[Reposting] NEW Alien Race Competition

This is a repost of the NEW alien race contest (the original was lost in the crash). The contest is being extended to Friday 7th October to make up for the lost time. If you have the PDF of N.E.W. The Science Fiction Roleplaying Game, or you have a hardcover on its way but would like another for your gaming group, all you have to do is devise a playable alien race using the guidelines in the book and post it here. The best entry (chosen by me!) will win a free full-colour hardcover of the game.
The NEW core rulebook contains a handful of fairly basic alien races - Humans, Venetians, Spartans, Ogrons, Borians, Felans, and Androids - designed to be fairly simple to play (and, of course, EONS Magazine has the manhunting Drahzik and the plant-based Solurials). But the universe is a big place, and there is infinite scope for infinite diversity. Whether your alien race is a human with pointy ears, an intelligent insect, or a cloud of mist, every race has something about it which makes it unique.

• Post your race(s) - one per post; I'll delete any posts which are not a race (ask questions elsewhere please!)
• I will choose the winner, based on utility, originality, detail, formatting, rules compliance, and that secret sauce (you don't have to get all gonzo to attract attention, though)
• You retain copyright of your entries; they will be left in the thread for others to enjoy
• You may enter as many times as you wish, but please keep each to its own post
• The winner gets a free hardcover of NEW The Science Fiction Roleplaying Game
• Good luck!

Cephalo

A mature uplift race just over twenty thousand years old, the Cephalo were uplifted from an octopus like race on a world where most life was based on triple radial symmetry. Looking not unlike a nine armed Octopus, they support themselves at roughly human height on three arms in a tripod fashion, with the other six being used for manipulating objects. Each tentacle ends in three smaller tendrils, four to six inches long, which serve as fingers. Their 'head' is their central body mass, and their mouth, like a terrestrial octopus, is located underneath in the center of their tentacles.

The Cephalo were uplifted by their creators to serve as low to mid level functionaries. Clerks, data administrators, ships navigators and helmsmen, engineers, and so on. When originally created they were divided into several different sub-species based on the job/skill area they were meant to work in. One of the main jobs they were rebuilt for was operating multiple computer systems and performing multiple jobs at once. As such their brains were compartmentalized to facilitate high function multitasking.

The Cephalo have themselves uplifted a couple client races, the crustacean based Cralth, uplifted to serve as warriors and bodyguards, and the friendly and diplomatic Zalfph, uplifted from a Lemur like race to serve as ambassadors and social proxies.

Size: Medium

Attributes: Agi +1, Log +2, End +1

Skill Choices: Wrestling, Ambidexterity, Swimming, (see Exploits)

Exploits
Social Caste: All Cephalo belong to one of three social castes based on their ancestral sub-species, which determines at least part of their training and aptitudes. Pick one of the three following Skill Categories [Academic], [Vehicle], [Technical]. Add that category to your skill choices for your racial skills. At least one of your race skills must come from that category.

Many Arms: While standing a Cephalo has six usable arms, and while sitting all nine are usable. This allows you to hold and use many things at once. You are limited to two attacks and must use the dual wield rules for doing so, but may wield multiple weapons that require multiple hands. I.E. A Cephalo could attack with two phaser rifles, but both attacks would be at -2d6 and the second attack would have to be Agi based.

Multitask: Cephalo may perform an additional action each turn with no penalty as long as one of those action is primarily mental or console input based. You could both pilot a ship and use gunnery to fire the weapons as long as both consoles were at it's station, or climb up a ladder while using two arms to look up information on a data pad. A Cephalo could even safely play Pokemon Go while Driving.

Gaelzh

The Gaelzh are an incredibly old race, uplifted nearly 3 billion years ago. Little is remembered about their creators, save that they were apparently cruel and sadistic monsters, they uplifted races purely to see if it was possible, and led by the Gaelzh their creations turned on them, wiped them out entirely, and erased their names from history.

The Gaelzh maintain that they were created as something somewhere between a dare and a joke by a race of sociopaths. Unlike most uplift races that were created from near sapient animals, the Gaelzh were built up from non-sentient plants. A Gaelzh is a seven foot tall humanoid mass of tough woody vines, studded with a number of different types of carnivorous plants. Fly-traps, Pitcher plants, Sticky pads, lobster pots, and more, often in combinations not seen in nature, grown all over their bodies. Gaelzh are obligate carnivorous unable to subsist on a non-meat diet, their typical food supply is a mix of large insects, small rodents, and occasional birds. They kill their food and then deposit it into their various pitchers and traps to be digested.

