Race A Conceptual Race of Crustaceans

Discussion in 'NPCs and Creatures' started by andySp, Apr 14, 2013.

  1. Atlus

    Atlus Big Damn Hero

    I would love an arthropod race.

    I don't know if them being crabs/lobsters/seafood would work. The fish guys seem to have fulfilled the aquatic niche.
     
  2. Chamomileable

    Chamomileable Subatomic Cosmonaut

    I'm going to go ahead and say I'll be extremely disappointed if this doesn't become the eighth race in the game. I'll do what I can to help and try to put together some lore.
     
  3. Chamomileable

    Chamomileable Subatomic Cosmonaut

    Did some work on things. Hope they're well-received.


    HISTORY
    The Decapods are a race of crustacean-like folk from the crystal planet of (name). Their exteriors are covered in rigid chitinous plates, which serve as an evolutionary countermeasure to the very high native pressure of their home planet's atmosphere. Most all surface dwellers on (name) have evolved similarly to adapt to the environment. As a result of the higher levels of gravitational pressure on (planet), the crust and mantle of the world are highly saturated in quickly forming crystalline structures and gemstones, which have become a staple material for the Decapods. The Decapods are unique on their home planet due to their bipedal nature and high level of cultural and technological advancement. Thought to have evolved from crabs over millions of years, they slowly grew upright, gained enlarged brains, and lost all but four of their limbs. Although, due to having their origin with multitudes of subspecies of crab, they have widely varying cranial structure and shell color, though their internal organs and muscle systems are biologically identical. In the earliest days of their race's history, they existed as nomadic tribesmen, living with others of their subspecies and warring amongst one another over the valuable crystals and gemstones that littered their planet. However, slowly the tribes merged through diplomatic bonds, and with the advent of written history, we know that the barbaric tribes were united under the warlord Crabicus Shellius Maximus, which ushered in a technological golden age. Though their first interactions with other spacefaring races was hostile, they have since maintained a semi-neutral stance on any conflict outside of their home planet, preferring to act as arms dealers and traders. Fastforwarding to the modern-age, the Decapods are a highly advanced species who are hailed throughout the galaxy as excellent weaponsmiths, armorers, and jewelers.


    TECHNOLOGY
    Because of the accelerated creation of crystals and gemstones on their planet to the point of being considered a renewable resource, much of their technology has been created from them

    Weapons: Lasers implementing crystal-focusing to amplify and diffuse the singular beam, allowing Decapod laser rifles to function as both single-beam energy weapons and as a sort of laser shotgun.

    Fractal grenades operated with a quick-burst focusing crystal on a single pulse beam housed within the grenade. Upon detonation, Fractal Grenades scatter intense light in all directions, stunning those unlucky enough to be caught in the flash and leaving behind the casing of the grenade.

    Implosive Spall-Thrower Grenades. When activated they collapse violently inwards on themselves and expel superheated metal fragments in all directions. A variant exists which throws the molten spall in only one direction, and is often used for breaking the bolts on airlocks.

    Heat Gladius. A shortsword with a straight blade containing a heating element in the grip used to increase the temperature of the edges to a heat capable of cutting into crystal. The wounds it makes are instantly cauterized due to the heat and little to no bleeding occurs. The battery is contained in the pommel of the weapon and the weapon has a lead for being connected to the scabbard, which contains a battery recharger.

    Claw Hammers. A type of mining tool fashioned to look like the large claw of a crab. It contains a motorized set of jaws that clamp shut the pincers when the wearer pulls the throttle. Originally designed to assist in the dislodging of chunks of crystal from the rock it was housed in, it is occasionally seen as a weapon, though due to its unruly weight, it sees no official usage within the Decapod military.

    Scutum. Seen only during rarely-occuring riots or sieges, the Scutum is a large rectangular shield forged from retempered and chemically treated crystal, creating a clear plastic-like material with a slight blue sheen. They are fairly resistant to heat and cold, though can be shattered with concussive force. The shield's handle can be pulled down and locked to create a small waist-high portable cover.

