The sole sentient race native to Hive, the Many Minds are not a secretive and mysterious people by choice. Their unusual form of community and interaction with others, however, makes them utterly inexplicable and bizarre to other races. As such, they are regarded with suspicion and curiosity in equal measure, even after their role in the Starfall.
Etymology and Other Names[]
There is no recorded original name for the Many Minds, as the race as a whole only entered public awareness because of the events of the Starfall. Their existing name, which others use a translated version of, is attributed to a description Captain Saoinn offered of her traveling partner, Scrappy.
Biology and Anatomy[]
The Many Minds, despite appearances, are not robots or automatons. Though the prototypical image of the race is a suit of armor, trimmed with silver or gold, the shape of the armor is infinitely variable, within the capabilites of other Many Minds to produce it. As a matter of convenience and practicality, this typically results in bipedal suits, but there is no true limit on shape or size.
Many Minds are, in fact, swarms of tiny insects working communally to operate the suits of armor that have become synonymous with the race. An individual, called simply a Mind, is a tiny arachnid, typically no larger than a quarter centimeter. Minds have a head and abdomen of roughly equivalent size, and eight spindly limbs ending in tiny claws that can be used for locomotion or manipulation. In place of spinnerets though, Minds have a narrow tail ending in a sharp blade they can whip at plants or fungi to shave off fragments of food.
Though some form of communication must exist between Minds, it yet remains unknown what it is or how the individual Minds share information fast enough to operate their armor smoothly. Swarms all working in conjunction as one Many Mind, however, function as an individual being, subject to effects like telepathy and mind control as any other race would be.
Sociology and Culture[]
The Many Minds, being best described as "a race of nations," lack a common culture across the whole populace. While all Many Minds share some basic tendencies, the culture of individual swarms is as mutable and different as can be. Across individuals though, swarms all know to come together at secret locations all across Hive when their populations get too large, to forge new suits of armor and create a new member of their race with their excess populace. Agoraphobia is also extremely prevalent in swarms, as Many Minds have been observed to react solely based on self preservation when outside their suits; swarms of Minds will attempt to find cover as rapidly as possible, avoiding open spaces where possible.
Among the Many Minds, there are three primary forms of self-governance: The One, The Many, and the All.
The One[]
The One are Many Minds who have formed a self-government with one individual Mind in control, as some form of monarch or dictator. These arrangements largely tend to be benevolent, although occasional records exist of a One becoming a Many or an All due to the ruler turning tyrannical. Of the three "kinds" of Many Mind, the One tend to be the most common as leaders, be it business owners, ship captains, or any other situation where a single individual needs to take charge.
The Many[]
The Many prefer to keep control still small, but out of the claws of a single Mind. Most like a representative democracy, the Many are run by a small group of Minds elected from the entire population of the whole, who collectively make the decisions for the good of the whole. The Many are the most likely of the Many Minds to become laborers, as their populaces can absorb loss better than the One or the All, and can often be found as crew or in other physically-intensive professions.
The All[]
The All don't so much refuse the idea of power being concentrated in a small place as fail to see the advantage of it. Described by some as well organized anarchy, the All weigh the feelings of every individual for control, and proceed based on the agreement the population reaches. Due to this radically different style of self governing, the All tend to be the most unpredictable of the three, and the most prone to flights of fancy, as well as the most likely to be artists or adventurers.
Behavior[]
Due to the Many Minds all being swarms of Mind, behavior across individual suits is all but impossible to quantify. Each individual acts according to their inhaibtants' choices, and the multitudinous voices combined with the uniqueness of each suit of armor tends to result in wildly differing mannerisms and behaviors across the race.
Lone Minds, on their own, behave almost like wild animals, as opposed to truly sentient creatures. They seem to prioritize food and shelter over reproduction, but act solely in slef interest, evidently seeking a swarm to join with as well.
Naming[]
Many Minds name themselves once the collective population is situated and the initial government has been installed. Often, they will borrow their names from other cultures, based on the preferences of the governing body. In addition, every suit of armor also has an alphanumeric designation, consisting of three letters and seven numbers, in that order.
Notable Many Minds[]
- Scrappy
Racial Traits[]
While Medium Many Minds are the most common, Small or Large ones are also permitted, including all the penalties and benefits their size brings. Those with Many Mind characters may choose between +2 Dexterity and -2 Wisdom or +2 Constitution and -2 dexterity, reflecting the flexibility and impulsiveness of the All, or the hardiness and rigidity of the Many, as these two governance styles are far more widespread than the One.
- Once per day, when struck by a damaging attack or with a full minute of concentration, an individual may choose to Scatter, breaking their suit apart into four Lesser Suits two sizes categories smaller than their initial shape. These suits may land anywhere within 15 feet of the individual's original position. Each of these Lesser Suits has 1/4 the individual's maximum and remaining hitpoints, and suffers a -2 penalty to all stats. Each Lesser Suit has a movespeed equal to half the base suit's total, and their own move actions each round. Lesser Suits may not make Full Attacks. A Scattered Many Mind has one Standard and one Swift action per round still, but may move each Lesser Suit as if each possessed its own Move Action.
- When two Lesser Suits occupy the same or adjacent spaces, they reunite into a Moderate Suit. A Moderate Suit has a -2 penalty to all physical stats, 1/2 the individual's maximum and current hitpoints, a move speed equal to half the individual's base speed, and is one size category smaller than the base suit. When two Moderate Suits, or one Moderate Suit and two Lesser Suits, occupy the same or adjacent squares, the entire suit reforms into a complete Many Mind.
- If a Lesser Suit reaches 0 hp, it is Destroyed, and can no longer act. When reformed into a full suit, a Many Mind takes 1 Con damage per Destroyed Lesser Suit.
Many Minds' Communal Living grants them +1 Reflex.
A Many Mind gains +2 to Diplomacy and Heal from their Internal Politics, representing their self-sufficiency and necessary ability to compromise with themselves.
Racial Restrictions[]
Many Minds may not take the Infested oracle curse, nor may they take racial templates that would necessitate the Many Minds being a single organism