Custom Races[]
They get a lot of flak, but custom races are fun, are they not?
Races by the GM[]
These are absolutely available for use by players' use. Please, speak with me first if you have any questions about them.
Tau[]
- (They're a joke. I'm just writing to write. If you don't mind importing them though, that's fine.)
From beyond the fringes of the known galaxy hail the Tau, a starfaring race which has only recently evolved. Their people inhabit a dense star cluster in the Unknown Regions, to the North by Northeast of the Deep Core, where modern starfarers from the galaxy do not venture. Aggressively expansionist, the Tau have encountered several other minor races amongst their home cluster, and have forged alliances; and fought bitter, bitter wars. Their race is young enough that they retain written records of a time when their people used arrows tipped with volcanic glass to hunt the beasts of the jungles of their homeworld, and today they feature technology grown entirely in isolation, with FTL drives comparable to modern hyperdrives, and entirely native weapon systems comparable with the heaviest blasters produced by the New Republic or Empire, and accelerator cannons the match of those produced by the Mandalorians.
A short-lived race, the Tau live to expand; pursuing a policy they know as the Greater Good, a policy that puts the wellbeing of society ahead of any individual's needs. Needless to say, this philsophy bears disturbing resemblance to the Yevetha's conviction that they and they alone were entitled to everything in the galaxy, but the Tau are not on a crusade of extermination.
Personality[]
Tau society has four main Castes; the Fire Caste, in ages past were the hunters of Tau society; now they are it's warriors. The Water Caste were and remain the traders, the diplomats, the bureaucrats and administrators of Tau society. The Earth Caste are the builders, the laborers; the scientists and engineers. The Air Caste were in previous ages the herders and drivers, the high-mountain dwellers. In modern terms, the Air Caste are the pilots and drivers. The Ethereal Caste are the leaders and rulers of Tau society, with seemingly supernatural control and powers of persuasion over the rest of Tau.
The Tau castes may interbreed; in ages past this was considered a high crime. Now the so-called Out-Castes are tolerated; though an underclass by any stretch of the term, the Tau society is meritocratic. An Out-Caste who can overcome initial prejudice is perfectly capable of rising amongst Tau society, to the highest rungs of their chosen fields of endeavor.
Physical Description[]
All Tau share common traits; they are all blue-skinned, hooved humanoids. They're omnivorious, capable of eating generally anything a human could; binocular vision gives them similar eyesight to most humanoids, and they have largely the same sensory inputs. The four Castes are, however, very different from one another:
The Fire Caste[]
The Fire Caste stands between 5'6" and 6'6" in general, possessing a wirey build and slightly-rough skin. The warriors of Tau, they are without exception trained from birth to join the military; whose doctrine is evolved directly from the hunting strategies of hunting bands taking down the massive jungle predators of their homeworld. They emphasize speed, agility and marksmanship over the ability to strike a physical blow, and every Tau from this Caste is trained from early ages in handling weaponry. The Fire Caste has gender dimorphism to a moderate degree; females have breasts and hips like a human woman, but they seldom grow very large without electional enhancements which relatively few members of the Caste are willing to spend their luxury credits upon.
The Water Caste[]
The Water Caste stands between 5' and 5'10" in general, possessing a slender, graceful build largely devoid of excess musculature. They are the softest Tau, with skin texture like a human's. All members of this Caste possess builds which tend towards feminine; the most masculine Water Caste members would be comparable to a human male who could be described as possessing "androgynous beauty," whereas the females develop breasts and hips which range the gamut of Human and Near-Human norms. Males do not develop breasts, but some tend towards a little hip.
The Air Caste[]
The Air Caste stands between 6' and 7' in general, possessing a rod-like physique. Their skin is aproximate to that of the Fire Caste, and they are the most androgynous of the Tau Castes, with the least gender dimorphism; females tend to develop very small breasts, if they develop any discernable breasts whatsoever, and the same can be said of their hips, whereas the men develop neither.