Gaelzh were never really geared towards a specific purpose as most uplift races were, and coupled with their long history and independent development after the overthrow of their makers, individuals can tend towards any area of focus or skill. A Gaelzh is just as likely to be a warrior, a mechanic, or a pure math scientist.

Size: Medium

Attributes: Str +1, End +2, Will +1

Skill Choices: [Academics], Axes, Hardy, Botany, Entomology, Survival

Exploits
Hybrid Species: Because the Gaelzh were created from a mixture of many different plant species, even to this day different aspects crop up in them. Select 1 of the following exploits to represent an innate species trait.
– Blooms: Your pitchers derive from a stock that used bright colorful flowers to attract prey. Your body is covered with beautiful sweet smelling flowers. +1 Charisma
– Thorns: Your vine mass is derived from a type of briar or bramble. You are covered with sharp inch long thorns. They are still part of your living vine, so you can control them enough to touch others without doing damage. Anyone striking you unarmed or attempting to grapple you, or grappled by you, takes 1d6 damage each round from the thorns.
– Corpse Flower: Somewhere on your body is a Corpse Flower, a flower that mimics the scent of decomposing flesh to attract scavenger insects. Normally this is retracted inside your vine body, but the smell still leaks out. However, as an action you can fully expose this bloom and pump it's scent production. While not in use, this imposes a -1d6 penalty to social situations because you stink (unless you're dealing with a race that likes the smell of carrion, anythings possible…), when Exposed this deals 1d6 points of poison damage to all non Gaelzh and advances them one step on the Nausea status track. After such a use the flower needs to rest for several hours to refill it's aromatics.
– Caustic Attack: Located around your body are a number of both pitcher plants and stick pads that produce and unusually Caustic digestive fluid. When you make unarmed attacks you may choose to use these as part of the attack, dealing 1d6 Acid damage instead of your normal unarmed damage.

Wood Body: The tough woody vines that make up your body are more resistant to damage that animal meat. You gain SOAK 3.

Tangle Vines: You are able to snake small vines out from your body to entangle the legs and feet of others. As part of a close combat attack, for 1d6 target is knocked prone.


Rare Cultivar
[[2d6 +6 years]]
Origin Career

Prerequisites: Gaelzh

Attributes: Str +1, End +1, Wil +1, Cha +1

Skill Choices: Law, History, [Developmental], Negotiation, Leadership

You are one of the rare members of your species who exhibit multiple hybrid traits. You may come from a family line of Rare Cultivars, or you may be the result of selective breeding, or even genetic alterations. Whatever the case, Rare Cultivars are seen among the Gaelzh as natural leaders, and are prepared from a young age for such roles.

Rare Cultivar: Select a second Exploit from the Gaelzh racial Hybrid Race exploit list.

I happened to be reading on here and saw this post. I don't play the game, but found it intriguing enough to take on this challenge to create a new alien race.
Based on the free preview and the posts above this one, I used that information to come up with the best idea I could and leave it open enough to fill in the blanks that I clearly do not know how to address.
All in all it was an enjoyable experience letting my imagination ride. I only hope that my creation finds some good people with even better ideas on how to make this creation a reality. ENJOY!
Please excuse any of the disjointedness that you might see below. I ran with my thoughts as they came, but the organization leaves a little to be desired.

Onyxian (Mercurians)

The Mercurian race is actually a microscopic colony race which has learned to live inside and manipulate mercury-like atoms for their own benefit. By symbiotically joining together and using their extremely high sensitivity to the others around them, they have learned to collaborate as one being in a much greater capacity than individually. This allows each of the Mercurians to specialize in just one aspect of living and become something greater overall (Onyxian). This sort of colony symbiotic relationship over time has allowed them to be known as the Onyxian race.

Mercurians are constantly being created. When three adjoining Mercurians reach full maturity they will start creating new Mercurians with the make-up of all three. However, the rate at which new Mercurians are being created exceeds the rate at which they die. They live for about 2 years and are born at the rate of one every 1.9 years This allows for them to heal grievous wounds much faster than most other races. Without injury, the Onyxians will continue to grow in size. A very good indication as to the age of an Onyxian is by how large they are. New Onyxians are created on their home planet from the Pools of Origin.

