All,
I looked at the rules for building your own species in N.E.W. (with dots, that's an acronym, what does it mean?) on pages 238-239, and here is a rough draft on a couple of Star Wars species. There was really no mention of balance, so the Wookie below my see a little overbaord with exploits. However, I feel these items would not unbalance a game as many are more are for flavoring than actual use as a games mechanic, such as denoting their long life span or the life-debt. The rules suggest shying away from negatives attributes. However, Wookies are often depicted as short tempered. Also, as with Chewbacca in RotJ, they might find it too temping to not grab a hunk of meat off of a stake when it's an obvious trap. (Chewbacca failed a WIL check on that one.)
Also, there is no mention on Languages in NEW, other the Linguistics skill listed under Academic Skills. I have included languages for these templates. Unless a species warrants not understanding Galactic Basic, Basic, common, or a similar "all inclusive" language, all species, at a minimum, would speak their native tongue and an all inclusive language like Basic. More languages can be learned with the Linguistics skill (as with Pathfinder), or if your GM allows, purchased with XPs depending on level of fluency: broken, fluent (roll CHA to initate a native), or native (no roll required to imitate a native.
Please let me know if I'm on the right track because I plan to do a few more Star Wars species (some of the main ones), the main Babylon 5 species (Narn, Minbari, and Centauri), and maybe even a few Star Trek species (Klingons, Ferengi, Vulcans, etc.). I can't upload to Download section yet, or at least I didn't see an upload button, so I'm posting them here...
My favorite rules for Starships was d6, so I might do some spaceships using a more Star Wars d6 feeling template. I perfer their speed charts.
TWI'LEKS
Twi’leks are a hairless species that stand roughly the same height as Humans. Their most noted feature is their Lekku, often referred to as head-tails, which forms part of their language. Skin colors vary, but most Twi’lek tend to be various shades of white, red, blue, and green with others being purple, pink, and orange. They are known for being charismatic and shrewd. Twi’lek females are regarded across the galaxy for their beauty and are often taken into slavery. Twi’lek culture allows for the legal selling of their children, usually daughters, into slavery. Many do this in order to survive occupation or the harsh life on Ryloth. Twi’lek are governed through clans with the five clan heads forming a ruling council. Even in the pursuit of honorable deeds, Twi’lek adventurers tend to following criminal careers, such as Con Artist, Gangster, Street Thug, or Smuggler.
Statistics
Size: Medium
Attributes: +1 END; +1 INT; +2 CHA; +1 to any other attribue except WIL
Skill Choice: Bluffing, carousing, [performance] (usually only for Twi’lek children sold into slavery), insight, negotiating, perception
Languages: Twi'leki and Galactic Basic
Exploits
Secret language. This character may use their lekku to speak to other Twi’lek in a secret language that even protocol droids have a hard time translating.
Low-light vision. Accustomed cave-life on Ryloth, Twi’leks can see in dim illumination with no penalty.
WOOKIES
Wookies are tall, averaging 7 feet in height with some as tall as 9 feet. Their homeworld is a jungled planet Kashyyyk. Typically covered in varying shades of balck and brown fur, older Wookies may have white fur. Known for their mechanical aptitude, they are often targets of slavers. Many Wookies are short-tempered, prone to violence when injured or when they lose at games. However, they are also capable of great kindness, compassion, and express loyalty to friends.
Statistics
Size: Medium (less than 7 feet) or Large (7 feet or taller)
Homeworld: Typically Jungle unless born or raised off-planet.
Attributes: +2 STR; +1 END; +1 LOG; -1 WIL
Skill Choice: Bowcaster, climbing, engineering, hunting, intimidation, [outdoor], perception
Languages: Shyriiwook and Galactic Basic (understand only)
Exploits
Bowcaster. Essentially modified rifles, Wookies may use Bowcaster when firing rifles. However, due to the exotic nature of the weapon, others may not use the Rifle when shooting a bowcaster.
Wookie rage. When the Wookie, or one a life-debt has been pledged to, is in imminent danger, the Wookie may become enraged on a failed Challenging [13] WIL check. When the Wookie’s HEALTH is dropped below half during combat, the Wookie may become enraged on a failed Difficult [15] WIL check. These checks are performed each round as needed. While enraged, the Wookie becomes reckless, giving attackers +2d6 bonus to hit, but gaining +1d6 to their own attacks. Additionally, any melee attacks gain +1d6 damage. A Wookie’s rage will not end until the Wookie calms themselves down (succeeds a WIL check using the difficulties above), all foes are defeated, their HEALTH is restored above half, they are incapacitated, or another character succeeds to calm the Wookie at a Difficult [15] CHA (include appropriate skills such as Persuasion).
