TEXT: A NUELOW GENERAL ROLE-PLAYING GAME PRODUCT:
  "HOMINIDS!"
  Role-playing Adventures with Colossal Cave(wo)men and Cackling Chimps 
  NL05
  *INSIDE FRONT COVER*
  NUELOW game products:
  "Fairies!" (Available Now)
  "Lust and Dust!" (Available Now)
  "Ugly Ducklings and Ice Queens!" (Available Now)
  "Horndogs!" (Available Now)
  "Hominids!" (Available Now)
  Dedicated to the rough and pure spirit of the NUELOW setting. This time we
  are getting as rough as possible.
  Lyric of the Month: "Boing! Bum! Peng!" [Lyric spawned by the "Neue
  deutsche Welle", a short period of very different music in the early
  80's in Germany]
  Published by Wordsmiths, 616 E. 700 S., Salt Lake City, UT 84102.
  (E-mail to nuelow@earthlink.net)
  NUELOW "Hominids!" Copyright 1995 Thomas Biskup. Original NUELOW game
  Copyright 1994,1995 Steven Miller. All rights reserved. NUELOW is a trademark
  owned by Steven Miller. Used with permission.
  NUELOW is Wordsmiths trademark for its multi-genre humor
  role-playing games. Other games, movies and television shows
  mentioned are trademarked by Someone Else. We mention them in the
  hope that their lofty reputations will rub off on us. No
  infringement or challenge to ownership intended.
  *PAGE ONE*
  "HOMINIDS!"
  Role-playing Adventures with Colossal Cave(wo)men and Cackling Chimps 
  Original Game Design and Development: Steven Miller 
  "Hominids!" Design and Development: Thomas Biskup
  Editing: Thomas Biskup
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  INTRODUCTION 
   
  DISCLAIMER
   
  WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY "HOMINIDS!" 
     
  Using "Hominids!" with other NUELOW products
  1 of 23
  
  PERSONAL PRONOUNS IN NUELOW PRODUCTS
   
  CHARACTER GENERATION
     
  Character Points
     
  Attribute Ratings
  Character Types
  Cave(wo)men
  Chimps
     
  Other Character Traits
  Advantages
  Disadvantages
  Skills
  Mating Points
  Age
  Diseases
  COMBAT
  Basics
  Movement
  Attacking
  Attacking with Ranged Weapons
  TRAMPLING
  EQUIPMENT
  Weapons
  Armor
  Miscellaneous Items
  CREATURES OF "HOMINIDS!"
  THE "THUNDER HOLE!" CAMPAIGN SETTING
  ADVENTURES FOR "HOMINIDS!"
  Adventures for cave(wo)men
  Adventures for chimps
  *PAGE TWO*
                                                                           
  INTRODUCTION
  There are certain days, on which one wakes up and feels the
  urge to do something special. "Hominids!" is the result of such an
  enlightening experience. The NUELOW system already now covers many
  genres, but still some things have been left untouched. One of the
  missing links is to explore the role-playing potential in the age of
  the missing link between Man and Ape -- the age of the "Hominids!". Now
  this supplement enables players all over the world to partake in the
  fun of searching for food, rampaging through the wilderness, trying to
  find a mate, hunting, being eaten by really wild animals and searching
  for bananas. Endless adventures in a primitive and exciting world are
  waiting for you... go ahead! Again this NUELOW supplement is designed with
  an eye towards lecherous behavior (as seems to be common in all ages
  and times). Sometimes, just sometimes, your players will want to engage
  in such behavior. We do not encourage it, but we also do not leave you
  alone with the resulting questions and problems.
  DISCLAIMER
       It is not our intention to encourage promiscuity and
  debauchery among games. This product line is simply a response to
  the many gamers who like to "play house" with imaginary people
  while sitting around a table with a room full others. NUELOW is a
  2 of 23
  
  way to ensure that everyone's playing the same game. We provide the
  framework, you, if you must, provide the dirty mind.
       The NUELOW team is very much aware that many gamers are
  impressionable children, and, as parents and/or uncles ourselves,
  know the importance of providing young children with entertainment
  that displays sound values. For this reason, there is nothing in
  any of the NUELOW series that couldn't make it onto prime-time
  television, or hasn't been approved by SMOSM (Steve Miller's Overly
  Sensitive Mother).
  *PAGE THREE*
  WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY "HOMINIDS!"
       You've already got all the rules right here in this book. Now,
  you need at least one six-sided die, some friends, a pencil or two,
  and some paper to write your character up on. Oh, and munchies.
  Don't forget the munchies.
  Using "Hominids!" with other NUELOW products.
       NUELOW is almost unique among universal game systems... Each NUELOW
  game book and supplemental rules set is written with full compatibility in
  mind, so mixing settings presents no problem. If the players and GM want to
  have fairies make fun of cave(wo)men, then it's only a question of
  generating characters with the rules in "Fairies!".  Likewise, a group of
  cavemen and chimps may stumble upon an inter-dimensional vortex and find
  themselves facing off against the Enforcers of Hansland. NUELOW is, after
  all, a universal role-plying game, and we're trying to create a game that
  will accommodate whatever the GMs and players can dream up.
  PERSONAL PRONOUNS IN NUELOW PRODUCTS
  Since the designers and editors of this series find "he" and
  "she" equally offensive, oppressive, exclusionary, etc., all characters
  in NUELOW will be referred to as "it" (except in those cases where the
  character's sex is clear from the context).
  CHARACTER GENERATION
  In "Hominids!" players will assume the role of cave(wo)men and
  chimps in an age long gone. You will fight for your daily survival,
  the right to mate and the right to eat bananas. In every moment you are
  threatened by lightning, wild animals, hunger and the danger of not
  getting someone (or something) to mate with. Your life (as short as it
  was in those times) will be filled with excitement, fear of diseases,
  the desire for bananas and -- did we already mention it? -- the urge to
  mate with someone (or something). 
  Character Points
  All characters start with 40 character points, which are used to
  "build" a basic character through buying Attribute Ratings, Skills, and
  Advantages. The points may be split between these three categories as the
  player sees fit. The beginning total may be increased by taking
  disadvantages, which may only be done at creation time unless the GM rules
  otherwise.
  While your characters are trying to survive in their dangerous
  environment (and desperately are searching for someone [or something] to
  mate with), the GM awards additional character points. Players who are
  close friends of the GM get lots of points. Everyone else gets
  shafted. These points are applied, just like the first 40 were, toward
  improving Attributes or Skills, buying new Skills and Advantages, and
  "buying-off" disadvantages. All of these rules are explained in-depth
  later.
  Attribute Ratings
  3 of 23
  
