Kraatar Flora and Fauna | Star Frontiers

Kraatar’s
Flora and Fauna

Although the planet Kraatar was
originally detailed in the TSR module “The Dark Side of the Moon,” descriptions
of its plants and animals were omitted, probably because the characters were
dealing with intelligent adversaries. One can assume that since the original
human settlers became more pastoral as their technology wore out, they didn’t
face too many threats to their existence. However, every world has its own
natural challenges. Kraatar is no exception.

Red
Algae

During the spring, red algae blooms
are triggered along the Yatiz Sea. This algae is toxic to most Frontier races
and animals. Characters must make a standard Stamina check with a -10 percent
modifier to avoid being affected by the poisoning if exposed to an algae bloom
through their eyes or an open wound. Dralasites must make an STA check with a
-20 percent modifier. Characters who swallow water contaminated by the algae
must also make a check with a -20 percent modifier.

The red algae’s toxin is a S3M2d10
poison; it causes 3 points of damage for every minute for 2-20 minutes. Red
algae poisoning can be treated with an appropriate anti-toxin.

Fortunately drinking water can be
easily treated to remove the algae using purification tablets – which takes
10-20 minutes – or by using unscented chlorine bleach and a filter such as a
shirt. This process would take 2-3 hours.

Wahhal
Trees

Although not the tallest trees on
Kraatar, the Wahhal has one of the broadest trunks and the largest canopy of
leaves on the planet. The main trunk’s girth at ground level can be up to eight
meters in diameter with multiple large branches that sprout off. The tree’s
canopy can be up to 50 meters in diameter with a maximum height approaching 30
meters.

This tree grows in the scrub border
between the Flatlands and the Uplands. Human settlers have used it for many
purposes such as furniture making, for woodcarvings, construction lumber and
even for firewood.

Yatiz Amoeba

Number: 10-100

Move: Swimming, very slow (1 meter per turn)

IM/RS: 1/10

Stamina: N/A

Attack: 1 per amoeba present
(cumulative chance)

Damage: N/A

Special Defense: None

Special Attack: Damage to internal
organs (“brain eating”)

The Yatiz Amoeba is microscopic, being
about 10 micrometers in size, or one-fourth to one-fifth the size of a human
hair. It primarily lives in warm, still waters such as some of the inlets along
the southern waters of the Yatiz Sea plus lakes, ponds, muddy puddles, rock
pits, slow moving and shallow streams, untreated swimming pools, etc. It can
live in both fresh and salt water, but is easily destroyed by properly treated
municipal water or by field water purification equipment including a few drops
of chlorinated bleach per liter of water.

Once in the nostril – or in a Vrusk’s
breathing spicules on their abdomens – the amoebas are attracted to the
chemicals that nerve cells use to communicate with one another. (Keep in mind,
no normal Vrusk likes to swim – and certainly not without some kind of
underwater breathing apparatus – which pretty much mitigates normal exposure to
the amoeba.)

Traveling through the olfactory nerves
of the victim (the nerve that connected with sense of smell), the amoeba can
make its way into the frontal lobe of the brain where they can infect their
hosts. Should this occur – the chance of a successful attack is equal to 1
percent times the number of amoeba’s initially present. If infected, the
character will suffer a S10/D8 infestation, meaning the amoebas will cause 10
points of damage every 20 hours for 160 hours. Should a character’s Stamina
reach zero, they will die.

In the case of Dralasites, the amoeba
attacks them through the eye nerves, causing readily apparent swelling and a
partial loss of vision while the infestation lasts. Characters receive a -20
percent modifier when using ranged weapons or with skill or ability checks that
rely on vision.

An afflicted character can make a
current Stamina check every 20 hours to see if his immune system will naturally
fight off the amoeba infestation. If that occurs, no further damage is taken,
otherwise the infestation continues.

Yatiz Amoebas are fairly common and
are normally harmless, except during the spring season when the red algae
blooms stimulates the creatures to seek out hosts for reproduction. As noted
earlier, the danger for characters and creatures in waters with high
concentrations of these organisms comes when water gets into their nostrils
from activities such as swimming, diving and other water sports.

