Update in three days. . . :eek:
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Update in three days. . . :eek:
Yeah!Quote:
Originally Posted by redwood973
Hi, Pheonix.
After some arm twisting and a few hits to the head I've been "talked" into releasing not just the three sheets I intended, but an additional three--and a map! :cool:
Didn't get everything done today though, I may have a meeting in the morning but once out of that I can get everything finished up in a few hours or so. Expect an update mid-Friday afternoon--sooner if possible. :D
What, who's been beating on you?!? I have an extra tire iron you could use to fend them off :)
Hey a while back... wow may of last year... I started working on a species/system from TAS - inspired by your work, though not finished, I was wondering if you'd be interested in the Vendorians.
Sorry, had to post the rest here--limit of attachments per posting. The first five are attached to the first post of this thread.
I wish I could have made a better map, but it's the best I can do with the tools available. (It took longer to make than I had planned, thus the delay.)
While I didn't mind having the coordinates as they were, there was uproar by some friends that I didn't have the galactic center towards the top of the sheet. Thus previous sheets are being updated to match the new coordinates of new relases. Sorry to those that have already printed previous sheets. :o
I'll be releasing new sheets twice a month. With each release I'll update the map and the "Distance Project."
These first six datasheets are the founding members (well, not the Aenar) of the Federation (by some sources). Some sources have the founding of the Federation one week from today so what better way to reignite the ICON Species Database than to celebrate Federation Day! :D
[Almost forgot, if anyone sees a typo or other errors please let me know! I'll hold onto the original sheets I made the .pdf files from for a week in case updates or changes are needed. After a week I'll be deleting them so as to keep my file unclogged. Once the archive is up and running I'll be posing the .pdf files to the archive.]
What I really need is a Nausicaan bodyguard! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Phoenix
Sad to say I had to look up what a Vendorian was. :o Not sure I'd allow them in a game unless, as with the Founders, they were NPC.
Sure, let me see what you got, be interested to see what you put together.
I don't know, but Vendorians might make interesting Outsider-type characters. The episode implies that they take upon an internal identity to match the external thing they're mimicking, making them psychologically fluid instead of beings like the Founders who have an (apparently genetic :P) internal stability and self-assuredness.Quote:
Originally Posted by redwood973
Daft name, though.
Sorry, fresh out of Nausicaans and the Vendorian reference is from the rather obscure side of Trek so no worry about the need to look them up.
As far as their stats go I've designed them to be a lot less capable than the Founders (about half way between Chameloid and Founders). The more complex abilities I summed up with technological/holographic enhancement to their natural abilities. Give me a few days and I'll try to reformat them to something I can post here. For the record I did design them to be playable, an outsider of sorts like The Tatterdemalion King mentioned.
Now as for the new files of the earlier species (Andorian, Tellarite, Terran and Vulcan), have they been changed all that much from the original?
These Vendorians could be very interesting. Imagine having a PC that turns out to be a Vendorian that just assumed the PC image/personality! (What, all these years it wasn't LT. Joe Cool but this Vendorian!?) What was the Vendorian goal in switching and what happend to LT. Cool!? Could be fun.
As for how much have the new releases have changed from those originally released: I would discard the original Andorian sheet and snag the new Andorian and Aenar sheets.
The Terran, Vulcan and Tellar sheets are largely unchaged. Just minor spelling and such that have changed. There were also minor tweeks to some wording to make the style a little more uniform. The largest change was to the coordinates. These new ones are 180 degrees from the previous. Anyone wishing to chart their own maps (which probably wouldn't be a bad idea considering my limited ability for making maps) would have the core systems mis-charted using the original sheets. Other than these things, I doubt anyone would notice a difference.
Almost forgot, the Centauran Template is different from that released by LUG. A topic here on these boards sometime back put me off using the Sexy Advantage for an entire species unless it is a a plot device: any of my players land on a world inhabited by only hotties beter damn well wonder what the hell is going on here! Just looking over my notes for the Database I can only find three occasion of my using the Sexy Advantage in a Template: Orion Females (only), Angelite Males (only), and Deltans (of course the datasheets drop tidbits as to why this is). Please feel free to take your red pencil out and cross out and put back this Advantage--it won't hurt my feelings. ;)
Vendorian Part 1
The Vendorians are a shapeshifting non-humanoid species that are capable of manifesting themselves into any organic or simple structure of similar size and mass. While Vendorians may assume many shapes and identities, the longer they remain in one form the more characteristics of that form they assume. This is particularly true when a Vendorian assumes a humanoid form. In these instances the Vendorian absorbs memories and personality traits of an individual through touch. These memories and traits become more ingrained the longer or more frequently the Vendorian assumes the form; if maintained long enough the absorbed traits eventually become part of the Vendorian's own personality.
