FRCV "DE LABORATORIO"

The Lextharik are famed throughout the galaxy for their great achievements in diplomacy and economics. Many of history’s most acclaimed negotiators have either come from the planet Lexthar or have traveled there to study.

Lextharik Characters

Characteristic Adjustments: +1 PRE, +1 CON, -1 STR

Size Category/Adjustments: Medium, none Base Speed: 10m, Swim: 10m

Skill Check Bonuses: +2 to all Persuasion, and Conversation skill checks.

Special Abilities: Amphibious, Linguistic Aptitude, Special Attack (melee, x1 per day, poison; 2d6 Strength / 3d6 Dexterity, save DV equals 12 + creature‘s Constitution/2)

Resistances: Resilience (massive damage threshold increased by 3)

Complications: Aversion to Violence Lextharik Civilization

Aggressive Tendencies: Low (3.5) Determination: High (8.1)

Independence: Moderate (6.5) Technology Level: High (8.0)

Communication/Language: The Lextharik communicate by means of a spoken language.

They are natural linguists with the ability to pick up on new tongues very easily. Lextharik languages tend to have complex grammatical structures. There are many nuances to the pronunciation of these languages, the slightest change in inflection or accent can severely alter the meaning of a word.

Physical Description: The Lextharik are short, pudgy humanoids with stocky frames and round faces. They have bluish-green skin and large, dark eyes. These creatures have webbed fingers and gill slits located along their necks.

The Lextharik have evolved from an amphibious

species but they left the water long ago. While they retain the ability to breath underwater, they are not especially strong swimmers.

Society: The Lextharik civilization has a very formal structure and they hold to a great number of social conventions. Tradition is extremely important to this race and they go to great lengths to respect the customs of others. Lexthar’s government is run in a somewhat democratic fashion. However, like everything else on Lexthar, the final make up of a government is a matter of delicate negotiation. A great number of political, ideological and economic factions weigh in on these negotiations, which often take months.

Alien Name: C’lorian Homeworld: C’lorius IV

Physical Description: C’lorians are typical humanoids that greatly resemble Homo sapiens with pointed ears and small horns. They come from a light gravity world, causing them to evolve low density muscle and bone tissues.

This species has very sharp senses, especially their auditory sense which is among the keenest of any known species. C’lorians display a wide range of coloration in their skin, hair, and eyes.

Stat Adjustments: -2 STR, +2 WILL and PRE.

Advantages: Low-light Vision, Characteristic Check Bonus (+1 to all checks), Skill Bonus (+8 to all Perception checks)

Disadvantages: Aversion to Violence.

Intelligence Rating: 5.4 Technology Rating: 6.1 Militancy Rating: 3.5 Economic Rating: 5.4 Individuality Rating: 5.0

Social Organization: C’lorians live in large familial groups of up to one hundred members.

Each clan is headed by a patriarch or matriarch, usually the oldest living family member. Familial groups are tied to an ancestral homeland, though individual members will often stray far from this area. Clans relate easily to one another and in large settlements they intermix to the point where the line between familial groups begins to become meaningless.

Government: C’lorians have a well known distrust of official authority and prefer to settle disputes amongst peers. Clan elders meet together in informal councils to make decisions for their families without involving the elected leadership. C’lorius IV is governed by a loose confederation of regional governments that have limited autonomy. Most regional governments have a highly libertarian philosophy and there are few laws that restrict individual rights. The courts are usually the most powerful branch of government and the C’lorian legal system is geared toward ensuring the protection of all parties involved in a crime or dispute. Violence is rare on this planet so most cases involve property crimes or broken contracts. Shame and social ostracism are a greater fear than physical punishment so the threat of being taken to court is usually enough to cause a C’lorian to confess his or her misdeeds.

Conflict between regional governments is not unheard of; usually these disagreements break out over issues of trade or access to natural resources. When these disputes are not settled peacefully it can cause discord but open warfare is rare. C’lorian military forces specialize in secret operations such as sabotaging equipment and raiding supply depots.

