What's up with Jellyfish from Oathbound?

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

Re: 2D Art and Communication

I think they would have to develop 2D art if they were to develop walls, I would presume that a species that sees in all directions would have to use such decoration to combat their high level of latent Agoraphobia.

Why would they have plum lines, 90 degree angles, and flat walls? Building in the round makes more sense for them. Maybe with frescoes (sp?) rather than mosaic or paintings. Something with some dimensionality to it.

btw- Agoraphobia tendencies assume they think like us, but with all around vision. That's putting the cart before the horse.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I concede

Yeah, building in the round makes more sense for anyone. Still one would think a hallway would now and again be necessary.

I thought the agoraphobia point was pretty well thought out, but again I must concede that rabbitts see in close to 360 and they don't seem to mind warrens.

If it's a predator or mid-level species thing it might still applly.

There is also the question of whether or not decoration is something that every species that develops walls has to go through.

Neanderthals didn't decorate, but there is the question of how intelligent they were and I don't think they ever been found to live as far back in the cave systems as later species.

I wonder how they handle procreation on the dry land. Do they adopt normal dry land strategies or are they amphibious?

 

[Ashy]

Re: Re: 2D Art and Communication

Why would they have plum lines, 90 degree angles, and flat walls? Building in the round makes more sense for them. Maybe with frescoes (sp?) rather than mosaic or paintings. Something with some dimensionality to it.

I agree, which is why Nydaria is the way it is...

 

[LcKedovan]

Re: Re: City?

I suggest picking up the book - Bastion ships for free worldwide, so there's no excuse not to order now!

Hey that's my line!

-Will

 

[Ashy]

True, Will - but ya weren't here!

Seriously folks - there have been a ton of awesome ideas posted here about the possible perceptions and outlooks of the ceptu - few of them I can address directly. Greg Dent (to the best of my knowledge) created them and I have let him know about this thread, I'm sure he'll be along shortly to chime in!

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Coolness

Hearing from Mr. Dent would be very cool.

I'm happy to say that my copy of Oathbound may be in tomorrow. I would say definitely but my FLGS has been known to misorder things.

I wonder if telekinesis makes you better or worse at riding horses? An odd question, but I have mounts on the mind.

 

[Teneb]

I wonder if telekinesis makes you better or worse at riding horses? An odd question, but I have mounts on the mind.

? Not sure how this comes in to play, but hopefully you'll find your answer. BTW, horses aren't as common, most folks ride kith...big kitties. I think you'll like them

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Kitties!!!

I guess the real question is more along the lines of, If I float do I have weight?

I mean, when we float in the water we mostly hold onto things and get pulled along because we can't use our weight to anchor ourselves.

A Ceptu riding a big horse would be able to get a better grip cause he could grip the horse with his mind as opposed to our reliance on those few points of contact through which we can project gripping force. But, if the Ceptu floats then he loses the advantage of being able to push a lot of weight down on the mount without any effort 'cept sitting balanced.

That question also makes a huge difference to your move silently, climb, and jump checks as well as your ability to not blow away in a heavy breeze.

Further, if they are pack hunting creatures, as I proposed earlier, than that might also imply some very different general habits than we gathering creatures apply.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

I think they'd be more of a herd or a school than a pack. Packs usually coordinate attacks in order to bring down prey larger and/or faster than themselves. Jellyfish have no reason to do this. If they were to group, it would be for the protection of numbers and increased awareness of their surroundings.

btw- Those of you who have the book. Do these critters have any kind of poison? If not, that would make an ideal expansion for them, as real jellyfish species have a variety of toxins they deliver through their tentacles. Just a thought.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Pack, Herd, Pod, what is a group of Ceptu anyway?

Or a group of Elves, for that matter. DnD needs more cool group nouns.

Yeah, Jellyfish wouldn't pack, but I think that a pack mentality would be fair adjustment to terrestrial life as they don't seem prepared for individual terrestrial hunting strategies and I am presuming they remained carnivores.

On the other hand I can see them gathering as a result of either the need to protect unusual procreation processes or to magnify or deal with their hightened magical abilities.

War Against the Rull, by A. E. Van Vogt, has a real cool description of a species that develops social structure and intelligence, despite being physically superior, because it was a necessary development of their evolution of telepathic senses and, thus, communication. Further, their powerful abilities as hunters made it essential for them to deliberately control and manage their resources.

The main character has a hard time convincing humans they are sentient precisely because, as the supreme hunters in the ecosystem, they shouldn't need it. Plus the species doesn't trust the idea of a sentient species that isn't the apex predator. They think humans would evolve with a poor idea of how they work in ecology.

Van Vogt has really cool aliens. The Alien, from the movie which doesn't credit him but was forced to pay him millions, was based off a character in one of his books.