The planet of Onyxia is highly toxic planet and extremely inhospitable. It’s atmosphere is literally liquid metal mist and gasses. They have however built a spaceport that allows other races to visit their planet. The planet Onyxia is where some highly sought after metallic compounds can be found which can be used to harness energy. They are traded on the market and used in spacecraft and various other technologies. Very minute amounts of these compounds can be found in the Onyxians bodies which allows them to harness energy from surrounding radiation which allows them to survive with no other sustenance. Cosmic radiation provides the most energy sustenance. They can eat and break down food for energy, but at a much slower rate than absorbing radiation.

Their bodies are capable of changing shape and density which allows them to be as liquid as quicksilver or as hard as diamond. The collective intelligence and heightened senses of Mercurians allows the Onyxian to excel in most everything they try. They have decided to take on the likeliness of humans but in some unique situations have taken on the form of other alien races. Mercurians and Onyxians are unisexual. Onyxians will choose to be female or male in appearance. They enjoy the intimate company of other races as opposed to being with one of their own kind. Even though it is enjoyable it’s like being with themselves. Their natural appearance is that of very shiny metal, but over the millennia, they have adapted to blending in by instantly pushing pigments to the atoms surface which allows them to take on the appearance of anything they see with flawless detail. The Mercurians are highly susceptible to heat and if they are exposed to excessive levels of heat (>200deg F), they start to die off until the last Mercurian dies. In a hostile hot environment, as a self-defense mechanism the Onyxian will encase itself in a cocoon made from its own dead layers to protect the rest of the colony of Mercurians in order to try to preserve life. If this happens, the Onyxian is completely helpless. An Onyxian can die from injury or heat, but if just one Mercurian survives and is returned to any one of the Pools of Origin its body can be regenerated over the period of one year.

The Onyxians are a very curious race and are always seeking to better themselves. Their biological makeup helps to make them very efficient infiltrators, spies, assassins, smugglers, negotiators, diplomats, combatants etc.

Size: Small to Large (Newborn 3’ Tall, by 50 Years old will be about 7’ Tall)
Attributes: Agi +1, End +1, Log +1, Wil +1, Cha +1
Skill Choices: [Combat Skills], [Developmental Skills], [Subterfuge Skills], [Social Skills],

[Exploits]
Symbiotic Perfection: Increased initial stat bonuses
Accelerated Healing: Faster Healing at Rest / Minor Regeneration
Environmental Tolerance: Able to survive on inhospitable planets as they don’t breath or intake anything other than radiation for energy
Shapeshifting: Is able to shapeshift into any form of the same mass. This allows them to also move as a liquid through small openings or even resist damage by changing the density of their bodies to become very hard.
Highly Inquisitive: This can have a tendency to get them into more trouble than not.
Heat Vulnerability: Highly susceptible to hot temperatures

Race Name: Kalmarran
History:
The Kalmarra system contains five worlds, but only three are habitable, orbiting a massive G2V star about three times the size of Sol. The homeworld Kalmarra III is a heavy gravity world (1.6 terran standard gravities), approximately the size of Jupiter in the Sol system with eight moons, two of which are heavily populated. Kalmarrans are an advanced spacefaring race.

Over a thousand years ago, the Kalmarrans suffered what is known as the “War of Shame”. Within a century of their first launch into local space, they had colonized two moons and explored the rest of their home system with robotic probes. But over the next two hundred years, societal pressures caused a racial rift between the homeworld and the colonies, resulting in a massive civil war that threatened to wipe out their entire race. After nearly half a century of war and over half their population dead, the Kalmarrans came to realize their society could end and, after another decade of discussion and arguing, the war ended. Since then, cultural integration has forced a change of focus from a “Pryde first” to “Race first” mentality with a matriarchal dominance due to re-population efforts after the War.