  All NUELOW characters have seven attributes: Strength, Agility,
  Looks, Intelligence, Personality, Health, and Pain Threshold.
  Attributes are rated on a scale of 1-15:
  Attribute Rating         Cost Per Point       Level
  1-3                      1                    Attribute Impaired 
  4-7                      3                    Average  
  8-10                     10                   Exceptional
  11-12                    30                   Legendary     
  13-15                    60                   Divine
  Attributes are a measure of a character's natural aptitude in
  certain areas. Characters who attempt a difficult or dangerous action roll
  two six-sided dice, or one six-sided die twice, adding the results and
  checking them against the appropriate Attribute Rating. If the number is
  equal to or less than the Attribute Rating, the character is successful. If
  the attempt fails, the GM is at liberty to decide what the result is. Each
  character can perform one action per round, unless the GM or the rules say
  otherwise.  GMs may also apply modifiers to any checks. (Attribute Rating
  checks are discussed further under "Skills.")
  Attribute Ratings of zero or one, while possible, are not
  recommended. Not only will such ratings result in automatic failure if
  skill checks are called for, but other players tend to make fun of
  them.
  Strength: A measure of the character's ability to inflict damage
  upon another character while exchanging blows, and how much it can lift
  and/or carry. The maximum load a character can handle is equal to the
  Strength Rating times 10 pounds. This load is halved when playing a
  chimp. Equipment weights are given in pounds. For every 15 pounds the
  character is over its encumbrance limit, its movement rate is cut by
  one-third. When punching characters, or attacking with blunt or edged
  hand-held weapons, the character has the certain modifiers to damage
  inflicted (Results of zero or less do no damage), listed below. Also --
  considering the age of adventure we are talking about, physical strength is
  very important for one's personality. Generally the following is true: The
  stronger you are, the more your tribal brothers and sisters will like you
  (and the greater your chance will be to find a mate).
  Strength Rating               Damage Modifier 
  Personality Modifier         
  0-3                           -2        
  -3
  4-7                           0         
  0
  8-10                          +1        
  +1
  11-12                         +2        
  +3
  13-15                         +4   
  +5
  Agility: This reflects how naturally coordinated the character
  is. Anything from juggling bananas to eating a bowl of Jello-brand
  gelatin-cubes ("Jigglers!") with bare hands would be checked against
  Agility. The Agility-rating also allows the characters to dodge
  hand-to-hand (or kick) attacks, if half or less of the rating is rolled on
  two six-sided dice.
  Looks: This is the character's physical attractiveness to any
  species that could possibly be affected by it. The Looks Rating modifies
  the Personality Rating like this:
  Looks Rating             Personality Rating Modifier   
  0-3                      -3   
  4-7                      0    
  8-10                     +1   
  11-12                    +2   
  13-15                    -3
  The modifiers represent the first-impression reactions characters
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  with bad or good looks get from the surrounding world.  Again the modifiers
  differ from previous NUELOW products, because most hominids were rather
  ugly (and quite sensitive about it), so that everything beautiful was
  rather suspect and created envy. When using characters from other genres in
  "Hominids!" the modifiers above should apply.
  Intelligence: This reflects the character's ability to understand
  abstract ideas, adapt to unexpected situations, and find their way out of a
  paper bag should the need arise. Further, the Intelligence Rating allows
  the character to see through subterfuge.  (On a successful check, of
  course.) The Intelligence Rating modifies the Personality Rating. This is
  quite easy to explain, when considering that the average cave(wo)man was as
  intelligent as a doorknob.
  Intelligence Rating      Personality Rating Modifier   
  0-2                      -2   
  3-7                      0    
  8-10                     0    
  11-12                    +1   
  13-15                    -3
  Readers will note that at either extreme on the scale is a negative
  modifier. Again, this reflects first impressions, since the general public
  is not likely to react kindly to someone who constantly drools (although
  this happens quite often in "Hominids!", or a character whose first words
  are: "I am the Lord, thy God." (or -- as far as chimps are concerned; "Me
  Banana King -- You Dumb Banana"). On the other hand, the positive modifier
  reflects the fact that mid-level geniuses (like NUELOW players) have their
  own special brand of charm.
  Personality: This is how commanding the character's presence is,
  and how well it relates to other characters. Most attempts at social
  interaction with any depth are checked against this attribute. (A character
  looking for a one-night mating event would check against Looks, but a
  character looking for permanent bondage would check against Personality.)
  See below for Mating Point Rules, which further allow to describe the
  standing of any character.
  Health: This is a measure of how much physical punishment a
  character can take, and how well it can resist and/or recover from
  illnesses. When the Health Rating goes to zero from non-lethal attacks
  (fists, certain toxins, over-exertion, etc.,) the character goes
  unconscious. When the Health Rating goes to zero from lethal attacks
  (switchblades, shotguns, being thrown from a great height, etc.), the
  character is dead. Non-lethal damage is recovered at the rate of 1 point
  per hour, or 2 points per hour of total rest. Lethal damage is recovered at
  the rate of 1 point per day if properly cared for (by someone with the
  Healing Skill), 1 point per week if left unattended. Dead characters do not
  recover damage -- they just decompose.
  Pain Threshold: This measures how well a character endures physical
  punishment. Whenever a character suffers 3 or more points of damage in one
  round, it must make a check against the Pain Threshold Rating. A failed
  check means the character has fainted from unbearable agony (or that it
  goes berserk -- see the Berserker Advantage below). Honorable or merciful
  opponents will refrain from attacking (or whatever) the character. Stupid
  cave(wo)men have normally no problems with finishing off an opponent on the
  ground (if they manage to think for long enough about it... "Ugh! It me
  hurt! I hurt back! It not move!  Move!!! Why not? Whoops, I smell
  bananas... let's go!") Chimps are very unlikely to finish someone off
  forever, as this mostly just would mean, that there is one less victim for
  their pranks.
  Character Types
  5 of 23
  
  This probably goes without saying, but all "Hominids!"  characters
  are hominids. If you don't know what that is, visit a zoo, look at the apes
  there and you will know what you are going to play (well, mostly).
  Cave(wo)men
  The first step in creating this type of character is to choose its
  sex (male or female). This is a very important decision (at least at the
  start). Females mostly are occupied with mating, bearing children, cooking
  (well, sort of), peeling bananas and such things.  Some exceptional females
  will be accompanying hunts (to skin deer, collect bananas and herbs) and
  some very, very exceptional and rare females will actually fight side by
  side with males (most of them seem to be rather tall, good-looking and have
  long blonde hair... strange).
  Next you have to decide the totem of your tribe. Every tribe has a
  protective animal, which they pray to and offer sacrifices to. The members
  of a specific tribe will try to imitate the behavior of the sacred animal
  whenever possible (no, we won't tell you, what the members of the skunk
  tribe are doing).
  After this choose Attribute Ratings, Skills, Advantages,
  Disadvantages and whatever else is necessary. Finally you will get to
  choose some equipment. Every hominid will start with 1d3 items chosen from
  the equipment list below (everything else will have to be gathered, stolen
  or self-made).
  Finally you will have to name your creation. Mostly such names as
  Grok, Gronk, Ugla, Uggel, Urg, etc. are in use. Some very strange tribes
  use such mysterious names as Fred, Barney, Wilma or Betty... strange
  people, aren't they?
  Genetic Advantages
  Cave(wo)men are tough and strong. Thus they start with an Attribute
  Rating of 1d6 (roll each separately) in Strength, Health and Pain
  Threshold. All cave(wo)men know the Sign Language Skill at level 1.
  Genetic Disadvantages
  Because of their heritage, cave(wo)men are not the most intelligent
  beings on Earth. To put it more bluntly, there are probably many more
  intelligent beings on Earth. This is results in a maximal Attribute Rating
  of 3 in Intelligence.
  Chimps
  Again you first have to choose your sex. As with cave(wo)men this
  decision is quite important (for the same reasons, although chimps are not
  as much concerned with a strict separation of males and females.  Only one
  position is always inhabited by males -- the position of being the
  chieftain. Otherwise chimps mostly are concerned with having fun (lots of
  it!). Chimps like to sleep, make fun of stupid cave(wo)men, mate, collect
  bananas and do anything else, that brings fun to their lives.
  Next you have to decide the totem of the tribe of cave(wo)men
  you are going to harass specially. Each of these funny big apes seems to
  worship a certain animal (one tribe even worships chimps... but they
  are somewhat boring, as you can do to them whatever you want and they do
  not react in any funny way, but suffer silently; there are even not very
  well-liked tribes as for example the big apes that worships skunks --
  their habits are just too disgusting).
  Afterwards you will have to choose your Attribute Ratings,
  Skills, Advantaged and Disadvantages. Chimps do not get any initial
  equipment, as they normal do not use anything. When they need something,
  they either steal it or pick it up.
  Chimps do use names (although they are strange to today's
  humans). They typically have such names as "Ieek", "Chhiiirrr", "Scrruuu",
  "Ughugh" or "Judy".
  Genetic Advantages
  Living primarily in trees has its advantages. You are very fast and
  agile and your food (especially the many bananas) are very healthy.
  6 of 23
  