As a roleplaying element, the GM may ask the Wookie for a Routine [10] WIL check to avoid becoming enraged from a situation that might anger the Wookie, such as losing in a game of holochess. On a failed check of this type, the Wookie begins smashing objects, starting with the thing that made the Wookie mad, or the Wookie attacks the person making them mad. Each round, the Wookie rolls a Rroutine [10] WIL check. A success means the Wookie regains composure. A failure means the Wookie continue their temper tantrum. Wash-rinse-repeat until a Routine [10] WIL check succeeds, another player calms the Wookie down with a Routine [10] CHA check, the target of the Wookie passes out, or the GM determines enough damage to the object (or surrounding area) has taken place. Example: While losing at holochess to R2-D2, Chewbacca is asked to make a Routine [10] WIL check. Luckily he suceeds and only voices his anger and does tear the legs of of R2-D2.
Wookie linguistics. Wookies can understand most languages, but can only speak Shyriiwook.
Claws. The Wookie’s claws allows them to climb equal to their SPPED. This also gives the Wookie 2d6 unarmed damage. However, using claws in combat in considered dishonorable. A Wookie may make an unarmed damage check with or without claws.
Life-debt. Not given lightly, a Wookie may swear unyielding loyalty to another. This is due to heroics that go above-and-beyond the act. Han Solo not only saved Chewbacca from Imperial slavery, but in doing so, sacrificed a promising career in the Empire. A life-debt means the Wookie will follow the other character, even into places they don’t want to go, help in their activities, etc. Chewbacca rarely left Han Solos’s side, travelling all over the galaxy, and participating in illegal activities with him (within reason of course).
Long-lived. Some Wookies have been known to live 400+ years. Young: 1-25. Adult: 26-300. Old: 300+. This assumes the use of career times as given and not modified as suggested for long-lived species, such as with Elves in Fantasy Careers.
Fierce. Their reputation as fierce warrior, along with their short temper and tendency to use violence gives them +1d6 on CHA checks to intimidate other characters.
I looked at the rules for building your own species in N.E.W. (with dots, that's an acronym, what does it mean?) on pages 238-239, and here is a rough draft on a couple of Star Wars species. There was really no mention of balance, so the Wookie below my see a little overbaord with exploits. However, I feel these items would not unbalance a game as many are more are for flavoring than actual use as a games mechanic, such as denoting their long life span or the life-debt. The rules suggest shying away from negatives attributes. However, Wookies are often depicted as short tempered. Also, as with Chewbacca in RotJ, they might find it too temping to not grab a hunk of meat off of a stake when it's an obvious trap. (Chewbacca failed a WIL check on that one.)
Also, there is no mention on Languages in NEW, other the Linguistics skill listed under Academic Skills. I have included languages for these templates. Unless a species warrants not understanding Galactic Basic, Basic, common, or a similar "all inclusive" language, all species, at a minimum, would speak their native tongue and an all inclusive language like Basic. More languages can be learned with the Linguistics skill (as with Pathfinder), or if your GM allows, purchased with XPs depending on level of fluency: broken, fluent (roll CHA to initate a native), or native (no roll required to imitate a native.
Please let me know if I'm on the right track because I plan to do a few more Star Wars species (some of the main ones), the main Babylon 5 species (Narn, Minbari, and Centauri), and maybe even a few Star Trek species (Klingons, Ferengi, Vulcans, etc.). I can't upload to Download section yet, or at least I didn't see an upload button, so I'm posting them here...
My favorite rules for Starships was d6, so I might do some spaceships using a more Star Wars d6 feeling template. I perfer their speed charts.
TWI'LEKS
Twi’leks are a hairless species that stand roughly the same height as Humans. Their most noted feature is their Lekku, often referred to as head-tails, which forms part of their language. Skin colors vary, but most Twi’lek tend to be various shades of white, red, blue, and green with others being purple, pink, and orange. They are known for being charismatic and shrewd. Twi’lek females are regarded across the galaxy for their beauty and are often taken into slavery. Twi’lek culture allows for the legal selling of their children, usually daughters, into slavery. Many do this in order to survive occupation or the harsh life on Ryloth. Twi’lek are governed through clans with the five clan heads forming a ruling council. Even in the pursuit of honorable deeds, Twi’lek adventurers tend to following criminal careers, such as Con Artist, Gangster, Street Thug, or Smuggler.
