Gands

Gands are a mysterious insectoid species whose "findsmen" treat tracking quarry as a religious duty. They are exceptionally good at divining the location of individuals through ritualistic methods that off-worlders might consider backward and barbaric.

**Physiology:** Remains puzzle to xenobiologist. Over a dozen distinct subspecies. Covered in chitinous exoskeletons. Reaches 5'2" at adult hood. Three dexterous fingers on each hand, still suited to manipulate equipment of five-fingered individuals. Refuse to be studied by other species

**Subspecies:** The Gands subspecies differ in respiratory biology. Gands that travel spacelanes do not seem to need to breathe at all. The digestion of food produces the ammonia necessary for their biochemistry. Wasteful byproducts and extraneous ammonia are expelled through their exoskeletons. These Gands often emnate an unpleasant methane musk. Other Gand subspecies possess actual lungs and cannot produce ammonia through digestion, instead requiring a special breathing apparatus.

**Society:** Gands have a closed culture with their religion and life being closely entwined. A gathering of elders called the Rueteavii observe the religious sects that represent the virtues of Gand life. Off-worlders are most familiar with the religious sect as the findsmen. Many other sects are rumored to exist, particularly in the fields of genetics, medicine, and engineering, but their exact natures are unknown.

**Findsmen:** These are the Gand who leave their home planet on ritualistic hunts to catch prey and bring divine blessings to their people.

**Homeworld:** Gand is an Outer Rim world clouded in ammonia and methane. Trade is handled through orbiting stations as foreigners are rarely allowed on the planet's surface. Non-Gands need to stay in specially equipped Alien Quarters

**Language:** Gands speak in clicks and chirups of the Gand spoken language. They lack the vocal cords to speak any language other than their own. Droids and other translation devices are needed to understand them

**Identity:** A Gand must be accepted by its peers to earn its identity. Until then, they refer themselves to "Gand.". Once they have done a deed of distinction, a Gand may take his family name. Gand cannot use their first names until they have become "persons of greatness" - janwuine - and receive commendations from their peers. This causes off-worlders to view the Gand as a people of extreme humility

**Life on the Fringe:** Since Gand findsmen have such a high success rate of catching targets, employers are perfectly willing to ignore cultural mysteries and odd smells. Gand findsmen are in constant demand as bounty hunters, private investigators, assassins, skip tracers, and security advisers.

**Species Abilities**

 2

* **Wound Threshold:** 10 + Brawn
* **Strain Theshold:** 10 + Willpower
* **Starting Experience:** 100 XP
* **Special Abilities:** Gands begin the game with one rank in Discipline. They still may not train Dis- cipline above rank 2 duringcharacter creation.
* **Ammonia Breathers:** One notable difference between the two main sub-species of Gand is that one has lungs and one does not. Those that have lungs breathe an ammonia gas mixture. Those without lungs do not respire and gain all necessary metabolic substances through food. When playing a Gand, each player chooses whether they wish their character to have lungs or not. If they select to be playing a lungless Gand, their character is immune to suffocation (but not the wounds suffered from being exposed to vacuum). If they choose to play a Gand with lungs, they start the game with an ammonia respirator, and treats oxygen as a dangerous atmosphere with Rating 8. However, he gains + 10 starting XP.