Unggoy
Unggoy
Attributes
Dice: 11D
Dexterity: 1D+2/3D+2
Knowledge: 1D+2/3D+2
Mechanical: 1D+2/3D+2
Perception: 1D+2/3D+2
Strength: 1D+2/3D+2
Technical: 1D+2/3D+2
Move: 8/10 (legs only); +1 (legs and arms)
Size: 1.38 - 1.67m
Weight: 110 - 120kg
Special Abilities
- Methane Breather: Unggoy Require a methane re-breather mask when outside of their native atmosphere.
- Exoskeleton: Physical Damage resistance +2D, Energy Damage resistance +1D
- Vacuum Survival: Unggoy can survive in a vacuum with nothing but their methane re-breather mask.
Description
Unggoy are typically poor warriors in terms of skill, poor shots when not focused, physically weak, and are generally on the whole, quite tactically inept. When witnessing their commanders eliminated during a battle, they often go into a panic and scatter in random directions. However, what Unggoy may lack in individual skill, they make up for with sheer numbers, high tenacity, also if they are focused, can be quite accurate with their weapons not to mention they breed at a remarkable rate. The Covenant used the high-breeding rate of the Unggoy to their advantage in the Human-Covenant War, where squads of Unggoy very frequently overpowered UNSC personnel through force of numbers. The conflict on Harvest, and thus the Human-Covenant War, was in part started by an Unggoy named Yull tearing apart Private Osmo. Special Operations Grunts, which are known to wear black colored armor, are far more tenacious than the lower tiered ones, and have even been known to carry fuel rod guns and plasma launchers which makes them extremely dangerous foes. Even with weapons with high splash-damage, it is still extremely common for them to miss.
Unggoy are the only Covenant species to breathe methane rather than oxygen. Their combat armor/harness has an integrated methane re-breather system, as Unggoy are unable to survive for long periods of time without methane due to asphyxiation much like humans without oxygen.
Psychology and behavior
While not overly intelligent or creative on the battlefield, Unggoy are one of the most gregarious and sociable of the Covenant races and possess a very strong pack mentality, often associating with each other in groups. Although they are quite capable of handling weaponry and operating vehicles and machinery such as Ghosts and Shades, Unggoy are generally rather simple-minded. There are exceptions to this rule, however: The Unggoy Deacon Dadab, for example, was noted as being quite intelligent for an Unggoy, as demonstrated by his ability to learn and communicate in Huragok sign language. And grunts can be found on the farm land of Elite home world Sanghelios. They sometimes use a recreational drug in the form of a gas they mix into their methane tanks called infusion, sometimes referred to as "the gas". It was found by ONI operative Evan Phillips.
The Unggoy seem to outnumber the other races to a large degree and might offer impressive resistance if properly organized. They have been called "cannon fodder" because their Sangheili or Jiralhanae leaders will often send them out to serve as a distraction, rather than actually having them effectively engage an enemy in combat. This numerical superiority and pack mentality allows for their sense of cultural identity to remain, despite a number of hardships, including their extreme subservience to the other races of the Covenant, as well as the dark time following reintroduction after the activation of the Halo Array.
Inherent psychological advantages possessed by the Unggoy are their unburdened neural pathways, which allow the Unggoy to absorb knowledge more freely compared to the other Covenant species. As such, they are often tasked with monitoring space for traces of human communication. In addition, many Unggoy have developed a clear understanding of two or even three human languages. This advantage serves as a river of confidence in times of great stress for them.
Unggoy generally follow a few short, simple guidelines given to them by the Sangheili; namely "When in doubt, shoot." or "Stay out of the way, live another day." Despite being held in low stature in the Covenant, many Unggoy appear to be strong followers of their religion. Their Deacons will often hold sermons onboard ships to boost the morale and teach the Unggoy onboard about the Covenant. For instance, a Deacon named Dadab gave sermons and taught the Unggoy on board a Jiralhanae cruiser about the Covenant and its religions. The Jiralhanae allowed Dadab these teachings because they believed that it would help the Unggoy become more competent and helpful.
They often gamble with each other and often play games; one in particular, hunting rock, involves two Unggoy competing to kill the most scrub grubs. In the novel Contact Harvest, the Unggoy deacon Dadab stated that scrub grubs where easy targets compared to the mud wasps and shade crabs of his homeworld.
