Rules XSDF Races, Lore, Classes, and Rules

[ZombieSplitter53]

The following is a section devoted to the various alien species, lore, classes, and basic rules. that will be seen in the new role-play starting a near the end of the story, and continuation of the X-COM role-play, "Story of Defiance".

Please note that, unlike last time, these are more a general idea of who the aliens are and what to expect from them then straight, sterile rules. I am always open for questions on any of them, of course, publicly or privately.

 

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Human:

Str: 5-7 Int: 6-8
Dex: 5-7 Per: 5-6
Con: 5-7 Wil: 6-9
Psionic Potential: 4-6
Psionic Range: All, One Major w/ two minor

Average Height: 5' 7"
Average Weight: 177 lbs
Average Lifespan: 75 years

Bio:
Bipedal mammals from Sol 3, known to the inhabitants as Earth. A species with moderate stats across the board.

Humans are a species driven by an odd combination of emotion, instinct, and logic. Until recently, they were often known for fighting amongst themselves for reasons ranging from land disputes to ideologies.

The humans caught the eye of a collection of beings known as the 'Followers of the Path', spearheaded by what were known at the time as the Ethereals (see Humilitias), and containing beings from a variety of species, many involuntary subjects. They were targeted for both their genetic adaptibility and psionic potential, and were attacked to encourage them to develop in both those fields with the hope of eventually bringing them into 'the Path'.

The humans were prepared to fight, however, thanks to a heads up from a crashed scout vessel. They used the Ethereals' weapons against them, from their technology, to the psionics and gene-mods, to their crafts. Thanks to their main defense force, X-COM, with the assistance of an organization know as Legion, as well as a number of dissidents in the Path's ranks, including several Ethereal generals, the humans succeeded in eliminating the Ethereals' highest ranking officials, including their Exalted Commander. The rest of the Ethereals surrendered, and as part of the conditions of their surrender, their subjects were released, all aggressive actions against other planets ceased, and they were ordered to assist all who suffered under them.

With their technology having leaped forward in all fields, some by decades, others by centuries, the remnants of X-COM formed the eXtra Stellar Defense Force for the sake of regulating the spread of the new technology, and to prepare for the eventual move to intergalactic travel and alien relations.

The XSDF had its hands full, as it constantly fought with the various countries of the world pushing their own interests, the spread of illegally owned tech on the grey market, and the general need to maintain a balance between power and trust. For nearly a decade, the organization tettered on the brink of destruction.

Ten years after the end of the human-Ethereal war, a number of Ethereals returned to Earth, this time in a mission of peace, headed by a former ally turned religious figure, and preaching the true Path being one of enlightenment and the spread of peace and prosperity to others, not the forced subjugation of those who resisted. They brought with them two former enemies turned allies, the Tamearins and the Ardenians, as well as the means to give the humans the final push towards global unity, or at least closer then they had before, including further advancements in medicine, material and food production, finalizing their capacity for space travel, and the means to terraform other worlds.

For the last fifteen years, the humans have started to push beyond their own solar system, careful not to rub anyone the wrong way as they solve their problems with overpopulation with off world colonies, increase previously dwindling supply of materials not native to Earth, such as Elerium, and explore the galaxy.

At the head of these efforts is the XSDF, always concerned with the peace and prosperity of humanity as a whole and alien relations. Humans aren't quite to the 'one planet, one nation' point, but with the help of the resources of the galaxy, the XSDF hopes to help it reach that point some day.

 

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Humiliata (Ethereal):

Str: 1-3 Int: 7-10
Dex: 3-5 Per: 7-9
Con: 2-4 Wil: 6-9
Psionic Potential: 10
Psionic Range: All, Two Major, Two Minor

Average Height: 7 feet
Average Weight: 70 lbs
Average Lifespan: 2000 Years

Bio:
Bipedal mammals from the planet Aethereum, with low physical stats but high mental stats.

After the development of "The Path", a religion of sort that revolved around the development of psioncs, it eventually led to the central way of life of these people. They grew to see themselves as the most superior species in all the universe, gods in mortal form, and took on names from other societies that reflected this, such as the human label "Ethereal". Despite movements to discredit what the Path was turning their society into (see Case File 112-3: The Doubter of the Path), it became the focal point of their people, the reason for their existence. It was believed that, through the advancement of psionics, one would eventually reach 'Ascension', an other worldly existence of unprecedented knowledge and power.

When Ascension eluded the Humiliata for centuries, they began to fear the strength of mind was not enough, and a combination of both a strong mind and strong body was needed. If this was true, it was unlikely the Ethereals would ever achieve it, as their focus on increasing their mental strength over generations had neglected their physical form, and by this time, it was only their incredible psionic power keeping their deteriorated bodies from falling apart.

And so, they traveled the stars, spreading the word of the Path to all, whether they wanted to hear it or not, confident that the Path would lead them where they needed to go, and anyone who rejected the Path simply didn't know better. As the centuries passed without Ascension being obtain, more and more desperate measures needed to be taken to hide certain truths from the general populace. Few knew exactly how little say those races that failed to ascend had in serving the Ethereals, the military and government eliminated all threats, from resistance groups to entire races, and heavily censored the spread of information on the home world. Those who spoke out or threatened to bring the truth to Aethereum were lucky to be exiled. Usually, they simply disappeared, never to be found.

So hated were the Ethereals that a last ditch, suicidal assault was committed by a variety of anti-Ethereal resistant groups, targeting the home world. While these attackers were all but destroyed, they succeeded in spreading an illness that deactivated psionics in one effected, something that was fatal to the Ethereals. Sadly, most of the 60% of the lost population were citizens, and Aethereum had to be abandoned. The Ethereals took the remaining populace to Earth, one of their greatest hopes for Ascension, as well as one of their most difficult opponents. The Exalted Commander of the Ethereal military decided to kill two birds with one stone by destroying the resistance there and forcing the humans into subjugation, as well as taking the planet for the Ethereals' use.

The humans, however, proved more then he could handle. He fell, most of his highest ranking officials either died, fled, or surrendered, and most of his higher ranking officials already on Earth were already dead or on the Humans' side. With the destruction of the Ethereal Council of Elders by the Exalted Commander's own hands, the Ethereals likely would not have been able to maintain their society if not for the mercy of the humans. They helped them establish a new governing body, swore to defend them against those who would seek revenge (within reason), and gave them the means of battling the illness. In exchange, the Ethereals released all other races in their service, helped them to restore their worlds and societies, and ceased all aggressive actions across the galaxy.

Entering an era of penance, the Ethereals spread across the galaxy with a new purpose; correct the wrongs they had caused. One of the greatest forces behind this movement was Acra'siathi, who acted as an intermediary for the Ethereals and the other races, and Aergian'hynopheus, who sought to undo the damage her own research had caused. The Ethereals took on the name Humiliata, a word from Earth referencing their new humble means of acting.

Before long, the Humiliata home world was cured of the illness, thanks in large part to the efforts of Jan'tiala, a young Ethereal who had been indirectly responsible for the production of the illness. When her existence became well known, having been an experiment by the Exalted Commander, her father, many rallied behind her. She rejected it at first, but followed the advice of a human friend, and tried her hand at leadership. Wanting to help her people and undo the wrongs of her father, she began denouncing his way of the Path, and spread the idea that the way to Ascension was less a literal idea, and more a pursuit of the soul, one obtained by spreading the Path through good deeds, not through force.

Her way of thinking would not become the norm amongst the Humiliata, but it definitely had a following, with several of the Humiliata wishing to return with her to Earth to help undo the wrongs their people bought on them, as well as those from several other worlds who learned of her resolve.

The Humiliata are now dedicated to assisting others across the galaxy, even those who did not suffer under them. Whether they'll be trusted to do so is another question. Not everyone is as forgiving as the humans were.

Appearance and Personality:
The Humiliata are tall, gangly beings with two legs and four arms. Their light black bodies are shriveled and atrophied from lack of use, but their nervous system is one of the most advanced in the galaxy. They often wear large, intricate mask-like helmets over their heads, a part of their culture and their self-image, and they wear simple to complex robes, reflective of the status.

While having a fair degree of control of their emotions, the Humiliata can be quite given to emotional outbursts if pushed too far.

While they were humbled by their defeat by the Earth, many still tend to be arrogant, especially those that are unfamiliar with how hard they fell and how close they came to being completely destroyed.

 

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Sectoid:

Str: 2-4 Int: 7-9
Dex: 2-4 Per: 3-5
Con: 3-5 Wil: 3-5
Psionic Potential: 8-9
Psionic Range: Major Violet, Minor Blue

Average Height: 3'6"
Average Weight: 65 lbs
Average Lifespan: 22 years

Bio:
The Sectoids' home of origin is unknown, even to them. They are intelligent beings with high psionic potential, but are fairly low in all other stats.

The Ethereals found what few Sectoids were left in the universe on a small, barely functioning space craft not much bigger then a Supra Battleship. What few records had survived in their databanks implied that they Sectoids had fled their home after the nuclear fallout from their last great war left their planet uninhabitable. When they left, the other ships that had escaped were still fighting amongst themselves, though the inhabitants of this ship had the sense to flee the conflict. It is unlikely any of the other ships survived.

A combination of a small genetic pool to pull from due to the limited number of Sectoids on the ship, and the effects of the radiation, left them unable to reproduce normally, and thus they had to rely on cloning to keep their people alive. So much did they rely on cloning that subtle changes in their genetic code eventually made it their only option, dangerous when any defect in the genetic sequence that could be corrected by having a child with someone without that defect was no longer an option, and over time the number of different clones that could be made grew smaller and smaller. By the time they were discovered by the Ethereals, it is believed they only had between three and five DNA sequences left.

