Jan 10
If Quazky and Rose somehow had a child. :B
Loading...
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from Indonesia
seen from United States
seen from Australia
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from China
seen from China
seen from North Macedonia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Singapore
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Singapore
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Netherlands
If Quazky and Rose somehow had a child. :B
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch β’ No registration required β’ HD streaming
Wayne Barlow
Races Among the Stars 12: Reptoids
Thereβs a major elephant in the room with todayβs entry, so we may as well address it now. The reptoid species owes a significant amount of inspiration to the conspiracy theories of βReptiliansβ: alien or primeval species of sapient reptile-like humanoids that infiltrate society to try and bring it under the control of their people, either to weaken it before the real invasion, or to control it as a shadow government.
Unfortunately, like many conspiracy theories, the reptilians are almost always just window dressing to overt antisemitism, either claiming that Jewish people are reptilians in disguise or their unwitting pawns.
Now, when Pathfinder originally introduced reptoids to the setting back in Pathfinder 1st edition, they were brought in alongside grays, a whole new slew of cryptid-themed monsters, and so on as part of Bestiary 5βs major theme of including more modern mythos critters in the game. So you can see how they got roped in.
Were they necessarily listening to Jewish voices in that era? Probably not.
On the other hand, Sinister invasions by inhuman conquerers have also been a staple of science fiction for a very long time as well, leading to plenty of reasons to want to include such a conspiratorial species to help provide that kind of story in both Pathfinder and Starfinder. Luckily, both systems have never associated reptoids (or even their conceptual cousins the serpentfolk) with any specific other species or ethnicity, so there is some distance between the dubious origins of the concept there.
Is that enough to redeem them? I must confess that I am wholly underqualified to even begin to talk about that. What I can say is that if you do use them in your games, avoid associating them with any other species in a specific way except for perhaps the crazed ramblings of those that conflate the very real threat with their already present biases and bigotry. And even that should be done carefully. Definitely a βread your audience and provide content warningsβ sort of deal, there.
So who and what are reptoids, actually? Well, the truth is the wider galaxy just doesnβt have an answer for that, and the reptoids themselves are not answering.
Reptoids are one of three groups colloquially called by theorists βThe Unseenβ, but make no mistake, they have no allyship with the grays or the dycepskians. They do, however, have perhaps the most relatable motives of them all. While they grays study, observe and manipulate for unfathomable ends and the dycepskians act on a primal need to propagate enhanced by the intelligence and knowledge of those theyβve infected, most reptoids are instead motivated by power, stealthily seeking to infiltrate other civilizations with control and power in mind.
Additionally, there are hints that reptoids are not in fact a monolith, that for every reptoid conspiracy that reports to some leader or perhaps reptoid high command, there are many reptoids that seem to be in it entirely for themselves and might set up an entire cover identity to pursue their own personal goals.
Whatβs more, there are stories of reptoids going βnativeβ, either becoming so enamoured with a cover identity and the relationships theyβve developed as part of it that they choose to live that life, sometimes even revealing their true form to others and living a peaceful life. Such reptoids must be careful, however, because mainline reptoids are capable of performing tremendous acts of cruelty even to their own.
Indeed, mainline reptoid society seems to be defined by ruthlessness and cruelty, if their technology they use to forcibly extract memories and experiment on other species and even their own. Most reptoids view other species as chattel or enemies to deceive, and it takes a great deal of trust to progress beyond that, something that few mainline reptoids would ever dare be vulnerable enough to even try.
It's clear though that of all the insidious shapeshifters and manipulators in the galaxy, there is a lot of room for reptoids to be much deeper than βspecies of villains and boogeymenβ.
The reptoid base form is that of a reptile-like humanoid with fine scales over most of their body. They also sport more spikey and prominent scales around the eyes almost akin to a masquerade or domino mask, and a prominent dorsal fin on top of their heads akin a mohawk, which is particularly large and prominent in males. The more one looks into their biology one looks, the more they seem to blend in mammalian traits too, though that may in part be the shapeshifting too.
Speaking of which, reptoid shapeshifting seems to occur at a cellular level, and tests on their tissue seems to indicate that the flesh can reflexively change itself as needed, which may explain how they can maintain a identify for so long, though most reptoids cannot replicate more than appearance, the special abilities of most species are beyond them. Even extra limbs are usually beyond their ability to coordinate and use, though rumors persist of those that can properly mimic such things.
Reptoid society is, by design, a mystery to outsiders. Rumors persist of their leaders being distant masters, or of them being intimately involved by the infiltration process, ruling over cabals while maintaining identities as prominent public figures. Itβs possible that both are true depending on the situation. What is true is that they are extremely secretive and distrustful. For most, the idea of trusting their secret to other species is insane, and theyβre not entirely wrong given the implicit threat that such reptoid organizations present. Those that manage to get out of that brutal mindset have an uphill battle on both sides, from both rejection from the locals and the promise of a fate worse than death from contemporary reptoid society.
Reptoids are strong and silver-tongued, but slow and overcautious in their movements.
Their shapeshifting prowess is limited to one form, but they can maintain that form for long periods at a time. If they need to develop a new identity, they can take a week to carefully plan it out, refining the specific appearance, replacing their previous alternate form.
Steely of mind and body, they prove able to resist poison and mental effects quite well.
They also possess razor-sharp claws while in their natural form, making them never truly unarmed.
Stealthy and deceptive, reptoids make excellent envoys and operatives, despite the dex penalty. Their physical might does also make them shockingly good as front-line combatants as well, making soldier, nanocyte, evolutionist, and especially solarian good choices for them. Biohacker is also fun given how they favor subtle toxin weapons, and mechanic can be a good way to work around their limitations with ranged weapons. Spellcaster-wise, witchwarpers are the obvious choice, but any are good, though precogs struggle. Overall, their lower dexterity is a weakness, but perhaps the biggest annoyance is that they can only maintain their alternate form for a relatively short amount of time overall, making it difficult if they want to maintain their cover from their allies.
That will do for today, but I hope this gave you some insight on how to use reptoids effectively and avoid the pitfalls associated with them. Look forward to seeing a less controversial species in tomorrowβs entry!
Slight Hailey and Maple redesigns! I mostly just wanted Hailey to have more feathery wings in her moth form, and to make Maple scalier, so as to make her more 'reptilian', alsjflasdfsdf.
If you 'like' my art, I respectfully ask that you reblog it as well.
Escaping the ABXC (part 2)
It took nearly two weeks for Lemres... Two weeks of silently gritting his teeth, mindlessly nodding to every request and acting like the perfect helpful assistant just to to finally get access to his old Phoslytic tablet again. Hard work paid of finally.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch β’ No registration required β’ HD streaming
There is something very wrong with your phone. Do not attempt to adjust the picture.
We are controlling transmission.
We will control the horizontal.
We will control the vertical.
We repeat: There is something very wrong with your phone.
And with you.
Me and @redplanetroswell <3 He's helped me a lot and I'm grateful to be beside him hehe.
Mercenary, pilot, and all-around scumbag
for Nebula Chaos by@polyhedragames