T'Skrangs and Drakes, Are they the same? Options

[JesterX]

Probably a stupid question but...

Are T'Skrangs and Drakes the same race?

[Ancient History]

No. Not even really close.

[/edit]Also, there are no stupid questions.

[/edit][/edit]But if we had a contest for "closest to a stupid question," you might have winner there. ;)

[Jrayjoker]

Hmmm, AH has had his wheaties today.

[JesterX]

Hehe ^_^

Thanks for the quick answer, AH.

However, what are the big differences between the two?

And was there some SURGE effect or other canon references that seems to bring some T'Skrang, Obsidimen and Windlings back in the 6th world?

[Ancient History]

Well, one was a natural, egg-laying race of amphibious warm-blooded reptilians, and the other is an artificial, non-reproducing (in most pure form, bred drakes reproduce via live young) race of shapeshifters whose natural form is that of a small dracoform.

You can't quite build a t'skrang with SURGE, obsidimen are something else again, and windlings most closely resemble sprites in SR. There has been a single SR reference to something that might be a t'skrang survival.

[hermit]

T'Skrang are, basically, Lizardmen. Drakes are, basically, dragon shapeshifters.

Drakes can only change into small dragons (3 meters, not 30), and T'skrang aren't carbon-copies of D&D Lizardfolk either, btu that's the basic idea.

Edit: AH beat me to it.

Edit 2: A T'Skrang survivor? Where? Can you elaborate, AH?

[Ancient History]

Possible survival. A shadowposter notes in the Corporate Download that Scale assumed the form of a lizard-man...which means either Scale is very old (a possibility), or he was dealing with t'skrang (also possible). Given the great differences in form, I highly doubt the poster would mistake the mini-dracoform for a "lizard man", even if somehow caught in mid-transformation.

[/edit]In any event, t'skrang reproduction is tied to the mana level, and t'skrang themselves have been proven able to tolerate draconic hibernation. It is not impossible that certain t'skrang, particularly the subterranean or ocean t'skrang, might have survived in hibernation. This would have required a properly sealed and hidden location, or possibly a firendly dragon.

[JesterX]

In fact, I totally knew what a T'Skrang was since i'm an hardcore ED Gamemaster.

But I didn't knew nothing about Drakes... Except that Quicksilver evolved into one in the DH trilogy....

Thanks guys

[hermit]

[Ancient History]

Scale is Lofwyr's. The Sea Dragon, or indeed any Leviathan, is a plausible candidate to harbor ocean t'skrang.

[Jrayjoker]

I'll have a Mocha latte, then.

Ba da bump! Rimshot!

[Hoondatha]

Can you please define what you meant by "Obsidimen are something else again"?

[Req]

Well, I presume it meant "the difference between living rocks and everything else is greater than the relatively slim difference between various vertebrate species..." Obsidimen would be a real stretch of SURGE effects.

[Ancient History]

Obsidimen are fragments of a larger elemental earth spirit. Their bodies are flesh admixed with elemental earth; they reproduce spiritually rather than physically, and cannot have metahuman relations.

[hermit]

Well, if they were equipped, it wouldn't be pleasant, I mean, it's not like they're polished or something ... >_<

Anyway, would you consider sprites to be intelligent enough to be Windlings, and if, would a sprite PC be viable (as viable as, say a vampire, sasquatch or free spirit PC)?

[Grinder]

Yes. And much more annoying (when they're played the way 99% of windlings are played).

[hermit]

Free Spirits can be terribly annoying too. >_<

[Grinder]

Judged from my ED-experience where windlings appear a lot and less from a SR point of view i would say that windlings are mostly an annoying bunch of flying idiots.
Free spirits differ more widely in personality and behavior imo.

[Critias]

The unfortunate fact is that most windling players want them to be an annoying bunch of flying idiots. They can be, as a race, just as serious and dramatic as any of the other Name-Givers. Instead, your average player focuses on the "I'm a Kender with bug wings, wheee!" horseshit.

[GaiasWrath8]

I thought I read that windlings are Sprits but when the mana levels are to low they are force back to there native plane. As the magic levels raise they are pushed into our plane.

Also, its very possible dragons around the world are still harboring sleeping T'Skrang knowing that the magic is to low for them to breed, but then that raises a question, if the magic to low for dragons to breed?

[Ancient History]

Sprites/Windlings fall under the 'faerie' category. It's possible that the windlings we know and loath/love are "naturalized" descendants of sprites. Or maybe not.

T'skrang eggs are very mana-sensitive when it comes to fertilization. It's possible some dragons still harbor t'skrang, and it's likely the mana level is yet too low for successful natural fertilization in the wild. Breeding and gestation in particularly potent sites might enable successful hatchings.

[Birdy]

Allowing Windlings in SR has one benefit over the same race in ED:

In SR there's always the Enfield AS7


Birdy

[Jrayjoker]

Why can't we all jsut get along?

[blakkie]

[Jrayjoker]

But, but, but...they can see in astral space and other cool stuff.