The Ethereals helped to stabilize this sequences, thus saving the race from extinction. In exchange, the Sectoids became some of their most loyal servants, and shared all they knew about psionics. Little could be done to enhance the Sectoids through their fragile genetic code, but some had the potential to be strengthened through heavy exposure to pure psionic energy, giving rise to the Sectoid Commander, and they were prime candidates for cybernetics, able to mentally sync with their artificial limbs with ease, giving rise to the Mectoids.

The Sectoids were split almost down the middle when given their freedom after the Ethereals' loss on Earth. The treatment of the Ethereals towards them had significantly deteriorated over the centuries, and many decided to leave and pursue their own interests, becoming sought after for their scientific potential. The rest remained by the Ethereals' sides, with the understanding that they would be treated more like equals, or at the very least, employees, as opposed to servants and slaves.

Appearance and Personality:
Sectoids have frail, pale bodies, tinted violet, and with no signs indicating sex or gender. They have bulbous heads, nearly as large as their torsos, with large, blank-looking eyes and no visible mouth, nose, or ears. An orange glow emanates from the center of their body whenever psionics are used, even to communicate telepathically, and this is likely the location of the organ that act as a physical psionic gathering pool.

The Sectoids' personalities generally come from where their genes came from, and thus you can usually find three varieties. The first are simple, neutral minded Sectoids, ones that usually only wish to do their jobs and have little time for others. Their loyalties are often dependent on what will work best for them, but keep them happy, and they'll work hard for you.

The second is similar to humans, prone to emotion, from joy, to anger, to fear. These ones are the most empathetic, and have the easiest time relating to others. Sadly for the image of the Sectoids as a whole, these are the Sectoids seen the least by the Ethereals' enemies.

The third are fairly angry and cruel. Their loyalties are often in question, though they made for excellent soldiers, as they did not hesitate to kill, except when their cowardice kicked in. Sadly for the image of the Sectoids as a whole, these are the Sectoids seen most by the Ethereals' enemies.

The nurture side of 'nature vs. nurture' brings about some variance, but not much.

 

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Replitan (Thin Men):

Str: 5-7 Int: 5-7
Dex: 7-10 Per: 6-8
Con: 4-6 Wil: 3-5
Psionic Potential: 1-3
Psionic Range: Minor Green, Very Minor Yellow

Average Height: 6' 3"
Average Weight: 120 lbs
Average Lifespan: 65 years

Bio:
Bipedal Reptilians from Epsilon Eridani 1, known to the inhabitants as Lorandani. They have mid level stat across the board, with the exception of their high dexterity and perception.

Replitans evolved on the planet closest to their youthful star, and came to be because the conditions are perfect there for a cold blooded being. Still, an ability to adapt to one's environment is still needed to rise up into an advanced species, and the Replitans can thank their somewhat unstable, ever-in-flux DNA for that.

The Replitans were at the same level of technology and society as humans when the Ethereals came, possibly even a bit behind, as they had yet to leave their own atmosphere. Either because it was still relatively early in their campaign, or because they saw little to no psionic potential in the reptilian aliens, the Ethereals were very direct in their attack, and the Replitans were conquered quite quickly.

The Replitans made for nimble and accurate fighters on the battlefield, with enhancements being made to their bodies to increase these strong points. Already producing a potent acid in their bodies for digestive reasons, and to spit for defensive reasons, the Ethereals modified them so they could not only release it as a gas, but they would automatically release it from wounds upon death.

The main use of the Replitans, however, came from the instability of their DNA, making for easy modifications to aspects of their physical nature over time. The Ethereals used this to alter their appearance whenever they needed to infiltrate a new planet. They couldn't adapt to every shape, but were quite effective with alien humanoids around their size.

Using them as infiltrators, naturally, required keeping their intelligence intact, but the Replitans were quite a defiant species. The Ethereals would eventually turn to mental programming and suggestion, implanted during initial training, to keep them in line, but the remaining defiant nature of the Replitans even after this showed why they never rose high in the Ethereals' ranks, despite their usefulness.

When the war ended, the Ethereals were forced to return the Replitans to their original state and to remove their programming. Very few Replitans stayed with the Ethereals after this. Most lashed out, often violently, and took off to find their way in the galaxy, with some help from whatever equipment, supplies, or crafts they could steal from the Ethereals on their way out. Some have found legitimate work, but most have turned to crime. Galactic pirate seems to be the most common profession for the Replitans nowadays. That, or government contracted spy.

Appearance and Personality:
In their original forms, Replitans appear as tall, incredible skinny humanoids covered in green scales, with large, yellow reptilian eyes. They are incredibly agile and flexible, and prefer light armor that slows them down as little as possible.

Replitans, as a whole, have a very abrasive attitude. They tend to be inpatient, and are quick to anger, especially when things don't go their way. They can be quite cunning, however, as well as deceptive. They are some of the greatest smooth-talkers in the galaxy.

On occasion, a decent-minded Replitan that seems to care about others besides themself is born. These are the exception, however, not the rule, and have no place in Replitan life in the eyes of their race as it is now.

 

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Balmadaar (Muton):

Str: 7-10 Int: 4-6
Dex: 4-5 Per: 5-6
Con: 7-9 Wil: 4-6
Psionic Potential: 1-3
Psionic Range: Minor Red, Very Minor Orange

Average Height: 8 feet
Average Weight: 400 lbs
Average Lifespan: 85 years

Bio:
Bipedal mammals from Tau Ceti 3, known to the inhabitants as Tal Shiar. They have high strength and constitution, and medium level stats in all other fields.

While not the most advanced of civilizations in the galaxy, the Balmadaar had a relatively peaceful society. Respectful of the nature around them, they lived in small to medium sized communities, in harmony with their surroundings. Producing strong warriors and hunters, there were conflicts with other tribes, but few conflicts that could be said to have escalated into full war. For the most part, different Balmadaar villages either got along with each other, or stayed out of each other's way. Conflicts that were seen as dishonorable or unfounded would draw the ire of all surrounding communities. It was rare for sides to be split enough for a war to start, though it did happen on occasion.

The villages were run by tribal leaders and warlords, who treated their followers like family. While the female Balmadaar were, for the most part, the more powerful, more aggressive sex, the males ran the villages, as the females were often seen as too aggressive. This being said, there were a number of communities that broke with tradition, included feared villages run by an all-female council.

Though fierce and noble warriors they may have been, the Balmadaar did not stand a chance against the advanced technology of the Ethereals. So soundly beaten were they that they were honor bound to follow the Ethereals. On occasion, a Balmadaar would stand against them in an attempt to regain his people's honor, but again, they could do little against the Ethereal's technology or psionics, and this would only act to further cement the Balmadaar's feelings that they were honor bound to serve.

The females were considered too wild, aggressive, and uncontrollable for the field, and were left in breeding camps. The males were genetically enhanced to increase their strength, learned how to use the advanced technology surprisingly quickly, and were subject to the occasional project to greatly enhance combat efficiency with a potent drug, which raised strength, willpower, and resistance to damage, with the side effect of throwing the Balmadaar into a wild rage, and usually causing permanent damage. These were known to the humans as Berserkers. The resistant warlords were replaced with controllable clones referred to as the 'Elites', though the Balmadaar saw their very existence as an insult.

Balmadaar honor, bound to the humans that defeated the Ethereals, was the only thing that stopped them from turning all of their wrath on their former masters. Instead, many were returned to their home world to attempt to regain some semblance of their old life. This was impossible for others, however, and they instead tried their hands at exploring the galaxy, looking for a noble cause to be a part of. Many of these Balmadaar would later return to Earth and offer their assistance to the XSDF.

The Elites, unwelcome amongst the rest of the Balmadaars at best, despised by them at worse, either remained with the Ethereals or went off on their own. Many of the latter did so in secret, and took technology they shouldn't have with them.

Appearance and Personality:
Balmadaars have red-tinted skin, are massive and muscular, and often wear heavy armor. They are imposing in nearly all aspects, and a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

Their memories were imprinted with high amounts of knowledge in combat tactics and weaponry along with their other genetic modifications, leaving them with little in the way of off-the-field personalities. The more intelligent ones, new generations, and those who have had their imprinted knowledge removed, are honorable beings, highly respectful of those who are strong, though they also respect those who stand strong against superior foes. They care little for the weak-willed and cowardly. Female's are often much more aggressive, with somewhat abrasive attitudes, but share their male counterpart's sense of honor and respect.

 

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Baʒir:

Str: 3-5 Int: 5-7
Dex: 5-7 Per: 3-5
Con: 3-5 Wil: 1-3
Psionic Potential: 2-4
Psionic Range: Blue/Green/Yellow, Two Minor

Average Height: 4 feet
Average Weight: 110 lbs
Average Lifespan: 45 years

Bio:
Facultative bipedal insectoids hailing from Sirius B 2, known to the inhabitants as Énto. The have fairly low stats, with the exception of dexterity and intelligence.

Naturally, the Baʒir required millions of years to evolve to a state that allowed for them to exist int their current size. The have some of the most advanced respiratory systems in the galaxy, needed to obtain enough oxygen to carry their heavy exoskeletons.

During that time, the Baʒir learned to fend off their predators, rather then simply over power them, and as such as oddly not on the top of the food chain on their home planet, despite being the most intelligent lifeform.

The Baʒir came to be quite intelligent in the field of engineering, and it wasn't long before they where able to build the technology to escape their predators and the world that held them. Their first stop was their own moon, where they encountered a giant, monstrous beast known as a Kerberant. The Baʒir fled back home and made no attempts to leave again.

