Procylonian

"Small but Fierce? How 'Fierce' can they be? They're like a meter tall! So fluffy and CUTE!

Wait...

Wait.. what's it doing with that plasma cannon??

No.. STOP! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!

ACK RUN!! It's pissed off now!"

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Procylonians: The Procylonians are a smallish species from a distant star system, out side of any of the known claimed regions. The Procylonians are not thought to be a naturally evolved species, instead, an engineered one.

At some point in the past, an unnamed race lost to galactic history had need of servants. The Procylonians’ ancestors were chosen from an unnamed planet. Originally they were small quadrupedal arboreal creatures, with brown, gray or black fur. Some had accents of the other colors. Markings around the eyes and banded tails. One would think a Procylonian ancestor quite cute. Even before they were abducted and altered, the proto-procylonians had very dexterous paws that borderline on hands with opposable thumbs. Their eyes were solid red or green with no discernible iris, and highly adept at seeing in the dark on their forested twilight world.

They were taken, with out their own leave, and removed from that planet. The unnamed race altered them. Through genetic tinkering and manipulation they uplifted the proto-procylonians from furry woodland creatures, into what they are today.

Their make up was changed to be bipedal, though their delta-grade legs were kept for speed and aid in climbing. The claws were sharpened and toughened, and their psudo-hands were changed to be full hands with 4 fingers and an opposable thumb. They could run on 2 legs as well as any humanoid biped, but could drop down to ‘all 4s’ for bursts of speed, and or to aid in climbing and gymnastic endeavors. Their forms were toughened and strengthened over all to be many times stronger than the animals had previously been, easily superior to many larger species. This allowed them to use tools and items built for races of the galactic standard height.

These physical changes resulted in a bipedal species of furry creatures that stood roughly 2.5 to 3.5 feet tall, with clawed hands and feet and a bushy ringed tail. Red or green eyes that see in the dark, a keen nose and ears.

The most significant change how ever was in the mind of the creatures. The enhancements and modifications changed the small proto-procylonians from woodland predators and scavengers, clever animals to be sure, but … animals. They were uplifted to full sentient and sapient creatures with thoughts of their own, emotions and keen minds.

The Procylonians were changed as a species and then ‘sold’ as aids to a second species. This species used them as slaves. Be it house servants, toys of the rich, or cheep labor. The Procylonians’ smallish size and high natural intelligence meant that they picked up skills taught to them swiftly and their enhanced strength let them conduct hard physical labor of a being three times their size and mass. While not supernaturally strong they were far stronger than they looked. An all around great slave/servant race. Especially for the price!

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Almost.

With that uplifting, the already clever forest creature became a clever and intelligent THINKING being. It did not take long at all for the Procylonians to figure out: “Being a slave SUCKS!” and “SCREW THIS!”

Among themselves they started to talk, plot, and plan. They didn’t stage a unplaned uprising. Oh no. The Procylonians planned.. for two generations in secret. Their ‘buyers’ never had a clue. They assumed their servants were content in their plight. Sure some were killed now and then but they bread easily and well. Easily replaced and worth twice the price.

It seems that the slave owners had not chosen, to pay for the ‘docile and compliant’ upgrade in the slave-stock they purchased. They were 3 foot tall furry creatures that fetched meals and cleaned the house. Sometimes their owners made them fight to the death for their amusement. Compliance? They were animals. If they didn’t comply. Their owners blew their head off and bought a new one! Right?

Wrong.

After two generations of secret planning the Procylonians rose up, and what a rise it was. Weaponry was taken as well as vehicles. Around the world the small furry slave race slaughtered their “owners.” Blood ran paw deep in the streets as they turned on their captors. Such a revolt was never even contemplated much less prepared for. The ‘buyers’ were killed in their beds. At their breakfast tables. In their massage parlors and in the end, in the streets and alleys where they crouched and hid.

In under a galactic standard week the Procylonians had overthrown the planet. They _ did _ breed well after all and were seen as so useful, every owner had 4 to 10, sometimes 20 of the Procylonians as servants and ‘pets’. So they vastly outnumbered their overlords.

Once the planet was taken and their former owners ‘put to the blade’ the Procylonians knew that they had to do ‘something’. The planet, while distant, did trade with others and soon, very soon word would get out, and someone would come along. Either to avenge the ‘owners’ or to ‘reclaim’ the property. I.E. their creators might come back to gather up the slave race for resale!

This was not acceptable, and had been discussed at length before the uprising even began.

