Chapter Three: Species

A NOTE ON SPECIES
The 5 playable Races of Universal Universe have all had their planets and societies aided in some way by the Queen of the Galaxy. In return for her benevolent service, the worlds have devoted their (general) allegiance and planetary resources to the BSF. This means that while the civilizations and worlds detailed below have pledged their fealty to her, not ALL members of the following species are members of the BSF. In fact, there are numerous outspoken factions of each Species that denounce the BSF and the Queen's leadership, and prefer to remain unaffiliated with the organization. 

TEXAN
Boisterous, wild, rugged and courageous only begin to describe your average Texan. 

Appearance: All Texans have blonde hair and southern drawls, with most dressing in functional and rugged attire. For some reason, all Texan girls have freckles and a gap between their two front teeth. Texan males all wear Cowboy hats, and the act of touching or in any way disrespecting a Texan's hat is a surefire way to start a fight. 

Homeworld: Planet Texas is an enormous, humid world filled with sprawling ranches, majestic fields and breath-taking canyons. This oil-rich planet is vital to galactic travel, as the pure oil from Texas can be refined into one super kick-butt fuel to keep the BSF cruising through the cosmos. Planet Texas is filled with wildlife, most famous of all are the roving herds of buffalo that make for some quite good steaks!

Boon: The world is currently involved in a tense truce with the other native species of the planet, the Injuns, who are brave and spiritually aware residents who have had long and bloody relations with the Texans. The Queen of the Galaxy recently personally intervened in mediate disputes between the two cultures before the entire world got sucked into a heated war, and now a tenuous truce and distribution of land is underway, with Texans controlling the Southside of the planet, and the Injuns controlling the North side. While there is relative peace (Something considered impossible by both eternally opposed societies), crossing the borders of either group is a sure fire way to end up filled with lead (or arrows). Vastly impressed with the Queen of the Galaxy's diplomatic acumen, the Texans decided to throw their lot in with her and her BSF.

Religion: Texans believe that, upon death, their souls journey to the "Great Ranch in the Sky" where they will spend eternity with their loved ones. The better you lived life determines how many acres of land your ranch sprawls. Texans are rather informal in their religious beliefs, and have no dedicated church or book of law in that regard. 

Sorcery: Texans are self-reliant folks and don't believe in any sort of Magical tradition other than hard work and plenty of ammo.

SPECIES ABILITIES
Courage: Texans are truly fearless individuals, and are considered to automatically pass all Guts tests that they are required to make without rolling.

The South shall rise again: Whenever a Texan spends a Benny to re-roll a test, add +2 to the result. This includes damage rolls.

Home on the Range: All Texans begin play with a d6 rating in Fighting, Shooting (This includes the bonus for the BSF Basic Training), and a d4 in Survival and Riding.

MUTANT
Scions from a devastated and toxic planet, Mutants were once the pariahs of the cosmos, now enjoying a new lease on life from a cure for their once-considered contagious physical make-up.

Appearance: Mutants are...well...interesting. Most have green skin (though this can pretty much come in any color imaginable), with extra eyes, tentacles, and copious warts and...erm...interesting features. Mutants are certainly not very pretty to look at, by any stretch.

Homeworld: Mutopia is a massive industrial world filled with factories and vast glowing green toxic lakes and oceans. Settlements are scattered between sprawling acres of ravaged and mutated living earth, with strange eco-tentacles and gaping, tooth filled maws coming from the very ground. The skies are a haze of various gross colors, and the air seems thick and acrid enough to sizzle away nostril hairs of newcomers to the place.

Boon: Countless eons ago, a massive nuclear disaster rendered the world...slimy, and the resident populace became contagious as a result. For many years, Mutants were quarantined to their own planet, because they would infect anyone they came in contact with, until the Queen of the Galaxy developed a cure for their contagious nature, allowing the Mutants to safely leave the world and interact with others. In exchange for her aid, the Mutants joined the BSF.