The Ethereals, oddly enough, had little interest in the Baʒir at first, being more interested in the Kerberants. Eventually deciding these titans were too destructive to be of much use, they decided the Baʒir's talent for engineering skills could be used for building, running, and maintaining their ships. What's more, the Baʒir's near non-existant willpower made for beings that hardly resisted the Ethereals at all.

After the end of the Human-Ethereal war, as odd as it might sound, the Baʒir decided to stay with their former masters turned bosses. With the Ethereal's now under strict orders to treat them better, very few left them, and most had no desiger to return to the home world.

Over the last twenty-five years, the Baʒir have become quite the commodity. As word spread of their incredible talents in ship building, and that they were no longer under the forced ownership of the Ethereals, said Ethereals have had to fight to keep the Baʒir at their side, offering them more and more perks to stay with them. The Baʒir have never felt more needed.

Appearance and Personality:
The Baʒir resemble an four foot long version of an Earth cockroach, with a redish-brown exoskeleton and large, round, yellow eyes that act as a combination of humanoid eyes and compound eyes. While they technically have six legs, they are adapt at using them all as arms as well, and often stand on their back legs around other bipedal beings.

While moderately intelligent, the Baʒir are not very strong, and they know it. They tend to cower a lot, and avoid conflict at all cost. It is fairly easy to push them around, though they are not without their morals, and are quick to come to the aid of their own kind, or that of those they have grown close to.

The Baʒir can usually be found in groups of five to twenty, led be something of an alpha female. Whether she gets her position based on size and strength, or her position leads to an increase in size and strength, is unknown, but these females are usually slightly larger, stronger, and even more intelligent then the others, and look after them like a mother, regardless of whether or not they are related to them.

All male Baʒir have the capacity to turn female when needed, though the opposite does not seem to be true. Should a pack's leader die before a suitable replacement is chosen, and none of the females can fill the role, the strongest male will change sex and fill the role.

 

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Tamearin:

Str: 5-7 Int: 6-8
Dex: 5-7 Per: 6-7
Con: 5-7 Wil: 5-7
Psionic Potential: 6-9
Psionic Range: All, One Major or Two Minor

Average Height: 6 ft
Average Weight: 170 lbs
Average Lifespan: 85 years

Bio:
Bipedal Humanoid mammals from Alpha Centauri A 3, known to the inhabitants as Tamear. Medium level physical stats, medium to high mental stats.

Despite being far more advanced then humans, at least until recently (see File 448, Human-Ethereal War), their history is about as long, only spanning ten to twenty thousand years. Tales speak of a time in which invaders came from the sky to steal the Tamearins away from their home, which was eventually interpreted, after the discovery of alien life, to mean the Tamearin ancestors originated from another planet, and where taken off world to act as subjects of experimentation, subjugation, and slavery.

The Tamearins' masters eventually fell to what often claims such advanced people; their own arrogance. So superior in thought were they that they started infusing the Tamearins with their own genes in order to bring their slaves closer to their perfection, only to find out too late that, in doing so, they unlocked the potential for psionics that was hidden within their genetic code. Enough developed abilities to allow for an uprising, and using their positions to sabotage and knowledge of the weapons and facilities they were forced to build, the Tamearins' would-be masters were wiped out seemingly over night.

The Tamearins nearly shared their fate, struggling to develop a way of life that often led to conflicts. It did not help that they were often subjects to their wild, unchecked emotions as a result of their foreign DNA. It was through deep, painstaking psionic and meditative practices spanning hundreds of years that they eventually get their emotions under control. Becoming a people largely driven by logic and little emotion, they resolved their problems and worked towards a global community. They now seek to expand their knowledge through the exploration of the galaxy, and it is through this that they eventually met alien races.

Relation to the Ethereals:
The Tamearins had a conflict not unlike Earth, though the result was more of a stalemate then anything else. Taboos in their cultures resulted in them avoiding genetic modifications and cybernetics, but their psionic potential was through the roof thanks to their acquired Ethereal technology. Not ones to be driven by emotions, they settled for more of a draw with the Ethereals, their focus being on driving the Ethereals off their planet and keeping them off in the hope that they would take a hint and leave for good.

Whether this would have eventually worked or not is unknown, as the Ethereals eventually ended the war as a result of the terms of their surrender to the planet Earth. Additionally, the Ethereals offered to rectify the damage they had caused, and the Tamearins, not a people to give in to revenge or rage, cautiously accepted. They later journeyed to the planet of the ones who ended the Ethereal threat to the galaxy, and repaid them for their assistance with their own technology.

Appearance and personality:
Tamearins look remarkably similar to humans, with notable exceptions. Skin tone is generally light, and has a slight but noticeable red tinge to it. Most Tamearins have fairly long hair, especially older ones. Much like humans who develop psionics naturally, not only do the eyes of a Tamearin reflect their psionic color, so does their hair color. Tamearins are generally tall, almost always in excellent physical shape, have slightly pointed ears, and a prehensile tail with fur matching their hair color.

Tamearins have a higher psionic potential then humans, and tend to have more natural psions. A trade off to this is that Tamearins do not have the flexibility humans have, usually only having a single major color or, on rare occasions, two minor colors.

Tamearins take the idea of 'your body is a temple' to heart, and keeping their bodies in top condition through exercise and healthy eating is a given for them. They have strict social taboos regarding body alterations. While they have taken to unlocking psionics artificially, willing practice advance medical procedures as needed, and keep themselves groomed, any further changes are practically unheard of. It is not illegal by any means, it is simply ingrained in their culture as a result of their hatred for their former masters, including the forced manipulation of their bodies.

Because of this, cosmetic surgery is not done except in extreme cases, such as to correct a birth defect. Gene-mods are simply not done, and cybernetics done on purpose is unheard of, even during the conflict with the Ethereals. Their version of Tz6 went untouched. Even piercings and tattoos are not done. Makeup is the furthest they have come to any such acts. Even cutting one's hair is avoided if possible, though rebellious teenager have been known to dye their hair, which acts to hide their psionic color.

Tamearins have a very logical way of conducting themselves. This tends to make them sound cold, even condescending, to other beings. This is not to say they don't have issues with ideas of superiority, but they usually do not mean to come off in that manner. Occasionally, a Tamearin who is unable to take advantage of their people's mental control is born, and they are wildly emotional, usually when it comes to their temper. Sadly, these individuals have little place in Tamearin society, and despite attempts to assist them in developing control, more often then not, they become outcasts at best, outlaws at worse.

 

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Ardenian:

Str: 3-5 (8) Int: 6-8
Dex: 7-9 Per: 6-7
Con: 6-8 Wil: 6-7
Psionic Potential: 2-4
Psionic Range: Blue/Green, 1-2 Minor

Average Height: 7 feet (6 feet long)
Average Weight: 250 lbs
Average Lifespan: 95 years

Bio:
Quadrupedal mammals from Betelgeuse 5, known to the inhabitants as Centrivers. A species with impressive stats almost completely across the board.

Ardenians were, until recently, a species shrouded in mystery, thanks to their extreme Xenophobia. The Ardenians have a tendency to be an arrogant people, with at least a small amount of delusions of grandeur seemingly imbedded in their very being, though they are working on that (or at least claim to be).

The Ardenian level of technology was fairly impressive by the time the started traveling the stars, as they had been in no hurry to leave the safety of their perfect home. However, the growing needs of such a technology advanced people eventually demanded they start searching the galaxy for worlds to terraform and supplies.

It was a hard blow for the Ardenians weren't the only species in the universe. Worse still, one of the first crafts they encountered was an Ethereal fighter. The Ethereals had heard of the Ardenians from the few inhabited worlds they had visited, and saw potential for strong forces to rival their Balmadaar. The battle ended with the Ardenians throwing the self-destruct, deciding it was better to die then to leave anything that could help the Ethereals find their home world.

Encounters like this happened for years. The Ardenians had technology that rivaled the Ethereals, but their xenophobic attitudes led them to avoid their enemy rather then take them on. Eventually, the Ethereals started avoiding the Ardenians as much as they were avoided, growing tired of every encounter either the destruction of their ships or their enemies self-destructing. They did eventually learn the location of Centrivers, but when it was obvious the Ardenians would never use their technology, including Tz6, they left the Ardenians be, knowing they wouldn't be a threat.

When the Ethereals fell to the planet Earth, the Ardenians started to poke their heads out of their turtle shells a bit more again. They soon learned of the other species that suffered under the Ethereals, and a sense of how wrong it was for them to stay out of the conflict started to hit home thanks to a number of radical thinkers. If they were equal to the other inhabitants of the universe, they should have fought along side them. If they were as superior as they often thought, they should have used that superiority to take down the Ethereals themselves and helped those that could not measure up. Either way, it was wrong for the Ardenians to sit it out.

As a result of this, the Ardenians have spent the last twenty-five years (Earth time) attempting to become a larger part of the galaxy around them. Oddly, it was them that approached the Ethereals, and offered assistance in correcting the damage they had done. While they still have a sense of superiority, they can not help but look at humans with a degree of respect.

Appearance and Personality:
The first thought that would come to a human's mind when seeing an Ardenian is a centaur. Indeed, Ardenian stand on a set of four legs like a Earth horse, and have a humanoid upper torso at the end two arms ending with a pair of four fingered hands. They are cover with a thin, light-blue fur. They have large ears, a set of four eyes, two of which are on stalks on the top of their heads that can turn almost 360 degrees, and large slits instead for a nose to allow for the maximum amount of air intake for their oversized lungs and heart. Such organs are needed to power their powerful, swift legs.

