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adapted by [[R. Kevin Smoot]]

{| align="right" style="width:310px; margin: 0 0 0 5px;"
|-
|colspan="2"|[[File:Ul-MorAndLoper.png|300px]]
|-
|style="background: navy; color: white;" colspan="2" | '''Characteristics'''
|-
|Average Size || 1.75 meters (body .75 meters, 4 muscular tentacles 1 meter each, 4 grasping tentacles, 1 meter length each)
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|Average Mass || 70 kg (very densely muscled)
|-
|Average Lifespan || 150 years
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|Reproductive System || heterosexual, ovoviviparous
|-
|Body Temperature || 38 degrees Celsius
|- style="background: navy; color: white;"
|colspan="2" | '''Ability Scores'''
|-
|STR/STA || -5
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|DEX/RS || +5
|-
|INT/LOG || +5
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|PER/LDR || -5
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|colspan="2"| <small>'''Author’s Note:''' These abilities have been extrapolated from stat blocks contained in the module SF0. Those stat blocks include level 2 in melee and thrown weapon skill. The module SF2 (on p.30) has stat blocks that include substantial bonuses to INT/LOG (+15) & PER/LDR (+5 net), but I cannot seem to understand any basis for the adjustments based upon any text description, so I made a judgment call to moderate the adjustments to what I have listed and attribute the SF2 module stats as assumed XP based increases for those warriors. If you see errors in my interpretation, please feel free to adjust as necessary.</small>
|- style="background: navy; color: white;"
| colspan="2" | '''Movement'''
|-
|Walking || 5 meters per turn
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|Running || 20 meters per turn
|-
|Hourly || 3 kilometers/hour
|- style="background: navy; color: white;"
|colspan="2" | '''Special Abilities'''
|-
|'''Mind Link'''
|Superior communication can be established with willing participants
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|'''Multiple Appendages'''
|Up to four tools or weapons may be used
|-
|'''Ul-Mor Sign Language'''
|Automatic extra language skill.
|}

<div style="border: thin solid black; background:#eeeeee; width: 50%;
padding: 0 5px; margin:0 0 0 5px;">
'''Author’s Introduction:''' The following race description assumes that the events of ‘The Volturnus Adventure’ were successfully resolved, and some several years have since past. In addition to the Mechanon expansion into space, other races of Volturnus have also ventured out. The Eorna were prodigious genetic manipulators and have successfully molded a few races worthy to travel the stars. Much of this race is taken from existing material (SF0, SF1, SF2)
</div><br />

In terms of frontier history, the nomadic race of
cephalopods called Ul-Mor has only recently begun
traveling through space. Since their discovery on the
planet Volturnus of the Zebulon star system, the Ul-Mor
have spread out and now small communities of the
species can be found on many systems, especially on the
multi-cultural core worlds.

==Physical Structure==
Ul-Mor resemble octopi adapted to life on land. Like octopi,
the Ul-Mor have eight large limbs. Each limb ends in five
small tentacles useful for grasping and manipulation. They
walk on the four largest and more muscular limbs, using the
other four more dexterous limbs to hold weapons or tools.
Despite all the limbs, Ul-Mor are not especially fast movers, in
the past having made up for this by riding mounts of various
types.

The Ul-Mor also have a ninth limb, a tentacle about 30
centimeters long. This tentacle is an extension of their
central nervous system. The end contains a hard
cartilaginous point encasing a series of nerve endings. The
Ul-Mor can insert the tip of this tentacle into the fatty tissue
surrounding the spinal cord of other creatures, achieving a
nerve link that allows them to communicate directly with the
creature’s mind. The Ul-Mor use this tentacle so effectively
that they can achieve a direct mind link with nearly any
being.

Despite their obvious origins, Ul-Mor are no longer adapted
for the water and cannot swim any better or longer than most
other frontier races. Ul-Mor must breathe air, so breathing
apparatus must be used for any underwater escapades.
There are unsubstantiated rumors of a Volturnian race similar
to Ul-Mor who are still completely water-dwelling.

==Senses==
The Ul-Mor senses of sight and touch are the most developed.
Cephalopod eyes are quite advanced, seeing full color ranges
and well-defined senses of depth and distance. Their sight is
also quite adapted to bright light as well as dim areas with
little light.

The sense of touch is remarkable in Ul-Mor. Their entire skin
surface is covered in receptor nerves, and even more so in
their dexterous limbs. The degree of nerve control by Ul-Mor
allows them to utilize all four manipulating limbs
simultaneously without any hint of handedness (see racial
abilities below).

==Speech==
The Ul-Mor can achieve verbal speech by muscular control
over air forced through their respiratory system. The process
of verbal speech is difficult and tiring for them. As a race, the
Ul-Mor do not have a complex spoken language, since they
communicate with each other using mind-link. Ul-Mor prefer
their mind-link, but they often understand the spoken word of
several languages. Their mind-link ability aids them in the
learning process, helping them in understand terms and
overall comprehension. In addition to this mind-link
communication method, they have developed a sign language
used in situations where mind-link proves impractical.

The Ul-Mor sign language has been simplified and adapted
over the years to allow the more numerous core races to be
able to learn. Because of the ease of expression, Ul-Mor Sign
language has replaced the PanSLan (Pan-Galactic Sign
Language) standard, as the language of choice for hearing
and speech impaired individuals and other species that have
difficulty with spoken language.

