The Gaming Den

Shrapnel wrote:How long has Bleach been going on for? I swear that it's been around since before Astroboy.

[url=http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3421366&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=253 wrote:Zereth[/url]]
Well shit, how can I follow up Laser Jews? Oh well, I'll try.

World of Synnibarr: The Ultimate Adventurer's Guide: Mantises, Armored

I don't remember anything about these guys, so let's see. As always, things "in quotes" are direct from the book, not rephrased or compressed.

They're matriarchal, and form whatever harems are called when there's lots of males to one female. The males are smaller and kinda dumb; they can hunt and mate and not much else. They form large family groups, which then group up into "packs" which are "the beginnings of a civilized society" according to the book. They've learned to raise livestock and build houses from Humans, and "in spite of their incorporate instinct" () they are rapidly expanding! In the wild, they have "very convoluted" governments, and tend to see humans as food, which is not helped by the language barrier.

They don't have a religion "per sa", but it's really good to be the alpha female. They tend to build homes in burrows or in the foliage, preferring the latter so they can drop on their prey. It reiterates that males are pretty useless.

Breeding is under control of the alpha female, who's the only one who gets to mate. Generally laying 5-10 eggs per season, with a different father per each (season? egg? unclear), becuase they eat the head of the male "with a cold emotionless efficiency that borders on quiet enjoyment". :staredog: There's usually one female per clutch and eggs grow to maturity in one year. Presumably after being laid, since it doesn't mention hatching.

Females often go fly around looking for shit with a handful of males along for protection. The Alpha Female rules until her "husband" (first mention of the word husband in this entry) kills her during mating, at which point the rest of the pack will use cold emotionless robotinsect logic to replace her. Big enough packs will also split off. Packs encountering each other in the wild are pretty chill, and rather than fight might even offer assistance if they have enough shit. They're also friendly to other races (except when they see humans as food?) as long as they can talk to the females.

Armored Mantises "live a spartan existence", which you can tell by all the sweet sculptures and other artworks decorating their dwellings. They are an emotionless race, which you can tell from how they enjoy eating, art, flying, and intellectual pursuits such as "four-dimensional geometry puzzles and calculus story problems". You know, something seems off about this paragraph...

Their language uses pheromones, ultrasonic chirps, and rapid clicks. Their name for themselves translates as "great ones", and according to the book sounds like "chirp'click,brattt,tic".

Their written language is made by depositing pheromones on something, which are refreshed as the "Reader" reads. I guess if they aren't read regularly they deteriorate. This means they are often hired to send secret messages. Oh wait, "properly preserved" their records last for up to 100 years, and don't easily wash away. If you have an enhanced sense of smell you can just barely tell something's there, but not read it.

They are curious but cautious (neither of which, apparently, are emotions) and don't fear conflict. Their Mantis Style Kung Fu is superior.

They can concentrate longer than anybody except BSCs, but are short lived. Fortunately they learn quickly!

They're also really Lawful, and will obey the laws of wherever they are as long as they know them, and they don't restrict their breeding. Once this emotionless race is angered, they have a really long memory, and will plot revenge for generations. Because they're predators, much like the Arackmen, who they fucking hate for reasons not mentioned here. They are, again, emotionless and logical, which is why they get angry and love sculpture are buddies with the Alchemists and Shadow Masters.

This emotionless race loves fine jewelry and sculpture, and are widely considered totally awesome. The Dwarves in particular fucking love their work, and have a deal with the pack(s?) on the Terra Isles where they give them things and they turn them into sculpture and jewelry with their cold, emotionless insect logic. "Because of this pact on the Isles, it is considered well off." What is, the Isles itself?

Anyway, they're good at this shit becuase they have magic energy fields around their claws they can do fine manipulation with and also cut diamond, as well as plunge into molten metal no problem. Because this is Synnibarr.

Some of the ones on Terra have joined the Mage Warrior guild, and a couple others have gone to engineering school. They live in Stonegate outside Terra proper, which they have helped improve and expand as a token of their emotionless insect friendship. They have specifically constructed a 2000 resident apartment building, and during the fall they hold an annual kite contest with a $1000 cash prize. (last year's winners: some Giants flying a Drake. No, not a kite. An actual fucking Drake, not noted as being dead. Why this didn't disqualify them is unclear.

Historically, they've had wars with the Viceen and Ravashem, becuase those guys did slave raids and shit on them. They've only left the Garden (the Center of the World, remember, where all the radiation means most powers don't work, except for those of the giant monsters trying to murder you), and now they have developed new techniques with their energy fields (presumably the aforementioned crafting applications) and also they have fallen in _{cold emotionless insect} love with technology, showing aptitude for it "second only to B.S.C.s."