Their dependance on such legs, and their technology, has led to their much less used arms to weaken over several generations. As such, they have fairly low upper body strength.

Ardenians have a long, thick tail as long as their bodies, tipped with a sickle like blade that fully develops by the time they adults. They can whip it forward and to the sides like a striking snake with deadly accuracy.

Ardenians have a 'center of the universe' point of view, and this often rubs others the wrong way. They do not mean offense by it, though they sometimes have difficulty understanding way others are so upset about the truth. Despite this view, they do wish to help others, almost seeing it as their duty, and can be valuable allies for those who learn to work with them.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Yorin & Tabora:

Str: 0/6-7 Int: 7-9/1
Dex: 1/4-6 Per: 1-2/5-6
Con: 1/6-8 Wil: 3-5/ N/A
Psionic Potential: 10/0
Psionic Range: Violet, Very Minor Mind Control Only/ N/A

Average Height: 2 inches long (Yorin), 6.5 feet (Tabora)
Average Weight: 1 lb (Yorin), 300 lbs (Tabora)
Average Lifespan: 20 years (Yorin), 85 years (Tabora)

Bio:
The Yorin have some of the greatest, most intelligent, most advanced minds you can find in a being about the size and consistency of an Earth slug. Living in darkness for most of their lives, tarpped in small bodies of water from which they were too weak to leave, the simple-bodied Yorin had their big break when they found, be accident, that they could wiggle into the ear canal of another species, reach and wrap around their brain, and take control of their bodies.

Their main targets for this became the Tabora. It takes a degree of control to overtake a normal sentient being, but the Tabora are as close to brain dead as one can be while still having enough intelligence to eat, sleep, and breath.

While not exactly a hive-mind, the Yorin a quite like-minded, and it was easy for them to work together to combine their impressive intellect with their new bodies and advance their society. However, there were few who trusted them at first when they tried their hands at moving beyond their own galaxy. Their relationship with the Tabora was viewed by many as parasitic, though they insisted that it was symbiotic. They argued that the mindless Tabora would be nothing without them, and the only thing that keeps them from killing themselves on a daily basis is the control the Yorin give them. Even their first pair came about because of this idiocy, as the first Yorin to control a Tabora nearly lost its partner, as the latter had somehow fallen in and was drowning in the small pond.

Many a conflict arose from this disagreement. The accusations on the Yorin, including that they would become greedy and eventually start taking over the minds of other species, became something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. When things became most dire for the Yorin, they were forced to turn to do infiltration and body snatching, turning captives into unwilling spies or using their impressive skills for their own purposes. This only intensified the hatred for them, and they were forced to flee their own section of the galaxy, in search of someone who would not assume they were their to steal their bodies.

Even now, tens thousands of light years from their homes, gone so long that most have forgotten its name, they remain reclusive. Their thought process is simple; if they avoid other people, those people can not accuse them. They are extremely cautious of who they trade with, and are slow to trust. It does not help that those resistant to this life style often break from the rest, frequently becoming body-snatching outlaws that give the rest of their people a bad name.

Appearance and personality:
The Tabora are large, bulky creatures, with dark violet skin, pudgy limbs, and a blocky head a fixed with a perpetual mindless stare when they are on their own. The Yorin a small, squishy, slug like creatures that come in shades of orange, red-orange, and yellow-orange. They are little more then nervous systems, brains in the shapes of slugs. Unlike their hulking counter-parts, they are completely defenseless on their own.

Yorin need to exit their hosts at least once every three days to absorb the nutrients from a synthesized version of the ponds and lakes they came from, or they will wither and die. Many an experiment has been done to find a means to get around this, from making the nutrients a part of the Tabora anatomy, to injecting it directly into the Yorin, but the pool is still the most effective manner.

Tabora have little to no mind of their own. So braindead are they that they can not even be considered to have willpower, as this would require the ability to sense danger. Yorin themselves are not willfull creatures, as even though they will survive if their host dies, as long as their brain is not hit, most Yorin choose a single Tabora for life and grow attached to it. A Tabora's life span is far longer then a Yorin's, and as such, they often act as a host for several generations of Yorin.

Yorin's are very intelligent, and their deductive and problem solving skills are top notch. They are worrisome of other races, however, not wishing to be accused and attacked as in the past. They tend to observe new aliens from afar, sometimes for years, before first approaching them. While it is a crime amongst Yorin to attempt to control sentient lifeforms, they can control all sorts of beings, including lower lifeforms, and as such, make for excellent spies using smaller animals that no one bats an eye at seeing.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Broodkin (Chryssalids):

Str: 7-9 Int: 1-3
Dex: 6-8 Per: 7-9
Con: 7-9 Wil: 4-6
Psionic Potential: 0
Psionic Range: N/A

Average Height: 5' 4" (5 feet long)
Average Weight: 200 lbs
Average Lifespan: 10 years (40 for broodqueen)

Bio:
Quadrupedal insectoids from a planet labelled in the Ethereal archieves as Planet 11B-25. Beings will high stats in most fields, but very low intelligence.

Records are few and far between documenting the origins of Broodkin, as they were primarily treated as possessions and weapons then actual living creatures, and documented as such. It is believed that they once had a level of advanced animal intelligence, and despite being insects, lived in small communities and treated each other in a similar fashion to Earth apes. An alpha female, known as the Brood Queen, acted as the main decision maker for the group, the other Broodkin relying on her to make choices that would benefit the pack.

They were also effective, deadly hunters, and this is what drew the attention of the Ethereals. Taking a significant sample size of the species and destroying the rest so no one else could use them, the Broodkin were experimented on and altered to turn them into killing machines. Their minds were wiped so they would not hesitate to kill, their chitlin plating strengthened so they would not fall easily while moving in for the kill, and after the ability to program an automatic death timer was developed, the Broodkin were modified to allow them to not only rapidly reproduce, but to turn their victims into weapons as well, by implanting an egg into their bodies, which would reanimate the body until the Broodkin could hatch shortly after.

Brood Queens were given the labotomy treatment too, and although they were even deadlier fighters because of their size, they were mostly kept off the battlefield, as their mere existence and link to the other Broodkin seemed to give the others strength, and only they could produce new Broodkin without implanting eggs into other creatures. However, what was once a cultural link turned into a strictly biological one, and the loss of a Brood Queen's sensory quills would result in her own children turning on her.

As the battle on Earth got heated, and the Ethereals feared they might lose the war, for the first time, they were forced to reassess their decision to turn the Broodkin into mindless monsters, making them impossible to work along side other ground troops. With no time for the extensive, generation long genetic modifications needed to correct this, the Ethereals instead turned to implants to exert the will of a psionically linked individual on them, as well as to supplement what little intelligence they had left.

After the war, Ethereal scientist did what they could for the Broodkin. Many were returned to their original state, or at least, as close to it as they could get, and released into the wild on a planet close to what was believed to be like their original home. Few were kept by the Ethereals, as their need to terrorize planets they were conquering was no longer applicable, but many were taken by those leaving the Ethereals in secret. Sadly, they can still be found in their most deadly state, circulating the intergalactic black market, and misuse has already led to tragedy on more then one occasion, with entire ship and colony populations being wiped out.

Appearance and Personality:
The Broodkin are large insects with four, pointed legs and two arms with razor sharp claws. They have beady, intense eyes filled with hunger and rage, feelers and quills that seem to work along with their bioelectric skin in finding prey, and vicious mandibles constantly drooling a paralyzing fluid, used when they implant their eggs into a victim. They are covered in purple chitlin plating that is resistant to damage.

Broodkin are mindless killing machines. Those that were rereleased into the wild have more semblance of intelligence, but aside from the planet they were released on, you are unlikely to find one in space.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Incubator:

Str: 6-8 Int: 1-2 (5-6)
Dex: 8-10 Per: 7-9
Con: 4-6 Wil: 4-6 (3-5)
Psionic Potential: 7-9
Psionic Range: Moderate Blue and Violet

Average Height: 1 foot (Height & Length)/3 feet (6 feet in length)
Average Weight: 15 lbs/100 lbs
Average Lifespan: 20 Years

Bio:
As the incubators came to be used by the Ethereals by another alien race second hand, it is unknown where they came from.

The incubators were supposedly on the top of their food chain, wild beasts with ferocious appetites. Over centuries, they Ethereals manipulated and molded them for a variety of purposes, each more useful then the last.

At first, they were simply used as attack animals, sent into battle to rip their opponents apart. This did not work for long, as they would either destroy valuable targets, or be destroyed by superior firepower. What they are now came about from one change or another in an attempt to make them more effective.

Too make them more controllable, the Ethereals used the incubators' high psionic potential to allow them to be linked to a controller. To make them better hunters, their brains were modified so their intelligence would increase when exposed to psionic energy. To make up for their large size and usual lack of armor, then incredible ESP was enhanced into precognition.

Unlike what some might think they didn't start out small and were made into their bigger, more deadly forms. Instead, they were genetically modified and breeded to give them their smaller forms. The Ethereal language would translate to "The infiltrator project", and they were given the ability to remain in smaller bodies until needed for combat, as well as the ability to camouflage themselves. Special care was taken to make them look as non-threatening in their smaller form should they be discovered.

After the Ethereal-human war, some of the incubators were left as they were for defense against those out for revenge against the Ethereals, while others were modified to restore them to their original forms, or at least as close as possible, and they were released on a planet believed to be similar to their original one.