Religion: Mutants worship an entity simply referred to as "The Bomber". Mutant religious texts say that many eons ago, Mutants were snobby and elitist sorts, who would look down on everyone and everything who wasn't as good as they were. At the time, their planet was a perfect Utopian world that the Mutants wouldn't let anyone else visit, for fear that they would pollute it with their imperfections. A being called the bomber came to them and told them to quit being so snobby and let others share the wealth of their perfect planet, but the snobby Mutants wouldn't listen. So, after the third attempt to set them straight, the Bomber flew a plane over the entire planet and dropped all sorts of bombs on the world to render it completely toxic, making it so that no one in their right mind would ever want to visit there again. Ever since the first visit of the Bomber, the Mutants decided to stop being so snobby, and worship the Bomber as a reminder of their past snobbiness. Mutants believe that if they lead good lives, when they die, the Bomber will give them back their old, perfect forms. 

Sorcery: Nukeology is the exceedingly dangerous and unpredictable Magic that Mutants practice, which often involves blowing things up and/or grossing people out. As you might expect, this type of magic is rarely welcome in civilized areas. 

SPECIES ABILITIES
Toxic Resistant: Mutants have incredible constitutions, and do not suffer at all from breathing any kind of toxin or gas, no matter how toxic it may be. They are immune to all poisons (Magical and otherwise).

Mutation: All Mutants choose one Mutation from the list provided below. All Mutations are helpful.

-Thermal Vision: In addition to normal vision, you can also see heat patterns.

-Glow: Your skin emits a faint glow that you can intensify in brightness at will. This means you always have a light source. Furthermore, this Glow is considered good luck by others, and once per adventure, anyone who spends one hour basking in your glow gains 1 Benny (You get a Benny as well). 

-Tendril: You have an extra and fleshy limb that can be used to manipulate items in any way that a hand and fingers could, minus the ability to attack or use weapons.

-Buddy: You have a small face growing out of some place on your body. Your Buddy often times offers good advice and can be very helpful if consulted. Your Buddy has a personality all his own, and is considered a separate life form.

-Third Eye: This Mutation grants you oracular abilities, showing glimpses of past and future events within your mind's eye. You sprout a third eye on your forehead when you take this mutation. Mutant seers are highly valued for their oracular skill, but have no control over their visions.

-Claws: Sharp claws jut from your fingertips, adding a bit of punch to your combat. You are never considered unarmed. Increase your Unarmed damage die by one step. 

-Radioactive: For whatever reason, you act as a walking radio signal, and can, at any time, tune into nearby radio waves and act as a receiver. At any time, you can open your mouth and play the radio to any station you desire. This Mutation is pretty useless, and is merely a play on words. Get it? RADIO-ACTIVE? Due to your Radioactive nature, you also gain the Entertain skill at d6. 

-Corrosive Blood: Whenever you take a Wound of damage from a close combat attack, you deal 2d6 damage to the person who attacked you, as your gross, corrosive blood spurts all over their face!

-Sticky Feets: You can walk up and along walls with your bare feet. You can't take any actions besides moving while doing this, and the effect ends immediately if you become Shaken or take Damage.

-Rust Touch: Once per day, you can spend a Benny to immediately reduce any metal object that can fit in the palm of your hand to a rusted husk. This can be used to immediately destroy simple metal locks, as well as render applicable firearms useless if you touch the barrel.

ROBONOID
These sentient cybernetic organisms blend the best parts of machine and man together, and serve as the backbone of the BSF.

Appearance: Robonoids are pasty white skinned humanoids with green grid-eyes and "hair" that is actually thin circuitry wires. Robonoids all have slight builds, with all males standing exactly 6 feet tall and all females standing exactly 5 feet tall. This can be rather deceptive, as a Robonoid with D12 strength retains the same build as one with D4 strength!

Homeworld: Planet X is a technological marvel of a world, a synthetic utopia that has been perfectly terraformed into a place where man and machine can co-exist in harmony. Everything about Planet X is technologically advanced and retains a sort of blinding white and sterile quality to it. Everything is orderly and brand new, almost to the point of being eerie to non-Robonoids. The planet is powered by a massive source of energy at the center of the planet known as the Grand Pulse, which is akin to an enormous planetary battery that powers the world and all the Robonoids. 