Physical Description:
The Kalmarrans are on average about 5 ½ feet in height, and about 350 pounds, with heavy musculature but a sleek predatory build. They are covered in thick fur with markings resembling terrestrial tigers. They have large retractable claws primarily used for climbing, but capable of doing tremendous damage in combat. They have large tearing canines as the race is carnivorous by nature. Genetic coloring and striping patterns are how families are denoted, and they are as varied as eye and hair color are in humans. The eyes are predominately light in color with shades of yellow, greens and blues being the most common. Darker eye colors such as hazel, black or purple are rarer and only seem to be found among the Leadership Prydes.

Society:
They value strength of body and spirit above all, and “to serve the Empire” is the goal of every single member of the species. The strong survive, and the survival of the race as a whole dominates their mindset.

They are creatures of duty, first and foremost. The politicians govern for the good of all; the historians document history so they can learn from the mistakes of the past and prosper in the future; the soldier fights for the continued survival of the race; the worker does what needs to be done to keep society functioning. They are generally unwilling to start conflict, knowing from their past the destructiveness of war and what it can do to a society, but they will finish what they start. Conflict between Kalmarrans is usually highly ritualized and to the first blood, for to kill another Kalmarran is seen as the worst crime due to the stigma of the War of Shame.

Kalmarran society is organized around three primary tiers or caste levels, based around a family/clan unit called a “Pryde”. The Prydes were originally named after great historical leaders whose names and contributions were lost in the ravages of the War of Shame so long ago. It took forced integration of some of the weaker Prydes after that awful period of time to allow the race to survive, and the names changed to reflect the distinguishing markings and purpose of the clan within society as a whole.

Leadership Pryde: the political and religious leaders and keepers of history, about 5% of the population. These Prydes either make up the government and lawmakers, determining how best to keep society functioning as a whole, or perform the role of religious priests, scholars, teachers, researchers, astrologers and the keepers of lore. Regal and well educated they are ambassadors to the Galactic community. They are also the ones most adept at harnessing the powers of natural or mystical energy. They combine the power of the mystical and technological in order to further benefit the race. Humans know this as technomagic and Kalmarrans are masters of this science.

Military Pryde: the primary military arm of the Kalmarran society, about 35% of the population. They are trained from birth to fight and protect the Kalmarran race at all costs. They are the police, peacekeepers and military all rolled into one, functioning and dying for the good of the race. These Prydes are the most likely to be magically enhanced to become “super-soldiers,” or to be awarded bionics or cybernetic enhancements to allow them greater survivability and combat effectiveness. The quickest to anger of all Kalmarrans, they are also the quickest to let a grudge die as they understand the frailty of life.

Support Pryde: the blue-collar part of Kalmarran society, about 60% of the population. They are the scientists, engineers, crafters, laborers, accountants, and other mundane roles of society. They serve the other Prydes in a support role, allowing the military to do what has to be done and the leaders to devote their energies to governing. They may be gene-gineered towards their particular skill set and cybernetically enhanced to allow them to perform their duties more effectively.

Typical Names: (Male) And’draa, Fel’nar, Kal’co (Female) T’gress, Ka’lee, Y’leen
Kalmarran naming conventions are as varied as Earth, usually based from historical family names, great heroes of history, the Pryde, or names associated with a particular coloring within the Pryde.

Statistics:
Size: Medium
Classification: felinoid
Age Range: 1-30 (Young), 31 – 75 (Adult), 76 – 120 (Old), 121 – 150 (Ancient)
Height: 5’2 to 6’0 (60 + 2d6 inches)
Weight: 300 to 400 lbs (280 base + 2d6 x 10)

Pryde: Select one type: Leadership, Military or Support
Attributes: All Kalmarrans gain STR +1, END +1 and INT +1. In addition they gain an Attribute bonus based on the type of Pryde selected as follows:
· Leadership Pryde: MAG +2, LUC -1
· Military Pryde: AGI +1
· Support Pryde: LOG +1

Skill Choices: skill selections are based on the Pryde type selected above.
· Leadership: [scientific], [lore], religion, negotiation, law
· Military: [combat], [unarmed fighting], [physical], intimidate, carousing
· Support: [technical], [crafting], [academic], [scientific], [other]

Exploits:
Fast: Kalmarrans are fast and nimble outside of their normal heavy-G environment. Add +2 SPEED and +5’ to both vertical and horizontal jump distances in environments with a gravity lighter than that of their homeworld (1.6g)

Claws: Kalmarrans are evolved from natural predators and have sharp retractable claws. Kalmarrans can choose to do 2d6 unarmed damage instead of the normal 1d6 by stating they are using their claws.

