Mangal

Species Name: Mangal, Mangrov, Mangrove Man

In the last days of Atlantis, an enormous amount of magic was expended during its final invasion. Vast devastation was wrought on the known world, with forests blazing up, and islands sinking into the sea. Eventually Gaea became aware of the savage conflict. Shocked by the destruction, she gave sentience to a grove of trees (the original Throne of Trees). For thousands of years they acted as guardians of the earth and all the different forms of life which inhabit it. But the Parliament only existed in the Grove of Serenity, in between space and time. There were human agents who could act on their behalf in our world, and of course the elementals, but the Infernal forces seemed to be gaining ground. Eventually the decision was made to seed Earth with a new race; a sentient plant life. The Mangal are an offshoot of that seeding.

Mangals are sentient mangrove trees with human characteristics. They are typically protectors of the mangrove swamps and antagonists to industrialization and despoiling of nature. They reproduce very slowly take many, many years to reach their full potential. Of the recognized 110 mangrove species, only about 54 species in 20 genera from 16 families constitute the "true mangroves", species that occur almost exclusively in mangrove habitats. Demonstrating convergent evolution, many of these species found similar solutions to the tropical conditions of variable salinity, tidal range (inundation), anaerobic soils and intense sunlight. Plant biodiversity is generally low in a given Mangal. The greatest biodiversity occurs in the Mangal of New Guinea, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Type: Humanoid Rhizophoraceae

Physical Traits: Bark skin. Mangroves are various types of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics. Mangrove swamps are found in tropical and subtropical tidal areas. Areas where Mangal occurs include estuaries and marine shorelines. The intertidal existence to which these trees are adapted represents the major limitation to the number of species able to thrive in their habitat. High tide brings in salt water, and when the tide recedes, solar evaporation of the seawater in the soil leads to further increases in salinity. The return of tide can flush out these soils, bringing them back to salinity levels comparable to that of seawater. At low tide, organisms are also exposed to increases in temperature and desiccation, and are then cooled and flooded by the tide. Thus, for a plant to survive in this environment, it must tolerate broad ranges of salinity, temperature, and moisture, as well as a number of other key environmental factors — thus only a select few species make up the mangrove tree community. About 110 species are considered "mangroves", in the sense of being a tree that grows in such a saline swamp, though only a few are from the mangrove plant genus, Rhizophora. However, a given mangrove swamp typically features only a small number of tree species. It is not uncommon for a mangrove forest in the Caribbean to feature only three or four tree species. For comparison, the tropical rainforest biome contains thousands of tree species, but this is not to say mangrove forests lack diversity. Though the trees themselves are few in species, the ecosystem these trees create provides a home for a great variety of other organisms. Mangrove plants require a number of physiological adaptations to overcome the problems of anoxia, high salinity and frequent tidal inundation. Each species has its own solutions to these problems; this may be the primary reason why, on some shorelines, mangrove tree species show distinct zonation. Small environmental variations within a Mangal may lead to greatly differing methods for coping with the environment. Therefore, the mix of species is partly determined by the tolerances of individual species to physical conditions, such as tidal inundation and salinity, but may also be influenced by other factors, such as predation of plant seedlings by crabs.
Once established, mangrove roots provide an oyster habitat and slow water flow, thereby enhancing sediment deposition in areas where it is already occurring.

Height: See table below

Weight: See table below

Abilities: Mangals can dive down to a maximum depth of 5 metres per CON and go without air for 1 hour per CON.  Immunity all mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning. Also see table below.

