders is left to the GM.
Off course, couples may try as often as they can while both partners are
in heat.
To determine the number of children that will be born to a native
couple, roll one die. If this comes up with 6, roll again. Continue
rolling until you roll a number other than 6. The number of die rolled
is the number of conceived children.
To determine the number of children that will be born to a
native/Outworlder couple, follow the same procedure as for a native
couple, except you need to roll more die at once, rolling only 6's. A
native fox and an Outworlder fox would roll two die, roll again when
both come up as a six, and conceive a number of children equal to the
number of times you rolled divided by the number of dice rolled, i.e. 2.
Marriage:
Marriage exists in this world, just like on Earth, with a few
variations.
First of all, sex outside of marriage is considered quite normal,
especially if outside the species too. Adultery exists mostly in Law.
According to the Law, someone commits adultery when having a sexual
encounter outside their marriage unless their partner is unavailable
trough location or time. Off course, this is a broad concept, and
traveling to another city to have sex with your lover is enough. The
only thing that is illegal both in Law and customs is having strong
relationships outside of marriage, you can fool around all you want,
but living with another person than the one you married with or
providing for him/her instead of your partner is out of the question.
Marriages between species are possible but uncommon. When it does
occur, and the partners are incapable of having children, it is
considered quite normal for the female to seek a sexual partner of
her own species during the Time of Mating to become pregnant, and both
partners raising the child as their own.
Technology and culture
On average, this world is considered to have a TL of early 8, with some areas
still at 7. These areas include psionic technology and computers, as explained
later.
The difference in physical and mental being between furries and humans has led
to a difference in technology and the application of it. Mostly, certain
characteristics of furries make the use of certain devices impossible. On the
other paw, what for humans might be simple luxury may be of vital importance to
furries!
for example, something as simple as a remote control would be useless for
furries, since the ultrasonic signals used would drive them insane. While humans
are incapable of hearing them, furries have the `advantage' of hearing the
signals.
The simplest way of explaining the effects of being a furry is to put down a
list of differences between furries and humans, and their effect on technology.
Fur: The most obvious difference is fur. While humans only have dense fur on the
top of their heads, furries are covered in it (that also explains their name).
While at first glance someone with fur would seem to be at an advantage, there
are several drawbacks as well.
First of all, fur needs constant care to prevent it from knitting and
getting dirty. While a human could roll around in the mud and only need to
jump in a lake to get (relatively) clean again, furries do not have that
luxury. As a result, there is a healthy demand for all sorts of fur
conditioners, combs and brushes. Even the most sloppy fur will take at least 30
minutes per day to clean and brush his fur, and a very idle skunk may take up to
two hours for her tail alone!
Fur is also prone to static buildup, so computers and other sensitive equipment
has been protected against static discharges, so all computers automatically
have the Hardened advantage. Unfortunately, this does not also increase cost,
size and weight, but it also means the development of computers has been slower
than on Earth, so this world is still at TL 7 for computers.
The clothing business is limited because of 2 reasons. First of all, the simple
presence of a coat of fur, practically does away with the need for clothes to
keep you warm. Secondly, wearing tight clothes over fur is extremely
uncomfortable.
This leaves only 3 reasons for clothes: protection, modesty and looks.
For protection purposes furries are able to use slightly heavier materials,
since their skin is protected by their fur coat. Even then, they have to be
specifically made for comfort, since a simple leather apron would soon become
unbearable. In game terms, these two factors even out, and clothing of this kind
costs the same as on Earth.
Modestly is a touchy factor on this world, since in essence, everyone is already
wearing a full fur coat. Calling someone indecent because they wear nothing on
their arms, hips or butt is unknown.
However, while it is not strictly illegal, its considered bad manners to display
one's nipples or male genitals in public (apart from beaches and other such
locations). Showing female genitals is forbidden by law, and anyone found doing
so will quickly be taken in.
For modesty's sake, a normal outfit would consist of shorts, rarely reaching the
knees, and in a woman's case a bra or top. The only reason males would wear
something above the waist is astatic.