Brawny: adapted to heavy gravity environments, Kalmarrans increase their carrying capacity by 50% in environments with a gravity lighter than that of their homeworld (1.6g).

Acute Senses: Kalmarrans have excellent senses of smell and hearing, and gain a +1d6 bonus to INIT or Perception checks applicable to either of these senses.


Racial Origin: Kalmarran Magic Enhancement
Prerequisites: Kalmarran race, Leadership or Military Pryde
Attributes: WIL +1, LOG +1, MAG +1
Skill Choices: [physical], [lore], [magical]

This Origin may not be repeated.

Exploits: you have been enhanced to become a super-soldier (Military) or have a talent for technomagic (Leadership). Select one of the exploits below that is available to your Pryde (indicated in brackets).

Master of Magic (Leadership): gain MAG +1 and select one [magic] skill and one element [secret]. You also gain access to the Mage or Loremaster (select one) Archaic career paths.

Invulnerability (Military): gain 3 points of natural SOAK which stacks with all other sources of SOAK and 1 rank of Hardy. This SOAK does not work against Psionic or Magic based attacks.

Energy Blast (Military): you can shoot energy blasts of a specific energy type (fire, ice, cosmic energy, radiation, etc.) from some part of your body (hands, eyes, chest, mouth, etc.). Once per round, as one action, you can make a ranged shooting attack with a 20’ range increment against one target with an AGI vs. RANGED DEFENSE check. If the attack hits the blast causes 3d6 damage of the energy type selected. You must select the energy type and body part origin when this exploit is selected, and once selected they cannot be changed.

Regeneration (Leadership or Military): You can pause for two actions and recover 1d6 Health a number of times per day equal to the number of dice in your END dice pool. You also gain a +1d6 bonus to shake off the following conditions: Bleeding, Tiredness, Drowsiness, Intoxication.

Super Strength (Military): you can punch through battle armor. You gain 1 rank of Carrying and your unarmed attacks ignore the first 5 points of SOAK on the target if the target has a SOAK value of any kind. If the target has no SOAK value of any kind your unarmed attack instead deals +1d6 additional damage.

Controller (Leadership or Military): you can magically affect enemy targets to slow or incapacitate them. Using two full actions, you can make a MAG vs. MENTAL DEFENSE attack to impose one Step of one of the following Conditions on the target: Drowsiness, Nausea, Mobility, Tiredness. The Condition must be selected before the attack roll is made and lasts for 1 minute.

Enhancer (Leadership): your mastery of technomagic allows you to magically enhance an item and attune it to you. Select one item of 100 cost or less and one skill the item is applicable to, which cannot be changed once selected. You gain the item for free and it is considered to be high-quality and provides +1d6 bonus to the skill selected. This item can only be used by you and you can only have one item imbued at a time. If the item is lost or destroyed you can imbue another item of 100 cost or less to be applicable to the skill selected.

Note: this racial Origin can be modified to use super-powers when rules for super-powers become available.

RUXVIANS


Ruxvians are an intelligent, highly social, naturally-empathic race native to a number of heavily forested home worlds. Their diminutive stature, furry coats, and canine ancestry makes them look like a stuffed toy (humans have described them as looking like a border terrier mixed with a teddy bear), leading many to underestimate them. Skilled social engineers, psychologists, negotiators, and even manipulators when the need arises, Ruxvians who leave their home worlds can often be found serving as ship’s counselors or among diplomatic teams.


While generally pretty amiable, Ruxvians are not above exploiting their empathic abilities, jovial natures, and undeniable adorableness to get what they want.


Ruxvians stand a little less than waist-high to a human, on average. They are covered head-to-toe in shaggy fur, with coats ranging from white to wheaten to chocolate to black. They have expressive, liquid black eyes, a cleft lip, and upturned damp black noses at the end of short snouts, with short, floppy ears usually a shade darker than their fur. A slightly less common ethnic group among them have enormous upright ears that seem comically large for their heads; this group, the Korgandi, almost universally has caramel-and-white colored fur.


