GURPS Advantage/Package: Shoggie-Ridden [GURPS 4e]

Shoggie-Ridden [12 pt]

This particular… affliction? Condition? Situation? …is one for the xenobiology books. There is a particular planet in human space where the dominant sentient species (called ‘Shoggies,’ for reasons known only to its discoverer) is a protoplasmic pile of protean goo with an unique life cycle. Shoggies reproduce by injecting reproductive material into the living bodies of large – say, human sized – animals. The injected material then permeates the host body, fortifying its blood, repurposing its vital organs, and… does nothing else for the remainder of the host’s natural life, beyond helping to keep it alive. Once the host dies (for whatever reason), the material consumes the rest of the host body within 12 hours, transforming it into a baby Shoggie. Most adult Shoggies have a reasonable analogue to human nurturing instincts; the ‘infant’ typically has no problem with finding ‘parents’ to raise it.

It was very confusing to the Shoggies when the first human adventurer approached them with an offer to voluntarily submit to being, well, impregnated. Shoggies – despite their highly alarming initial appearance – are generally considered to be a fundamentally ethical and even personable race; there was no reason to involve other sentient species in their reproductive cycle, so they didn’t. They were, however, not adverse to letting selected humans pay a somewhat ridiculous sum of money in order to participate in the Shoggie Circle of Life; all in all, the condition is a net advantage. Hardly a problem at all if you like to eat anyway and don’t want to have to plan for your funeral, really.

Just don’t… watch a Shoggie get ‘born.’ Sure, the corpse is long dead and everything, but, well. Ick. Just… ick.

Advantages (all with the Accessibility: Shoggie limitation [-10%]): Breath-Holding 2 [4], DR 1 [4], Fit [4], Injury Tolerance (No Blood) [4], Injury Tolerance (No Vitals) [4], Longevity [2], Resistant to Disease (+-3) [3]. (This represents a newly acquired Shoggie: older ones will have more potent versions of these advantages, or new ones at the GM’s discretion.)

Disadvantages: Unnatural Features 1 (lemony sweat) [-1], Increased Consumption 1 [-10], Reputation -1 (host to a weird creature) (small group, all the time) [-2]

The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the In Nomine andGURPS systems from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.
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