Caprakin

Datei:Caprakin.jpg
Die **Caprakin** sind eine von zwei intelligenten Rassen auf dem Wasserplaneten Capra im Capella-System. Die Caprakin leben in relativ flachen, warmen Gewässern der Äquatorzone in Bereichen zwischen 60m und 200m. Für kurze Zeit können sie auch deutlich tiefer tauchen, bis 1000m, aber dies können sie nur für wenige Stunden aushalten, ohne Gesundheitsschäden zu befürchten. Auch außerhalb des Wassers können sie für kurze Zeit existieren, wenn sie ihre Haut nass halten können. Caprakin sind Jäger und Bauern. Sie halten Fische wie die Menschen Vieh. Mit der anderen Rasse auf Capra, den Capraden, verbindet sie wenig. Sie sind aber in der Lage, die Sprache der Capraner zu verstehen. Da ihnen selber aber die Bioluminiszenzorgane fehlen, können sie sie nicht sprechen. Die Caprakin selber unterhalten sich mit Tönen im Ultraschallbereich, die Menschen als Klick-Laute wahrnehmen.

Caprakin besitzen einen humanoiden Oberkörper und einen fischartigen Unterleib. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass sie von den Gene Splicern erschaffen wurden, ist sehr hoch, da ihre Form evolutionstechnisch so unwahrscheinlich ist, dass man eine natürliche Entwicklung hin zu den Caprakin ausschließen kann.

 Datei:4f3c1034b2f8c00acd6c63fba08ad38b--sharks-merfolk.jpg  Der Scoutdienst hat 3398 ein Gerät entwickelt, mit dem man sich mit den Caprakin unterhalten kann. Das Vokabular ist noch sehr mangelhaft.

Outsiders do not know whether the Merans are a successful ex-
periment on humans (or Lemurians?) or a friendly, aquatic D-Bee

race that has won the confidence and favor of Lemuria. Whatever

the truth, the two races don’t share that information with outsid-
ers. What is known is that Merans (mermaids and mermen to the

outside world) have been spotted on Earth and other worlds for
millennia, coexist with nature and are protectors of the sea. Merans

are a race of aquatic humanoids with the upper body of a human-
oid and the lower body of a fish, including a tail. Male Merans

are typically blue, green, gray, or a combination of those colors
with yellow, red or black markings. Female Merans are a myriad
of different bright colors such as white, yellow, orange, and light
green with dark red, purple or blue markings. For brief intervals of
time, both genders of Merans can transform into bipedal form as a
sort of “fish person,” or can, for a shorter period of time, assume
a completely Lemurian or human appearance. This transformation
into full human form, with legs, provides Merans the ability to

walk on land and, if so desired, among humans without being noticed. Their only limitation is dependence on seawater; without it a

Meran will dehydrate, become ill and eventually die.

Earth Merans have thrived as a largely unknown aquatic spe-
cies, appearing in human records only as myths and stories about

“mermaids.” They have kept their existence and society a secret
for millennia by living in the depths of the oceans, mostly unseen
by the people of the surface world. Whether they are D-Bees who
arrived on Earth or evolved as a sentient aquatic species, or might even be a forgotten sect of Lemurians who “evolved” themselves
further into a truly aquatic species, is unknown. What is known is
that they have been around since the rise of the Greek and Egyptian
empires dating back at least 8,000 years.

The current monarch of the Merans is Queen Jennara, who in-
herited the throne upon her father’s death 50 years ago. Though

the Meran population has never been large, their numbers have

been severely reduced since the Coming of the Rifts and appear-
ance of the Lord of the Deep. Those who reject the evil god are

hunted down and destroyed, and the noble and fiercely indepen-
dent Merans have suffered at his tentacles. Queen Jennara rules

what is left of the small Meran kingdom with compassion and
competence. Their realm stretches across what was once known as
French Polynesia in the South Pacific. With the advent of the Rifts
and the rising sea levels, the tropical islands that once populated
the area have been submerged, creating a vast undersea paradise of
new reefs, underwater mountains and a plethora of fish and other
sea life that the Merans have come to cherish.
Meran civilization, though ancient, is not what surface dwellers
would consider to be “advanced.” Most Merans inhabit small to
medium-sized villages (1D4x1,000 is a common population range)
and live simple lives. The average Meran village is a collection of
stone dwellings underwater. The villagers go to the surface to fish,

hunt and gather fruits and vegetables, or to interact with landlub-
bers. While they appreciate some technology, most of what they