Their Personality Traits are that they are Analytical; Logical; Emotionless; Loyal; respectful; Inquisitive; Predatorial; and Patient.

Their Physiology is "Manteodeasapien". "Being giant insects, the Armored Mantises are unique physiologies that are too complex for a complete description." How lazy. They're colorful, with bright green bodies and wings "resembling polished metal". They're up to 7 feet tall and can fly for up to an hour at 80 MPH if they can muster the 1 Strength Point per minute cost. (I don't think the game ever gave a solid explanation of spending anything other than Con Points like this.) Males are smaller and have boring green wings, and they look like "preying" mantises. As insectoids, they presumably have a total of six limbs, not counting the wings.

In Appearance, they wear clothing, and carve elaborate designs into their claws, usually including a Light Rune. Which I think means they have flashlights. They, in their cold emotionless insect lack of feelings, are fond of gold necklaces and fur leggings. Males get to be nakd.

Their Racial Prejudices are that they dislike Ravashem, Viceen, Halitheians, and Tenjohussan, and fucking hate Arackmen.

Racial Affliliations:
Religious: Nope.

Organizations and Businesses: They are on good terms with the Dwarves, Mage Warriors, and Alchemists.

Clans: nope.avi

Special: They like Amazons, Alchemists, and Talking Raccoons.

Special Role-Playing:
They see all males as inferiors, slaves, or even food, and will flat-out ignore them. Except the ones in the Mage Warrior guild who get their claws smacked with a ruler or something if they do that.

In the wild, they use their own language, and generally don't speak Terran. The ones from Terra Isles do speak the language of the place they live.

They can be disoriented or confused by perfume or incense in strong enough concentration. Specifically, unable to read or communicate in Armored Mantis for up to 5 minutes. The smell of strong roses gets them drunk. Lotus incense causes Class 1 Fear, and is the only way to frighten their cold emotionless insect hearts (that love sculpture and kites). Any other ability of spell or whatever fails.

Their magical energy fields mean they don't need real hands, and appears as a green transparent field. Doesn't cost anything or require concentration. At 10th level they can do it up to 10 feet away with minimal concentration (effectively a 0.5 level spell for the purpose of using multiple abilities at once). At 30th level that drops to no concentration again.

The Alchemists will let them into school to learn engineers in physical stuff, or magic. They're encouraged to go into AI, becuase properly trained mantises can program 25% faster than Humans, because of

They can also go to Mage Warrior school, as per usual for doing the split race/class stuff.

Starting money for Terra Isles mantises is $40k-100k. If from the Center of the World, they'll have 1-4 males in tow, armed with spears and swords and with some assortment of natural substances form inside. The female will carre, specificlly, 2-4 silver apples, 2-4 golden apples (possibly juice), powdered black rose petals (w/antidote), 2-4 Neptune's Breath, 1 fire pearl, 2-6 blood oranges, and 2-6 heal spring melons. Males suck and have some mechanical limits on them we don't care about, and typically only live until 5, breeding age.

Mantises get an additional 5 skill points per level over what they'd normally get because they live fast, die yo gnu.

Chemicals work weird on them because they're insects. Neuroaccelerator and truth serum are addictive euphoric drugs, rather than their normal effects. However, they can mix some coffee with honey and that works like neuroaccelerator for them. Ketoseen and talamean are poisons, and DMSO is an acid. Alchohol does nothing.

They're immune to poisons under 30th level, unelss mixed with DMSO in which case they take 10% poison damage (plus the effects of DMSO on them).

There's a 5% chance when you create your character that you're an intelligent male. These are killed whenever discovered by females, "which means that they have had these mutations all along." One has escaped and gotten protection from the Terra Council, angering the _emotionless pack he escaped from, who used the logical argument that males could add a lot to their society. Secretly, these EMOTIONLESS insects are scared that the males might take revenge.

Mantis Style Martial Arts is allegeldy the oldest known fighting art of all, and is said to have been invented on Old Earth. By mantises. Humans can use it, but Mantises are harder to counter. Plus mantises can do this shit AND use their magic claw field.

The techniques are "Grasping the Wind", which attacks with both claws and pulls the target in while you step forward with your rear legs and kick with your front legs. (How humans practice this is unclear.) Then you bite. The bite does shitty damage, but is lethal to anything without 10ths becuase you just ripped out their throat. The counter technique is...

"Passing the Storm", which comes in two variations. First, you sense movement form behind, and then drop and do a leg sweep, and use your arm hooks (again, this is practiced by humans too) to intercept the attack, serrated edges outward. You then grab them with your claws and elbow strike their jaw, while drawing your serrated edge across the body. Variation B uses your forward hooks to grab an incoming attack and twists clockwise, striking with the extremity elbow. You then twist counterclockwise and use the opposite elbow across the jaw, and finish with a reverse hammer hook.

