Pathomorph
The mutable chitinous humanoid former charges of the scourge of galactic society known simply as Space Pirates. Possessed of an adaptable morphology, Pathomorphs sport bodily mutations the way Terrans or Protoss might wear tattoos. A brazen nature and cocksure attitude adorn most all Pathomorphs, who often band into small pirate troops of their own or take on the most dangerous job they can find just to brag that they lived through it.
Physical Characteristics
Average Height: 181 - 205 cm
Average Mass: 85 - 121 kg
Ability Scores: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution
Size: Medium
Speed: 5 squares
Skill Bonuses: +2 Engineering, +2 Skulduggery
Level 1 Species Power: Pathomorph Sadism—Whenever one of your powers slides an enemy, you may add one square to that slide. Whenever an enemy power would slide you, you may subtract one square from that slide.
Level 6 Species Power: Mutable Morphology—Upon gaining this feature, choose one—
- your size becomes large,
- you gain an encounter power that grants you average flight,
- add a +5 species bonus to a defense,
- you gain a climb speed equal to your speed, or
- fuse a bio-organic weapon to your head that you may activate as an encounter power free action.
Play a pathomorph if you want...
- to be a tough, unruly, versatile hero.
- to be an imposing figure in and out of combat.
- to control enemy movement in combat.
- to favor the defender and controller roles.
Tall, heavy, beady-eyed, and covered head-to-toe in chitinous plates of black, red, purple, green, blue, or gold. They most often have burly humanoid proportions and smallish heads, but their morphology takes freely to modifications, which many of them do for fashion or function. Their own outer plating can even be modified to be a spacesuit, allowing pathomorphs to feel more at home than any other race when exploring the harsh environments of outer space or deep within the cavernous recesses of planetary subterramines. It is thought the natural lifespan of pathomorphs resembles that of humans.
Playing a Pathomorph
Pathomorphs were once one-and-all synecdochic with Space Pirates: the widest-ever reaching band of organized crime in the galaxy. They followed an intelligent and vicious spacefaring dragon named Ridley, and spread terror and destruction freely throughout the Galactic Federation who controlled at that time most of the Jroel sector.
Since the disbanding of the space pirates following the death of Ridley, the self-destruction of their vaunted Science Team, and various setbacks to galactic piracy, pathomorphs have scattered and re-imagined themselves as able mercenaries and dedicated brokers. Whatever situation you have that requires a woman's claw, they're the women for the job. Pathomorphs by genetics are almost 95% female. Though males and females share almost all physical characteristics, and anyway pathomorph biology is subject to ready modification, they always seem to know from one another.
Pathomorphs regard their former legacy as freewheeling pirates as a kind of golden era of pranking they've collectively come down from to take on more boring work. Pathomorphs are easily bored, and seldom flinch at pain.
Bodily modification runs deep in Pathomorph culture to the time—not that any of them remember the time—before they were all pirates. They found ways to tease their plated bodies into different shapes with clamps, stays, hoops, and wires. The devices themselves were often treated as a kind of flair, bearing elaborate designs. Many etched tribal or ritualistic patterns into their plates. Some merely used this practice to mind their ps and qs.
When Ridley, with the mental backup of an aurora unit (a cyber-bionic planetary supercomputer) showed them how to modify these practices to turn their arms into deadly claws and energy weapons, their loyalty was assured, and their sense of fashion and function forever changed.
Pathomorph adventurers are often looking for something to do, with an eye to getting into trouble. They love sharing stories of danger with their friends and hate to be the one to dare less. They can be very devoted, too, as most will form strong bonds with their fellows, and they suffer from psychological disorders when isolated.
The pathomorphs have a saying that goes "the one that dies with the most scars, wins."
Pathomorph characteristics: Devil-may-care, hardy, versatile, vicious, frivolous, dangerous, experimenting, thrill-seeking, devious.
Male Names:
Szobol, Pittetek, Elob, Kulfuldon, Bogdreg, Fekvess, Lanbator, Klazikus, Latnivalok
Female Names:
Tola, Szelenga, Egyi, Kaaptaaz, Klakkotak, Kisebb, Nagyoebb, Dombra, Kozegyette, Tobbeka, Amikor, Hadsereg, Nyomda, Kinaia
