(ICON) Enterprise Species

[Sheliak Bob]

I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about CODA. I was pretty comfortable with ICON for a good while and adjusting to the new game will take a while.

["misinformation" deleted]

I'll probably continue to use ICON until the "Aliens" and "Starships" books are out and I've had more time to digest them.
Which means that I can use all the off the cuff ICON stats I've jotted down for "Enterprise" aliens while watching the show after all!
So, I've decided to post the lot of 'em so others can see what I'm tinkering with, critique or modify and generally refine.
And here they are!

(All these are bare minimum Abilities stats. Not full up Templates. I'm hoping to take suggestions and eventually work them up to full Templates. Assume that all Species have standard Skill packages including World Knowledge (homeworld) 1(2), Language-2,
Culture (own) 1(2)
History (own) 1(2)
etc.
I'll note specific skills or advantages I'm thinking about putting in the Template.)

[Sheliak Bob]

AXANAR ("Fight or Flight")

FIT:2 [6]
Vitality +2
COORD:2 [5]
Dexterity -1
INT: 2 [5]
PRES: 2 [5]
PSI: 0 [4]

Excellent Metabolism advantage
Physical Limitation: Breathes Nitrogen-Methane atmosphere instead of "standard" and so must use environment suits in human friendly environments.

[Sheliak Bob]

CORIDAN ("Shadows of P'Jem")

FIT: 2 [6]
Vitality +1
COORD: 2 [5]
INT: 2 [5]
PRES: 2 [5]
Willpower +1
PSI:0 [5]

Strongwilled
Toughness
Impulsive

The Coridan are experiencing an internal civil war with the official Government being supported by the Vulcans. The Insurgents receive some support or assistance from the Andorians and quite possibly the Orion Syndicate (which will have significant vested interest in the Coridan system by TOS era).

[Sheliak Bob]

MAZARITES ("Fallen Hero")

FIT:2 [5]
COORD: 3 [6]
Reaction +1
INT: 2 [5]
Perception +1
PRES:2 [5]
PSI: 0 [5]

Excellent Hearing (The Mazarite ear structure is much more complex than that of humans and lets them hear in a wider range than is possible for Humans.)

I was baffled about why the Vulcans were so involved in supporting the efforts of the Mazarite government to break the power of a indigenous crime cartel and why they were so reluctant to share that information with Archer. Until I thought about it and came to the conclusion that quite possibly, the Mazarite criminal syndicate is actually influenced or controlled by the Orion Syndicate! They didn't want to tell the humans about the Orion Syndicate yet and so have continued to hide that information. Since the Syndicate would not be an "indigenous" crime problem, that might explain why the Vulcans were willing to get so involved in Mazarite affairs. They are working to oppose the Orions' influence.

Mazarite ships appear to be about Size 3 with 2/3/5-5.5 Warp cababilities. They have shields (enough to take a couple of shots of strength 10 beam weapons and a torpedo hit). Probably about strength 8 beam weapons. (have to watch the show again to work out probable stats).

Mazarites connected to the Syndicate can use "War of Assassins", "Orion Syndicate" backgrounds & packages along with all the usual Criminal goodies. Mazarite spies and assassins would be unpleasant and probably plentiful.

[Sheliak Bob]

MALURIANS ("Civilization")

FIT: 2 [6]
Vitality +1
COORD: 2 [5]
INT: 2 [5]
Perception +1
PRES: 2 [4]
Empathy -1
PSI:0 [4]

Excellent Chemoreception. (Sense of smell is very acute, but tied to tongue instead of nostrils. Malurians will often open their mouths to catch the scent of a person they are just meeting. This is one of the ways to catch one in disguise.)

Malurians use sophisticated disguises that include hologram projectors or more often actual masks that are made from synthetically grown living tissue. These latter disguises will fool the sense of touch, or smell as well as DNA readers, fingerprint readers etc. since the disguise is made of vat-grown living tissue.
Malurians infiltrate more primitive cultures in order to exploit mineral resources that the indigenous population is not developed enough to value yet.

Ships are powerful. Size 7?, shields and probably 15pt beam weapons. They have transporter technology.

(I usually hate to cross SF series ideas, but, well "V". Y'know?)

