Have any of you created your own Kroot subspecies? Not the non-sapient ones like the Kroot hounds or the Krootox but fully fledged, distinct variant on the Kroot species. Similar to the kindred described in Into the Storm but to a much larger degree.

For instance Kroot which have fed on Stryxis for several generations can be shaped to become Cunning Hybrids gaining plusses to intelligence, lying, bartering and initiative.

What if however the shaper that guided these kindred was more radical, allowing a greater proportion of the DNA to be integrated into the Kroot’s genetic makeup, or perhaps they have just been feeding on a particular race for longer than normal. What new kindreds would emerge and would they be considered Kroot at all or would they be similar to how humanity considers abhumans like ratlings and Ogrins?

What would be the potential outcomes of a more fully integrated Kroot hybrid with the other 40K species

Humans?

Eldar/Dark Eldar?

Stryxis?

Orks?

Tau? I know the Tau are off limits but it could be a rogue shaper and his kindred were marooned with nothing else to eat.

Space Marines? I bet a Space Marine gene seed would be a prized meal for a Kroot.

Well there's already stuff for Orks and Strixis in Into The Storm and the chances of Kroot eating a Sphess Mahrines in the volume and multi-generational manner required are almost totally nonexistantant. Similarly it would be about as difficult for them to do the same to Eldar under most circumstances although I think you could potentially fudge it once by saying some Dark Eldar bigwig kept some Kroot around and fed his enemies/failed servants to them. I don't know what they'd necesarily get out of that though other than maybe long lifespans or psyker powers.

Humans is kind of a hard one to figure since they're kind of the squishiest race and all their real strength comes from numbers or equipment.

I created a clan of Kroot who are specific to a region of a world I created called Geistzieg.

(Info on Geistzieg can be found here: http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/67563-home-brew-systems-giestzieg-futility-and-kraad/)

In short Geistzieg is a terrestrial planet which orbits a red dwarf star. Since red dwarf stars are cooler than yellow dwarfs (like our own sun) a planet has to be closer to the star than earth is to our sun to be warm enough to support life. The closer proximity results in the planet becoming tidally locked, in other words it has no day night cycle. Humans live primarilly in ruined hives on the night side to avoid the large amounts of solar radiation.

Humans were not the first species to live on this world, it has been industrialized for many hundreds of thousands of years which has resulted in massive amounts of pollution but on Geistzieg this pollution has killed off all the life that could not adapt to the environmental collapse which must have occured aeons ago instead here life has adapted to it. Chemicals which are poison on other planets are basic nutrients for the ecosystems of Geistzieg.

There is a region which surrounds on of the three major cities on the world called the Ash Forests. It does not thrive on solar energy since it is on the night side. Instead it is dependant on the heat and ash provided by the nearby volcanicly active canyons and the cities pollutants. Imagine if you will some sort of dark forest with black ferns taller than a man filled with bioluminescest organisms. The air would be to toxic for human to use without a rebreather.

Giestzieg in home to several small communities of kroot who live alongside humans in the hive cities, these small communities are thought to have formed from crimials banished from the warsphere they once called home. A couple hundred years ago a few dozen Kroot migrated from their life in the cliff-cities and decided to venture out to somewhere they could call their own. Why they were attracted to the ash forests only they can say. But they are the only intelligent life to be able to call it home. Prehaps it is this sense of solitude and belonging that attracted them.

They are a highly reclusive tribe who will sell their services as mercenaries to outsiders in exchange for materials they cannot find in the ash forests such as metals. They have little in the way of trade save for that which can kill you. Fortunately death is a highly lucrative trade in the Kronus expanse. Their forests are filled with deadly beasts which sell well to fighting pit owners as well as deadly toxins.

These kroot have another service they can trade, themselves. For generations they have been consuming ariel predators in the forest and now sport black wings like a harpy. They have grown pitch black of skin and like everything else in the ash forest these kroot have become poisonous. Their jaw has changed as well, it is split down the middle of the lower half and opens wider to show rows of serrated teeth. Together these adaptations have gained them a fearsome reputation as hit and run killers. Perfect for hit squads in the incessant gang warfare that takes place in the cliff hives between competing Doh Guan families. It is not uncommon to hear of a crew boss who gained a few to many enemies to be taken out by the so called Black Wings or the Tuok'gee in the kroots own tongue.

If you want to use these kroot in your adventure use the standard Kroot profile in the rogue trader rule book with the following modifications: Increase Strength by 5, Flyer (6) trait, Climb (+20), reduce their Dodge down to just an unmodified role, Dark Sight, All their melee attacks (including their beak and claws) have to toxic quality, and increase the penetration of their unarmed and beak attacks by 3. Their bite attack does 1d10 R damage with the tearing quality.

All their gear which has metal in it is coated in an oily wax from a cactus like plant in the outskirts of the smog forests near the freezing cold night side tundra. The plants wax protects the metal from the harsh air of the ash forests which would otherwise render any sort of metal object useless after a few weeks of exposure. In the hands of others who are unaccustomed to this it makes their knife and kroot rifle gain the unwieldy trait (cannot be used to parry).

Shapers are armed with Footfall pattern bolters, five reloads, two frag grenades, Tuok'gee Hunting axe and a knife. +10 willpower and intelligence, body armour 4 primitive. Two weapon wielder, Medicae +10, Psynisciance, (Command +10), Nerves of steel, Iron Discipline

Tuok'gee Hunting Axe: Traditional weapon used by the black wings shapers. Coated in the acidic blood commonly found flowing through the veins of the most deadly predators in that awful place. Made from the highest quality metal the tribe can aquire. (Basic One handed, Melee, toxic, 1d10+5, R, Pen 5, Special rule: Acidic coating: if a character is wounded by the hunting axe first aid tests on medicae suffer a -10 to the attempt)

Sorry, accidental double post. I deleted it though

I didn't do it myself, but about 10 years ago one of my more artistic friends (he got a degree in sculpture) decided he wanted a Kroot army that had been hunting and devouring Space Marines in the quest to become some sort of uber-kroot. It was prototypes he made were pretty cool. He had sculpted up and modified super muscled, upright kroot warriors, buffer kroot mounts, and several other pieces I can't remember off the top of my head.