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ARGOAN (+50 Points)

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Natives to the planet Argo (what we call Argoans) call themselves Aquans. They are water breathing humanoid bipeds with webbed hands and feet, several fins, and green hair.

They have a prominent dorsal fin which starts on the crown of the forehead and runs back through the scalp and down the back as far as the small of the back. They also have fins on both of their lower legs and both of their lower arms. Their gills are in their necks.

They can see very well under the water, having developed nictating membranes that allows them as much visual ability underwater as they had on land. They can live at a reasonably great depth underwater, and can swim like fish.

Argoans can live for up to an entire day on land, but must return to water each day for one hour, or they begin to suffer dehydration. This is indicated by their dependency on water once per day.

Most Argoans (Aquans) hate airbreathers. The few that do not hate them still dislike them. Argo is not currently a member of the Federation.

Argoans are creatures of science. Once their civilization lived on the land, just like Terrans. A planet-wide catastrophe caused virtually all the land to sink under the waves. Aquan scientists developed a serum that would change their race permanently into water breathers, and administered it to all the population in time to save the civilization. This was hundreds, if not thousands of years ago in Aquan history. Now they are all at home in the sea, and blame air breathers (in essence, their ancestors) for the planetary calamity that overtook them.

The Federation has had only one contact with Argoans, and have placed a quarantine on the world to protect both the citizens of the world from unwanted contact from air breathers and to protect their world from unscrupulous traders wishing to capitalize on the Argoan’s advanced scientific techniques. The Aquans, on their part, are quite glad not to have any unnecessary contact from air breathers.

AURELIANS (+51 Points)

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Aurelians are winged bipedal humanoids from the planet Aurelia in the star system Hercules. Their wingspan extends to about 10 feet, and they are excellent aerialists.

Aurelians are very graceful creatures apparently descended from birds. They live in mountainous regions of their world, building their homes in caves that they excavate themselves. They are excellent workers in stone, and some have become famous throughout the Federation for their finely executed sculptures.

Aurelians have feathers on their wings as well as their elbows, knees, chest, and lower torso. They are about as tall as an average to tall Terran. Their bones are hollow, with many cavities which serve the dual purpose of making the bones lighter, but stronger. Their bone structure is still considered delicate by Federation standards.

They are very interested in history, especially Federation history, and make excellent additions to any corps of scientists and/or historians.

BOLIANS (+10 points)

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Bolians come from the planet Bolarus IX. They are a race of bald, blue-skinned humanoids with a prominent ridge running down the center of their heads and bodies. Only young females possess any body hair, and that only on their scalps. They evolved from an aquatic race and are still very at home in the water, although they are fully comfortable on land.

Bolians are staunch allies of the Federation. Several have risen to positions of great importance in the Federation and in Starfleet. Many turn their liability of racial curiosity into an advantage by occupying research or investigative jobs. They have only recently made peace with the Moropans, a rival race, although this peace is fragile one.

Perhaps as a consequence for being hairless, a few Bolians display an odd fascination for humanoid hair, and go on to become hairdressers. Mot, on the Enterprise-D, was one such. Of course, the fact that humanoids often tell their hair dressers things they wouldn’t tell anyone else hasn’t been lost on them...

BORG (Collective) (+169 points)

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Borg are cybernetically-enhanced humanoids from somewhere in the Delta Quadrant. Technological implants make them into a cyborg-type race, with all the advantages and disadvantages that implies. All Borg are linked together through cybernetic networks on board each Borg mothership. The motherships are presumed to maintain a link to the homeworld. This creates the Mindshare advantage.

Mindshare can also act as a disadvantage as well. There are no individuals (per se) in the Borg Collective. Borg are very intelligent and highly adaptable. Each Borg is specifically modified to perform a specific task. All Borg have had one arm replaced with a multi-purpose socketable implant onto which many different devices can be placed. The usual devices carried by exploration teams are a beam weapon of some type, along with equipment similar in nature to Tricorders.

Borg spend most of their time exploring the galaxy looking for new material for their worlds. They take any type of technological devices they can find, and adapt it for their own use. They also take intelligent species and assimilate them into Borg culture by adding cybernetics to the captured beings. This electronically takes away the free will of the individual and replaces it with a dedication to the Borg.

Borg generally cannot survive for long if separated from the controlling influence of their mothership. The mothership is connected through subspace communications to the homeworld.