While many furs are blessed with a gorgeous patterned pelt, others have a more
plain coloring. Furs like panthers wanting to display more colors are the ones
most found to wear shirts and larger pants, while a cheetah might be dressed
only in a bikini. Off course, there are panthers who adore black, and who will
dress in black just to show more of it.
Fur patterns on clothes is considered extremely bad taste, and no normal shop
will ever sell clothes with them.
Shirts are mainly used with designs on them, and plain shirts are almost unheard
of.
In the case of boots, they are mainly used for protection and to keep the paws
clean, though many furs go bare-pawed. A female might wear high-heels, but even
they are very likely to be open. Most other foot-wear are sandals of some sort.
Gloves are only used for protection when handling dangerous substances, and when
shedding fur can really ruin what you're doing, like making bread.
One of the most noticeable fashion statement furries here make is with hats.
Since the lack of shirts often makes badges of authority impossible at places
humans would expect them, furries have instead placed them on hats, scarfs and
bandanna's. In essence, most uniforms have been compressed into the headwear
itself.
Someone wanting to display their status/tastes, but not wishing to cover their
entire chest will use a large cloth ribbon, often with pins and badges on it.
If the GM wishes to roll up a random NPC, I've included a random clothing table
below.
For each part of the body, roll 3 dice and consult the table below.
Head table:
3-6: Bandanna's
7-9: Hat
10-14: Nothing
15-18: Scarf
Upper body table:
males females/herms
3-4: vest nothing
5-7: ribbon ribbon
8-10: nothing top
11-13: nothing bra
14-15: shirt shirt
16-18: jacket ribbon
Lower body table
males females/herms
3-5: long pants long pants
6-8: pants that reach cut-off jeans
to just above
the knees
9-11: shorts shorts
12-14: boxers bikini piece
15-16: cut-off jeans string
17-18: nothing scarf/ribbon
Paws table
3: working gloves
4-5: leather gloves
7-13: nothing
15-18: cut-off gloves
Feet table
males females/herms
3-6: boots boots
7-11: nothing nothing
12-15: sandals sandals
16-18: nothing high heels
Hearing:
The sensitivity and range of hearing that furries possess far outclasses that of
humans. Because of this, it has a great impact on their society.
Their sensitivity to sound means they are able to pick up high-frequency sounds
that humans cannot, like short-range communications signals. Since the
high-pitched noise of for example a remote control would drive them crazy, such
devices simply do not exist. Equipment that creates the sound as a side-effect
has the users shielded from it, and as a result is far less noisy.
Furries do have remote controls off course (how else would they survive?), but
they all use infra-red. In fact, furries are rather skilled in infra-red
technology, and their equipment is of a better quality then humans.
Mobile phones are completely unheard off, since the soundwaves would make
communication impossible for the user anyway, and the people around him might
respond to it with sharp sticks. Because of this, the airwaves are relatively
free of radio-signals, and long-range communication is achieved by cables and
infra-red.
The ability to hear much clearer than humans has also impacted privacy, since an
average furry could hear a conversation from the other side of the room. This is
partially something they have learned to love with, and partially remedied by
better insulation. Off course, the rising number of telepathic furs means that
private conversation has become a lot easier, since eaves-dropping is
impossible.
Smell:
In essence, the same things apply to smell as to hearing.
Spicy food is somewhat less common, since fewer people can stand it.
Also, being able to smell how someone is feeling has made lying a little harder,
but someone who has had a little practice is capable of suppressing the emotions
that cause the `lying' smell anyway.
Since furries are, in essence, animals, their primary way of attraction is
smell. a male fox can in theory smell a pretty vixen from several streets away,
weren't it for the fact that several hundreds of people also use those streets.
Still, a good smell is important to furries, and that is why they seem to wash
themselves more often than normal. A furry will want others to smell him/her own
scent instead of the smell of dirt, and only furs who have something to hide
will not wash themselves often.
And because everyone comes in heat at more or less the same time, this is not a
problem either.