Some, however, disappeared when several of the former servants of the Ethereals left, including the Muton Elites who fled to avoid the wrath of the Balmadaar enraged by their very existence, as well as a number of Replitans. They are now available on the intergalactic black market. Others still have been modified to make them unable to reach their battle forms. They make for excellent, intelligent pets, with (almost) no risk to the owners.

Appearance and Personality:
In their infiltrator form, incubators have large, round, red eyes. They can change the color of their fur at will, but usually stick with a pristine white. A human would say they look like house cats with arm-like appendages coming their ears, though these aren't actually controllable.

In their battle form, they look more like skinned tigers with razor sharp teeth and claws. Their comaflouging ability is largely tied to their fur, so they can not use it in this form.

Their personality is tied to who is linked to them. They have basic animal intelligence on their own, and moderate level intelligence when exposed to psionic energy. Neutral psionics give them a neutral, somewhat emotionless personality, while psionics from an actual psion will lead to a personality reflecting their control. For instance, an Ethereal with a dark, twisted mind will result in an angry, sadistic incubator that delights in hurting others, while a kindhearted human would result in a caring incubator. Their level of intelligence in battle also seems to reflect the one they are linked to.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

K’helaba (The Foolish Predecessors):

Str: 4-6 Int: 6-8
Dex: 4-6 Per: 4-6
Con: 5-7 Wil: 9-10
Psionic Potential: 6-8
Psionic Range: Red/Orange/Green (Major), Purple/Yellow/Blue Minor

K’helaba Backstory: (‘Dead’ Race)

The tale of the Outsiders begins with a world not unlike Earth as it is today. It was a beautiful habitable world containing lush floodplains, forests, highlands, and a race known as the K’helaba. They were a divided people, sorted into two major nations. On the first two continents was the empire of L’otio. They focused on genetics above other technologies, and practically shunned the crystalline robotics being developed by their rival nation of S’rama. What both had in common was a desire to develop the power of psionics.

By the year 3414 on the K’helaba calendar, a good 15% of the world’s 5 billion inhabitants had developed psionics, many of those ‘enlightened ones’ religious devotees, scientists, or philosophers that best displayed intelligence and their race’s uncanny strength of will. S’rama was developing space travel, and had perfected their crystal automatons that could be controlled psionically. Disaster would come around the corner from L’otio though. In their constant struggle against S’rama, they had developed a biological weapon that they intended to use to finish off their foes before the conflict could escalate into war again as it had forty years prior.

The nanite solution, bearing resemblance to MELD, was designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to target an organ endemic to the K’helaba. The organ was a critical one, a regulatory bundle of tissues that was related to their developmental stages. Unlike humans, who go through puberty and then reach adulthood, the K’helaba experienced their own puberty and then reached another crossroads in early adulthood at twenty revolutions.

The specialized organ helped keep the body functioning during an intermediary period of a year in which the brain further developed, unlocking the full potential of the mind and the superb will each K’helaba possessed in full adulthood. Without it, the nervous system would stop functioning at some point in this clinical coma, and that would spell immediate death. Any beyond that, any adult K’helaba that lost that organ to failure was doomed, as their brain would be overwhelmed and experience lethal hemorrhaging.

The bioweapon developed by the empire of L’otio was designed to destroy that organ so utterly that it was wiped from the affected person’s genome. On the eve of the new year, they launched the weapon into the lands of their rivals. The effect was immediate, S’rama reporting mass deaths of their adult population within days. In retaliation, they broke an old treaty prohibiting the launch of nuclear weapons, bombarding L’otio and killing tens of millions. Escalation lead L’otio to retaliate in kind, spelling the end of their race in a nuclear fallout that Earth had always feared for themselves.

When the dust settled after a mere four weeks, the planet was so poisoned by radiation and the bioweapon that not a single K’helaba was left alive on the surface. The adults had died from the bioweapon or the nuclear weapons, children solely the latter. But something did endure this ragnarok, resulting from an unseen consequence of the bioweapon.

Those that were experiencing their coma during the time were killed by the bioweapon, as intended. However, what L’otio did not foresee is that those in the final development of their brain did not experience hemorrhaging. Rather, their psionic power and mind was torn from their body, and they found themselves standing among the ruins of their world as what can only be described as psionic ghosts.

As these spirits tried to come to terms with what had happened to them and their home in the following year, wandering aimlessly, the last survivors of their race returned to the planet. Those aboard this colony ship were spared; there were about 5,000 men and women, and about the same number of children. They had decided to abort their mission to colonize a nearby world when mission control went dark, and set down on the planet. They could not have realized their mistake, for the tenacious bioweapon still existed, adrift in small amounts in the atmosphere.

The nanites latched onto the automatons that exited the landed but shielded ship to survey the planet, and endured the crystalline machines being cleansed of radiation. Within minutes of the androids setting foot in the commons area, the bioweapon spread, killing the adult half of the crew. The children were left, terrified, alone, and unsure of what to do until salvation arrived.

Projecting their consciousness into the crystal automatons, the spirits of those that died in mental metamorphosis came to aid the last hope of their race. They helped take care of the children’s basic necessities, while running an analysis of them, finding the sad truth. The regulatory organs required for metamorphosis were absent completely, with no hope of being synthesized without any genetic evidence that they had ever existed. But there was hope in that their spirits would at least endure the demise of their body. It was not the end for the species, but the true K’helaba were no more.

Proclaiming themselves the Ph’hyadha, or enlightened outsiders, the ghosts inhabiting crystalline shells promised to lead their slightly younger counterparts, the A’mkieko (Castaways), to a better future among the stars. Leaving their devastated, sorrowful world behind, these two stages of the species’ new cycle of life disappeared among the stars.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

The Outsiders: A race of two cycles, one of organic life, and another bonded to a machine.

A’mkieko (The Castaways, Adolescents):

Average Height: 2.2 meters (7 feet)
Average Weight: 86 kilograms (190 pounds)
Average Lifespan: 20 years

Str: 3-5 Int: 5-7
Dex: 4-6 Per: 3-5
Con: 1-2 Wil: 4-5
Psionic Potential: 2-5
Psionic Range: Orange Major and Yellow Minor [or] Green Major and Blue Minor

Overview:

The A’mkeiko are the adolescent Outsiders, weaker in will and intelligence than an adult K’helaba. These two factors also make their psionics significantly weaker than that of the second phase of their life. Secluded in the Outsider mothership, they are taught to enjoy their youth, for it will not last long. They have ten years of childhood, six of puberty, and four as young adults. The last 4 years are crucial, because that is the only chance they have to create the next generation of A’mkeiko before their coma followed by departure from their bodies. To do so, they find a life partner that will remain with them even after their metamorphosis.

They are never allowed to leave the ship under most circumstances, for fear that they will die, and if enough do, the race will perish with them. It is not such a horrible life though, wandering the halls and eco-chambers of a ship four or five times the size of an Ethereal supra-battleship. Their weak constitution, another by-product of missing the regulatory organ, means they are always cared for and watched over by the Ph’hyadha, and a guardian crystal android.

They have dark gray skin, as well as slanted heads and eyes. Towards the end of their lifespan their bodies seem to start to atrophy like the Ethereals.


Ph’hyadha (The Enlightened Outsiders, Adults):

Average Height: 2.2 meters (7 feet)
Average Weight: 109 kilograms (190 pounds)
Average Lifespan: 200 years

Str: 6-8 Int: 6-8
Dex: 4-6 Per: 5-7
Con: 5-7 Wil: 9-10
Psionic Potential: 7-9
Psionic Range: Orange Major and Yellow Minor [or] Green Major and Blue Minor

Overview:

The Ph’hyadha are born when an A’mkeiko dies during their comatose phase at the age of twenty. Their spirit parts with the failing body, often through assistance by existing Enlightened Outsiders, and comes to inhabit their guardian, called a K’mitra. They do not lose their memories, but rather bond with the machine while maintaining their sense of self. Not all A’mkeiko are so lucky, those without strong enough psionics dying before their 21st birthday. Those that endure, however, become Ph’hyadha. Living in this new shell, the Outsider is then allowed to stay on the mothership to guard the next generation, or to explore the stars for resources and knowledge.

Their K’mitra frame appears as an a android covered in armor plates, having a crystal core in the midsection protected by a durable crystalline structure around it. Extensions of this crystal can sometimes be seen on gauntlets, boots, or shoulderpads, even the head. Their armor is constructed from pure energy, as is the rest of their defenses. They come in two different color variants: orange and bronze for orange major psionics, or gold and dark green for yellow major psionics.

The Ph’hyadha are always seeking, curious but cautious. Unlike the old K’helaba, they are much more restrained, preferring to learn in peaceful manners and pursue the psionic powers each one of them has cautiously. They maintain a close bond with their life partner, often sharing pleasant daydreams in the dreamscape, or forming the occasional intimate mind merge. They keep a shared compendium of knowledge among their people, gathered from travels by Ph’hyadha.

Despite all they have been through and the changes experienced over around 250 years among the stars, the Outsiders maintain the monotheistic religious faith of their homeworld. Because of this, they refuse to embrace the potential immortality they could experience in their crystalline shells. After a maximum of 200 years of life as a Ph’hyadha, Outsiders give up their K’mitra shell, passing on while the crystal core is shut down and stored in something of a collective mausoleum within the mothership.


Relation to the Ethereals:

One exploratory Ph’hyadha vessel came into contact with an Ethereal battleship during the initial expansion of the latter. Although the Outsiders had technology of compare, they were severely outgunned by a true warship, and were overtaken by the enemy craft. The Ethereals eagerly wanted to replicate the psionic-bonded machines they had found, but were disappointed to realize that whatever inhabited the crystalline automatons quickly disappeared or died off.

