Other Dust - Odd Backgrounds and Slagfolk

Some more Other Dust stuff for you today. Other Dust is somewhat of a gritty setting, but since the system is so easy to understand, hacks to it require no effort.

Thus, below I present some odd background packages to help add some weirdness to your Other Dust campaign. Probably the most understandable would be the Aliens, given that they are already present in the setting. I chose to make these backgrounds as I think the mutation system can emulate their weird abilities better than tacking on an entire new subsystem.

I also detail the Slagfolk, who are basically animated piles of rocks. This one is pretty far fetched, even for post-apocalypse gaming, but a cool idea none-the-less.

Edit: Though all these backgrounds are usable, as well as the Slagfolk, I'd say if you want to stay true to the general nature and setting of Other Dust, you should at most use the Alien background. I do think, however, that Rootfolk are generally inline with Other Dust, though their concept is pushing it haha.

Alien

You are a being from another world, probably left behind after the Highshine ravaged through the planet. There are hundreds of species of aliens, and yours is probably unique. Aliens are a dying breed, but you went out into the wastes to either restore your race or return to your astral home. The type of alien a character is should be described by the player, with their mutations being instead natural qualities of the species.

Skills: Culture/Traveler, Computer, Vehicle/Space, Science

Time Displaced

You are a human from the far past who was unceremoniously dropped into the middle of the wastes. Perhaps all the unstable nuclear, chemical, technological and biological reactions of the disaster ripped open a rift in time, or maybe a piece of advanced pretech opened a portal to your homeland. Either way, you are here now and must survive as everyone else does.

Skills: History, Survival, Language, any one time period appropriate skill

Undead

You died not long before, or possibly during, the Last War when nuclear fires consumed the skies. When the Highshine eventually reached your corpse, it reanimated you back from your peaceful rest from the world. You have returned from your just reward into a hell unlike any that you could imagine. Undead are usually barely decomposed or partially, but the Highshine has managed to nullify the rotting process. As of current records, no undead has died again from old age, though they can be killed

Skills: Profession/Any, Tech/Pretech, Survival, Combat/Unarmed

Unnatural
You are not truly a monster, but the mutations you have suffered have given you that appearance. You are often treated like an outcast. Unnaturals have forms that make them appear as ghosts, vampires, angels, demons, lycanthropes and many other things, but they are just oddly mutated humans. Often, this namecalling gets to their heads, causing unnaturals to actually believe they are monsters of myth.

Skills: Culture/Traveler, Persuade, Survival, Religion

Slagfolk
Slagfolk are even rarer than Rootfolk, in that there are probably only about 200 slagfolk known. Slagfolk are humans whose DNA was combined with mineral and gem crytals, make them basically humanoid golems. They appear to be made of rocks or gems, but they bleed and injure like everyone else.

Slagfolk have a natural armor class of 6 due to their rocky hides. They also add 1 to either their Strength or Constitution scores. Being a Slagfolk costs 1 mutation pick.