Vendorians also have the ability to render some humanoids, particularly Humans, unconscious by touch alone. It is unknown whether this process is chemical/electrical or mechanical, such as the Vulcan nerve pinch. Though it was demonstrated several times on-screen an explanation was never provided.
Due to the Vendorian's deceitful way of life, the Federation imposed a quarantine on their homeworld, Vendor, declaring it as off-limits. As a stipulation of the treaty between the Federation and Romulan Empire, use of Vendorian spies is considered a violation of said treaty. It is unknown if this refers to the treaty established following the Earth-Romulan War of 2161, or the more recent Neutral Zone Treaty.
Vendorian (50)
Attributes:
Fitness: 2 [5]
--Strength: -1
Coordination: 3 [6]
Intellect: 2 [5]
Presence: 2 [5]
--Willpower: -1
Psi: 2 [5]
--Focus: +1
--Range: -1
Skills:
Culture: Vendorian 2[3]
Disguise: Mimicry 1[2]
History: Vendorian 1[2]
Language: Vendor 0[4]*
World Knowledge: Vendor 1[2]
PSI: Mind Meld 2
Typical Advantages/Disadvantages:
Excellent Metabolism (+1)
Guileful: (Character receives an extra courage point to spend whenever he tries to fool, trick, or deceive another character) +1
Morph: Alter Form (+6) [Lifeforms]
Natural Attack: 3+1d6 Stun; Moderate (7) Psi Test (+2)
Peripheral Vision (+1)
Organ Redundancy (+2)
Rapid Healing: Character receives an extra die when determining if he has healed natural, the Difficulty of all rolls to determine the effects of medical attention are reduced by 1, and the natural healing time is halved (+1)
Coward (-2)
Dark Secret: Quarantined Species OR Diminished Social Status (Choose, -3)
Wanted: Federation Quarantine (-3)
*Note: My group had changed Languages to a specialization rather than a full skill
Vendorian Part 2
Alright not as much reformatting as I thought.
VENDOR
Star System Data:
--System Name: Vendor [~48.7 light-years (“X” “Y” “Z”), Sector 2159] (Note: I don't know redwood's coordinate system, the planet is located in Star Charts page 66)
--Affiliation: Quarantined World (Federation – Romulan Treaty) / Romulan Protectorate
--System Type: (binary) Vendor A [B7 V (dim, blue-white star)] is the primary, Vendor B [M9 V (very dim, red star)] orbits at a distance of 10.9 AU from the primary every ~3 years.
--Inhabited Planets: Veenkoori [Vendor II, 39.0 AU (Class M)].
--Other Planets: Iroori [Vendor I, 19.8 AU (class B)]; Kraveeki [Vendor III, 77.4 AU (class JB)]
--Other Stellar Objects: A dense, untapped, field of asteroids exists between Vendor A and Vendor B. The Vendor system exists within the edge of a small stellar nebula.
--Artificial Objects: One Subspace communication relay and five additional warning buoys placed around the system at ~150 AU from the system’s central orbit point, all of Romulan design.
Planetary Data:
--Class: M (Highly variable do to stellar rotation)
--Position in System: 2 [39.0 AU (5,834,316,956,949 km) from stellar barycentre]
--Planetary System: Vendor II has no moons
--Planetary Size:
----Diameter: 10,348 km
----Equatorial Circumference: 26,226 km
----Total Surface Area: 336,405,210 sq km
--Planetary Conditions:
----Gravity: 0.88g [5.2 density].
----Year/Day: 781 days/28 hours.
----Atmosphere: Dense nitrogen-oxygen [1.29 bars (74/22 with 2% methane, 2% nitrous oxide and other trace gases)].
----Hydrosphere: During the cooler red star cycle: 86.4% surface water with no large bodies of open water; 0.4% glacial coverage; during the hotter blue-white star cycle: .
----Climate: During the cooler red star cycle: Warm and humid with frequent precipitation through all latitudes; during the hotter blue-white star cycle: Hot and arid with no appreciable precipitation. Virtually no seasonal variation with the exception of binary solar rotation. [3.7 Axial Tilt (26.8-48.9°c; 66.0-11.5 humidity)]
Lifeform Data:
--Sapient Species: Vendorian
----Population: 752,189,000.
----Tech. Index: Level six [antimatter] due to first contact with Romulans, Vendor II was in a pre-industrial age when first contact occurred (and still is over the majority of the planet), exchanging services for knowledge of technology. The Vendorians have however quite easily adopted molecular camouflage technology to enhance their natural form altering abilities.
----Government: Fragmented Feudalism, the Vendorians outwardly present a unified world.