  Therefore a beginning chimp character gets 1d6 of Attribute Rating in
  Agility and Health for free. You also get the Smells Bananas Advantage and
  the Climb and Swing Skills for free (the skills at level 1). Lastly all
  chimps know the Language Skill (Chimp-Speak) at level 2.
  Genetic Disadvantages
  Being a chimp not only consists of having fun, eating bananas and
  mating but this way of life also has its drawbacks. A chimp character is
  not allowed to raise its intelligence above 2. Also several of the
  (Dis)Advantages and Skills below are forbidden for chimps.
  Other Character Traits
  Advantages
       Most advantages are things characters are born with, but a few others
  are achieved through training. Players may spend their character points on
  them.
  Attractive Appearance: Due to good luck with genes, the character
  looks far better than the average cave- or tree-dweller. The player rolls a
  six-sided die and adds the result to the character's Looks Attribute
  Rating. This advantage costs 3 points, regardless of what the player rolls.
  Berserker: The character choosing this advantage can't stand
  pain. Surprisingly its reaction to pain is not fainting or whimpering
  but raging hatred. When failing a Pain Threshold Check, the character
  is forced to attack the source of his pain, until either it or the
  source of the pain is dead or destroyed. From this point onwards no
  further Pain Threshold Checks are required and the character suffers
  only one-third of the normal non-lethal damage from any attacks
  (minimum: 1 point per attack). This advantage is worth 10 points. 
  Busty (women only, no chimps): The character has a chest that
  reminds on-lookers of Dolly Parton. This advantage provides a -1 modifier
  on Seduction attempts, and a +2 penalty to Dodging. This advantage costs 2
  points.
  Broad Pelvis (females only): The character has an exceptional
  pelvis, which reminds spying cavemen of very attractive gorillas and chimps
  (and watching chimps of somewhat attractive cave(wo)men). This advantage
  provides a -1 modifier on Seduction attempts, and a +1 penalty to
  Dodging. This advantage costs 3 points.
  Double-jointed: The character receives -1 to all Agility Attribute
  Checks and Agility-based skill checks. The advantage costs 5 points.
  Eye-Hand Coordination: Negates "called-shot" penalties while the
  character is using ranged weapons. This advantage costs 7 points.
  Fire Maker (cave(wo)men only): This character has achieved a
  marvelous technological success. It learned how to make fire (well, most of
  the time). Given some time and the right equipment (flint stones or a stick
  and some tinder), the character is able to start a fire on a successful
  Agility Check with a bonus of 3. The character may try this as often as he
  wants (given enough time and material). This advantage surely will give the
  character great status among his tribe, even if he otherwise is a total
  wimp and absolutely useless. This advantage is worth 5 points.
  High Pain Threshold: The player may roll a six-sided die and add
  the result to the character's Pain Threshold Attribute Rating.  This
  advantage costs 3 points, regardless of what the player rolls.
  Keen Senses: Upon making a successful Intelligence Attribute check
  with a bonus of 3, the character can pick out strange sounds or smells,
  7 of 23
  
  thus lowering its chance of being ambushed. During sex, this advantage lets
  a character know if its partner is truly being fulfilled, or just "faking
  it." (Not that this would be of interest to a caveman most of the
  time... sensibility is not one of their strengths, as you might
  guess). This advantage costs 2 points.
  Robust Health: The player may roll a six-sided die and add the
  result to the character's Health Attribute Rating. This advantage costs 4
  points, regardless of what the player rolls.
  Smells Bananas: On a successful Intelligence Check, the character
  is able to smell any bananas within a range of 20 meters.  This might allow
  for an increase in status, if it manages to become a really successful
  banana hunter. Chimps gain a +5 bonus on the check. This advantage costs 2
  points.
  Sparks of Intelligence: Due to luck with genes (what else?), this
  character has managed to raise his cerebral activity beyond the normal
  standards of cavemen. The player is allowed to raise the intelligence of
  its character as high as its points allow. If the character us a chimp, it
  may raise its intelligence up to 6. This advantage costs 3 points.
  Status: This advantage adds to a character's Looks Attribute rating
  or its Personality Attribute rating. A character may either add 1d6 to its
  Looks rating or add +1 to its Personality Rating. This advantage costs 3
  points.
  True Genius: The player may roll a six-sided die and add half the
  result (rounded down) to the character's Intelligence Attribute
  Rating. This costs 3 points regardless of the number rolled. It may only be
  taken, if the character also possesses the Sparks of Intelligence
  advantage. Chimps choosing this Advantage gain 1d3-1 points of Intelligence
  (with a minimum of 1). The True Genius advantage may be taken up to twice.
  Visions (cave(wo)men only): The character from time to time
  receives visions (as the GM deems necessary). Mostly these visions are a
  sign of madness (not very surprising, considering the constant stress a
  cave(wo)man has to stand). The GM is encouraged to create wild and
  mysterious (and mostly absolutely useless) visions from time to time. The
  tribe will consider him to be blessed by GgggDdd (the Gods!). This
  advantage costs 4 points.
  Well-hung (males only): This character can look impressive in furs
  (or even better without them) without using a cucumber and receives -1 to
  Seduction attempt rolls. This advantage costs 2 points.
  Disadvantages
  Taking disadvantages can provide extra character points. GMs should
  try to place characters in situations where their disadvantages might come
  into play. (Don't overdo it, though.)  Certain disadvantages have
  Attribute-bases and modifiers listed.  The modifiers are added to the
  character's roll when it checks to avoid letting weakness get the best of
  it. There might be some of these disadvantages characters don't want to
  resist, of course. GMs shouldn't force players to roll if they want their
  characters to engage in certain generally unacceptable behaviors.
  Characters may spend points to negate disadvantages as they earn
  points. When a character has "repaid" the points it earned from taking the
  disadvantage, it is "cured" of whatever the weakness was.
       Banananism (Intelligence-based, +2): Whenever the character is
  presented with bananas or finds itself in a stressful situation, it needs
  to make a check to see if it turns to the banana. If the Attribute check is
  failed, the character eats until it passes out or is prevented from eating
  8 of 23
  
  by other characters. The bananic character, however, doesn't want to be
  stopped. For every 30 minutes of eating, a Health Attribute Check must be
  made. For each failed check, the bananas effect the character as such:
  First Failed Health Attribute Check: +1 to Personality; -1 to
  Agility and Intelligence. The Hand-Eye Coordination advantage is
  negated, while characters without that advantage have their off-hand
  penalties raised to +2/+4.
  Second Failed Health Attribute Check: +1 to Strength and Pain
  Threshold; -2 to Agility, Intelligence and Personality. Banananized
  characters automatically fail any Seduction attempts on sober characters,
  but receive -2 on the Attribute Check against characters who are also
  banananized.
  Third Failed Health Attribute Check: +1 to Strength, +2 to Pain
  Threshold; -3 to Agility, Intelligence and Personality.  Characters with
  Sexual Prowess automatically fail the Skill Check. Hitting targets
  (stationary or otherwise) with ranged weapons is impossible.
  Fourth Failed Health Attribute Check: Unconscious for an amount of
  hours as dictated by the roll of one six-sided die. When the character
  wakes up, it feels ill and sluggish (3 non-lethal points of Health damage,)
  has a throbbing headache (-2 to Intelligence and -1 to Agility) and
  generally feels hung-over. This disadvantage is worth 4 points.
  Apish (cave(wo)men only): The character's Intelligence Attribute
  Rating can't exceed 1 until the disadvantage has been "repaid."  This
  disadvantage may not be taken by characters with the Sparks of Intelligence
  advantage, and is worth 4 points.
  Cowardly (Intelligence-based +1): When faced with danger, the
  character must make an Attribute Check or flee. This disadvantage is worth
  6 points (considering that almost everything in this setting is
  dangerous!).
  Delicate Stomach (Health-based +1): Most foods give the character
  heartburn and/or gas, which can lead to embarrassing social
  situations. After each meal or bananic beverage, the character must make a
  successful Health Attribute check or suffer a gas attack. Flatulence
  results in a +3 penalty to all social skills and an automatic failure to
  Seduction attempts. This disadvantage is worth 3 points.
  Sexual Preference, animal (cave(wo)men only, Intelligence-based,
  +1): Self-explanatory. The character's player may choose the animal. If any
  characters discover the character's sexual preference, it receives an
  automatic +4 penalty to all Personality-based skill checks. This
  disadvantage is worth 10 points.
  Sexual Preference, men (chimps only, Intelligence-based, +1):
  Self-explanatory. If any chimp characters discover the character's sexual
  preference, it receives a +3 penalty to all Personality-based skill checks
  (due to the less hostile view of chimps concerning this topic [remember:
  their motto is "Have fun in whatever way gives you most fun"]). This
  disadvantage is worth 7 points.
   
  Sickly: The character's Health can't exceed 3 until the
  disadvantage has been "repaid." This disadvantage is worth 10 points.
  Superstitious: Many mysterious signs and omens fill the prehistoric
  world. This character knows how to recognize them and knows that most will
  blast him out of existence, if he is not careful.  Consequently, whenever
  the GM believes, that an omen has occurred (a bolt of lightning striking a
  tree, a strange stone lying on the ground, a really big banana or a club
  suddenly breaking), the character has to make an Intelligence Check or
  otherwise must spend 1d6 minutes cowering on the grounds wailing to the
  Gods for forgiveness. This disadvantage is worth 6 points.
  Vengeful (Intelligence-based, +5): The character wants to hurt
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  something... anything. When the character takes damage or is embarrassed,
  it must pursue the attacker or offender, intent on beating the crap of it,
  until the pursuit is obviously hopeless.  (GM's call, or another
  Intelligence check at +3.) This disadvantage is worth 3 points.
  Skills
  To successfully use a skill, a character must make a check (on two
  six-sided dice) against the appropriate attribute. Furthermore, character
  points can be used to improve skills. There are four skill levels, and it
  costs 2 character points to buy a first-level skill. The price goes up from
  there, but at higher levels, the character receives a bonus to Attribute
  Checks, a negative modifier on the roll. On the other hand, a character has
  a penalty for attempting to perform an action it isn't skilled in. GMs
  should use their judgment in determining the results of a failed check.
  Skill Level         Point Cost          Bonus to Attribute Checks
  0                   0                   +4   
  1                   2                    0    
  2                   4                   -2   
  3                   8                   -4   
  4                   16                  -6
  Characters may attempt to use more than one skill per round.  All
  checks must be successful for the desired effects to come about, and often
  all Attribute Bonuses should be added to one or both checks. Common sense
  (as interpreted by the GM) should be applied.
  Artistic Ability (cave(wo)men only, Agility-based): The character
  can draw, paint or sculpt works of art of less than questionable quality
  (well, in 40000 years they'll be really valuable, but for now...). The
  player chooses what kind of visual art the character practices, and a
  different skill must be purchased for each type. The character can read and
  write the sign language of his tribe (or another tribe, if the GM feels
  generous). A separate skill is required for each sign language the
  character can read/write. To read the signs of the infamous skunk people
  this skill is of no help. You just need a good nose...
  Banana Peeling (Intelligence-based): The character can peel bananas
  with this skill. This heightens the taste of the banana, when eaten and
  reduces the chance of becoming banananized (see above) (you need double the
  amount of peeled bananas to become banananized than normal).
  Climbing (Agility-based): The character can perform simple actions
  such as climbing a rock or a banana tree without needing to make Attribute
  Checks. More difficult feats, such as a sheer cliff face or an icy incline
  can be scaled with the proper equipment (whatever that might be in a
  prehistoric age).
  Dancing (Agility-based): The character knows a variety of dance
  styles, ranging from clogging to jumping to flailing. (GMs may rule that
  characters are familiar with dance types particular to only one tribe per
  skill slot devoted to dancing.) Characters with this skill may apply any
  relevant Attribute Bonus to Seduction attempts, if the two skills are being
  used in conjunction. Chimps also have a very unique way to dance, which is
  rather close to the cave(wo)men-style.
  Dodging (Agility-based): This skill increases the effective Agility
  Attribute Rating for purposes of dodging hand-to-hand and ranged attacks by
  half (round up). Unless paired with a successful Unarmed Combat Skill
  check, however, the dodging character's chance to strike targets while
  dodging is also reduced by half.
  First Aid (cave(wo)men only, Intelligence-based): The character
  knows human anatomy ("No, I'm pretty certain both feet are supposed to
  10 of 23
  
  point in the same direction...") and has a passing familiarity with
  bandaging wounds and correcting fractures (a _very_ passing familiarity,
  that is). A successful check will cure 2 points of non-lethal damage or 1
  point of lethal damage. This may only be attempt once on each group of
  wounds. The character with healing skill may only use it to cure non-lethal
  damage on itself. If the check is failed, the patient will suffer an
  additional point of the damage to be treated (these are the risks of stone
  age medicine... guess, why Fred Feuerstein never visited a doctor!)
  Hunting (Agility-based): The character is a capable hunter and able
  to track down wild animals. On a successful check he managed to find a
  potential diner somewhere in the wilderness (what is found is up to the
  GM). It should be remembered, that chimps are mostly vegetarians.
  Inventing (cavewomen only, Intelligence-based): This skill is
  reserved for female cave dwellers (they are the productive and innovative
  force of progress, since many of them spent their time in their home
  cave, while the men are out hunting... thus they invented the passtime
  of "inventing"). A character possessing this skill is able to try to
  make an invention once per (12 - Intelligence Rating) weeks (minimum of
  four weeks). On a successful Skill Check (with appropriate penalties
  from the table below) they successfully invent something more or less
  useful. The inventions below are divided in several levels of
  difficulty. Generally the character cannot invent anything of level x,
  unless it has invented something of level x - 1. To make an invention
  the appropriate tools and materials are a necessity.
  Difficulty
  Possible inventions
  Modifier
  1
  plates, cups, sharp knifes      0
  (+1 l damage)                  
  2
  boot laces, shirts, cloaks,
  +1
  pottery, body paintings
  3
  slings, cooking, ropes, flint-  +2
                  stones
  4               torches, knife and fork
  +3
  5               pits, nets, banana alcohol      +4
  6               doors, domestic animals,        +5
  agriculture 
  7
  the wheel, written language     +7
  After having invented something, the character has to pass a successful
  Personality Check while facing the chief of the tribe. Otherwise nobody
  will recognize the value of the invention and it will not come into
  use. Because of the difficulty of this skill, all costs learning it are
  doubled. 
  Math (Intelligence-based): The character can do calculations that
  do _not_ exceed the number of fingers and toes it possesses. At Skill Level
  4 it also is allowed to do multiplications as long as the results are
  smaller than the number of available fingers and toes (not necessarily
  one's own). Chimps can use this skill only to count bananas and cave(wo)men
  (within the limitations above). Other things do not interest them enough.
  Medicine (cave(wo)men only, Intelligence-based): The character
  enjoys an exulted status as a medicine (wo)man. It is able to cope with
  several kinds of diseases (for details see the disease descriptions far
  below).  Following this the most important diseases are listed. For each
  disease there is listed a modifier applicable when treating the disease
  and the results, if the check is successful (S) or unsuccessful (U).
  Toothache (-1):
  Cure: Smash stone against the bad tooth/teeth
  S: loose 1d3 teeth (amongst them the bad tooth).
  U: loose 1d6 teeth (amongst them the bad tooth only on
     a 1 or 2 on 1d6)
  Each hominid starts with 33-1d6 teeth. For every 6 teeth lost,
  the Looks Rating is decreased by one. If the Looks Rating is 
  reduced to less than zero, the character dies, because he is no
  11 of 23
  