==Society and Customs==
The Ul-Mor were formerly pastoral nomads inhabiting the
deserts and rocky barrens of Volturnus, herding indigenous
herds of creatures. Unknown to them at the time, the Ul-Mor
were being genetically engineered by the Eorna race of
Volturnus to eventually fight against the Sathar threat.
Eventually as the Ul-Mor accepted the truth of their past, they
embraced the other cultures of the frontier.

Much of the current Ul-Mor culture is still based on their
religion, albeit that religion has had to adapt and change to
reflect certain realities that were previously unknown to the
Ul-Mor. The Ul-Mor still believe in a concept of ‘Universality
of Mind,’ a deity-like concept that encompasses all things.
Eventually all will become one with the One. Special Ul-Mor
historians called Remembers, record those who have joined
the One, forming long genealogies. With new technologies
available to the Remembers, they have begun to add detailed
genetic information to these histories, and the Remembers
are quickly becoming a new kind of Geneticist-Priest type of
occupation, with the respect of even the most devoted Vrusk
scientists.

The basic social unit of the Ul-Mor is the ‘clutch,’ a kind of
multi-partner marriage unit consisting of several Ul-Mor that
have all found each other compatible. Formerly the males of
the clutch worked as herders, hunters, and protectors, while
the females maintained the home and incubated the clutch’s
eggs. Modern frontier attitudes have blurred these
distinctions and now males and females have each expanded
their roles into many new areas.

Since the Ul-Mor do not control any major world or population
center, their former legal system has since disappeared.
They still tend to follow laws to the letter, and tend not to
understand legal ‘gray areas’ common in the frontier legal
systems of various worlds.

Though the Ul-Mor are basically communal beings amongst
themselves, they maintain distinct senses of individualism.
Gone are the primitive headdresses of feathers and beads,
but tattooing has flourished and become a primary outlet for
displaying their individual tastes. Ul-Mor have also taken to
fashion, especially forms of jewelry, to display how affluent
they are.

==Attitudes==
The Ul-Mor have taken a liking to most of the frontier
races, seeing each new being as part of the One, and
therefore worthy of respect and understanding.

Of all the frontier races, the more civic-minded Vrusk are
the most appreciated by Ul-Mor. Several communities of
Ul-Mor have formally been incorporated into Vrusk Mega-
Corporations, and both have benefited greatly from the
‘mergers.’

Ul-Mor are rather equally disposed to the other races,
although this is sometimes not reciprocated. Many are
disturbed by the Ul-Mor preferred communication method.
The Ul-Mor do hate the Sathar passionately, which is
probably a genetically built-in mechanism that the Eorna
race left in the Ul-Mor DNA. Even with the Remembers’
genetic knowledge, no attempts to isolate and remove this
genetic code have been recorded.

Ul-Mor have also taken to law enforcement careers.
Mercilessly following the letter of the law has been a
trademark of the Ul-Mor lawmen and criminals know there
will be no negotiating when confronted by one.

==Special Abilities==

===Mind Link===
Ul-Mor can create a mind-link with another
willing creature to allow for full communication. This
communication method is generally superior to normal
modes of conversation, as emotional content and
advanced thinking processes that go beyond typical
vocabulary can be conveyed. The result is like having the
equivalent of level 8 in language skill (level 6 is normal
maximum), or 120% comprehension. Occasionally a
particular alien species’ nervous system is incompatible
with Ul-Mor physiology and a link cannot be established,
however all the major frontier races may be linked.

This Mind Link ability has another substantial benefit. Ul-
Mor take to hypno-training quite well, being able to learn
new skills in half the time and half the cost using this
teaching method. In particular, when learning languages,
Ul-Mor need only spend 2 experience points per level of
fluency instead of the 3 point normally required.

===Multiple Appendages===
All Ul-Mor can use their four
dexterous limbs equally well, and players with Ul-Mor
characters do not need to choose handedness (like
Vrusk). Because of their advanced nervous system Ul-Mor
can utilize 4 small tools or weapons simultaneously, giving
them up to 4 attacks per turn.

Attacking with 2 melee weapons has no penalty.
Attacking with 3 melee attacks incurs a –10% penalty to
each attack, and 4 melee attacks the penalty is –20% to
each attack.

This ability does not translate to ranged-weapons equally.
Ul-Mor using more than one ranged weapon does not
remove the penalty for multiple weapons, although the
handedness penalty does not apply. For two weapons the
penalty is –10% for each attack, for three the penalty is –
20% for each attack, and for four ranged weapons the
penalty is –30% to each attack. An individual cannot take
careful aim with multiple ranged-weapons, ever.

Most often, Ul-Mor hold two melee weapons, and one light
ranged weapon, and keep one hand free, attacking either
ranged or melee as appropriate without penalty.
Alternatively they hold two melee weapons and one rifle
weapon.

===Ul-Mor Sign Language===
Ul-Mor sign language is an
expressive signing language that can be easily taught to
others. In addition to the standard starting languages, Ul-
Mor begin play with Level 6 skill in the language when
they begin their careers.

Planet of Mystery: The Ul-Mor - Revision history

Terl obar: Created page with ' Top:Star Frontiersman main page | Up: Star Frontiersman Issue 5 main index | Up: [[Planet of Mys…'

Terl obar: Created page with '
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