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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shade" data-source="post: 5688920" data-attributes="member: 287">We're down to the last three, and they're all humanoids barely worthy of conversion.   Anyway, here's the most interesting of the three...While the equine Houyhnhnms exemplify what humans might aspire to be, the Yahoos show the worst that humans can become. These nasty creatures foreshadow what may ultimately become of Gulliver when he loses his mind.Yahoos (1-10): AC 7; MV 10, 16 in trees; HD 3; THACO 17; #AT 1; Dmg 1-3; SA thrown filth; SZ L; ML Unreliable (2-4); Int Highly (13-14); AL CN (E); EXP 65.Yahoos are humanoids whose ancestors may once have been human, but became genetically debased through inbreeding. The heads, chests, lower legs, and feet of both sexes are covered with thick hair. This hair is a mixed pattern of brown, red, black, and yellow. The Yahoo's skin is a brown buff, while nails are long, thick, pointed, and always dirty. Males wear short beards and long ridges of hair down the center of their backs. Both sexes can climb trees as nimbly as a squirrel and are competent swimmers. They sleep in caves, trees, or in crude kennels that more intelligent creatures (in this case the Houyhnhnms) construct for them. Most of the time, Houyhnhnms keep their Yahoos tied by the neck by thin, flexible, but very tough braided twigs or branches. These leashes are fastened to a beam to keep the nasty Yahoos from making mischief.When an unknown creature (such as a player character) enters a Yahoo tribe's home territory, 1-6 Yahoos may approach the invaders out of curiosity or to steal a few shiny objects. They attack only if first attacked. Whenever possible, Yahoos prefer to fight from a distance. For weapons, they throw rocks, branches and even their own filth at opponents. If the invaders possess members of the equine family, are able to shape change into horse-like creatures via magic, or are in the company of one or more Houyhnhnms, the Yahoos do not voluntarily approach the party.Yahoos are willing slaves, being far too concerned for short-lived pleasures to organize any resistance against their Houyhnhnms masters. The player characters may attempt to lead the Yahoos in a revolt against their masters, but Yahoo tribes lack enough reason to follow any type of plan, even when they attack other tribes of Yahoos. Consequently, Yahoos might attack the player characters or their horses instead of the Houyhnhnms.To Swift, Yahoos are what humanity could have become if humans had fallen beyond all hope of redemption. These crude and brutish humanoids live in tribes of 20 to 120 (2d6 x 10) members in extended families. One of every four Yahoos are infants or juveniles who pose no threat to the player characters. Adult females give birth to one to four children every two years. The other three-fourths are adult males and females. Yahoos have no written or spoken language (at least none that Gulliver could recognize).These slow-thinking anthropoids are used by the Houyhnhnms as beasts of burden. Four Yahoos can pull one or two Houyhnhnms on a sledge-like vehicle. Yahoos obey the commands of Houyhnhnms as long as they are under observation by their masters. If they are not tied up or being watched, however, these mischievous creatures steal milk, devour their master's cats and commit many other acts of vandalism.During daylight hours, these subhuman scavengers eat nuts, fruits, and carrion. They will supplement their diet by catching weasels, rats, and fish. A tribe may roam several miles to find food. The yahoos always return to their sleeping caves, trees or kennels before sunset. These creatures amuse themselves by eating certain types of intoxicating roots that drive them wild. They are very unclean and often wallow or sleep in the mud.Originally appeared in Polyhedron #106 (1995).</blockquote>

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