The Procylonians had prepared. Some had been learning how to pilot the shuttle craft of the owners and used them to ferry themselves and their brethren up to the larger transport ships docked in space around the planet. These ships then departed to every point of the galactic compass. Spreading out, least they all get caught at one place, and captured, imprisoned or destroyed. At 2.5-3.5 feet tall they took up much less space on standard sized ships so they could cram more Procylonians in. Also their natural arboreal nature let them sleep in hammocks, and secured out of the way places. This let them use much more of the ship than normal.

During their escape the Procylonians learned that they had a natural affinity for space and zero g, perhaps added in by their ‘creators’ as part of a package deal, so artificial gravity could be turned off in large sections of the ship and all 3 dimensions used to pack in even more of the fleeing species.

The planetary revolt took a week. Three weeks later the shuttles had ferried up every weapon they could find, food, supplies and the wealth of an entire planet’s sapient species… a week later the ships had departed. The entire revolution took just over a month and the Procylonians had escaped.

In a perfect universe the Procylonians would have escaped with out a trace. Would have found lush new worlds to settle on, unmolested for the rest of their days. Perhaps grow into a galactic power all their own.

We how ever do not live in a perfect universe. Times were hard, and there is prejudice in the galaxy towards the small and furry. Many larger species had a difficult time getting past the cute looks of the Procylonians. More than one of their ships were simply taken from them when they got to star bases, and or planets. Stolen out right and the Procylonians stripped of money and possessions. This didn’t happen with out a fight, but one ship against an entire station or planet? It happened. Others met with pirates or hostile species and died. A fewer number found shelter in different parts of the galaxy, and a few of the ships even found remote planets capable of supporting life and started colonies.

By and large though the Procylonians were thrust onto the galactic stage and needed to find jobs and fast. Their plundered money was static. Non growing. Every credit they spent could not be recouped with out work and purpose. Many turned to the mercenary trade.

Training was needed and much of their original pilfered wealth went to acquiring it. Most mercenary trainers didn't care if you were human, humanoid or a squid that breathed ammonia. If your credits spent, they’d train you to fight.

The Procylonians were most excellent students. The original 20 or so per ship were their best and brightest. They were chosen to be trained by the Mercenary teachers. They learned everything they could from their trainers, and taught 200 more. The 200 taught 2000 and the 2000 taught the rest. Ship after ship learned the trade and they started hiring themselves out as a number of specialized mercenary companies.

At first they underbid the competition. Most people took a look at 3 foot tall furry creatures and chose the 9 foot tall ones built like a mountain range. So the Procylonians sold their services cheep. Then they completed their contracts with zeal and vigor. They dominated the foes they were thrown against. Because when you’re buying bargain basement mercs, you’re usually not fighting the galaxy’s best and brightest.

Soon their reputation grew. Small but Fierce was their slogan and they lived up to it. Using weapons sized for galactic standard races (5-9feet) As if they were light as air and excelling against enemies two and three times their size, their stories traveled before them. The more victories under their belt the more the stories grew and spread. The better the rep, the better the prices they could charge.

More money was poured back into the Procylonian Mercenary companies, and spent on better gear, faster ships, and TRAINING.

Some of the Procylonian companies specialized with this training. Some became dedicated Zero G commandos. Specializing in ship procurement (Boarding and stealing hostile vessels) and station neutralization. Some became cold weather troops. Some desert troops. Some jungle troopers, and so on.

The baseline level of their training increased over and over again until the least trained member of a Procylonian Commando Company was the equal of special forces troops all over the Galaxy.

If you needed a Merc group to assault a base on an ice planet, there was a Procylonian Commando Company that could do it. If you needed to stage a daring day time raid on an arid desert planet. They had a group for that too.

As specialists they were used for small unit and specialized operations. Not full scale planetary occupation. There were not enough of them and frankly that would be a waste of their talents. Not to mention the cost would be prohibitive.

If you needed a Company to go in and decimate the power grid of a country, they could get it done toot sweet, but standing on the corner occupying said country? No way. Not their style. Not their ballpark.

Today this holds true. If the Procylonians have a home planet, it’s not shared with outside species. If they do it’s well hidden and the secret most jealously concealed. What is known, is that their services as mercenaries can be procured if you can afford it. They do not make up billions and billions of furry people, but.. they have enough so that if you’re a galactic traveler, you’ve likely heard of them. Even if just in passing as a legend or story.

The Procylonians divide themselves up into Clans, each Clan being a separate Mercenary Company. The clans each govern themselves based on rules set out.. in a clan by clan nature, but most have a “Commander” that is the final say. Many of the clans specialize and they do communicate between one another. If someone needs a group of jungle specialists and they contact a clan more suited for arctic expeditions the contract could be passed on to the proper clan. Or.. to a clan that doesn’t specialize in other areas.

As one would expect of clever species that gravitate to such jobsets, not every Procylonian is happy happy joy joy with every other Procylonian. After the united effort of overthrowing their masters, they did split up and separate for many generations. Now, there are some that simply don’t get along and many rivalries exist. Some rivalries even exist via allied Clans, a ‘enemy of my friend is my enemy’ type thing. Some are friendly rivals. Some allies. Some clans are sworn enemies. And yes. They _ will _ take up opposite sides of a conflict and fight against one another if A: The clans are enemies and B: The money is right. Sometimes “B” … leads to “A”.

Thus they exist today in the Galaxy. Usually a Procylonian encountered will be a member of one of the Clans, and a Mercenary, but not all. Even among a race that has taken to the stars, someone has to fly the ship, or mop the floors. Someone has to groom the fur, or learn the medical trade. So on and so forth. They’re not a ‘Race of warriors” with absolutely zero concept of other things. They have school teachers, and dentists and such. It’s just by and large that they are known to the galaxy via the clans and Merc groups that are hired out. The janitor and florists Procylonians aren’t usually ran into, in public. Or if they are, they’re mistaken for mercs as well. Hard to say which.

There is no gender bias or racism among the Procylonians themselves. A female is given every bit as much respect as a male and some claim that they’re even more fierce in battle. Nor do they care about the color of another Procylonians’ fur (Other than some have natural preference for shades and markings). They DO have a slightly superior self view though. Thankfully most are smart enough to know that this is NOT likely to be shared by larger species and keep it mostly to themselves. The rare arrogant and bombastic Procylonian does exist though and boy can they go off at the mouth.

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Alignments: Any. The full range of Alignments are possible. From the most honor-bound and noble of Procylonian, to the most vile and evil. If anything they tend to land in the middle. Unprincipled through Abhorrent. With the ‘very good’ and ‘very bad’ sorts being outliers of the bell curve.

Lifespan: 100 years or so, give or take. Many die younger if they’re in the Clans and Mercenary companies, but the natural lifespan is about 100 years. As an engineered species this insures that there would be turn over and more ‘purchases’ made.

Size: 2.5-3.5 feet (76-91cm) 55lbs (25kilos)

Gender: Heterosexual. Females produce two or four offspring (kits) after a medium gestation period of 4-5 months. Live births, the kits drink milk from the mother’s breasts, and are quickly weened onto meat and other solid foods, under a year. Sexual maturity comes at roughly 10-12 standard years, but mental maturity is considered around 16, and that is the age of majority for most Procylonian Clans.

Physical Description/Appearance: Small furry people. Fur colors range from black and gray, to brown and gray with black accents. “Masks” over the eyes, and dark rings around their tails. They stand roughly 2.5-3.5 feet tall, weigh about 55lbs. Their hands are very dexterous and can hold items, and tools far larger than one would expect. These hands possess 4 fingers and a thumb, each with a distinct claw. The Procylonian are totally bipedal, they can also drop down to all 4s for bursts of speed or as needed. Their heads have pointed ears atop and a distinct muzzle, small wet nose and sharp teeth. The eyes are either red or green, with out discernible iris.

Disposition/Attitude: The average Procylonian is sure of his or her self. This tends to be a species wide trait, the Commandos have it, as do the preschool kit teachers, from the emergency medical surgeons, to their plumbers. Some can be seen cocky, but this may just be a manifestation of being about 3 foot tall in a universe of 5 to 9 foot people. As a species they do not suffer from “Napoleon Complexes” or “Little Man Syndrome”, but individually, such may be encountered. They like to work hard, and play hard. As a species they show an intense loyalty to their Clans/Family groups/Friends. This is likely a manifestation of being ‘created’ and forced into slavery and overthrowing their ‘owners’. They were loyal to one another to escape the bondage, and this was and still is, instilled in every Procylonian kit from birth. Entire commando companies have been known to dig in, fight and die, rather than leaving men or women behind. A sacrifice that is welcome. You fight all the much harder for the Procylonian beside you, if you know with out a shadow of a doubt, that no matter what happens, you will never be left behind. “It’s better to die on your Paws, than live on your knees” is a firmly held belief in the Procylonian culture. This also expresses in an abject hatred of those that have slaves. The Procylonian are not stupid about it. They won’t get themselves killed on a simple principal, but their hatred for slavers is well documented and they refuse contracts involving slaves or slavery (Unless it’s to free them) Any Procylonian found with slaves, or condoning slavery is killed by his own kind. No exceptions.

