Gadflies

Physical Characteristics

Appearance:

Khaki to olive skin with a darker neck and an orange to red patch on throat with six limbs: Two arms, two legs, and two wings. Gadflies' wings are jointed in the middle, like those of bats, and have small claws or hooks at the joint.

Resilience:

Slowed by cold, but only harmed by extremely rapid temperature changes. Strong lungs. Can eat rotten meat with impunity and, after a large meal, can go for an extended period without further food.

Background Aspects

Inherent Aspects:

Acceptance 2, Slow Metabolism 3, Strong Stomach 5, Tolerance of Extremes (Cold) 2

Recommended Aspects:

Fortunate

Curious, Fast Learner, Good Memory, and Lazy are also very common, but do not receive the cost reduction for Recommended Aspects.

Unique Abilities:

Vocal Flexibility 4 - This ability allows gadflies to speak the languages of other species at a Rank up to the Rank of this Aspect without penalty. The language(s) in question must be learned in the normal fashion.

Sensitivity (to Magic/Mages) 1 - Detection range = Rank^2 meters. May also purchase Affinity(Magic Location) to localize source of magic within area. Exceptionally strong or weak magic sources may adjust detection range per inverse-square law. Proximity to magical energy acts as a narcotic upon Gadflies and several are addicted to the 'rush' it gives them.

Flight at triple normal tactical movement rates. Long-term movement rates are calculated using twice Endurance rather than the sum of Endurance and Height Value.

Due to the small size and high maneuverability of Gadflies, they are allowed a free Evade maneuver in each round of combat at no Option Point cost. Should a Gadfly choose to perform an active Evade, each is rolled for separately and the effects are added together.

Expertises and Attributes

Inherent Expertises:

Language (Gadfly) 5, 6 Free IP distributed among additional languages (limit of 3 per language), Flight 3 (Unique Talent)

Recommended Expertises:

Dodge, Artistic Expression, Knowledge (Magical Theory), Language (Any)

Profile Restrictions:

None

Minimum Attributes:

Agility 5, Communication 4, Empathy 4, Quickness 4

After purchasing Attributes, increase Agility and Empathy by 50%, increase Quickness by 100%, reduce Endurance by 50%, and reduce Strength by 70%.

Environmental Adaptation:

Heritage and Social Interaction

Dominance:

Based upon access to magical power and ability to survive without having to perform physical work.

Heritage Orientation: Relativist (Aquisition)

Lifestyle:

Thinking is a lot better than working. Should a mature gadfly discover a young gadfly, he is obligated to find a teacher for the child or teach it himself, even at the cost of leaving a mage to do so. Older students are expected to bring the teacher food before each lesson.

Family:

None. Eggs are left to hatch by themselves. Young are taken in by older gadflies and instructed in the way of gadfly life, but generally turned loose again when the instruction is complete.

Symbols and Creative Arts:

Music consists primarily of singing with accompaniment by wind instruments with no percussion or consistent beat. Origami-like structures of string, bone, and sticks are common; a unique example of this style are Akie, physical representations of magical constructs. Akie are rarely (if ever) represented to non-gadflies as anything more than aids to meditation, but in truth they are a tool for instructing mages.

Clothing and Decoration:

Gadflies like shiny things. Though they are not suited to clothing in the human sense, gadflies often wear jewelry or pouches around their necks. Whenever possible, gadflies will always carry at least one puppet or Akie with them. Occasionally, gadflies will attach streamers to their wing hooks, despite the dangers of getting the streamers tangled in their wings or nearby objects.

Religious and Magical Considerations:

Religion is based in mysticism, with spirits inhabiting everything. Life is a circle, with gadflies coming from magic and returning to magic when they die. Reincarnation is commonly accepted. At death, the body is left devoid of magic and of spirit; it is of no lasting significance. Many gadflies believe that magic itself is sentient, the collective intelligence of all those dead or not yet born.

Magic is very popular among the gadflies, though they are not capable of using it directly. Spells are considered as puzzles to be worked out, then converted to Akie. The completed Akie is first displayed to other gadflies as proof of inspiration, then shown to a mage who can attempt to create the actual effect. Mages are often given a gift of a shawl or other garment by associated gadflies; these garments invariably contain many pockets which are used by the gadfly for transport of his possessions.

History: