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content:official:rules:species

Species

Everybody has a different set of attributes based on what kind of creature they are. Each species has attributes that affect game play; Base Hit Points, Move, Hands, Alien Ability, Target number, and whether they can wear Armor. There are 14 standard species to choose from as well as 4 advanced species and 12 varieties of beastmen. All of these are described on pages 14 to 27.

Base Hit Points

Hit Points Hit points reflect the amount of damage a character can take. You go unconscious when your damage equals or exceeds your total Hit Points and begin dying when your damage exceeds your total Hit Points by 6 or more. Add your Rank and Athletics to your Base Hit Points to get your Hit Points.

Armor Option

Some species are able to wear personal equipment armor (Humans, Xeloxians, Diploids, Vomegs, Kerbites and many of the beastmen among others). Others have physiology unsuited for it. It’s a Yes (Y) or No (N) stat.

Move

Move

This is the number of squares you can move each phase either before or after your Character Action.

See page 31 for details on character movement.

Hands

Hands

This is the number of appendages you have to hold and operate equipment that must be in a “hand” to be used. You must have an empty hand to operate a Battlestation at no penalty.

Hands Full: You can do stuff even with your hands full. It just becomes harder. Consider a human driving with a weapon in one hand and an beverage in the other. They can still steer with their wrists and knees but won’t be as capable as a person with a hand holding the wheel (regardless of the beverage). Any action with hands full is at a penalty of +3 to the difficulty. You can drop things as a free action during your turn. Actions using the object in the hand such as a ToolKit to repair or MedKit to heal do not incur the “full hands” penalty.

Target Number

Target Number

This represents how easy it is to hit you with a personal weapon attack. It is also a rough approximation of size. Larger characters have lower target numbers because they are bigger targets that are easier to hit. Characters with lower target numbers have an advantage in grappling because of their greater size. Willing or unresisting characters (such as the unconscious or dying) are 3 easier to target.

Alien Ability

Each Species has a unique alien ability that differentiates it from others. The Rocky Silicoids and Carapaced Zoallans block damage. The Tumbling Canosians have a bonus move action. Humans are more refined in their skill checks within their profession. Aggressive Xeloxians deal more damage in personal combat as well as being able to use free hands as extra feet. Resilient Tentacs get to retard damage that they would sustain by rolling an extra die and removing the highest.


SPECIES
Hit Points Target Number Hands Move
Armor Option

ALIEN ABILITY
Base Hit Points Target Number Hands Move
Bot (Sentient) 4 8 1 4 N Mechanical: -1 point per die of damage. 1 free upgrade per Rank (no other upgrades allowed). No cyberware. No drugs or toxins.
Blootian 0 11-
0-4
1+
0-4
2+
0-4
N Bubbly: Free Reroll on Life Support Checks and the largest die in an attack (or a needler hit) pops a limb bubble instead of dealing damage. Add limb bubbles to move and hands attribute. Subtract limb bubbles from Target #. Athletics check of 8 to regrow limb bubble or when healing regrow one limb bubble in place of a die of hit point healing. Begin play with maximum bubbles (4).
Canosian 8 8 5 N Tumble: You get a second move action either before or after your action.
Diploid 4 8 2 3 Y Bifurcation: You get two separate turns each phase as if you were two characters with the same body. All active skill check actions in phases (not upgrades, requisitions) are at a +3 difficulty penalty.
Fungaloid 8 9 2 4 N Regenerate: Recover 2 points at the end of each phase as long as damage isn't more than your Hit Points.
Human 5 8 2 5 Y Willpower: You may reroll one or both dice when making a skill check within your profession. You need not decide whether to reroll both before rerolling either.
Kerbite 5 9 5 6 Y Cooperative: Once per phase, you get a free Assist action on a friendly as you are moving adjacent to them during your move action.
Silicoid 9 7 1 4 N Rocky: Each time you would be dealt damage reduce it by 1d6.
Strong: Add +10 Carry and +1 point of damage dealt with melee attacks.
Tentac 6 9 6 N Resilient: Roll an extra die each time you are damaged and remove the highest die.
Trundlian 0 8 7 2 N Versatile: You may reroll “1”'s in your initial skill checks. Add your empty hands to your Hit Points or move in any combination at any time.
Vomeg 7 7 3 5 Y Reach: You may act from any adjacent square as if you were in it. Doing so does not provoke free attacks and is at no penalty for being occupied.
Whistler 9 7 4 5 N Puff: One of your moves in each move action may be a jet move that doesn't require a skill check.
Xeloxian 5 8 6 2 Y Fistwalk: Add free hands to move value.
Aggressive: Add +1 point to direct personal attack damage.
Zoallan 4 9 3 7 N Carapace: -2 points of damage from all sources.

