Across the Heavy Weapons universe, life is varied and brilliant, a result of its abundance of anomalous materials which has super accelerated life to an unreasonable degree, spread across a vast array of environments and places, from towering and endless super cities to sparsely populated asteroid mining colonies, lush jungles to dense mineral caves, open plains to glass deserts . People come in all shapes, sizes and species and the various factions across the universe will produce dwellings and equipment to cater to different sizes and species of creature. Most sentient life within the universe is similarly proportioned to us humans but the looks and traits of the species can vary tremendously. Humans, anthros of all types, fantasy races and more alien-like all exist in their different forms across the universe.
Generally, people are sorted by their size category first as this is one of the more important differences, these are as follows:
Critters/Micromorphs
Used to refer to people/species under 4ft tall, “Critters” are anywhere from 2-4ft, they are in every way similar to you or myself but smaller in height and usually much more nimble, but limited in strength. There are many smaller anthro species, Goblins, Kobolds, Imps and insect species that bulk out this size class and most factions are happy to have them as their dexterous nature lends itself well to many projects and careers.
At their lowliest, Critters are scavengers and thieves but most will find decently paid work in many professions with a leaning forwards technical and admin based roles but excluding physical jobs, its not uncommon for office based work to seek out Critter only employed as they can do just as much work as any other size class but take far less space, meaning Critter only companies can squeeze significantly more output from the same space. Their small size and high finesse does lend excellently towards repair and engineering work as well.
In combat, Critters tend to perform supporting roles as they can only field a limited amount of armour and equipment compared to the larger size classes, although Critter sized weapons are still incredibly deadly and should never be underestimated, A bullet in the head is still a bullet after-all, even if its a smaller calibre. Exo-suit equipped Critters are able to move quickly, offer a decent level of firepower and can carry delicate equipment to offer field repairs or other useful services. Critters also make excellent pilots for virtually any class of vehicle, providing its controls are suitably sized.
Roamers/Metamorphs
“Roamer” is the nickname given to people/species of human size/proportion, although usually no bigger than 7ft tall at the very most, this is the most common size class of sentient creature across the universe. Adaptable, with a good mix of strength and flexibility, Metamorphs form the backbone of most factions, although their individual needs will vary significantly between the species of this size class, most factions will produce their facilities and equipment to cater to this class.
At their lowliest, Roamers are petty criminals and trouble causers, but once again most will be able to find suitable work across most factions across practically all fields to earn a living, including more physically based ones but they do face a disadvantage against Critters when it comes to indoor data/computer based jobs. Their adaptability gives them obvious advantages but the size class above and below both offer specialisations that can tip the scales.
In combat, Roamers field a vast array of roles from basic infantry, to engineers, assassins, artillerymen and much more. Because of the significant variation in their armaments across different factions, its impossible to detail out all the roles they fill, but needless to say, there is always a demand for Roamer class individuals in any armed force.
Strider/Kilomorph
Sized between 7-9ft tall, Kilomorphs are somewhat rare but common enough to have specialised facilities and equipment available for them. Creatures of this size are often ponderous and slow but can make up for their lack of dexterity with sheer strength and endurance. Striders aren't as in demand as one might think as their larger size can be difficult to cater for sometimes and it doesn't give them much of an advantage in a lot of situations.
As expected, Striders do see a lot of work and demand in physically based professions, from shifting cargo to body guarding and military work, their increased size and strength versus the smaller size classes offers a lot of extra grunt in these lines of work. Although a Metamorph in an exo-suit could likely do as much work as a mid-sized Kilomorph, the Kilomorph would be cheaper and easier to work with, with less maintenance cost. Unfortunately though, this is where their advantages end and Striders find it more difficult to get jobs in other professions, but not impossible.
Their battlefield presence can be both awful and terrifying, depending on their level of armament. An under-equipped Kilomorph is easy pickings for even the lowliest armed Critter, but a well prepared and stocked up Strider is able to lay down some real hell and take tremendous punishment. They usually form powerful shock assault squads, man heavy weapons and form bulkheads to absorb enemy assaults. Although expensive to produce, a well trained Strider clad in power armour is a serious force to be reckoned with.
Loomers/Ardamorph
Anyone larger than 9ft tall is classed as an Ardamorph, creatures of this variety are extremely rare and most will never see one. The most common Ardamorphs are some species of Corrupted Czarite who breach the 9ft height requirement, Azuri's, Marax Khan golems and some draconic species.
Loomers suffer from the same employment issues as Striders but amplified even further, but their incredibly rare nature means that most will have something they can focus on already without needing to seek traditional ways of wealth acquisition. Azuri's for example would never need to seek a job across any faction as their fully looked after within their own, same for Marax Khan golems.
