A few weeks ago I did some posts of the various races from Strange Stars that a player may want to be when they are zooming around the cosmos of this awesome RPG setting. I was planning on running the game using Savage Worlds… that is until the awesome White Star was released. I’ve nixed the idea of using SW and am heading full steam ahead with using WS (awww.. Isn’t that fucking cute- they are backwards representations of one another).
With that decision I decided I need to create the same races using the WS rules. I also made the decision not to enforce the race as class mantra. Players can be whatever race or class they damned well want.
Enjoy!
Here is the description/rules on skills that I’ve adopted for WS.
Skills: Each class, unless stated in their description starts with two skills of their choice. Rather than creating an extensive list of skills, let the player come up with their own skills. These can be things like piloting, hacking, security, technology, alien cultures, trade, persuasion, intimidation, etc.
By-and-large a player character is able to attempt anything (however a GM is free to decided that certain things do require a skill, especially highly specialized things like hacking locks, etc.). To do this the GM decides which attribute is appropriate and the player rolls a d20 and must roll equal to or under their attribute. If they roll over, the attempt fails. When a player character has a skill, they receive a +2 bonus. A player may take a skill twice, giving them a +4 bonus.
Example: Big Eye James is attempting to pull a card from out of his cuff in a game of poker. The GM asks if he has an appropriate skill. James has sleight of hand, which the GM feels is more than appropriate for this situation. Big Eye James has a Dexterity of 13- adding +2 to that for the Sleight of Hand skill. Big Eye James rolls a 11 on his d20, thus succeeding on placing a card in his hand.
The Alliance
Baseline Human
Humans are prevalent throughout the known universe, almost like a galactic cockroach. Humans are tenacious and somehow always able to get themselves out of trouble. Humans with one skill of their choice and also are born with innate luck. Once per session they are allowed to reroll one failed roll.
Blesh
The blesh are a gestalt species blending human and nonhuman. Their insectoid bioroid forms grow like fruit from cybernetic trees on their homeworld. Their minds are a fusion of post-sapient alien intelligence with one of 1,803 digitized human minds downloaded from a crashed ark. Blesh are a peaceful species with reverence for other sophonts. Perhaps due to the human component of their minds, they have a strong curiosity about ancient human artifact (SS, pg 11).
Chitin: The thick carapace of the blesh allows them to ignore two points of damage from any attack.
Cybernetic Enhancements: Blesh are “born” with cybernetic enhancements when they emerge from their flesh pods that are attached to their cybernetic tree. A blesh starts with one piece of cyberware listed in White Star, pages 95-96 for free.
Linked Healers: When the blesh are away from their cybernetic trees they heal slower than normal creatures at 1 HP back every two days instead of 1 per day. When near a cybernetic tree, a blesh heals 2 HP back per day.
Recommended classes: Tech Specialist or Pilot.
Deva
Resembling beings out of the paleo-spiritual memes of Earth, the winged deva are the most mysterious of the Alliance’s members. The deva are supportive of the Alliance and promote peace but are largely aloof from the affairs of other cultures. They are primarily concerned with their Great Work: the repair of 10 moon-sized artificial worlds in their home system. These are said to be huge brains and possibly components of an even greater mind (SS, pg 11).
Angelic Wings: Deva have wings that utilize energy harmonics that allow them to fly in atmosphere or even in the vacuum of space. A deva flies at a rate of 250 feet per round. A deva can only fly short distances in space (roughly 1000 miles) before they become exhausted and unable to carry on. They can cover that distance in roughly 3.5 hours.
Vacuum Resistant: Deva are able to survive in the vacuum of space without any protective suit and do not take damage from decompression for 6 hours before having to make a saving throw to avoid taking damage due to exposure. When they make the Vigor check they receive +2 to the roll.
Recommended classes: Aristocrat or Alien Mystic.
Gnome
The gnomes are small humanoids who live and mine within asteroids. Their society resembles that of eusocial insects; they have two castes (managers and workers) and only one Mother at a time produces young per clan. A gnome Mother is actually an external womb generated by the mating of a female and male. Gnomes are gregarious and inquisitive but slow and deliberate in their thought process (SS, pg 11).
Likeable: Gnomes are gregarious and friendly. They receive +1 to any Charisma reaction roll or saving throw.
Infravision: The gnomes are a subterranean race and have evolved to be able to see heat signatures in the dark. Gnomes have darkvision up to 60 feet.
