© T MESHDSR I Y =. POPUP PEPE Pree c tr Errrrr: TAT, seen ¢ aU ‘ACCESSORY Peon Pos pesos Hy Visit our website at www.tsr.comRee = oy EAD PEPEPE DP bees ct Perel, TT, sees Cad ACCESSORY PofsTa yar) Design: Richard Baker and Bill Slaviesek Additional Design’ Wolfgang Baur, Jim Butler, and Peet b ag TCE Eee ue Toe PCC Te oo On cca Nelson, rk post, Andrew Rohinson, Chris Rush, POE UR om nooo pete aces ene Ae arene | Ce CUP COO eh nay een cre nena oth Bente tated Penner en eon) Dem ec ements Sn Sore nc ee ea te ted Coenen ay reeperer meer ee ee Pee area pte ey manner eeentioa perenne patie ea een ee en Pa ae et erg ere ee Comer ee Pre ene a nn ea eee eee ge ee a cay ng trboars Thr material protected under the copyright ns ofthe ited pe ee ee eT ee eet eens eed a ee eee ea eee TataMantebron system: High Mojave n ‘The Glassmakers 71 ‘Arachnon 72 Orbweaver ... 7B 75 . 71 Deepfallen... . 77 Moore's Shark 80 Sunsoarer. Tendril system: Delphin . Calliope Centurion ...... 7 Shuriken Ke'kekt Lightning Eel Scraaghek .. Algemron system: Terragin. Veerkiller Whitespike .. Sa Oberon system: Leen . Kilishorn, Firethorn Minshore Crystal... Mudfiend, . Ste Endamar system: Moibius Belt. The Horseshoe Site...... one SO. DAgosto Cloud, Kamath system: Bhruusil . =re.a MO BtHIYS nen Spikespore pani ‘Tychus system: Yellow es 103 Black fever 4 Dimensional Horror The Stoneburners Siren .. Speargrass Externals. Blix.... Evrem Gardhyt nn KroathINTRODUCTION a hroughout the Sri=Dave™ universe, humankind has encountered thousands of worlds inhabited by aon crea et eee ete eee eee ee eee eet monsters in fantasy game, aliens in a science fiction setting don't appear at random to obstruct the heroes) ee ee ec ee eke cae ry tact with starfaring civilizations and hitch rides to new worlds. Therefore, this eompendium organizes the vari Pee eee ee eo en enc ee ‘Although we've tried to avoid contradicting een ee ee eed Ce aliens deseribed inthis book, is important to romembor that the AITERNITY” game and the |) While you might enjoy reading through this book and adapting the SranDan™ setting are centered in science |) creatures to any science fietion game systom you like the game sta fiction. Don't be afraid to extrapolate about |) tistics given here are usable only withthe ALTERNTY science fiction what might be possible, especially if you as- || game. Youll need the Airzwury Player's Handbook and Gamemaster sume that insights or advances may occur in | Guide in order to make use ofthe entries as they're written. In ad- sur future that change the way we look at the} ition, the Alien Compendium is grounded in the Verge, which is ee ee ee ee ee Ce es eee ta ee deed. Weve visited almost two million stars, and found planets around two-thirds of those, but the conditions in which life can develop and flourish are so stringent that less than 20 percent of these planet bearing star systems produce even the Pe ee eee) So, if our experience in our ovm small comer ofthe galaxy approximates the conditions in the rest ofthe galactic disk, we can expect to find life around one inten stars. Within the hounds ofthe Stellar Ring and the Verge, that means that there are $50,000 living worlds within our reach. And our survey vessels have logged 44,972 atthe latest count, although our recent feperience with Series VI and VII hfefarms indicates that we have prokably missed hundreds or thousands of likely candi dates in our inital surveys. Even though we try ta be cbecive and open-minded in our scientific definition of what const eS eee ey ae ne ees a ee are concerned, For every creature we have identified that does not fit our preconceptions, we have probably overlooked a rr While primitive leis not extremely rare, we have found thatthe conditions for organizad, multicellular ile are extremely ‘demanding. Only one in tn lif bearing worlds can support anything excopt the crudest prokaryotes. Time is our enemy, sin ple lifforms can emerge on very young planets, but the establishment of eitical chemical cycles that can support organized ee ent ee ae ee eg ee ona Se ee oe cas ‘Of the 44,000-plus lit-bearing worlds wo've charted, only 5,282 appear to support multicellular life. This is actually a lit- tle higher percontage than we originally expected-perhaps we were lucky. So far as we can determine, the rest of these worlds aren't old enough to have developed life, or have aged tothe point whore multicellular life has became impossible ae een ere a ee ee eee ee ‘ent of the galaxy, we might expect to eventually find milions of worlds with highly organized lifforms. As our technology and our techniques become more sophisticated and more versatile, our ongoing search fr life will be ever more fruitful,Asnoted before, this book is arganized by worlds. Within each world sry, from twa to five ofthe most dangerous, interesting, a intl gent of the works denizens are described. The order in which the worl are presented traces the course ofthe Concord Survey Ves- sel Kepler during ats biclogical survey cruise of 2499-2500, the frst venture of its kind following the reestablishment of contact with the Verge. Under the guidance of Concord Administrator Ruder Grant, the Kepler visited eighteen worlds in thirteen star systems. ‘The entries in this document have been compiled from informa tion acquired by members of the survey team as they went fram place to place. Adding to the presentation are excerpis from the per- sonal logs of Adminsirator Grant and his science team leader, Dr. Only a handful ofthe thousands of planets inthe Verge are covered, in this biological survey. The laws of astrophysics and chemistry tifa thatthe great majority of worlds are ifless, and many that to boast ife of some kind support only the