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 or horns instead of cranial hair (or in addition to hair).
Would you like to create a random humanoid alien? You can!
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Optionally, a "pale grey" result can mean "snow white", and a "dark grey" result can mean "pitch black".
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Optionally, a "pale grey" result can mean "snow white", and a "dark grey" result can mean "pitch black".
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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
Some alien traits which are common for androids, but not required, are:
- Armor
- Data Jack
- Immortality
- Mental Calculator
- Perfect Recall
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 |
|---|---|
| 360° Vision | Can see equally well in every direction simultaneously |
| Aerial | Winged or floating, the character can fly at twice their ground speed |
| 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 protects the character from attacks |
| Clinging | Can move at normal ground speed along walls, ceilings, and other surfaces |
| Data Jack | Can connect to and communicate with computers |
| Energy Shield ★ | A force field or deflector shield protects the character from attacks |
| Exceptional Beauty | Get attention, and perhaps favors, from admirers |
| Frigian | Can breathe methane or ammonia, and comfortable in environments of extreme cold |
| Gelatinous | Amorphous blob, able to squeeze through a hole the size of a tennis ball |
| Heavyworlder | Stronger and more massive than typical humanoids |
| Hyperacuity | Can sense details far too small or faint for ordinary human perception to detect |
| Huge | Larger and stronger than typical humanoids |
| Immortality ★ | Never grow old nor die from "natural causes" |
| Immunity To Asphyxia | Does not need to breathe, and can survive in a vacuum |
| Immunity To Disease | Unaffected by pathogens and poisons |
| Infernal | Immune to the effects of environmental ionizing radiation, and comfortable in environments of extreme heat |
| Linguist | Learn new languages with minimal effort |
| Mental Calculator | Solve complex mathematical operations by thinking about them |
| Mind Link | Characters who both have Mind Link can communicate telepathically over any distance |
| Mind Shield | Naturally resistant to mental attacks and coercive mental powers |
| Natural Weaponry | Claws, spines, or some other natural weapon |
| Night Vision | Can see in the dark with infrared, ultraviolet, or low-light vision |
| Perfect Recall | Remember something perfectly with a Reason roll |
| Regeneration | Heals much faster than the typical humanoid |
| Self-sustaining | Can survive without eating through photosynthesis or some other metabolic process |
| Shapeshifting | Can change shape and appearance |
| Tiny | Smaller and harder to hit than typical humanoids |
| Unsettling | Make people nervous for no real reason |
360° Vision
The character can see equally well in every direction simultaneously. They probably have very large eyes, or many very small eyes.
Aerial
The character can fly at twice their ground speed. They might have wings, or they might be naturally lighter than air.
Aquatic
The character may breathe underwater, and is comfortable in environments of extremely high pressure, such as in the ocean depths. The character can also swim at their ground speed.
Armor ★
The character has scales, thick fur, or exceptionally tough skin which provides protection against most forms of direct damage: anything which inflicts Endurance damage. A character with Armor subtracts the rank of the Armor from the damage rating of attacks that strike them. The remainder of the damage is subtracted from the character's Endurance. As always, this protection does not stack with Energy Shield or other forms of protection -- only the highest protection value applies.
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 6 PV.
Clinging
The character can move at their normal ground speed along walls, ceilings, and other surfaces as if they were level. The strength holding the character to the surface is equal to their Brawn. If the surface is slippery or unstable, the GM might require the player to make a successful Agility task roll to keep from sliding or falling.
Data Jack=
The character can connect to and communicate with computers, typically at speeds much faster than would otherwise be possible.
It is rare for creatures other than androids and cyborgs to have a Data Jack.
Energy Shield ★
The character has a force field or deflector shield which provides protection against most forms of direct damage: anything which inflicts Endurance damage. A character with Energy Shield subtracts the rank of the Energy Shield from the damage rating of attacks that strike them. The remainder of the damage is subtracted from the character's Endurance. As always, this protection does not stack with Armor or other forms of protection -- only the highest protection value applies.
This trait may be purchased multiple times. Each point spent on Energy Shield grants the character one point of protection value (PV), up to a maximum of 6 PV.
It is rare for creatures other than androids and cyborgs to have an Energy Shield.
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.
Frigian
The character can breathe a super-cooled atmosphere such as methane or ammonia, and they are comfortable in environments of extreme cold.
The character might require some form of life support, such as a "breather" or an "environment suit", to operate comfortably in an atmosphere that most humanoids consider normal.
Gelatinous
The character is an amorphous blob, able to squeeze through a hole the size of a tennis ball.
Heavyworlder
The character is stronger and more massive (but no larger) than a typical humanoid: +1 Brawn and a mass up to 200 kilograms.
=Hyperacuity
The character can attempt to make a challenging (task difficulty 12) Perception task roll to sense details far too small or faint for ordinary human perception to detect. They can taste the number of salt grains on a pretzel, read printed text by touching it, see fingerprints on surfaces, identify a person by the sound of their heartbeat, track someone through a city by their cologne, and so on.
Huge
The character is larger and stronger than a typical humanoid: +1 Brawn and from 2.5 meters to 4 meters tall.
Immortality ★
The character is immune to the ravages of time. The character will never grow old or die from "natural causes".
This trait may be purchased twice. If this trait is purchased a second time, the character is never truly "dead" -- they can be re-assembled, repaired, and revived if all of their component parts can be collected or replaced.
It is rare for creatures other than androids to purchase this trait.
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.
Infernal
The character is comfortable in superheated environments. They are also immune to the effects of environmental ionizing radiation.
The character might require some form of life support, such as a "breather" or an "environment suit", to operate comfortably in an atmosphere that most humanoids consider normal.
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.
Mind Link
Two characters who both have Mind Link can communicate telepathically over any distance.
Mind Shield
The character is naturally resistant to mental attacks and coercive mental powers. A character with Mind Shield subtracts the rank of their Willpower from the damage rating of mental attacks that strike them. The remainder of the damage is subtracted from the character's Endurance. Additional, Mind Shield also doubles the character's Willpower for the purpose of shrugging off the effects of mental powers.
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.
Night Vision
The character can seen in the dark. This capacity could be the result of infrared vision, ultraviolet vision, or simply exceptional low-light vision.
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.
Regeneration
Regeneration accelerates the healing process and allows the character to recover from injury more quickly. Normally, an injured character recovers half the Endurance they have recently lost after they have had a chance to rest and recuperate for half an hour or so. After that, injuries normally heal only with extended rest and medical care. With this rest and medical care, the character will regain one Endurance per day; without it, they will regain one Endurance per week.
The Regeneration power drastically reduces this recovery time: the character recovers half the Endurance they have recently lost after they have had a chance to rest and recuperate for one full round (6 seconds). After that, with rest and medical care, the character will regain one Endurance per 8 minutes; without it, they will regain one Endurance per hour.
Self-sustaining
The character can survive without consuming physical matter. This might be through photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, or some other metabolic process.
Shapeshifting
A character with Shapeshifting can change their shape and appearance, but not their mass or size. The character may re-assign their physical traits (Brawn and Agility) to suit their new shape, as long as the total of Brawn + Agility remains the same.
Assuming the shape of a specific person, creature, or object is more difficult than changing into a generic example of a particular shape. If someone is actively looking at the character, or has any reason to suspect that the character is not the genuine article, the person observing the shapeshifted character may attempt a Perception task roll against the Willpower of the shapeshifted character. If the Perception roll is successful, the observer can tell that the shapeshifted character is not who or what they appear to be.
Tiny
The character is smaller and more difficult to hit than a typical humanoid: +1 defense bonus and from 50 centimeters to 100 centimeters tall.
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.