Blame this.
Corni
Most people don’t realize that dryads were only one of many species that were, broadly speaking, a magical combination of animal and tree. This is probably not too surprising: not to be indelicate about it, but humans tend to notice right off the bat whether a particular supernatural species can be, ah, interacted with without risk of later social ostracism. The ones that are not tend to fall through the taxonomic cracks.
Pollies [GURPS]
ST 20; DX 5; IQ 5; HT 40;
Move 3; DR 10; SM +2
This species is originally from a frigid planet with no oxygen in its very thin atmosphere, and covered with extensive but shallow seas of somewhat diluted glycerin. Pollies are technically amphibious; it is more accurate to say that they do not breathe and are mostly resistant to changes in atmospheric pressure. Modern breeds have been genetically adapted to live comfortably enough in vacuum; they are not suited for Earthlike conditions. The species is about the size and weight of a 20th century minivan; it has four eyes (two each, front and back), four mouths (one on each side), and a set of cilia on which it slowly moves around. Pollies reproduce by egg-laying; the eggs typically outgas a mildly disgusting smell to discourage predators.
I can’t help but wonder if somebody else has had this idea before.
Thundercows
These bioengineered animals were designed to circumvent the high-technology ban that Galactic civilization slaps on trade between advanced and primitive planetary cultures. Said ban is interesting, actually: the primitive planetary cultures hate that ban because they can’t buy cool gadgets from advanced civilizations. The advanced planetary cultures also hate that ban because they can’t sell cool gadgets to primitives. And the Galactic government hates the ban because everybody screams at them over it and the paperwork is sometimes almost literally murderous. And yet, nobody can ever manage to get the relevant laws repealed. It’s either weird, or a conspiracy: take your pick.
Blame this.
the-new-saxony-silk-rat-rattus-sericum-google-docs
The New Saxony Silk Rat
(rattus sericum)
This species of domestic rat appears to have been cultivated for its wool for at least six thousand years. It is somewhat larger than a Norwegian rat: feral specimens average about a foot and a half long, and about three pounds in weight (a fully-bred Silk Rat is a bit larger). The species is fully domesticated, and make affectionate, intelligent, and loyal pets. The wool of the Silk Rat can be gathered or sheared without harming the rat, and is particularly valuable for its uncanny resemblance to silk. Depending on the location, in fact, Silk Rat wool is either openly sold as a silk substitute, or it is passed off as actual silk. The species is typically kept in check by local predators; most carnivores find them tasty snacks.
Linked Emitting (Magic/Mental) Interplanar Navigation Guidance System
(L.E.M.M.I.N.G.S.)
Ten million million possible alternate dimensions that the first Pathfinder teams could have accessed, and they manage to find one where at least some of the locals could laugh at the acronym. What are the odds, huh? …Don’t actually try to calculate the odds. The Pathfinders get oddly superstitious about anything that looks like it might be magic, and amateur statistical analysis is high up on the list. At the absolute minimum you’re supposed to ground yourself first.
Blame this.
Squid-Helmets (TL1+2) [10/12 pt]
Squid-Helmets are what you get when somebody figures out during the Bronze Age how to successfully train a tree octopus so that it can be usefully worn on somebody’s head, then the species gets selectively bred accordingly over the next few thousand years. By the time you hit a medieval-equivalent Tech Level you’ll have something that’s simultaneously useful, and not a little bizarre. But not creepy — or at least no creepier than a domestic goat or pig. Squid-Helmets live about thirty years, if properly fed; the species is almost extinct in the wild*.
Meat Golems
These are… interesting. They’re not exactly Undead, but that’s only because the Undead are typically inedible, and these things are… well, you can safely cut bits off of them, cook the bits, and safely eat what you’ve cooked. It’s really not that strange, right?
doctor-brillat-dessaignes-valiant-riding-caterpillars-google-docs
Doctor Brillat-Dessaigne’s Valiant Riding Caterpillars
This… is an example of what happens when you have to balance what the client wants with what the vendor can produce. What the client (in this case, an extremely well-connected general high up in the French military hierarchy) wanted was two-man giant caterpillar cavalry, for admittedly mostly ceremonial use. What the vendor could produce was a giant caterpillar permanently ‘frozen’ at its immature state that could barely carry one man, provided that he had a small amount of gear. When the general in question saw this, of course, he immediately… opened his mouth, contemplated the matter, closed his mouth, then told an aide to go fetch him a certain minor official in a certain obscure department who certainly wasn’t a representative of the Third Republic’s most secretive black ops organization.
Continue reading Creature Seed: Doctor Brillat-Dessaigne’s Valiant Riding Caterpillars.
patchwork-haifische-patchwork-sharks-google-docs
Patchwork Haifische (Patchwork Sharks)
(Blame this.)
The Patchwork haifisch (Patchwork Shark) is a legacy creature of World War I Germany’s Mad Science program. The project (under the barely erratic leadership of Doktor Jacob von Kaulla) aimed to create undead sentinels for Kriegsmarine submarine pens; the goal was to prevent minelaying and other forms of underwater sabotage. And it would have worked, too… if only the German General Staff had authorized the project two years earlier. Dr. von Kaulla’s team produced a working prototype six months after the Armistice, and all data on said project was immediately suppressed and compartmentalized, lest the Allies hear of it and force the Germans to surrender it.
Continue reading Creature Seed: Patchwork Haifische (Patchwork Sharks)
Blame this.
weaponized-balloon-animals-google-docs
Weaponized Balloon Animals
And that’s what they’re called, in fact. Even the official Galactic Patrol documents use an obscure phrase from one of the more accessible Ascended Race languages, which pretty much translates to… Weaponized Balloon Animals (WBAs). Basically, humans think that it’s funny, and the other races don’t really care if humans think that it’s funny. Which is why any part of Galactic civilization that has humans running it will be overrun with puns… but I digress. Continue reading Item/Creature seed: Weaponized Balloon Animals.