Attributes: As genetically ‘created’ beings, the attributes of a Procylonian are not as varied as some species. They fall along a more narrow range, but are more consistent across the species.

IQ: 2D6+6
ME: 2D6+3
MA: 3D4
PS: 3D6+6 (Considered “Augmented”)
PE: 3D6+3
PP: 3D6+6
PB: 2D6+4
Sp: 3D6+3(Bipedal) +6 on all 4s

Hit Points: PE+2D6

SDC: 100+ any gained from OCC, or training. (They were designed to be tough and resilient.)

ISP: Standard

PPE: Standard, but the Procylonian have no innate magical traditions. One would have to travel well far afield and out of their own society/communities to pick up magic. That’s not to say it’s impossible but it’s surely not standard.

Horror Factor: Sadly none. Much to their own disgust. They have a hard time keeping many species from picking them up and or petting them. This has caused more than one altercation as the Procylonian may bite, claw, STAB or shoot someone for this, depending on mood.

Natural Abilities:

Naturally ‘built’ tough and agile, amazingly strong for their size (But not stupid strong. Their PS is Augmented, not Robotic or Supernatural)

Natural climbers: Uplifted from furry arboreal creatures, they retain their climbing ability along with claws to aid them. Climb (But not repelling) skill at 80%

Claws: +2D6 to Punch Damage (See augmented strength chart RUE Page 285)

Bite: 3D6

Natural leaping ability: From their former arboreal days, the Procylonian Have amazing leaping abilities. They can jump 4 times their own height vertically from a standing position and 6 times their height horizontally. Both distances are multiplied by 1.5 with a running start.

Night-vision: 100m. The Procylonian originally hailed from a tree covered twilight world and have excellent night vision.

Keen hearing and smell, but not as good as a dogs/dog boy. +3 to Perception checks.

Size Does Not Define me!: In-spite of being roughly 3 feet tall, the Procylonians can and do use gear for ‘galactic standard’ sized people (5-9ft) With out penalty. They just square up and do it. A rifle sized for a Wolfen, could be grabbed up by a Procylonian and used with out penalty or hardship. Equipment is not considered ‘over sized’ for a Procylonian unless it was designed for species 10ft tall or larger. They do not pay to have weapons down sized for their diminutive stature. Instead carrying full sized galactic standard weaponry into battle. This is quite intimidating, and surprising to see, if one hasn’t witnessed it before. Likewise due to their natural abilities, they seldom have penalty for ‘reaching’ things, or using terminals and the like. The Procylonian will just jump up on a console, or into a chair, onto a table, onto a counter and use things at ‘standard’ heights with out even thinking about it. They just do it. Armor and clothing does have to be modified. Sizing it ‘down’ for the Procylonian. Their natural Augmented strength means that the armor can be heavier and retain it’s defensive capability even at their smaller size (Use the same MDC). Due to their head having ears on top and a distinct muzzle, they favor clear bubble helms to keep full range of motion and peripheral vision.

Psionics: Standard. Uncommon but possible

Magic: None innately, and the Procylonian do not have mystical training with in their own society. It is conceivable that a lone Procylonian, out side their own society may have the ability to be trained by an outsider in the mystic arts, but it is highly uncommon. As a species, the Procylonian rather don’t trust magic.

Cybernetics/Bionics: Standard. They will get them to replace lost limbs or for medical reasons, or even for combat/military reasons. As a species they generally prefer to rely on their own genetically augmented strength and power, but it’s not utterly uncommon to see a bionic arm or leg around. Naturally these must be adjusted for the Procylonian size and shape. Being non standard, this means the bionics would cost more, and thus are a bit less common than some species.

RCC Skills:

Language/Literacy: 90% Pilot (One of choice, including space vehicles) +20% 2 WP’s of choice (One modern, one melee/archery)

Skills of note: As a space-faring species, the Procylonian have a high understanding of science and engineering. As well as being largely martial by profession. Procylonian get a bonus of +5 to Computer, Science, Technical or Mechanical skills and +8 to Military and Espionage.

OCCs: Any, but the magic OCCs would be limited as noted above. Most Procylonian heroes will be men at arms or adventurers of some sort, but the species itself has everything from cooks, and dishwashers, to highly trained special forces commandos and everything in between.

Culture: Largely described above. Non-centralized Clan based government with each Clan having it’s own rules, laws, and what have you. Some may have mandatory military (Mercenary) service for a few years, but many do not. Each Clan “Commander’ Is the ultimate authority with in that clan, and set up their ruling bodies as they see fit. If there – is – a new Procylonian home world it’s location is kept most secret and any details about it are held tightly by the Procylonians themselves.