The Earth Caste[]
The Earth Caste stands between 4'6" and 5'4" in general, possessing a powerful, squat build. Far and away the physically mightiest of the Castes of Tau, the Earth Caste are evenly predisposed between intellectual and physical development; they are the skilled workers of Tau. The most populous Caste by far, the Earth Caste also tends to be the most humble. Females develop very large breasts by human reckoning, with broad hips, whereas the males develop tremendously broad shoulders as a general rule; curiously (or perhaps not,) this has seemingly no effect at dividing the work of the Earth Caste between genders; a female is as likely to be a manual laborer as a male, and a male is as likely to be a physican or scientist as a female.
The Ethereal Caste[]
The Ethereal Caste stand between 5'7" and 6'3" in general, with the most variation amongst the builds of Tau; they run the full width and breadth of humanoid builds, with gender dimorphism that leans towards breasts and hips for the women, and somewhat towards broad shoulders for the men. The leaders of Tau, they are rearer from a young age in the closest that Tau has to luxury; but responsibility is sternly impressed upon them.
The Out-Castes[]
The result of interbreeding between the four primary Castes, OutCastes tend towards the features of their ancestry blended. They are disliked by most of Tau, belonging to none of the four Castes; those who wish to belong to Tau society at large must choose to petition one of their ancestor's Castes for entry during their adolescence or adulthood by demonstrating aptitude with the tasks of that Caste. The final step of gaining such entry involves voluntarily undergoing reproductive sterilization. Those who do not wish to be sterilized are cast out; though Tau will deal with them, they will not afford the Out-Caste a place in the greater workings of Tau, and are generally relegated to a number of Out-Caste settlements populated primarily by Out-Castes. These are tolerated and even supported because the Tau are not blood thirsty, and have no desire to shed the blood of Tau, even Out-Caste Tau; as well, placing these hybrids together and compelling them to make their own way has, in the past, resulted in unexpectd and beneficial discoveries and innovations, which may be adopted for the Greater Good.
- The reason that Out-Caste are feared is because the Ethereal Caste knows that what makes an Ethereal is equal measures of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. This requires only the union of two opposite hybrids; as little as a third-generation hybrid may join the ranks of the Ethereal Caste. This is explained as being an extremely rare beneficial boon that sometimes strikes any Tau at random; even the Out-Caste. In truth, this is a sham, supported by the occasional switching of children at birthing hospitals with Ethereal children, who are promptly removed upon the happy discovery - and wouldn't you know it, there happens to be an orphan child of the Caste of the parents who were both blessed and cursed with their offspring being an Ethereal.
Homeworld[]
Tau hail from the planet Tau, in the system Tau. It bears some obscure astronomical number on Republic charts which are old, and has never been visited by a member of the Galaxy at large. Tau is a large planet with a core which is not very dense, as planetary cores go; gravity is about .989G, with normal atmospheric pressures and a typical oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. The planet is warm, with a broad equatorial band surrounded by broad temperate zones, and relatively small polar ice caps.
Tau, like the Kalu'a (though there is no relation, despite the remarkable similarities,) are aggressively expansionist, and are quite ready to settle anything. Though they have not ripped planetoids and stellar bodies apart, they're quite ready to put down stakes on any decently large asteroid, construct space habitats, and erect habitation structures on any planet which is unsuitable for life, if it possesses resources useful to the Greater Good.
Language[]
The Tau have their own language, unsurprisingly also named Tau. Their language is based around the construction of larger words from smaller words and fragments, and is written in an alphabetical format.
Example Names[]
Tau names are constructed from the language of their people; a Tau is given only one name by their parents. Preceeding this given name, which is usually a word associated with the career the parents hope their child will pursue, is the combination word denoting their Caste and Rank. For notable Tau, they will cease to use their Caste designation; simply their rank, affixed to the front of their given name, will suffice. Tau true names are very long, as notable events in a Tau's life will be memorialized in his name. An old Tau's full name can be very long indeed, if he has lived an especially active life.
