Neanderthals

Neanderthals are a xenotype of slow and sturdy humans.

Lore

Neanderthals are stocky, powerfully-built humanoids. Their most salient characteristic is that they are difficult to hurt: they are very resistant to injury, and their strong immune systems protect them from infection. However, without ever having evolved in a complex civilization, they are less adept than baseliner humans at intellectual and social tasks, and their impulsiveness can make them dangerously aggressive.
Homo neanderthalensis was originally an archaic population of hominids that emerged over 200,000 years ago during the Pleistocene epoch. After they were replaced by and merged with humans 30,000 years ago, they were absent for tens of thousands of years until scientists resurrected them from ancient DNA. Neanderthals now survive in sub-societies on some settled planets. On the rimworlds, neanderthal tribes carve out the same existence as their Earth ancestors did so long ago. - In Game Description

Occurrence

The table below describes the chance for a given pawn from each faction being a neanderthal. Note that this value does not account for chances in xenotype chance from ideoligion or from pawn kind, it only shows the base value before those factors.

As raiders, neanderthals have a x1.6 combat power multiplier, meaning they count as 1.6 of a raider.^[Verify] A raid consisting of all neanderthals would be 62.5% as large as the same raid with baseliners.

Summary

Neanderthals are slow in more ways than one, but they are excellent survivors. They are also strongly suited for melee fighting, and much less for shooting. They cannot be easily identified at first glance, but if you get in a fight with one, their unique talent for staying upright will soon be apparent.

Genes

Neanderthal genes are germline, so all of their genes are inheritable:

This table has been collapsed due to length. Click to expand Click to collapse

Name	Description			Exclude
Strong immunity	Carriers of this gene gain immunity to diseases faster than normal. Immunity Gain Speed ×110%	−1	1	Immunity
Slow runner	Carriers of this gene move more slowly than normal. Move Speed: −0.2 c/s	+3	1	MoveSpeed
Cold tolerant	Carriers of this gene are slightly more comfortable in cold temperatures. Minimum Comfortable Temperature: −10 °C (18 °F)	−1	1	MinTemperature
Heat tolerant	Carriers of this gene are slightly more comfortable in warm temperatures. Maximum Comfortable Temperature: +10 °C (18 °F)	−1	1	MaxTemperature
Strong melee damage	Carriers of this gene do more damage in close-quarters combat. Extra-strong fast-twitch muscle fibers make their strikes accurate and powerful. Melee damage factor ×150% This also affects melee AP when calculated from damage. It does not affect weapons whose AP has been set independently of damage. Examples include: Spears, Monoswords, Persona monoswords, Knee spikes, Hand talons, and Venom talons.	−2	1	MeleeDamage
Robust	Carriers of this gene take less injuries than others from the same damage. They have thickened, densified bones, nearly-solid ribcages, and strengthened binding factors in joints and flesh. Incoming damage multiplier ×75%	−2	1	Toughness
Reduced pain	Carriers of this gene feel half as much pain compared to a baseliner. Reduced neuron activity in the brain's nociception centers makes pain dull and faint. This can be advantageous sometimes, and dangerous other times. Pain ×50%	−1	1	Pain
Slow study	Carriers of this gene have deficient long-term memories and don't understand new ideas quickly. They are slow at learning new skills and knowledge. Global Learning Factor ×50%	+2	1	Learning
Aggressive	Carriers of this gene are quick to anger. They are twice as likely to start social fights. When they have mental breaks, they are twice as likely to choose an aggressive kind of break. Effects: Social fight chance factor ×200% Chance mental break is violent ×200% Prison break interval factor ×60%	+2	1	Aggression Aggressive
Heavy jaw	Carriers of this gene have large jaws.	0	0	Jaw
Heavy brow	Carriers of this gene have a prominent brow.	0	0	-
Hulk body	Carriers can have large bodies. A person can have more than one body type gene; one body type will be chosen among those that are allowed.	0	0	BodyType
Standard body	Carriers can have average-shaped bodies. A person can have more than one body type gene; one body type will be chosen among those that are allowed.	0	0	BodyType
Fat body	Carriers can have fat bodies. A person can have more than one body type gene; one body type will be chosen among those that are allowed.	0	0	BodyType
Poor Shooting	The carrier's aptitude in Shooting is reduced by 4. Aptitude acts like an offset on skill level. Shooting: −4. Note: Experience gain and decay applies as if this offset did not exist.	+1	1	-
Poor Social	The carrier's aptitude in Social is reduced by 4. Aptitude acts like an offset on skill level. Social: −4. Note: Experience gain and decay applies as if this offset did not exist.	+1	1	-
Poor Intellectual	The carrier's aptitude in Intellectual is reduced by 4. Aptitude acts like an offset on skill level. Intellectual: −4. Note: Experience gain and decay applies as if this offset did not exist.	+1	1	-

Their genetic complexity is 12. Metabolic efficiency is +2, giving them a hunger rate of x80%.

Origins

Neanderthals have banded together to form a touchy, fierce Neanderthal Tribe. With a lot of work you may get on good terms with them. There is also a small chance for them to show up with Empire parties, and a slight chance they will appear with outlanders or pirate bands. You may also see Neanderthals with unaffiliated groups of travelers or during quests.

Analysis

Neanderthal tribes

Despite using tribal technology, neanderthals enemies should not be underestimated in combat. With reduced pain, neanderthals take twice as much damage before being downed by pain shock. Pain shock is, by far, the most common way to down enemies in combat. This is further multiplied by the robust gene, which effectively gives another ×133% health in any situation. If they get into melee range, they are brutes due to strong melee damage and the aforementioned factors. Thankfully, neanderthal raids will be smaller than usual.

Due to their melee focus, low tech, smaller numbers, and slow runner gene, kiting tactics can be effective. But kiting isn't the end-all solution. Neanderthals aren't that slow; at 4.40 c/s, they are nearly 96% as fast as a baseliner. Just wearing a flak vest will reduce a baseliner's speed to 4.48 c/s, which is very close to a neanderthal's speed. Factors like terrain, light, and injury can lead to neanderthals catching up quickly.

Neanderthal colonists

As colonists, neanderthals retain all of their strengths: reduced pain, reduced damage, and high melee damage. Neanderthals are also resistant to both disease and temperature. In return, you'll have to account for their weaknesses. Slow study results in x50% skill XP, which ends up being a large penalty for any skill. They are even worse at Shooting, Social, and Intellectual. And aggressive results in more social fights. With strong melee, social fights can easily result in lost limbs.

Overall, neanderthals are great melee colonists, though come with a few notable downsides. It may be wise to extract neanderthal genes and implant them on other colonists. This allows you to make xenotypes just as strong as a neanderthal, without the severe negative from the slow study gene.

Gene extraction

Some of the more valuable genes neanderthals have to extract are:

• Robust - Reduces damage globally. A globally positive trait.
• Poor <Skill> - If a pawn won't use these skills, poor skill genes are a net positive.

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Biotech (DLC)

Families

Relationships (Reproduction • Children)
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Pollution

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Nonchalance Toxifier generator