Ruxvians have a strictly matrilineal family structure; while adults frequently form romantic pair or group bonds, no particular social importance is assigned to male parents, whether bonded to a female partner or not. Ruxvian families consist of a mother and her pups, with her romantic partners, if any, rounding out the household but not considered part of the family unit itself. Extended families featuring unbonded grandmothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins are not uncommon. Polyamory is extraordinarily common but monogamous pair bonds or remaining without romantic pair bonds are also not uncommon and do not carry any stigma.


With no particular significance ascribed to reproductive relationships, same-gender and mixed-gender pair and group bonds are both quite common, and some other species might find the Ruxvians casual attitudes toward romantic relationships, sexual orientation, and sexual behavior fluid and somewhat cavalier.


Ruxvians have diploid gametes which almost invariably separate into two fraternal twins, one male and one female. In about one in ten thousand births, a single "superfemale" cub with an XXXY genotype results instead. These rare superfemales, while having a generally female phenotype, are not reproductively viable, and are socially treated as a third gender. They are culturally revered and frequently ascend to positions of leadership.


Size: Small


Attributes: AGI +1, CHA +2, PSI +2
Skill choices: Psychology, [psionic], [social], survival, hunting
Exploits:


Too Damned Cute: Ruxvians receive an extra +1d6 on any attempts to persuade or otherwise influence others due to their overwhelmingly cuddly appearance.


Naturally Empathic: Ruxvians automatically receive the Empathy psionic exploit. Many Ruxvians exhibit other psionic abilities, but empathy is universal.


Forest Ghosts: Surviving for eons in the forest among much larger predators, Ruxvians have become particularly adept in such surroundings. Even today, the Ruxvians may have left the forests, but the forest hasn't left the Ruxvians. They receive a +1d6 bonus to any dice pool that includes dice from the survival, hunting, or stealth skills (or other similar skills, at the GM’s discretion) when in forested terrain.


Captivating Saliva: When cornered and out of options, a Ruxvian who makes a natural attack can opt to bite. If this attack succeeds, it does only 1 point of piercing damage, but moves the target one step down the Charm status track. If the target doesn’t shake this effect off, it ends naturally after one minute, rather than the usual five.


Age: Young 1-50, Adult 51-150, Old 150+

Lavos

[FONT=&amp]
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[FONT=&amp]They are humanoid but, their faces are more rounded and bodies a bit more blocky. Their skin resembles cool black obsidian but don't let that fool you. They live longer and are a little larger then the average human and lava can be seen coursing through their body and all the ones I've seen have eyes that burn and their mouths glow red hot. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]They do however seem to have good control over their body temperature to the point that they don't burn everything they touch but don't get into a melee fight with one or you will get burned. They have also shown to have a resistance to fire and heat damage, although it's strange they don't have complete immunity. I once witnessed one get blasted square in the chest with a laser rifle and walk away with only a scratch and you don't want to know what happened to the poor sap who shot him, I can still smell the skin burning.... sorry got off track there. They do seem to have a weakness though, when they get cooled enough they turn to obsidian, although it is only temporary it seems and a scorching hot steam is produced melting the skin....sorry there I go again. I would just stand back if one does get hit with water or cold attacks. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]My studies have also shown them to be very resilient to poisons, drugs or alcohol, well anything that would need to enter their system, seem to have no effect on them. I would summize that typical poison would just burn up and be ineffective.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]The Lavos are also known for their craftsmanship with metals and stone, they craft wonderful weapons and works of art. The structures on their homeworld and their other scientific advancements have shown them to be fairly skilled engineers and blacksmiths. I have also had the opportunity to see one in combat and they are capable both in ranged and melee. As I mentioned earlier they can control their body temperature, when engaged in melee they have been known to lite their hands on fire (or a Lavos made weapon to which they prefer swords) and if they do hit you they will do fire damage as well since the target lights on fire, this effect does not work with non Lavos made weapons, they would just melt them if they did this which is why they have learned to control their temperature. I have also seen them be able to throw fire at their enemies although they seem to prefer melee. I have not been able to observe any in combat that are old as they tend to return home after a certain point in their life and leave the fighting to their younger counterparts. I will continue my studies into the old but unfortunately I will not have anything ready for this short publication. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]The Lavos come from the volcanic world the humans call The Oven. The actual name has not been shared with any outsiders (including myself) and they have one known enemy that I'm aware of, the Icarians of the planet Icaria to which they have been at war with for hundreds of years, neither gaining any ground on the other. The war of fire and ice and it's spectacular to watch...from a distance, you do not want these races waring on your planet though and if they are coming you best leave.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Llothos[/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Ability scores: +2 endurance, +1 strength,+1 wisdom , -1 charisma[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Skills: Concentration, Blacksmithing, Brawling, Engineering, Swords, rifles[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Exploits: [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Fire resistance +10 soak fire/heat damage (includes the +3 from natural armor)[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Water and cold weakness: +2d6 dmg and stunned for 1 round but this also has a side effect, the supercharged extremely hot steam that will be produced will cause 1d6 acidic damage to those within short range of the character for each round they remain in steam. Unless outside or in a very large room the steam will spread each round to the size of the room. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Inner fire: Lavos are immune to poison and other attacks that would require ingestion/injection.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Natural weapons: +1d6 fire dmg and combust on melee/ranged attacks. They can increase this by charging up and paying 2d6 per +1d6 of fire damage. This is on top of their regular damage.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Natural armor: +3 natural soak for all other damage except cold and water which completely negates this bonus[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Size: L [/FONT]