Adventurers[]
Tau Adventurers tend to be special operations teams of the Tau military, or members of the Out-Castes. Most Tau adventurers are Scouts and Soldiers, though amongst their ranks most classes may be found. The Ethereal Caste are all equipped for adventure, being in a position to demand training in any endeavor they decide it will be beneficial to the Greater Good for them to possess, but they are seldom put at risk.
Tau Species Traits[]
All Tau share some common traits, but all the Castes have their own uniquenesses about them.
- Medium size: Tau are Medium creatures, from the squat, short Earth Caste to the tall, rail-thin Air Caste.
- Speed: Tau base speed is 6 squares.
- Members of the Tau race are, with exception which will be noted below, completely devoid of Force-sensitivity. They may not take the Jedi class at first level, and may not gain the Force Sensitive feat.
The Fire Caste[]
The Fire Caste of Tau are the warriors. All members of the Fire Caste are trained from a very early age in handling weapons and wearing armor, which no Tau would fight without.
- Members of the Fire Caste gain Weapon Proficiency with Rifles, and Armor Proficiency with Light and Medium Armor.
- Members of the Fire Caste all gain access to the Armor Specialist Talent Tree, and (if Nonheroic) may take a talent from the tree for every third Nonheroic level they possess. They all gain Improved Armored Defense at first level for free, whether Heroic or not.
- Members of the Fire Caste are always trained in Knowledge (Tactics).
The Water Caste[]
The Water Caste of Tau are the bureaucrats and the administrators, the diplomats and the sociologists. Most members of the Caste busy themselves with thoroughly boring work.
- Members of the Water Caste consider Deception, Persuasion, Gather Information, and Knowledge (Bureaucracy) to always be on their list of class skills.
- Conditional Skill Training: Members of the Water Caste are automatically Trained in any and all of Knowledge (Bureaucracy, Galactic Lore, Life Sciences, and Social Sciences) which appears on their class skill lists.
- Members of the Water Caste gain the Educated talent (as the Noble talent) at first level, and may select the Spontaneous Skill talent in place of any other Talent to which they would be entitled to. In lieu of gaining one use of Spontaneous Skill per day, they gain a number of uses per day equal to their Intelligence modifier.
The Air Caste[]
The Air Caste are the pilots and starfarers of Tau. When the Tau first invented powered flight, the Air Caste took to flying as though they had finally returned to their home in the sky. Nearly unheard of amongst Tau, the Air-Caste commander of a vessel may overrule even the Ethereal Caste as regards matters pertaining to the vessel. Few members of the Air Caste can summon the fortitude to do so; but then, few members of any race have what it takes to command a vessel in the first place.
- Members of the Air Caste are always trained in the Pilot skill.
- Members of the Air Caste always consider Skill Focus (Pilot), Vehicular Combat, and Starship Tactics to be on their list of bonus feats.
- Members of the Air Caste always consider Computer Use and Mechanics to be on their class skills list.
The Earth Caste[]
Both the laborers and the scientists of Tau, the most numerous Caste are both those who pull Tau's technology forward, and those who bring up the rear, mortaring the foundation together.
- Members of the Earth Caste always consider Knowledge (Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Technology) to always be on their list of class skills. They always consider Mechanics, Ride, Survival, Treat Injury and Use Computer to be on their list of Class Skills.
- Members of the Earth Caste gain a free Skill Training at first level.
The Ethereal Caste[]
The Ethereal Caste leads Tau, for the greater good. Members of the Ethereal Caste are never Nonheroic; they default to the Noble class.
- Although not combatants by trade (nor, indeed, by design,) the members of the Ethereal Caste wield the staves and rods of rulership with elegance and grace. Though these are the symbols of their office, they are also invariably advanced melee weapons, and the members of the Ethereal Caste all gain Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapons) for free.
