The same reason that most animals can't throw rocks. They lack the mobility in their shoulder and wrist joints. Plus morocanth (like most animals) lack thumbs. A squirrel or raccoon also lacks thumbs, but it makes up for it by having prehensile paws (i.e., the toes can be curled inward). Two prehensile paws = 1 prehensile hand.
>Morocanth have the manual dexterity to make and use spears, and to
>tie herd men together, so I'd have thought they should be able to
>pick up and lob a stone.
They do not have the manual dexterity to make spears, at least not human-quality ones. They can't chip stone, and they can't lash a stone head to a haft. They _can_ sharpen a stick and fire-harden it, but their better spears are all purchased from humans or made by trained herd-men.
Also, they can't tie very complicated knots. Herd-men that are likely to escape are held by chains, which even morocanth can manage. Tight knots and lashings are done by herd-men.
>The only thing that will prevent them using thrown weapons
>effectively would then be the structure of their shoulder, not
their >lack of thumbs.
Lacking a thumb is a nontrivial part of throwing. I double-dog dare you to pick up a spear-like object and throw it without using your thumb. How much range and accuracy did you get? Now try it with a hatchet? Hmm. Even a rock isn't as effective by far, and _your_ shoulder structure is far more mobile (though weaker) than a morocanth's. Not only that, but using your hand as a thumbless prehensile paw is _still_ more flexible than a morocanth's hoof.
>But even if their shoulders prevent them effictively throwing
>things,I'd have thought they could use slings.
Spoken by a man who has never used a sling. I have, and you need LOTS of wrist action (morocanth wrist action is as circumscribed as their shoulders) plus you simply can't aim your pellet without a thumb. You have to release it at just the right time. Slipping the loop (note that slings don't have loops for the hand, by the way, but I guess morocanth could have them special-made) over your forefinger isn't going to cut it for a quick release.
The morocanth are handicapped hugely in doing things like humans do. That's why they _don't_. If the morocanth tried to compete directly with humans, they'd be wiped out in a generation. They must use their strengths vs. us, not their weaknesses. They make up for their weaknesses by using herd-men, and they use their strengths wisely.
Morocanth Strengths
Tougher one-on-one than humans. Natural skin armor. Much faster than a human on foot. More maneuverable and quick to react than a mounted human. Keener senses. Nocturnal. Able to eat rougher food.
Sandy P.
End of Glorantha Digest V2 #277
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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