Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

[dragoongfa]

Let's put the question to rest because now it is bugging even me (and I think that this has been asked before but can't for the life of me find it):

How strong are the Loroi in physical terms?

Matching their human counterparts, stronger, weaker that short of thing. I would expect for Loroi warriors to match a physically adept woman, perhaps even a noticeable fraction stronger.

Female Loroi have similar strength as a human male of the same height, and slightly better endurance (though a human male of the same height will probably outweigh her by about 10%). You can consult the GURPS character sheets if you want specific examples (in this system, Alex is ST10 DX10 IQ17 HT10).

Being pedantic here but is that in the category of 'untrained modern male' or 'trained archetypal male'?

EDIT: Because if its the later then I think that I have one more mental reason to get buffed and do some corrections to stuff

[Arioch]

Being pedantic here but is that in the category of 'untrained modern male' or 'trained archetypal male'?

The subjects in this case are all active duty military personnel, so we assume a certain level of training and fitness.

[dragoongfa]

Time to get back into a fitness mode a little, even if Alex is a little on the skinny side in terms of manliness

[boldilocks]

Time to get back into a fitness mode a little, even if Alex is a little on the skinny side in terms of manliness

Isn't that good if he's trying to attract loroi, though? He'd also be better off 5-8 years younger so he was of the right height, as well, presumably.

[entity2636]

Time to get back into a fitness mode a little, even if Alex is a little on the skinny side in terms of manliness

Isn't that good if he's trying to attract loroi, though? He'd also be better off 5-8 years younger so he was of the right height, as well, presumably.

LOL if he was trying to attract loroi, then maybe, but he isn't So far only one loroi, a certain cute white haired one, appears to be trying to attract him. Which would be a good thing, if not for the war outside

[entity2636]

You can consult the GURPS character sheets if you want specific examples (in this system, Alex is ST10 DX10 IQ17 HT10).

Hmm, maybe you could, free time permitting, but not at the expense of new updates to the comic, make character sheets for the rest of the main cast and put them in the Insider?

[boldilocks]

LOL if he was trying to attract loroi, then maybe, but he isn't So far only one loroi, a certain cute white haired one, appears to be trying to attract him. Which would be a good thing, if not for the war outside

Oh please, Fireblade is just too shy to say something. Pretty soon she'll be leaving hunting trophies in his locker.
And you can't tell me Reed volunteered for guard duty for no reason.
And Mozin? You don't call some guy "little brother" unless you've got a serious man-crush going on.

[entity2636]

Oh please, Fireblade is just too shy to say something. Pretty soon she'll be leaving hunting trophies in his locker.

like a cat bringing it's owners the birds and mice it caught?

[inxsi]

Oh please, Fireblade is just too shy to say something. Pretty soon she'll be leaving hunting trophies in his locker.

like a cat bringing it's owners the birds and mice it caught?

Thanks for that, now I'm stuck with an Outsider version of the scene from the Godfather with the horse's head stuck in my mind, followed by Beryl having to explain to Alex how he's overreacting without letting on that it is Fireblade's way of saying she thinks he would be a fine mate.

[orion1836]

Let's put the question to rest because now it is bugging even me (and I think that this has been asked before but can't for the life of me find it):

How strong are the Loroi in physical terms?

Matching their human counterparts, stronger, weaker that short of thing. I would expect for Loroi warriors to match a physically adept woman, perhaps even a noticeable fraction stronger.

Female Loroi have similar strength as a human male of the same height, and slightly better endurance (though a human male of the same height will probably outweigh her by about 10%). You can consult the GURPS character sheets if you want specific examples (in this system, Alex is ST10 DX10 IQ17 HT10).

Not familiar with GURPS, but it appears Alex is smarter than even Beryl

I forgot about those [redacted] portions of the character sheets. Always makes me wonder.

...and Beryl's quirks are positively adorable.