- Condiational Skill Focus: If the Ethereal Caste takes Skill Training (Persuasion,) they gain Skill Focus (Persuasion) for free.
- By birthright, physiology, and training, the Ethereal Caste leads Tau. This is in part based on pheremones released by the Ethereal Caste which makes other Tau reluctant (if not unable) to oppose them, but is also ingrained into the culture of Tau. An Ethereal can issue an order to any Tau (inclusive of groups of Tau,) and make a Persuasion roll against the highest Will Defense in the group. The Ethereal adds his total level to this roll. If he exceeds this number (and he usually will), the Tau so commanded must obey, or spend a Force Point to ignore the order. Such Tau gain a +5 bonus to their Will Defense against this command if they are not breathing air which hosts the pheremones of the Ethereal Caste; these pheremones are impregnated into the air supplies provided to ships and suits. This power fails utterly against Tau which are Force-Sensitive, and an individual Tau who successfully ignores a command (either by spending a Force Point or by having an Ethereal fail to command them) may spend a Destiny Point to become immune to the power forever after.
The Out-Caste[]
The Out-Caste are hybrids. In prior ages they were considered abominations; at times they were even put to death. In modern times, they are tolerated, if not relished. They lack the specialized training any of the Castes of Tau gain from birth, but make up for this in versatility.
- Out-Caste Tau may be Force-Sensitive. They may choose the Force Sensitive feat, and (hypothetically) could choose the Jedi class at first level if they had a good reason to do so.
- Out-Caste Tau, like humans, gain a free feat and skill training (from amongst the list of skills provided by their chosen Class) at first level.
Kalu'a[]
The native species of the planet Kalum in the star system of the same name, the Kalu'a are now the second-most populous race in their home cluster. They vanished from the galaxy at large when their homeworld quietly slipped away from the Republic circa 300 BBY, and returned with a passion 3 years ago.
Personality[]
Kalu'a personalities run a wide gamut. Though on the whole they tend to be somewhat quieter and more reserved than humans, there are many firebrands among them. The Kalu'a as a people are very spiritual as a result of having a higher-than-normal incidence of Force Sensitivity; unlike the rest of the galaxy, they never forgot the Force, though almost the entirety of their population know of it as the Streams, via their native Force Tradition.
Physical Description[]
A tall race of slender, feminine hermaphrodites, the Kalu'a have only one gender that is functional in both male and female capacities. They stand on average 2.1 meters (7 feet) tall on long, graceful digitigrade legs that end in cloven hooves, and they have a long, prehensile tail emerging from the base of their spines. Their height, digitigrade locomotion and long stride give them a graceful appearance, though they are not any more dextrous than humans on average.
Their skin takes on shades of blue, from deep, almost-indigo to near-white, and they grow large, typically-graceful curving horns, while their natural hair colors are shades of blue, purple, dark red, and stark white, and their faces are typically considered attractive by most humans and near-human races. Among the Kalu'a, bright skin and vibrant hair colors are considered attractive; bleaching and dyeing of the hair to unnatural shades or patterns, such as candy pink or red with yellow and white tips, or pure black (which is not a natural color for the Kalu'a) are common, and it is not unknown for their horns to be decorated in various ways, usually with jewellery, though some Kalu'a have their own horns scrimshawed.
Homeworlds[]
The Kalu'a are native to the planet Kalum, in the Kalum system. They spread out from their homeworld during their period of prepatory expansion along with the other races of the Kalum Federation, and now sustain thriving, survivable populations on all major and minor worlds and space habitats of the Kalum Federation.
Languages[]
The Kalu'a had a native language, Kalu'ar, though it is no longer the dominant language in the Kalum Confederation. Many Kalu'a neither speak nor read Kalu'ar; Basic is the official language of the Kalum Federation, and all children of all species learn it first and foremost. The language itself is no longer a living language as such, reserved primarily for religious ceremonies and scholarly study.