    Clothing: Civilian and everyday clothing consists of flowing dresses, robes, togas, tunics, and capes of all colors, though white is a favorite. Military attire consists of high-impact armor fashioned into the shape of a Decapod thorax and abdominals, with capes draped across the shoulders to signify rank. As opposed to heavy boots they prefer to wear an open-toed boot designed during the Golden age, updated with modern materials.

    Construction Materials: Crystal, marble, and transparent rock. Wood is also used as insulation from the harsh winters. Due to the small size of their homeworlds, their buildings are tightly packed and focus on vertical construction.


    PERSONALITY/RELATIONSHIPS
    Decapods are adventurous and loud. They thrive on space exploration and collection of new materials and artifacts scattering alien worlds. They are very social and often share their technology with other species they come across, meaning that Decapod inventions and research are spread quickly across the stars.


    OTHER STUFF

    FAUNA: The animals occupying these worlds are colossal and slow. They are easy to hunt down but not so
    easy to bring down. Many Decapods obtain food on their own through hunting, which they dedicate a whole week (12 human days) for. The meat recovered from this week will feed their family for a whole season.

    Fauna characteristics include: Many of the animals native to Decapod homeworlds are crustaceans or mollusks of some sort. Towering crabs wander open crystal fields in herds, and smaller shelled creatures lumber, crawl, and slink along the ground. Flying animals are virtually nonexistent due to the nature of the planets. In the seas various gastropods swim freely, often with translucent bodies and long trails of tentacles.

    Imagine something like this (Not my art work, but captures my visual of the fauna perfectly).


    FLORA:
    Plants inhabiting the Decapod homeworlds are often conical in shape and have many layers of tightly packed leaves suited for gathering nutrients from the air, and many more plants sit low to the ground, gathering moisture from the frequent rains on the planets. Plants come in many colors and display a bright pallet of colors. The "wood" used in Decapod construction is actually the thick fibrous core of large stalagmite-plants, which becomes tightly compressed as the plants grow taller.
     
    andySp likes this.
  4. Khood

    Khood Contact!

    I like this. Crab people. Craaaaaab people.

    [​IMG]
     
  5. N4F4N

    N4F4N Subatomic Cosmonaut

    Why not Zoidberg?
     
    Vsuchinoko likes this.
  6. Vsuchinoko

    Vsuchinoko Phantasmal Quasar

    Wow, I really appreciate and enjoy the effort you put into this. It's a greatly sprung idea and is quite interesting. The helpful community here is to give good feedback aswell. Keep going!

    'That shit cray' -Domics?
     
  7. LordPils

    LordPils Orbital Explorer

    I was thinking that too. Well that and "Woop woop woop woooop." not as easy to type as to say.
     
  8. LordPils

    LordPils Orbital Explorer

    My apologizes for the double post I'm downloading a large game with a rather slow internet connection.
     
  9. Patchouli

    Patchouli Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    There are delete post and edit post buttons at the bottom right of the posts, in case you didn't notice them.
     
  10. LordPils

    LordPils Orbital Explorer

    Can't believe I missed that thank you.
     
  11. Enghiskhan

    Enghiskhan Void-Bound Voyager

    I think that that should just be something neutral, in and of itself. Every race gets vikingness.
     
  12. Magma Claw

    Magma Claw Existential Complex

  13. Khood

    Khood Contact!

    No one liked my crab people post? ): okey...
     
  14. Teih

    Teih Sandwich Man

    Looks awesome
     
  15. Baconbeard

    Baconbeard Intergalactic Tourist

    Need lore. But good, good...
     
  16. Miuub

    Miuub Phantasmal Quasar

    Very cool!
     
  17. Evangelion

    Evangelion Supernova

    If these were implemented... I'd go to a planet and create the Krusty Krab.
     
    Mega Man X likes this.
  18. Khood

    Khood Contact!

    Brilliant.
     
    Evangelion likes this.
  19. Mega Man X

    Mega Man X Industrial Terraformer

    Wow this looks very good.
     
  20. Atlus

    Atlus Big Damn Hero

    I think some of the decapod customizations could use a rework to be less sea-influenced given they've evolved way past that origin. Mostly the angler fish one and the one with the shell cap. That's just my take on making them as removed from being aquatic as possible.
     

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