[Don Mappin]

Originally posted by Sheliak Bob
(It really IS just D20 with some cosmetic changes, y'know.)

I'm so tired of addressing this I'm just not going to anymore. Like you were fucking there during the design process.

One of the things that really bugs me is the stat system. Here, see what I mean:
In ICON, a Klingon with a FIT of 3 is 50% stronger than an average human with a FIT of 2. (not including Edges. I don't have any books infront of me right now.)

Sorry, this is wrong. In Icon stats are bonus dice, not static modifiers. An additional die doesn't give you a 50% increase, it adds an additional die. Considering you want a 6, your probability goes from (continuing your example) of .32 to .48 -- an increase of .16, not .50. But then, why bring common sense into this arguement now?

In CODA, an average human has a Strength stat of 2D6 while an average Klingon has a Strength of 2D6+1. That makes the Klingon only less than 10% stronger than the average human!

Ignoring the fact that I don't ever recall Klingon strength being quantified at any time on screen, you are, again, wrong! Granted, the math is trickier in this instance, but here we go:
With 2d6, presuming a target number of 10, you'll succeed .165 of the time. Now, if you have a +1 bonus (say, for being a Klingon), the probability of success goes to .276! That's an increase of .111. But, again, what am I doing, bringing reality into this conversation instead of just making stuff up (like you)?

As people know around here, I don't particularly mind when someone says they prefer Icon, or FASA, or GURPS, or whatever. People who do know me though can tell you that I absolutely detest misinformation such as the "facts" that have been spouted above.

Don't like Coda? Fine, I have no problem with that. But, before you start making stuff up here's a hard dose of reality to chew on.

And yes, you caught me in a particularly foul mood today.

Enjoy.

[Don Mappin]

Oh, and so not to explode on anyone else today, I'm taking the rest of the day off.

[PGoodman13]

Don't hold back, Don. Tell us what's really on your mind.

[Sheliak Bob]

Since it was not my intention to engage in a debate over CODA vs. ICON merits or D20 lineage crap, I will drop the subject. I'm sure we all have better things to do.

[Sheliak Bob]

KANTARE ("Oasis")

FIT: 2 [5]
COORD: 3 [6]
INT: 3 [6]
PRES:2 [5]
Willpower +1
PSI: 0 [5]

A personable and intelligent species, the Kantare have Science (any) 1(2) as a Template skill.
They have hologram technology roughly equal to TNG Federation standards, which puts them roughly 200 years ahead of humans. I would set their ships at about Warp 7 maximum, maybe a little more, to keep them from overshadowing other species in the Enterprise era.
Hologram crewmembers can be created to fill empty crew slots or replace casualties. (Use either the Artificial People resource or Evan van Eyck's Voyager Netbook Hologram template for such artificial crewmmen.)

[Sheliak Bob]

TANDARANS ("Detained")

FIT: 3 [5]
COORD: 2 [5]
INT: 2 [5]
PRES: 2 [5]
Willpower +1
Empathy -1
PSI: 0 [4]

Intolerant: Suliban
Species Enemy: Suliban

While it can be argued that the Tandarans are no less "empathetic" than Humans are in times of stress, I prefer to keep the -1 modifier to reflect their dedication to the war against the Cabal and the degree of distrust they feel toward any outsiders (due to the Cabal Sulibans' ability to change appearance). Likewise, the guards we've seen in "Detained" are not necessarily representative of the general population's physical type. But since the Tandarans most likely to be encountered by PC's will be either Tandaran military or intelligence operatives, the 3 is not unreasonable.
The Tandarans have been at war with the Cabal for at least 8 years. They have suffered thousands of casualties and their government has become increasingly totalitarian to deal with the crisis. Tandaran intelligence operatives are present on most "open" planets (such as Rigel X and Risa) and are constantly looking for information on the Suliban and their activities.
The Tandarans will monitor and track any PC ships that they know have had contact (in any way) with the Cabal. They will accumulate information and amass substantial files on the ship and known personnel.