----Culture:
----Affiliation: Independent/Neutral (Some Factions Affiliated with Romulan Star Empire)
--Animal: Moderate
--Vegetation: Extensive/Sparse (solar rotation)
--Aquatic: Sparse
I do have an image for the system.
These Vendorians are not animals, right? They choose whom and whom not to "morph" into? It's not chance but for a purpose they do it? Wish I could see the show. Does You-Tube by chance have old shows on it?
I'm sure you can find episodes on the net, I just don't know where. Episode wise it was not one of the greatest moments of TAS, the cool new alien was about it's only saving grace. There is some additional information in this link.
As for the level of cultural development of the Vendorians, no they are not animals - the one example of the species we have shows a very cunning individual under the employment of the Romulans - He/she/it mimicked Kirk in order to get the ship's heading changed, Mimicked McCoy to cover it's own tracks via forgery of medical records. The Vendorian even had a moment of unsuccessful diplomacy against Kirk (on the unsuccessful part - Duh it's Kirk). There is some reactionary shifting, but that only takes place after the Vendorian's presence is known about.
Some of my justification for the species is the romulan connection - Vendorains have a powerful natural ability to alter their form, but it took the romulans to make it in to a weapon. In my mind they evolved from a type of semi-aquatic, ambush predator. The shapeshifting being their characteristic mode of defense (not really that far of a stretch for a cephalopod).
Try here.Quote:
Originally Posted by redwood973
Thanks, Tatterdemalion. That was actually really good! I'll be checking out a few more of those shows too.
Pheonix, if I can figure out which star to associate with Vendor I'll .pfd that profile for you (filling it out a little too).
Working on the next set up updates; should have everything polished and ready for the 15th.
Need anything to help with that? I have two maps that show a star system named Vendor (Star Charts and some large 1980's map labled property of Paramont Studios)Quote:
Originally Posted by redwood973
As for the 'APPEARANCE AND PHYSIOLOGY', 'SOCIETY', 'POLITICAL STRUCTURE' sections I am slowly working on them so there is no rush on your end.
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you Phoenix. Real life got in the way again. Yes, I could use a hand. I took a quick look and really didn't see anything within five light years of 48.7 light years that was a binary B/M pair [oh, after posting that it looks so bad! lol]. I'll look a little further once I have the time, but if the 1980's map has some way to pinpoint a location (arc or degrees) that would be great (I already have Star Charts).
Whenever you get your write up done just send it my way and I'll be happy to .pdf it and send it your way for your approval and posting.
With my little bout with real life these last few days I doubt I'll have more than just the one datasheet to post this Friday--but one's better than none. ;)
Oh I understand real life getting in the way, no need to apologize.
Ok, locating the Vendor System in Star Charts: Page 66, about 1 cm below the letter "E" in the word "EMPIRE". In star Charts they show the system being a binary A/M, the other source I'm using shows the system as being single Type-O or B star with 3 planets (the second being the inhabited one) well out side the Romulan Star Empire.
On a map note, I think the 80's map I'm using has an unlabeled FASA origin, on one of the three there is a small FASA overview map wedged between two call-out maps. Edit: I found a reference about the other maps on Memory Alpha
As for getting the write-up finished any time soon - don't hold your breath, real life and all.
Here is the newest update! Just one release this time, it's been attached to the first post of this topic along with the updated map. I've left up some of the previous sheets as well since not many snagged them at release.
No room for the Distance sheet so I'll attach it to this post.
oops, little boo-boo on the first distance sheet. This one is the correct one.
Afraid it's been a busy couple of weeks, so I have no update for you today. I do, however, have a couple data sheets I've been toying with and should have some ready for the next release date June 15th.
Phoenix, I've not had much time to search for a real star to associate with Vendor. I hope to this week though and will hit ya with a PM with options once I have some.
Okay, I've been trying for a couple of weeks to get the Axnar out, but I just can't get the star system to work. . .so I'll just try again latter and move onto the next system.
Phoenix, I'm still looking into a star for the Vendor system.
Did I ever send you those early '80 star charts I have? Vendor is located on them.
I don't know if it was you or not, but someone directed me to a link to the star charts. I seem to have not bookmarked it, however. I recall it was a white field with black dots and text with a lot of "[ ]" used. That the same thing?
Ah no, black and starry/nebula background with many colorful dots and text. Lots of sidebar information too.Quote:
Originally Posted by redwood973
I hope you E-mail addy is up to date, sending them to you.
Okay, I am told that what I was given was a link to Worlds of Star Trek.
Yes the e-mail is correct, however, the files were corrupted. In fact, the first one was flagged with a virus warning.
If the first image was flagged I'm not sure what's going on, however the first part of a multipart was flagged I know what is going on and have fixed it.