While the Ethereals acquired new technological toys, the disaster that had befallen the scout vessel eventually became known to the Ph’hyadha assembly, the ruling body of the Outsiders. Distraught, they realized that as much as they despised war and all the suffering it had brought upon their people, they would have to better arm their vessels, should such an encounter take place again. Doing so, they also took on even more caution than before, becoming even more elusive of a people.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Silicids:

Baseline Silicid:

Average Length: 30 centimeters (11.8 inches)
Average Weight: 250 grams (8.8 ounces)
Average Lifespan: 185 years

Str: 4 Int: 9
Dex: 5 Per: 4
Con: 7 Wil: 1
Armaments: Hot Digestive Acids
Defenses: Body Membrane (Can harden)
Other Abilities: Assimilation of technology and materials

Life is carbon-based. This is the general rule that human scientists have gone by up until recently with the discovery of the Silicid by itself and in its disk-form known as the Cyberdisc. As silicon-based lifeforms, they evolved on an entirely different basis than humankind.

They originate from a planet distant to the other known inhabited worlds, one populated by mostly silicon autotrophs and a few heterotrophic lifeforms. While the slug-like creatures known as Silicids were rather intelligent, they lacked the ability to manipulate their environment as creatures with limbs could. However, this perceived weakness that caused them to initially be prey soon was dispelled by the realization that they could not only digest flora, but they could assimilate metals into their bodies as well.

This breakthrough came about in particular when a starship crashed near one of their cavernous hives. Curious, the Silicids there approached the fallen craft, and found dead humanoids, but more importantly, machines. The silicon slugs discovered that they could inhabit the automatons, control them, and even modify them with their adaptive cellular structure.

Armed with this newfound knowledge, they quickly utilized the machines to make more of their own, adapting and growing in power. The predators became an annoyance, and soon not a threat at all, though the Silicids elected not to exterminate them entirely without being sure that their own race didn’t need the ecosystem stable. Technology spread among the Silicids, and eventually resulted in the race coming together for the purpose of advancement.

As they looked into space travel, weapons, shielding, and other utilities, the sentient silicon lifeforms began expanding their machine’s variety and capabilities. The utilitarian humanoid Wardens that made up their first variant were soon joined by Needler repair and reconnaissance fliers based off the dragonfly-esque creatures they shared the planet with. Here was also where the Cyberdisc was invented, designed as a mechanical shell that a Silicid could comfortably adapt to and make its body for medium air support.

But that would not be the only designs they created. Spaceflight was achieved, and Silicids entered the computers of the ships in preparation for exploration and even conquest. They traveled to planets like their own, modeling a Mechound design based off predators they observed on worlds without sentient life. They encountered a spacefaring species of animal that gave rise to a heavy air superiority design requiring several Silicids, the Hyperwhale. Independently, they came up with the Rotor design for a light air support mimicking the adaptability of the Cyberdisc. Along with other designs to come, they had created a vast array of machines with some independent designs among different hives.

And the Silicids accomplished all of this without a central authority. They worked together in hives like tribal groups or clans, but there was typically no clear leader among them. Without collective intelligence, they still managed to operate on almost never-broken common consensus, like an army of intelligent ants.

Relation to the Ethereals:

One such clan reached star systems more familiar to humanity and the Ethereals, and created new variants based on what they saw. However, they were not the only ones to play the copycat. The Ethereals themselves came into contact with a scout vessel belonging to the Silicids, and commandeered it. They could not understand the strange thought patterns of the creatures completely, but they did learn enough to be able to control them. The same trick will not work again, at least, not on the affected clan.

This was a warning sign and a blow to the Silicids’ perceived superiority, teaching them that they must be cautious around the clever humanoids that inhabited this sector of the galaxy as they continue to expand the range of their exploration and outposts...

Gallery:

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Silicid Variants:

Durger: Possessing six arms and a body on treads, the durger fulfills its role as a worker unit. It can quickly build whatever is required of it, and move to new tasks with surprisingly speed. It has practically no ability to fight on its own though, able to pick up weapons but not able to fight any better than a rookie.

Str: 6 Int: 8
Dex: 7 Per: 6
Con: 4 Wil: 1
Armaments: None
Defenses: Basic Chassis
Other Abilities: Repair beams in palms and chest


Techound: Based off a predatory beast and borrowing from the Cyberdisc's 'disk' mode, the Techound is an assault ground troop the size of an elongated wolf, deployed in packs like the terrestrial animal. The Techounds can see in the visible light spectrum and heat spectrums with their optics mounted on the side of the head for maximum coverage. Their armor is painted black, and sleek for minimal friction resistance and a secondary form function.

Str: 7 Int: 5
Dex: 7 Per: 7
Con: 6 Wil: 1
Armaments: Alloy claws and teeth, pulse blaster in mouth, shoulder-mounted pulse carbines, gauss autorifle on back (occasional)
Defenses: Light alloy armor
Other Abilities: Can fold up into hovering 'speeder' mode for increased mobility and defense, limited to ranged external weapons in this mode.


Warden: Designed to mimic humanoid automatons or humanoid races themselves, the Warden serves a rather utilitarian form. They can be workers or soldiers, wielding drills or plasma weapons, and equipped with mining gear or a variety of armors. They possess three optics on their head. The first sees through the visible light spectrum, the second by heat imaging, and the third in infrawaves.

Str: 7 Int: 7
Dex: 6 Per: 8
Con: 6 Wil: 2
Armaments: Gauss Infantry Weapons (Normal), Pulse Infantry Weapons (Vanguard), Plasma Infantry Weapons (Elite)
Defenses: Light, Medium, or Heavy Armor (Can include flight capabilities)
Other Abilities: Can fulfill different roles like the XSDF classes


Steel Tortoise: Although it was based off observations of Earth, the Steel Tortoise has been adapted at large by the Silicids. Each one measures to about the size of a medium tank, characterized by a low-to the ground head and four sprawled out limbs, as well as a massive piece of armor over their back in the shape of a shell. It requires two Silicids to operate, one for mobility and the other for weaponry.

Str: 9 Int: 5
Dex: 2 Per: 3
Con: 9 Wil: 4
Armaments: Plasma Flak Cannon (Hidden in shell), Four Alloy Cannons extended by mechanical limbs hidden under the shell
Defenses: Durable Alloy Shell, Weak Shield Projector
Other Abilities: None


Battlebunker: A cross between a large terrestrial hovertank and a bunker, the ‘Battlebunker’ lives up to its name. Like a tank destroyer, it has a powerful weapon, and within it can house smaller fliers or Wardens to help defend it.

Str: 7 Int: 4
Dex: 5 Per: 5
Con: 8 Wil: 3
Armaments: Anti-armor fusion cannon, two plasma novaguns within ‘bunker’
Defenses: Heavy alloy armor and strong shield Projector
Other Abilities: Can house other troops within


Needler: A simple repair unit like the commonly-used drone, Needlers are designed for that role, as well as construction en-mass. They lack any strong weapons, not being a combat variant. They are not too different from Silicids in form, being very much flying mechanical slugs or dragonflies, though they have front tips like those of a mosquito.

Str: 2 Int: 7
Dex: 9 Per: 7
Con: 1 Wil: 1
Armaments: Spark Gun
Defenses: Basic Chassis
Other Abilities: Repair Beam


Locust: About the size of the seekers it is based off of, the Locust is a stealth reconnaissance and assassination unit. It is capable of flight and limited ground movement, but its real strength lies in its cloaking technology that renders it invincible to anything but elerium scanners and infrawave readers.

Str: 2 Int: 8
Dex: 7 Per: 9
Con: 3 Wil: 2
Armaments: Twin plasma sniper rifles mounted on its back
Defenses: Light alloy armor, cloaking device
Other Abilities: Can see in varied spectrums


Rotor: A spinning axle of death, the Rotors are fliers with the shape of the object they are named after. Each wing is equipped with a pulse blaster, and the craft can spin in mid-air for deadly coverage. Has a single optic in the center.

Str: 4 Int: 6
Dex: 8 Per: 6
Con: 4 Wil: 2
Armaments: Four pulse blaster-equivalents (one on each wing)
Defenses: Light alloy armor
Other Abilities: Can fold up for increased defense and mobility, unable to attack in this form however


Cyberdisc: A form of Silicid familiar to both humanity and the Humiliata. The Cyberdisc is, as Desperatio put it, a ‘disk form’ Silicid, and a powerful variant dating back centuries. Able to fold up into a saucer form for exceptional defense, and unfolded into a machine that evokes terror in the hearts of its foes, the Cyberdisc is not a threat to be trifled with.

Str: 7 Int: 6
Dex: 5 Per: 6
Con: 8 Wil: 3
Armaments: Gauss Precision Minigun, Plasma Grenades (x2), Two (x9) Missle Pods (Occasional)
Defenses: Hardened medium alloy armor, weak shield projector (Occasional)
Other Abilities: Can fold up into durable disk mode


Hyperwhale: The Hyperwhale is patterned after a spacefaring creature bearing resemblance to the terrestrial cetaceans. To operate the massive metallic frame, measuring anywhere from fifty to over a hundred feet long, dozens of Silicids are required. The end result, however, is an intimidating machine laden with weaponry, tough to kill, and smarter than it looks.