most rudimentary algae and microorganisms. Lifeless worlds and those containing nothing more intresting than organic soup have been omited from this bok We've provided brit descriptions of each world mentioned inthis compendium, including basic astronomical and geophysical data. Each of the data categories is defined below. ‘Parent: Usually, the name and spectral class of the parent star of the planet. Ifthe world being described isa satelite of = planet ‘hen the planet identied as its parent and the star and spectral class ae given thereafter in parentheses. Spectral class is a measure ofthe star's size and temperature; rele to the discussion in Chapter 14 ofthe ALTERNTY Gamemaster Guide (or any book on astronomy} i youre not familiar with this Orbital Radius: The distance at which the world orbits its par- sai, given in astronomical unis (AU) for a planet and kilometers (an) far a satolite of a plane. Gne AU equals 150 milion kilome- tars, which isthe distance at which the Earth orbits the Sun. (the parantis a planet thon the distance ofthat planet fom is parent tar ‘sal given) Orbital Period: The length ofthe world's year how long takes forthe plane (or satelite) to complete one revoiton around its par- nt (the parent is a plane, then the time it takes forthe planet ta take one revolution around its parent star is lea given) Rotation Period: The length of the worlds day; how long it lakes the planet (or satelite) to complete a full rotation around its a, ‘Axial Tilt: The degre ofthe worl’ inclination tothe plane of ‘Alice Veras of the University of Ceres. (A few entries incude infor mation that isnt known by any character in the Star‘DRWvE sting, but which a Gamemaster wil need in order to properly represent the ‘restr in question. Such information may become known ta char acters as the result of events that occur during an adventure More extensive information on migration patterns, population density and distribution, detailed reductions of physiological systems, and other matters of interest to exobiologists are available inthe Uni versity of Cores database (Grid/ceres survey verge) andthe Cancard Survey Service Grid access site, A this time the University plans to assemble cataloging expeditions for several planets visited by Ad: rministrator Grant and Dr. Veras. is orbit abou the sun This ales the soverty of the plants sea sons, the lathe al which the artic and antarctic ces appear, and the laude band ofthe topics. Axial tis generalized as minimal (C°t0 10°) moderate (11° to 25%), severe (26° 10 45% or exreme (46 or more), A word with an axial tt of mare then 80° sone that is rvtating in retrograde (backward) motion relative to the rst of the von nthe system, ‘Diameter: The diameter of the worl in kilometers. For com: parison, Eas tameter is oughly 12,700 ilometers Density: The density of the world, given as rato densty of Earth Surface Gravity: The worlds surface gravy expressed ing. where 1.0 g is the average surface gravity of Ear. On a 20 9 word objects are twice as heavy as they are an Eas surface ‘Atmosphere: The primary constuns ofthe world's atmas- phere. For comparison, Earths atmosphere is primanly a mix of rmolecular nitrogen and oxygen (Np and 0), with afer less com- here the mor. gases mixed in. Pressure: The average atmospheric pressure chserved at the ‘worlds surface in atmospheres (atm) One atm equals the pressure cof Earths atmosphere at sea level, soa world witha pressure of 2.0 atm has an atmosphere twice as dense as Earths Median Temperature: The midpoint between the hotest and coldest temperatures found on the plane's surface, expressed in de- grees Celsius. For comparison, Earth's median temperature ts 158° C or about 60° F Satellites: Ifthe world has any significant setelites, the number cf those bodies is noted here. GRAPH: This line describes the five principal atributes of a planetary environment inthe GRAPH system, (Details ofthe GRAPH system can be found on page 52 in the Alyer's Hanabook and pages 62-65 in the Gamemaster Guide) NOWINOOULNI om © SOTHOM HLTHE CREATURES => © IrAOnUcTION Even the mast barren worlds described inthis book have hundreds if not thousands of diferent species of he. Most are innocuous and rat of any real interest tothe typical hero, sa only the most danger us oF exotic denizens uf each world are presented here, Each world ‘entry is subdivided into eniris for species native to that planet Consider that Earth with ts amazing diversity af species, i merely one of ve thousand planets bearing complex lflorms, each wit is own evoluionary course and history: On the homeworld of bu- ‘mankind are milions of species of animals plants, fungi and i- robes, A person could spend a Metime doing nothing mare than ‘cataloging a few small branches of Earth's astonishing toa of ha. As it turns out Earths diversity of species is unusually high cam sitions on Earth were ideal forthe growth and development of Ie an accident of astrophysics, geology, and evolution that has not heen shown to be universal But even the simplest ecosystems we know of contain hundreds of distinct species... and the overall number of species known, both Terran and extrsterestial 1s approaching the total of one billion ar mare. The search continues every day ~ Dr Aliisz Veras, University of Ceres Ecological Data ‘This windaw gives some of the basic facts about @ creature and its place ins world. The categories covered in this section of text are defined below. Biochemistry: Tb date, sb basic biochemistry models or series have been found to exist inthe galaxy. Most Meforms require a lq- ‘uid med ta cary out Me-sustaining chemical reactions and some end of reagent for cellular respiration. In addition, their badies re- quire compounds or elements that can create very complex organic molecules. The basic series are summarized and defined below. Series Medium Reagent Structure Environment 1 Water Diygen Carbon Chass 1, 2 1 Ammonia Hydrogen Hydrocarbons Cinns 3 Ml == Water = Chlorine Carbon Class 2,3 NV 80, ‘SOs Carbon Glass 3 VSO, Oxygen Silicones Clas 3 Vi Sur Sp Fuorosiicone Class 3, 5 vi m3 2 co Saries 1: This is tie as we know it: carbon-based oxygen breathers. tis the most common lie series, du to its ficiency. Se- ‘es [hislorms inhabit Earthlike environments. A subcategory, Series 1a, daserbes lfelorms that originate on worlds that are essentially Eearthlee but have ane or move relatively mild ciferences fram Earth normal. The mechalus (see page 12) one such example; its home- world Is hoter and has a thinner atmosphere than Earth, but a mechalus can survive in an Earh-normal environment without if support. Another subcategory, Ic, descnibes bfeforms that riginate on worlds with one or more sigicant differences from Earth nor nal Despite those diferences, these Mislorms can survive easly in an Barth-normal envtronment, and may acualy prefer such a word. Sorts I Series I is develops on cold words (anywhere fom 50" fo-150"C|n dled ammonia eceans. Technological evi tons are nearly impossible on planets conducive to Series I hi, ue tothe lack of fie, Words that ean suppert Series I! he are usualy Cass 3 environments ‘Series I: Sra ix many respects to Series Ie, Series Iie foms appear on worl where chlorine (or more rarely, Surine) axe daminart inthe atmosphere. Chlorine s net nearly as ficient a reagent as oxygen, 0 most Series Il fforms develop mechanisms for gathering adaitonal organic fuels. Technological cviizations are scarco on Seris I worlds, du tothe lame-etardant air. Depend- ‘ng on the concentration of chlorine, works wih these ecosystems ave Class 2 or 3 environments ‘Series IV: Series Ve is based on sur daxde and slr t- cide. Tose worlds tnd to be cool (-50° C or caer) wit ots of surface sul, Again the lack of free oxygen in the atmagphere lin nals fre and makes many types of echnoiogy inaccessible. Since there 1s no free oxygen, these are Class $ works. ‘Series V; Thess an unusual but highly ftctent biochemistry that uses sulle acid as @ medium. Sina earbon compounds dant do well in this environment, iflorms use sllcones (scon-axygen chains) as organic molecules, These worlds tend to be warmer than Ear (50° to 20° Cand may be considered Clas Sor Class 5 en- ‘gonments depending onthe atmospheric density. Metal-using civ lzaions are posible in the right conditions. ‘Series VI: Tha mast heat‘alerant hfe series, creatures ofthis sort ‘trie in moten sul. Cel-ike structures in their bales are based ‘on uoresiicones, which can form stable compounds at high tem- praures. These words are very hot [200°C or more, and are con- sidared Class $ or Cass S enviroumens. Fire and metalursy may be trelevant ta thse forms Saries Vik Axyting that dows it into the biochemisries de seribed above srelrrad to as Series VI hfe. To date, vary few So nes VII organisms have been discovered, Environment: The creature's native enviranment class wih pe cal conditions noted. Mos ie support goa is rated by the maximum ‘environment eas it can protect ts wearer against Chass Description 1 Toran Habitable 2 Minimal ‘Minar Ife support required due to climatic evtremes, amaspheric cantons, ee. 3 Bereme Major hfe support required due to intolerable ‘mate ar atmosphere 4 Space Inchuding asters, rings, etc. 5 Jowan Bareme ble support required Each of thes five basic environment classes can be further da~ sorbed by adding GRAPH codes for spacial conditions thal vary sig nificantly from the norms observed on the Earth's surface, (Details of‘he GRAPH system can be found on page 2 in the Player's Hand boot and pages 62-65 in the Gamemaster Guide) Gravity Radiation Atmosphere Composition ‘Zero (60) ‘Zero (RO) ‘Vacuum (AD) Low (G1) Low (Rl) Inert (A1) Moderate (G2) Moderate (R2) Moderate (A2) High (63) High (83) ‘anc (A3) Very High (64) Extreme(R4)——Carrasive (Ad) Super High (65) Lethal (AS) Super Carrosve (AS) Pressure ‘Heat and Cold ‘Vacuum (PO) Absolute Zero (HO) ‘Very Thin (P1) Frigid (H1) ‘Thin (P2) ‘Temperate (H2) Moderate (P3) ‘Torrid (H3) ‘Dense (P4) ‘Super Torrid (H4) (Crushing (P5) Inferno (H5) Far example, Mars in the Sol system was a Class 2 world with @ GRAPH rating of 61/B2/A3/P2/H before ts terraforming. It was colder than Earth, but not frozen, with a thin and toxic atmosphere ‘A muman used ta require modest fe support ta survive the surface conditions of Mars. Venus, on the other hand, is a Class 5 64/AS/ ‘A4/P4/ES. Its crushing atmosphere and intense heat pase a necrly ‘nsurmountable challenge to designers of life support systems. I has resisted all terraforming attempts tn date. ‘Biome: While a world may be descrised by only a single envi- ronmental class, most planets possess multple biomes. Therefore an Earthlke plane (Class 1 environmen!) may hava arctic, dasert, jungle plains, and steppe biomes. Typically, a species can be found in the biome that best suts it While lions, polar bears, and tube ‘worms all belang to Earth's biosphere, youl never see all three of ‘hem in the same place Encounter Chance: This enry is a rough guideline of how Hesty tis thatthe creature will be encountered an its homeworld and in is biome: Category Likelihood 20 roll Probable 73 1-415 Poosible 50% 1-10 Unlikely 25 15 Stim 10% 12 On the table above, Likeliad is an estimate, in percentage terms ofthe chance for heroes (or ahercharacers) to come across the reaure by happenstance, 020 ral gives a range of mumbers that can be used for random deteminationany result within the ‘pven range indicates tht an