UPDATES – 15 FEBRUARY 2016 – THE GREAT SPECIES EXPANSION

UPDATE TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • RULES UPDATE: TAAF Career History
  • NEW SPECIES
    • Calengil
    • Chrysoari
    • Deep One
    • Fost
      • Fuuer
      • Hast
      • Fuset
    • Hive
    • Imperiumite (as in the space-manatees of the Glorious Imperium)
    • Lissonian
    • Low Dweller/JolKoar’Amask (update to the one previously listed)
    • Speakers
    • Warriors

RULES UPDATE: TAAF Career History

PROMOTION POINTS OVER TIME – This got a bit out of hand. It’s now +1 promotion point for every 4 years of service. People were getting promoted too quickly.

NEW SPECIES

CALENGIL
-2 STR, +4 DEX, -2 CON: Calengil are small, agile creatures, leaving them highly dexterous but physically weak.
Small: A Calengil’s small size provides a +1 bonus to Reflex Defense and a +5 size bonus to Stealth checks.  A Calengil’s carrying capacity is 3/4ths that of normal.
Speed: 6 Squares, Climb 2 Squares.  A Calengil can move surprisingly fast for its size, and they are capable of climbing most surfaces at a slow, deliberate speed.
Balancing Tail: A Calengil’s tail is an important part of their ability to maintain balance while moving quickly, providing a +5 species bonus to all Acrobatics checks made to retain balance.
Fearless: Calengil evolved in an environment with no natural predators, leaving them with no real concept of ‘fear’ until the left their homeworld.  A Calengil is immune to fear effects and Persuasion checks made to Intimidate.
Low-Light Vision: Calengil can see without penalty in shadowy illumination, ignoring concealment (but not total concealment) due to darkness.  They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Nocturnal: A Calengil is a naturally nocturnal creature.  Until it spends a week adjusting to diurnal life (that is, sleeping during local-night and being active during local-day), it is considered -1 step on the condition track as a persistent condition.
Languages: Calengil, plus one of any number of local dialects

CHRYSOARI
-4 CON, +2 INT, +2 CHA: As avian creatures, Chrysoari bones are lightweight and therefore not durable.  However, as an older species they are more intelligent, and well-trusted.
Size: Medium
Speed: 1 Square, Fly  6 Squares.
Winged Flight: While flying, a Chrysoari is effectively a Large creature (taking a -1 size penalty to Reflex Defense and and a -5 size penalty to Stealth checks) that takes up a 1×3 area, as opposed to a Medium creature that takes up a 1×1 area.  A Chrysoari is considered trained in the Pilot skill and gains a +5 bonus on Pilot checks it makes while flying under its own power.
Languages:
External Chrysoari (used for communicating with non-Chrysoari), Internal Chrysoari (used for communicating with Chrysoari).  Both languages could be learned by anyone capable of speaking them, but the Chrysoari guard the meanings of the metaphor-rich Internal language jealously, and are suspected of hunting down outsiders who have learned the language.

DEEP ONE
+4 DEX, +2 CON, -4 STR: Deep ones are tiny creatures, having little physical strength but consequently having well-tuned motor control.  Their high-pressure deep-water home leaves them hardy, however.
Tiny: As tiny creatures, Deep Ones gain a +2 size bonus to Reflex Defense, a +10 size bonus to Stealth checks, and have their carrying capacity halved.
Speed: 4 Squares, Swim 4 Squares. A Deep One’s multiple legs function equally well as both walking and swimming appendages.
Aquatic: Deep Ones cannot drown in water (H2O) and do not need to make swim checks.
Low-Light Vision: A Deep One can see without penalty in shadowy illumination, ignoring concealment (but not total concealment) due to darkness.  They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.  Additionally, when in complete darkness, they can see light sources at three times the normal range that light source would be seen at.
Water-Breathing: Deep Ones can survive out of water for CON Score minutes before beginning to suffocate when their gills begin to dry out.
Exoskeleton: A Deep One’s thick carapace provides a +1 Natural Armor bonus to Reflex Defense
Mineralsense: When in water, a Deep One can ‘taste’ the water for dissolved minerals, allowing it to make a DC 10 Knowledge [Planetary Sciences] check to identify the presence of any minerals in contact with that body of water in a 20 kilometer radius. Over time, several Deep Ones working in concert with each other can use this ability to narrow down the area in which the minerals are located.
Languages: Deep Ones speak their own language (referred to as "Deep One"), which is communicated pheremonally when in water and via semaphore when in air.  They cannot speak other languages without electronic aid.