Str: 9 Int: 8
Dex: 3 Per: 6
Con: 10 Wil: 2
Armaments: Numerous gauss mini-turrets on the main body, particle cannon in mouth
Defenses: Heavy alloy armor, average shield projector
Other Abilities: Sonic pulse that can disable organic troops

Gallery:

Locust (Without Sniper Rifles or wings, but you can see where they would go)

 

[MarineAvenger]

Dreaconians (Drakes):

Strength (Str): 3-4 Intelligence (Int): 4-6
Dexterity (Dex): 7-9 Perception (Per): 7
Constitution: (Con): 3-5 Willpower (Wil): 4
Psionic Potential: None
Psionic Range: 0

Average Height: 7’4 ft
Average Weight: 120 lbs
Average Lifespan: 235 years

Weakness: Arms, Neck
Getting Around: Fast on two legs, Nimble on all fours and sixes
Senses: Acute
Sustenance: Insects, Fungi, Small Cave Animals
Intelligence: Moderate Intelligence

Weapons: Claws (Hand to Hand), Alien firearms

Physical Appearance: Dreaconians, (Also referred to as Drakes) come in two variations of their species.

Regular Drakes are usually shorter, around the size of a human, and only have a single pair of arms. On their arms, Drakes have four fingers and their feet have six. Their skin color is a dark maroon shade, their eyes a yellow reptilian iris. On the tops of their heads, large white spines grow out, either the Drakes have no hair or a long ponytail grow out the backs of their head. Their teeth are external, razor sharp with a deadly point on them, as well as two mandibles that come out the lower cheek.

Alpha Drakes are in very anatomically similar to their regular counterparts, except for a few key differences. Alphas usually have a lighter shade of red skin, usually no mandibles, but the biggest difference is that Alphas have an extra pair of arms, giving Alphas more maneuverability and combative options than a regular Drake.

Dreaconians are a very tribal people and by such, they are very outwardly expressive of themselves, often showing superiority or position with markings, intricately design clothing and masks, or piercings along the body. So, it is not uncommon to see any of these things, even with technological enhancements to themselves.


History: The home system of the Dreaconian race is Luhmen 16 which is located 2 parsecs to the Sol system. Around the binary star Luhmen 16 B, a terrestrial world, (Luhmen 16-4) orbits the sun in an oval shaped orbit.

The Drake home planet, designated Styx Prime, is a rocky planet that is covered primarily in high rises and mountains, with most freshwater underground and most animals small ones that can survive with the little resources the planet has. However, the planet is rich in mineral resources, mainly the element Tungsten, an element that is widely used by the inhabitants. However, unknown to the inhabitants of the planet, deep within their mountain reserves are pockets of the rare space substance known as elerium, a mystery to the planet’s people as they had never successfully mined it themselves.

The Dreaconians themselves are a people that have lived for a long time, compared to human history, their written history dating back tens of thousands of years, possibly even more that has been lost in time. Having adapted to the wild climate of their planet, having harsh winters and scolding summers, Drakes inhabit burrows made within mountains, large networks of tunnels and caverns connecting every underground Dreaconian city in some way.

The Dreaconians themselves are natural hunters, their dexterity and keen senses helping them survive over the long years. Technology had developed slowly though, the mindset for many years being that whatever worked was the best method. Guns did not come into play until late in their developmental period and when they did much changed in their lives. Constant wars were fought by numerous tribes and clans, all vying to be the most dominant in a large population. Some wars raged for a short period while the one featured most prominently in Dreaconian history, ‘The Great War’, had been said to last for thousands of years, not ending until a massive drop in people made the Drakes call a cease fire.

Hundreds of years after, with most wars thrown aside in an attempt to rebuild their people, the Drakes were faced with a whole new enemy, one that nearly threatened to bring them extinct, the Silicids. Coming to the planet in search of resources and more territory, the two species met in a head on clash that spiraled into an all out war on the Dreaconian side. With the environment adding a home field advantage to the native forces, they had won the first few skirmishes with the expeditionary forces and were not beaten back until the full force of the opposing scouting force came after them. With the war nearly lost, the Drakes were pushed back into their tunnels and forced to hold out, developing a new way to beat back the enemy, by playing their own game.
Using the bodies of dead Techounds and Wardens, and assembling them with captured Durgers, the Drakes implemented primitive but effective cybernetic enhancements to their bodies, allowing these natural hunters to take to the field and be more efficient. With time and guerilla tactics, the counter offensive worked for a while, pushing the invaders back until ultimately the two forces reached a stalemate. With both sides not seeing an end to the conflict, the Silicid forces grabbed as much elerium as they could mine while the Drakes learned and adapted the tech of their enemies into themselves. Soon the enemy retreated from the planet, leaving the Drakes to themselves.

This action however, resulted in tensions between the Drake people themselves. It was the normal Dreaconians who pursued the tech, but mainly the Alphas who had the ability to get them. This led to a rift between the two subspecies, a rift that was never truly mended. Now, any Drakes now have access to cybernetic enhancements, but it a majority of Alphas have it then the regular Dreaconians. Commandeering old warships and designing ones of their own from the wrecks of ones that couldn’t be saved, the Dreaconians set out, if not hesitantly, into space, trying to find more ways to improve themselves even more than before, and possibly finding an even harder opponent to hunt down.

Dreaconians (Both Masked and Unmasked)

 

[DarkGemini24601]

XSDF Soldier Classes (Part 1)

Private First Class:
This is what most soldiers start as. Rookies can only use SMGs, Carbines, Rifles, Heavy Rifles, Shotguns and all 3 sidearms to start out with, though they are not as limited with equipment. After their first mission, they will be evaluated to see what class they fit into, being promoted to specialist. (What class your character is promoted to is your choice. If you have no preference for some reason, they will be promoted to any class with less player characters than the others.) It has come to command's attention that senior soldiers tend to refer to PFCs as "Private Fried Chickens". Please refrain from doing so, it scares the rookies.

Scout:
Specialist - Training to increase the soldier’s speed and dexterity for dodging attacks.
Lance Corporal - Training to assist other soldiers in coordinating their efforts on the same foe, in taking advantage of height advantages, and increasing their reaction time.
Corporal - Training in how to to fight while alone, better techniques on how to flush enemies out of heavy cover, and specialized training with our more sophisticated battle scanners, and will have a special arm slot to carry two into battle.
Sergeant - Training for taking full advantage of all cover, targeting enemies in full cover, and specialized training to increase movement speed.
Tech Sergeant - Further training in weapon proficiency, tactical sense, and efficient use of battle aggression.
Gunnery Sergeant - Specialized training in the alien's vital points, physical resistance, and increased training and inventory slots for support grenades.
Master Sergeant - Training to teach soldiers how to quickly re-aim, allowing for rapid firing, special hit and run tactics, and rapidly taking out flanked and uncovered enemies.

Sniper:
Specialist - Training in triangulating enemy positions based on ally reconnaissance.
Lance Corporal - Increased training in use of sidearms, how to to fight while alone, and for taking full advantage of all cover.
Corporal - Training for the targeting of the alien's weapons, targeting vitals with sniper rifles, and taking quick aim with sniper rifles, even after movement.
Sergeant - Training for taking advantage of height advantages, efficient use of battle aggression, and targeting wounded enemies.
Tech Sergeant - Further training in weapon proficiency, tactical sense, and targeting enemies in full cover.
Gunnery Sergeant - Specialized training in the alien's vital points, fighting against multiple foes at once, and more efficient use of ammo and reloading.
Master Sergeant - Training for rapidly taking out flanked and uncovered enemies, extra training for sniper rifles and marksman rifles, and quick attack abilities so soldiers can take multiple shots at once from a prone position.

Infantry:
Specialist - Training for steadying weapon, allowing for the ability to fire rapidly from one position.
Lance Corporal - Additional mental conditioning, increased training for covering fire, and for targeting wounded enemies.
Corporal - Training for taking better advantage of opportunities, tactical sense, and efficient use of battle aggression.
Sergeant - Training for better suppression techniques, as well as for weapon proficiency for both primary weapons and sidearms.
Tech Sergeant - Training for efficient use of cover to protect against injury, more efficient use of ammo and reloading, and targeting enemies in full cover.
Gunnery Sergeant - Extra conditioning for more efficient performance in heavy armor, training for multiple shots while overwatching, and for fighting against multiple foes at once.
Master Sergeant - Specialized training in the alien's vital points, physical resistance, and training to teach soldiers how to quickly re-aim, allowing for rapid firing.

Assault:
Specialist - Training to teach soldiers how to fire efficiently, even after rapid movement.
Lance Corporal - Additional mental conditioning, training in how to flush enemies out of heavy cover, and in rapid reaction shots against enemies that get too close.
Corporal - Increased training in use of sidearms, tactical sense, and efficient use of battle aggression.
Sergeant - Training for rapid firing against both nearby enemies and enemies at a distance, as well as special hit and run tactics.
Tech Sergeant - Improved training in firing after rapid movement, further training in weapon proficiency, and extra conditioning for more efficient performance in heavy armor.
Gunnery Sergeant - Specialized training to increase movement speed, for efficient use of cover to protect against injury, and for fighting against multiple foes at once.
Master Sergeant - Training to increase the soldier’s speed and dexterity, training in the alien's vital points, and physical resistance.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

XSDF Soldier Classes (Part 2)

Medic:
Specialist - Specialized field medic training, increasing proficiency with medkits.
Lance Corporal - Increased training for covering fire, specialized conditioning to prevent panicking, and special training in medkits, allowing for the revival of critically injured soldiers mid-combat.
Corporal - Training to allow continued action after the use of smoke grenades and an extra slot to carry one, training for taking better advantage of opportunities, and special training in medkits, allowing for quick use without wasting actions
Sergeant - Training for better suppression techniques, for the the better use of medkits to cut down recovery time, and increased training and inventory slots for support grenades.
Tech Sergeant - Further training in weapon proficiency, and special use of denser smoke grenades equipped with combat.
Gunnery Sergeant - Training to fire and overwatch at the same time, specialized training to increase movement speed, and training to target alien vitals.
Master Sergeant - Training for multiple shots while overwatching, in inventory management so the soldier can carry more equipment, and in the use of more efficient medkits.