Borg are so linked to each other that they are rarely surprised by anything, and are considered to be Unfazeable for this purpose. The cybernetic implants also grant Borg the ability to make mathematical calculations with ease.

Borg (whether or not they are converts) are also granted:

Unaging, Immunity to Poisons, and Immunity to Disease. Borg can be damaged by electromagnetic pulses, but they are -very- adaptable, and can adjust themselves to any form of attack quickly; so much so, that they soon can be virtually immune to that form of attack.

The Borg Bionic Reconstruction gives them several advantages, including a built-in Weapons Link, an implanted Communicator, an Interface Jack, a Cybernetic Eye and Cybernetic Ear, and Field Sense. The Borg version of this also grants extra DR in their bodies; and extra DX and ST, but only in their arms. This also adds to the regular ST, IQ, and HT bonuses stated in the advantages section.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard proved that the bionic reconstruction can be reversed, but his operation for reversal occurred very soon after his capture and assimilation. It is not known how long a captured race could remain a Borg and be converted back to natural successfully.

BORG (Non-Collective) (+131 points)

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These are "Hugh’s" Borg. These are the Borg that were given emotions by Lore, Data’s "Brother". They aren’t that different from the regular Borg, except for the fact that they are now considered to have free will. This effectively wipes out the "Mindshare: Global Consciousness" advantage, and also wipes out the "Odious Racial Habit" and part of the "Bad Reputation" of being a Borg. There is only one group of these Borg known to exist. Other than the above, the description is the same as for the standard Borg.

DOLPHINS (+64 points)

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Tursus truncatus galacticus, respectively, are one of the truly rare Federation races which developed to a very high degree of sentience and sophistication as a fully aquatic race with no fine manipulators of any kind. Their story has resulted in considerable embarrassment for the Federation.

By the time Terran Cetacean Protection Acts were enacted in the late 21^st century, most of the larger breeds of cetacean were extinct. Surviving cetaceans, such as dolphins, were officially protected, and while some in the scientific community believed they were intelligent, all attempts at communication with them had failed. Eventually, Terrans discovered space travel, and devoted their energies to communication with extraterrestrial humanoids.

This situation changed drastically in 2286 when an alien Probe of unknown origin came to Earth and began broadcasting a signal to its target race, the by-then extinct humpback whale. When no answer was forthcoming, the Probe boosted its signal to such a degree that planetary destruction was imminent. Thanks to the timely intervention of the crew of the Enterprise-A aboard a commandeered Klingon vessel, a breeding pair of humpback whales, "George" and "Gracie", were rescued out of time from extinction, and the Earth was saved from the Probe.

The origins and message of the Probe remain a mystery to this day, but careful analysis of some of its signals proved to be the key to opening communication with some of the cetaceans of Terra. Contact had been previously elusive before due to the great sophistication and highly alien nature of the cetacean mind. Meaningful communication with the now-refurbished race of humpback whales still eludes Federation scientists, but it has been established with Dolphins, who are now full members of the Federation. The fact that the Federation had made contact with hundreds of intelligent species, while overlooking several on its own capital world, has proved a severe embarrassment, and a source of much ridicule and propaganda from the Cardassian Union and the Romulan Star Empire, among other places.

Dolphins neither have nor desire the capacity to manufacture advanced technological items, but they are very keen to work with the Federation and the voice-activated, water-resistant equipment it can provide. Because they are highly sophisticated and live in a three-dimensional environment, Dolphins have proven to be some of the galaxy’s most accomplished navigators, surpassed only by the Medusa. However, the practical difficulties of working with Dolphins are only slightly less great than those of working with Medusa, so they do not serve in Starfleet to a degree commiserate with their ability. Nevertheless, an elite group of twelve dolphins comprises the Guidance and Navigation research team for the Galaxy-class starship project. Other Dolphins may be found working for Starfleet in other capacities.

Dolphins met without access to Federation technology have the additional disadvantages of Mute (-25) and Primitive x11 (-55).

EL AURIANS (+96 points)

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El Aurians are a very rare and mysterious race about whom very little is known. In form they are standard humanoids who display a broad range of racial phenotypes, comparable to Terrans. Their homeworld was probably somewhere on the borders of the Beta and Delta quadrants. El Aurians first became known to the Federation in the late 23^rd century, after their homeworld was destroyed by the Borg, although there is evidence to suggest that individual El Aurians had visited various Alpha and Beta Quadrant worlds (including Earth) before the founding of the Federation! The few surviving displaced El Aurians have found their way into the Federation and the ranks of Starfleet, although seldom if ever in positions of importance. They seem to prefer to operate quietly in support positions.