FOST [Fuuer]
-6 STR, -8 DEX, +2 INT, +2 WIS: Fuuer have very little in the way of physical capabilities, as their small size is taken up almost entirely by neural tissue.
Size: Fine.  As Fine creatures, Fuuer gain a +10 size bonus to Reflex Defense and a +20 size bonus to Stealth checks.  They have 1% of the carrying capacity of normal.
Speed: 1 Square, Swim 1 Square
Eidetic Memory: The Fuuer remember everything that they have ever seen or experienced, even through the senses of a host body. This level of acute, exacting memory detail provides them a +2 species bonus on any Intelligence-based skill check (except Force Control and Nanite Control) and allows them to take 20 on any Knowledge skill check without increasing the amount of time the check would normally take and regardless of any distractions.
Long-Lived: Fuuer can live for millenia, and are remarkably resilient to aging.  They gain none of the benefits or penalties of aging.  However, after about 500 years they lose the ability to bond with a Hast, slowly bloating into their large-sized Ancient form.
Symbiotic: A Fuuer can join with a willing Host in a process that takes 1 minute to create a Fost.  However, the merging of consciousness takes 1d4+5 days, during which time the Fost is considered to be -1 step on the condition track as a persistent condition.  A Fuuer can leave its Host body at any time, but its doing so will leave the Host dead in several days unless it is rejoined with a new Fuuer.
Languages: The Fuuer language is electrochemical signals that propagate through the creature’s native mucklike homes.  It is incomprehensible by non-Fuuer.

FOST [Hast]
+2 STR, +2 CON, -2 INT, -2 CHA: Host’s are strong and hardy, but a bit dim-witted and withdrawn.
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 Squares
Martial Studies: Hast spend long hours during their youth honing themselves into the epitome of physical perfection.  There are numerous schools of thought on this, each with their own training regimens.  A Hast gains one of the following feats as a bonus feat, but they must meet any prerequisites for that feat: any [Martial Arts] feat, Conditioning, Dodge, Improved Defenses, or Weapon Focus (choose a Simple weapon)
Languages: Fost and one of any number of various languages that are found in their society

FOST [Fuset]
Template: Fuset is a template that is applied to a Hast.
+2 INT, +2 WIS, CHA 10 or Hast’s: The Host gains the benefits of the additional mental power of the Fuuer, however the merged nature of the personalities of the Fuuer and Host leave them somewhat detached from others.  A Fuset’s Charisma is 10, unless the Host’s Charisma was higher than 10 prior to the acquisition of the Fuset template.
Eidetic Memory: The Fuuer remember everything that they have ever seen or experienced, even through the senses of a host body. This level of acute, exacting memory detail provides the Fuset a +2 species bonus on any Intelligence-based skill check (except Force Control and Nanite Control) and allows them to take 20 on any Knowledge skill check without increasing the amount of time the check would normally take and regardless of any distractions.
Merged Being: A Hast and Fuuer continue to accrue XP and levels separately from each other, but the Fost has access to the skills, feats, and talents of both.  While merged, a Fuuer has no Reflex Defense, but still has a Fortitude Defense and Will Defense.  The two creatures have separate HP totals, but damage is applied to the Host unless the attack is a critical hit or skill check behind the damage source is a natural 20, in which case the damage is applied to the Fuuer as well.  In the event the Hast is killed, the Fuuer can be rejoined into a new Host body.  Poison and toxins administered to the Host affect the Fuuer as well.
Dual Consciousness: Fuset are more resistant to psionic intrusion thanks to their dual consciousness.  They gain a +5 Species bonus to their Will defense vs Psionics.