  longer able to eat effectively.
  Whenever you loose some teeth due to "medical treatment", you
  suffer 1 l damage per two teeth lost (round up). This is due
  to the primitive way of "curing" (which basically consists of
  smashing a rock of medium size against the teeth concerned and
  hoping the best).
  Bad cold (0):
  Cure: Drink a mixture of vile herbs and animal parts
  S: Be cured in 1d6 days
  U: Die in 1d3 days.
  Brain Tumor (+4):
  Cure: Open the skull by splitting it, remove anything that
  looks queer and tie a piece of fur around the wound. Hope the
  best.
  S: Looks Rating is lowered by 0-2 points (never below
     zero)
  U: Instant death
  Stomach problems (+1):
  Cure: Either cut open the stomach and remove anything, that
  appears suspect or continuously have the patient drink a 
  mixture of banana pieces, vile herbs and animal parts.
  S: Be cured within a week
  U: Die an agonizing death within 1d6 minutes (when
     cut open) or 1d6 days (otherwise)
  Banananism (+3):
  Cure: Strictly prevent the afflicted from eating, seeing or
  smelling any bananas for two months.
  S: Be cured.
  U: Probably many social problems between the tribe
     and the afflicted
  A medicine (wo)man needs some ingredients and tools of trades, which are
  listed under equipment.
  Language (cave(wo)men only, Intelligence-based): It is
  recommended that no character gets a spoken language for free. (This is,
  after all, finally NUELOW "Hominids!"). This part will probably expanded
  in a supplement, containing a dictionary, life action role-playing rules
  and many more goodies (maybe even some bananas) to maximize Real Life
  (tm) experiences (and we won't force you to wear black to enjoy this!).
  This skill must be taken for each language learned separately. In
  "Thunder Hole!" (the campaign setting presented below) a kind of common
  tongue exists, which is spoken throughout the valley (by those, who are
  able to speak). It is called "cmmnngrnnt" (or "The Common Grunting").
  Seduction (Looks-based): The character may attempt to use a
  variety of techniques, mental (screaming and chattering) and physical
  (dealing out blows with a club or pulling a mate at the hairs), to sway
  one or more other characters who have even the faintest attraction to
  the seducer to perform... uh, services and favors for it. The nature of
  these services is up to the seducer. A seduced creature can perform no
  actions (other than perhaps kiss or fondle the seducer) for the first
  round of seduction. On subsequent rounds, the character always acts
  last.
  A target may roll against its Intelligence score if it wishes
  to attempt to resist the seduction attempt. The following modifiers
  apply to the character's check to resist being seduced:
  Intelligence Modifier              Mitigating Circumstance       
  -3                                 Giving in will be dangerous   
  -2                                 Seducer is personal enemy     
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  -1                                 Seducer attacked target prior
  +1                                 Eye-contact with seducer      
  +2                                 Physical contact with seducer 
  +3                                 No negatives from succumbing  
  +4                                 Expects pleasure beyond dreams 
  Modifiers are cumulative where one or more apply. There are
  many other circumstances that might result in modifiers, and GMs should
  use their best judgment in the individual situations.
  Once the player determines if the character has succeeded or
  failed to seduce a target, GM and player are encouraged to role-play
  through the events that follow. However, should the creative font be
  dry, a roll on a six-sided checked against the appropriate table might
  inspire an idea or two for excitement in and outside of bed:
  Successful Check                        Failed Check
  1. Will do anything, right here,        1. Roll on success chart; 
     right now.                              add 2.
  2. As #1, but sex acts must be          2. Agrees to sex out of
     in private.                             out of fear/pity
  3. Saving self for bondage, but         3. Punches seducer, leaves.
     a second successful check yields
     a result as per #1.  If the second
     attempt fails, result as per #3 on 
     failure chart.                       
  4. Is maniac who imprisons partner      4. Hits seducer, cries for
     after a time of amazing sex.            help.
  5. Result similar to #2, but the        5. Gravely offended.      
     target is bonded. GM rolls one          Friends of the target
     six-sided die, and if the result        ambush seducer later.
     is 6, the former mate shows up as the 
     seducer and seduced are making love.
  6. Result similar to #2, but the        6. Cries rape and attacks 
     target is actually of a disguised       to sever appendage.
     chimp (differences of this kind 
     are hard to tell in the stone age!)
  Once a character has been seduced, it will always be
  susceptible to the wiles of that particular seducer -- to the tune +1
  to the Intelligence roll, +3 if the seduction resulted in carnal
  delights.
  Set Traps (Agility-based): Useful to most cave- and
  tree-dwellers when hunting, trashing, humiliating, or getting revenge on
  other tribes or members of its own tribe. The details of the trap are up
  to the character, but an Attribute check at +2 is required to construct
  an effective, well-concealed trap that won't be discovered until it has
  already been sprung.
  Sign Language (Agility-based): This skill is used by all
  hominids not able to speak a real language. They will use crude signs
  accompanied by guttural sounds to make their wishes and thoughts known.
  For each type of sign language a different skill must be taken.
  Singing (Personality-based): The character can carry tune, and
  quite well (for a cave- or tree-dweller that is) on a successful skill
  check. When used in conjunction with Seduction and/or Dancing, all skill
  bonuses from successful Attribute Checks may be applied to the Seduction
  roll.
  Swinging (Agility-based): The character is able to swing quite
  effectively through forests and overgrown terrain. Chimps can do this
  without any supporting things, cave(wo)men need vines to do so.
  Weapons Use (Variable): Each weapons skill must be bought
  13 of 23
  
  separately. See "Equipment" for available weapons, and the Attribute
  checked for their usages. Each additional level purchased in a Weapons
  Use category, give the character -1 on to-hit checks. It should be
  noted, that many chimps are deadly fighters with the thrown banana,
  should the need arise.
  Wrestling (Agility-based): Used to mate, to find a mate and to
  hunt deer. The character with this skill is familiar with techniques
  that will hold a target in place if it is successfully hit. The wrestler
  can choose to pin a target in place or tear a small object (bone
  jewelry, a piece of clothing) from the targets body.  (Thus, this
  skill might be applicable to sexual situations.) The target may not
  attack while held, but may try to squirm free on a successful Agility
  check at +2. The target may, of course, attack at will if the wrestler
  chose not to hold it.
  Mating Points
  As we mentioned several times before, one of the main goals of
  hominids (besides finding and eating bananas) is to find a mate and
  mate. As there are not many mates available, only the most successful
  and the strongest hominids have a chance of finding a legal mate (you
  can rob a mate, but this almost always incurs the wrath of the
  concerned tribe). To simulate the successes of a hominid, Mating Points
  are introduced. Every hominid starts with 0 Mating Points. By doing
  certain things it is possible to raise the amount of Mating Points.
  When these points reach certain levels, the chief of the character's
  tribe (or the leader of the pack, when chimps are concerned) will
  decide, that the time has come to make the character choose a mating
  partner to ensure that his valuable genes will continue to exist (the
  chief would formulate this in a different way, probably as "yoo
  uuuUUrrrRRggGG... MMMBBMFBBBMMMFFF...Ummnffff" or translated to English
  "You are a worthy and very successful member of our glorious
  tribe. Hereby you are allowed to choose a mate to ensure that your skill
  and knowledge will live forever!").
  The following actions change the Mating Points of a character
  (it is possible to have a negative number of Mating Points):
  Successful Hunter: For each week of successful hunting, the
  character will receive one Mating Point per Skill Level in hunting.
  Successful Inventor: For each successful invention the
  character receives 2 times the difficulty factor of the invention in
  Mating Points. If the character even manages to convince the tribe of
  using his inventions he receives an additional amount of Mating Points
  equal to 8 times the difficulty factor.
  Killing a Cave Bear: +10 Mating Points; +50 Mating Points if
  this feat was done single-handedly
  Dishonoring the tribe: -1 to -30 Mating Points according to the
  amount of dishonor
  Discovering a gate of NUELOW: +15 Mating Points, if the gate is
  shown to the other members of the tribe (or pack)
  Being responsible for the death of a tribe member: -15 Mating
  Points; -20 Mating Points if the dead was female
  Making big fun of cave(wo)men (chimps only): +1 to +10 points,
  depending on the amount of fun
  Further modifications should be invented by the GM.
  If the character achieves 50 Mating Points, he is allowed to
  choose one mate for one contact. Afterwards 50 Mating Points are
  discarded.
  If the character achieves 100 Mating Points, he might decide to
  have the chief of the tribe choose a permanent mating partner for him
  (most of the time the most ugly and undesirable mates are chosen --
  thus many hominids choose to wait a little longer). Afterwards 100
  14 of 23
  
  Mating Points are subtracted.
  If the character achieves 200 Mating Points, he is allowed to
  choose a permanent mating partner. Afterwards 200 Mating Points are
  subtracted.
  If the character achieves 400 Mating Points, he is allowed to
  mate with anyone for one year. Afterwards 200 (yes, 200) Mating Points
  are subtracted.
  It is possible to have more than one mate. Actually most tribes
  view a hominid with a lot of mates with great awe (+1 Personality
  rating for each permanent mate known about). It should be stressed that
  unsanctioned mating normally incurs the wrath of the fellow tribe
  members (or the leader of the pack -- all other chimps believe in
  maximal fun). Nonetheless again and again there are forbidden matings,
  which are always the cause of a lot of grunting and chattering.
  Age
  Age is a big problem for hominids (they do not get really old
  -- at least from our point of view). The following table characterizes
  certain age levels:
  Age level
  Str-Mod Agl-Mod Itl-Mod Hth-Mod Lks-Mod
  Young
  +1
  +1
  0
  0
  +1
  Adult
  0
  0
  0
  0
  0
  Old
  -1/8
  -2/8
  +1
  -2/7
  -1/9
  Very Old
  -2/7
  -2/6
  +1
  -2/6
  -2/8
  Ancient
  -3/5
  -4/4
  -2
  -2/4
  -3/6
  If the table sports one number, this is the modifier to the
  appropriate attribute. If there are two numbers, the first number is the
  modifier, the second number is the maximum value allowed in the
  appropriate attribute. If any value is lowered to -1, the character
  dies of some kind of disease. If the maximum age + 1d6 years is reached
  you also are going to die (this rule applies only to this setting --
  other settings use a different die modifier).
  Age levels for cave(wo)men are as follows: young (8-12 years),
  adult (13-18 years), old (19-24 years), very old (25-28 years) and
  ancient (29-32 years).
  A cave(wo)men player character starts at age 10+1d6.
  Age levels for chimps are as follows: young (2-4 years), adult
  (5-8 years), old (9-12 years), very old (13-14 years) and ancient (15-20
  years). 
  When a character looses more and more teeth, he also starts to
  become more susceptible to aging problems (you can eat less of these
  healthy worms and vile herbs, you get weaker, etc). Thus whenever a
  character has lost half its teeth, every year of adventure counts
  double, when calculating aging effects. After loosing three fourths of
  its teeth, the character has to count each year thrice. When all teeth
  are gone, each year counts fourfold.
  Diseases
  The world of "Hominids!" is filled with many dangers. Diseases
  are one of the major causes (besides wild animals, too much mating,
  slipping on a banana and other factors) for the early deaths of many
  hominids. Every month each character has to make a successful Health
  Check with a bonus of 4 (chimps make this check with a bonus of 6 --
  this is due to their very healthy banana diet), otherwise it caught an
  illness. Roll for a disease with 1d6 on the table below:
  Roll
  Disease
  1
  Severe Toothache: the character has to pass a Pain
  Threshold Check each time he tries a physical action.
  If it fails the check it is not able to execute the
  15 of 23
  