ADVANCED SPECIES
Hit Points Target Number Hands Move
Armor Option

ALIEN ABILITY
Base Hit Points Target Number Hands Move
These Species aren’t necessarily more effective than the others but they are more challenging to play. Beginning players are strongly encouraged to select other species.
Chronosian (Advanced) 7 8 5 N Timehop: May choose on phase 1 to jump back in time from phase 6 to phase 1 as a free action in the future. Future self does not move or act on phase 1. You must spend the automatic action on phase 6 in the spot you jumped back from to jump back or you are annihilated. When you jump back, all damage and states (stun, ionization, etc.) from both selves converge into the remaining self. Each extra or missing piece of equipment causes a die of damage and is annihilated.
Minutian (Advanced) 2 11 4 N Tiny: Divide carry by 2. You don't slag squares you occupy and occupied squares aren't slagged for you (jetpack restrictions still apply). You are not entitled to take free attacks on things entering your square.
Featherweight: Suffer ½ damage (round down). Convert the rest into movement you must spend immediately. You may not enter a square you have already been in with this movement. If forced to do so, it becomes damage. Getting moved through occupied squares subjects you to free attacks.
Pyreltian (Advanced) 6 8 2 5 N Phasing: In phase 1 you always exist as normal. On other phases roll a die (luckable) when it would be your turn to act. If the die roll is less than the phase number you are “in phase” and get a number of “phases” complete with moves and actions equal to the die roll. If the die roll is equal to or greater than the phase number, you phase out and cannot act or be acted upon until you phase in. You are still subject to restrictions such as abilities that can be used once per phase.
Whaloid (Advanced) 13 3 1 0 N Immense: You occupy each square of the module you are in (slagging them for others). You cannot leave the module except at a specially equipped starbase (or with Psychic Shifter, page 65). You can reach into the first square of each adjacent module and act from there. You cannot grapple or be grappled but you can as an action pick up an unresisting character and deposit them in any square in your module or adjacent to the first square of adjacent modules. You may ignore 2 OOC. You suffer half damage from all sources (round up).

BEASTMEN
Hit Points Target Number Hands Move
Armor Option

ALIEN ABILITY
Base Hit Points Target Number Hands Move
Avianoid 3 9 2 4 N Wings: Ignore up to 2 OOC for movement purposes. May move a number of your natural moves as automatically successful Jet moves equal to your Athletics (see Jet moves, page 33).
Cheetahoid 4 8 2 9 Y Sprint: Once per phase you may suffer 1 die of damage to take an additional action during your turn at a penalty equal to the damage roll (including movement). This damage is not mitigated by armor.
Bite: Your unarmed attack deals 1d6 damage.
Crocodillian 5 7 2 5 N Patient: (see Patient, page 57).
Bite: Your unarmed attack deals 1d6 damage.
Thick Hide: 1 point natural armor.
Elephantoid 8 5 3 5 N Huge: Adjacent squares are considered slagged for other characters.
Tusks: Your unarmed attack deals 1d6 damage
Thick Hide: 1 point natural armor.
Felinoids (aka Meeks) 6 8 2 6 Y Ferocious: May make a free melee attack with claw once per phase.
Claws: Your unarmed attack deals 1d6 damage.
Gorilloids 6 7 4 2 Y Fistwalk: Add free hands to move value.
Tough: (see Tough, page 68).
Lupinoids & Caninoids 5 8 2 6 Y Flanker: Add +1 to melee damage they deal and reduce difficulty to target by 1 for each adjacent hero and/or ally to them as long as you are adjacent to them. (This ability does not otherwise stack). Example, you and your bot are adjacent to an enemy, you each reduce the target number to attack them by 2 and increase your melee damage by 2 if you do hit. If you are alone, you still get -1 difficulty to hit and +1 damage.
Claws: Your unarmed attack deals 1d6 damage.
Lapinoid 3 9 2 7 Y Lucky: You get +3 Luck.
Elusive: You may force opponents to reroll one die in personal attack skill checks against you.
Rhinoceroid 7 6 2 6 N Charger: (see Charger, page 55).
Horn: Your unarmed attack deals 1d6 damage.
Thick Hide: 1 point natural armor.
Reptilianoid (Snakoid) 4 8 2 5 N Bite: Your unarmed attack deals 1d6 damage.
Poisonous bite: Anyone bit by a snake suffers as if hit by Oucho toxin (see Oucho, page 97).
Contortionist1): (see Contortionist, page 56).
Testudinoid (Turtloid) 3 8 2 4 N Shell: Reduce all damage by one point per die.
Braced: (see Braced, page 55).
Ursinoid 8 7 2 5 N Death Marcher: (see Death Marcher, page 56). This is already figured into your base Hit Points.
Thick Hide: 1 point natural armor.
Claws: Your unarmed attack deals 1d6 damage.

Species in Detail

Some species are further explained in the books of their original appearance. The stats here are official and current and all you need for play but the background story and examples of species abilities in those books may be useful.

1)
NEW UPDATED ERRATA TO PRINTED BOOK
content/official/rules/species.txt · Last modified: 2020/09/19 16:43 by lektu