HIVE (GM Approval Required for use as a player species)
-8 STR, +8 DEX, +10 INT, +8 WIS, -8 CHA: Hive swarms are of vast intelligence and wisdom, but their machine-like nature makes them hard to comprehend.
LIMITED POINT BUY: When creating a Hive colony, you only have 20 points to spend.
POWERFUL CREATURE: Playing as a Hive induces a -3 penalty to your character level, meaning that Hive can only be played in a game that is at least level 3.  In a level 3 game, a Hive has no class levels, only its racial beast levels.
BEAST LEVELS: A Hive colony begins play with 2 levels of the Beast class.  This provides 2d8 hit dice, 1 feat, and a number of trained skills equal to 1 + Intelligence Modifier.  A Hive colony can choose these trained skills from any skill, but does not gain any new trained skills when taking a level of a heroic class.
Size: Fine.  A Hive colony is a swarm of universal assemblers, making it functionally a fine-sized creature.  It gains a +10 size modifier to its Reflex Defense, a +20 size modifier to Stealth Checks, and has its carrying capacity reduced to 1% of normal.
Speed: Fly 6 Squares
Machine-Based: A Hive colony cannot take the Mage Talent feat under any circumstances.
Nanite Swarm: Hive colonies are immune to all damage except for non-autofire area-of-effect attacks and any source of electricity or ion damage.  Additionally, they are also immune to psionic effects, poison, stunning, nonlethal damage, fatigue, exhaustion, flanking, tripping, bull rushing, and grappling.
Low Light Vision: A Hive colony takes no penalty to perception and ranged attacks in low-light conditions, and can still see in color and full detail in these conditions.
Darkvision: A Hive colony can see in complete darkness as long as there is some form of electromagnetic radiation present, however it loses the ability to distinguish color (as humans know it) in these situations.
Swarm Attack: A Hive colony can automatically inflict 1d8+1 points of damage on anything it shares a square with.  This counts as a natural weapon attack, does not provoke an attack of opportunity, and deals additional damage equal to 1/2 the Hive colony’s heroic level (if any).  Additionally, this effect can also inflict Distraction (see below).
Distraction: A creature that takes damage from a Hive colony’s Swarm Attack can be nauseated. Any living creature that takes damage from a the Swarm Attack if the Hive colony succeeds on an attack vs the target’s Fortitude Defense.  The Hive colony uses it’s Dexterity score for the attack.  Creatures with the nauseated condition experience stomach distress. Nauseated creatures are unable to attack, cast spells, cast incantations, cast true incantations, use nanite abilities, manifest psionic powers, activate force spells, concentrate on spells/powers/incantations/nanite abilities/force spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.
Nanite-Based: The nanite swarm is considered to have CEC Nanite Implants for the purposes of taking the NMS Training feat.  It is automatically trained in the Nanite Control skill.  It is also considered to have a neural interface for the purposes of interfacing with computer systems, however it does require a direct connection to the computer system in order to interact with it (it must be sharing the same square as the computer or adjacent to it).
Languages: Hive colonies speak their own incomprehensible machine language, but can learn to communicate in any language – including pheremonally-based ones.

IMPERIUMITE (as in, the manatee-like creatures of the Glorious Imperium)
-4 DEX, +4 CON, +2 CHA: Imperiumites are hardy creatures, but are hopelessly clumsy.  They are strong of personality, but most sentient races regard them as ‘abrasive.’
Size: Large
Speed: Walk 1 Squares, Swim 6 Squares.  Imperiumites have limited capability to ambulate on land, but are much more agile in their native environment.  While on land, they usually move by mechanized transportation.
Natural Armor: An Imperiumite has a very thick layer of subcutaneous fat, which is both a product of evolution and culture.  Regardless of the origins of this fat, it provides a +2 Natural Armor bonus to Reflex Defense.
Deep Breather: Imperiumites have extremely large lung capacity, a product of their evolution as air-breathing aquatic creatures.  An Imperiumite can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to its Constitution score.
Psionic-Led Society: Psionic abilities are held in high regard by Imperiumites, and magical talent among their own kind is regarded as a dangerous mutation which must be purged.  As such, mages are virtually non-existent among Imperiumites, and a Imperiumite cannot have the Mage Talent feat.
Pactrician or Pleb: When creating an Imperiumite, roll 1d100.  On a result of 96-100, the Imperiumite is blessed with Psionic abilities, and is a member of the elite Pactrician caste.  This Imperiumite gains the Psionics skill as a bonus trained skill and receives the Psionic Training feat as a bonus feat.  On a result of 1-95, the Imperiumite is a Pleb, born into a societal role by virtue of bloodline.  Roll 1d00 and consult the table below to determine this role, and the effects of this predetermined place in society.