Ecology/Environment: C’lorius IV is a low gravity planet with a wide range of ecological diversity. Most of the planet is covered with temperate plains and unspoiled forests of fern-like trees and massive flowering bushes.

Overall Description: C’lorius IV has an advanced knowledge of theoretical science but the planet lacks an extensive industrial infrastructure. The C’lorian culture has a great respect for unspoiled wilderness so they only mine for resources in places where the environmental impact will be lessened.

The C’lorians do not have a developed space flight program but they have made contact with a wide array of space faring cultures. C’lorius IV has become a frequently visited spaceport.

Many C’lorians have taken to the stars by signing on to the crews of visiting ships. The species has no great urge to colonize other planets or permanently settle areas outside of their ancestral homelands. A C’lorian family has to occupy the same region for three consecutive generations before they meet the traditional requirements for establishing a new clan and a new homeland.

Typical Personality: C’lorians tend to be highly sociable and friendly creatures. A typical member of this species is upbeat, energetic, and non-judgmental. They are quick to form social bonds and get along well with other species, even ones that are vastly different from themselves. This species has a demonstrated love of wandering and exploring new places but they generally migrate back to their ancestral homelands after being on the move for too long.

C’lorians dislike violence and they are quick to play down conflicts. This species often displays a natural optimism and they always look on the bright side. A typical C’lorian reaction is

to say, “Don’t worry.” and “Everything is alright.”

even in the most desperate situations. C’lorians typically avoid talking about serious or delicate subjects and instead engage in small talk and meaningless banter.

Role Playing Notes: A C’lorian NPC should be polite and friendly. He or she would rather talk than argue and try to avoid conflict whenever possible. Play up the natural social skills of this species. C’lorians are quick to spot deception but too polite to call someone a liar to his face.

This species is not direct in their manner and document and they are confused by species that use legal technicalities to manipulate others.

Plot Hooks: The following plot hooks can be used by a GM to introduce this species or their homeworld to a campaign.

*C’lorius IV has been repeatedly attacked by an armada of space pirates, disrupting the trading lanes around the system and causing much harm to the planet itself. Naturally, the C’lorians have mobilized forces to defend themselves but this peace loving species does not have much expertise in this area. Their lack of an armed space fleet has also hampered their defensive efforts. The planetary confederation has begun hiring mercenaries and privateers to go on the offensive against the pirates.

*A group of C’lorian traders has established a temporary residence in a prominent spaceport.

They are engaged in intense negotiations between two rival trading consortiums. Someone has been trying to disrupt these efforts and the C’lorians have asked for outside help to investigate the matter.

*A C’lorian technician has been accused of murdering a fellow crewman but refuses to speak in his defense. The draconian legal code of his adopted home will surely put him to death if someone doesn’t get to the truth of the matter.

Alien Name: Ryka

Homeworld: Cerebus III

Physical Description: Rykans are stocky, muscular humanoids with thick bones and skulls.

They can easily be mistaken for Homo sapiens from a distance.

Stat Adjustments: +2 STR, -2 WILL and PRE Advantages: Base Attack Bonus, Damage Reduction (1/-), Skill Bonus (+4 to all Intimidate checks)

Disadvantages: Compulsion, physical violence (severe: Will check DV17, the creature must fulfill the compulsion at least once per day), Inept (-1 penalty on all swim checks.)

Intelligence Rating: 4.9 Technology Rating: 4.8 Militancy Rating: 6.2

Economic Rating: 5.1 Individuality Rating: 4.8

Social Organization: Rykan warrior clans are the primary social unit on Cerebus III. Each clan contains anywhere from twenty to one thousand members. Membership in a clan is determined by blood relationships which must be traced back directly to a clan founder. The larger and more powerful clans attract many more potential members and so they allow for a much greater degree of fudging when it comes to genealogy. This loose interpretation of direct decent allows the larger clans to remain powerful by continuously replenishing their numbers.

