123 lines
6.5 KiB
Plaintext
123 lines
6.5 KiB
Plaintext
Lionbirds
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by Martin R. Crim (1994)
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This is the rationalist view:
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The lionbird is a species of eagle which travels and hunts
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in prides. Prides take prey of all sizes from pigeons to bison,
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and also eat carrion. Each pride has a king, or alpha male,
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several subordinate males, and many females. Many young males
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leave the pride to travel in bachelor packs, and eventually join
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prides other than those of their birth. Their secretive breeding
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habits have led to the legend that they hatch their eggs in
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heaven. This legend is disproved by the occasional sighting of a
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lionbird in Fire Season, when they supposedly are all in heaven.
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Their plumage is tawny. Males have golden crests, and the king
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always has the largest crest in the pride. Kings live only a
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year, worn out by monopolizing the mating. Lionbirds have a
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group song, sometimes heard by humans, which is alien but
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rhythmic.
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This is the theistic view:
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The lionbird is one of the oldest children of Vrok. It was
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one of the favorites of Murharzarm and he often hunted with it.
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The lionbird pride emulates the divine order of Yelm, with a
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king, several subordinates, and males over females. The male's
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golden crest is a special blessing from Vrok, and sign of his
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favor. It is regicide to kill a king lionbird, ignoble to slay
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any male lionbird, and bad luck even to disturb a pride.
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The sky gods use lionbirds as messengers to mortals, for
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they travel to the sky once a year, in Fire Season. Outlaw birds
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must remain behind on the earth. When the prides reach heaven,
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old kings retire there forever. One male in each pride finds the
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divine meal which makes him the new king. The females bear the
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new king's eggs and hatch them near the end of Fire Season. The
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eggs are gold in color, but not metallic. Fed on fire berries
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and the meat of heavenly animals, the young grow fast. At the
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end of Fire Season, the females push the young out of their
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nests, and the fledglings must learn to fly as they plummet
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toward the earth. The pride follows, calling out instructions to
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the young ones. Those who learn to fly join the pride. Those
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who do not, plunge into the sea. This represents the virtue of
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Justice.
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The lionbirds sing, representing the virtue of Harmony.
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Their song often reveals messages from heaven to those with the
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wisdom to understand. To hear their song is a blessing, and
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bound to bring the same joy of the heart which the sun brings
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when he bursts through clouds.
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Sheng Seleris was accompanied in much of his career by a
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pride of lionbirds who brought him messages from the sky gods.
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They sang to him each morning, and he interpreted their songs to
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his companions. Other solar heroes, mostly of the Golden and
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Silver Ages, had friendly lionbird prides.
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Lionbird feathers are good for many Light, Fire, Harmony,
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Life, and Death magics. Crest feathers are best. Pentian kings
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need lionbird feathers for their head-dresses.
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This is the game view:
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Lionbirds are medium-sized eagles. Their keen sight and high
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intelligence would make them good familiars and allied spirits,
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but they grow lonely away from their pride and sometimes pine
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away and die. A lone bird lives no more than five years in
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captivity, less if caged or wing-clipped. Allying an entire
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pride is possible, if one gains the friendship of the king.
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However, the whole pride then flies away in late Sea Season. The
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king does not return, so neither does the pride (in most cases).
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An adventurer can use Falconry (a/k/a Hawking) to train a
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lionbird. Training is easier if the trainer wears a yellow
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feather crest on his hat or helm. The lionbird song is
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instinctive, however, and training cannot change it. Using
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Falconry on a king lionbird carries a 50 percentile penalty.
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The statistics below are for an average male, which is about
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.8 meters long, beak to talons, and has a 2 meter wingspan (about
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the size of a bald eagle). The king has a SIZ of 4 (1.1 meters
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long and 3 meter wingspan--the size of a California Condor). The
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king has a STR of 18 and INT of 5, and POW above 12. Average
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females are .7 meters long, with a 1.8 meter wingspan and STR
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2D6+4, but are otherwise the same as average males. The smallest
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young observed are SIZ 2 (.6 meters long, 1.5 meter wingspan).
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characteristics Average
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STR 2D6+5 12 Move: flying 12, walking 1
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CON 2D6+3 10
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SIZ 3 3 Hit Points 7
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INT 4 4
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POW 3D6 10-11
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DEX 3D6+18 28-29
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Hit location Melee (D20) Missile (D20) Points
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R Leg 01-02 01 0/2
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L Leg 03-04 02 0/2
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Abdomen 05-07 03-06 1/3
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Chest 08-09 07-11 1/3
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R Wing 10-13 12-15 0/2
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L Wing 14-17 16-19 0/2
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Head 18-20 20 1/3
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Weapon SR Attack % Damage
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Dive Special 45+10 2D6
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Claw 7 60+10 1D6
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Peck 10 45+10 1D3
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Note: Lionbirds Dive to kill small prey or to wound larger prey.
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Lionbirds attack large foes (SIZ 4 and up) in a group, with some
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distracting the foe while others Dive and then claw and peck.
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The distraction subtracts 5% from the target's skills for each
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lionbird in the attacking group, up to 75%. Each lionbird that
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closes gets a Dive attack. If the prey does not effectively
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attack back, the lionbird stays near it and gets Claw and Peck
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attacks in the next round. If the prey tries to attack back, the
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Lionbird wheels away, climbs, and gets another Dive attack on the
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sixth round after the last Dive. Lionbirds never suffer a damage
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penalty for STR + SIZ when using natural weapons.
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Skills: Dodge 80+19, Scan 100-6, Search 100-6.
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Armor: 1 point feathers on abdomen, chest, and head.
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Random note: The mongols used Golden Eagles to hunt wolves, and
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the weight to strength ratio of raptors is much higher than
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represented in the RQ rules. Change the Hawk stats on page 24 of
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the RQ Creatures Book to STR 2D6+2 for hawks and STR 2D6+5 for
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eagles. The strength of raptors is concentrated in their talons
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and flight muscles, however, and a normal human could wrestle one
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pretty easily as long as he guarded against the beak and talons. |