D100 Result

Role

01-10

Soldier – Imperium military doctrine revolves around never actually having to engage in anything resembling hand-to-hand combat, or any personal combat for that matter.  Dugong soldiers utilize brain-computer interfaces to remotely control drone weaponry from a safe distance.  You receive the Neural Interface Training feat as a bonus feat and Use Computer as a bonus trained skill.

11-19

Artisan – Perhaps the one redeeming quality of the Glorious Imperium in the eyes of all it views as ‘primitive barbarians’ is that the Imperium is regarded as an excellent source of art, which it is more then willing to sell to purchases across space.  Artisan Plebians are tasked with developing new art of all forms for the Pactrician class and for export.  You receive the Artist or Musician feat as a bonus feat, and receive a +5 bonus to all skill checks made to use the feat that you choose.

20-35

Clergy – The Glorious Imperium is an extremely pious civilization, single-minded in its devotion to the Father of the Imperium, The Eternal Emperor of the Glorious Imperium.  This figure is a ruler from their ancient past who united the Imperium under His rule.  The Eternal Emperor’s name has been lost to history, or purposely forgotten, some theorize.  Regardless, a respectable portion of plebians sole duty is to maintain the faith in some way, shape, or form.  You receive Knowledge (Culture [Glorious Imperium]) and Persuasion as bonus trained skills.

36-45

Bureaucrat – The bureaucracy are wheels on which the Imperium rolls.  While the political power of the Imperium rests with the psionically-talented Pactricians, it is the bureaucrats that actually make sure things get done.  You receive Knowledge (Civics) as a bonus trained skill and Skill Focus (Knowledge (Civics)) as a bonus feat.

46-55

Scientist – The Glorious Imperium does not specialize in a specific kind of science like some species, and is instead takes a more generalistic approach to research.  However, each clan in the Scientist caste has their own speciality.  You receive one of the following as a bonus trained skill, and Skill Focus in that skill as a bonus feat: Knowledge (Behavioral Sciences), Knowledge (Life Sciences), Knowledge (Physical Sciences), Knowledge (Planetary Sciences), or Knowledge (Technology).

56-70

Manual Laborers – ‘Manual labor’ among the Imperium usually doesn’t refer to working with ones hands – mainly because Imperiumites lack hands.  ‘Manual Laborer’ covers all other jobs in the Imperium that do not fall under another caste – transportation pilots, factory workers, support staff, medical workers, and so on.  You receive one bonus trained skill of your choice, and Skill Focus in that skill as a bonus feat.

71-91

Harvesters – Harvesters are in charge of ensuring that the Glorious Imperium always has enough food, or at least enough food for the Pactricians to think that the Imperium has enough food.  Sometimes, especially on backwater worlds, Harvesters have to make do and produce food from unlikely sources.  You receive Knowledge (Life Sciences) and Survival as bonus trained skills.

91-100

Merchants – "Odd" in the eyes of most Imperiumites are the Merchant caste.  These unique members of the Imperium are tasked with obtaining resources from outside the Imperium from ‘primitive barbarians.’  While the members of the Merchant caste are still seen as horrible condescending and abrasive by other species, they are trained to make up for it.  You receive Persuasion as a bonus trained skill, and Skill Focus (Persuasion) as a bonus feat.

Mage-Suspicious: While the Glorious Imperium’s cultural "purge the mages" mindset does not extend to their opinion of members of other species, they are still wary of magic in all its forms.  When making a Perception check to Sense Deception on a creature that an Imperiumite knows to have magical talent, it takes a -10 penalty on the check, even if using psionic abilities to evaluate that creature.
Condescending: While Imperiumites are renowned for their forceful personalities, their demeanor comes across to most sentients as horribly condescending and abrasive, a product of the Glorious Imperium’s cultural belief that they represent the pinnacle of evolution, and that all other species are primitive barbarians, save for those few who have evolved beyond their corporeal bodies and are therefore clearly more advanced then the Glorious Imperium.  An Imperiumite takes a -5 penalty on all Persuasion checks made to negotiate with any sentient, corporeal creature.
Automatic Languages: Glorious Imperial and Imperial

