Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Approved Species Aquuan

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Name: Aquuan

Designation: Sentient
Homeworld: Kad V
Language: Aquuan
Average size of adults: One or more meters radius in a relaxed state
Skin color: N/a, skin pigment controlled
Hair color: N/a when present, color pigment controlled
Breathes: Oxygen under any condition so long as the amount is enough to support life functions.

Strengths:
  • Perfect Shapeshifters & Camouflage: Due to their extremely stretchy tissues, almost being a singular organ (thus having no interior major ones), and having the ability to fuse and defuse its own tissue, there is no shape it can't mimic, and it can take on shapes at most 5 times greater than its relaxed state (because they are hollow when mimicking). They also have complete control over the pigmentation of their skin, and their neural network is so vast and complex it serves the same function as an advanced brain that can use the information of its skins sensory input (which includes all major senses) to mimic the color patterns of its surroundings perfectly.
  • Edict Memory: Aquuans born Asexually inherit the memories of their parents, and the memories that are stored in their flesh are never forgotten until physically removed.
  • Survivors: Flesh separated from the body can survive if it has a body mass at least 10% of its original adult host. Adolescents are too small to follow this rule and if any flesh is removed it is likely not to survive without the rest of the body to support it. This is possible however, because Aquuans have hundreds if not thousands of micro-organ systems spread out throughout the body. Flesh with less than 10% of a full grown Aquuan does not have enough of these organs to last for much more than a few days.
Weaknesses:
  • Weak physically: Aquuan's evolutionary plan is to stay hidden at all times, or otherwise take on a form that will scare predators away; thus they have little strength beyond the ability to move and shift.
  • Extra light or Extra heavy(Shifting): When Aquuan's shift, often times the object they mimic has a mass many times over what it weighs, and may also be of a size far exceeding itself; in order to mimic it more completely, the Aquaan takes a hollow form that outwardly appears as the mimicked target. This though makes them very easy to tip over/push/etc. or attack, because they are just volume and hardly anything to hold them down. When the opposite route is taken in shifting and they become an object smaller than they are when relaxed, it becomes very difficult to hold. They are muscles are generally not very strong going in the smaller direction, and it requires a larger degree of control. Additionally, when they are in this "heavier" state of increased density, any reception of pain or other agents of distraction will quickly get them out of this state. They also cannot hold this form for very long, the most they can hold a state 2 times smaller than their relaxed is for six hours undisturbed. Additionally, when in this state, any injury shall be increasingly debilitating. It also makes it more likely they can be grabbed and eaten.
  • Vulnerable short term memory: Aquuan's store their memories throughout their bodies, with the oldest memories in the center the newest at the outside, thus if they are attacked and flesh removed, it is possible some parts of their experience may be removed as a consequence. However, losing new data is a lot better than losing old data, which is why they are structure this way. Note: When shifting, Aquaan's always try to keep their old memories in towards their hollow cavity.
  • Amnesia insanity: Sometimes Aquuan's are born from injury, a major amount of flesh separated from its body to survive on its own. They travel with a percentage of the old Aquuan's experience's, but the memories are often fractured and jumbled. Thus it often leads to an identity crisis it will remember for the rest of its existence.
  • Weak Immune system: One of the many reasons Aquuans have never progressed beyond the primitive ages is because they are so susceptible to disease.
  • Habitual: Possibly another reason why they have yet to change into a higher form of civilization, is that Aquuans judge their whole lives based upon their first experiences, and often do not break their habits, for better or for ill.
Distinctions: In a relaxed state Aquuan's are flat, circular, colorless membranes of flesh about a meter or more in any one direction. They are hermaphrodites and can mate with any member of their own species, including themselves. When an Aquuan is made through sex, the parents join the edges of their flesh together and create a sack of fluids and trade chemicals that eventually create very small nearly microscopic "spores" (very tiny Aquuan's, not actually fungal in nature) that attach to the ends of either parents until the "pregnancy" is over. Once the fluids are sucked up, chemical trading ceased, and spores made, the parents will part their fused flesh and release their spores into safe places where they can both eat and hide at the same time until large enough to camouflage themselves.
Average Lifespan: Most will live for 10 years before enveloping itself into a hermaphrodite pregnancy, and filling itself with Aquuan spores until it has no more nutrients to give and thus dies as a protective shell of organic food matter to the newborns. The only signs of age for an Aquuan is an increasingly difficult time to unshift from a favorite form, some times resulting in petrification followed by death. An exceedingly rare occurrence however, is when an Aquuan becomes petrified, but just before death breaks parts of its flesh of as "seeds" that also grow to become petrified individuals who hold the memory of the original host. These "Seed" individuals last half as long as an ordinary individual, and survive only by using pheromones to influence insects and very small animals into a maw it created for itself. These are very rare, and are highly honored.

Summary: 10 year life span, adulthood begins after year 1. If present, Petrification begins at age 7. Those born of the Petrified last for 5 years.

