Brownie Racial Template
Brownie (TL9)
15 points
One of the earliest attempts to engineer humans for increased health and longevity was the Brownie variant. Rather than tinker with the inner workings of cell biochemistry, the Brownie's designers chose to improve gross human physiology.
Brownies are short and stocky, with heavy layers of muscle and fat padding torso, upper arms and upper legs. Their spines are curved, giving them a naturally forward-leaning posture. Their knee joints have been re-engineered to bend in both directions, giving them a slow, awkward-looking gait. Their voices sound muffled and nasal, the result of tracheal reconfiguration.
Strange as it may seem, all these modifications tend to make the Brownie tough and durable. Brownies are resistant to disease, falls and other accidents, and the slow progress of time. They age just as quickly as unmodified humans do, but their bodies don't wear out as rapidly. Although the first cohorts of the subspecies are not yet old enough to demonstrate their durability, most estimates indicate that the average Brownie can expect to live well over a century with minimal medical intervention (and therefore very low medical costs).
Brownies are surprisingly well adapted for life in space – the template's modifications to skeletal structure have made Brownies nearly immune to bone-mass loss in zero-G. Although the merits of the design are rarely questioned, the Brownie template is unpopular due to its odd and unfashionable appearance.
Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; HT+2 [20].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Move-1 [-5].
Advantages: Acute Vision +1 [2]; Acute Hearing +2 [4]; Catfall [10]; [[Resistant to Disease (+8) [5]; Longevity [2].
Perks: No Degeneration in Zero-G [1].
Disadvantages: Disturbing Voice [-10]; Unattractive [-4].
Features: Taboo Traits (Genetic Defects, Mental Instability). Brownies are about 3 inches shorter than average for their ST, but they also average 15 pounds heavier than an unmodified human of their height.
Availability: $65,000. LC3.