  action.
  2
  Bad cold: Pass a Health Check +3 or die of the fever
  within 1d6 days. Otherwise you suffer a penalty of 3
  on all checks during the time of the disease.
  3
  Brain tumor: On a roll of 1 on 1d6 the character dies
  within 1d6 weeks a painful and horrible death.
  Otherwise you suffer a permanent penalty of 1 on all
  checks.
  4
  Stomach problems: On a successful Health Check you are
  only incapacitated for 1d6 weeks, otherwise you die an
  ugly death.
  5
  Banananism: Due to incorrect consumption of bananas you
  have become an addict. You will do _anything_ to get
  hold of 1d6 bananas per three days. If you do not
  manage to eat the required ration of bananas, suffer
  a cumulative penalty of 2 on all checks.
  6
  No disease, but struck by a bolt of lightning: suffer
  2d6 points of lethal damage.
  Diseases may be treated by characters with the Medicine Skill
  (see the skill list). The character should be very aware of the risks
  of allowing this. Chimps can only treat Toothaches (this is handled
  like an unsuccessful use of the Medicine skill).
  COMBAT
  While combat generally means hacking, slashing, and spreading
  as much carnage in as short time as possible, there are some NUELOW
  combat rules that apply to more intimate pursuits. As evident in some
  of the skills above, what is sometimes useful on the field of battle
  can also come in handy between the sheets (or rather furs and banana peels
  that is)...
  Basics
  The basis for all time-keeping in NUELOW games is the "round."
  There are six seconds in one round, ten rounds in one minute, sixty
  minutes in one hour, 24 hours in one day (which, as we all know, is
  simply not enough) and so on, and so forth. Consult the calendar on
  your wall for additional details. Each player must declare what action
  the character will take that round, and the characters then take these
  actions from the highest to lowest Agility Attribute Ratings. A player
  may choose to hold a character's action until later in the round, but
  must call it as soon as actions have been declared for the character he
  or she was trying to shaft... uh, support.  Each character can perform
  at least one action per round, although GMs can rule that the character
  can do more or less, too.  (It's a rare thing, though, when a character
  can't just lay still on the ground, unconscious, or just overcome by
  exhaustion...)  Characters take actions in order of Agility Rating,
  those with the highest numbers acting first. If there is one or more
  characters with the same Agility Rating, the order is as follows:
  1. In hand-to-hand (or kick) combat, the character with the highest
  Personality score acts first.
  2. Characters who are using a ranged, non-weapon attack. (Seduction
  attempts, etc.)
  3. Characters who are in moving vehicles (yes, currently there are no
  vehicles, but considering the immense desire of cavewomen to invent
  something, there very soon might be vehicles), but not in combat.
  4. Characters moving on foot, but not in combat.
  5. Characters wielding light/medium ranged weapons.  
  6. Characters wielding heavy/large ranged weapons.
  7. Characters who are in vehicles (see above) and engaged in combat.
  8. Characters using small melee weapons.
  9. Characters who are in vehicles (see above), but attacking a target on
  foot.
  10. Characters using large melee weapons.
  16 of 23
  
  Remember, seduced characters always act last in the round on they
  are seduced. Attribute Ratings are also used to decide who controls the
  situation during close encounters of the carnal kind. Characters with the
  Sexual Prowess skill always act first in the round, but the Agility or
  Personality Ratings apply if both characters possess Sexual Prowess.
  However, if the words "whips" and "chains" have come up (together or
  separately) Strength is most likely the Attribute to go off. Characters
  that have been seduced into the situation will always act after the
  seducer, unless instructed to do otherwise. See "Attacking" for additional
  information.
  Movement
  A character's full movement rate equals its combined Strength,
  Agility and Health Attribute bonuses in feet. The minimum full movement
  is always three, regardless of negative Attribute bonuses.  Characters
  on the ground may choose to move less than their full movement rates,
  or not move at all.
  It is possible for characters to move and attack at the same
  time, if they are within range (or reach) of each other. For each
  character that has declared movement during a turn, there is a +1
  cumulative to-hit penalty. In other words, two moving characters trying
  to hit each other with clubs would each add 2 to their Agility
  Attribute checks.
  Attacking
  Attacks are resolved whenever a character acts in a turn. To
  hit, a character must roll the appropriate Weapons Use skill Attribute
  or an Unarmed Combat roll. If a character hits the target, apply the
  damage appropriate to the weapon being used (found under "Equipment")
  and any Strength Attribute bonuses/penalties. If the character is
  wearing armor (also found under "Equipment") only damage exceeding the
  character's Armor Rating is subtracted from the Health Rating.
  A character may attack up to three targets in one round, if
  those targets are in melee combat. For each additional target in excess
  of the first being attacked, a +1 penalty is added to the Weapons Use
  skill Attribute check. (+1 for the second, and +2 for the third.)
  Characters may choose to take "called shots." There is a +3
  to-hit penalty on "called shots," but extra damage is inflicted on
  successful hits, with vital areas subject to the greatest damage
  bonuses.
  Called-shot Location          Extra Damage        
  Head                          roll six-sided, apply result       
  Torso                         4 points       
  Arms                          2 points, +1 penalty on to-hit rolls
  Legs                          1 point, +2 penalty on relevant
                                  Agility checks, lower movement rate
                                  1/3 for each 5 points of "called
                                  shot" damage.
  Certain sexual situations might require to-hit rolls (Agility
  or Strength Attribute Checks). These include characters who are moving,
  characters who are in a boat on a storm-tossed sea, or character's
  trying to engage in sexual acts with an unwilling target.
  Attacking with Ranged Weapons
  The basic NUELOW mechanic for ranged weapons combat is the
  "line-of-sight" rule: if a character can see it, the character can hit it
  with ranged weapons. This rule is subject to GM rulings and common sense,
  but is essentially all that's needed to play. For more detail-minded
  players (or those without common sense), the following optional rules may
  be used:
  Characters must still be able to see what they're shooting at,
  but to-hit rolls are modified by factors such as weapon size, distance
  17 of 23
  
  to target, lighting conditions, and aiming time. Further, the modifiers
  mentioned under "Movement" may be applied as well. A ranged weapon is
  anything that can be thrown. A rock, a stick, a banana, or any number
  of objects could conceivably be ranged weapons in a pinch.
  The following chart lists the modifiers that apply to to-hit
  rolls for ranged weapons. The sizes of the weapons featured in the game
  can be found under "EQUIPMENT."
  Size of Weapon      Close Range    Medium Range   Long Range
  Small               -2             0              +3
  Medium              0              -3             -1
  Large               +2             +1             -3
  Close Range is considered 5 yards and less; Medium up to 10 yards; and
  Long Range is up to 30 yards.  GM's ruling and common sense also apply.
  Optionally, the GM might consider weather and lighting
  conditions during ranged attacks. Heavy snow and darkness add +1 to all
  to-hit rolls at Medium Range; and +3 to all Long Range attempts. These
  modifiers are cumulative.
  TRAMPLING
  Often a character will be in danger of being trampled (either
  by his fleeing cave dweller comrades, a herd of wild animals or
  whatever else). Such a situation presents a lot of trouble for the
  player character, but it poses even more problems to the GM. Therefore,
  we will use the tried and tested NUELOW trampling rules.
  Three values are of importance, when the characters are facing
  a stampede of whatever... the difference of mass of the beings
  involved, the difference in size of the beings involved and finally the
  number of beings or vehicles doing the trampling. These three factors
  determine the amount of damage the character suffers. The base damage
  is determined by comparing the character's size and mass to the size
  and mass of one of the beings (or the average size and mass of
  different beings) in the opposing horde. Base damage found on the
  following table:
                          Mass
            lower           equal           greater      
  Size                     
  smaller    -1/4            0/2              1/1        
  equal      0/2             1/1              2/1        
  greater    1/1             2/1              4/1
  The first number is the base amount of damage points the victim
  suffers, and if the trampler's size and mass is equal to, or greater
  than, the victim, the damage taken is lethal. The second number is the
  minimum amount of creatures required to cause that damage. If there are
  fewer creatures than that number, no damage is caused. From now on the
  number of creatures will be called the threshold number.
  Total damage is calculated by modifying the base damage
  according to the number of creatures trampling the character. The GM
  determines the number of creatures that are passing over (or ramming)
  the character's body, and each time the number of trampling creatures
  doubles, the damage received is increased by +1: If the threshold
  number is reached once, the character suffers base damage; if the
  threshold number is reached twice, it suffers base damage +1; if the
  threshold number is reached four times, it suffers base damage +2; if
  the threshold number is reached eight times, it suffers base damage +3;
  if the... (Okay, you get the idea.)
  All is not lost for the character about to become a puddle of
  gore, however. If the GM is merciful, the character being trampled can
  make an Agility Check to lower the damage incurred. On a successful
  check, it suffers but one-half damage (round down).
  18 of 23
  