Support:
Specialist - Increased training and inventory slots for support grenades.
Lance Corporal - Increased training for covering fire, specialized training to increase movement speed, and special training in medkits, allowing for quick use without wasting actions
Corporal - Specialized conditioning to prevent panic, increased training and inventory slots for support grenades, and specialized field medic training, increasing proficiency with medkits.
Sergeant - Special training in medkits, allowing for the revival of critically injured soldiers mid-combat, training for better suppression techniques, and for efficient use of cover to protect against injury.
Tech Sergeant - Training to increase tactical sense, and special use of denser smoke grenades equipped with combat.
Gunnery Sergeant - Training for taking better advantage of opportunities, to fire and overwatch at the same time, and in inventory management so the soldier can carry more equipment.
Master Sergeant - Further training in weapon proficiency, training for multiple shots while overwatching, and in the use of more efficient medkits.

Engineer:
Specialist - Increased training and doubled inventory slots containing offensive grenades,
Lance Corporal - Training to increase soldiers reaction time, training to allow continued action after the use of smoke grenades and an extra slot to carry one, and training for better deployment of offensive grenades, both against enemies and the environment
Corporal - Training in the handling of heat warheads that deal additional damage to robots, training to assist other soldiers in coordinating their efforts on the same foe, and increased training and inventory slots for support grenades.
Sergeant - Training for better suppression techniques, further training in weapon proficiency, and proficiency training in the on-site repair of SHIVs and MECs.
Tech Sergeant - Extra conditioning for more efficient performance in heavy armor, training with denser smoke grenades, and specialized training with our more sophisticated battle scanners, and will have a special arm slot to carry two into battle.
Gunnery Sergeant - Training to fire and overwatch at the same time, for efficient use of cover to protect against injury, and in inventory management so the soldier can carry more equipment.
Master Sergeant - Training in the use of a shoulder-mounted, single shot rocket launcher, as well as additional training to increase grenade throwing distance.

Gunner:
Specialist - Training for better suppression techniques.
Lance Corporal - Increased training for covering fire, how to flush enemies out of heavy cover, and in assisting other soldiers in coordinating their efforts on the same foe.
Corporal - Further training in weapon proficiency, training in special heat ammo, which does increased damage to robots, and training to prevent panic.
Sergeant - Training to increase tactical sense, to increase area of effect of suppression, and in targeting wounded enemies.
Tech Sergeant - Training to fire and overwatch at the same time, to teach soldiers how to quickly re-aim, allowing for rapid firing, and quick attack abilities so soldiers can take multiple shots at once from a prone position.
Gunnery Sergeant - Training for efficient use of cover to protect against injury, extra conditioning for more efficient performance in heavy armor, and for fighting against multiple foes at once.
Master Sergeant - Special extra training for SAWs and LMGs, for extra resistance to damage, and training for multiple shots while overwatching.

Heavy:
Specialist - Specialized training for the use of rocket launchers.
Lance Corporal - Training for steadying weapon, allowing for the ability to fire rapidly from one position, in assisting other soldiers in coordinating their efforts on the same foe, and further training in primary weapon proficiency.
Corporal - Training for better suppression techniques, extra physical conditioning so soldier can carry an extra shredder rocket, and in efficient use of battle aggression
Sergeant - Training to increasing soldier’s reaction time, special training to increase rocket launch range, and training in special heat ammo, which does increased damage to robots.
Tech Sergeant - Training to improve tactical sense, training in the use of rockets with larger areas of effect, and increased training and doubled inventory slots containing offensive grenades.
Gunnery Sergeant - Specialized conditioning to prevent panic, training to fire and overwatch at the same time, and for efficient use of cover to protect against injury.
Master Sergeant - Training for taking better advantage of opportunities, extra physical conditioning to allow the carrying of an additional standard rocket, and training in the use of rockets with increased damage.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

XSDF Soldier Classes (Part 3)

Rocketeer:
Specialist - Specialized training for the use of rocket launchers.
Lance Corporal - Increased training for covering fire, training in the handling of heat warheads that deal additional damage to robots, and increasing their reaction time.
Corporal - Training to better aim with rockets, both while steadied and after movement, and training for better suppression techniques.
Sergeant - Extra physical conditioning so soldier can carry an extra shredder rocket, training to improve tactical sense, and training for taking better advantage of opportunities.
Tech Sergeant - Training to fire and overwatch at the same time, further training in weapon proficiency, and for efficient use of cover to protect against injury.
Gunnery Sergeant - Special training to increase rocket launch range, and training in the use of rockets with larger areas of effect and increased damage.
Master Sergeant - Specialized training to increase movement speed, extra conditioning for more efficient performance in heavy armor, and extra physical conditioning to allow the carrying of an additional standard rocket.

Paratrooper:

Specialist - Specialized training for significantly better aim and critical chance against airborne targets.
Lance Corporal - Training for taking advantage of height advantages,. tactical sense, and better suppression techniques.
Corporal - Training for effective use of battle aggression ,increased training for covering fire, and for targeting wounded enemies.
Sergeant - Extra conditioning for more efficient performance in heavy armor, further training to use cover efficiently to protect against injury, and an extra slot for a single smoke grenade.
Tech Sergeant - Further training in weapon proficiency with main weapons and sidearms and better critical chances and aim against targets in full cover.
Gunnery Sergeant - Specialized training to increase movement speed, taking full advantage of all cover, and training for physical resistance.
Master Sergeant - Specialized training for rapidly taking out flanked and uncovered enemies, to teach soldiers how to fire efficiently, even after rapid movement, and rapid fire.

Destroyer:
Specialist - Special extra training for SAWs and LMGs, Shotguns, and Swords for increased proficiency.
Lance Corporal - Training for effective use of battle aggression, for targeting wounded enemies, and fighting against multiple foes at once.
Corporal - Increased training in weapon proficiency with regular weapons, using a rocket launcher in place of a sidearm, and rapid firing.
Sergeant - Increased training and doubled inventory slots containing offensive grenades,
Tech Sergeant - Enabled use HEAT warheads, as well as expanding the range and damage of rockets.
Gunnery Sergeant - Further training to perform rapid reaction shots against enemies that get too close, targeting vital points, and targeting enemies in full cover.
Master Sergeant - Specialized training for more efficient use of ammo and reloading, training in special heat ammo, which does increased damage to robots, and use of shredder rockets.

Shadow Operative:
Specialist - Specialized training in the art of concealment, making them harder to hit, and thus less likely to be targeted initially.
Lance Corporal - Training for tactical sense, an extra slot for a single smoke grenade, and dense smoke.
Corporal - Further training for increased movement speed, training for the use of doubled inventory slots containing support grenades, and in inventory management so the soldier can carry more equipment.
Sergeant - Specialized training with our more sophisticated battle scanners, and will have a special arm slot to carry two into battle., and the effective use of all cover as well as using it to reduce damage from hits.
Tech Sergeant - Training for more increasing reaction time, number of shots taken during reaction shots, and how to better take advantage of opportunities.
Gunnery Sergeant - Further training for better suppression techniques, proficiency with sidearms, and training to prevent panic.
Master Sergeant - Special training to increase physical resistance, the soldier’s speed and dexterity for dodging attacks, and in assisting other soldiers in coordinating their efforts on the same foe.

(Notes: The MEC Trooper retains the first skill of their class, or at least something similar.)

• Scouts become Pathfinders, and retain lightning reflexes (though they need a suit with high agility to retain the ability's effectiveness.
• Snipers become Jaegers, and have limited squadsight (about 125% of their normal effective range)
• Infantries become Knights, and keep an unchanged 'Light 'Em Up'. (Training to increase rate of fire)
• Assaults become Marauders, and keep Run and Gun. (Firing after rapid movement)
• Medics become Guardians, and keep the field medic (more use out of the medkit, three charges)
• Supports become Protectors, and have a small launcher for a free smoke grenade.
• Engineers become Shoguns, and retain the grenadier ability (doubled slots for offensive grenades)
• Gunners become Goliaths, and recieve extra conditioning for better performance and defense in heavy armor instead of suppression.
• Heavies become Titans, and replace the fire rocket ability with training to use armor to reduce damage from hits.
• Rocketeers become Archers, and retain their rocket launcher as a soldier-mounted special ability.
• Paratroopers become Valkryies, and keep their deadeye ability. (Better aim and critical chances against flying targets)
• Destroyers become Ravagers, and get extra damage out of their main gun. (Modified Mayhem)
• Shadow Operatives become Dullahans, and trade concealment for a distortion field that reduces odds of them being hit.

Mec Trooper:

Specialist - Special skill based on previous class, or assigned randomly.
Lance Corporal - Training to increase tactical sense, make effective use of battle aggression, and to take more accurate shots without moving.
Corporal - Further training to make use of damage control systems, repair servos, and weapon proficiency.
Sergeant - Specialized training to do damage to the environment and cover, assess threats and respond appropriately both offensively and defensively.
Tech Sergeant - Training with shock-absorbent armor to reduce damage taken in close quarters combat, how to fight while alone and against multiple enemies.
Gunnery Sergeant - Further training for physical resistance, increasing and inventory capacity for an additional use of limited-use subsystems, and reactive targeting sensors.
Master Sergeant - Special training for dealing more damage with explosives, absorption field equipment for minimizing damage, and shredder ammo to increase damage taken by enemies.