From: Kevin Rose (vladt@interaccess.com)
Date: Sun 17 Aug 1997 - 10:15:47 EEST
Daniel Said:
>And now I get around to actually looking at sources. Borderlands
>Referee's Handbook, page 27: "Herd-men look exactly like humans to the
>UNTRAINED EYE BUT THERE ARE DIFFERENCES...Herd-men are herbivorous - they
>can live on LEAVES, GRASS, BARK and other vegetation of the chaparral.
>While they are CLOSE ENOUGH (implying NOT the same) to humans to
>interbreed, any young will be unintelligent herd-men 50% (that is pretty
>darn close tho) of the time."
Yes, but in the same way an awakened bison looks amazingly like a normal
>What about explaining the digesting of cellulose without saying Herd-Men
bison. The distinctions are not physical, but behavioral. A little
later in the book it says:
"Beast training also measures a morocanths ability to tell a beast from
a person after a ten minute inspection. One who speaks is obviously a
person, but there can problems with mute humans. Is that mute a herd-man,
a human in the last satges of Brain Fever, or a spy trying to sneak into
your herd for cover? Is that impala just a beast or is it a rune lord's
intelligent allied spirit?
"Members of other praxians tribes have an ability to make this
distinction. This ability is important, because while it is permissable
to eat herd creatures, it is cannibalism to eat people of any race. If
the attempt to make the distinction is a fumble, the inspector will come
to the wrong decision. If the attempt is inconclusive, a miss, the being
will be forced to live live off the chaparrel for one week. If it thrives
it is considered a beast. If not, it is considered a slave."
>have four stomachs? Can we say there is some simple difference added
>magically so that they can do what we can't, but without there being much
>difference? Magically added cellulose-digesting enzymes?
Magic would be my answer. Trolls can live off air or rock, both of which
are markedly lacking in nurtitional value. I find it easier to allow a
critter to live off grass than air. Don't worry about enzymes, it just
works. People have decided that light curves in Glorantha, so I hardly
think that biochemistry is something to worry about.
As to the distinctions between tribes in Prax I would suggest that they
are less than might be expected. One of the primary occupations of the
male Praxians is planning and executing raids to carry off female Praxians
from other tribes. So there is a pretty constant interbreeding between
the tribes.
The only exception might be the impala people. I'm not certain that an
Impala can carry an male impala rider and a normal sized adult female.
Kevin
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