Much of this seeming reticence comes from the El Aurian racial character. They appear to be natural lore-keepers, and use their phenomenal lifespans and memories to collect the stories and life experiences of various sentient beings. They preserve this knowledge for their own kind, and only occasionally share it with non-El Aurians. They are a highly personably and empathic race, and as such are very willing to help other sentients work out their problems, especially if the end result is a good story for the "good listener"! Possibly as an offshoot of their prodigious memories, El Aurians are extraordinarily sensitive to disturbances in the space/time continuum, and will usually remember the original version of history if a change is made in time.

Because of their great age, El Aurians can conceivably start a game with a huge number of skills, so they are not recommended for beginning players, unless the Gamemaster allows a very young El Aurian character. Although they can fight when necessary, El Aurians are by and large a docile people. The behavior of Dr. Soran in 2343 which resulted in the destruction of the Enterprise-D should be considered highly atypical. They are actually capable of aging, but not in any meaningful humanoid sense.

HALIIANS (+25 points)

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Haliians come from the planet Haliia, and are one of the Federation’s few naturally psychic races. In form they are slim, spare, attractive humanoids with dark skin and a slight bony ridge above the eyebrows. Culturally, they are a passionate, artistic, and graceful people inhabiting a world of great beauty. However, most tend to act before they think, and some can be very difficult for other humanoids to work with. Nevertheless, a number have joined Starfleet with great success.

All Haliians are naturally partially telepathic. They can boost this ability through physical contact with large glowing crystals they call Canars. Canars are most frequently used in meditation as a mental focus. However, two Haliians (or one Haliian and another being, even if they are not psychic) who are each in physical contact with a Canar may enter full mental rapport. This is most often, though not exclusively, used by two Haliians to create an emotional rapport preparatory to intimacy.

Some rare Haliians may be psychically skilled enough to have passed beyond the need of Canars.

HISTAH (+43 Points)

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Histah look like an evolved form of the Terran dinosaur, Velociraptor. They are from an Earth-like world on the other side of the Federation from the Klingons and/or Romulans. Their star is slightly larger than Sol, and their planet is virtually all tropical in nature, except at the poles, where the climate is moderate. The gravity is Terran normal.

Full grown Histah are about 2.5 meters in height. On their head is a tall, fin-like dorsal ridge that extends through the center of the scalp and down the back to the base of the spine. They have sharp teeth and claws, and a large tail that is longer than their legs. They have three fingers and an opposable thumb on each hand, and three claws and one dew claw on each foot. Their reptilian appearance distracts most humanoids.

Histah reflexes are sharper than normal Terran reflexes, and they can move quickly for a creature of their size and weight. Their skin provides extra protection from damage. They have nictating membranes to protect their eyes from extremes of light. Their eyes are on opposite sides of their head, giving them peripheral vision in addition to forward vision. They are used to a hot climate, and do not like cold. They have a second sense for dangerous situations. They live much longer than average, and have a very strong will.

Despite their Danger Sense advantage, they do not like psionic individuals. They react at -2 to anyone that they know (or find out) has psionic abilities. Their Danger Sense reacts to psionic use with "psychic static" causing mental discomfort. Other crewmembers with psionic abilities can use their powers outside their range of "psychic effects". Their Danger Sense also functions in the regular manner.

Histah once had a very violent society, with a lot of fighting between families, tribes, and clans. In addition, they had to overcome other predators on their homeworld. Over time, this feuding was replaced with a desire to excel in fields like science, business, or engineering. This was not an overnight conversion, but started with a single family and spread slowly; first to the rest of their tribe, then to the rest of their clan, and finally to the entire race. This has continued up to the current time.

Their Code of Honor devotes them to family first, tribe second, clan third, and race fourth. They still have some clan, tribal, and family feuds, although these have mostly been changed to the "We can do better than you" stage. These feuds are best represented by the Enemy disadvantage. "Enemies" frequently take the form of a different clan, tribe, or family. They also have close ties to the Histah race. Given the choice between anything and another Histah, a Histah always chooses another Histah first. Their Sense of Duty acts to reinforce this. The interrelationships between family, tribe, clan, and race are considered by Federation historians to be similar to Terran Native Americans.