Natural Weapons: Gnomes have small claws that aid them in burrowing and delving tunnels in the asteroids they inhabit. Their claws do 1d6-2 damage.
Recommended classes: Choose one- Manager (Aristocrat) or Worker (Alien Brute).
Hyehoon
The hyehoon are humanoids spliced from avian and hominid DNA. They are a dynamic and inquisitive culture, producing explorers, scientists, diplomats and traders. The hyehoon face internal strife from conflict with the minority religious faction known as the Eden Seekers, who reject their legendary creator, the gengineer Anat Morao, and seek to devolve their species to nonsapience by purifying their avian genome (SS, pg 11).
Avian DNA: Hyehoon’s are extremely agile. They receive +1 to any save involving Dexterity.
Academic: Hyehoon gain two bonus skills at character creation. These can be skills like history, technology, scouting, diplomacy, etc.
Thin Bones: The hollow bone structure of the Hyehoon. Their kind cannot have a Constitution higher than 10.
Recommended classes: Aristocrat or Alien Mystic.
Neshekk
The neshekk banking and investment clans are the financial backbone of the Alliance. They have a reputation for ethical behavior and conservative investment and also for strict adherence to the letter of contracts. Neshekk are greatly concerned (possibly obsessed) with security and privacy. They never go into public without their elaborate privacy screens/firewalls, called nizara, in place. Off-worlders are restricted to certain areas of Kuznuh, and it is a misdemeanor to view any public space unfiltered by the metascape (SS, pg 11).
Banker: All neshekk have financial connections to the banking consortium for the Alliance. A neshekk’s starting credits is 3d6 x 20 rather than the normal 3d6 x 10.
Wheeler and Dealer: A neshekk know how to make a deal. Once per session, if a neshekk
fails a Charisma-based roll, they can reroll, but must take the second result, even if it is lower.
Recommended classes: Aristocrat or Tech Specialist.
Smaragdines
The Smaragdines are the visionaries of the Alliance, known for their psi abilities. All citizens are required to have at least rudimentary skills because the crystalline megapolis of Smaragdoz is ruled by a group-mind Consensus: The captured thoughts and desires of the citizens form an entity of pure thought that makes laws by decree. All Smaragdine children are tested for psi abilities, and the most promising are sent to one of a number of academies (SS, pg 11).
Consensus: The great group-mind bestows base knowledge to all Smaragdines, thus allowing them to start play with two additional skills.
Psionic: Nearly all Smaragdines have some psi capability. Those that aren’t tend to be pitied and looked down on in their society.
Isolated: Smaragdines are shocked when they leave their homeworld and not connected to the group-mind, missing the constant whispers that trail through their mind. They suffer -1 to all mental-based saving throws.
Recommended classes: Aristocrat or Alien Mystic.
Thrax
The Alliance’s greatest warriors are the thrax. A clone race created for conquest by a long-forgotten culture, they still structure their society along martial lines.
Brute: Thrax have been engineered to be hardy. They gain an additional 1 HP per level.
Monomolecular Blade: The most important possession to a thrax is their monomolecular blade, which is a symbol of their stature amongst their own kind. Thrax begin with a Star Blade (SW, pg 32). Should a thrax ever lose their monomolecular blade they are treated as an outsider amongst their own kind until they reclaim it or have a new one created.
Battle Armor: Thrax begin with battle armor (treat as medium armor). This armor is intricately crafted for each thrax. Replacing this armor costs 150 credits (5 times the normal cost of medium armor).
Recommended classes: Star Knight or Alien Brute.
The Empire
Engineers
The Engineers (mnadnzat; mnaat sing.) are responsible for much of the Empire’s technology. Though humanoid, they have characteristics like Paleo-Earth crustaceans, including eight limbs and a metallic carapace. All the engineers have cybernetic enhancements and symbiotic nanites. They can back up their minds for download into new bodies should their old ones be damaged beyond repair. Engineers make poor fighters, but their aptitude for technology makes them excellent technicians and (of course) engineers. Though they are essential to the Empire’s function, the Vokun keep them under close control due to a fear of artificial intelligence (SS, pg 17).
Adept Skills: Engineers begin play with the Repair and Engineering skills.
Engineering Genius: The engineers have been designed to be the fixers of the Empire. Once per session an Engineer can change a failed Repair or Engineering to an automatic success.
Metal Carapace: The thick plating of an engineer allows them to ignore two points of damage from any attack.
Multiple Arms: The engineers have 8 arms. Engineers can complete technical tasks (or repairs) in half the time than normal.
