My take on the Coda version of the Centauran species

[turneravalon]

Hi, Everyone! This is my first time posting on these boards. I have always had an interest in Star Trek RP, but was only able to get into PBeM sims. Now, being the devoted STCCG and Decipher customer I am, have developed an interest for tabletop RP. Though I do not have a guide in front of me, I have had a Centauran character on an e-mail sim for over a year now. This is my take:

Centauran

Species Attribute Adjustment: +1 Intellect, +2 Presence, +1 Perception. A mathematically inclined species, their intellect in math is unbeatable. With their stunning appearance, they are certain to make their presence known. Also, with their miniscule empathic abilities, they are able to have a better understanding of the area around them.

Preferred Profession: Scientist. Though Centaurans work from warriors to mercenaries, most go into caring professions such as environmental and medical sciences.

Languages: Centauran, Federation Standard

World Knowledge: Alpha Centauri, Earth (Ancient Greek) It is recorded in ancient Centauran text that the gods lifted a small group from the ravages of an unclean world and delivered them to a new beginning. It was later discovered that an alien entity transplanted a small city-state of ancient Greece to the planet of Alpha Centauri. From there, a civilization flourished. (Just some side notes )

Species Abilities:

- Bonus Edge: Psionics
Creates a new attribute called Psionics. It defaults to 4.
- Bonus Edge: Photographic Memory (can't remember the actual term)
All Centaurans have a keen memory for logic puzzles. (See PG for discription)
- Likable
All Centaurans have a calming nature about themselves. They make the people around them comfortable. They gain a +4 bonus to all Social Tests.
- Empathy
Most Centaurans have at least minimal empathic abilities. Empathy starts at level 2 for no additional cost.
- Math Wizards
Centaurans are known world over for their strong abilities in Math, particularly in andvanced quantum theories. Centaurans gain a +3 bonus to all Math-related Intellect Tests. They also add +2 to any level of any Math-related skill. (Are there any?)

Just a newbies shot at something he enjoys

Turner of the Avalon

[Chris Landmark]

Well, let's see. +4 to attributes with no minuses (all the races in the PG have no more than a +1 balance between attributes). That's quite too much, I think.

Three bonus edges, which may be a bit high, but doesn't strike me as over the top. By the way, the term you were looking for was Eidetic Memory. And there is an edge called Likeable already, which adjusts modifiers from reaction stance by +3, which is a bit more reasonable than your +4 to all Social Tests. It also strikes me that you're giving the Centaurans bonuses to Presence for being likeable, and a bonus to Social Tests for being likeable. +2 to an attribute is going to equate to a +1 modifier, combinded with +4, gives them +5 to all Presence based Social Tests (which is, well, almost all of them). Don't you think that is a bit much?

Your Math Wizard sounds like it would fit best under Skill Focus, granting a +4 to Physical Science(Mathematics)

I think you need to reign in your enthusiasm a bit, shave this down to match the other species templates, and try again.

A final note: If they're all descended from a Greek city state, how did they become a completely different species with wildly different Attributes and universal empathy in less than 3000 years? Good grief, the Bajorans are closer to Human than these people are!

-Chris

[Imagus]

Hey! He did say it was a first try...

Originally posted by Chris Landmark
A final note: If they're all descended from a Greek city state, how did they become a completely different species with wildly different Attributes and universal empathy in less than 3000 years? Good grief, the Bajorans are closer to Human than these people are!

These are very much the FASA take on the Centauri, which I think owes much to the old Ballantyne Tech Manual (their flag has Greek letters all over it). This had no bearing on the LUG/Decipher version at all. In FASA, the Centaurans were human, being descended from a Preserver-transplanted Greek community as described, hence their different take on life.

Of course, as the Centaurans seem to be an apocryphal race (the only canon indication there's a community there is that Zefram Cochrane spent a large chunk of his life on the planet), it is just as valid a theory as a LUG/Decipher's!

My personal take is that Alpha Centauri was actually the first colony to break away from Earth's control and gain independence, prior to the formation of the Federation. It may well have been established prior to the Third World War (via sublight vessels), and developed a non-violent society while Earth descended into chaos.