Redwood, I seem to have misplaced that e-mail you sent - but I did have a chance to read over it. Three of the systems stick out to me, the first was IIRC second from the last in the primary list, in reality it has one huge gas giant in an outer orbit that could account for the secondary gravity well affecting the planet's orbit giving the extreme seasonal variation. The other one I cannot remember where it was in the list has a heavy particle belt (stellar rings) system wide with a few known gaps that could be where planets are located. The debris could be the cause of the seasonal variation. The last system was the last one you mentioned, a binary Orange/Yellow (IIRC) with no other information I could locate online. Add a slightly destabilized planetary orbit and I think we're close enough.
Related side question, are there any stellar nurseries around romulan controlled space. I think that may be the only way you could end up with a red/blue stellar companionship. If a young star is ejected with a follow up capture to an older star.
Unless one or both are artificial : PQuote:
Originally Posted by Phoenix
I see a more recent capture being slightly more (I don't believe I'm saying this) realistic; some kind of an event that could happen within the next few hundred years, without disrupting our current knowledge of astronomy. As for being artificial, there really is no evidence of such an event, the Vendorians from what I've turned up and created to fill the gaps lack said technological capabilities nor is there evidence of a predecessor species in the system.
My wild theory:
Vendor System Today: Type M star with a few worlds, one being a Class-N (Pelagic) Homeworld of the Semi-aquatic Cephalopod Vendorian species.
Vendor System TOS: Type M with captured companion Type B, some of the planets get destroyed by gravitational shearing while surviving planets take up a new orbit. The former Class-N planet now swings between a near Class-G (Desert) to a near Class-N; yet remaining within the tolerance levels of a Class-M (Habitable). The Vendorians being natural shape shifters adapt socially and technologically to survive. The mentioned “deceitful way of life” becomes more than just a predator/prey technique, but a full blown survival tool against an increasingly hostile environment.
As I said, just a wild theory.
Edit:
To explain the lack of Vendorian presence in the TNG/DS9 timeframe (100 years later), the binary system could have continued to destabilize rendering the system uninhabitable, killing off the species.
Phoenix, I still have the e-mail so no worries there--I'll be able to figure out which stars you mean. With all the busy from T-giving and X-mas I never got around to checking out those other options I had talked about looking into. Perhaps this week. :D
He he, had it not been for sites like Trek RPG and a few others I visit I would have lost my mind over the last few weeks of festivities.Quote:
Originally Posted by redwood973
I find myself with plenty of time on my hands; and needing something to occupy my mind for few hours a day to keep from going crazy I've spent the last few days reading through some of the old posts here in the ICON section of the boards.
I'll be posting a few things as ideas come up and get polished into a presentable format.
Phoenix, if you're still interested I have plenty of time to star hunt for a system to use for the Vendor. I still have the old e-mail I'll use as a starting point, but I may just begin anew since it's been so long.
Capt. Lundgren, are you there sir? When you have time can you send me private message as to where we're at on the Species Database on making it available to the public and what you need from me? I have some old messages from you to go through still; but as it's been some time since working on the project I'd like to get your current thoughts. Thanks!
Redwood;
At the moment I cannot access my e-mail account due to a minor short in my mother board or power supply (repair team is unsure). Hopfully I should be getting back up to my back-up (laptop) system in the next week or two. As for the old information, well that system (the PC) is in even worse shape (kid's drink BAAAD).
First message sent. Maybe not really answering your question in it though, as I need to refresh the mental cache a bit.Quote:
Originally Posted by redwood973
Well, I had to spend some time getting my notes reorganized but that's finally done. Now I can finally get around to some work on the database!
I have a half-dozen aliens to put up here. I thought I'd share the ones I've done for ICON in this thread. But... I can only attach 5 at a time. #6 will come in another post.
I hope these will work for the Databanks.
Owen - if you can't copy the text out of the PDF files, for the site, let me know and I'll send you plain text.
The Troyian
No problemo. I'll just post the .PDFs up as-is.
Thanks muchly.
Some very interesting work FASAGrrl. I'm not familiar with the Eeiauoan or the Sivaoan species. What are they from?
I'm almost ready to post a few myself. It's been a task getting all my notes back into some form of order. They've gotten scattered about a bit since I've lasted taken up the task of the database, but my corebook of world/system creation I finally got into order. And the current datasheet I'm almost done with is one from scratch which I'd not originally intended to make.
As a side note it's interesting how much knowledge we've gained about our own star system since starting the database. When I started this the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud were very little know or understood, but during this lull I've had there is more information on the Kuiper Belt than everbefore and they believe they have actually identified posible items belonging to the Oort Cloud--the first steps in bringing it out of the realm of possibility into that of fact!
Sounds all very cool, looking forward to the next issue! :)