Recommended classes: Tech Specialist or Pilot.
Ibglibdishpan
The Vokun have a distrust of disembodied minds, so they employ “humanoid computers” in the form of ibglibdishpan savants. Ibglibdishpan neural structure and training make them logical and dispassionate — ideal accountants, administrators, and archivists. Some are trained in interpreting the emotions of other humanoids and are given careers in law or diplomacy. Ibglibdishpan themselves are notoriously difficult to read; their expressions are almost always masks of perfect serenity. Their mental structure is not without problems, however; they are prone to neural deadlocks, crashes, or other forms of madness (SS, pg 17).
Genius in the Genes: Ibglibdishpan have been bred by the Vokun to excel in intellect. Change an ibglibdishpan’s intelligence to 15 if the character rolled anything less.
Humanoid Computer: The ibglibdishpan have the ability to process mental tasks faster than normal human comprehension. When attempting to solve a mental task (IE. Complicated math, astrogate navigation, etc.) the time needed to figure it out is reduced by ¾. Easy mental tasks (IE. mental math, etc.) are done almost instantaneously.
Cybernetics: The Vokun Empire has all ibglibdishpan enhanced with a mental cybernetics package at a young age. The ibglibdishpan begins play with a translator chip and X cyberware already installed.
Weak: Ibglibdishpan are not known for their physique. Change an ibglibdishpan’s Strength to 10 if the character rolled anything higher.
Neural Break: The enhancements given to the ibglibdishpan by the Vokun are not without their downfalls. Anytime a ibglibdishpan is attempting a complex mental processes there is a 25% chance with that the peculiar mental structure of the ibglibdishpan may lead to some sort of failure. The ibglibdishpan must succeed a Saving Throw. Should they fail, consult the following table. Roll 1d6:
- catatonic state, repeating the last statement made for d100 minutes
- screams for d100 seconds, then returns to previous activity as if nothing happened.
- develop a phobia which lasts for 2d12 weeks.
- develop a reaction akin to Stendhal Syndrome for d4/2 hours.
- seizure for 1d4 min. -1 to all rolls until a period of rest.
- lose 1-2 points of intelligence for 1d20 days. At that the end of that period, a second Saving throw must be made. Failure means the loss is permanent.
Recommended classes: Aristocrat or Tech Specialist.
Kuath
The Kuath are known throughout the galaxy as the fanatically conditioned shock troops of the Empire. They are seldom seen outside of their 2.5 m tall bio-armor suits, but they are near baseline humans, rarely older than their teens. The real Kuath are the culture these adolescents hail from, a Neolithic people living in coastal settlements with a symbiotic relationship with marine invertebrate collective intelligences known as Naga Ma— Dragon Mothers. The Dragon Mothers (under threat of destruction by Vokun military might) surrendered and were forced to provide armored and drugged Kuath soldiers as tribute.
Near Human: Kuath are near baseline human and begin play with +1 in a chosen attribute (up to a max of 18).
Bio-armor: The bio-armor given to the kuath from the Dragon Mothers is strong and enhances their natural abilities, allowing them to be effective shock troopers for the Vokun Empire. While wearing the bio-armor, a kuath’s strength is increased by +2. The armor also increases their attack and damage with their fists by +1. The armor is heavy and provides +6 protection against melee, ballistics, or energy damage. While in their bio-armor a kuath can survive in the vacuum of space for two hours before having to make a Savings Throw to resist taking damage from decompression. To keep the armor healthy, it must be soaked in a nutrient bath for 2 hours out of every 24. If the armor has not been soaked in a bath in three days it dehydrates and crumbles to pieces. The ingredients for the nutrient bath costs 50 credits for 5 uses.
Recommended classes: Mercenary or Alien Brute.
Voidgliders
Voidgliders are vacuum-adapted humanoids who were considered a nuisance by the Vokun until their natural ability to detect hyperspace nodes was discovered. The Vokun continue to let the voidgliders live in their clan groups, but they have confined all they could find to a reservation within the asteroid belt of one system. They take volunteers to serve as scouts for their star navy. (SS, pg 17). Voidglider names are not translatable in any language and often times are given nicknames as a form of identification.
Vacuum Immunity: Voidgliders are able to survive in the vacuum of space without any protective suit and do not take damage from decompression at all. All a voidglider needs to survive in space is food, water, and sunlight. When they feel the effects of radiation exposure they hunker down in a cave or asteroid for a time, until the effects dissipate.