encounter cccur. I heroes are actively searching fora cortain type of creature, the chance ofan encounter could be adustd upward somewhat; conversely if heroes are ac- tvaly snking to avoid contact wih oer Meforms, the encouner chance might be smaller than tho entry here would suggest How often the encounter chance for a creature comes into play ‘sup you-an, to some extent, up to your players. Far a strcly random determination, just pick @ tme unit (ost Ukely hous or days but any unt ean be used) and roll 420 whenever that much time posses in the game. Is oten better just fo let the situation dic tate what happens; for instance, if the heroes are deterenined not stop looking until they find the creature there afer theres no point in wating fr the ‘right’ result to come up on a di rll (Group Size: The number range given here indiates how many creatures ar liable to be met in one encounter (with an optional di roll n parentheses if you prefer random generation). (Organization: The social sructre displayed by the creature in tis native environment. Examples inciude packs, flocks, schois, herds, and on on for nonsentiont creatures. For ifoligent creatures this characteristic reflec the basic level of civilization or organiza ton: tribal, rural, urbanized, cty-states, natal, and so forth. ‘Niche: The creatur’s rele in the repional ecasystem, such as herbivore, camivore, etc The hasc subsistence system of inteligent creatures is noted in this heading. Intelligence: A crucial charaderistc in dealing with an alien sects, inteligence is categorized as none, low-order animal, hig onder animal, subsentont, or sentent. Following are rough guile lines for how a crestue ofa certain intligence will act ‘Nane:"he cresture is incapable of reasoning or communication, at least in terms that humans can perelve or relat to Lowr-order armal:Te creature has an Inteligence score af 1 or 2. tis incapable of communicating with creatures of other species, bout can interact on a primtive level with oher creatures of own species. may be able to perform the mos fundamental decison making, but ts actions when doing so will appear randam and mindless to an outside observer High-order animal: The creature has an Ineligence score of $ or 4 Ikis able to realize when a creature of anther species istry ing to communicate with but may not possess the means (ether pliysical or menial) to respond fo that communication. I the create has appendages or mustls it can manipula, it may be abe to con- voy information by gesturing or exing the manipulable pat. ndi- viually and when acting in a groyp, thse creatures employ rudimentary taccs agaist prey or opponents Subsontent: The typical creature has an nteligence score of S or 6, Is communication skills may be developed well enough that it can be sald ta havea language, bu the nuances of that language are perceptible onl to otbers ofthe same species. The creature can con- vey broad conceps, using gestures, vocal emissions, ora combina tion of the two, that can be understood by sentints. A subsentient creature is intellgen! enough to use simple tools and weapans, but ‘may lack the physical means to manipulate such objects, Many sub- sentents possess one or more Ineligence-based skils, and may even have alow rank in specialty ]> SINIWINISIUAIH OWOINOISear See eee eee ec eee eee en Galactic Concord. After all, we have visited loss than one-tenth of one percent ofthe stars that comprise this vast Milky Way gala. It would bo as ifthe Pilgrims of anciont Bart, in their Massachusetts Bay Colony, had declared ee ee er ee ee en ee et en en Cen econo the old powers of Europe? I doubt it (ur Galactic Concord isa human institution, conceived by humans forthe purpose of enforcing peace among human dom. ‘nated stellar nations. Like the early European settlers, we have met several other peoples wi live near our home-th fral, the weren, the mechalus, the sesheyans, and the ‘sa Thay share in our Concord, and with us they have joined the great ex peers My orders are to explore the Verge, gathering information about ifforms native to various planets that are known to be lie bearing, and searching for sigs of other ifeforms as yet unlnowm tothe Concord In order to prepare myself to the great est extent possible forthe mission, I have spent several weeks in transit reviewing xenabology, xenosociclogy, anthropology, and an entire host of related subjects. Thave concentrated an studying the alins that are known tous alrwady, hoping to learn from the familiar what I might expect from the unfamiliar or the unknown. oa rovided me with this database fram her own personal library. She has also observed that, witha century of separation, some of the aliens who have sotled the Verge may have drifted from the familiar types we know today. ince ‘we have four days before we make starfall at Kenda, reviewing this information seems ike a good place to start. — RG CLA jon: A freal stands about 1.5 meters tall and has a thin, Even the oldest among the Jong-ived fraal are too young to shed ton the sacrels of thei past. Almost everything i i has been forgotten, lost ta the pared di s look out fram @ round heal at graceful humanoid form. Large e of time and to ented by wisps of silver, white, o tof days. Even so, almost luminous skin, and the ap ye, and int his festures. Sa aal adapt the wardrobes ofthe stella n ary partner tions they have attached themselves to, but most wear tratinal ace. They participate for the freal garb-regal, stylistic, and alien all atthe same time challenge, for thelr genuine appreciation of humans, and for the Fraal naturally communicate themselves vin psionic inks ever-hurning hope that a clue to ther origin may be discovered and other mental disciplines. They