From: Eric Phillips <[ERIC 8440] at [delphi.com]> Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc Subject: GURPS Trek Update 12/14 Section 2 Date: Tue, 14 DEC 93 01:14:03 EST Version 2.12 (Includes additions and corrections.) Replaces V2.11 SECTION TWO: TREK RACES This section covers some of the major races in Star Trek, StarTrek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ANDORIAN (39 POINTS) ~~~~~~~~ HT+2 (20) Ambidexterity (10) Bloodlust (-10) Code of Honor: Never quarrel without a reason/protect family above all else (-10) Damage Resistance +2 (10) Infravision (15) Reduced Hearing: Rear Only (-5) Ultrasonic Hearing (10) Quirk: Not boisterous (-1) DESCRIPTION: Andorians are the inhabitants of Andor (known as Fesoan to the natives) and was one of the founding members of the United Federation of Planets. Andor is a hot, dry world with little surface water and a gravity of .9g. Physically they are blue-skinned bipeds with white hair and two knobby antennae on their heads. They also lack visible ears. They have characteristics of both mammals and insects. Like mammals they are warm blooded, bear their young live and have an internal skeleton structure to which their muscles attach. They also have a limited exoskeleton that gives them extra damage resistance when attacked. While the two eyes of an Andorian are actually colorblind, their antenna have very good color receptors in them as well as holding their hearing apparatus. The mechanisms for color vision and hearing are so good that they give the Andorians the advantages of both Infravision and Ultrasonic Hearing. The antenna face forward and cannot rotate causing the Andorians to hear better from the front and sides than the rear. Any roll to hear a sound from behind is at -1. This is listed above as Reduced Hearing: Rear Only. Each of the antennae stalks are susceptible to damage from injury. Each are at -8 to hit (-5 for head plus -3 for the stalk). Damage over HT/4 kills the stalk. Excess damage is lost. However, any hit will cause intense pain to the Andorian. Roll vs. HT or be stunned. If one stalk is destroyed, the Andorian will be -2 for hearing rolls. If both stalks are destroyed, the Androian becomes deaf and colorblind. The Andorian must also roll against HT to determine if the damage is permanent, as explained in the Basic Set. The history of this race was a violent one based on war and conquest. While they will fight if challenged or even challenge a foe if they feel necessary, they will never quarrel without good reason. Also, they tend to remain quiet and listen to discussion until there is something with meaning to say. Andorians are not usually boisterous. Andorians believe in family above all else, even public duty. Their marriages consist of groups of four. FERENGI (-14 Points) ~~~~~~~ ST+1 (10) Acute Hearing, 2 levels (4) Bad Reputation, -1 reaction (-5) Bad Temper (-10) Code of Honor: Always be cunning in business/steal it if that is easiest/never give money back once you obtain it. (-10) Cowardice (-10) Greedy (-15) Intolerance (Females) -10 Lecherousness (-15) Psionic Resistance- 10 Levels (20) Accounting +4 (10) Economics +2 (10) Law +1 (4) Merchant +1 (2) Savior-Faire (Ferengi Business Practices) (1) DESCRIPTION: The Ferengi are race of beings that have built there entire culture on the pursuit of wealth. They are always looking for ways of earning more money and rarely turn down business opportunity- legal or otherwise. Contact with the Ferengi was first made around twenty years ago, by the USS Carver and later culminated in a famous battle between a Ferengi Vessel and the USS Stargazer, under the command of Jean-Luc Picard. However, they remained a mystery until regular contact was established a little less than a decade ago. In that short span of time they have stopped being an enigma and have become a regular feature wherever money is to be made in the Federation. Males are the only member of this species to be encountered so far. This is because Ferengi women are in an extremely subservient position. The Ferengi males still are shocked by the fact that women in the Federation wear clothes and will always prefer to deal with a male while doing business. They do not live in the same place as their women. They regard women as sex objects and have an extreme lecherousness regarding beautiful women and sex. Often they can be coerced to give up their better judgement in return for the promise of sexual pleasure with a beautiful female being. Though an intelligent race, there are almost no Ferengi scientist and no formal schooling system within their culture. Lessons in how to handle business deals are handed down from father to son. Almost any technological advancement that the Ferengi have benefitted from have been bought or traded for from other cultures. Ferengi have an odd honor system. They feel that cheating and stealing are acts of cunning and that anyone who is a victim of their scams were not smart enough to protect themselves. The Ferengi are considered ugly by almost all cultures in the Federation, but their physical traits give them many advantages. Their oversized ears give them very acute hearing and their brains are non-psionic enough to give them 10 levels of Psionic Resistance. A definite advantage for Ferengi, especially when cutting business deals with telepathic races such as Betazoids. A Ferengi who is or has been in the Ferengi Military service will have a forehead tatoo. Also, the higher gravity of their homeworld affords them a higher base strength. Even with this added strength the Ferengi believe it is easier to run away from a fight than to risk injury in such matters therefore they have a racial disadvantage of