Gotal



Gotals are a species of tall, hairy humanoid sentients native to the moon Antar 4. Their most distinctive features are the twin conical horns growing on the top of their heads, which act as highly responsive electromagnetic sensors. These head cones are sensitive enough to pick up subtle changes in another being's electromagnetic emissions from emotional changes, making Gotals natural empaths. The unique nature of these sensors shaped Gotal culture, and helps individual Gotals carve niches in galactic society ranging from bounty hunters to diplomats.

Biology and Appearance
The Gotal species evolved on Antar 4, the mineral-rich fourth moon of the gas giant Antar in the Prindaar system. As the moon of a gas giant, Antar 4 was a world with a complex day/night cycle. Sometimes, one side of Antar 4 would be illuminated by the sun Prindaar, while the other received almost the same amount of light from the highly reflective surface of the gas giant Antar. At other times, Antar would block all sunlight to both hemispheres. As light was not always available there, Antarian animal life could not rely on sight as a primary sense.

To compensate for this, the ancestors of the Gotals evolved cranial horns as receptors to sense electromagnetism and other energy emissions. These nerve-ending filled cones could sense the natural electromagnetic fields produced by Antar, Prindaar, and Antar 4's magnetite-rich crust. Their senses also picked up the electromagnetic auras from other life forms. Gotal hunters could sense their quarry from up to ten kilometers away, and could track herds of quivry for weeks. Gotal horns are now even sensitive enough to pick up such indistinct signals as neutrino emissions. Electronic devices can also be sensed by Gotals: in fact, most droids give off enough electromagnetic emissions to seriously disorient a Gotal. Gotals rely heavily on their cones, with their eyesight and hearing being quite weak, and their sense of smell almost completely absent.

Though standard reference works such as the Catalog of Intelligent Life in the Galaxy are silent on the subject, some records indicate that Gotals may be able to sense the Force with their cones. The records of the Gotals themselves are split on the issue. Those sources which do describe Gotals sensing the Force varied in their descriptions. Some sources describe it as an intense, overwhelming sensation, while others treated it as a mere "indistinct buzzing." Any ability to sense the use of the Force with their cones does not hinder Gotals who are Force-sensitive in the conventional sense from learning to use the Force, however.

Gotals have flat faces with reddish eyes, small, flat noses, and shaggy fur covering most of their bodies. Their overall body plan was humanoid, with proportions generally similar to Humans. Both of their hands had four fingers and a thumb, with short, conical claws on each digit. Their skin color varied from gray-brown to black, and their fur came in shades of brown or gray. While male Gotals typically had a thick fringe of hair around their cheeks and chins, this was absent in female Gotals.

Society and Culture
In addition to sensing energy emissions in their environment and the presence of their prey animals, Gotals use their cones to monitor subtle changes in one another's electromagnetic auras. This ability to quickly and easily judge another Gotal's emotional state is fundamental to their culture. For example, love at first "sight" is the norm among Gotals, whose empathic nature makes the elaborate courtship rituals of other sentients unnecessary. Gotals only speak to each other to relay abstract information, since they have no need to vocally express their emotions. (Ironically, since Gotals speak in a non-inflected monotone, they seem emotionless to Humans and other non-Gotals.)

Young Gotals often have trouble assimilating the information arriving from their cones, and are in a constant state of agitated confusion until they learn to filter unwanted signals after about one standard year. Even then, it takes them until the age of twelve to attain emotional maturity, and they can sometimes be nearly psychotic until that time. Despite this, Gotal parents are devoted to their children, and young Gotals have children as soon as they can manage it. Mature Gotals are generally calm and peaceful individuals.

Horns are the primary physical feature Gotals find attractive in one another. In fact, while smaller cones can be just as energy sensitive as large ones, small-horned Gotals frequently enhance their appearance with larger false cones. Some Gotals become romantically attached to non-Gotals; but they only seem to be sexually attracted to other creatures with cones or horns on their heads.

Stats & Skills

 * Attribute Dice: 12D
 * DEXTERITY: 1D+2/4D+2
 * KNOWLEDGE: 1D/3D
 * MECHANICAL: 1D/2D
 * PERCEPTION: 2D/5D
 * STRENGTH: 2D+1/4D+1
 * TECHNICAL: 1D/3D
 * Move: 10/15

Special Abilities
Energy Sensitivity: Because Gotals are unusually sensitive to radiation emissions, they receive a +3D to their search skill when hunting targets in wide open areas of up to 10 kilometers around them. In crowded areas, such as towns and cities, the bonus drops to +1D, and the range drops to less than one kilometer. In areas with intense radiation, they suffer a -1D penalty to search because their senses are overwhelmed by radiation static.

Mood Detection: By reading the auras and moods of others, Gotals receive a positive or negative bonus when engaging in interactive skills with other characters. The Gotals makes a moderate Perception check and adds the following bonus to his Perception skills when making opposed rolls for the rest of that encounter:
 * Rolls Misses Difficulty By/Penalty: 6+/-3D 2-5/-2D 1/-1D
 * Roll Beats Difficulty By/Bonus: 0-7/1D 8-14/2D 15+/3D

Fast Initiative: Gotals who are not suffering from radiation static receive a +1D when rolling initiative against non-Gotal opponents. This is due to their ability to read the emotions and intentions of others.

Story Factors
Droid Hate: Gotals dislike droids because the emissions produced by droids overwhelm their special senses. They receive a -1D to all Perception-based skill rolls when within three meters of a droid.

Reputation: Because of the Gotal’s reputation as being overly sensitive to moods and feelings, other species are uncomfortable dealing with them. Assign modifiers as appropriate.