have also mastered the languages somewhere in the galaxy. tf most of the primary species, including the many tongues of h The fraal arrived in Earth’ star eystom more than 10,000 years ms d toa ago. Wanderings End occurred when three slow-moving generation ship, all hat remained of wht fraal legends refer to as an armada, inter: Fraal can be found through went into high orbit arcund Sol primary planet (atleast as far as ter regions, as members of nearly every si Some that planet’ inhabitants have always been concerned). Except for have integrated completely into gal living and working that helped spawn some of humanity oldest y side vith humans and other 5 however, remat the fraal dit make contact with humans unt) aloo joining society as gto an isoNOTE: These statistics reflect a nonprofessional fraal, Dene cae eed af one of the social scionces or a laborer aboard a fraal city-ship. Just as with humans, most fraal are not hero- Preece Cee reo fe ee CR re ee Ce) eS er ea UT ees orn eo eae gee ed od irl ER ect ee een ae econ een eee ty re en ee try SOR eee ete emer ere ett erin) Sn ee aay Pe ee ee ce ate eae) NE ee eta eeeFraal Ecological Data 7 ee CC dcd ea fo 1-6 (a6) cg ood Seed ofthe stellar nations, working and ving as equal partners in human Fraal ofboth factions excel at mental ativty of all sorts, Very few have any interest or proficiency at physical actties. They deman- strate edreme patience, sometimes to the point of generating anger in other species. They believe that violence should never be the frst course of an intelligent species, bu they will use whatever force acessary ta defend themselves, right wrongs, ar support causes that inspire them. ‘Most humans who casually encounter fraal consider them to be smotionliss,alaf beings, While its true thatthe fral have a more limited range of emotional responses than humans, those who gett know them soon realize they can be ‘They have a passion for at, science, scholarly research, and diplomacy, [fa human wins the friendship ofa faal, that friend ship lass for along, long time sensitive, expressive people ation, Mabitat/Socioly: Wanderers live on the cty-chips, following the sill remembered by the fraal, They have a matriarchal society in which fral females lead family units and hold the highest postions on the mysterious Council of Thought. For the most part, however, the ways of the Wanderers are secret, and few humans ever get to interact with them in any meaninghl way Builders, on the aher hand, have abandoned many ofthe more inflocble fral traditions, They have adopted the belief of equality of ssowes held by mast human stellar nations, for example, and have sven malded other national traditions into personal belies they can follow. While they are nat a Builders can be found as Vorgers who have bv lactic Wanderers there are can be unfathomable toh aut the Verge, both as Arrivers and since before the Second frers city ship entered the region. It roams the star lanes, keoping to is own secret agenda and rarely Interacting with any setlements or Concord authorities. Despite the extent to which humanity has explored and settled its portion ofthe galaxy, no evidence has been found of the existence of ther members ofthe fral species. Every iraal living today in the Sellar Ring or the Verge is desoended from the grou its existence to the residents of Earth in 2124. Som members ofthat group, and may be in yoone days. But, to the disappoint the faa fraal were acual ined ta share their memories of those tment of historians and sclentss everywhere, na one amany has any recollection of where the 5 time the generation ships took to make the fraal homeworld tothe Sol system. though they are spiritual and contemplative in nature, the nal religion, Indee fuse to participate in any dis xing faith or systems of belie. Their philoso- bles and practices concerning mindwalking, however, border on ligous ecstasy—though no fral wil admit to prac such es criginated ar how much lar journey from ‘The aleerin were the second inteligent species mankind n the intial explorations ater the perfection of the stardsive, We have always used technology to adapt ourselves to ur environment and to increase our ably ta do work, but our ‘mare commanty knawn as the mechalus—has difference between using technology and bving ation with the alerin shown us Cee each Urs Poet Class 1 Cad co eter) jon: Communal hierarchy ee a ce a nology. They made a conscious detsion tn thelr ancent past t be come techno-organic feforms, reinforcing their bod chanical. struct g their minds ‘They're nat cyborgs, lving creatures who graft ‘appendages and improvements to their badies; a typical aud na sooner part with is arm or leg than a fal or a human ould part with his. Instead, the mechalus are born as an amalgam af the biological and the mechanical ar more than twa centuries, Aleer has bem closely allied wth the Rigunmar stellar nation. Mast mechalus hold Rigunmer citizen by the various Rigunmor Consortium con umbers of mechal emigrate to other stellar nations and frontier regions, seeking grester autonomy to return to pre-Contact mechalus ‘and enbane th cybemet rmechahs have chosen to Description: In most anatomical detals, mechalus strongly resem bile humans. Records of their original biological forms are one ofthe best examples of convergent evolution known among sentient although the resemblance is one of body form and basiemistry as apposed to actual argan arangement and Mechalus tend to he marginally larger and heavier rage human, but fall w sal arrangement is much simpler the wth sturer out me rains and injures; gical coutorpars. Straightforward, but vous system adually includes aks each mechalus a living computer. A mechalus