Each of the major warrior clan controls its own territory and allows other clans to use the land in exchange for an oath of loyalty. These minor clans make the same arrangement with smaller clans and so forth. This land control arrangement produces a complex web of fealty and servitude where loyalties often conflict. The situation is further complicated by the constant skirmishing and warfare that continuously shifts the borders between the smaller clans. Occasionally these petty land wars will draw the more powerful clans into conflict with each other, provoking open warfare that can last for generations.

Most clans are ruled over by a patriarch or matriarch but some are controlled by a council of elders. Such a council is comprised of every clan member who has reached a set age. Members of the warrior clans are required to report for military service whenever they are called upon by the clan leadership. Whenever they are not training or fighting, Rykan warrior participate in the normal occupations associated with a technological society. They oversee the clan’s industrial and agricultural assets, design and build new technologies, write poetry, and so on.

At the bottom of Rykan social structures are the othoks, or clanless. This social caste is made up of the descendents of people who have been rejected by their own clan or whose clan has been decimated by war. The othoks make up a large portion of the population and these Rykans spend their life performing physical labor and

are usually assigned tasks that are seen as dirty or demeaning. Each of the warrior clans rules over a population of othoks who provide them with a workforce for their agricultural and industrial operations. Othoks are not allowed to become educated so they are barred from occupations as technicians, skilled laborers, or artists. Only the othoks are allowed to enter into the medical field, as caring for the wounded and dying is viewed as a humiliating, unskilled task.

The highest career available to the clanless is the role of othok-uu, or clanless warrior. An othok-uu is a type of mercenary who is hired to perform secret missions for the warrior clans. The othok-uu are not trusted by traditional warriors and they are looked down upon by both the clans and other othoks. Othok-uu often turn to brigandry and extortion when other opportunities are lacking.

Government: The government of Cerebus III is essentially an advanced form of feudalism.

The most powerful clan in a region acts as a local government and they allow the lesser clans beneath them to perform administrative functions. There is no centralized planetary government and the Rykans themselves do not control the whole of their own planet. Even within the clan territories there is no consolidation of power or legitimizing of violence. Blood feuds between minor clans and revolts against the dominant clans are a constant disruption. The othok have no legal rights or political power and the quality of their lives varies greatly depending on that clan that currently rules over them.

Ecology/Environment: Cerebus III is a barren, rocky planet covered by alternating bands of frozen tundra and scorching deserts. The borderlands between these extremes form habitable zones where much of the planet’s biodiversity is found.

Evolving in this harsh ecosystem has given the Rykans the ability to cope with a wide range of temperatures and environments.

Overall Description: The history of Cerebus III is rife with conflict and war. The planet has seen very few times of peace. The development of Rykan culture has been greatly hampered

by their inability to unite together into stable societies. Discord and violence have brought down even the most powerful warrior clans and only a few clans have been able to consolidate their holdings into a lasting empire. This lack of stability has also hampered their technological development and most parts of the planet rely on crude atomic-age technologies.

Several times during the planet’s recent history, Cerebus III has been attacked by forces from other worlds. Invading armies, space pirates, and mercantilist economic powers have plagued the planet and carved out their own mini-empires on its surface. The warrior clans have failed to unite against these threats and without a unified effort they have been unable to repel the invaders. The occupiers have exploited the inherent divisions among the Rykans and often play one faction against another. A typical ploy is for a foreign power to seek out the traditional enemies of the clan they are currently fighting and arm them with advanced weapons. Some of the Rykan clans have accepted the occupiers as the most powerful clan of their territory and sworn allegiance to them accordingly. These pockets of foreign influence are often more stable and developed than the rest of Cerebus III, despite the constant warfare with neighboring clans.

A growing movement among the Rykans is a call for jihad, or holy struggle, to rid the planet of all alien invaders. This ideology transcends clan divisions and is the first world wide phenomenon in the planet’s history. These religious warriors recruit from every clan, region, and caste. This movement has become increasingly popular among the ranks of the othok and othok-uu who are attracted by the lack of social division within the jihadist movement. Some jihadist factions only seek to liberate the occupied territories while others call for the death of every non-Rykan on the planet. Radical jihadists go even further, predicting a day when the Rykans will carry this fight beyond their own world and impose Rykan religious authority on other planets.

