Traveller Bestiary: Ancients
Traveller Bestiary: Ancients
I’m using Ancients as the link to Cthulhu Mythos but the form of the Mythos varies with the theme of the setting.
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3rd Imperium
In my 3I the Ancients are like Illithids / Mind Flayers from D&D i.e. a more or less humanoid star faring species with high tech, psionic powers and star ships etc see “My 3I: Ancients.”
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Pulpy Setting
In a setting with a more pulpy theme I am treating them as closer to the CoC game but merged into my handwavium for how Jump drive works (see “My 3I: Handwavium.”)
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Gods
- Yog-Sothoth, Shub-Niggurath, Tsathoqqua, Ithaqua, Azathoth, Hastur, Chaugna Faughn etc
These are very powerful entities which exist wholly or partially in 5D jump space (or may only be aspects of 5D space that psykers, sorcerors, cultists etc in the past perceived as Gods). They effectively have extreme psionic talents and whatever they actually are they “work” as Gods i.e. sorcerors can use ancient rituals to get Yog-Sothoth to teleport them, even across space
- servitors
associated with the above gods
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Star-Spawn
These are (or were) the actual Ancients
- Cthulhu like species of varying size and strength
- Teleport/Jump across space in psionic controlled pyramid ships
- Pyramid ships need gravity to be right to operate
- Often go to sleep when stars aren’t right
- Wake up, eat everyone, travel
- Engage in terra forming for some unknown reason (evolve species for food?)
- Engage in uplift for some unknown reason (increase population density for food?)
Commonly use Chtonians, Deep Ones and Tcho-Tcho as terra formers
Possible Handwavium: Pyramid ships require sacrifice. Death causes the 5D aspect of a creature (soul) to be pulled back so mass death can create a temporary rift which makes it easier to jump – hence terra forming, uplifting etc – seeding planets with life because death is their jump fuel.
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Animal Intelligence
- Shantaks – have a home world somewhere, transported to others occasionally
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Ape/Dolphin/Ant Intelligence
- Cthonian – transported to many worlds as terra formers (up to one per subsector)
- Shoggoths – used as guard dogs so transported to many worlds and often one or more are left behind
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Hunter Gatherer Level
- Deep Ones – transported to numerous worlds as terra formers (one per subsector possible)
- Tcho-Tcho – transported to numerous worlds as terra formers (one per subsector possible)
- Nightgaunts – home world, transported in breeding quantities occasionally
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Special Level (farmers upwards)
- elder things, mi-go, great race, flying polyp, serpent men
special
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Weird Science
Creatures that are somehow connected to 5D so don’t behave in a “natural” way in 4D
- formless spawn, dimensional shambler, star vampire, hound of tindalos
- color out of space, flame vampire, hunting horror etc
creatures don’t necessarily look how they are depicted – the form is how they are perceived to be in 4D
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Natural Space Travel
Byakhee – their “Hune” is like a natural anti-grav / m-drive / j-drive device
Shantak and Nightgaunts have a partial anti-grav “Hune” that reduces their weight making it possible for them to fly.
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Frequency
Don’t want to overdo the Mythos aspect – max 3-4 sites per sub-sector
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Knowledge of Mythos
Many worlds will have no knowledge of the Mythos so if the players are from such a world there won’t be any ancient books like the Necronomicon – that world would only learn about it through exploring.
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