is marked with nds oF veins of circulry and metal flesh blended perfectly wih is Living tissue, Mochalus have had a long ime to get to know humans {not quite so much time as the faa) As india, they ean func ion quite well in human suciey, and throughout Rigunmer ternary ty draw no mare attention than any ot ror business NOTE: These statistics reflect a nanprofessional mech- lus technician working in the cuting edge of a carporate or scientific enterprise. Just as with humans, most mech- Pree ers CeCe eee ee) fe ec oe Ce ec ee) De ac i) ‘Action check: 11+/10/5/2 ec Rear a) eed Pee Peel ry [ee cst re eon aed ea ed 1 varies ee) dS O10 Poo Se Dee ee See eee an no WIL resistance modifier vs. encounter skills eee ee cote) oy ‘Athletics 10), Unarmed Attack (10), Vehicle (9]~land/10] Se ate eee aren Cea a a ea ae es Se ce mec are eee Ina a reac © SNWHIIN aSESHEYAN = Oo space would, Mechalus can be found among the ranks of vistually all pro- fessions and careers. ‘Mechals strike humans as cold, unemotional, and logical, Some of this perception 1s undoubtedly stereotyping based on the species’ semimechanical appearance, but there's a grain of truth to it too Mechalus lack the drive, the vision, and the creativity ofthe best and brightest among humankind. They may be capable of incredible in- tellgence and feats of pure logic and engineering, but they're also methadical, dogmatic, and predictable. ‘Mechalus gain a ~1 bonus to any Camputer Science or Hnow!- ‘edge-computer operation skill checks. They also possess two neural, data lot that allow them to use computer programs. Far example, ‘8 mechalus Combat Spec might carry an archive program holding detailed information about drive mechanics and an assist program for the Technical Science slall. Even though he doesnt possess any normal repair skills, he can use the computer programs to give hi self these allies (and might receive a special bomus on attempts to repair a dadrive because of is special knowledge, abitat/Society: Aleer is a clase analogue of Earth, although its, smaller and warmer with an azane-rich atmosphere that strikes hu- ‘mans aé thin and acrid. Aloor's surface gravity is about 1 g, since fs small size is set of bythe densty ofthe heavy metals ints crust. ‘The seas are small and shallow, andthe worlds tropics comprise a wide ard belt that was the cradle of Aleerin civilization more than fity thousand years ago. When the mechalus unified their world and transformed themselves into man-machine hybrids, they also per- formed extensive modifications to the other species on their home- world, eliminating any that were perceived as dangerous or ‘efficient. ‘Algern eforms are unusually old and few in number by Terran standards, The planet has never endured the mass extinctions that Fst encountered by a VoidCorp exploration venture more than two hundred years ago, the sesheyans are a primlive race barely ut of thet own Stone Age. Of al the allen species with whom cantact has ‘been made, the sechoyans received the poorest reception from hu mankind, With no regard for their culture, for thelr innocence, Vid- Corp colonized their planet and dragyed them from the formative years of their own civilization inta humanty’s sphere of interest Well never know how the sesheyans would have grown and evolved on thet own, what kind of culture and civilzation they ‘would have made for themselves in the twilight deeps oftheir for estworld, I seems nothing short of miraculous that the sesheyan people have survived this calamitous collision with the spirt oftheir species—their ways, their hlestyle—stl nt. The sesheyan people are vtually indentured to VoidCorp, held ‘in the heartless fst ofthat gigantic power. Vist to Sheya are strictly contrlled by VaidCorp, and all other humans who have been al: lowed to meet the sesheyans on their homeworld have done so ‘under heavy VaidCorp escort. Rumors abound of countless se periodically changed the course of Earthly evolution, Very few ‘species diverged inta multiple forms. On Earth, Homo saptens's nly ‘ne species among dozens of primates all descended from a cam: mon ancestor; on Aleer, the mechalus are the only species in their genus, Alerin creetures tend to he supremely well adapted for their riche and lack the versatty or competitiveness of Terran hfefrms, “Machalus society is much more srangly bound tothe community ‘han tothe family, Mechalus arent emotionless machines, but they anit marry and don' raise their own children. Instead, mechalus ‘paren view all the children oftheir particular community or cell a ‘hair own offspring. Emotional attachment ofthe sort that a human ‘would fel for his spause and fay i, among mecha, instead di- rected toward the whole mechalus species. Mechalus dant atach ‘uch emotional significance to sexually, and they view reproduction asa duty tothe race, not an expression of love ‘The society as a whole is organized info something of @comm- nal technocracy. Experts in each field of study or enterprise call the shots and coordinate efforts. Ws assumed that each and every mechslus concerned will do his par, and if other mechalus spot problems or roe questions, the projec in question halts unt every one reaches a consensus on the direction to take. Amtious or sll- serving humans can stall mechalus decsians indefinitely by pointing ‘ut fauks, real or imaginary, inthe plan rganizationally the Figunmars consider the Aleerin system and alls inhabilants as one division or consortium within their empire, ‘The mechalus leaders-the acknowledged heads of the most impor- tant professional fekds~are accorded the same rank, privileges, and levels of accass that a human in charge of a planetary enterprise would be granted. Beyond that the Rigunmors try