Example Names[]
Kalu'a names tend towards the lilting and flowing, though there are sizable minorities of Kalu'a parents who choose striking, bold and blunt, Human-inspired names for their children. Many Kalu'a names feature apostrophes, though not all; more than one apostrophe is almost unheard of (not to mention almost unpronounable.) Kalu'a names favor those which start with either vowels or hard consonants.
Example names: Aeon, Aim'a, Azer'a, Aryee, Bar'yn, Beri'kai, Bin'on, Cassa, Chu'n, Davia, Deima, Dila'na Emala, Eya, Eyva, Ferra, Galla, Galli, Henna, Iala, Inos'a, Juni, Kali, Kami, Kam'ai, Lopa, Levia, Moy'a, Nahala, Nar'isa, Opa'la, Pen'ai, Qua'ris Rassa, Ren'zi, Ronna, S'ala, Sass, Sath'is, Tensa, Us'ani, Vis'a, Wis'ni Xex'a, Y'sara, Zala
Kalu'a do not possess family names. Should it become nessessary to distinguish two Kalu'a who share the same name, lineage recitation (primarily along birth-mother lines) is employed. In some places, particularly when serving aboard Kalum Federation military vessels, the Kalu'a adopted a tradition of using the name of their birth-mother, with the suffix "-Ka'si" as a surname; this practice has begun to leech into the Kalu'a general population. The word 'Ka'si' is 'daughter' in Kalu'ar.
For example, if a given Kalu'a's name is Vis'a, and her birth-mother (the parent whom she gestated within) was named Galla, she would give a full name of "Vis'a Galla-Ka'si."
Adventurers[]
The Kalu'a are seldom given to predacious enterprises, though they are a flexable race, especially in light of their long history of egalitarian commingling with two of the most enterprising races known to the galaxy. (Humans and Twi'leks.) Their race's reputation for reservedness is an average: while fewer percentage of Kalu'a choose an adventuring life over one of labor, spiritual pursuits, or other non-adventuring lifestyles, the Kalu'a who do choose to go into such fields are every bit as adept at them as the other races in the galaxy. Kalu'a law-officers are stalwart and possess a steadfast devotion to duty, Kalu'a soldiers and naval officers stand tall (literally and figuratively) and bear arms in ever-vigilant defense of their homeworlds. Kalu'a mystics follow the path of the Living Force; to the Federation they are wanderers welcome everywhere, able to bring perspectives and powers to bear that mundane problem-solvers cannot, and since their return to the Republic, Kalu'a Force-Sensitives have proven very ready to take up the the obligations and duties of the Jedi Knights.
Kalu'a seldom seek fame, glory or wealth; these are secondary concerns, means to the ends of championing their causes.
Kalu'a Species Traits[]
- Medium size: As Medium creatures, albiet on the tall end of the size category, Kalu'a have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Speed: Kalu'a base speed is 6 squares. Though they possess a longer stride than most near-humans, the Kalu'an gait does not lend itself well to outright dashing.
- Persuasive: Even the most socially-inadept Kalu'a has a knack for soothing ruffled feathers and convincing reluctant people. A Kalu'a may reroll any Persuasion roll they have made. They must accept the results of the second roll, even if they are worse.
- Spiritual Connection: All Kalu'a, even those who lack the Force-Sensitive feat, may use the 'Search your Feelings' function of the Use the Force skill as two swift actions, and may Take 10 on the Use the Force roll to do so under any circumstances.
- Conditional Trained Feat: Kalu'a who take the Force-Sensitive feat recieve Skill Training (Use the Force) for free; part of Kalum education involves testing for Force Sensitivity and basic training in understanding the Force for all Sensitives.
- Native Technology: Kalu'a treat all Kalu'a-manufactured tools and weapons as neither exotic nor improvised, needing no feats to (for example) pick up a Plasma Cutter and use it as a Heavy Blaster Pistol without penalty.