Physiology
Verdurans have no single form, apart from being sapient photosynthetic plants. Each colony consists of a vast forest, typically called the Wood. At the center lies a huge sapient brain called the Heartwood; the Heartwood can dimly sense everything that happens within the rest of the forest. Trees within the forest have limited abilities to move, either to catch sunlight or defend themselves.
The Wood produces mobile servitors, to investigate disturbances and negotiate with other species. A typical servitor resembles a tree or plant walking surprisingly swiftly on its roots, but the Wood can customize their appearance to resemble any animal native to it. Woods in close contact with humans create “nymphs”, servitors resembling attractive human women with leaves for hair and green skin, or “Erlkings” who resemble muscular human men. Most servitors subsist on sunlight, water, and soil; some may eat small insects or other plants to supplement their diet.
Large Woods can control the weather in their vicinity, through some as yet unknown mechanism. Welcome travelers may find the Wood greets them with a sunny day; unwelcome travelers may face furious and lethal storms.
Psychology
A Verduran Wood follows an imperative to provide nourishment for other parts of the food chain, and to reclaim barren ground. Verduran servitors dedicate their lives to guarding the Wood, helping it spread, and negotiating with sapient creatures. Servitors feel uncomfortable if they leave the wood too long, and may wither and die if taken away entirely.
Verdurans, particularly in old, large Woods, trust easily and assume visitors have good intentions. Younger worlds, still trying to survive on a hostile planet, tend towards caution, and may refuse to allow any technological species inside itself. Creatures who abuse Verduran hospitality, or attack the Wood outright, soon discover what “nature’s wrath” truly means.
Ecology
Verdurans are an ecology unto themselves. They host other organisms, sapient or not, as long as they do not take more than the Wood can produce.
Woods exist to terraform planets, as long as the Wood can find enough water, sun, and basic elements. Once a Wood starts on a new world, it refuses to give up until a planet is a garden.
Culture
Humans used to plants as passive things find the intelligence of servitors and especially Heartwoods surprising. Left to their own devices, servitors form primitive tribal societies that revolve around protecting the wood and competing for sunlight and fertile soil (in that order). When in contact with other sapient species, they may mimic that culture, or recreate some past culture.
Politics
Verdurans get along with most species. Some unfortunate first contacts between Verdurans and humans have led to high body counts of humans and servitors alike. Their only implacable enemies are those beings who hate organic life, or who have their own, incompatible terraforming ambitions.
In recent years, Verduran worlds have formed unusual alliances with outposts of organic-friendly factions among Artificial Intelligences. The AIs may find common points of interest with Verduran collectivism and the superhuman intelligence of Heartwoods; Verdurans, in turn, appreciate a friendly technological presence watching over them.
VERDURAN SERVITOR (Nomad)
| Type | Size | Stamina | Armor | Damage | C | K | P | So | St | T | V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elf | Medium | 20 | 2 | 1D/weapon | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Erlking | Medium | 26 | 2 | 1D/weapon | 4 | 4 | 1 | ||||
| Nymph (K) | Medium | 17 | 1 | 1D/weapon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Nymph (T) | Medium | 17 | 1 | 1D/weapon | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Spriggan | Small | 26 | 3 | 2D/weapon | 3 | 4 | 1 | ||||
| Sprite | Tiny | 6 | 1 | 1D-2D | 1 | 3 | |||||
| Treant, sm | Large | 30 | 5 | 3D AV 1D | 3 | 5 | |||||
| Treant, lg | Giant | 40 | 8 | 4D AV 2D | 3 | 5 |
Abilities/Talents/Inabilities
- Beast Friendship (FTLN p 21)
- Immune to humanoid diseases
- Hands
- Hive Mind (FTLN p 249)
- Hyper Touch (FTLN p 251)
- Pheromone Communication (FTLN p 249)
- Sentient / Sapient
- Vulnerable to fire (+1D damage)
Nymph Abilities
Nymphs were created to deal with humans. Thus they have the following additional Talents/Abilities
- Attractive (+1D social)
- Eidetic Memory (FTLN 21)
Elf/Nymph/Spriggan Weapons
Technology Age: Early/Late Primitive plus “scavenged” items
| Weapon | Damage | Spriggan | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| bow | 2D | flint- or bronze-tipped arrows | |
| machete | 2D+1 | 3D+1 | steel, scavenged from offworlder |
| revolver | 2D6+1 | Nymph only; scavenged from customer | |
| spear | 3D | 3D | flint or bronze head, wooden shaft |
| shield | 1D6+1 | -1D against attackers | |
| sword | 3D | 3D+3 | bronze; only Erlkings have this |
| war club | 2D | 3D | wood with flint edges |
VERDURAN DRONE (Nomad)
| Size | Stamina | Armor | Damage | C | K | P | So | St | T | V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium | 23 | 3 | 2D | 3 | 3 |
Drones were the original servants of the Heartwood, now relegated to the interior. They have the following (in)abilities:
- Crude Hands
- Immune to humanoid diseases
- Multiple Arms (2d3+1): can attack that many times a round.
- Multiple Legs (1d3+1): resist tripping with +(nlegs-2)D bonus.
- Hive Mind (FTLN p 249)
- Hyper Touch (FTLN p 251)
- Pheromone Communication (FTLN p 249)
- Slow: half human movement per round.
- Proto-Sentient
- Vulnerable to fire (+1D damage)
VERDURAN HEARTWOOD (Nomad)
| Size | Stamina | Armor | Damage | C | K | P | So | St | T | V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titanic | 50 | 4 | tendril | 5 | 2 | 1 |
Abilities/Talents/Inabilities
- Blind and Deaf, depends on Hyper Touch.
- Immobile, rooted into the earth.
- Immune to humanoid diseases
- Hive Mind (FTLN p 249)
- Hyper Touch (FTLN p 251)
- Mute, depends on others to interpret its intentions.
- Pheromone Communication (FTLN p 249)
- Vulnerable to fire (+1D)
- WEATHER Superpowers (Superpowered p 53)
- Fog
- Storm
- Temperature
VERDURAN TENDRIL (Nomad)
Each Wood defends itself with tendrils. As the Heartwood itself is so big, it’s better to treat each tendril as a separate, immobile creature.
| Size | Stamina | Armor | Damage | Skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large | 20 | 2 | 2D, grapple, suffocation | Combat 3, Physical 2, Stealth 3 |
- Ambushes (+1D to hit and damage if it gains Surprise)
- Crude Hands (can manipulate human tools and weapons somewhat)
- Motion Sensor (-1D to be Surprised)
- Stealth (Stealth 3)
- Hyper Touch (+1D when rolling for Surprise)
- Whip Tail (knock target to ground unless they roll Physical)
Grapple: Instead of doing damage, the tendril holds the target immobile. Roll Physical: on a 8+, the target’s arms are pinned to their side. At a -2D penalty, the tendril has the target around the neck and can begin suffocating them.