MATTARI

BACKGROUND
For hundreds of years the Mattari have inhabited thousands of worlds beyond humanity's reach. And, for the most part, life among them have been peaceful. But the Mattari had a dark secret few other species were aware of. Those few that discovered it generally did so under the heavy heel of genocide.

For the Mattari, self-preservation had bred the perfect expression. When a Mattari world became over-populated and food shortages began threatening the continuation of the species one-third of the population began consuming vast quantities of food until finally slipping into a fugue state. While dormant they're bodies were transported to 'hives' where interstellar ships were being built.

Once completed, the ships would launch with the dormant Mattari and a number of Mattari 'generals' on board. During travel the Mattari metamorph into nearly-mindless bestial warriors (called the Cherran.) The Mattari generals, dressed in disguising, decorative armor lead the Cherran soldiers to a new world where they would, effectively, decimate any intelligent species calling that world home. Half of the surviving Cherran would slip back into a fugue state and wake in the original Mattari form, with no recollection of the violence enacted. The remaining Cherran would wander away and die. So began the start of a new colony for the species.

But then, humanity arrived. In great, varied masses they settled among any habitable place they came to. And the Mattari recognized the way of their own demise. So, it was decided, by both state officials and leading scientists, the ways of the Mattari had to change. After decades of trial and error the Cherran trigger was strained from Mattari DNA. So done, the Mattari sailed out and greeted humanity in peace.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
Mattari range from 6' to 7' tall with crown-like bony ridges that ring the crest of the skull. Much of a Mattari's ruddy body is covered by sectional calcareous plates. The gaps between the plates once allowed the Mattari space to grow as it transformed into the Cherran.

Mattari make excellent diplomats, intelligence officers, or scientists.

Typical names (Male): Oneki, Erommo, Etumi, Utos, Ogin
(Female): Ynisa, Akelle, Irrus, Echin, Apis

Size: Medium

Attributes: INT +2, CHA +2

Skill choices: [Scientific], Negotiation, Bluffing, Law, Tactics, Pistols, Diplomacy

EXPLOITS

• Calcareous Plating. Mattari plates are incredibly tough, offering 2 natural SOAK to physical attacks.
• Demagogue. The Mattari find great pleasure in debating. They gain +1d6 to CHA attribute checks related to oration.
• Indomitable. Mattari are very secure in their own headspace. This gives them a +5 bonus to MENTAL DEFENSE.
• Cherran Trigger. Some Mattari are throwbacks to an earlier time, becoming enraged when they slip past half HEALTH. The Cherran Trigger causes the Mattari to physically change, becoming larger and more brutish. They gain STR +2, 2 natural SOAK to physical attacks.
  • Countdown: The player should begin an END (Medium) Countdown. At each Stage of the Cherran Trigger the player must make an END check vs a Challenging [13] difficulty. If the player fails the check the character moves one step on the Anger Status Track. The Mattari may be stabilized by an ally with a CHA check vs. WIL.

This contest is now closed. 8 great new alien races!

I'll choose the winner over the next few days. Thanks to you guys who entered - it's been a real fun reading your creations.