Rastipedes are a minor spacefaring race of insect-centaurs from the Spelljammer campaign setting,[5] and can be selected as a player character race.[6]
"You idiot! Of course those fifty suits of armor you bought from that rastipede were marked 'half off'! They're all made for gnomes!"
- A scro captain to his supply officer, just before the latter's execution.[7]
Overview[]
Rastipedes are an insectoid race of merchants and traders known throughout the Known Spheres. Only the Arcane are more inclined to trade in valuable goods, but the rastipedes seem unconcerned with such niceties as uniform pricing and fair dealing. A spacefarer who makes a deal with a rastipede would be wise to count their money, their crew, and their limbs.[6]
Description[]
Rastipedes are insectoid centaurs with eight limbs which enable them to move at high speed, and a vaguely humanoid torso with two upper "arms", all covered in a grey-green chitinous exoskeleton. Their heads have two large black compound eyes, chitinous mandibles, and a pair of long, whip-like antennae.[6] Their antennae provide them with a very keen sense of smell, which means they cannot be surprised by any creature that exudes any sort of odor. Rastipede are also ambidextrous and fully double-jointed.[5]
Rastipedes speak their own language, a combination of chirps and clicks. However, in their role as traders and hard bargainers, rastipedes make it their business to know many languages, including the common trade tongue.[6] Among themselves, rastipedes communicate using a combination of pheromones and their spoken language. Some humanoids have been known to suffer an allergic reaction to rastipede pheremones, similar to a severe case of hayfever.[8]
Behavior[]
While rastipedes have a reputation as disreputable and ruthless merchants, they are not truly dishonest. They rarely renege on a bargain once struck, and as a rule they deliver their side of the bargain at the time and place specified. The problem is that the rastipedes delight in meeting the letter of the bargain, rather than the spirit. They are particularly fond of making a deal, knowing that the other party is assuming something that is not true. Rastipedes will buy and sell anything they think will be profitable, although most scrupulously obey smuggling and slave-trafficking laws.
This propensity for hard bargaining has brought the rastipedes to the attention of the Arcane, who often employ them as middlemen. Often, those who seek to speak to an Arcane find themselves having to deal with a rastipede go-between.[6]
Combat[]
Rastipedes are inherently peaceful and avoid combat whenever possible. However, they are not cowardly, and can use the full range of weapons available to humanoids.[6] Rastipedes prefer to use specially made longbows which, combined with their speed, enable them to avoid many an unpleasant encounter.[5]
A rastipede's chitinous shell covers its entire body, providing it with natural armor, which is fortunate, since their odd body shape makes it impossible for them to wear any constructed armor. In addition their long, low-slung bodies are difficult to protect using a shield. Their chitinous shell also provides them with strong, sharp claws that tip the fingers of their two "hands". In a pinch, rastipedes can defend themselves using their claws, or use them in combination with a melee weapon.[6]
Society[]
Rastipede's spend the first ten years of their lives underground, living in subterranean nests presided over by a queen. The queen reputedly lives in a secluded cavern at the heart of the rastipede nest, where she lays her eggs. After hatching, young rastipedes are educated in mathematics and exposed to the literature of their people, which is quite extensive. Rastipedes grow up with a strong sense of duty and responsibility towards the nest and their community.[5]
A rastipede nest may consist of anywhere from 100 to 600 individuals, half of which are juveniles and incapable of combat. The adults, however, are fanatically committed to the defense of the nest above all else. Rastipedes are prodigious tunnelers of exceptional merit, and can determine their approximate depth underground, as well as the grade or slope of a passage and whether the walls, ceiling and floor are safe or not.[6]
Many rastipedes study the magical arts, but their primary interest lies in trade. Rastipede merchants commonly employ crews and hire ships to transport goods back and forth across wildspace, usually turning a profit with every voyage. Rastipedes will buy and sell virtually anything, though most of them adhere rigidly to laws against smuggling or slave trafficking.
Rastipedes can survive on virtually any kind of food, but need substantial supplies of water.[5]
Spelljamming[]
About one in six rastipedes study the magic arts, and while they are not prodigious spellcasters, they are sufficiently skilled to operate a spelljammer helm. In fact, a helm operated by a rastipede performs as if it were helmed by a spellcaster at least three times as powerful.[5] lt is unclear whether this is merely a happy accident, or whether this is a sign of favor from the Arcane. Some rumors suggest a darker. more sinister connection between the two races, but there is no other evidence to indicate that any such association exists.[6]
Notable Rastipedes[]
- Teldin Moore encountered a tribe of rastipedes in Herdspace who were descended from the survivors of a crashed spelljammer.[9]
Signature Spelljammers[]
None.
Appendix[]
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- Rastipede article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.
References[]
- ↑ Curtis M. Scott, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook, 1992, (TSR Inc.), table 5: Age, page 27
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Curtis M. Scott, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook, 1992, (TSR Inc.), table 4: Average Height and Weight, page 26
- ↑ Nigel Findley, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), page 194
- ↑ Nigel Findley, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), page 195
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Doug Niles, MC7 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix, 1990, (TSR Inc.), Rastipede entry
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Curtis M. Scott, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook, 1992, (TSR Inc.), Rastipede section, chapter 2: New Spacefaring Races, pages 22-23
- ↑ Curtis M. Scott, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook, 1992, (TSR Inc.), sidebar, page 23
- ↑ Nigel Findley, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), pages 197-199
- ↑ Nigel Findley, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), pages 194-205