[boldilocks]

Not familiar with GURPS, but it appears Alex is smarter than even Beryl

Obviously the man is smarter. This is a realistic space opera, after all.

A half-dead man adrift in space is exactly what's needed for a race of women trying to run a war. Now of course, those silly geese can relax because the man is here to put things in order.
First on the list, no more putting the toilet seat down, Deborah, I leave it as I like!

[Gorbash]

Not familiar with GURPS, but it appears Alex is smarter than even Beryl

True, but since GURPS is a point-buy-for-everything system, that just means he spent a few extra points on general intelligence, while Beryl probably spent those same points on "being a telepathic space elf" and her smattering of science skills.

And I totally forgot about the GURPS charsheets when I posted earlier. Fireblade has a perfectly respectable strength 12, which fits well with her height and linebacker shoulderblades, Tempo's perfectly average at 10, and Beryl's got Str 9, which fits her noodly nerd arms.

Having the sheets on hand also clarifies a lot about the major differences between humans and Loroi (though not minor differences like body temperature and smell -- those probably aren't even worth a 1-point quirk). Aside from telepathy, early maturation, and cultural point values, the only real difference is their +1 HT -- meaning they're generally a little sturdier and more resistant to disease, but not so much that your average Loroi and Hugh Mann the Earthling aren't about equally likely to die from bullets (firearms are not kind in GURPS). There's no real noticeable change to strength, so any differences there can be attributed to either "minor" differences, or the fact that GURPS does not enforce gender differentiation in stats.

...Now I really want to play GURPS again.

[icekatze]

hi hi

I always figured that Alex would be smarter because of his position. Beryl may be the smartest person that Strike Group 51 has to offer, but Alex is among the smartest people that humanity as a whole has to offer. Everyone that went on the contact mission was in the literal best of the best category, and in the flashback scene we find out that Alex was distinguished from the others in his graduating class because of his uncanny intelligence.

(In terms of GURPS one point in an attribute can be a significant difference. Basic Lifting is (STR x STR)/5 pounds. Max carry is STR x STR x 3, for 4th edition at least.)

---

On an unrelated note, I am curious if there are any formal or informal gestures for respect or disrespect. Is there any kind of tradition like standing at attention or saluting when being addressed by a superior? (I'm guessing they don't literally have a human salute, but something that serves a similar function maybe.) Is it considered disrespectful in certain contexts to look away when being addressed, even though asking a question with telepathy will get an honest impression either way?

[Siber]

Not familiar with GURPS, but it appears Alex is smarter than even Beryl

True, but since GURPS is a point-buy-for-everything system, that just means he spent a few extra points on general intelligence, while Beryl probably spent those same points on "being a telepathic space elf" and her smattering of science skills.

Also worth noting the various characters are built to different point totals, though. They're listed in the top right of the sheets.

I'm also amused by the sheets(if taken as hard gospel, which you obviously shouldn't) tell us that Beryl is definitively the least attractive of the main three Loroi, which I imagine some around here would take issue with

[Dorfington]

I'm also amused by the sheets(if taken as hard gospel, which you obviously shouldn't) tell us that Beryl is definitively the least attractive of the main three Loroi, which I imagine some around here would take issue with

That's made me curious as to how high Alex himself would rank on the beauty scale on his GURP sheet. I'd imagine he's at least a solid ten.

[entity2636]

I always figured that Alex would be smarter because of his position. Beryl may be the smartest person that Strike Group 51 has to offer, but Alex is among the smartest people that humanity as a whole has to offer. Everyone that went on the contact mission was in the literal best of the best category, and in the flashback scene we find out that Alex was distinguished from the others in his graduating class because of his uncanny intelligence.

I would say Alex having a higher IQ than Beryl and Tempo (16 and 15 respectively in their char sheets vs. 17) is logical, if one were to consider the Loroi education system. While we humans have a very broad education and a well educated human would generally know at least something about pretty much everything, which, again, in broad terms determine how intelligent a person is, the loroi are screened at a very early age, their natural talents and skills found out and then they get trained and educated in those specific fields, leaving the rest pretty much out.