Anatomy and physiology
Unggoy share a number of features with different animal species on Earth. Like primates, they walk both bipedally and with the aid of their over sized forearms albeit in a manner similar to a chimpanzee. However, their bodies are armored with a hard exoskeleton as with crabs and insects. Their mouths have a set of small, pointed teeth, much like reptiles. However, the UNSC has classified them taxonomically as being most similar to Earth arthropods.
Unggoy are on average about three to four feet tall and are relatively weak compared to other Covenant species. Although they can easily walk upright on two legs, they may often use their arms to move in a quadrupedal fashion. While carrying armaments, they are forced to walk upright so that they may support their weapons with their hands, but while trying to flee, or while patrolling without a weapon drawn, they use their over sized arms as forelegs to add speed or stability to their gait. Their eyesight and hearing is average, and seem to have a very well developed sense of smell, sometimes sniffing the air to detect traces of foes or hidden enemies. This is facilitated through the olfactory membranes installed in their masks.
Unggoy also have thick, bio-luminescent, light-blue blood, possibly a result of methane-based proteins in the blood to facilitate methane-based respiration. Like Earth's Horseshoe Crabs, it is possible that their blood is blue due to high copper content.
Unggoy have over-sized forearms, while their upper arms and thighs are seemingly small. This has allowed them to be quite excellent climbers, as discovered in Halo: Contact Harvest. Spiny protrusions on their elbows help them scale rocky surfaces and may also be used to add force to their melee attacks. They also have an amazingly fast finger reflex speed, as they can fire a plasma pistol of the same rate a Sangheili can with a plasma rifle.
The Unggoy have flat, three-toed feet, with another toe on the back of their feet. While they are small, stocky, and lacking in agility, they are quite sturdy; most may be weak, as they seem to be unable to carry a weapon heavier than a plasma pistol, although certain Unggoy of higher ranks appear to be surprisingly strong, able to carry an undeployed plasma cannon or fire a fuel rod gun with one hand without toppling from the recoil. However, physical strength may not actually go along with rank; the types of weapons available to them may be a part of a "trust" issue with the other Covenant. As rank-and-file Unggoy are clumsy and tactically inept, more powerful weapons are likely only issued to those who are more disciplined and experienced.
Although they require an atmosphere to breathe, Unggoy are capable of surviving in the vacuum of space without sealed, full-body gear. Unggoy carapaces apparently can withstand the chilling cold and airless environment of EVA conditions, but they must employ sealed face masks in order to breathe, as well as presumably to protect their facial tissues.
Culture
The Unggoy's culture has been largely erased by their incorporation into the Covenant. They have been granted very few civil rights in comparison to other members of the Covenant and on a good day they are treated like second-class citizens. Despite the advances in civil rights granted after the Grunt Rebellion, including the right to carry weapons and hold places among infantry units, their representation on the High Council is mostly powerless. The negative aspects of their existence are offset by the irony of their continued survival due to the acceptance of the Covenant. The entire species in no longer at risk of being eradicated by two consecutive horrible winter seasons, as they had on their homeworld of Balaho, a swampy planet with a methane atmosphere. Infant mortality is now below 50 percent. Average life expectancy has more than doubled (not including combat personnel). Geronticide is no longer a necessity for the survival of the tribe. Producing enough food to last through the winter season and burning plague victims no longer rank as the top two priorities on their daily chores.
Naming
Unggoy often have names which reflect a language of very simple phonics. Unggoy may be based on The Filipino term for "Monkey". Common names, such as Yayap and Dadab, begins with a reduplicated consonant and consist of two syllables. Other names consist of a single syllable with clusters of consonants, such as "Flim". Some exceptions have occurred of which a name has more consonants than is usual while following the first method of naming, as in Kwassass. Often, their names are palindromes, such as Zawaz.
Unggoy names encountered so far consist of these phonemes:
The vowels short A, short I, and short U.
The consonants D, F, K, L, M, S, W, P, Y and Z.
Unggoy do not have family names, possibly because the Sangheili did not allow it. Instead, they identify themselves by famous ancestors, their homeworld, and where on that planet they lived.