Amoeba infestations also can occur in
characters who dip their heads into hot springs or use steam baths or vaporizers
or who’ve cleaned their nostrils with neti pots filled untreated water.

Many native Kraatarians tend to shun
the water when a red algae bloom occurs, as a way to try to avoid the amoeba,
but they have developed a drug treatment for it called Yatcort. A normal
success roll will mean the condition is neutralized. A failed check means the
treatment failed and another one cannot be given for 20 hours. A roll of 01-05
would mean the treatment was miraculously successful, healing all damage; while
a roll of 96-100 means the treatment caused an additional 2d10 worth of damage.

On the positive side, once a character
has successfully fought off an Yatiz Amoeba infestation, the antibodies
produced by his immune system will give him a +30 percent resistance to any
future exposures.

Dentz Ripper

Type: Small Carnivore
(scavenger)

Move: Flying, fast (95
meters/turn); Walking, very slow (10 meters/turn)

Attack: 40

Special Attack: None

Native World: Kraatar (Tristkar)

The Dentz
Ripper is one of a number of similar avians found on several planets throughout
the Frontier, leading some ornithologists to believe that the mysterious
Tetrarch Societies seeded them. Kraatar’s rippers are a smaller species that
tend to look for carrion in the Flatlands and the Uplands. They are not found
in the mountainous terrains where the air is too thin to breathe and fly.

Looking
vaguely like a cross between a pterodactyl and a vulture, the Dentz Ripper
flocks in large numbers around carrion. Their brown-orange feathers tend to
have a smell of decay.

If a
flock has more than 10 birds they may attack small animals or injured
creatures. When they do attack, they swoop in at the intended victim. As they
pass, 1d5 of their number will slash at the target with their beaks or claws.
However, if more than one-tenth of the flock is killed, they will scatter a
distance away and call for others, waiting for another chance to strike. If
their prey is alive, but prone, the rippers will land and hop up to it, pecking
at it with their beaks. About 1d10 of the flock will try this type of attack
any one turn.

Azzort Giraffe

The
Azzort Giraffe is a long-necked, long-legged animal native to Kraatar. It
shares qualities of mammals and reptiles, so it does not quite fit into either
category. Warm-blooded, the creature also has a scaly, thick skin with short
hairs. (The hairs are more actually more feathery like.) Because of its thick
skin, it takes one-fourth normal damage from PGS-style weapons, but grenades,
missiles and beam weapons have a regular effect.

An adult
Azzort Giraffe stands upwards of 6 to 8 meters tall with its nearly
3-meter-long neck fully extended. It can rear up on its hind legs while its
snake-like forked tongue to reach leaves 2 to 3 meters above its head.

Eating
the leaves of vast Wahhal trees that live in the scrub bordering the Flatlands
from the Uplands, the Azzort Giraffe is more of a curiosity to most Kraatarians.
When migrating, however, herds of these creatures can trample vegetable fields.
Human farmers have wiped out many of the giraffe’s from their lands. Only in
recent times has the Commercial Council regulated such slaughters to prevent
the species from going extinct.

Individual
animals can deliver a vicious kick with either their fore- or rear legs.

When
spooked, a herd will attempt to escape, with the possibility of stampeding any
creature or object in their path – though they will try to avoid. If the
stampede “attack” is successful, characters can roll a Reaction Speed check to
reduce the damage by half.

The adult
bull(s) – which are 10 percent of the herd present, rounded up – will attack a
threat for 1-5 turns while the rest of the herd escapes before fleeing
themselves. The bulls, which are stronger and larger than the females, can
deliver a stomp attack.

Female
Azzort Giraffes will create a nest by digging a hole in warm sand or dirt and
laying a clutch of eggs. The male and female will then take turns laying on the
eggs to keep them warm and safe from predators while their mate eats. Once the
young are born, the female produces a milk-like substance that Vrusk have
learned can be processed and can provide great nutritional value to their kind.

Some
ranchers – many of them Human, but some are working for Vrusk trade houses – have
begun raising vast herds of the giraffes. Because some of these creatures
occasionally escape, it has raised the ire of many farmers who respond by
poaching the herds, leading to a range war. The KLC has condemned Azzort
Giraffe ranchers as working for the vast Vrusk conspiracy to eliminate other
Humans on the Kraatar.