use has been salvaged from shipwrecks or acquired through trade
with the Lemurians and other aquatic people. They survive by
hunting, gathering and undersea farming. It is important to note
that unlike Lemurians, who are making contact with the surface
world as well as fellow aquatic people, Merans are reclusive and
do not trust outsiders, even other aquatic people. Their friendship
with Lemurians since the Great Cataclysm is unusual for them.
The Merans’ high moral standards combined with their love for
nature and harmonious existence have made them immediate and
easy allies of Lemurians. The two civilizations get along famously,
and often refer to each other as “brother” and “sister.”
Meran females give birth to one live young underwater and
newborns can immediately breathe water and swim. However,
though the young have the ability to also breathe air and transform
themselves to walk on land or look completely human, most need
to be shown this ability and it seldom manifests before age three or
four. Merans speak underwater with dolphin-like high-frequency
calls, but can speak in air atmospheres without difficulty, and are
able to understand and speak any language after being exposed to
them for only 1D4 days.
Meran Stats
Optional Player Character or NPC
Also Known As: Mermaids, Mermen and Merfolk.
Alignment: Any, but tend to be Principled (30%), Scrupulous
(30%), Unprincipled 10%) and Anarchist (10%).
Attributes: I.Q. 3D6, M.E. 3D6, M.A. 3D6+3, P.S. 3D6+8, P.P.
3D6+2, P.E. 2D6+6, P.B. 1D6+7 (+6 additional in human or
Lemurian form), Spd 3D6+32 swimming, reduce by half on dry
land/running.
Size: 6 feet (1.8 m) +1D4+3 feet (1.2 to 2.1 m) additional for their

tail as Merans. 6 feet +1D6 inches (1.85 to 1.98 m) in Lemu-
rian/human form.

Weight: 200-270 lbs (90 to 121.5 kg), all muscle and they look tall
and lean in human guise.

M.D.C.: Since the Coming of the Rifts Merans have been trans-
formed into M.D.C. beings. M.D.C. is P.E. attribute number x4

+2D6 per level of experience. Additional M.D.C. can be added
by wearing M.D.C. armor or the use of magic, however, Merans
prefer not to wear armor, not even Lemurian Bio-Armor. (In
S.D.C. environments, Hit Points are P.E. attribute number x2
+1D8 per level of experience, and 1D4x10 S.D.C. plus those
from certain skills and O.C.C.)
Horror Factor: None.
P.P.E.: 5D6+25
Disposition: Merans are creatures of the sea who prefer to live
in the ocean depths rather than interact with surface dwellers.
A curious race by nature, they love to explore and learn about
the people around them. However, curiosity has killed many a

Meran, so most do so by watching from a safe distance or in hu-
man disguise, avoiding direct contact with humans and D-Bees;

Lemurians are the exception to the rule. Otherwise, they tend to

be brave, noble, and heroic people who are reclusive and voy-
euristic beings that keep to themselves or hang with Lemurians.

Average Life Span: 1D6x10+100 years.
Natural Abilities: Swimming 98%, Nightvision 1,000 feet (305
m), keen normal and underwater vision, extraordinary sense of

hearing, depth tolerance of 5 miles (8 km), breathe underwa-
ter or in air, resistant to cold (half damage), and recover lost

M.D.C. at a rate of 1D6 per 12 hours, double at ley lines and at
stone pyramids.
Echolocation System: Merans can also hear and discern the
reflections or echoes they make using clicks and sounds, like
a dolphin, to sense objects around them. While not as precise
as a whale or dolphin’s echolocation sense, it does help them

navigate underwater and detect unseen objects in darkness (re-
duces penalties for being blind or fighting invisible foes by half,

instead of the usual -10). Base Skill: 30% +3% per level of
experience. Range: 500 feet (152 m).
Metamorphosis: Humanoid: Merans may have evolved from
humans/Lemurians, which could explain why they are born
with the ability to shape change into bipedal imitations of them

to travel on land. Merans have two humanoid forms. The “fish-
man” retains his natural, fish-like appearance and scales, but

turns his tail into humanoid legs. In this form a Meran can stay
on land and out of water for 24 hours per level of experience
and maintains all his attributes, M.D.C. and natural ablities.

By focusing just a little harder, Merans can take on the ap-
pearance of a Lemurian, True Atlantean or human. However,

in this “human” guise, reduce M.D.C. and P.S., P.P. and P.E.
attributes by 40%, depth tolerance is reduced to one mile (1.6
km), and the human form can only be maintained for two hours
per level of experience.

