ZeroSpace 3e EN:Aliens
At its height, the Imperium encompassed millions of populated worlds, and that is just a fraction of the populated worlds in the galaxy. Across these worlds is scattered a variety of sentient life forms, the diversity of which beggars the imagination. Rather than provide a comprehensive list of alien species, ZeroSpace provides you with a toolbox of alien traits, with which you can build any alien species you can think of.
That being said, the aliens in ZeroSpace can generally be categorized as one of three types: humanoid, android, and exotic.
Humanoid Aliens
Humanoid aliens are the most common, and resemble humans in size and physique. They may differ cosmetically (skin color, eye color, hair color, etc.), but they typically have the same number of arms and legs, the same facial features, and so on. A humanoid alien species might have pointed ears, exaggerated brow ridges, or they might have tentacles, ridges, or horns instead of cranial hair (or in addition to hair).
Would you like to create a random humanoid alien? You can!
| Roll 1 | Saturation | Roll 2 | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pale | 1 | Blue |
| 2 | Light | 2 | Brown |
| 3 | Medium | 3 | Green |
| 4 | Deep | 4 | Grey |
| 5 | Dark | 5 | Red |
| 6 | Patterned (roll twice!) | 6 | Yellow |
| Roll 1 | Type | Roll 2 | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Circular pupil | 1 | Blue |
| 2 | Horizontally slit pupil | 2 | Brown |
| 3 | Vertically slit pupil | 3 | Green |
| 4 | Pupilless | 4 | Grey |
| 5 | Solid color | 5 | Red |
| 6 | Compound | 6 | Yellow |
| Roll 1 | Type | Roll 2 | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hairless | 1 | Antennae |
| 2 | Hair (normal) | 2 | Brow ridges |
| 3 | Structure, hairless | 3 | Cranial ridges |
| 4 | Structure, hairless (roll twice!) | 4 | Horns |
| 5 | Structure, with hair | 5 | Pointed ears |
| 6 | Structure, with hair (roll twice!) | 6 | Tentacles |
Androids
Androids are artificial beings, usually constructed to serve a particular purpose. Whether androids are sentient is a subject of some controversy. On some worlds, androids are considered to be no more than ambulatory tools, while on other worlds they have the same rights and privileges as any other sentient. On worlds where androids are considered property, there are usually restrictions on how advanced their behavioural heuristics are permitted to be, while on worlds where androids have the rights of sentients, there are usually limitations on their manufacture. Androids might be humanoid in shape, or they might be shaped completely unlike humans, depending on their original purpose and the whims of the maker. A prohibition against harming biological life is the most common directive hard-wired into androids during manufacture, and removing that prohibition is among the most common modifications made to them afterward.
While androids are inorganic, and thus do not "eat", "sleep", or "heal" in the biological sense, they have functional requirements that serve the same purposes -- recharging, "powering down", "auto repair", and so on. As with exotic aliens, these requirements can be removed with the purchase of a suitable alien trait.
However, all androids must purchase the following alien traits:
- Immunity To Asphyxia
- Immunity To Disease
Exotic Aliens
Exotic aliens might superficially resemble humans, or they might be utterly alien. What makes them a distinct group is that they possess traits beyond those possessed by humans and humanoid aliens. The line between humanoid alien and exotic alien is an arbitrary one.
Alien Traits
This is a list of typical alien traits found in a ZeroSpace game. This list is not exhaustive. A character may well have a trait not listed here, subject to GM approval. However, any new traits should be approximately as useful as these traits, in order to maintain a sense of fairness with other characters. Each trait costs one character point. Some traits may be purchased multiple times: these are noted in their descriptions.
| Trait | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Aquatic | Can breathe water and survive in environments of extremely high pressure, such as in the ocean depths |
| Armor ★ | Scales, fur, or exceptionally tough skin |
| Exceptional Beauty | Get attention, and perhaps favors, from admirers |
| Immunity To Asphyxia | Does not need to breathe, and can survive in a vacuum |
| Immunity To Disease | Unaffected by pathogens and poisons |
| Linguist | Learn new languages with minimal effort |
| Mental Calculator | Solve complex mathematical operations by thinking about them |
| Natural Weaponry | Claws, spines, or some other natural weapon |
| Perfect Recall | Remember something perfectly with a Reason roll |
| Unsettling | Make people nervous for no real reason |
Aquatic
The character may breathe underwater, and is comfortable in environments of extremely high pressure, such as in the ocean depths.
Armor ★
The character has a natural form of protection, such as scales, thick fur, or exceptionally tough skin. This trait may be purchased multiple times. Each point spent on Armor grants the character one point of protection value (PV), up to a maximum of 3 PV.
Exceptional Beauty
The character is naturally, effortlessly attractive. It is difficult for the character to pass unnoticed, because they will be the focus of attention in nearly any circumstances. People who are swayed by appearance may be more likely to cooperate with the character, and the character can sometimes gain favors from admirers. If this is the case, the character gains a +1 bonus on relevant Manipulation and Social task rolls.
Immunity To Asphyxia
The character does not need to breathe at all, and the character is comfortable in environments of extremely low pressure, such as in outer space.
Immunity To Disease
The character is unaffected by infectious viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc. The character is also unaffected by chemical and biological poisons, toxins, and venoms.
Linguist
Universe, an artifical language created thousands of years ago, is the official language of the Imperium. Every civilized being understands Universe, although not every species is physically capable of speaking it. Additionally, every alien species has one or more languages which they speak among themselves: some civilizations have hundreds of indigenous languages.
Barring unusual circumstances, characters are assumed to be fluent in Universe, as well as any other languages they could reasonably be expected to know. A character with the Linguist advantage is fluent in over six million forms of communication, and is capable of quickly deciphering new forms of communication when they encounter them.
Mental Calculator
The character can perform complex mathematical calculations in their head in the same amount of time that a skilled mathematician could perform the same calculations on a powerful scientific calculator. Also, the character has an intuitive understanding of higher mathematics, and is able to comprehend and remember intricate formulae and equations after examining them briefly.
Natural Weaponry
The character is equipped with claws, spines, or some other natural hand-to-hand weapon. These natural weapons are difficult to take away, and will usually re-grow if removed. Natural weapons have a damage rating equal to the character's Brawn rank + 1. Using a weapon allows a character with Brawn of 8 or less to inflict normal damage rather than stunning damage.
Perfect Recall
The character may perfectly remember any event, document, recording, or picture which the character has taken the effort to study and memorize. The character does not need to understand the items to be memorized, because the information memorized is not stored as text; it is in the character's memory as a picture. As such, the information is not subject to instantaneous retrieval, but the character may mentally "scroll down" or "fast forward" looking for a specific bit of data.
Unsettling
The character puts off a disturbing vibe that makes people nervous for no discernible reason. Strangers will find themselves disliking the character without knowing why, and normal animals will avoid the character unless forced to approach by a trainer or some other circumstance. On the other hand, the character may find it easier to intimidate others, providing a +3 bonus to relevant Manipulation task rolls.