Finding to my cost with Scorpion Hall I've found that scorpion men can be rather tough opponents one on one. With their two attacks it's quite easy to lose a 70% PC against them. The only chink in their armour is scorpionmen have prety low power (at least in RQ2). Is there any cultural reason for this?
The scorpionman culture seems to be on the losing side of conflicts persecuted quite sensibly for their cannibalistic tendancies. Coupled with being driven to wilderness regions I would have thought that the 'weaker' members of the race would have lost in competition for scarce resources. Thereby leaving a 'new' improved higher 'power' race, you know survival of the fitest and all that.
Were scorpionmen chaotic in the beginning? CoT refers to Bagog scuttling about scavenging on the dead. Bagog's act's don't seem overtly chaotic, just cleaning up the mess of all the other Gods. In the same vein, if the look between the lines, Mallia is important in using the powers of decay to clear up all those corpses adventurers leave lying around the place.
Certainly it seems the scorpionmen race is chaotic out of neccessity now. With the low 'power' (maximum pow14 according to RQ2 rules) there's no way of 'attracting Bagog's attention'. Can't have RL's and RP's without higher powers, no rune levels leaves only very weak links in the old religious matters. Therfore, scorpion men have to take that risky path and play about with chaotic features with the hope of getting one that increases power. This must be a rare event and those that do succeed must be coveted as much as mistress trolls are.
Getting a scorpionwoman with power of 18 must be a real rare event indeed. A tribe is going to protect such a valuable addition to the tribe, even if the Queen might have some trouble in the future and has the chance of being eaten. Any number of the rank and file of the tribe would be sacrificed to protect a priestess so I just wouldn't mess with rune levels of the scorpion race.
My what a good thesis subject for an adventurous grey sage out there, running around the wilderness observing scorpionmen and trying to avoid being eaten. Think of the fun cutting and pickling a scorpionman, would take ages, better be skilled at antidote making. Initiation into the Grey Sages would be assurred.
Any comments from the back of the class?
Cheers
Chris Graham
GRAHAMCD_at_aston.ac.uk
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