Races: The Petrified: A "race" of a very rare asexually reproducing Aquuans who have been petrified into one form, usually a tree or some inanimate object. Almost unheard of for a Petrified to be something as complex and demanding as an animal.
Diet: Omnivorous, though they have a preference for dead animals. They are highly susceptible to poisons, especially the ones that cause paralysis. Should even a small amount of paralyzing agents be absorbed through the skin of an Aquuan they revert to their relaxed state, and the effects last longer. Additionally, they are susceptible to air-borne and water-borne poisons and disease as there skin is so thin and absorbent they have little defense for it. There only means of combating it is secreting a layer of mucus in the hopes the unwanted invaders to not get past the semi-permeable barrier. Even this though, is weak. Additionally, they are susceptible to fungal infections, which wreak havoc on the body and sometimes even restricts their ability to change shape or color.
Communication: Most often Aquuans communicate using air/water borne chemicals and pheromones to remain silently undetected, though they are capable of many other forms of communication, which includes such mediums as tactile, audio, and visual. To produce audio communications, Aquuans must shift a sack of air inside themselves with an orifice to control the interior pressure of the sack to produce sound. Their pheromones can only influence very small animals, such as insects, and occasionally rodents.

Culture: Aquuans are extremely cautious and trust very few animals beyond their own race. They spend their lives mimicking their environment and its inhabitants to survive, and have found little need for tools. They have however, realized they are more protected in numbers in an organized society, then they are alone. Thus there are sections of Kad V that scholars have started to call the "Forests of Delusion", due to the fact that explorers often go insane trying to witness the movement of the trees, which are in fact unidentified Aquuans amusing themselves.


Their relationship with the Kadian Dalek Beast though is a fearful one, as they run and hide as much they can from the apex predators because they are as sneaky at times as they themselves are, and their massive forms are large enough and strong enough to grapple and pin them down for a meal. Additionally, no form they take can scare them away, as there is scarcely any animal on planet that is a match for the beasts; save perhaps, technologically savy humans.


The Aquuans though, in their secretive ways do have an identifiable culture beyond their relationships with the apex predators and general behavior. They have many varied belief systems that are all fairly similar to each other and rarely change. Aquuans believe that because they are gifted with their abilities to change their appearance so drastically yet remain the same individual, that all of the universe is the same. People or ideas might take on a different appearance or direction, but in their core they remain unchanged. Additionally, Aquuans worship their flesh and all organic things as the truest medium of the unchanging soul, because it is the bodies duty to remember for the soul.


This is why the worship their petrified brethren who remember for the world, through their seed children's eyes. A single Seed child could contain the memories of over 1,000 generations, and when in conjunction with the memories of their descendants and siblings could hold memories one million generations prior. This is of course, if the majority of the petrified live, and are protected by their Aquuan fellows. If not, incredible amounts of history would be lost to the Aquuans, as they are completely oral, and too them memories are what make up the soul, and the petrified cannot keep the memories of the race of the world, then Kad V's soul has died. This to them would be the end of everything.


To make sure such a thing never happens, the Aquuan surround the territory of a Petrified, and guard them by using confusion, guile, and trickery to make unwanted visitors leave. They also use their limited ability of control over small animals to distract hungry animals away from the Petrified, or to otherwise build a barrier between the visitor and the Petrified.

Technology level: Sticks and Stones

General behavior: Very cautious, and driven by impulses formed in their earliest experiences.

History: The evolution of the Aquuans is not known yet, as scholars have yet to truly discover them; however, it can be assumed that Kadian Dalek Beasts and the Aquuan are actually very similar genetically, probably sharing a class or family in terms of their genetics and evolutionary split. For as anyone can tell of them, they have existed undetected for several millions years. How many of those years they have been sentient, is unknown as they have left behind no remnants of civilization due to their quite natures, and their habitual activities. They have taken great amusement however, in the recent appearance of bewildered human explorers. This amusement might lead to them revealing their presences to them from time to time.


The bulk of their history of what can be ascertained orally from the Petrified, is weather patterns of the seasons (in other words, records of climate changes), Aquuan crimes (which are few beyond murder as Aquuans do not often claim objects under their possession), records of previous Petrified colonies, encounters with other Aquuan communities, major locations, and sever infestations of Dalek Beasts. Other than that, the history of the Aquuan is a blank slate.


The only real notable event was the occurrence of humans, and the Fel Imperium's Domination of the world despite I.R.I.S.'s presence there.

Notable Player-Characters: N/a
Intent: To create a hyper-flexible (in terms of story) alien that really only has one real ability and few other strengths (and thus conversely lots of weaknesses), and that has evaded the detection of scholars on Kad V (a planet previously labeled as having no sentient species).
 

Valik

Professor of Alchemy
Fatty said:
Biologically Immortal: If not for crafty predators and deadly disease, these creatures would live forever (as long as they are fed, have drink, and are able to breathe).
  • Your character is not God, he is not immortal and he is not invincible. While providing your character strengths, be sure to provide him weaknesses as well.
I have no intention of adding to the bannable species list, which means I can't approve this as it is. I'm perfectly fine with long lifespans, millenia long life spans even, but even races like the Anzati don't last forever. I need some sort of life expectancy. Furthermore, what happens to them when they get old? Does it have any adverse affect on their shapeshifting abilities?