Mobility: Legs

Sensory Organs: Visual

Communication: Vocal

Reproduction: Pollen

INT: 3D6, WIS: 4D6, STR: 3D6, DEX: 3D6, CON: 4D6, CHA: 2D6, MR: 2D6, HPs: CON +D20

Orbit/Climate: See Earth

Feeding Habits: The character produces his food photosynthetically by absorbing nutrients from the water, earth and atmosphere and using sunlight to make them into energy and tissue. They suffer D6 extra damage when attacked with weapons employing fire or cold. Complete nourishment for a day can be achieved by taking root in the soil for an hour during which it can't move. In addition they need three hours of bright sunlight or six hours of dim sunlight. Mangals have the same water needs as other races and animals, although they usually draws it from the soil. If the plant doesn't meet these requirements for a day, it suffers the same consequences as any other race or animal that doesn't eat all day. It takes several days of no food or water to kill a plant.

Lifespan: Unmeasured but possibly immortal.

Technology: 2

Culture: Truly kind race with little violence or hatefulness. Mangal swamps protect coastal areas from erosion, storm surge (especially during hurricanes), and tsunamis. The mangroves' massive root systems are efficient at dissipating wave energy. Likewise, they slow down tidal water enough so its sediment is deposited as the tide comes in, leaving all except fine particles when the tide ebbs. In this way, mangroves build their own environments. Because of the uniqueness of mangrove ecosystems and the protection against erosion they provide, they are often the object of conservation programs, including national biodiversity action plans. The unique ecosystem found in the intricate mesh of mangrove roots offers a quiet marine region for young organisms. In areas where roots are permanently submerged, the organisms they host include algae, barnacles, oysters, sponges, and bryozoans, which all require a hard surface for anchoring while they filter feed. Shrimps and mud lobsters use the muddy bottoms as their home. Mangrove crabs munch on the mangrove leaves, adding nutrients to the Mangal muds for other bottom feeders. In at least some cases, export of carbon fixed in mangroves is important in coastal food webs. Mangrove plantations in Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and India host several commercially important species of fishes and crustaceans.

Government: Parliament of Nature via the Throne of Trees.

Population: Unmeasured but now in the millions.

 

Creating a Mangal character

Step 1: Age
Determine your character's age. If older than 100 you need to determine which years you have been present in.
01-20 100 xD10 years
21-40 100 x2D10 years
41-60 100 x4D10 years
61-75 100 x6D10 years
76-90 100 x8D10 years
91-00 100 x10D10 years
Next decide what you have been doing. Were you involved in any famous historical incidents? In the present day where does your character live or is he a wanderer, moving around continuously?
Step 2: Attributes
Roll attributes as normal but WIS and CON are 4D6, while CHA and MR are 2D6. Mana = INT + WIS x3. Mana is recovered at a rate of 10 per hour if remain active (but not using magic) and 20 per hour if asleep. Mana can however be permanently traded for HPs at a rate of 1 for 1. Hit points = CON +20, +20 per level.
Step 3: Skills

Initially skills may be chosen as normal but may only be selected from the Roman Era pool, other skills may be chosen later but modern ones would require someone to train the character.
Step 4: Abilities

All Mangals gain all the following free;

Immunity - Mangals are immune to all mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning.

Partial Aquatic - Mangals can dive down to a maximum depth of 5 metres per CON and go without air for 1 hour per CON.

Additionally Mangals start with 35 Points to spend on any of the following abilities. As they earns more experience they may buy or rebuy more abilities.
Ability Cost Notes
Natural Chameleon 5 Using this ability the Mangal can blend into and render himself nearly invisible in wooded areas, fields of tall grass, clumps of bushes, or any other wilderness area with dark or shaded terrain. When hiding he can conceal himself from attackers and eavesdrop on his enemies. He can hide near a well travelled road and secretly observe passersby, or conceal himself near an enemy campsite waiting for an opportune moment to steal their supplies. 

He may also move with a minimum of sound, almost as if he's walking on air. Even creatures with the sharpest ears are no more likely to detect his presence than they are to hear a feather drop. The ability works equally well in icy mountains, heavily wooded forests, or any other type of wilderness terrain. This goes well beyond the stealth skill raising it to a supernatural level and preventing any non magical detection.