  EQUIPMENT
  The following equipment list is rather short, but if you ponder
  the variety of available shops or craftsmen in the prehistoric age,
  you'll understand why.
  Weapons
  Each weapon in "Hominids!" has five statistics: type, damage,
  weight, size and AT. Remember, a character's Strength Damage Modifier
  is added to hand-to-hand and melee weapon attacks, as are "called shot"
  damage modifiers. Blunt weapons do non-lethal damage, edged do lethal
  damage unless otherwise noted. Any large weapon is treated as if
  weighing 15 pounds for encumbrance purposes. Most of the weapons can be
  gathered in the neighborhood of your local cave or can be manufactured
  with a successful Agility Check.
  Key to codes: AT=Attribute-base for Weapons Use skill checks.
  R=ranged; H=hand-to-hand; B=blunt; E=edged; l=lethal;
  nl=non-lethal; Str=Strength Attribute Rating; Agl=Agility Attribute
  Rating. 
  Weapon              Type Damage    Weight     Size      AT
  Light club          H    1 nl      0.5 pounds Small    Str
  Normal club         H    2 nl      2 pounds   Small    Str 
  Big club            H    4 nl      4 pounds   Large    Str
  Really big club     H    5 nl/ 1l  8 pounds   Large    Str
  Spiky club          H    3 nl/ 1l  3 pounds   Small    Str
  Big spiky club      H    4 nl/ 2l  5 pounds   Large    Str
  Stone spear         H/R  3 l       7 pounds   Medium   Str/Agl
  Rock                H/R  1 nl      3 pounds   Small    Str/Agl
  Stone knife         H/R  1 l       2 pounds   Small    Str/Agl
  Banana              H    0 l       0.5 pounds Small    Str
  Banana              R    1 l       0.5 pounds Small    Agl
  Sling               R    2 nl/ 1l  1 pound    Small    Agl  
  Armor
  Each type of armor in NUELOW has two ratings, type and armor
  rating. Armor rating represents the degree of protection the character
  is afforded when wearing it. All types of armor weigh 3 pounds per
  point of protection.
  Type                Armor rating   
  Thin furs           1
  Thick furs          2
  Very thick furs     3
  Miscellaneous Items
  Below is a short list of miscellaneous items, which might be
  useful during game-play.
  Item                Description                        Weight
  Leather necklace
     with bear teeth  +1 Looks while worn                0.1 pound
  Fire making tools   -                                  0.3 pounds
  A bundle of bananas Equivalent to alcohol              0.8 pounds
  Leather bag         -                                  1 pound
  Fur boots           Protection for toes                2 pounds
  Paint               Required for painting              4 pounds
  Small primitive     Used to remove bad teeth           0.2 pounds 
    stone chisel
  Small primitive     Used to conduct brain surgery      0.1 pounds
    sharp piece of    (used together with the chisel 
    stone             above) or to cure stomach
                      problems
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  Turtle shell pot    Used to create vile mixtures of    1 pound
                      herbs and animal parts
  CREATURES OF "HOMINIDS!"
  As always, "creatures" is a generic term for all characters
  that aren't controlled by players. There are no fantastic monsters
  listed in this set; for those we refer you to NL01 and NL03, our
  fantasy game books.
  The Attribute Ratings given for the various human and animal
  categories are averages, to be used as examples for GMs to design
  creatures and NPCs of their own. GMs should outfit intelligent
  creatures with the appropriate advantages, disadvantages, skills, and
  equipment.
  For many creatures there are comments on their habits and mode of
  appearance in the "Thunder Hole!" campaign setting (see further below).
  Big Bear: Huge furry creature that eats nearly everything, chimps
  and cave(wo)men included. Found everywhere in "Thunder Hole!". Attacks with
  claws for 4l / 4nl damage. Fur worth one point of armor protection. Str:
  12, Agl: 5, Lks: 5, Itl: 3, Per: 2, Hth: 15, Pth: 12.
  Cannibal: These strange hominids are very similar to the typical
  cave(wo)men. The big difference is that they don't worship any animals but
  their stomachs (how uncivilized!). Even more disgusting is their disdain of
  bananas... they prefer to eat cave(wo)men of other tribes (and if times are
  hard even chimps). Attack with whatever they get hold of, mostly big
  clubs. Str: 8, Agl: 4, Lks: 2, Itl: 2, Per: 1, Hth: 7, Pth: 9.
  Cave Bear: Really huge very furry creature with huge teeth and
  claws. Luckily these creatures are rarely found in the "Thunder Hole!"
  campaign setting although it is said, that one or two of them inhibit some
  of the many caves in the valley. Attack with huge claws and many teeth for
  6l / 6nl points of damage. Thick fur worth two points of armor
  protection. Str: 13, Agl: 6, Lks: 8 (very impressive!), Itl: 2, Per: 2,
  Hth: 15, Pth: 15.
  Crocodiles: Long lizards living in the river. Very nasty if
  disturbed. Hunt everything that tries to invent swimming or is able to do
  so by birthright. Bite for 5l damage and bash with their tails for 2l / 4nl
  damage. Scales worth three points of armor protection. Str: 10, Agl: 6,
  Lks: 5, Itl: 3, Per: 1, Hth: 12, Pth: 12.
  Giant Crocodiles: Even longer lizards. Very rare. Eat anything and
  are amazingly fast. Bite for 8l damage and bash with their tales for 4l /
  8nl points of damage. Scales worth four points of armor protection. Str:
  14, Agl: 7, Itl: 3, Per: 1, Hth: 14, Pth: 12.
  Giant Skunks (the revered animals of the skunk people): Big furry
  things on four legs with an impressive odor. Everyone (except the people
  of the skunk tribe) avoid them like hell. Attack with claws for 2l points
  of damage. Are able to shoot a really vile liquid at opponents, which
  decreases their Looks and Personality Rating by 1d6+2 each for one week
  when hitting. Str: 7, Agl: 9, Lks: 0, Itl: 2, Per: 0, Hth: 6, Pth: 8.
  Giant Snake: Large scaled worm with big fangs. Likes to crush its
  victims by entangling them. Like to hunt in trees. Entangles for 1l / 2nl
  points of damage (armor of creatures of medium size or smaller is
  useless). This damage is caused each round after the initial hit. The only
  chance to stop the snake is killing it. Str: 11, Agl: 4, Lks: 4, Itl: 1,
  Per: 2, Hth: 10, Pth: 10.
  Mammoth: Very huge furry thing with tails both at the front and at
  the bag. Has large tusks which are very dangerous. Can attack by trampling
  (see trampling rules) or by using its tusks for 3l / 3nl points of
  damage. Str: 15, Agl: 4, Lks: 8, Itl: 3, Per: 3, Hth: 15, Pth: 15.
  Neanderthaler: Very huge hominid even dumber (but also stronger)
  than the typical cave dweller. Roam at times through Thunder Hole to
  scavenge everything they can get. Attack with crude but very big
  clubs. Str: 9, Agl: 3, Lks: 2, Itl: 1, Per: 2, Hth: 9, Pth: 10.
  Poisonous Snake: Small scaly worms with deadly fluid in their
  teeth (or so it looks). Attack for 0l points of damage, but everything hit
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  has to make a Health Check or suffers another 4l points of damage. Str: 2,
  Agl: 4, Lks: 3, Itl: 2, Per: 2, Hth: 6, Pth: 6.
  Saber-Toothed Cat: Huge furry cat with big teeth. Very wild and
  dangerous. Fears nothing (except fire -- but this is not yet known to any
  inhabitant of Thunder Hole). Attacks by biting and clawing for 5l / 2nl
  points of damage. Str: 12, Agl: 10, Lks: 10, Itl: 3, Per: 3, Hth: 12, Pth:
  12. 
  Snake: Medium sized scaly worms without deadly fluid on their
  teeth. Bites for 1l point of damage. Str: 3, Agl: 4, Lks: 3, Itl: 2, Per:
  2, Hth: 6, Pth: 6.
  Tyrannosaur (yes, we know, that they are long-dead at that time,
  but they are fun nonetheless): Very huge lizard. The most fearsome predator
  ever known. Anything avoids such a beast (except maybe a whole horde of
  mammoths and the casual saber-toothed cat). Bites for 10l / 4nl points of
  damage (!) or tramples (see above). Very fast runner on short
  distances. Str: 15, Agl: 9, Lks: 12, Itl: 1, Per: 1, Hth: 15, Pth: 15.