LISSONIAN
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 Squares
Radiation Resistance: Lissonians have a +4 Species bonus to Fortitude Defense against radiation
Retractable Claws: 1d4 slashing damage.  A holdover from their time as a strictly tree-dwelling species, these claws can be extended or retracted as a swift action.
Impact-Resistant: Lissonians have a natural damage reduction vs bludgeoning damage (including explosions) equal to their Constitution modifier (minimum 1), this stacks with all other damage reduction.  This damage reduction is doubled against falling damage.
Expert Climber: Due to their arboreal background, Lissonians may choose to take 10 on Climb checks even when distracted or threatened.
Jungle Bond: Lissonians do not take the normal -5 penalty on the Persuasion checks when dealing with undomesticated creatures with an Intelligence of 2 or lower.  This counts as the Charm Beast talent for the purpose of taking talents from the Shamanism magic talent tree.  Lissonians may take the Bonded Mount and Soothing Presence talents without being trained in Magery.
Low-Light Vision: A Lissonian takes no penalty to perception and ranged attacks in low-light conditions, but it still suffers a penalty in darkness.
Languages: A Lissonian starts play speaking Lissonian, and one of the other major languages of their species: Charesh, Leef, Mariata, Railaka, Shakana, Taina, Zaina

LOW DWELLER/JolKoar’Amask
+6 STR, +4 CON, -4 INT, -4 CHA: Low Dwellers are burly and tough, but have been engineered for their physical capabilities, not their mental prowess.
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 Squares
Powerful Build: A Low Dweller is treated as a Large creature for the purposes of wielding weapons and unarmed damage.
Gene-Stabilized: Low Dwellers cannot be psionic and have no potential for innate magical talent, but can become a Contractor or utilize Device Magic.
Conditioned Servitude: Low Dwellers take a -10 penalty to their Will Defense when being targeted by a skill or ability by a High Dweller (JolKoar’Hul) or Dweller Pureblood (JolKoar)s.
Automatic Languages: JolKoar’Amask


SPEAKERS
+2 STR, -2 DEX, -4 CON, +2 WIS: Speakers are strong and perceptive, but clumsy and fragile.
Size: Small.  As small creatures, Speakers gain a +1 Size bonus to Reflex Defense and a +5 Size bonus to Stealth checks.  Their carrying capacity is 75% of normal.
Speed: 2 Squares, Fly 6 Squares
Biological Radar: Speakers use their natural ability to emit and sense electromagnetic waves in the 6GHz range to see in the absence of light.  This grants them blindsight out to a range of 30 squares, but certain materials can block this ability.
Nocturnal: Speakers are naturally nocturnal creatures.  Until a Speaker spends a week adjusting to diurnal life (that is, sleeping during local-night and being active during local-day), it is considered -1 step on the condition track as a persistent condition.
Light Blindness: Without the aid of items like sunglasses, Speakers suffer a -5 penalty to all visual Perception checks and a -2 penalty to all attack rolls in standard lighting conditions.
Psionic-Immune: Speakers are immune to Psionics.  Nobody knows why. They’re seen as dead-zones to psionically-talented creatures.
Languages: Speakers communicate with each other via electomagnetic waves in the 6GHz frequency range, and cannot communicate with other species that cannot comprehend these signals without using electronic assistance.


WARRIORS (GM Approval Required for use as a player character)
+32 STR, -4 DEX, +32 CON: Warriors are colossal titans of cybernetics, living flesh, and weapons system.  Their bulk renders them strong, tough, and not agile.
Size: Colossal.  As Colossal creatures, Warriors take a -10 penalty to their Reflex defense and a -20 penalty to their Stealth checks (except when making them as a starship would – in which case they take no penalty).  They gain a +50 bonus to their Damage Threshold, and carry 20 times the weight they normally would.
Speed: Fly 12 Squares, Starship 3 Squares
Vacuum Immunity: A Warrior suffers no ill effects from vacuum-related hazards.
Living Starship: A Warrior uses their Intelligence modifier when making ranged attacks instead of their Dexterity modifier.  They suffer no penalty for carrying a heavy load.  They are considered to be starships with 20 emplacement points, and can gain additional emplacement points by reducing their carrying capacity by 5 tons per emplacement point gained.  Pilot is always considered to be a class skill for Warriors.  They can be repaired by the Mechanics skill and healed by the Treat Injury skill.
Languages: The Warrior’s natural communication takes place through low-frequency radio waves in the 30 to 300 KHz range.  They cannot communicate with other species without mechanical assistance.
Starting Equipment: A Warrior starts play with a 3-square speed sublight drive.