Sneak Peek - Denobulans from PG 1.1

[PGoodman13]

I got the go-ahead to post this over on the Decipher forums. I'm at work now or I'd post the whole thing here, but for now here's a link: Denobulans.

[PGoodman13]

And now that my world has calmed down for a couple of minutes, I'll transplant it here for easier access on both of the sites without having to constantly cross-reference things.

I want to thank Don Mappin for providing a base for the species in his as-yet-unpublished Enterprise mini-sourcebook, from which I was able to build with data from the remaining three seasons of the show. (I proudly stand upon the shoulders of giants. )

DENOBULANS

PERSONALITY: The typical Denobulan is exceptionally friendly, even to strangers, and possesses a keen curiosity about the world around them. Denobulans cherish new experiences and find their lives, and those of life forms around them, exceptionally satisfying and interesting. They are excellent listeners.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Denobulans have about the same range of height and build as Humans. Their skin tones range from pale pink to deep tan, with hair color sharing the same range as Humans. Both genders have a high hairline. As a species, they have a pair of cartilaginous ridges running up the sides of their faces, from the cheeks to their foreheads, with an additional ridge on their chins. Denobulan facial muscles are much more pronounced than most other humanoids, allowing them to more easily express a wide variety of emotions.

HOMEWORLD: Denobula, a Class M planet orbiting the trinary star Denobula Triaxa. Denobula is a crowded world, with a population in excess of 12 billion people, all living on the planet’s single continent.

CULTURE: Denobulan culture is similar to that of Humans in many regards. War and conflict have never been predominant in their history, but they haven’t been unknown, either. During their Age of Enlightenment, many Denobulans began an inward journey that served to strengthen Denobulan society as a whole. Instead of fracturing themselves as divided individuals, Denobulans came to embrace one another and learn from themselves.

Modern Denobulans are honest, open, and friendly—sometimes to a fault. They are quick to recover from their transgressions and can be humble to excess. Some consider Denobulans to be pacifists, but they have, on rare occasion, been involved in wars. The most notable of these was their series of wars with the Antaran people, the last of which ended sometime in the 19th century.

Denobulan marriages are polygamous, with a husband having anywhere from two to five wives, with each wife having a similar number of husbands. The marriages are also open, with spouses free to pursue encounters with other people as they please. While many non-Denobulans find this arrangement difficult to grasp, it’s the social norm on Denobula. Most Denobulans are equally astonished by the exclusive and monogamous mating rituals of other species.

Mating season for Denobulans harkens back to their more primal history, where males and females would fight for the right to take another mate. While not fatal, the mating season does see a marked rise in injuries across Denobula. The pheromones of Denobulan females are quite intense and clearly signify their interest in another.

The Denobulans also have a clearly defined concept of “personal space”: In spite of their social nature, they don’t generally like to be touched. Even spouses rarely touch each other except when mating. It is one of the few elements of privacy life on such an overcrowded planet affords them, and they tend to guard it jealously.

LANGUAGE: Denobulan. After Denobula joins the Federation, they also learn Federation Standard.

COMMON NAMES: Denobulans generally use only their given names; their complex mating practices make it somewhat impractical to adopt a surname that would please everybody involved in the marriage. In social situations with some alien cultures, however, they tend to adopt one of their spouses’ names as a sort of “surname” in order to make the other person comfortable; for instance, one of Dr. Phlox’s wives introduced herself as “Feezal Phlox” while on board Enterprise NX-01.

Male Names: Biras, Bogga, Delix, Grolik, Groznik, Klaban, Mettus, Moga, Morox, Phlox, Rinix, Takis, Tropp, Tuglian, Vinku, Yolen, Zepht, Zinet.

Female Names: Anari, Andora, Asha, Daphina, Feezal, Forlisa, Kessil, Liera, Lusis, Miral, Natala, Ninsen, Phenna, Sabra, Secka, Symmé, Trevix, Vesena.

FAVORED PROFESSION: Diplomat or Scientist. Because of their interest in other species and social natures, Denobulans excel at professions that provide them with new experiences. Many Denobulans participate in the Interspecies Cultural and Medical Exchange programs in an effort to learn more about other species. Denobulan diplomats tend to express an almost tireless patience in dealing with others while their friendly demeanor causes others to be at ease. For this same reason Denobulans also make excellent healers or doctors, although their holistic methods tend to be somewhat unconventional.

SPECIES ADJUSTMENTS: +1 Intellect, +1 Presence. Denobulans are enlightened and enjoy the study of the sciences and arts. They are also social creatures, and quite friendly and open to new experiences.

