Tag: Adivasta

Gaunt Tribe: the Abertach

The Abertach were a late addition, and competed with the Hadean for narrative themes. I realized I needed a servant Gaunt for groups like Mithna Adivasta, and I had built up a collection of small, childish Gaunt, and I noticed I tended to want to put Craftiness on all of my various Gaunt tribes, so I created a group that was focused on stealth primarily. From this was born the Abertach.

Mithna Adivasta plays a pretty big role in Wanderers of Dhim, which made me think about them a lot. They are one of the only Mithna to retain control of a world (though Khalli is similarly pronounced, just not in direct control), and as naturally talented Necrocrafters, they would have a close relationship with the Gaunt, and with Moros having such a focus on Gaunt, it seemed fitting to tie some Gaunt tribes directly to Mithna Adivasta. What were they making in their vast, arctic vatting facilities? Well, one thing would be servants, elegant, slender and mysterious: their spies and inconspicuous manservants.

I drew a lot of inspiration from the Sluagh from Changeling the Dreaming: Silence, toothless, slipping through cracks and lurking in the shadows, creatures of shadows. So, I gave them hair and I should probably go ahead and give them the option to buy off their appearance penalty, the option to remove their fangs, and since Sluagh cannot speak above a whisper, I gave them the option for failing vocal chords, as another Gaunt deficiency. Their shadow manipulation was covered with some umbrakinesis abilities and variants. I represented their ability to slip through cracks as Double Jointed and the option to add more Disintegration Degradations, which means they have a secret set of power-ups as they degrade:

  • Engulfing Flesh: Constriction Attack (Engulfing +60%) [25]; Cotton Stomach [1]; Degradation 5 [-5]; 21 points.
  • Flesh Tentacle: Extra Arm (Flexible +50%) [15]; Gaunt Degradation 3 [-3]; The Gaunt may take this multiple times. 12 points per tentacle.
  • Sloughing Flesh: Slippery 5 [10]; Gaunt Degradation 2 [-2]; 8 points.
  • Tenuous Flesh: Basic Move +2 [10]; Double-Jointed [15]; Gaunt Degradation 6 [-6]; Stretching 1 [6]; 25 points. (Though note this one would only cost an Abertach 4 points)
  • Degraded Baleful Gaze: Replace Night Vision 2 with Infravision [10] for 8 points; Intimidation Gaze [1]; Bright (+1 to see; Glowing Eyes) [-1]; Gaunt Degradation 1 [-1]; 6 points.
  • Degraded Bonelessness: Compact Form [1]; Double Jointed [10]; Gaunt Degradation 2 [-2]; 9 points.
  • Degraded Rubber Neck: Double Jointed (Neck Only -80%) [3]; Gaunt Degradation 1 [-1]; Stretching 2 (Neck only -80%) [4]; 5 points
  • Degraded Scuttler: Clinging [20];Enhanced Ground Move 0.5 (Only when character has 4+ legs, -10%) [9]; Extra Legs (4 legs; Temporary Disadvantage, No Fine Manipulators -40%) [3]; Gaunt Degradation 7 [-7]; 25 points.

I added some of these as natural power-ups too.

In Ballad in the Blasted Land, I introduced two Gaunt, Sinister and Dexter, who were child-sized Gaunt “twins” who would creepily complete one another’s sentences. I had wondered what might happen when not all Gaunt would “finish growing.” This isn’t necessarily to say they were children, just that they were too small, unfinished products. I had Hulking Gaunt, what about especially small Gaunt? It also seemed likely that mitosis might occur in the vat, creating two beings that were closely associated with one another. I gave both of these to the Abertach, and added some

All of this fit great for spooky assassins, but what else could they be? What would their second talent be? Well, I settled on a strange choice that felt cheeky, but the more I ponder it, the more I like it: Talker. This is a GURPS Mysteries Talent that, of course, does make them good at talking, but it mostly makes them good at understanding people: It offers Detect Lies and Psychology and Savoir-Faire, all useful even if you do not speak, so you can notice facts about others or comport yourself properly. For those that can speak and do not suffer from Shyness, Fast-Talk or Diplomacy might be handy and I gave them Soft-Spoken to reflect a subtle menace about them.

I tend to describe them as Assassins, but I think the Spy template suits them better. They can fade into the background and observe others, sharing their thoughts with a twin and then vanishing into shadows, though their stink may give them away. Where most of the other Gaunt, to me, feel more tragic or monstrous, the Abertach feel creepy, which is something the Gaunt really need: they are a spooky sort of people. As far as PCs go, they’re quite tolerable. They have more than enough options to compensate for their reduced DX and IQ to make them competent at PC-focused tasks like stealth and social perception, and they have some built in narrative hooks. But at the same time, they work fine as disposable background NPCs: of course the Adivasta are surrounded by spooky servants who mumble and then vanish when you’re not looking, and one or two might be especially dangerous. I think they offer a good contrast to the Warstock as an alternative take on a “minor tribe.”