When a Meran is forced to stay on dry land beyond his hu-
manoid limit, the character returns to his normal, fish form,

with tail, cannot change back into a human for 48 hours after he

has been revitalized by water (assuming he survives), and suf-
fers penalties from dehydration: Reduce the M.D.C., attributes

and abilities of his previous humanoid form by half, attacks per
melee round and all combat bonuses are also reduced by half,
and crawling speed on land in fish-man form is 1D4+3. Reduce
M.D.C. by half for each additional 24 hours denied submersion
in water. Being placed in a tank of water restores the Meran by
25%, but the individual must be released back into the sea to

recover completely (full abilities within 1D6 hours and recovers lost M.D.C. as usual, but cannot transform into a humanoid
for 48 hours).
Ultrasonic Communication: Besides being able to hear into the
ultrasonic sound range, Merans can also create high-frequency

noises to communicate just like the cybernetic Inaudible Fre-
quency Transmission implant. They use this ability to commu-
nicate underwater with whales, dolphins, Lemurians and other

Merans.

R.C.C. Skills: Swimming 98%, Fishing 88%, Underwater Navi-
gation 85% and Undersea Survival 70%.

Available O.C.C.s: 60% of Merans are Wilderness Scouts of one
variety or another, 15% an Adventurer O.C.C. or Vagabond,

11% Oceanic Guardsmen (or the equivalent), and 10% are prac-
titioners of magic (Ocean Wizard, Sea Druids, Sea Inquisitors

and Whale Singers being the most common, though there a few

Biomancer Gene-Mages). Only 4% of the Merans select a tech-
nology based O.C.C. like the Salvage Expert, Operator, Scien-
tist, Body Doc, etc., or join up with Tritonia or other outsiders,

and are typically viewed with suspicion in Meran society.
Experience Level: 1D6 or as set by the Game Master for NPCs.
Player characters should start at first level. Experience table as
per O.C.C.
Attacks per Melee: As per Hand to Hand Combat skill.
Damage: As per combat skill, weapon or magic.
Bonuses: +2 on sound based Perception Rolls, +1 on initiative,
+2 to parry and dodge, +3 to automatic dodge underwater only,
+2 to disarm and pull punch, +1 to save vs magic and psionics.
Vulnerabilities: Merans need seawater to keep their skin hydrated
and their bodies functioning properly; without it they die.
Psionics: None.
Magic: By O.C.C. only; uncommon.
Standard Equipment: As per O.C.C.
Money: As per O.C.C.
Cybernetics and Bionics: None to start. Though Merans are not
afraid of bionic enhancement, any bionic system installed on
the tail or legs will be rejected during shape-changing.
Habitat: Merans are found throughout the oceans of the world,
though they tend to avoid the Mid-Atlantic due to the presence
of the Minions of Splugorth, particularly Conservators, Slavers
and Metztla. These days, they are found mainly in the Pacific

and Indian Oceans and among Lemurians. The main Meran col-
ony is in and around the group of sunken islands once known

as French Polynesia, though only a handful of those islands
pierce the surface today. Their kingdom is an aquatic paradise
just below the waves. As curious and adventurous people, over
the centuries, thousands of Merans have traveled to other ocean
worlds, many making new homes in those dimensions.
Alliances and Allies: The Merans consider Lemurians to be their
brothers and sisters, and both people would lay down their own
lives to save the other. As a result, one seldom encounters a
group of one without the other being present. Whales, dolphins
and Sea Druids are generally considered friends and allies,
while Ichthyleans are regarded as friendly rivals. Amphibs,
Junk Crabs, the New Navy and other outsiders are viewed with
suspicion and caution, but not enmity.
Enemies: For Merans, the invading Naut’Yll are seen as the most
dangerous and hated of enemies, as the two have clashed many

times, and Merans fear the threat they represent is underesti-
mated by Lemurians and most other people. The Minions of

Splugorth, the Lord of the Deep and his minions, Davey Jones,
the Milu undead, demons and anyone who threatens Merans,
Lemuria or the oceans, round out the list of enemies. Merans
are suspicious of human Tritonians, dislike and distrust them,
and believe Amphibs are their dupes and second-class citizens.

As close allies of Lemuria, the enemies of Lemuria are the en-
emies of most Merans. Meanwhile, surface dwellers, in general,

are viewed as unpredictable and potentially dangerous people
judged on an individual basis.

## OOC

Die Caprakin entsprechen den Meran R.C.C. aus dem Rifts World Book 32: Lemuria