nat to concern themselves with how the mechalis manage their own afiairs or ad- riniter their home system, as long as mechalus goods, starships, and expertise ar sil at their disposal sheyans conscripted into VoidCorp’s armies ar deported tothe most remote and undesirable enterprises to be found within the mega camp's sprawling terntory. Alien-rights activists throughout the Con- cord have vigorously protested VoidCorp’s polcies toward the sesheyan people, wih ile effect Description: In appearance, sesheyans are one of the most alien of the sentient species encountered by humanity to date. They are hoxapedal fying creatures, with a pair of small forelimbs, powerful sweeping wings, and complex, double jointed legs that end in clawed, fg In alton, sesheyans possess long, fined tals that are open. and act as siclizers when the creatures are in fight. A typical se- sheyan is about the same helght as an average human, but weighs imal oly 40 klograms~a sesheyan's skeleton is mostiy composed cof light, strong cartlage ‘The sesheyaris head is wide and round, ringed by eight small ‘eyes and crowned by two pointed ears. The blunt snout covers a Ihinged jaw full of sharp, bony ridges instead of teth. Their hearingats, and their night vision is superior—but bright to launeh themselves into the nment with a reasonably thick Having the ably toy means thal secheyans never safe Jing, as long as they are conscious and abe fo cam descont They are adept at functioning in zero-gravity can ving the benelit ofthe Athletics-zero-g without having to ach he sk Encounter: Most sesheyans are indentured Employees of Corp. They're quite rare outside of VaidCorp temtory, and even clled by the megacorporation, sesh typical” sesheyan 1 from his beloved sort. VodCorp also en 1s much more regimented than the man shifts from curiosity ta fear to minutes with no mental effort, a sesheyan ws the changing of his emotional state cr outlook as an under- rh great spiritual consequences, When a sesheyan decides Sesheyan Game Data Fee ee es sheyan laborer or guard in VoidCorp's employ. Cee 1a oe ee Cea ee ee aS ‘Action check: 114/10/5/2 oenecee ez) ces ee ana eas ee ee SMCs re a eae eee od Coe eee ed [Seay Wo Ce ea oo een eee ned ee ery Pee ere ee eee Ce ee a) ee ag aC ea eee Me Eee Cee Uo eee eae od)TSA © AL space that itis time to hun, he deliberately calls up the Hunter in his heart and mind To the Hunter there is nothing to be gained by wasting tine in debate with his fellows-there is only the chase. When the Ihunt is over, the sesheyan may shift his mind to the Dreamer, the ‘Traveler the Maker of Weapons, and so on. (tts warth noting that the mast important archetypes have dozens of associated outlooks, such as the Waiting Hunter, the Feral Hunter, the Hunter Who Talks with Spins, and so on.) ‘There are hundreds of these acquired personalities im the se sheyan worldview, each deeply rooted in ceremony and mytholoy Many are spirits of nature or animal totems, while others are leg: endary heroes or wise men. By emulating these personalites and embracing the particular vitues or sirengths each symbolizes, 2 so sheyan keeps in touch with his culture and adapts to the strange new universe araund him. This umsual culonk also helps the in ddentured sesheyans under VoiiCarp's contralto aocept their con tion for the tme being ‘As a people of hunters, sesheyans are not aad of physical con fronfaton. I violence i necessary, a sesheyan prefers to strike first and strike hard. All ut the fraest or most paciisic nonprafession- als have some kind of weapon sil In ation ta their fight aby, the keen senses of sesheyans negate darkness- or cbscurement- Pe dd De oetoL fared a pol Hunter-gatherer ro cay Of all the tnteligent aliens encountered so far, the tsa are the most like humans psychologically. Thay are driven by insatiable curios ‘and determined to ind a beter way to do things. Their chldike ex: berance and optimism, so deceptive to humans who don't know ‘hem well are tampered by a keen anaiytical inteligence capable of astounding feats of smnovation and ingenuity. Alone among hu- ‘mankind’ interstellar neighbors, only the fsa had overcame the im ‘mense engineering challenge of sublight intersteiar travel and set tut from their own home system to explore the cosmos prior to meeting the human species. ‘The fsa were the unwiting instigators of nearly two centuries af fierce warfare among humankind. Orion League survey vessels dis cavered the Tsa Custer onthe eve of the First Galactic War, and the Jealous jockeying for proprisary contact with this fascinating new ‘vllzation was one of the key flashpoins ofthe storm. And, since the Sacond Galacic War bad based combat penalties by twa steps. However, thei eyes are quite senative to bright ght, and a seshoyen sullers a +1, +2, or +3 penalty to all actions undertaken in Ordinary, Good, or Amazing Tumination, Dark goggles or visors can negate these penalties, and most sesheyans traveling ofhworid make use of such devices. Habitat/Socioty: Sheya isthe largest moon of Gamma Lecnis I 1a superjovian gas giant that glows just under the threshold of ign ‘ton, though GL Ils more than ten times farther from its sun than Earth is from Sol its radiated heat makes Sheya perfectly habitable Sheya itself is about the size of Mars, an impact-scarred world marked by vast craters, sheer mountains, and extensive rit valleys The dichotomous environments on Sheya-arctic uplands and lush lowlands-gave rise to two completely diferent evolutionary ‘racks. Inthe upper world, nothing more sophisticated than hardy n- secis and wiry scrub developed. The sesheyans, onthe other hand, evolved inthe ecosystem ofthe great equatorial rifts, canyons aver aging 7 to 10 kdometers in