Natural Defiance 5 The character can root himself to the ground and withstand great amounts of kinetic force and remain in a perfect upright position. As long as the character knows he's about to be hit by sudden force like a truck, he automatically becomes almost impossible to move. 5 tons per WIS +1 per level. The subject must be ready for the attack to prepare for the blow. Likewise he is extremely difficult to lift.
Natural Heal 5 An Mangal can heal at phenomenal rates whenever in a wooded area or forest. He must concentrate for 1 minute uninterrupted to perform the following healing; restore 1 HP per INT, +1 per level per 10 minutes; negate all pain for 1 minute per INT, +1 minute per level; or stabilize his condition (stops bleeding, binds wounds, etc.) for 15 minutes per level.
Natural Mana 10 +10 Mana at levels 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20.
Natural Sense 5 The character always knows exactly where he is on the planet, even when underground. He can also sense what weather is approaching one hour per WIS ahead of time.
Natural Sight 5 The character can see heat images and traces the same way as thermo optic equipment can see invisible lifeforms by their heat. Further he can also see Electrical fields (and their intensity), Gravity waves (in a radar like manner), Mana or Ley Line power (depending on which system you use), Magnetic fields, Radiation, Ultraviolet, Infrared and X-rays. All equal to normal sight range. 
Natural State 5 Mangals are able to meld with the forest or any garden with trees in it, effectively becoming one with it. In this state he is aware of any activity within its vicinity. He may also enter into a state of suspended animation while doing this.
Plant Empathy 5 Arboreals can establish telepathic communication with any plant within line of sight if he does nothing else in the round. No minimum INT required. This has the following benefits:
He can alter the plant, giving it intelligence. It will answer any of his questions. Further he can then recruit this plant as an ally. Once he does so he permanently psionically links with the plant turning it into a familiar. At any point he may see through the familiar's eyes, smell through its nose, hear with its ears, taste with its mouth or link with any of its other senses (including supernatural ones). The two are always in constant telepathic contact. He can have one ally per 5 WIS.
Spellcast 10 Faerie and Elemental Earth magic only but he is bestowed with all the spells within those spheres.

Mangals can tap into the world’s natural mana at a rate of INT + WIS x3. Mana is recovered at a rate of 10 per hour if remain active (but not using magic) and 20 per hour if asleep.
Witch Sight 10 The character can see the true image of any person or object regardless of any form of concealment, disguise, illusion or invisibility. This also includes the ability to detect whether it is magical, and whether it is harmful or helpful.
Step 5: Classes

Unless trained by another then Geomancer or Shaman are the only available classes. Any other classes would require consultation with the GM.

 

Age True Years Height Weight Body Mutations
Sapling 1-5 1 ft +D10 inches 10 kgs 1
Shrub 6-10 3 ft +D10 inches 30 kgs 2
Tree 11-50 7 ft +D10 inches 60 kgs 4
Elder 51-250 20 +2D10 feet 90 kgs 6
Venerable 251+ 50 +5D10 feet 120 kgs 8

 