Similarly to Striders, Loomer's will either be a easy picking or a dominating presence on the battlefield. A fully equipped Corrupted Czarite wielding appropriate weapons is an absolute force of nature but one without proper armour can likely be killed by a Critter with decent grade weapons.
Beyond the size ranges, life is further defined into distinct categories by its body composition, both for the medium of its typical “flesh” and its anatomical structure/chemical composition. These are as follows:
Soft Skinned Creatures – Meddalcorph (Med-dal-core-Ff) - “Tanners”
Meddalcorphs are creatures with a “soft” skin to them, ignoring any additional features present such as natural armoured segments, fur, scales, hair ect, they are the most common type of body across sentient life across the universe. “Soft” speaks to the lack of exoskeleton rather than the natural durability of their skin, there are plenty of Meddalcorphs with rather tough skins/hides. Humans would fall under this classification (Thus, most humans would be known as Meddalcorph Metamorph, or a “Roamer” Meddalcorph) and most are warm blooded, familiar creatures. They can be any of the size ranges typically but are practically non-existent within Ardamorph range.
Hard Shelled Creatures – Cruacorph (Cru-Ah-core-Ff) - “Cuttels”
Creatures with an exoskeleton are usually classified as Cruacorphs, speaking only to their exoskeletal nature rather than the durability of the creature itself. Cruacorphs typically have a bug-like appearance due to their shelled skin but can vary tremendously in general appearance, size, colour and temperament, as a result, they are more diverse than Meddalcorphs are. They can either be extremely rare or the most common type of body depending on your location within the universe. Between them, Meddalcorphs and Cruacorphs make up 85% of the total population of the universes sentient creatures.
Plant based – Luscorph (Lus-core-Ff) - “Verds”
Luscorphs are sentient creatures formed of plant-based matter rather than animal cells, their forms can vary substantially, as can their temperament and genealogy but they're usually just as capable as their animal cousins if a little slower, although capable of living relatively normal lives, most will live in separate colonies away from the main factions and keep to themselves, as a result, its very rare to see Luscorphs away from their primary spawning location.
Soul Energy based – Anamcorph (Ah-Nam-core-Ff) - “Strangers”
Anamcorphs are are a strange group of creatures that don't typically follow the standard laws of life and nature, instead, they are the unusual result of the physical manifestation of Souls when these entities anchor to materials or places rather than people, or sometimes just will themselves into existence. The most common form of Anamcorphs are “Demons” which are typically similar looking to Meddalcorphs but their bodies are formed of a bizarre mirage of soul energy that mimics the behaviour of a traditional terrestrial body, despite the fact it has no requirement to do so. Anamcorphs require powerful souls to drive them as their existence is a constant drain on their energy which is why they're somewhat rare, but they can lead relatively normal lives for the most part. Being formed of direct soul energy has both benefits and drawbacks however and Anamcorphs are just as mortal as any other species.
Synthetic creations – Mianracorph (My-Ann-Rah-core-Ff) - “Mouldeds”
Entirely synthetic creatures, whether they be AI or have consciousness transferred into them, certainly do exist in a myriad of different forms, from simplistic looking but highly intelligent drones to fully mechanised bodies attempting to mimic Meddalcorph or Cruacorph forms. Although expensive and difficult to produce, there is plenty of demand for creations of such an artificial nature, whether it be for difficult jobs, warfare, life extension, companionship or more sexual/sinister reasons, the sheer demand for them has resulted in a decent population of Mianracorphs, some recognisable, others more effectively disguised. Mianracorphs do have different perspectives and life cycles compared to the other groups, often concerned about part replacement and manufacturer bankruptcy, their interactions with traditional creatures often depend heavily on the effectiveness of their programming, with cheaper/weaker Mianracorphs often coming across as awkward or weird.
Anomalous creatures – Serencorph (Seh-Ren-core-Ff) - “???”
Completely unique to this particular universe, Serencorphs are creatures partially or completely formed of anomalous materials, they can take the form of any of the previous categories, but the presence of anomalous materials will immediately override their previous description, providing their condition is stable. These are by far the rarest classification, with the only real examples being the Azuri and the Rewritten, although the nature of the latter does mean the classification is spreading.
Between these two general classifications, its easy to get a quick understanding of a species/person in question, for example as previously mentioned, humans would be typically referred to as Metamorph-Meddalcorph, or Roamer-Tanners as a brief introduction to their size and type.
There may be occasional creatures that fall outside these guidelines but for the most part, factions and people agree to use the above classes to help simplify the sheer amount of species within the universe.