Deodorant and perfume like humans know does not exist, except in the form of
"L'Eau du vixen in heat". This is also another reason why furries are less
prudish, looks are of smaller importance than to humans, and clothes would keep
old smells to them anyway.
Vision:
The average vision of a furry is equal to that of a human, but it is the fact
that smell and hearing is so much better to furries that vision does not play
such a great role in their society. Off course, looks still count, and bright
posters still attract costumers, but here more than looks count.
A shopping-street is as much a carnival of smells as it is of colors, and a
shop that smells nice will attract more customers, even if it isn't a restaurant.
But the primary difference is the night-vision 99% of the furs have. This
severely cuts down on lighting, which is only needed in the darkest hours of
night. A furry can see quite well with the lights of the stars alone, and if the
moon is full night seems like day.
Even in the city where smoke might cloud the skies, lights created for any
reason other than illumination will provide enough to see by, and only shops will
have permanent lights installed.
A normal household will only have permanent lights in rooms that have no
windows, like the toilet and hallways. Other rooms simply don't need them most of
the time, and when they do, they get by with candles and small lamps.
Off course, without a decent supply of light the colors dim, and for this
reason shopping streets will have a lot of illumination.
The effect this has on the ecology is rather large, since on a human world a
great deal of the electricity is used for illumination. Unfortunately, furries
have found several other ways to pollute their world, just in different ways and
for different reasons.
Tails:
Obviously, furries have tails. Whether long and fluffy like a skunks, or small
and bushy like a bunny's, all tails need certain care in the adventure of
every-day-life.
Obviously, one cannot wear pants over them, and all pants have a special hole or
more commonly a sleeve for them. Often pants will have a button on the back,
which allows the fur to clip the pants over the tail base.
Because some tails take up almost as much room as their owner, streets, busses
and restaurants can become very crowded indeed. Because of this, where chairs
are places in rows, they are 50% larger than one would expect for beings this
size. Even so, someone with a very large tail will have many small discomforts
in life as his/her tail keeps getting stuck, crushes, bent or simply in the way.
Surgery is possible, but extremely rare.
Like in Earth animals, tails are an important way of expressing oneself.
But besides the astatic purpose, tails are nothing but a bother. (don't ever
mention this to a furry though) The most limiting effect of a tail is when a fur
is called to wear an air-tight suit, since such a suit needs to cover the entire
area of the body, and a large tail effectively doubles it. It is because of this
that the first astronauts were bunnies and a wolf who had lost her tail.
Psionics:
The emergence of psionic powers has also had a profound impact on the society,
even though the actual powers themselves are still weak. Already the powers an
individual possesses have a great influence on their lives, while someone with
relatively weak powers is looked on as somehow disabled.
Each power has its own particular effect on society, as do the skills that their
owners are trained in.
Off course, some people might have found uses not listed here for skills they posses
Astral Projection:
Astral Projection (skill): Someone with the actual Astral Projection skill
will be able to use it normally, though the extreme low levels that furs possess
will be rather limiting. Also, Astral Projection does not have a real function in
society currently, and is mainly used to spy on women's dressing rooms.
Astral Sight: Because of the low number of people who are able to project
themselves at will, this skill is even rarer, and barely has an influence on
society.
Electrokinesis:
Confuse: Mainly used for defense, this skill is learned by furs who have no
other uses for their powers. Even a level 3 power is useful for confusing
someone trying to rob you and allows you to escape.
Cyberpsi: Because computers are not very powerful on this world, the relative
low skill people will have is good enough to use it. It is mainly used by small
criminals, though special dedicated computers have been created that control
certain security systems and can only be accessed with this skill.
Dampen: The low powerlevel of the furs makes this skill almost useless, since it
relies on a great powerlevel to create a useful area of effect.
Energy Sense: Used by cops and undercover agents to sense electronic traps, bugs
and security systems. The average range of 4 yards is more than enough to make
this skill useful.
Energy Shield: Barely used, since a power of 4 only gives 2 DR, and the
difficulty of using this skill means its not worth the effort put into it.
