Any races in Known Space or on the Ringworld.  If you have a new race not already published elsewhere and you'd like to have it posted here please send it to me at david.e.gordon@gmail.com.  You will be fully credited. The picture of the Ghouls left was created by Lisa Free and is found in the Creatures Book (p22-23).

Travelers

Paul Marquis Illustration © 2004 
 

Contributor: J. D. Covert, JosephCovert@juno.com

Date: 11/21/03

Category: Creature: Hominid

Name: Traveler (Orlguhrimi!lin in the City Builder language)

Source: Carry On Carrying On by J. D. Covert

Description:

The travelers are philosophical inheritors of the empire of the Healers.  They travel the Ringworld carrying items and information which they trade to the various hominid races.  Combining the functions of terrestrial gypsies and travelling salesmen, they provide a slow but reliable information network.  Often using song and dance as a form of teaching, the Travellers convey large amounts of history and current affiars over vast distances.  

There are approximately two Traveler caravans per superconductor grid hex area.  Travelers move in groups of about twenty hominids.  Each group has one Master Traveler and at least 3 (1d10) Apprentice Travelers, with a complement of around 5 cooks, animal drivers, mechanics, etc. (2d4+2) of various hominid races, usually in two or three wheeled wagons (1d2+1).  In areas of Machine People or higher level technology Travelers will not use powered vehicles.  They remember only too well the fall of cities and do not rely on technology.  

In addition to the information they carry, Traveler caravans also transport large quantities of material good for sale and trade (5d6 rolls on the Goods Table below).  Travelers will trade goods for local luxuries they can resell, or for information (if it’s good).  Travelers also accept guarantees of future service or goods in exchange for their wares.  Travelers rarely carry weapons or armor except those which can be used for hunting.  Since Travelers are held in high regard by every hominid race on the Ring they do not have to worry about their customers defaulting on an IOU.  Travelers are also universally protected from bandits and other lowlifes.  They are the single dependable source of goods and information left, and the people of the Ring respect them greatly.  In time, the numbers of the Travelers will spread exponentially as Apprentices move into their own territories and take on Apprentices of their own.  The Travelers are holding off on this day until the people of the Ring have become more civilized.
 

Traveler Apprentices:

The Master Traveler is almost always a former Healer, and therefore virtually immortal.  Master Travelers will accept Apprentices of any hominid races.  They prefer Apprentices with at least some technological background, but they will accept any sincere applicant of almost any age or gender.  This means that, should the players need something a Traveler has, the Traveler may trade for one of the party, making that member an Apprentice.
 

Stats:

            Char.   Range Averages

            STR    2d6+6 13

            MAS   2d6+6 13

            CON   3d6+6 16-17

            INT      2d6+9 16

            POW   3d6     10-11

            DEX    3d6+3 13-14

            APP    2d6+6 13

            EDU    as for humans but add +50 years

            Age     1d4+6 on age table            Average HP: 29-30

            Speed: 5m/im

            Action Ranking: 4

            Hit locations and armor/av HP: as per healers.

Table: Goods

Roll         Item                      

1-2        Nothing of value at this time.

3           alcoholic beverage (geforz, “fuel”, etc)     

4           Armor, leather                                         

5           Bows and arrows                      

6           Drugs, recreational

7           exotic foodstuffs

8           fabric 

9           Flak jacket                     

10          Hammers and nails                     

11          Medicines, herbal                     

12          Metal ore                     

13          Scrith repulser lift pack                     

14          Seeds                     

15          Small edged weapons (knives, sickles)                      

16          Spears                     

17          Toys (balloons, wood gliders, etc.)                      

18          Transdisk                     

19          Voice box                     

20          Walkie-talkie

 

Designer Notes: Although I generally avoid the deus ex machina types, preferring to let my players sink or swim on their own, Travelers are just too good to pass up.  In a world as big as the Ring there are times when you just have to have a certain bit of information or equipment available to the players.  Either they’ve missed all of your clues or aren’t clever enough to figure it out for themselves, and that’s when the Travelers come in.  They can get the information/item they need, and in return they’re indebted to the Traveler, giving you a whole new adventure seed to develop.