[Sheliak Bob]

XYRILLIANS ("Unexpected")

FIT: 2 [4]
Strength -1
COORD: 3 [6]
INT: 3 [6]
PRES: 2 [4]
Willpower -1
Empathy +1
PSI: 1 [5]
Range -2

Physical Limitation: Low Pressure environment
Projective and Receptive Telepathy (but require conductive medium for use).
Projective Impregnation: Once a "Meld" connection has been established, Xyrillians may (even unintentionally) pass genetic material through the link causing interspecies impregnation.

Xyrillians are intelligent and friendly, but somewhat reclusive. Their ships have masking or cloaking devices that enable them to travel undetected. They can "piggyback" onto the warp field of another ship, hiding in that ship's plasma wake. Ostensibly they do this when suffering engine "malfunctions" but I suspect it might be part of their innately semi-parasitic nature. Ships with a Xyrillian "piggybacker" will experience an apparent energy/warp efficiency drop off. (increase Pwr/WF cost by 1)

[Sheliak Bob]

VALAKIANS & MENK ("Dear Doctor")

VALAKIANS

FIT: 2 [4]
Vitality -2
COORD:2 [5]
INT: 2 [5]
Logic +1
PRES: 2 [5]
PSI:0 [5]

Medical Condition: Valakians suffer from progressive deterioration of their DNA. Each Valakian makes on FIT attribute test per month to determine if they have developed symptoms of the syndrome. (TN 5 roll is modified by both Vitality and any available medical treatments). Once the syndrome has been contracted, the deterioration causes one check per week also at TN 5. If successful, the patient's condition remains unchanged. If not successful, the patient loses 1 wound box permanently.

Faced with the virtually inevitable extinction of their Species, some Valakians have become Resolute or Strong Willed in pursuit of a cure. Others are merely desperate.

Valakians have a pre-Warp industrial society with a rich history of art, philosophy and scientific exploration. They treat the other indigenous species on the planet, the Menk, with compassion and benevolent paternalism. Their technology is just a little more advanced than that of early 21st century Earth

MENK

FIT: 3 [6]
COORD: 2 [4]
Dexterity -1
INT: 1 [3]
PRES: 1 [4]
PSI: 0 [4]

Skills: Survival, Hunting, Agriculture/Farming, & Craft. Language Menk and Valakian 1.
Primitive.

Some Menk benefit from the evolutionary leap forward that their whole species is on the brink of. Such "Evolved" Menk gain +1 INT and/or PRES.

The Menk live in preserves & reservations set aside for them by the more advanced Valakians. Some Menk work in a menial or support capacity among the Valakians.

[Perrryyy]

Somebody's been busy today!

Good work, Bob!

[Sheliak Bob]

ESKA ("Rogue Planet")

FIT:3 [6]
COORD: 2 [5]
Reaction +1
INT: 2 [5]
PRES: 2 [5]
PSI: 0 [5]

Skills: Hunting & Stealth. Survival.

The Eska are an advanced culture that has maintained its traditional emphasis on Hunting. Their sensor field equipment is more advanced than that used by Human explorers.
Most Eska will have had Hunting, Tracking, Stealth and Survival training during their Advanced Education or Background development.
Their ships are likely to be most often small (size 2 or 3) with few crewmen, but their crews will be closely knit and used to working with each other. (Synergy?)

WRAITHS

FIT:3 [6]
COORD: 3 [6]
INT: 2 [4]
Logic -1
Perception +2
PRES: 2 [5]
Willpower -1
PSI: 3 [6]

Shapechanging
Projective and Receptive Telepathy

The Wraiths are nimble snail-like invertebrates with advanced Telepathic abilities and Shapechanging skills. They appear to be sentient, though the exact degree of their intelligence may be hard to gauge since they are able to read the minds of others and project an image and demeanor that matches their needs, culled from the mind of the target.
The Eska, who will not hunt advanced primates, consider the Wraiths "cunning" but not intelligent like themselves or fellow humanoids.
Wraiths do not use tools, do not need a spoken language, and have no obvious civilization, living in the wild on their Rogue Planet homeworld. They emit pheromones when frightened that are perceptible to Eska equipment, which otherwise cannot distinguish them from the shapes that they assume. Wraiths confronted with danger must make a Challenging Presence check modified by Willpower to resist releasing their panic pheromone.