by Stefan Jones
Dgro-dgri are small, agile, brachiating carnivores. They look somewhat like tailless rhesus monkeys, but have a long muzzle with long whiskers, a heavily muscled jaw and peaked ears. Their limbs are long and wiry; all four end in hands with four fingers. Tough, sharp nails help them grip tree limbs and restrain prey. Their skin is black with gray stripes; they grow a pelt of thin black fur in the winter. Dgro-dgri prefer living in the cool rain forests in which they evolved, but have adapted to many environments. They eat meat, insects and fruit.
Dgro-dgri have two sexes. Individuals tend to congregate into hunting parties of 4-6 adults. Females give birth to single young, which are raised by the entire family group. Dgro-dgri don't work well in large groups, but make friends easily and rarely suffer from xenophobia. Their societies tend to be decentralized, libertarian and pragmatic.
There are about two dozen planets in the loosely-knit Dgro-dgri confederation. These include Perbishu, the Dgro-dgri homeworld, and the homeworlds of two backward races. The Confederation maintains a small defense fleet, but exists primarily to encourage and regulate trade. While Dgro-dgri adventurers roam far and wide, the Confederacy has no strong foreign policy or territorial ambitions. It keeps tabs on the goings-on in a quarter of the galaxy through trade contacts, and trades the data to interested parties.
Dgro-dgri have ST -1 (-10 points), DX +1 (10 points) and HT -2 (-15 points). They start out 2' shorter than indicated by their strength, and 70 lbs. lighter than indicated by their height. Dgro-dgri are Brachiators (5 points; moves at half normal speed through tree canopies). Their legs count as short arms (10 points; can't be used for swung weapons) because they end in hands. Dgro-dgri have Night Vision (10 points), Acute Hearing (+2, 4 points) and Acute Taste and Smell (+3, 6 points). They start with the Acrobatics (DX-2) and Climbing (DX) skills (free for being Brachiators).
Racial Personality, Quirks and Habits: Dgro-dgri dislike vegetables and grains (-1), and instinctively grab and eat flying insects (OPH, -5). They like to have the "high ground" and unconsciously compete with other Dgro-dgri for the highest perch in a room (-1). They are Uncongenial (-1; prefer working alone or in small groups; don't like crowds), but are Responsive (-1) to other's feelings and Broad-Minded (-1; unbigoted, not fazed by alien looks and behaviors; can ignore two points of reaction penalty to other races).
It costs 10 points to be a Dgro-dgri. They make good adventurers, allies and hirelings.
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