Flight: Voidgliders have giant black dragonfly wings that unfurl from their backs and allow them to fly in zero-G environments at a movement of 30 feet. These wings are actually symbiotic living solar panels that allow them to generate plasma sails that allow the voidglider to “sail” through the cosmos.
UV Sight: Voidgliders are able to most of the UV spectrum and also have Darkvision 120 feet.
Natural Hyperspace Detector: Voidgliders are prized in the Vokun Empire for their natural ability to detect hyperspace nodes. Voidgliders can begin to detect a hyperspace node within 871,000 km if they are not distracted or really concentrating. Within 600,000 km a voidglider gets a stronger sense of where it is and able to pinpoint direction slightly better. The closer a voidglider gets to the hyperspace node, the better they are able to determine the exact location. If the voidglider gets withint 300,000 km (less than the distance of Earth to the moon) they are able to lead anyone right to the node.
Recommended classes: Alien Mystic or Scout.
Yantrans
The Yantrans are near baseline human and a primitive people with a pervasive cultural belief in nonviolence whose idyllic world is used as a place of recreation by the Vokun elite. There are signs of that an advanced civilization once inhabited Yantra: The environment has been finely tuned, nanotechnology though dormant) still permeates the biosphere, and what appear to be primitive stone structures (shrines, mostly, for the superstitious Yantrans) actually show complex femto-level engineering. Vokun occupation of Yantra has been plagued by random network and equipment failures and a higher than usual number of disappearances and accidental deaths (SS, pg 17).
Baseline Human: Yantrans are near baseline human and begin play with +1 in a chosen attribute (up to a max of 18).
Secret Knowledge: Yantrans secret is that their world isn’t as primitive as visitors are made to believe. The yantran’s have access to advanced technology and use it behind the scenes to interfere with Vokun elite that impose themselves on the planet. A yantran character begins play with one advanced item tech (WS, pg 94-95). The GM gets final say on if the chosen item is appropriate.
Vibration Sense: All yantrans have antae on their heads that make it difficult for targets to sneak up on them. The threat range of a creature attempting to surprise a yantran is reduced by 1 (IE. a thug that normally would surprise a target on a 1-2 on a d6 is now only able to surprise on a 1).
Recommended classes: Scout or Mercenary.
Other
Bomoth
Woon is the home moon of the bomoth, a species resembling giant caterpillars and renowned as musicians. A popular theory (likely suggested by their appearance) is that bomoth are a larval form of some other organism. Visitors to the underground mushroom forests of their home moon occasionally report sightings of butterfly-winged creatures resembling human females flitting through the twilight. Such sightings are dismissed as the result of exposure to the psychoactive fungi spores in the atmosphere (SS, pg 15).
Large: Bomoth are larger than most species, roughly 5 to 8 feet long.
Carapace: The carapace of the bomoth is not hard like a crustacean or spider, but still provides some protection. It reduces any damage taken by 1.
Sticky Hands: The bomoth are able to climb porous surfaces with ease. They do not need to make any roll to succeed at this
Musical Talent: All bomoth are renowned for their musical aptitude. A bomoth begins with a Musical Instrument skill of their choice at character creation.
Mimic: Bomoth are able to mimic almost any sound or voice. A target being tricked by this must suffers -2 to their Savings Throw to avoid being tricked.
Slow: Due to their massive bulk, bomoths are extremely slow. Their movement is only 8 feet, rather than the normal 12.
Slow to Act: Maybe due to their lackadaisical attitude, or due to the psychotropic mushrooms that the bomoth are often consuming, they are slow to jump into the fray (any fray). No matter the situation, the bomoth will not act in the first round, instead standing and pondering, observing, tinkering, or even eating.
Recommended classes: Alien Mystic or Aristocrat.
Djägga
The vaguely feline humanoid djägga are hunters by nature and instinct, and many choose to hunt other sophonts as bounty hunters or assassins. Djägga tend to be solitary and are often mistrustful of others, but they’re loyal. They are also keen to avenge any perceived betrayal. Competitions can trigger their predator instincts, so it’s prudent to avoid games with djägga, particularly ones involving a physical component.
Agile: The feline grace of the djägga is known throughout the galaxy. Change a djägga’s Dexterity to 15 if the character rolled anything less.
Darkvision: Djägga can see up to 90 feet in complete darkness.
Claws: Djägga have natural claws that do 1d6-1 damage.
Keen Senses: Djägga have heightened senses and start play with the Notice skill.
Recommended classes: Scout or Alien Brute.