  Wolf: Medium sized furry creature with sharp teeth. Hunt in packs
  (or with the wolf tribe). Fear fire (again unknown to the inhabitants of
  "Thunder Hole!"... the wolf tribe yet has to invent fire making). Bite for
  2l points of damage. Str: 7, Agl: 7, Lks: 7, Itl: 2, Per: 2, Hth: 8, Pth: 8.
  THE "THUNDER HOLE!" CAMPAIGN SETTING
  Below the "Thunder Hole!" campaign setting approved for use
  with this product is detailed. The "Thunder Hole!" is actually a deep
  valley, which is surrounded by high cliffs. This makes the valley
  rather dark and sinister looking. On the positive side there is a large
  river at the bottom of the valley, extensive vegetation and a lot of
  animals to hunt. Many miles in the north lies an active volcano, which
  from time to time spews forth huge clouds of ash. This always is
  accompanied by small tremors, little earthquakes and a loud rumbling
  (hence the name "Thunder Hole!").
  Several tribes of cave-dwellers live in this valley (among them the
  infamous and much-despised skunk tribe). They war for food, mates and
  bananas. Also a large tribe of chimps is roaming the valley, causing a lot
  of mischief among the various tribes.
  The cliffs of "Thunder Hole!" are filled with a lot of caves of
  various sizes. It is rumored that deep within these caves, there are
  strange gates, leading to wonderful, frightening and miraculous places (the
  so-called Gates of NUELOW... or gatsssffFfnLwww, as they are named among
  the tribes).
  Dark rumors abound in this area about strange beings living in
  remote parts of Thunder Hole. Some cavemen even believe that a bgzzzrd
  (translated as "big lizard" or "tyrannosaur") is still living in the remote
  western parts of Thunder Hole.
  ADVENTURES FOR "HOMINIDS!"
  To start a campaign, some adventure ideas are presented, which
  can be used and expanded, as the GM feels appropriate.
  Adventures for cave(wo)men
  1. The Black Monolith: One night a strange roaring sound fills
  Thunder Hole. A bright light can be seen in the sky and shortly after
  this a thundering sound can be heard everywhere. The next days will be
  used by the various shamans and medicine (wo)men to talk to the gods,
  determining their plans for the respective tribes. Soon the tribes will
  notice that the wolf tribe begins to act strangely. They are less
  talkative than normal (well, most of them can't speak at all, but at
  least they also grunt less often than normal), they are always armed
  and attack anything in sight. The shamans declare, that this has to be
  ended, but they do not want to make war with the wolf tribe, as this
  tribe is very numerous and strong. What has happened? A gate of NUELOW
  opened in the sky, and through it fell a huge black monolith. The
  monolith landed just in the front yard of the wolf tribe, so to say. It
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  slowly (and then faster and faster) began to alter the emotions of the
  tribe. Finally all the tribe members have become very hostile and
  dangerous to anyone in Thunder Hole. The GM has to devise a way to
  break or destroy the monolith (maybe by causing a rock slide or
  something). This is the task of the characters. They will be opposed by
  the people of the wolf tribe, their pet wolfs and the mind manipulating
  forces of the monolith.
  2. Romeurgh and Juleargh: The son of your chief is in love with
  the daughter of the chief of your greatest rivals -- the skunk people!
  That fine young cavewoman does no longer want to live according to the
  rules of her people (not very surprising, isn't it?) and would like to
  bond together for all eternity with the son of your chieftain. Sadly both
  chiefs hate each other and the other tribe. They will never allow the two
  to bond together. You have to help them to find a solution to this
  problem.
  3. To Mate or Not to Mate: The shaman of your tribe has decided,
  that there will be no mating within the tribe for the next three years.
  The gods do not seem to like this anymore. Therefore the youngsters will
  have to visit several of the other tribes and try to win other neat mates.
  Your journey will lead you to the infamous skunk people, the strange otter
  people, the mysterious mosquito people and the wild cave bear tribe... just
  too mention a few. Ready to go?
  4. Where are the bananas? Suddenly all banana resources seem to
  have vanished. Your chieftain honors you with the task to (a) find a new
  supply of bananas and (b) find the responsible beings and punish them.
  This might force you to leave the valley for a time to find new banana
  trees. On your journeys you will meet strange things like cavemen
  searching for mates, black monoliths, fleeing lovers and _speaking_
  hominids (unbelievable, isn't it?). By the way, all the bananas were
  eaten by a new gang of chimps, who try to bully the local gang into
  obedience. All tribes and the local gang of chimps would be very happy
  about the removal of these beasts!
  Adventures for chimps
  1. Strange Tribes: From one day to another suddenly the tribes
  react very angrily, when chimps make fun of them. Several chimps
  even have been killed due to this. You have to find out, what is
  happening and find a solution for the problem. See "The Black Monolith"
  for information on these disturbing events.
  2. The Princess' Bridegroom: The pack leader has a wonderful and
  lovable daughter. His daughter is known to mate from time to time with
  particular heroic and powerful chimps, which has made many chimps go
  on heroic quests to prove their worth. Now suddenly this lovely chimp
  has fallen into love with a caveman! The leader of the pack is raging
  and has forced each and every chimp to go onto a quest to get back his
  daughter. Whoever manages this will get to marry his daughter. This has
  led many chimp males to go out and try everything. Any males of the
  group have an obvious goal (the pack leaders' daughter has a Looks
  Rating of 12!), the females should also know what to do (it can't be,
  that this infamous princess gets to marry the most valorous and cunning
  chimp of the whole tribe, despite her failings). Further problems will
  be the caveman (he is the son of the chieftain of the monkey tribe [with
  a sexual preference for monkeys] and they consider him to be blessed, as
  a goddess [the infamous princess] has descended upon their tribe to
  choose him. This has changed their otherwise pacifistic attitude to
  monkeys (and chimps in special) to hardened resistance. They will not
  tolerate any attacks on their tribe by chimps (as they believe, that
  these chimps want to steal the cute goddess).
  3. Where are the bananas? This adventure has the same setup as
  the adventure for cave(wo)men with the same name.
  4. The Throbbing Head of the Pack Leader: The leader of your
  pack is suffering great pains for days now. Your wise-chimp has
  determined, that your only chance of saving him is to search the
  crocodile people tribe and plead their shaman for help. The truth is,
  that the chimp leader is suffering from a brain tumor, which will kill
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  him within one week, if nobody cures him. The shaman of the crocodile
  people is the most skilled medicine man in the valley (Medicine Skill at
  level 4, Intelligence 6). You will have to take your leader to the
  crocodile tribe, convince them not to sacrifice you to their holy
  animals and make their shaman heal your leader. Should you overcome all
  these hardships (and any others the GM wants to create), you could earn
  up to 100 Mating Points each (Yes, we are getting munchkins! To be
  eligible for this reward, it's absolutely necessary to save your
  leader!)
  --
  Thomas Biskup                           EMail to: biskup@saranxis.ruhr.de
  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  "Life would be so much easier if we could just look at the source code."
   
   
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Nuelow/Nuelow Hominids.pdf