SPECIES ABILITIES:
• Bonus Edge: Cultural Flexibility: Because of their willingness to experience new situations and cultures, Denobulans feel at ease when dealing with species other than their own, receiving the Cultural Flexibility edge for free.
• Bonus Edge: Curious: Denobulans are eager to know how things around them work and are adept at unlocking life’s mysteries. They receive the Curious edge at the start of play for free.
• Bonus Edge: Excellent Metabolism: The Denobulans have a particularly robust immune system, enabling them to very effectively ward off almost any infection, up to and including Borg nanoprobes. They receive the Excellent Metabolism edge for free.
• Excellent Climbers: Denobulans descended from an arboreal species, and they still have many adaptations enabling them to climb with exceptional ability. They receive a +4 bonus to Athletics (Climb) tests.
• Hibernation: Denobulans don’t sleep at night as most species do. Instead, they go through an annual six-day cycle of hibernation. Upon waking up, they are invigorated and refreshed for the coming year. This slumber is quite deep, and if the Denobulan is awakened early, they are quite disoriented. They suffer a cumulative –1 penalty for each day early that they are awakened; if on the second day of the cycle, the penalty is –5, if on the fifth day of the cycle a –2, and so on. They can only stay awake for about half an hour or so before they have to resume their hibernation.
• Patience: Denobulans live for a long time, and they are very patient as a result. They can go for years without seeing one of their spouses and think little of it. This patience also enables them to excel at tasks that take time; they gain a +2 bonus when performing extended tests.
• Social Creatures: The Denobulans are a social race by choice, and do not function well without daily social interaction of some sort. For each day past the first where a Denobulan is forced to work alone, without any social interaction, they suffer a cumulative –1 penalty to all tests they have to perform, up to –5 on the fifth day. This is in addition to any other penalties that may apply to those tests.
• Species Flaw: Species Enmity (Antarans): Centuries ago, the Denobulans and the Antarans were bitter enemies, taking part in a series of devastating wars. Even now, at least 300 years after the end of their last conflict, neither species can stand being in close proximity to the other.

NOTABLE DENOBULANS

Doctor Phlox, a participant in the Interspecies Medical Exchange program, is one of the more notable Denobulans in recent history, serving aboard the Earth Starfleet vessel Enterprise NX-01. His ability to meet and interact with new and alien species has marked him as something of a celebrity within the Denobulan medical community, and his reports are awaited with great eagerness. Doctor Phlox has been warmly accepted into the nearly all-human crew of Enterprise, and his extensive medical background has proven invaluable on more than one occasion. Of note are some of the Doctor’s non-conventional methods of treatment, such as kinji spores and wessa root extract for mild sprains.

AGING TABLE
To be honest, I haven't sat down to figure this one out; when I get to that chapter in the PG, I'll sit down and hammer it out. In the meantime, there is some evidence that Denobulans live at least as long as Vulcans (Phlox's grandmother lived through the last Antaran war 300 years ago, and told him about it when he was a child, for instance). In my own game for the moment, I'm using the Vulcan age chart. I'll post an update once I get to that point in my editing.

[black campbellq]

Nice!

[PGoodman13]

And I did it all with 16 picks and Don's original template. Glad you like it.

[Cut]

I will use a denobulan for my Atlantis campaign sooner or later. Very much liked what I have read.

[C5]

Nice work!

I don't know when I could use it (my campaign is on a standstill right now and features a total lack of Denobulan so far), but it's quite cool to have fresh material at hand

[Pantoufle]

Interesting, i was hoping for a little more history tho

[PGoodman13]

Interesting, i was hoping for a little more history tho

I only had X amount of space, of which I think I over-extended myself slightly, though I'll have to see what things look like after layout.

That said, though, there's not a lot of history to impart beyond what was said. I've got nothing against making it up out of whole cloth, but I'd want more time and space.

[Balok]

Very nice work!

[Tobian]

Excelent work though you could have maybe mentioned that wierd ability they have to puff up their faces, like a blow fish, and their unnering smiles which stretch half way round their head Not particularly edges or flaws, but it is a quirk of their species nontheless

[Cut]

Any more sneak peaks we could expect?

[PGoodman13]

The only other new material that's going to be in the PG that I know of is my writeup of Enterprise for the history chapter, and I'm thinking I should be able to get the go-ahead for putting that up sometime next week.

[Cut]

The only other new material that's going to be in the PG that I know of is my writeup of Enterprise for the history chapter, and I'm thinking I should be able to get the go-ahead for putting that up sometime next week.

That sounds perfectly interesting

[PGoodman13]

Man oh man, did I overdo this! I've kinda revamped the Denobulans for my own series; one of these days I need to dig out the revised write-up and post it instead of this....

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Which part was overdone? It looks fine to me...