Kosmoniks
The Kosmoniks are space-adapted and acclimated to hyperspace. They are traders and sometimes pirates. They live and travel in ovoid, rune-inscribed ships or operate node terminal stations. Kosmoniks are friendly but superstitious and given to finding hidden meaning and seeing signs in events. All Kosmoniks are mute; They communicate with each other via sign language but also carry translators (SS, pg 20).
Adapted to Vacuum: Kosmoniks have adapted themselves to the rigors of hyperspace and vacuum. If a kosmonik is in the vacuum of space without a protective suit they do not suffer damage from decompression for 2 rounds before having to make Savings Throw to avoid wounds. When they make the Savings Throw they receive +2 to the roll.
Kosmonik Mask: The strange flat mask of the kosmonik feeds rapid information to the wearer (kosmoniks only- it responds to their bioreadings). While the mask is on, threat the wearer as if they have a base knowledge of whatever task they are performing (thus not needing a skill for highly specialized tasks- they do not gain a +2 as if they had a skill, however).
Gravity: Kosmonik have adapted to all forms of gravity and do not suffer any penalties to actions when they are in a gravity that is not their natural state.
Mute: Kosmoniks do not have vocal cords. They speak through sign language and gestures. They do have a translator that speaks the words of their signs to others. They do understand languages.
Recommended classes: Scout or Tech Specialist.
Ksaa
Ksaa are oviparous humanoids with some reptilian characteristics who are native to the Outer Rim. Ksaa have three sexes: large, aggressive, and territorial females; smaller, low-intelligence males; and human-sized, highly intelligent neuters. This last group are born from eggs incubated at a cooler temperature, hence the name khii gan(“cold egg”), meaning “eunuch” but also used figuratively to connote something like “cunning bastard.” (SS, pg 26)
Ksaa Cold Egg
Cunning: The process of incubating eggs at a cooler temperature causes these Ksaa to be highly intelligent. Change the Cold Egg ksass’s intelligence to 15 if the character rolled anything less.
Barbels: These small appendages lead off the “Cold Egg’s” chin and are chemosensory. The threat range of a creature attempting to surprise a ksaa is reduced by 1 (IE. a thug that normally would surprise a target on a 1-2 on a d6 is now only able to surprise on a 1). The barbells also are able to detect a person’s emotional state, or to see if a person is lying. The person attempting to deceive the ksaa must make a Savings Throw and suffers -2 to their roll. These barbells are always active for these purposes.
Warm-blooded: The reptilian characteristics of the ksaa protect them from the cold unlike their cold-blooded relatives, however they are still extremely uncomfortable and susceptible to cold environments. A ksaa suffers -2 to Savings Throws to resist cold environmental effects.
Recommended classes: Aristocrat or Mercenary.
Star Folk
The Star Folk travel between worlds in caravans of living starships. They declare festivals on planets where they make landfall, sharing eclectic, primitivist music, non-fabricated wares, psychedelic drugs, and xenophilic sexual encounters. In passing, they impart facets of their quasi-religious philosophy (a mishmash of elements of ancient mysticism) that embraces the seemingly conflicting elements of radical individualism and universal interconnectedness. They also play practical jokes and minor confidence games meant as performance art on authority figures and those they consider too narrow-minded. Star Folk of all ages presumably exist, but the ones most frequently encountered as visitors to other societies are in their teens or twenties— or at least that’s how they appear. Some engage in radical body-shaping, modifying their baseline form or changing their sex on a temporary basis (SS, pg 21).
Gamblin’ Folk: Pretty much all Star Folk learn the tricks of the trade of their people and how to take people to the cleaners. Star Folk start with the Gambling skill.
Lucky: Star Folk are known to be shucksters, cheats, and tricksters. This has gotten more than a few of them into deep trouble with the wrong type; however they always seem to get out of trouble. Once per session a Star Folk can reroll a failed roll.
Artistic: Star Folk are artistic and playful, often times playing their trades to barter. Choose one of the following skills: Music; Art; Sculpting; Dance.
Not to be Trusted: The reputation of Star Folk is known far and wide. Star Folk suffer -2 to Charisma with people who have heard of their confidence artist ways.
Doesn’t Believe in Money: Star Folk don’t use currency, preferring to ply their trades and barter for goods or services. Should a Star Folk receive money (either through gambling, stealing, or gratuity), they tend to forget about it shortly after acquiring it. Star Folk will only hang on to money for 24 hours before discarding it.
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