Wolfgar

One of
the top predators of Kraatar the Wolfgar. Like many of the planet’s land
animals, it shares reptilian and mammalian features such as warm bloodedness
and an ability to nurse their young. Early human settlers thought they acted
wolf-like, hunting in packs to bring down larger prey, and gave them a
wolf-like name.

Wolfgar
are intelligent. Once Human settlers hunted enough of their kind, they soon
learned to avoid settlements and are wary of humans and many other Frontier races.
Some humans have tried to domesticating younger Wolfgar – with limited success
– to train them to act as a shepherd dog would.

Because
actually domesticating wild Wolfgar into something tamer may take centuries, some
companies – notably PGC-GGS Biosynth – have begun using the creatures to make
cyborgs that will respond to spoken or electronic commands. PGC-GSS Biosynth is
a joint-venture company between the Pan-Galactic Corporation (PGC), which owns
51 percent of the firm, and the Vrusk trade house called Gst’Gar’St (GSS).
Because the Vrusk are involved in making Wolfgar cyborgs, the KLC has charged
that this is yet another bug conspiracy and that they are no better than the
Sathar for developing “war attack monsters.”

Wolfgar
normally attack by surrounding its prey. Individuals will lung in, some making
feint attacks while their pack mates look for openings to bite at the victim’s
flanks. Once one or more Wolfgar can lock their jaws on the prey, the pack will
attempt to bring the creature down and begin tearing into it with teeth and
claws.

Because
of their thick, scaly skin, Wolfgar take one-fourth normal damage from
PGS-style weapons, but grenades, missiles and beam weapons have a regular
effect. If a character attempts to grab a Wolfgar, he is likely to impale
himself on the creature’s spiky back (a 25 percent chance) and receive 1d10+5
points of damage.

Trained Wolfgar

Initially taken as
pups from the wild, these Wolfgar are barely domesticated and tend to be “one
owner” animals. They will obey simple commands and will “respect” other Humans
and other races and herd animals that they’ve been trained to not attack, but
“tamed” Wolfgar can be temperamental. Several tragic incidents have occurred
where a trained Wolfgar has killed young members of an owner’s family or
attacked neighbors or the animals they are supposed to protect. For these
reasons, many Kraatarians are wary of these creatures.

Cost: 1,200 Credits
(for a well-trained animal); Monthly upkeep: approximately 50 Credits

Cybo-Wolfgar

The barebones
Cybo-Wolfgar has a level 2 robotic controller supplementing the animal’s
natural nervous system. It has the following programs: restrain, and self-defense.
It is also equipped with a chronocom so it can receive and follow radio
commands and can easily be programmed to not attack certain individuals and
animals. If the robotic controller is deactivated, the Wolfgar normally is
unable to function until it is reactivated. But sometimes the creature may turn
wild, attacking anything around it.

Initial Cost: 4,500
Credits; Monthly Upkeep: approximately 50 Credits

Skitters

Kraatar is home to a number of small, flightless
bugs that the original human colonists called “skitters” due to their long,
thin legs and how they quickly move around. Most are harmless to the Core Four
races and their pets and livestock, though a few are pests to crops. At least
two found in the desert regions – the spiny desert skitter and the poisonous
desert skitter – can pose a hazard to travelers. A number of bug repellants are
a must for those venturing into the hinterlands.

Spiny Desert Skitter

Damage: 1
per insect

Special Attack: Swarm

Native to
Kraatar’s deserts, the Spiny Desert Skitter is a tiny, omnivorous insect that
comes out at night to mostly feast on the night blooming desert plants and
carrion. Its name comes from its long, spiny legs – nearly 5 centimeters long –
that allow them to cover great distances on the shifting sands.

Dark
brown with red swirls, the spiny skitter has been known to attack incapacitated
animals and people in mass swarm attacks. Typically they will go after several
characters within a 10-meter radius, so if an attack is successful, divide the
damage by the number of characters and other creatures present. The bugs may
cease attacking after about half of the swarm is killed – a 50 percent chance
each turn after the swarm’s number has been reduced.