Boon: Disaster struck Planet X a few decades ago when a terrorist attack from the nefarious Circuit Consortium struck the very core of the planet, causing it to leak precious power. The Queen of the Galaxy intervened, working with the Mango Corporation to seal the breach and restore power. Since then, Planet X has pledged fealty to the Queen, and is by far the most unanimous supporters of the BSF.

Religion: Robonoids don't worship a god, but instead, worship a Corporation. The Mango Corporation is a very successful technological Corporation that has been around for eons. Every snazzy new gizmo that comes out has the Mango logo plastered on it, and the greatest creation of the Corporation was inventing the Robonoid race, which were the perfect balance of Cyborg and Living being. The people who founded the Mango Corporation are still unknown, and it is said that they were a highly advanced race that died off eons ago, leaving behind their Robonoid children to take over the company in their stead. Robonoids believe that when they die, the power that fuels them returns to the Grand Pulse in a kind of mass recycling of precious energy. When a Robonoid dies, they literally return to the center of the planet to fuel their homeworld.

Sorcery: Robonoids consider technology and magic to be one in the same, and those Robonoids who purchase the Arcane Background Edge are known as Cybermancers, and they follow the same rules as the ones provided for Weird Science. 

SPECIES ABILITIES
AI: Robonoids are smarter than most folks, and begin play with a d6 in Smarts. All Robonoids also begin play with a free d6 in Knowledge: Computers.

Upgrade: All Robonoids choose one Upgrade from the list provided below. All Upgrades are beneficial.

-Vox Modulator: You can change your voice at will by spending a Benny. This allows for a complete vocal change for a scene. You may also use this to mimic the sound of any voice you have heard. 

-Improved Ocular Sensors: Your eyesight is incredibly precise, and you can zoom in on objects to enhance the clarity of detail. You are considered to naturally have the same visual range as a pair of binoculars.

-Translator Module: You can effortlessly understand and speak all manner of communication.

-Improved Memory: No, seriously, you recall everything you experience with absolute clarity.

-Self-Sustaining Matrix: Robonoids are mixtures of robotic and Living organisms, so they are still required to eat and breathe oxygen. You, however, have been upgraded beyond these limitations, and can even function in the vacuums of space normally.

-Healing Nanobots: You regenerate 1 Wound automatically every hour.

-Index Beam: You can unscrew the tip of your index finger to reveal a precise and small laser cutting tool that (with time) can saw through thick metals and surfaces.

-Overclocked: Your mind processes information and experiences faster than most, allowing you to learn at far greater speeds than normal. At the end of each adventure, roll a d6. On a result of 5 or higher, you gain 1 additional experience point.

-Molecular Scrambler Protocol: Once per day, you can spend a Benny to teleport to any location within 25 feet of your current location. If you are blindfolded or otherwise unable to see your target location, you cannot use this power. 

-Refurbished: You literally have a second life to live. If you die in battle doing something brave, heroic or meaningful, an exact replica replacement of your character will be delivered in a large Mango Corporation crate, with your exact memories intact. Note that this ability only works if you die doing something Heroic, or if combat takes a turn for the worst and you are killed in battle. This ability will not work if you throw your life away or do something silly.

CROMAG
Primal, fierce and a bit...uneducated, Cromags bring their might to the cause of the BSF.

Appearance: All Cromags appear to be more brutish and primitive looking humanoids, with sloping brows and hunched postures and wild hairstyles. Females are far less savage looking than males, and appear more as shapely, dreamy sorts of Cavegals. Popular decorations in Cromag fashion are bone earrings and accessories. Cromags vary in appearance based on their caste in Cromag society. There are 4 Castes in this rigid hierarchy:

Gatherers are integral parts of Cromag society, the workers and builders, as well as those who cook the food brought back by the Hunters. While they are downright splendid folks, Gatherer-life is a bit...boring, and they are not available as a player Caste to play. Gatherers are the smallest and least Imposing Caste.

Warriors are battle-hardened defenders of the Tribe, and Hunters are skilled and cunning sorts who go out and bring wild game low to feed the Tribe. Shamans are the leaders and mystics of Cromag society. Warriors are big, broad, and the dumbest looking of all Cromag Castes. 

Hunters are more sleek of build and agile, with keen eyes and keener aim. Where Warriors are instruments of brute force, Hunters are sly combatants and rarely take an enemy head on.