Lightning: A great offensive power, though it requires a power of at least 3.
Fortunately, possession of this skill is the same as possessing a gun, and since
a gun can be confiscated and a skill not, its heavily regulated and certainly
not available at a psionic school.
Photokinesis: An artistic skill, and mainly used in the entertainment business
and for jokes. Normal people can only create simple illusions, but a skilled
illusionist might earn a good salary! It can also be used to blur one's image,
but since sight is not of such a great importance to furs anyway, this is rarely
brought into action.
Surge: Very rare, since only someone with a power of 6 or higher stands a chance
of damaging electronics, since they are all protected against electrical surges
as standard.
ESP:
Clairvoyace: Extremely common, this is the skill most furs will learn if they
possess ESP. Besides reading letters inside their envelope, there are few illegal
applications of this skill, and it is mainly used to check the contents of boxes
when shopping.
Clairaudience: Somewhat less common, mainly because most furs have a good sense
of hearing anyway. Spying on people with this skill is considered very impolite
as best, and with the risk of furs being able to sense your power its rarely
worth the risk.
Clairsentience: Quite rare, for the same reasons as for Clairaudience.
Combat Sense: Unused, since it requires a powerlevel of at least 10. Since the
number of furs with a skill of this level is so rare, only one or two furs on
the entire planet know this skill well enough to teach it.
Precognition: Quite rare, since the low skill of furs makes it impossible to use
actively. And few people will be willing to spend time and money for a skill
they cant use.
Psychometry: Uncommon, mostly used in crime investigation. The limiting factor
is not the area of time that can be sensed, but the area of space.
Seekersense: Only really used by people who lost their wallet, since the highest
common powerlevel of 6 allows a range of 8 yards, useless when locating a
person.
Healing:
Healing: Widely learned and used, this skill will give you a huge advantage when
applying for a medical job. Unfortunately, because of the low power furs
possess, someone capable of healing poison and serious diseases is very rare.
Such a person will be assured of a very wealthy job though!
Off course, someone with even a powerlevel of 1 will never catch the common
cold.
Life Extension: Extremely rare, since it requires a great knowledge of the
Metabolism Control skill, and even then the actual effect is limited. Off
course, some individuals will try anything to halt aging.
Metabolism Control: Quite rare, since Healing is far more useful. Mainly used
to allow Life Extension.
Sense Aura: Despite the low power, this skill is quite common. Like Healing, its
a great boost for getting a medical job.
Someone with both skills will be highly sought for by the medical world.
Psychic Vampirism:
Drain: Very rare, since it requires a high powerlevel to be useful. Even the
highest powerlevel known to be possessed by furs does not guarantee success.
Drain Emotion: Widely used. both in the police and medical world, in order to
calm people down.
Steal Dreams: Not so common, but used by psychiatrists and `mind-doctors'.
Steal Energy: Same as for Drain.
Steal Power: Same as for Drain.
Psychokinesis:
Cryokinesis: Easy to use, but with relatively few serious applications. Not
powerful enough to cause any harm, and impossible to use to keep something
cool.
Levitation: Only used by furs with power 5 or greater, but when they have power
5 nearly all of them will choose this skill. Because the skill level is
irrelevant, it requires little training, and someone with power 6 or even 7 will
be able to float about as fast as normal walking. Because most interesting
things happen at ground level, furs with this power cant be seen floating all
over the place, but the sight is certainly common enough.
PK Shield: Very rare, because it also requires ESP, and the low skill levels
furs will have limit the use.
Pyrokinesis: Same applies as for Cryokinesis.
Telekinesis: The skill chosen by furs with a powerlevel lower than 5, or by
those who have the time and money to learn both this skill and Levitation. Usage
is obvious, furs with this power will certainly display it since it requires no
energy at all. They prefer to use it on non-fragile items though, since skill
isn't very high. Off course, because a fur might use this skill constantly, his
or her skill level might increase quite rapidly.
(
geocities.com/hakar2002)