Fatty said:
Weak physically: Aquuan's evolutionary plan is to stay hidden at all times, or otherwise take on a form that will scare predators away; thus they have little strength beyond the ability to move and shift. Extra light: When Aquuan's shift, often times the object they mimic has a mass many times over what it weighs, and may also be of a size far exceeding itself; in order to mimic it more completely, the Aquaan takes a hollow form that outwardly appears as the mimicked target. This though makes them very easy to tip over/push/etc. or attack, because they are just volume and hardly anything to hold them down.

Let me make sure I understand this correctly. Aquun are naturally physically weak specimens, and can alter their size but not their mass, so they become less dense(and thus strong) as they take larger forms. Could the opposite affect occur? Shrink down to a smaller size to get denser muscles and pack a stronger punch? If so what would the limit be?

Average Lifespan: Not accurately measurable, biologically immortal; death from disease, or predators could happen at any point, thus the information one might attempt to collect is unreliable and full of variables. There is no record of "the oldest" Aquuan, since they have no indicators of age and many Aquuans share a degree of memories with their parents, thus there perceptual existence could last for millions of years (though such a mental record has not been confirmed to exist.
As mentioned before immortality is a no-no, and I'd prefer some sign of degradation with age, it's a natural process with all forms of life. It doesn't necessarily have to be gray hair or arthritis or prone to insanity but I need something.

Diet: Omnivorous, though they have a preference for dead animals
Is there anything they can't eat that a normal species could, or something they can eat that another species can't?

Communication: Most often Aquuans communicate using air/water borne chemicals and pheromones to remain silently undetected, though they are capable of many other forms of communication, which includes such mediums as tactile, audio, and visual. To produce audio communications, Aquuans must shift a sack of air inside themselves with an orifice to control the interior pressure of the sack to produce sound.
Many species, such as Zeltron, Faleen, and Nautolans can also alter their pheromones and/or perceive the pheromonal outputs of others. Would they be able to speak or listen to an Aquun in such a way? Furthermore, the Zeltron and the Faleen can alter the mental states of others through manipulations of strong pheromone outputs, making them more or less agreeable to various emotions. Can the Aquun's pheromonal output also manipulate others in such a way?





Lastly, I'd like the History and Culture flexed out a bit. I understand that your intent is to create a sort of blank slate race with shapeshifting abilities but your culture and history provoke questions. For example, if they've lived for centuries, millenia even, why haven't they evolved past the Stone Age? Especially if other cultures have visited their planets. What stopped them from adapting to other's technologies? Do they have any tendencies one way or another towards emotions and politics besides isolationism? @Me when you're done.


@[member="Fatty"]
 
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@[member="Valik"], the edits aren't all done but I had a quick statement. I had perceived the rule of being immortal as being unkillable, i.e. a god that can't be harmed.

Biological immortality is said to occur in lobsters, and at least 5 other real world animals, but they are the victims of predators and disease, which causes them to die. They also die from lack of nutrition, and radiation, etc.

The definition of biological immortality is simply that as long as nothing goes wrong on a biological scale it will continue to exist, until something bad does go wrong. The reason why the Aquuans life span can't be measured though is because they are like starfish, you cut it clean in half and the two slices of Aquuan scamper away to grow into two separate individuals. You would have to destroy an individuals entire being for it to be dead (such as holding it down and digesting the whole thing at once, as a Dalek does).

I think I'll make their immunity really poor and susceptible to poisons and disease. Hopefully this will please you and get you that life span you want.

EDIT: Also,

Valik said:
Can the Aquun's pheromonal output also manipulate others in such a way?
No
 

Valik

Professor of Alchemy
Fatty said:
@[member="Valik"], the edits aren't all done but I had a quick statement. I had perceived the rule of being immortal as being unkillable, i.e. a god that can't be harmed.
The rules specified that one cannot be Invincible or Immortal. Invincible is something that can't be killed, immortality is something that doesn't die naturally.



Fatty said:
The reason why the Aquuans life span can't be measured though is because they are like starfish, you cut it clean in half and the two slices of Aquuan scamper away to grow into two separate individuals.

Regardless of which method(s) of reproduction a starfish has they don't live past 35 years or so. They don't grow into two separate individuals into splitting off, one becomes a new individual and the other remains the same person, a still old person. Furthermore starfish aren't anywhere near as complex as an average sentient, unless the Aquun have a very different organ system than almost anything eukaryotic they'd be dead because half of their organs wouldn't be connecting with the other half of their organs.

Ultimately I am going to need a life expectancy. A poor immunity will not do, and you make take it out if you wish.


@[member="Fatty"]
 

Valik

Professor of Alchemy
@[member="Fatty"]

Put a number on lifespan on when they turn into petrified(Say 1000 years) and a number on how long petrified live(say another 1000 years) and this is good to go on my end. Excellent work.
 
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure if you noticed or not but upon being told biological immortality wasn't going to happen I decided to go the opposite route and gave them very short life spans.

So you don't have to search for it I added a summary below average life span and said this:


"10 year life span, adulthood begins after year 1. If present, Petrification begins at age 7. Those born of the Petrified live for 5 years."
 
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