Orcs with blasters no more.

Concept sketch of a Ta'ak warrior.

My original concept for the menacing alien humanoids was simply
"orcs in space". I derived the name "Ta'ak" from the monster
Untaak who was featured in one of the One Page Dungeon
Contest entries that +Random Wizard  and I submitted.



The concept evolved over time from a simple "Orcs with blasters"
model to a warlike species consisting mostly of drone like soldiers
incapable of reproduction. "Female" variants inject a viral stream
into susceptible species, and they are transmogrified into Ta'ak.

Collectively the Ta'ak are an intelligent, space faring species and
most of the "converted" Ta'ak retain elements of their original
consciousness and intellect. A network of tumors within the
brain tissue of the Ta'ak acts as a second, highly specialized brain
which instills and informs what it is to be Ta'ak. In this manner
the recently transmogrified are mentally Ta'ak within a few days.

Ta'ak Technology

Ta'ak Crossbow

Ta'ak technology is a piecemeal affair. I imagine that they are a
very good at incorporating the technologies of other conquered
species, and this is due to the residual knowledge that turned members
of those species would have retained.  I don't imagine that maintenance
and precision are high orders of importance. Their star craft leak radiation
and are hazardous to travel in, their weapons and armor are largely
disposable affairs. They use a mix of conventional and energy weapons.
The conventional weapons are large scale solid fuel propelled affairs, while
their small arms are energy based.

In order to keep futuristic weapons from unbalancing an existing campaign
setting, the weapons depend on a sort of broadcast power to operate. This
limits the range of the weapons to the dungeon itself.  When the characters
take the weapons too far from the wreckage and the power generators,
they cease to function. Any equipment that does have a source of internal
power is large and unwieldy, and this power is created by the mixing of
highly caustic and toxic chemicals that will eventually burn through the
equipment once mixed.

Why haven't the Ta'ak escaped from the wreckage and attacked the villages
and hamlets in the region?

Because they are all dead. None of them survived the crash.

If they are all dead, then why worry about all of this Ta'ak culture junk?

Ta'ak Healing Potion

Because some of the returning cultists have
inadvertently transmogrified themselves into
Ta'ak using "healing potions" (Ta'ak viral injectors).
These are highly effective in regrowing tissue in the
Ta'ak, but eventually a susceptible species such as
humans will undergo the transmogrification process
as their tissue is replaced by the injections. This also
poses a significant risk to player characters who use
the injectors to heal themselves in the dungeon. The
injectors actually cause damage to demi-humans when
used, but will not cause transmogrification.



-Aaron