Shamans are the rarest of Castes, and are those who can commune with the primal forces of nature. Of all the Castes, Shamans are awarded the greatest of respect. Shamans are instantly recognizable by a series of cryptic white designs that adorns their skin as a birthmark. Shamans are also the physically smallest of all the Castes, standing at around 4 feet in height.

Homeworld: Magmaar is a savage and prehistoric world, filled with sweltering jungles, volcanic canyons, and other less than hospitable terrain. Considered the most dangerous planet in the entire galaxy, Khlarr is swollen with highly aggressive natural wildlife, most notably the massive dinosaurs that freely roam the planetside. 

Boon: Of all these great beasts, most feared of all was the great Bossasaurus known as Zolzan. This massive creature enslaved the Cromag race since the dawn of time and ruled cruelly and evilly over the populace, until the Queen of the Galaxy and her Knights, seeing the plight of the generally good-hearted (if a bit suspicious) Cromags, she decided to take action, and helped to lead a revolt against the rule of the vile Bossasaurus, leading to the creature's destruction in a massive battle. Now freed from the yold of their servitude, the Cromags pledged their allegiance to the Queen and her newly founded Bureau. 

Religion: Cromags are simple people and have not quite evolved to have any manner of religious beliefs worth noting. They have a strong sense of community and take pride in the prosperity of their tribe, and believe that when they die, their spirits watch over and aid their Tribe in times of trouble. 

Sorcery: Shamanism is the Cromag preferred art of magic, and only those of the Shaman class are skilled in its use. Shamanism is a versatile sorcery that can heal the wounded, and control the primal and visceral forces of nature.

SPECIES ABILITIES
All Cromags must choose a Caste that gives them their Racial Abilities.

Warrior Caste
Strong, Dumb & Clumsy: Cromag Warriors begin play with a d8 in Strength AND Vigor as well as a natural +3 bonus to their Toughness. This counts as Armor and cannnot be penetrated via armor piercing. Wearing additional armor is of no benefit to a Warrior, and is the ultimate display of cowardice. On the flipside, increasing a Warrior's Smarts or Agility costs twice as much, and a Warrior can never have a Smarts or Agility based skill rated higher than d6. Lastly, Warriors are illiterate, and must spend an Advance to learn how to read and write any language they can speak.

Battle-born: All Warriors begin play with a free d6 in Fighting (This includes the bonus for the BSF Basic Training) and a free d6 in Intimidation.

Hunter Caste
Stalker: All Hunters begin play with D6 agility, as well as a free d4 in the Stealth, Survival, Tracking and Shooting skills. Hunters do not leave tracks of their passing in natural surroundings, and are impossible to be tracked.

Primal Allure: All Hunters gain the Beast Master edge for free at Character creation.

Shaman Caste
Medicine Man: All Shamans begin play with d6 Spirit as well as a free d6 in the Healing Skill.

Spirit Medium: All Shamans begin play with the Arcane Background (Shamism) Edge for free at Character creation.

GLOOMLING
Eternal,spooky and completely misunderstood, these ghouls and ghasts from a dead world were once feared and reviled as beings of shadow and evil. Turns out they were really nice folks who were just a bit shy!

Appearance: All Gloomlings hail from one particular and ancient heritage which determines their specific appearance. As a rule, though, Gloomlings are pale and prefer to dress in dark colored attire, and favor gothic sorts of architecture and fashions. 

Homeworld: Gloomspire is a creepy and eternally dark world where the sun never rises and heavy fog is a constant blanket over the ground. Cemeteries and massive castles dominate the landscape, and forests are dark and foreboding, with the howls of unkind wildlife filling the air. 

Religion: Gloomlings all claim to have been created from Charon, the Master of the Dead. It is said that Charon spawned the race from his rusty and frothing cauldron personally with bony hands and long fingers. While possessing the powers of a God, Charon never demanded worship, or even reverence. He merely created the Gloomlings, then sent them on their way to find their own purpose. For this reason, Gloomlings don't think much on topics like religion. They know where they came from, and that is good enough for them. 

