Last of the original playable races from Star Frontiers. This writeup lending very heavily from the -superb- wiki here
I was never quie happy with some aspects of Vrusk in the game. I find the whole 'they bond to a conglomerate' very 1980s, which I suppose you'd expect. But here they are, in all their limby glory.
Vrusk
by Cab Davidson
| Stat | Vrusk |
| AC: | 4 |
| HD: | 1 |
| Movement: | 150’ (50’) |
| Attacks: | 1 weapon |
| Damage: | By Weapon |
| Number Appearing: | 1d6 (6d6) |
| Save As: | F1 |
| Morale: | 9 |
| Treasure Type: | Special |
| Intelligence: | 13 |
| Alignment: | Lawful |
| XP Value: | 10 |
Vrusk are a large, spacefaring insect like race. Eight legs grow from their abdomen, four on each side. Their torso is upright in front of the abdomen and vaguely humanoid, with two arms connected at the shoulders, and a head at the top of the abomen. Vrusk hands are circular pads with five fingers spaced evenly around the edge. A Vrusk's shoulders are double-jointed, so they can rotate their arms in a full circle without straining any muscles. They can reach any point on their abdomen or behind their backs easily.
A Vrusk's body is covered by a carapace (hard shell). This shell is jointed at the Vrusk's elbows, hips, knees, etc. The carapace protects the Vrusk from bruises, cuts, scratches and other minor injuries. Unlike insects, Vrusk have an internal skeleton to support their bodies. Young Vrusk have a blue carapace with bright orange near the joints. As the Vrusk gets older, its carapace changes to dull green with yellow joints.
Vrusk have large eyes that are protected by a hard, clear covering. The mouth is surrounded by four eating mandibles. The two larger mandibles hold food while the small ones tear it apart and place it in the mouth. They are omnivores. Vrusk have lungs, and breathe through many small nostrils under their abdomens. This arrangement makes it difficult for Vrusk to swim.
Vrusk are famously diligent and hard-working. It is customary for a young Vrusk to take employment at a business, conglomerate or trading house and devote their life thereto, their loyalty being akin to a form of patriotism. When forced to fight, they favour laser pistols and rifles (100/200/300 or 200/400/600, inflicting 2d8 damage) and vibroswords (ignore physical armour and inflict 2d6 damage), and may employ various energy shields and inertial barriers (no improvement to armour class, but absorb the first 4d6 damage per round).
Vrusk are, at heart, lovers of order, law, and organisation. The laws drafted to govern the rules of business between corporations are so labyrinthine that no other species comes close to understanding them, and their tastes tend towards higher arts, music, and theatre.
It is a rare vrusk that seeks adventure, and typically such creatures are primarily seeking business opportunities to do the most daring thing of all – start their own businesses. They may be any character class, and those who have settled on magical worlds make excellent merchants, magic users and thieves.