depth. While Sheya’s uplands are vir ally Himalayan, is shored lowlands support great deep lakes and fmerald forests. The atmosphere is signiicanly denser in the canyons; combined with Sheya’s low gravity, its easy to see how 2 sentlen! creature capable of fight evolved here. Sheya endures month-long ecipses behind GL Il, and its valleys are shadowed by the great walls of rock, which means tat very Ite sunlight reaches the forest lor. Sesheyan social organization is fairly simple. Unit VoidCorp landed on their homeworld, the sesheyans were an aboriginal race cof hunters, maving from place to place as they sav fi Family tes ‘are quite strong, even to very distant relations, and the family lea fers serve as a coundl to the tribe's chieftain. When two sesheyan tres mee, ifs nat unusual for them to exchange entre families of twenty or thity individuals and then continue on. This practice un fies the sesheyan tribes and promotes the spread of naws and preservation of aral epics, ‘might say thal the tsa were responsible for both. Throughout bath conflicts the fsa maintained their independence, avoiding the tm rial aspirations of their human neighbors ‘Today the T’sa Chster is a Concord Neutrality, a separate stellar nation in all but name, While several human powers sill desire to lay claim to the system with the hope of incarporating these rich worlds into ther empire, the 'sa themselves have held on to thelr autonomy, Description: T'sa are smaller than humans, averaging 1.1 to 1.4 meters in height and weighing in at 30 to SD ilograms. They are reptilian in general appearance, covered in calorul scales and hav- sng a snout fll of tny, sharp teeth. They are astonishingly fd and ‘guck in their movements, with wiry, lexble bodies and short limbs. TTsa scales are extremely hard and dense, capable of stapping 2 ‘nif-thrust or even a low-caber bulletEncounter: T'sa merchants, scientists, and explorers are a common coming an increasingly common sight in human space, tons oft have found employment as technicians and engineers se their home custr. ‘sa are skitsh creatures by nature, much more likely to Hee @ ‘confrontational stuaton than to meet force with force or evento at pt to defuse an adversary through diplomacy. Coupled with their y body language, this has given them an un famed reputation as cowardly. T'sa try to avoid meaningless con fic, true—hut if his wark is endangered or his friends are threatened, ‘tsa can turn all of his farmidable infeligence and inventiveness to, the discouragement of his tormentors. Cn 7 Pet) Perit) PSone een Prone teen teetaten ey ‘Ta are known far and wide for their maddening inquistveness and their friendly natures. Theyre quick to make friends, and unlike ‘many humans with the same knack, a friendship formed in five min utes ll last hitime ‘Tsa are naturally quicker than humans (or just about any other creature, for that matter) and gain a ~1 bonus to their action checks Regardless oftheir actual profession or skill selection, they have a Jack for working with technology and gain a ~1 bonus to juryrig siol checks, (Ia fsa does not have the Technical Science ski his untrained check is made against half his Inteligence scare vath a +20 base situation de instead of half his score with a +4) Finally tsa have natural body armar (eee “Game Dy Mabitat/Socioty: Taasa the Ysa homeworld, is a large, metal-poor planet marked by counlless lakes, swamps, and marshlands instead of seas, lis atmosphere is tainted by a moderate concentration of chlorine—not nearly enough to cause the planet to be classified as @ Series Il worl, but sulcient to force the indigenous carbon-based lfeorms, such as the tsa, to develop a tolerance to this toxic gas. Teasan evolution pr like Earth's, although no arthro- od-analogues (insecis) ever emerged, nor did any mammalians Curiously enough, strong evidence exists to indicate that the fore bears of the fsa shifted from aquatic to terrestrial forms and be again several times over the course of millions of years bel ‘evolutionary track settled down.The tsa are hie iy tachments and small size, t only takes about three manths for hatchlings to ee en ees aha 5 ong-lasting parental bonds that tie human families together. The t eee re ead ig beet ing, be nen 3 per reer ee it wi wo bated Pom be sane ch eg The era oN? Gee) ME Bey ad hee ars ar thangs rest oe of ns ee ‘Action check: 12+/11/5/2 of life and plays no part the young te ven, Neal preryn sllyapine OE GARE ete noe ornate tg coe rT Anat tht be dsrbe as fea in nate ng ese one eT patos a dn th my dear Heavy weapon 3/1/0 hy bt ea} aaa Se tare ov ly dal allegiance tothe king anc ll of his ki his web of loyalties Pred ee +1 resistance modifier vs. ranged attacks +1 INT resistance modifier vs, encounter skills Pek eee eer er rene cen) a marked by minor vara sn the scale pal oy netic tra ei Lea em fain of tsa brood is determined by the sats of Te TE eT (28 mother’s brood, bu ater tat fs tho accomplishments and ab eee Mem eres Ff the members of the young ehch that dette the entre regs es stag enc Ke no uncinncn eect The fist preindustrial species of san can wild over weren society, Some observers have even remarked pany was the weren a Hee sp ting af this srt is entertainment for the weren, @ healthy re for bate. Uni we met the wi the rage and aggression wit find the ritualized batle oftheir hamewerld too con ricting often set forth into the stars, b ewerful human bodybuilders. ders far any af el human nations or worlds. Others vl Burg, the weren homewor Reunited rae ee CeO eee eco e ear ag Co ea) Organization: Feudal (Niche: Pre-industrial agrarian Intelligence: Low-tech sentient the intraduction o the call to arms afterall the y canflets are naw lmited campai