Beryl is basically a science officer and as such would probably be very good at hard science - math, physics, chemistry, xenobiology, etc. but would probably suck at history, geography, art, literature, politics, loroi own biology and medicine and probably also fleet tactics and strategy.

Oh and by the way,

I'm also amused by the sheets(if taken as hard gospel, which you obviously shouldn't) tell us that Beryl is definitively the least attractive of the main three Loroi, which I imagine some around here would take issue with

speaking as a Terran man, I personally find natural cute/average looking girls more attractive than the pretty-as-a-picture model type, therefore, if asked, while Tempo might be a head turner, Beryl > Tempo, Fireblade - just not my type

[Arioch]

free time permitting, but not at the expense of new updates to the comic

Ay, there's the rub!

On an unrelated note, I am curious if there are any formal or informal gestures for respect or disrespect. Is there any kind of tradition like standing at attention or saluting when being addressed by a superior? (I'm guessing they don't literally have a human salute, but something that serves a similar function maybe.) Is it considered disrespectful in certain contexts to look away when being addressed, even though asking a question with telepathy will get an honest impression either way?

The Loroi use a lot of gesture and body language, but they don't have much in the way of formal gestures such as bows, salutes or shaking hands. There will be some practical conventions which are mostly the same as ours: since movement draws attention, it is polite and respectful to stand motionless when someone else (especially of a higher rank) is speaking, and to look away from someone who is speaking to you is a sign of disinterest or disrespect.

I'm also amused by the sheets(if taken as hard gospel, which you obviously shouldn't) tell us that Beryl is definitively the least attractive of the main three Loroi, which I imagine some around here would take issue with

That's made me curious as to how high Alex himself would rank on the beauty scale on his GURP sheet. I'd imagine he's at least a solid ten.

Alex is ranked as "Attractive." In GURPS, attractiveness is all about how people react to your appearance; whether you are pleasant (or unpleasant) to look at, or whether your presence literally turns heads. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but I think that Beryl's appeal probably has as much to do with her behavior and personality as it does with her physical beauty.

The reason Alex's sheet isn't posted is because it's unfinished. The creation of the sheets is used as a tool both to help define exactly what a character can do (especially in a combat situation, as with Fireblade's PK), and as a character-building exercise in trying to squeeze the desired abilities and attributes into a certain point total (Alex and Beryl are ~100-point "starter heroes", whereas Fireblade and Tempo are ~300-point borderline-superheroes; an "average" human is 25 points), in which which balancing advantages with disadvantages can suggest some interesting character flaws.

[orion1836]

Today I found myself wondering what would happen if Alex wore Fireblade's amplifier (probably because of a curious Beryl).

In the Outsider-verse, would there be any way to bootstrap Human telepathy with technology? Do we have the biological hardware and just lack the ability to use it, or do we not have the physical characteristics required for telepathy?

[Siber]

I can only imagine that if the answer to that question is yes, it's a hell of a spoiler.

[entity2636]

Today I found myself wondering what would happen if Alex wore Fireblade's amplifier (probably because of a curious Beryl).

In the Outsider-verse, would there be any way to bootstrap Human telepathy with technology? Do we have the biological hardware and just lack the ability to use it, or do we not have the physical characteristics required for telepathy?

I think I've read somewhere either on the forum or in Insider that amplifiers can seriously injure people who lack the proper training or are naturally not that good with telepathy/telekinesis. I'd guess that it would either not work at all, or would fry Alex's brain.

In the same context I remember reading that the loroi don't exactly know or understand the biology and mechanics behind their telepathy, i.e. exactly where is the telepathy zone in their brains and how it works on a cellular level, they just know they have telepathy and telekinesis and it works. They do know, however, that they don't have a special designated "telepathy organ" that non-telepathic races lack.