Most of
the time, spiny desert skitters avoid taking on large animals. If a character
is not wounded or incapacitated, roll a 2d10. A result of 2-4 means the swarm
will attack because, perhaps, the character(s) wandered too close to a nest or
is wearing something that attracted the bugs. All other results mean that the
skitters will ignore the characters, even if some of their number are captured
and killed.

If a
character has been wounded, is unconscious, tied up or capacitated in other
ways, the skitters become more interested. Roll a 2d10; a result of 2-10 means
the bugs will make a swarm attack. Otherwise only 1-10 individuals may seek out
the character as prey, with only an attack of 10.

When dawn
comes, the bugs will scurry back to their nests, deep under the sands.

The
original Human colonists developed a repellant using native plants from the
Quazzt Depression that effectively drives skitters away.

Later
Vrusk explorers discovered a few useful things about the bugs. First, they are
edible and can help sustain a character in the desert wasteland. Next, the Vrusk
learned that the skitter’s juices act as a natural vitasalt tablet. As a result
of these findings, one of the Vrusk trade houses began raising and marketing
skitter-based cuisines and skitter juice drinks – products usually that appeal
only to Vrusk and Dralasites.

The KLC sympathizers
in the Human media have decried the effort by some farmers to raise these
skitters for “bug food.”

Poisonous Desert Skitter

A close
relative species of the spiny skitter, this poisonous insect can be
distinguished by its bright orange and black body. However, since they are
normally encountered at night, it’s difficult to make that distinction unless
one is using a “black light” – i.e. an ultraviolet (UV) light or scanner. The
bug’s orange swirls glow under a UV light.

Most of
the time, the bugs will ignore uninjured characters and creatures larger than
themselves. When they do attack, a swarm of poisonous desert skitters will go
after several characters within a 10-meter radius. If an attack is successful,
divide the damage by the number of characters and other creatures present. The
bugs may cease attacking after about half of the swarm is killed – a 50 percent
chance each turn after the swarm’s number has been reduced.

An
individual poisonous skitter poses little danger to a character, but it is the
swarm attack when the bugs pose life-threatening dangers. They also have a
poisonous sting. If attacked, a character must make a current Stamina check per
sting to avoid the toxin taking effect. If the check fails, the poison is a
S1T2, meaning that the character will take 1 point of damage for a two turns
starting on the turn after the attack. However, the poison’s duration is
cumulative, meaning each successful sting will increase the time it takes the
poison to run its course by two additional turns.

Each bug
has enough poison to sting twice within a 20-hour GST day.

Example: Darren Dorr, a Kraatar Liberation
Corps commando has wandered near the entrance of a poisonous desert skitter
nest while preparing to attack a Vrusk explorer, but the predator has become
the prey. A swarm of 12 poisonous skitters successfully attack him and he takes
12 points of bite damage, reducing his current Stamina score from 45 to 33. He
must now make 12 STA checks and fails eight of them. The poison in his system
will cause 1 additional point of damage for 24 turns. He better hope to have an
antitoxin drug available because the swarm will attack next turn.

The bug’s
poison is effectively neutralized with a shot of antitox or several Kraatar
developed anti-toxins. Once an anti-toxin has been successfully administered to
a character, it will provide a temporary protection from future poisonous
skitter stings for up to 10 hours.

Characters
who have been stung may build up an immunity to the toxin – a successful
stamina check of 01-05 during an encounter will mean the character’s body will produce
antibodies in the future to this particular poison so they will not be affected
by it. However, a failure roll of 99-100 means the character is particularly
susceptible to the poison and will
take double damage in future encounters due to anaphylactic shock. It is
important to note which result comes first – a critical success or a critical
failure – because that will determine the character’s future – immunity or a
serious allergic reaction. Future critical failure or critical success rolls
won’t change their initial response.

Most of
the time, when a character is uninjured, the bugs will ignore them. During an
encounter, roll a 2d10; a result of 2-4 means the swarm will attack because,
perhaps, the character(s) wandered too close to a nest or is wearing something
that attracted the bugs; all other results mean that the poisonous skitters
will ignore the characters, even if some of their number are captured and
killed.

Unlike
the spiny desert skitters, the poisonous bugs provide no nutritional or
vitasalt-like benefits.

Pinned

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