Histah society is now exploration/colonization based. They have finally reached the borders of the Federation. They have several dozen systems under their control, called the Collective. Strangely enough, Histah never had encountered any other intelligent races up to the point when their border met the Federation. The Histah and the Federation are tentatively investigating a union of their borders, in a compact similar to the Klingon peace treaty. This is the first time in Federation history that an intelligent race has contacted them first.

Histah have a three-part name. The example we will use is:

Barshen’kas Li’Ar Shan’hadar. (This is pronounced: Bars-hen-khas Lee-Arr Shan-ha-dar.) The first part is really more like a planetary rank than a name. The "Bars" section shows that this individual has been decorated by the government of the Histah more than once. One decoration is indicated by "Bar". No "Bar" or "Bars" would indicate no decorations. The decorations are not given by the Histah government easily or lightly. It is considered a great honor to be decorated once. More than once indicates an exceptional individual. The "Hen’kas" is a rank, in this case close to our "Captain". The "Li’Ar" is similar to our first name. The example would allow friends to call him "Lee", but only in private. The "Shan’Hadar" is a combination of a family and a tribal name, with the "Shan" being the family name, and the "Hadar" being the Tribal name. Clans are indicated by decorations on their clothing or bodies.

Histah prefer to eat their food live, but have made small concessions in their diet since their meetings with the Federation First Contact teams. Even so, their preference for eating food raw and/or alive is still considered to be an Odious Racial Habit.

Jem’Hadar (+74 points)

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The Jem’Hadar were created by the Founders of the Dominion, the Changelings. Their role is that of the shock troops and scourge of the Dominion. Usually, if a Dominion world violates the rules set up for it, the result is a visit by the Jem’Hadar. What ensues is devastation, massacre and other perils. They have an uncanny ability to turn invisible to the naked eye at will, but can be seen by instruments that pick up other ranges of lightwaves. They age to maturity in just above three months, and live for about 35 to 40 years. They are the best close quarters fighters in the Gamma Quadrant, and rival the Klingons for their position in the Alpha Quadrant. They are feared everywhere they are known in both the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants.

The Changelings keep them in line by providing a white dust, a severly addictive drug with unknown properties to them at regular intervals. Disobediance by any Jem’Hadar results in the withdrawal of the drug with severe withdrawal symptoms and often death as a result.

KAFERIAN (+55 Points)

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Kaferians are insectoid-based bipedal humanoids about the same height as a normal Terran. Their heads are the most insectoid part of their bodies. They are natives of Tau Ceti.

They have a hard chitinous exoskeleton. Their eyes are located on opposite sides of their heads, giving them peripheral vision, which does not limit their forward vision. Their feet split into two toes - a larger and a smaller - with some extremely limited manipulative ability. They have a protruding spinal ridge, giving them a slightly hunchbacked appearance. If they ever had wings, they were attached here, but Kaferians are no longer a winged species.

They make their homes out of native materials mixed with a natural secretion from their bodies which combines to create a very light, but very strong and durable building material capable of supporting structures hundreds of feet tall.

Kaferians are virtually natural geneticists. They export many bio-engineered plants and animals that have been modified for demanding climates and conditions. They are renowned for this genetic engineering throughout most of known space. It is believed that Kaferian scientists are responsible for the Klingon Tribble predator, known as a "glommer".

Kaferia is not a member of the Federation (otherwise they could not engage in the trade mentioned above) but they have been a staunch ally of the Federation for over 200 years.

KZIN (+65 points)

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Kzin are a felinoid race similar to Caitians. They walk erect as bipeds, but do have a noticeable slouch as they age. Their bodies are covered with fur, which covers their face and hands as well, and creates a mane-like effect for their hair. They have golden eyes, a long tail, and a voice with a rasping, but purring quality.

They frequently have the Danger Sense advantage. They also generally have several battle-related skills.

Kzin generally have these common disadvantages: Impulsiveness, Overconfidence, Bad Temper, Megalomania, missing finger/arm/ leg (Kzin do not like prosthetics) and other similar disadvantages. Individual Kzin vary as to which of these disadvantages are added to the package cost above.

Contrary to popular opinion, Kzin do not have Berserk as a disadvantage, it just seems that way to other races.

Kzin are a very warlike race, and have had numerous wars with humans, most before the formation of the Federation. They have high strength, which is augmented by sharp teeth and claws. They can see very well in the dark, and have well-developed senses of smell, taste, and hearing.