Plant Mutations
For a truly random character in this new world roll on the following tables. As always each section is optional. The player may choose to roll on all, some or none of the tables.
Step 1: Colour Mutations
Roll on this table several times; once for skin colour, again for eye colour and once more for fruit colour.
01-20 Completely normal green
21-25 Red
26-30 Orange
31-35 Yellow
36-40 Blue
41-45 Indigo
46-50 Violet
51-55 Gold
56-60 Silver
61-65 Bronze
66-70 Brown
71-75 White
76-80 Black
81-85 Grey
86-90 Transparent
91-95 Combination of several of the above in striped form. Roll D4 more times.
96-00 Combination of several of the above in patch form. Roll D4 more times.
Step 2: Eye Mutations
What type of eyes does the character have?
01-10 Very small; -2 to hit eyes if targeted by enemies.
11-20 Small; -1 to hit eyes if targeted by enemies.
21-40 Completely normal.
41-50 Large; +10% greater sight range.
51-60 Very Large; +20% greater sight range.
61-70 Oval shape; 180 degree vision.
71-80 Glowing; +1 to intimidate.
81-90 Insect; 360 degree vision.
91-00 Third Eye; see the invisible.
Step 3: Size Mutations
How big is the character?
01-08 1ft +D10 inches
09-16 2ft +D10 inches
17-24 3ft +D10 inches
25-30 4ft +D10 inches
31-44 5ft +D10 inches
45-52 6ft +D10 inches
53-60 7ft +D10 inches
61-68 8ft +D10 inches
69-76 9ft +D10 inches
77-84 10ft +D10 inches
85-92 11ft +D10 inches
93-00 12ft +D10 inches
Step 4: Body Mutations
Does the character have any additional mutations?
01-06 None.
07-12 Acid for blood; the plant's chlorophyll is highly acidic doing 5D6 damage to anything it touches.  
13-18 Alpha Sense; the character senses Alpha Wave emissions from animal and human brains at a range of 1 metre per WIS. He can locate the emission source exactly as if he were seeing the character. 
19-24 Aromatic; the plant's strong fragrance reminds those who smell it of their favourite food, causing them to follow the scent to its source. Each victim gets at a time of the GM's choosing, a Psi save to break this illusion. On windy days, range is 90 metres downwind and 30 metres upwind. The effect is broken once characters are within 3 metres of the plant or the plant attacks. 
25-30 Antennae; depending on the character's powers these could be used as senses, discharge, telepathy, etc.
31-36 Bacterial Symbiosis; plants with this mutation form a symbiotic relationship with powerful micro-organisms living beneath their outer skin. When the Plant is damaged or eaten, these are released and those coming in contact with them must save vs Disease. Those failing their roll contract a major illness. 
37-42 Barbed Leaves; the character's leaves can do severe damage to those coming in contact with them. The barbed hooks do D4 damage each. Unless careful removing them will cause another D4 damage.
43-48 Chemical Sense; the character senses the chemical makeup of the surrounding area up to a 1 metre per WIS range. The greater the variation from the background norm, the more clearly he sees something. 
49-54 Control; the character can control one plant within 1 metre per WIS making it do his bidding within its capabilities (it could not, for example, walk). 
55-60 Divisional Body; the plant's tendrils, vines, limbs, trunk, stalk or whatever (as deemed appropriate by the GM) have become segmented so that they can separate from its body and move about independently at a range of 30 metres. The character is assumed to have some rudimentary sense ability allowing it to make directed use of these elements. 
61-65 Explosive Seeds; the plant's seeds are explosive doing D6 each per level with a blast radius of 3 metres. Fruit and seeds may be stored for later use. 
66-70 Healing Fruit; the plant develops a special type of fruit that has any one of eight possible effects. Either roll once to determine what type of fruit the character always has or roll each time grow a new fruit. Roll D6 to determine what the fruit does; 
1 Heals all physical damage.
2 Cures any disease.
3 Cures any mental condition.
4 Induces trance-like sleep for D4 hours.
5 Cures radiation poisoning.
6 Antidote for all poisons, toxins and venoms.
71-76 Poisonous; the plant secretes a contact poison which does 3D6 skin damage to any who touch it unless they save vs Poison. 
77-82 Razor Leaves; the character's leaves can do severe damage to those coming in contact with them. The razors do D6 damage each and will cut most substances. 
83-88 Spore Cloud; the character has motion-sensitive skin. Anything moving nearby causes it to shoot spores in the general direction of the movement. The spores then release a gas causing victims to save vs Toxin or be knocked out. 
89-94 Thorn Expulsion; the character has barbed thorns it can fire up to PS x1 metre. He will have 4D20 Thorns and will take a week to grow new ones if any are used or damaged. The thorns do D4 each and choose whether they also contain a sedative. 
95-00 Transparent Body; can see right through his body. Note he is not totally invisible as his outline can be made out.

 

Races