Mhunghus

Powers:

Natural Psi Powers (psipathic):

Telepathy (a) (w): while evolution did not give the Mhunghus the ability to communicate verbally, it has blessed them with highly psi-active minds. All Mhunghus can telepathically communicate with each other (send/receive surface thoughts) with intensity 5 ability.

ESP (t) (w): the Mhunghus can also read the surface thoughts of others. This power functions at intensity 8, and only an easy difficulty action is required unless a target is specifically resisting, at which point a Mhunghus must overcome their Willpower as well.

Psychic Invisibility (s) (i): though they cannot mask themselves from standard senses, the Mhunghus can indeed hide from psionic abilities. They can mask their psi presence from others with intensity 5 skill, which means most casual observers won't notice them.

Trained Psi Powers: in addition to their natural psipathic powers, all Mhunghus are trained in additional paths of power - mostly to overcome the 'limits' that nature has saddled them with. Bear in mind that Mhunghus have no legs, and are not in fact self-ambulatory.

As such, some Mhunghus become psikinetics, allowing themselves to fly or levitate as is needed. Others will become metapsis, and evolve legs temporarily for walking (or other organic conveyances). Still more become psimotives, and use exotic means to cross space (and time).

Most paths of psi power allow movement of some sort or another, either directly or indirectly, so a Mhungi can become trained in any discipline. Of course, some will forego personal movement and instead master the powers of the mind... and force others to move them, instead.

Equipment:

None. The Mhunghus will typically have 'stuff' that they've acquired over time, and sometimes they'll even have something they can effectively wield in combat. But as a species, the Mhunghus have no cultural 'standard' that they'll carry with them at all times.

Hindrances:

(none)

Skills:

Astronomy (i): all Mhunghus learn about space and the various objects within from a very young age; the better to get away from each other. A Mhungi may attempt an action to find or identify an object in space, or to plot a course somewhere, at a reduced difficulty.

Psionic Theory (w): furthermore, all Mhunghus are trained in the basic idea behind all psi powers, both how they work and how they affect others. A Mhungi may attempt to determine if psi powers are in use, and if so identify them, at one difficulty level lower than usual.

Calling:

Peace of Mind: while a Mhunghus may have any calling really, the vast majority fall under the sway of this one. After a life time of being stuck with the endless ramblings of their fellows in close proximity, a Mhungi strives to simply get away, for a bit of peace and quiet.

Costume:

None. The Mhunghus do not wield clothes typically; they just don't see the need. Their bodies usually fit perfectly into the climates they prefer, and thus don't feel the need to protect themselves such. However, if in a culture that requires clothes, they usually comply.

Personality:

Mhunghus are rather thoughtful and introspective beings, and are often fascinated by the universe in general. They often have problems relating to others; most are irritated by the psionic 'chatter' of their fellows, though some 'deviants' embrace the sense of community it provides.

History:

The Mhunghus are a race of sentients evolved from fungus. Their home world, Mhung, has given rise to a large number of psi-active species for some unknown reason, and the Mhunghus are no exception. Though they lack the means to move naturally, they can communicate easily.

Too easily, really. Being unable to move, the Mhunghus were forced to rest wherever they were born, and were stuck listening to the endless chatter of the other Mhunghus in close quarters. Needless to say, hearing thousands of people rambling about the weather can drive one insane.

At one point, a particularly restless Mhungi decided it'd had enough, and began to meditate intensely. In time, it had developed the means of moving matter with its mind - namely, itself - and levitated far, far away from its brethren... at which point it found peace.

Though this Mhungi became famous amongst its own kind, it did not want to share its secrets - lest it lose the peace it had finally achieved. However, the wailing of its brethren finally convinced Quiet-Selfish-Rage-At-You-All to relent, and it did indeed reveal its truths.

Learning that there were many paths of power, Quiet-Selfish-Rage-At-You-All trained all those it could find in the practice of psionic power, and then departed Mhung - never to be seen again. It had changed the course of its species, however... they would now evolve.

If in a cerebral sense. The Mhunghus would quickly spread from Mhung with their newfound ability to develop their psi powers, though not out of any sense of empire. Many nearby races feared this at first, since the oversized mushrooms were suddenly everywhere at once.

The truth is, they all just want peace and quiet - and by putting more distance between each other, they can often attain it. That's not to say that individual Mhungi haven't imposed their wills on an unsuspecting world or two. It's just that, as a whole, Mhunghus don't crave conquest.

So sometimes you'll find Mhunghus lording over a small empire of their own making, but just as often you'll encounter them as intrepid explorers of the cosmos, chilling out at space ports or the like. Sometimes you'll even find them on earth, desperately hoping they're alone here.

It just depends on the individual, really.

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