Metatypes
Below are two metavariant races, both of which exist mainly in Africa and are rarely seen elsewhere. However, this doesn't mean transplants are impossible; feel free to put a bahati or yumbo wherever you need one.
Metagenetic traits not in the Runner's Companion are detailed in Menagerie; just mouseover the links to get a brief description of the trait.
Bahati
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Base Race: Human.
Metavariant Cost: 10.
Abilities: Edge +2 (base 3), Bad Luck, Distinctive Style (5-pt.), Metegenetic Improvement (any one attribute except Magic or Resonance), Trickster's Favor.
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Bahati
Among Africa's people, some are touched. Some say by capricious gods, or ancestor spirits. Others say Fate itself laid its hand on them. The less charitable claim the Devil or similar entity claims these people as his. And many simply disregard all this superstition and conjecture, and see no divine favor whatsoever in these individuals. Whatever the case, bahati -- a Swahili word for "the lucky" -- do exist, and are indeed something apart from humanity. What isn't yet clear is just what that something apart is.
Bahati have been around since the 2011 Awakening. Yet the existence of this variant has just recently become suspected -- but not confirmed. Bahati look like normal humans, and are able to easily pass among them. So what makes bahati different from "normal" people? One is their luck: it runa hot and cold, calamity following on the heels of fortune. All bahati have some subtle quality that sets them apart from others; this can be an imposing aura, a strange vocal pitch, a strange and visible birthmark, or some less definable quality. This, plus the strange lucky and unlucky streaks that accompany them, draws attention to the bahati (whether they want it or not). And finally, all bahati are gifted with the ability to exceed human physical or mental limitations in a single area; this blessing manifests differently in each individual. Such things are difficult to measure or verify, however, unlike the physical differences that set other metavariants apart. Plenty of people are lucky, and have a distinctive flair or strong personalities that draw notice. One can't point to only these things and declare someone a bahati. (Well, one can, but few would take such a claim seriously.) Many people don't even believe bahati exist, at least as a metatype distinct from "normal" humans, and just as many Africans have never even heard of the bahati.
So why are the bahati different, and what are they? No one really knows. One popular theory is that they're "favored" by trickster-gods like Anansi, Eshu and Kalulu. This seems consistent with the general character of these deities, who bless and curse capriciously and choose their wards (or victims) according to motives only they understand. If so, this isn't the sort of patronage magicians and adepts enjoy; the bahati "mark" isn't tied to magic, and a given bahati is as likely to be a rigger as a shaman. Others believe the ancestors take special interest in bahati, and alternately bless and curse them to guide them to righteousness or their destinies. And the more scientific-minded believe the impersonal forces of chance and probability somehow "short out" in bahati, causing their luck to fluctuate unusually.
Bahati can reproduce with baseline humans and each other. Any bahati-bahati union that produces a child will produce a bahati, but a bahati can only produce a child of his kind with a human man or woman about 50% of the time. The bahati line is inheritable and produces children with consistent characteristics not exhibited in the general race, fitting the technical definition of a metahuman variant... despite the fact they're physically indistinguishable from standard humans.
Estimated Population (Worldwide): Unknown; likely under 5000.
Population Centers: While few in number, the bahati are widely distributed throughout Africa, and even beyond -- they go where they please. However, all bahati are of African descent, either partly or all. They rarely gather in numbers.
Common Languages: Bahati speak the languages of the African human cultures from which they originate.
International Status: Bahati are considered to be normal humans by most people (including many Bahati), and no governments recognize them as a metavariant race.
I've heard about people in China called "the bat-bitten" that have hot/cold luck a lot like this. Bats are considered lucky there, but the "bite" thing represents the flip side of the coin I guess. I wonder if there's any connection between the bat-guys and bahati.
> Triggernometry
Whatever. I'm not convinced these "bahati" guys are anything but normal people.
> Moxie_Cotton
Ooh. A skeptic. =D
> Triggernometry
Are you trying to pick a fight with me, Trig?
> Moxie_Cotton
Surely not! =) But I don't see why you're so opposed to the possibility. Do you believe in luck or destiny as an active force? Do you think it's possible for it to manifest strongly in certain people, or for those marked by fate be considered something different?
> Triggernometry
No, to the first question; I don't believe in luck. Which would mean no and no to the other two questions.
> Moxie_Cotton
Okay then. Guess that settles that. =D
> Triggernometry
Yup. And stop with all the smileys.
> Moxie_Cotton
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Yumboes
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Base Race: Dwarf.
Metavariant Cost: 20.
Abilities: Keen-Eared, Striking Skin Pigmentation, Thermographic Vision, +2 to Body tests to resist pathogens and toxins.
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Yumboes
Also known as "bakhna rakhna" ("the good people" in the Wolof language), the yumboes are a dwarf variant almost exclusively found along the West African coastline. They average just over a meter tall, with human proportions and rounded features. A striking feature shared by all yumboes is their almost opalescent skin; individuals vary, and subtly reflect different colors across the color spectrum. Their hair has a metallic sheen to it, and is typically white, silver or lightly copper-hued.
Reflecting the cultures from which yumboes hail, they enjoy dancing and socializing. They have excellent hearing, with a perfect sense of pitch, and appreciate music greatly. Family is important to most yumboes; they form tight familial bonds, and it's not uncommon for them to "adopt" trusted non-yumboes as family members. Quite a few yumboes are spellcasters, with the talent manifesting among them somewhat more frequently than in the general population; they typically prefer illusions, contacting ancestors, divination, and "parlor trick" magics; it's not unheard of for a yumbo to specialize in offensive spells, but it is rare. And like all dwarves, they take to technology well. Quite a few live and work in underground structures, and seem to possess a knack for mining and construction work.
Yumboes are unusually fond of fish, and these dwarves stick to coastlines and islands so they can get a steady supply and variety of fish. They can eat fish-flavored soy substitutes, but prefer the real thing. This preference has encouraged some yumboes to join or sponsor sea life conservation movements, while others establish private fish reserves such as farms and private ponds.
Estimated Population (Worldwide): Less than 10,000.
Population Centers: Gambia, Guinea, Senegal and the Turtle Islands.
Common Languages: Arabic, English, French, Igbo, Jula, Mande, Seychellois Creole, Yoruban.
International Status: The yumboes have spread through West Africa, remaining mostly among the coastlines and islands. They're recognized as human and given human rights in almost all nations. A few travel abroad to other countries, such as the UCAS and Aztlan, but this is uncommon due to their strong familial ties; it's more common for small family units to migrate as a group.
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The yumboes sound almost cute, don't they? They are. And they can be very polite, are well-known for their hospitality, so on and so forth. But they don't tell you the flip side of the whole family loyalty thing. These guys have their fingers in a lot of pies on their turf, meaning it's easy to run afoul of one of 'em. And when you mess with one of 'em, Omae, you mess with all of 'em. Or at least everyone in his clan.
Trust me, I know. I'll never set foot in Lagos again.
> Tyson_378
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