ZEBULON’S GUIDE TO THE FRONTIER ALIENS CONVERSION

Here is a follow up to yesterday’s post. This time around I try adapting the alien species introduced to the Star Frontier’s game in the supplement Zebulon’s Guide to the Frontier for Stars Without Number, revised edition.

While I used the rules for alien player characters in page 231 of the SWN revised, I took many liberties, and attempted to balance them in other ways. This approach still requires some playtesting, and that is exactly why I’m sharing this document. For this conversion I am using my Character Creation House Rules and Grappling rules I wrote for the game.

These are the alien Foci for each of the species:

IFSHNIT

Link to the Star Frontiers Wiki entry for Ifshnit

Ifshnit Species Focus

Level 1 Benefits:

• Attribute Score Bonus Modifiers: Ifshnits gain a +1 bonus to their Intelligence and Wisdom modifiers, up to a maximum bonus of +3. (Strong Attribute, SWNr p.231)
• Nictitating Membrane: The nictitating membrane in an ifshnit’s eye prevents them from being blinded by any bright light. (Innate Ability, SWNr p.231)
• Traders: Ifshnit culture is heavily based on barter and they learn about trading at an early age. Ifshnits receive the Trade skill as a bonus. (Origin Skill, SWNr p.231)

Ifshnit Species Drawbacks:

• No Sense of Smell: Ifshnit have no sense of smell, they have trouble understanding the concept of scent. Any Notice skill check directly related to smell fails automatically.
• Slower: Due to their size ifshnits move only 6 meters when taking a move action.
• Small and Frail: Due to their smaller size and frail nature Ifshnits have a -2 to opposed checks at attempts to force movement (SWNr p.54) whether they are the attacker or definer, or when grappling (see Grappling House Rules). When calculating the number of ready and stowed items an Ifshnit can carry (see Encumbrance SWNr p.62), do so as if their Strength was two points lower. They cannot use weapons with an Encumbrance 2 rating unless they are custom made to their size.
• Special equipment: Armor for Ifshnits must be custom-made outside of a planet where they are a majority of the population. They must procure it from someone that manufactures it to their specifications, but usually it has no additional cost. Encumbrance 2 weapons made for other species are too large for them to wield properly. Ifshnits build equivalent of these weapons for their needs. If they are acquired in a planet where they are a majority of the population, they have no additional costs, on other worlds they cost costs an additional 5% to 10% (1d6+4).

 HUMMA

Link to the Star Frontiers Wiki entry for Humma

Humma Species Focus

Level 1 Benefits:

• Attribute Score Bonus Modifiers: Humma gain a +1 bonus to their Constitution and Wisdom modifiers, up to a maximum bonus of +3. (Strong Attribute, SWNr p.231)
• Poison Resistance: A combination of a dull senses of smell and taste, with a natural physical resistance, means humma can eat almost anything edible. They cannot get food poisoning from food or drink that does not require a saving throw. They get a +2 bonus to Physical saves to ingested poisons. (Innate Ability, SWNr p.231)
• Prehensile Tail: Despite their short arms, humma can use rifles and other range weapons with no penalty; but their arms are ill suited for medium and large melee weapons, using such melee weapons arms results in a -4 penalty to attacks. However, their powerful and large prehensile tail (2 meters long) can hold items, such as medium and large weapons, and can be used to attack with a weapon, grapple, or to deliver a melee blow (1d8+1 Damage, 2 points of Shock, AC 13). To attack with the tail, grapple, or use it to hold a melee weapon and attack with it, requires the humma’s concentration, not allowing them to use their arms for other attacks. Humma cannot throw weapons with their tail, nor can they operate any device requiring even the simplest motor skill. They can however, hold items with their tails, and attack normally. The tail can support a Humma’s weight for a total number of rounds equal to one plus their Constitution bonus. (Innate Ability, SWNr p.231)
• Spring Charge: A humma’s powerful legs allow them to jump great distances. Humma can jump 14 meters horizontally, 7 meters vertically, as a Move Action. When they first jump next to an opponent and attack in melee on the same round, their attack has a +1 to hit and +1 to damage. They can Spring Charge a number of times per day equal to one, plus half their level rounded down, plus their Constitution modifier. (Unusual Movement Mode, SWNR p.231)

Humma Species Drawbacks:

• Special equipment: Armor for Humma must be custom-made and costs an additional 15% to 25% (1d10+14) unless acquired in a planet where they are a majority of the population.
• Gruff and Uncouth: Humma are rude, lewd, pushy and arrogant. Any skill check related to Charisma, unless it is an attempt to intimidate, suffers a -2 penalty.

 MECHANONS

Link to the Star Frontiers Wiki entry for Mechanons.

Mechanons as they appear in Star Frontiers are better represented using the VI Player Character rules in Stars Without Number (SWNr p.221)

OSAKAR

Link to the Star Frontiers Wiki entry for Osakar

Osakar Species Focus

Level 1 Benefits:

• Fast: Their unique body structure and size allows for faster movement across all sorts of terrain. They can move 14 meters when taking a Move Action. (Unusual Movement Mode, SWNR p.231)
• Keen Sense of Smell: An osakar’s sense of smell is so keen they can identify people by smell and even track creatures by it. Any Notice skill check related to their sense of smell receives a+2 bonus. (Innate Ability, SWNr p.231)
• Large and Stable: A Osakar’s four legs and size grant them +2 to opposed checks when attempting force enemy movement (SWNr p.54) and grappling (see Grappling House Rules). (Innate Ability, SWNr p.231)
• Learned: Osakar culture values education, and in their quest for self-expression, they study and learn about academia and the sciences. Osakar receive the Know skill as a bonus. (Origin Skill, SWNr p.231)
• Linguist: Their unique vocal structure which allows an incredible range of sounds and mimicry, their love of learning, and natural affinity for learning languages makes osakars natural linguists. They know additional languages based on the level of their Know skill, one more at level-0, three more at level-1, six more at level-2, ten more at level-3, and all known languages at level-4, as per the PCs and Languages Rules, see SWNr p.26. (Innate Ability, SWNr p.231)

Osakar Species Drawbacks:

• Special equipment: Armor for Osakars must be custom-made and costs an additional 15% to 25% (1d10+14) unless acquired in a planet where they are a majority of the population.
• Unnerving: Their unique appearance, other specie’s inability to understand their non-verbal expressions, or even tell them apart from one another beyond the clothes they wear, coupled with the shifting and unique tones of their voices; means most other species find the Osakar unnerving. They suffer a -2 penalty to checks with the Talk skill with other species, except the Ifshnit, who have grown accustomed to the Osakar through years of trade and contact.

Here is a link to the Zebulon’s Guide to the Frontier Aliens in PDF, and a PDF of yesterday’s D20 Future Heroic Alien Species conversions.

Just like yesterday, I would appreciate your comments and observations of the conversions. Did you like them? Did I make these aliens too powerful when compared to the rules in SWN or the ones on the previous post? I look forward to your comments. The art used in the post is the original illustrations for these aliens in Zebulon’s Guide to the Frontiers, the rights belong to the publisher, to the best of my understanding, and are used here so readers know what the look like.