Typical Personality: Rykans are aggressive by nature and they have an overdeveloped fight-or-flight response that almost always leans in the direction of “fight.” They are direct in their interpersonal relationships and have no time for subtly or the sensitivities of others. Their psychological compulsion to participate in violence makes it hard for other species to relate to the Rykans.

Role Playing Notes: A Rykan NPC should be brusque and straightforward. He or she is quick to anger and will respond violently to threats or insults. A Rykan often uses intimidation to get what they want and they have no respect for people who display fear or weakness.

Plot Hooks: The following plot hooks can be used by a GM to introduce this species or their homeworld to a campaign.

*Rykan jihadists have targeted the business interests of an alien power that trades with their world. These radicals have left their own planet to attack civilian outposts loyal to this merchant planet.

*Two Rykan mercenary clans have begun a bloody feud that threatens to destabilize the space station where they are based.

*The player characters are assigned to go to Cerebus III and protect a spaceport that is being threatened by a powerful warrior clan.

Alien Name: Frii-mon Homeworld: Amphos

Physical Description: Frii-mon are amphibious humanoids with a vague resemblance to frogs from Earth. They have wide, rounded heads and slumped postures.

Stat Adjustments: -2 STR, +2 DEX.

Advantages: Racial Talent (amphibious), Skill Bonus (+8 on all Swim checks).

Intelligence Rating: 5.0 Technology Rating: 8.3 Militancy Rating: 5.1 Economic Rating: 7.9 Individuality Rating: 5.9

Social Organization: Frii-mons live together in mated pairs. They bear offspring very rarely and usually there is only one young in the family at a time. Their children leave the home as soon as they begin to mature physically. They spend

their formative years alone in the swamps and lakes of their planet’s wilderness. Young Frii-mons occasionally form temporary alliances with one another. These semi-tribal structures help the maturing youth survive until they reach adulthood. Sometime after reaching physical maturity, the adult Frii-mon trickle back into the civilized areas to begin their adult lives. There is always a small percentage of the Frii-mon who decide to continue their simple lifestyle in the deep wilderness and do not rejoin the rest of society. Scattered pockets of primitive Frii-mon communities pop up whenever these “tribals”

get together in mating pairs. The offspring of primitive Frii-mons push even further into the unspoiled wilds before rejoining the rest of the adult tribe.

Government: The government of Amphos is a meritocracy where various administrative functions are carried out by experts in the related field. A council of top scientists selects the leadership for any science related bureau; a council of generals selects the supreme military commander, and so on. The overall leader of the planet is selected by a joint session of all the specialized councils. This administrator governs the planet for a term of one year.

A strict set of requirements is laid out for individuals who wish to advance themselves up the rankings in their careers. A citizen must serve a set number of years and achieve a number of specific accomplishments before being considered for a promotion. A citizen who is promoted consistently may eventually be assigned to sit on a council for a five year term.

Because of the planet’s low population density, large urban centers are very rare. Many of these cities are designed around a particular need that the city was built to fill. Some urban centers are built to house institutions of higher learning while others are industrial, some cater to the arts, some are research centers, etc. Frii-mon who are interested in these activities will travel to the appropriate city in order to further their education or begin a career.

Most of the population lives in small agricultural communities that border on freshwater lakes and marshlands. The Frii-mon have developed a number of innovative techniques for raising food in an aquatic environment. They also supplement their diet by hunting and fishing extensively. The rural population sells their food production and uses the currency that they gain to purchase goods from the city. Private ownership of land and water is unheard of on Amphos. The citizens own the entire planet collectively. An agricultural producer is allowed to utilize as much land as he or she can effectively cultivate.

Warfare on Amphos is mostly limited to

Warfare on Amphos is mostly limited to