Species Profile: Tiburonians
TIBURONIANS
PERSONALITY: Tiburonians are thought of positively by many other Federation members; their peaceable, friendly approach to life means that they fit in well with many species. Tiburonians are reputed as sensualists of the first order, with individuals often motivated by the search for new (and usually pleasurable) experiences. This hedonistic streak sometimes brings less favorable reactions from more stoic species like the Vulcans and Andorians, who regard it as a sign of weak wills or addictive personalities (an assumption that is occasionally, but not at all universally, founded).
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Tiburonians are typically as much as 10 centimeters taller than Humans, although except for their large, elaborately-scalloped ears they otherwise look very much like Humans. Many Tiburonians, though by no means all, enjoy adorning themselves with tattoos and other forms of body art; such adornment tends toward the graceful and beautiful rather than the grotesque or shocking.
HOMEWORLD: Tiburon is a beautiful, often pastoral temperate world, the product of hundreds of years of careful ecological engineering by its population.
CULTURE: The Tiburonians are a hybrid species, mixing an original, pastoral Tiburonian strain with the blood and genes of the Ucali, a species which once conquered Tiburon by force and later succumbed to the hedonistic temptations offered by a pacifist Tiburonese resistance movement. The modern Tiburonians see the experience of joy as the central purpose of existence, and its expression as the essence of freedom, while the suppression of joy is the path to tyranny like that of the Ucali.
The Tiburonians are more technology-reliant than many Federation species. Computers and robotics are favored sciences on Tiburon and remove most of the burden of physical labor from the population, allowing the Tiburonese culture to focus on theoretical sciences as well arts, entertainment, and athletic pursuits.
LANGUAGE: Tiburonese, Federation Standard.
COMMON NAMES: Tiburonians typically have only a personal name.
MALE NAMES: Alari, Sevrin, Threta.
FEMALE NAMES: Neprin, Orolin, Vanda.
FAVORED PROFESSION: Diplomat or scientist. The Tiburonese cultural emphasis on social acumen translates well into negotiation and mediation as well as medicine and counseling, and their native curiosity leads many Tiburonians to pursue careers in the sciences. Many Tiburonese find military careers (even Starfleet service) distasteful, but the less conservative can often overcome their distaste for violence and are found in Starfleet in engineering, medicine and scientific postings.
SPECIES ADJUSTMENTS: Presence +2. Tiburonians are known for their zest for living and their often eccentric perspectives, which many find to be appealing personality traits.
SPECIES ABILITIES:
BONUS EDGE: CURIOUS: Tiburonians are fascinated by new knowledge as much as they are by new sensual experiences. They receive a +5 test result bonus rather than +3 per Courage point spent on academic tests.
BONUS EDGE: LIKEABLE: For Tiburonians, social interactions are like a natural habitat, and others often find their empathy and conversational skill irresistible. Tiburonian characters receive a +3 adjustment to interaction stance modifiers in social situations.
HEDONISM: Tiburonians are known as some of the Federation’s most dedicated sensualists, and the appeal of new experiences can be a distraction from more critical concerns. When presented with an opportunity to try or experience something new, a Tiburonian character receives a –3 to all test results unrelated to that opportunity.
GENETIC IMMUNODEFICIENCY: During the 23rd century, an unforeseen consequence of the antiseptic controlled environments on Tiburon emerged in the form of a weakened immune system that made many Tiburonians especially susceptible to diseases such as Synthococcus novae. When a Tiburonian character is created, the player must roll 1d6; on a roll of 1, the character has inherited the immunodeficiency. The worst effects of this syndrome can be managed medically, but such a character must take the flaw Sickly, receiving a –2 penalty to Stamina reaction tests.
AGING:
Child (1-12), Young (13-19), Adult (20-65), Old (66-90), Very Old (91+)