Statistics
Size: Medium
Attributes: +1 END; +1 INT; +2 CHA; +1 to any other attribue except WIL
Skill Choice: Bluffing, carousing, [performance] (usually only for Twi’lek children sold into slavery), insight, negotiating, perception
Languages: Twi'leki and Galactic Basic
Exploits
Secret language. This character may use their lekku to speak to other Twi’lek in a secret language that even protocol droids have a hard time translating.
Low-light vision. Accustomed cave-life on Ryloth, Twi’leks can see in dim illumination with no penalty.
WOOKIES
Wookies are tall, averaging 7 feet in height with some as tall as 9 feet. Their homeworld is a jungled planet Kashyyyk. Typically covered in varying shades of balck and brown fur, older Wookies may have white fur. Known for their mechanical aptitude, they are often targets of slavers. Many Wookies are short-tempered, prone to violence when injured or when they lose at games. However, they are also capable of great kindness, compassion, and express loyalty to friends.
Statistics
Size: Medium (less than 7 feet) or Large (7 feet or taller)
Homeworld: Typically Jungle unless born or raised off-planet.
Attributes: +2 STR; +1 END; +1 LOG; -1 WIL
Skill Choice: Bowcaster, climbing, engineering, hunting, intimidation, [outdoor], perception
Languages: Shyriiwook and Galactic Basic (understand only)
Exploits
Bowcaster. Essentially modified rifles, Wookies may use Bowcaster when firing rifles. However, due to the exotic nature of the weapon, others may not use the Rifle when shooting a bowcaster.
Wookie rage. When the Wookie, or one a life-debt has been pledged to, is in imminent danger, the Wookie may become enraged on a failed Challenging [13] WIL check. When the Wookie’s HEALTH is dropped below half during combat, the Wookie may become enraged on a failed Difficult [15] WIL check. These checks are performed each round as needed. While enraged, the Wookie becomes reckless, giving attackers +2d6 bonus to hit, but gaining +1d6 to their own attacks. Additionally, any melee attacks gain +1d6 damage. A Wookie’s rage will not end until the Wookie calms themselves down (succeeds a WIL check using the difficulties above), all foes are defeated, their HEALTH is restored above half, they are incapacitated, or another character succeeds to calm the Wookie at a Difficult [15] CHA (include appropriate skills such as Persuasion).
As a roleplaying element, the GM may ask the Wookie for a Routine [10] WIL check to avoid becoming enraged from a situation that might anger the Wookie, such as losing in a game of holochess. On a failed check of this type, the Wookie begins smashing objects, starting with the thing that made the Wookie mad, or the Wookie attacks the person making them mad. Each round, the Wookie rolls a Rroutine [10] WIL check. A success means the Wookie regains composure. A failure means the Wookie continue their temper tantrum. Wash-rinse-repeat until a Routine [10] WIL check succeeds, another player calms the Wookie down with a Routine [10] CHA check, the target of the Wookie passes out, or the GM determines enough damage to the object (or surrounding area) has taken place. Example: While losing at holochess to R2-D2, Chewbacca is asked to make a Routine [10] WIL check. Luckily he suceeds and only voices his anger and does tear the legs of of R2-D2.
Wookie linguistics. Wookies can understand most languages, but can only speak Shyriiwook.
Claws. The Wookie’s claws allows them to climb equal to their SPPED. This also gives the Wookie 2d6 unarmed damage. However, using claws in combat in considered dishonorable. A Wookie may make an unarmed damage check with or without claws.
Life-debt. Not given lightly, a Wookie may swear unyielding loyalty to another. This is due to heroics that go above-and-beyond the act. Han Solo not only saved Chewbacca from Imperial slavery, but in doing so, sacrificed a promising career in the Empire. A life-debt means the Wookie will follow the other character, even into places they don’t want to go, help in their activities, etc. Chewbacca rarely left Han Solos’s side, travelling all over the galaxy, and participating in illegal activities with him (within reason of course).
Long-lived. Some Wookies have been known to live 400+ years. Young: 1-25. Adult: 26-300. Old: 300+. This assumes the use of career times as given and not modified as suggested for long-lived species, such as with Elves in Fantasy Careers.
Fierce. Their reputation as fierce warrior, along with their short temper and tendency to use violence gives them +1d6 on CHA checks to intimidate other characters.
