WhIM

Attributes

• Brawn 1 (max 1)
• Agility 1
• Intellect 3
• Cunning 2
• Willpower 2
• Presence 3

• Wound Levels: 8 + Brawn
• Strain Levels: 12 + Willpower

• Size: 6 to 8 inches tall
• Genders: Whiptails do not have genders. Shape variants are available that are more rounded and slender or more blocky

Characteristics

• Micro: Silhouette 0 (10 xp)
• Big Friends (10 xp) Can occupy the same space as an ally to gain partial cover.
• Small World (Ponderous) (-20 xp)
  • WhIM's treat all distances beyond Short to be one range increment larger when considering ranged combat and other situations involving distance including movement
  • WhIMs are too small to carry cargo. WhIMs have an effective encumbrance limit of 1, and can only carry items tailored for them
• CC Instincts (5 xp) Computer, Charm, Leadership, Perception, Vigilance. These are career skills and benefit from two advantages when used.
• Aquatic 10 xp. Whims can breath underwater and do not suffer from Ponderous while swimming.
• Photosynthetic (10 xp) Does not make survival checks for food or starvation if they get at least 4 hours of light per day

• Starting XP: 85

• Variants:
  • The WISP (Whiptail Innovative Special Project) variant has upgraded mobility through a lighter body and wings. These premium modifications cost an additional 10 xp at character generation reducing starting XP to 75 instead of 85. This allows them to move at normal speeds while in flight. The restrictions on all actions cause by Small World other than movement speed still apply. Because they require special gene recoding and metabolic modifications, these units are more expensive and it is considered prestigious to own one, or so the marketing would like everyone to think.
  • The WARP series (Whiptail Advanced Research Prototype) are an intermediate between the WHIM and WISP series. Most notable among them is WARP-8 which is the same as a WISP, WARP-9 which has the ability for recombination and reproduction, and WARP-10, a code for all WARP units produced by replication

Background

Purpose

Whiptails were more of a moonshot test than they were a product destined for market. With a large surface area, their optimized photosynthetic skin greatly reduces maintenance costs in locations where light intensity is that of most overhead lights or greater. The smallest organic processor based unit Chimera Core ever made, Whiptails come in at only 6-8 inches tall and are light enough to rest comfortably on even the small shoulders of a Jawa. Like the PIXC, they were built for processing data, and they serve both as data management, instructional units, and even can act as advisors. Because of their tiny size, they shipped with custom interfaces to let them interface with standard computers directly or by wireless to keep their data up to date.

Development Block

Because they are small and damage to small objects is not uncommon, Whiptails have a pouch that serves as a micro assembly bay for replacement parts. However, the adaptive processors in the Whiptails allowed them to reverse engineer themselves, and the new result was their ability to replicate themselves. There is rumor but no evidence that the Whiptails may have replicated sufficiently to take over small ships and escape to worlds where they might go unseen for ages.

While self replication and cognitive evolution proved to be dangerous, there are no record of whiptails harming other beings whether droid or organic. Most records regarding the whiptail series have been sealed deep in the archives along with four specimens deem in the vaults.

Images