cowardice. HUMANOID: ~~~~~~~~ DESCRIPTION: Humanoid races include Homo Sapiens (Humans) of Earth, Bajorans, the Yonadans of New Fabrina and other races resembling humans to a great degree. Humanoids are the "norm" of all races in the Star Trek universe, and as such receive no racial advantages or disadvantages. They also have no psionic abilities except in rare cases. Variants on humans born in different environments are described in GURPS: Space. KLINGON (10 Points) ~~~~~~~ ST: +2 (20) DX: +1 (10) HT: +1 (10) Acute Taste and Smell- 2 levels (4) Acute Vision- 1 level (2) Bloodlust (-10) Code of Honor: Protect personal and family honor/die in combat/follow the traditions/never go back on your word/never take hostages/never act as a coward (-15) Combat Reflexes (15) Enemy: Romulans (-15) Intolerance: Ferengi (-5) Phobia: Tribbles (-10) Truthfulness (-5) Quirk: Prefers melee combat with traditional weapons (-1) Quirk: Eats only raw meat (-1) betleH at DX (2) Karate at DX (4) Knife at DX (1) Tracking at IQ (2) Cooking (Klingon Food) at IQ (1) Spear Throwing at DX (1) DESCRIPTION: The Klingons are a warrior race who hold personal/familial honor above all else. They are larger than Terrans with a greater percentage of their body weight being muscle. The Klingon forehead is a major distinguishing feature of this race, consisting of a ridged bony pattern. This pattern is different for every Klingon and is as tell-tale as a fingerprint. This pattern is a source of physical pride for Klingons, and a common curse heard among them is, "Hab SoSlI' Quch," which means, "your mother has a smooth forehead." Also, a bony backbone resembling that of dinosaur runs up and down their backs. Klingons have enhanced senses. Two of them, Acute Taste and Smell and Acute Vision, are genetic and the third, Combat Reflexes, are learned from childhood are is therefore second nature. By nature they are hunters an still practice the ritual of the hunt. They are taught Tracking and Cooking from a very young age. They hunt using a spear that has the same characteristics as the spear from the Basic Set. They prefer their food raw so the cooking skill represents the ability to properly clean the food and prepare it in a traditional manner. Klingons feel it dishonorable to lie, cheat, steal or bluff and dislike those that do. This explains their Intolerance of Ferengi. A Klingon warrior will be proficient in the use of ritual hand-to-hand weapons and will actually prefer to fight using these methods over beam weapons. Once allies of the Romulans, Klingons now consider them blood enemies. Klingon warriors pride themselves on their combat abilities and feel the greatest honor that can be bestowed on a warrior is to die in combat. These traits have been handed down from the Klingon Spiritual Leader QeylIS over two millennia ago. QeylIS used the idea of honor to unite the people of the Klingon Homeworld at a time of great civil struggle. Also handed down were a traditional assortment of weapons with which to engage in melee. Here are some of the most common: betleH (Physical/Average. Defaults to DX-4) This is a crescent shaped, two-handed sword, and is the legendary Sword of Honor first created by the Klingon Warrior QeylIS the Unforgettable over 1500 years ago. This skill gives a character the ability to use this item effectively in combat. The qutluch, is the ceremonial blade of an assassin. The name literally means vulgar gear. The large blade has two small arms that snap into position before combat begins. These are designed to increase impaling damage. Knife Skill (Physical/Easy. Defaults to DX-4) covers this item. Both these weapon's stats are given under the Items section of this work. Lastly, almost all Klingons show a widespread fear of the cute, cuddly Tribble. As of this time, xenocultrialists are unable to account the source of this fear. Tribbles are banned from being transported or traded in Klingon space. An old Klingon toast reflects their dislike of this animal. It goes: "QuvlIjDaq yIH tu'be'lu'jaj." Translated, it means, "may your coordinates be free of tribbles." ROMULAN (12 points) ~~~~~~~ Acute Hearing: 1 level (2) Extended Lifespan- 1 level (25) Intolerance: Non-romulans (-10) Polarized Eyes (5) Vow: Will Die to Protect the Empire (-10) DESCRIPTION: Romulans are an offshoot race of the Vulcans. Romulans left the Vulcan homeworld before the revolution in thinking urged on by Surak. They are cunning and very commonly ruthless. They also commonly revert to subterfuge in order to complete a goal. Physically, Romulans and Vulcans are similar. Both have pointed ears giving them a +1 hearing bonus, and have an inner eye-lid that gives the same effect as the advantage Polarized Eyes. Romulans are not as strong as Vulcans because the world they colonized, named Romulus by the Federation, has a lower gravity than that of Vulcan. They also have an Extended Lifespan. The gravity of Romulus is 1.1g, which gives Romulans a no adjustment to their base strength as opposed to the Vulcan's +2. Romulan society is ruled by a near-totalitarian military government, and duty to the Romulan Star Empire is required to be placed above personal safety in all circumstances. All citizens are expected to give there lives without question. They are xenophobic to other races and therefore gain the racial disadvantage of Intolerance to non-Romulans. In order to play a Romulan in Starfleet the Unusual Background Advantage is required to be bought. The cost should be set by the GM depending on the circumstances of the background, but 10 points should be sufficient. VULCANS (150 points) ~~~~~~~ ST: +2 (20) HT: +1 (10) Acute Hearing: 1 level (2) Devotion to Logic Package No Sense of Humor (-10) Vow: Supresses all Emotion (-15) Pacifism- Self-Defense Only (-15) Honesty (-10) Truthfulness (-5) Absolute Timing (5) Eidetic Memory- Photographic (60) Lightning Calculator (5) Mathematical Ability (10) Metabolism Control (5) Strong Will-2 levels (8) Temperature Tolerance 1-level (10) Unfazable (15) Extended Lifespan- 1 level (25) Polarized Eyes (5) Quirk: Vegetarian (-1) Appreciate Beauty at IQ (2) Meditation at IQ (2) Vulcan Nerve Pinch at DX (4) Telepathy at power level 2 (10) Telereceive at IQ (4) Telesend at IQ (4) DESCRIPTION: The Vulcan race is genetically identical to those of the Romulans due to their common ancestry, the Romulans being an offshoot of the Vulcan race. There are physical and mental differences between the two races due to the worlds in which they currently inhabit and the cultural differences that stem from their isolation from each other (see the description of Romulans for details). Vulcans also are taught some psionic disciplines from childhood manifesting itself in the Vulcan Mind Meld. The Mind Meld (also called Mind Touch) is a telepathic power consisting of the skills Telesend and Telereceive. The Vulcan homeworld, known to the natives as T'kashi, is a world with minimal precipitation, a hot climate, and has a surface gravity of 1.8g. Conditions on the planet have led to many physical advantages evolving over time. They include: ST+2 and HT:+1 to combat the effects of the heavy gravity and help to survive on a planet with an environment as demanding as Vulcan's. Inner Eye-Lid: The danger of looking at the bright Vulcan sun has led to the evolution of an inner eye-lid. I has the same effect as the Polarized Eyes advantage (AL p.15). Acute Hearing: Even with the heavy gravity the atmosphere of Vulcan is thinner than terran norms. In order to compensate for the decreased distances in hearing ranges the Vulcans evolved pointed ears designed to channel more sound waves into the ear canal. The average lifespan of a Vulcan is roughly double that of terrans. This is represented by the Extended Lifespan advantage (AL p. 13). A good example: the honored Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan was born in 2165 and lived 203 years until his death in 2368. Vulcans are devoted to increasing their mental capacity by controlling their inner-actions. To this end they devote their lives to the suppression of emotions and their Devotion to Logic. The Devotion to Logic package is really a package consisting of the advantages and disadvantages listed. Vulcans do not naturally lack emotions, it is a discipline taught starting at the youngest ages. Some Vulcans, most notably Spock's half-brother Sybok, have given up the Devotion to Logic in pursuit of other goals that can only come from being an emotional being. If the character does back away from his non-emotionalism, he will be virtually ignored by Vulcan society. Here is a description of each segment of the package: Vow- Supress Emotion: This is the Vulcan's pursuit to give up all emotions and clear their mental faculties so they may pursue every matter from the perspective of pure logic. When playing a Vulcan the player must always hide his emotions. This will give a -2 reaction to all those who are not accostomed to being near a Vulcan, or to anyone who witnesses a sight that usually calls for an emotional response (the death of a mutual comrade) but sees none. This training gives them many mental advantages, such as: Eidetic Memory- Photographic: A Vulcan can remember highly detailed information about events, people and places encountered during their life. This also allows them to learn IQ based skills faster and easier than normal. It should be noted that eidetic memory is usually treated as an in-born advantage. This is not the case with Vulcans. This advantage, as well as all others, are the result of the mental discipline of their devotion to logic. Lightning Calculator and Mathematical Ability: Vulcans can do complex calculations in their heads and analyze any mathematical equation with ease. Metabolism Control: Vulcans can control their metabolism through concentration. Strong Will: Gained because of their mental honing. Unfazable: This advantage (from Supers p.14-15) represents the fact that Vulcans do not react the way other races do in various circumstances. Note: These advantages stem from the ritual of the disadvntages. Like having two sides of the coin, you can't have one without the other. If the GM feels that the players is not playing their ads and disads fully they may be declared lost. If so, a character should have all regular mental skills reduced accordingly (loss of Eidetic Memory) and no longer be allowed to used their advantages.The Vulcan may be able to regain his Devotion by ritual, but that is up to the GM. This, of course, would only be in an extreme case. Vulcan Nerve Pinch (Mental/Hard) No default: The Vulcan's have a special combat maneuver called the Nerve Pinch. It is a Mental/Hard skill with no default, and is only effective as an attack to one location: the neck. The purpose of this attack is to render a person unconscious by doing as little damage as possible. To attack with this skill, an attack must be made at the defenders neck using an offensive skill, such as Brawling, or even DX. The attack is at -5 for hit location (neck), with and additional -2 to account for the difficulty of properly placing the fingers in the exact location needed to allow this skill to work properly. This gives a total hit adjustment of -7. If a hit is made roll a Quick Contest of the Nerve Pinch skill level vs. the targets HT to avoid unconsciousness. If the attack is successful the defender will fall unconscious for 20-HT minutes.