"The Cradle of Death" is used to feed mainly. You lunge forward, dropping and grabbing the victim's left leg with your forward right leg, then reach behind the target and hook your claw around their throat with your left arm, and raise your left forward leg to block whatever they're doing with their right arm/leg. You then pull on their throat, stepping forward with your left rear leg to step on their right food, tripping them over. Now, begin feeding with your mandibles. This martial art is practiced by humans. The counter technique is Passing the Storm, Variation B.

"Blocking the Sword" is a defensive technique which comes in two varieties. The first variation uses your serrated arm edge to guide the weapon away from your body, while the other arm grabs their wrist, and then your first arm pulls the weapon away with the aid of your magical claw field, and then you deliver an elbow strike. This marital art is practiced by _humans. Variation B has you grab the hilt of the weapon, twist and deliver an elbow strike to the face of the attacker, while using your other hand to pull the weapon away. You then continue to turn and hit somebody with your new weapon.

"Mantis Sword" is used against taller creatures. First you strike forward in a low front thrust with your blade, serrated edge up, while your opposite arm performs and upward block, blade extended, with the forearm doing the actual blocking. You then scissor closed your claw on the opponent, with draw your other arm, and strike over the blocking arm at the opponent's body or throat. This marital art is practiced. By humans. The counter technique is Taking the Arm.

"Taking the Arm" is a defensive technique used to dismember an opponent and throw them to the ground. You catch the attacker's limb and guide it to the opposite side with an outward block while retaining hold of the wrist. The opposite hand strikes at the elbow, while you turn and pull the attacker to the ground. Once the person dumb enough to attack you, a normal human being, you push the arm forward with the elbow bending backward. You then reach around with your free claw and use the serrated blade to cut off the arm at the now-damaged joint. THIS martial art is [super]practiced[/super] by [fixed]humans[/fixed].

The Path Divides is an offensive technique used to throw to opponents. You strike the first opponent with one arm's hook around the back of the neck, and pulling him into a kickc to the knee. At the same time, you do this to your other victim, only with a side-thrust kick to the knee as you turn. You then turn 360 degrees and throw them down. This martial [super]art[/super] is practiced by _hu[super]mans[/super]. The counter technique is Turning the Path: Variation A.

"Turning the Path" has two variations. A uses a block, grab the wrist, and then you twist it, duck under it, and kick them in the face. Variation B is used to remove weapons from somebody's grasp by grabbing it with your left hand and twisting their wrist with your right hand. (Or vice-versa, I guess.) You then, once the weapon is rotated downward, use your other left hand to grab wepon. _{[fixed]this martial art is practiced by humans[/fixed]}

"Slashing Elbows" is used to kill an opponent and throw them to the ground. In that order, I guess? You step forward, do an extended outward block, and use yoru extended blades to trap both of the opponent's arms. Then your opposite lower arm strikes at the groin or midsection while your upper arm on that side strikes at the throat with your wrist or magic field. Once completed, you turn and elbow strike the jaw, then reverse and reverse elbow strike the jaw with the same elbow. You keep turning, and grab the opponent's neck or head with your arm blades, throw them over your back to the ground, and hit them in the back of the head and kick them in the ribs. This martial art is _{practicedbyhumans} The counter technique is Crashing Gates: Variation A.

"Crahsing Gates", variation A, has you block an attack with both upper arms, closing your blades on it, and giving an elbow strike with the outer arm while your inner one keeps the lock, then give them a backhand chop with the same one you just elbowed them with. Variation B is used against two opponents attemptign to grapple you from opposite sides. You turn clockwise, leaidng with the left shoulder, and use your back leg to kick the left one. Then, turn counterclockwise, pivoting on your forelegs, and use your other back leg to kick the opponent on the right. This marital art is practiced by fucking humans somehow and DOESN'T EVNE HAVE ANY RULES FOR HOW TO LEARN IT AAA:unsmigghh:


Armored Mantis Naming Conventions are completely unpronounceable by Humans, but they typically take a common human name like "Lucreacha Le'fay" or "Cleopatra". These are common names on the Terra Isles. :geno: Males dont' get names becuase they're all dumb animals.

Their Diet is carnivorous, preferably consuming insects, especially Flymen and Arackmen. Preferably alive. Bowls full of ladybugs or small spiders are delicacies.

Famous Quotes: nnnnnope.


And that's Armored Mantises, the emotionless grudge-having insects that fucking love sculpture and kites and shit! Up next, vote for which one of Apes, Mutant or Batmen you want to see!