Boon: Unlike all the other species who have thrown their lot in with the Queen of the Galaxy and the BSF, the Gloomlings are the only one who did so completely willingly without first being aided by the Queen in some fashion. In fact, for the longest time, people stayed far away from Gloomspire, hearing legends that it was home to undead creatures and sinister forces. Everyone just kind of assumed that all the beings on such a dead world would be evil, but it turns out they were the friendliest folk around. The Gloomlings were sad and lonely, and went to Charon and asked him to help them out. Charon said that through his magic, he had heard of a group of do-gooders and allied races of various cultures that was called the Bureau of Special Folks. Delighted and intrigued, the Gloomlings begged Charon to try and contact this mysterious Queen of the Galaxy. Unable to refuse the beings he had created, Charon packed his bags and journeyed to the Queen's court to personally and formally apply his species for membership. Impressed with Charon's eloquence and formal graces, the Queen accepted the application and the Gloomlings have been delighted to make all these new and strange friends!

Sorcery: Bone Magic is a gruesome manner of sorcery that causes all manner of unpleasantness to those targeted by it. All living beings get an inherent chill when they see this magic performed too closely, as it literally sculpts and draws upon the powers of unfettered decay and entropy.

SPECIES ABILITIES
All Gloomlings come from one type of particular breed, which determines their abilities. All Gloomlings, however, gain the Undead trait described below.

Undead: All Gloomlings, despite their breed, have no need to breathe or eat. All Gloomlings are also Immortal, and age normally until they reach the height of their physical impressiveness, ceasing to physically age when they appear "just right" for their general character and disposition. 

Vampire
Fangs: You gain a set of elegant fangs that grant you a bite attack,. You are never considered unarmed and your fangs deal Strength + d4 damage. 

Blooded: A Vampire who deals 12 or more damage using their bite attack manages to drain some blood from their foe, being healed of 1 wound as the nourishing blood heals any wounds done. This ability has no effect if the target has no damage. 

Bat Form: Once per day you can spend a Benny to morph into a flying bat for one scene. If you are hit in combat then this transformation ends immediately. 

Weakness: You gain a vulnerability to fire, taking +4 damage from all fire sources. Also, you gain an allergy to sunlight, and suffer a Fatigue level whenever you travel about during the daytime. You may wear sunglasses to negate this effect. However, even without a penalty, you are still generally uncomfortable and irritable in the daytime.

Phantom
Haunt: Once per day you can spend a Benny to cause all enemies who can see you to roll an immediate Spirit check at -2. Failure indicates that the affected target suffers a -1 penalty to all attacks against you for the remainder of battle.

Ethereal: A Phantom's body appears to be slightly transparent, even though it is solid and can affect the material world. However, once per day, you can spend a Benny to become incorporeal and walk through solid surfaces. This transparent state lasts for 3 turns. During this time, you cannot interact with the physical world. While Ethereal, you can still be harmed by energy attacks.

Banshee
Virtuoso: You gain a free d6 in the Entertain skill, and consider all Botches with Entertain rolls simple failures. You can also use your impressive voice to release the dreaded Wail of the Banshee, a punishing screech that affects all victims within 50 feet who are not covering their ears. The wail deals 3d8 damage and ignores all armor. This ability requires the expenditure of a benny and can be done once per day.

Hover: Banshees have phantasmal legs, and hover above the ground eerily. This means that they don't trigger  any pressure related traps such as mines or pressure plates. A Banshee usually hovers about a foot off the ground, but can spend a Benny to increase this to about 25 feet off the ground for 3 turns.

Sexist: All Banshees are female...this should be obvious, but I guess I should specify.

Zombie
Maw: A Zombie has intensely powerful jaws, and can, given enough time, eat just about anything. This means a Zombie can chew through a steel door and eat their way through most solid things. 

Unfeeling: You begin play with the Improved Nerves of Steel Edge for free at character creation.

Discombobulator: You can spend a Benny to pop a part of your body off and have it animate on its own. Uses of this ability include plucking out an eyeball and rolling it ahead of your location to scout ahead, or popping out your hand and having it crawl off on its own. A discombobulated part can travel a maximum of 50 feet away from your main body and can re-attach itself for free. 

Shambler: Reduce your pace by 1, you slowpoke.