They consider women to be second-class citizens, and their chauvinistic attitude bleeds over into their dealings with other races. More than once, a female has played an important part in rescues of personnel from Kzin-held territory. This attitude is due to Kzinti females being sub-sentient.

They eat their meat fresh and raw, preferably still dripping with blood. They do not like vegetarians, and will not deal with them if possible.

A very few Kzin have had chemical changes made to them which gives them a limited form of telepathy. Their telepaths can be foiled by thinking of chewing on raw vegetables. It is up to the GM to develop these characters if necessary.

NAUSICAANS (+37 points)

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Nausicaans are a race of large, hirsute humanoids with thick manes of predominantly reddish hair, bony facial features, and sharp fangs which fold over a complicated, inhumanoid mouth. Because of the shape of their mouths, they have difficulty speaking Federation Standard and other humanoid languages, which gives them an appearance of stupidity that they do not entirely deserve. However, they are one of the Federations’ least socially-redeeming races, being bad-tempered, surly, and violent. Few have made it into the ranks of Starfleet. Most have found work in the Federation as bouncers, thugs, and enforcers - positions where their liabilities are advantages.

A casual bar brawl with some Nausicaans cost Captain Picard his heart, forcing him to make use of a bionic replacement.

PAKLED (-25 points)

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Pakleds are a humanoid species that are primarily remembered for their characteristic overweight problem. Pakleds are remembered for being a race that adopts technology from other races whether they know how it works or not. The best example of this was in the TNG episode "Samaritan Snare". They are very cunning and devious. The Pakleds have yet to be made a part of the Federation. They have already had one experience with the Federation, and there will probably be more. Pakleds are suggested for an occasional NPC race.

PHYLOSIAN (+25 Points)

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Phylosians are intelligent plants with five arms, each having an upper and lower pincer, five legs, a tree-trunk-like torso, and a head similar in appearance to a large pine cone with independent eye stalks.

They are from the planet Phylos in the Merari system, which has an abundance of plant life, but no animal life of any kind. Federation scientists speculate that the plants evolved into the ecological gap made by the total absence of animals.

They do not like conflict, and have a strong racial desire to serve the Federation as galactic peace keepers. Fortunately, the Phylosians must first overcome their own problems. The Phylosian race is dying. Contamination in the form of Staphylococcus brought plague to the planet - a plague against which the Phylosians had no defense. The remaining Phylosians have been rendered sterile by the plague, but a Federation team is currently working with them to eliminate this barrier.

SAURIANS (+47 Points)

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The natives of Sauria are a reptilian bipedal humanoid race. They have reddish skin and oversized yellow eyes. They have three fingers and one opposable thumb on each hand, and three toes on each foot. There is a vestigial webbing between their fingers and toes. Neither the lack of a fourth finger nor the vestigial webbing affect their fine manipulation skills.

Saurians have four separate and distinct hearts, which gives them the Hard to Kill advantage, and makes them very strong and durable. They are about as tall as an average Terran.

The native language of Saurians is sung, not spoken, and is considered a very difficult (if not impossible) language to learn by non-Saurians. Conversely, however, they do not have any trouble learning most Federation languages, including Federation Standard.

They excel at artistic and musical endeavours. All Saurians have both Artistic and Musical ability inbred. Quite a few Saurians have become quite famous in the Federation for their talents. Their production of Saurian Brandy is considered an art form.

Other Races:

The Heavy Worlders, Light Worlders, and Spacers from GURPS: Space should all be considered as methods for adapting some known races (and not just the humanoid ones!) into ones that the players have never seen before. They can be found in GURPS: Space pg.40. GM’s should have some fun with this, and make some really strange changes in alien physiology and psychology due to changes in the environment. Even a minor change such as altering the usual terrain on the planet can be a fun way to change the known into the unknown. Imagine, for instance, what Vulcan society would have developed out of and/or into in a jungle setting rather than a desert.

Space and GURPS: Aliens. Other races from GURPS: Aliens should be considered as possibilities in Trek.

GM’s can also adapt other gaming materials for use in a GURPS: Trek campaign. The upcoming Babylon Five role-playing game would provide several good examples for PC’s and NPC’s.

GM’s should also feel free to create their own races for Trek crews to encounter in an adventure or two. If you do decide to do this, please consider sending them to me for possible inclusion in a third edition and/or third printing of these rules.