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Dragon573 Sanity not included from Sitting at a bonfire Since: Jun, 2016 Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Sanity not included
#1: Feb 7th 2017 at 1:37:38 AM

Main Thread

Discord Discussion

I'm getting this up like I said I would. It's really bare-bones at the moment, but once I've gotten some sleep, I'll get everything set up and we can get started properly.

Basic Mechanics

At its most basic, this system amounts to "roll the correct amount of dice, add any modifiers, and compare to the desired number." The number of dice you can roll for any given situation is determined by the number of points in the most relevant scores, with each point in a relevant attribute adding a D6, and each point in the relevant skill granting a D10. Some situations will grant bonuses or penalties, depending upon the situation. "Minor" modifiers are applied once to the ending total, while "Major" modifiers are applied to multiple dice individually, starting with the lowest roll for bonuses or the highest roll for penalties. Dice are never removed from the dice pool by modifiers (that is, the result of a die can't be reduced below one, and conversely can't be increased above six or ten, depending upon the type of die), though certain abilities can reduce or increase the number of dice in the pool. Player-caused effects are applied after NPC applied effects unless otherwise noted.

Character Creation

When designing the initial stages of this system, I had three basic rules in mind: character creation shouldn't be a chore, players should be rewarded for creating interesting characters, and no player should ever be forced to choose between making a character they want to play and making a character playable. To this end, I'm following a design philosophy that espouses giving as much creative liberty as I can, while keeping character creation as a relatively simple process. Currently, it's divided up into three aspects: traits, values, and attributes/skills. There are also perks, which I'll also explain. I count those separately since they're granted as a consequence of character creation.

Attributes are the basic building blocks of your character, with one point being roughly standard for a denizen of the galaxy. Each point in a given attribute adds a D6 to your dice pool for all related skill rolls. A character with 3 agility, therefore, will always roll at least 3d6 for any skill roll relating to agility, even if they possess no points in the skill in question. For each point in a given skill, on the other hand, you may add a D10 to your dice pool. High skills or Attributes can also earn perks. The Gunslinger skill, for example, can grant the "I shot first," perk, allowing that character to declare in response to an enemy attack that he or she shot first, taking a surprise attack before the enemy's action, even if the enemy is fully aware of his or her presence and is already in combat.

The personality section of character creation deals with determining where your character stands on several sliding scales (for now, it's just one side, the other side, or in the middle), including but not limited to Spiritual vs Worldly, Expressive vs Reserved, and Honor vs Cunning. These personality ratings will open certain traits, but also offer bonuses by themselves when taking action in line with the selected personality types, as well as granting access to special perks. The Cunning personality type, for example, grants the "sand in the eyes" perk, which allows you to force a total failure on an enemy's roll once per mission, where honor grants the "KHAAAN!" perk, allowing you to declare one adversary per subplot a sworn enemy, granting you bonuses whenever you attack them (the alternate names I considered were "Clever Girl" and "This is unforgivable" respectively).

Example: You come across an escape pod. Evidence indicates that its braking thrusters failed, and all the crew aboard were killed on impact. Spiritual/Expressive digs graves for them, and carves their names into the wreckage as a makeshift memorial. Spiritual/Reserved collects their dog-tags and moves on, and makes sure their families are informed when they finish. Worldly/Expressive takes anything useful, mentioning the dead crew "won't be needing it," maybe indulging in some gallows humor on the side. Worldly/Reserved efficiently and dispassionately pries their belongings, literally, from their cold, dead hands.

Finally, traits are things like your heritage, your species, your personal history. Each trait will grant bonuses to certain attributes or skills, and will carry with it a perk. As time goes on, it may be possible to gain or even lose traits, depending upon circumstances. A character might undergo surgery to gain cybernetic augmentations (or have pre-installed cybernetics removed), or be promoted to a new position that carries certain powers (Inquisitor, for example. More on those when I get to Imperial Culture).

Perks, as mentioned, are intended to be powerful "once an episode" abilities. Gained from high skills, traits, values, and your position on the ship, perks can be used at any time unless noted otherwise.

Bear in mind that this is a very basic overview of what's to come. There's also a stress system, which imposes penalties if not dealt with until you reach the breaking point, where you either succumb and freak out or shake it off with renewed resolve, as well as its opposite number, a confidence system, where support from your captain or your fellows can improve your performance. There will be more details when I have everything up.

Now, on to the galaxy itself.

The Galaxy

I'd normally do something more elaborate, but it's 1 in the morning, so I'm going to be laconic.

The galaxy's in a period of reconstruction following a series of interstellar conflicts called the Rimward Wars. These conflicts essentially boiled down to the Empire (officially the Imperial Alignment of Confederated Star-Systems), their rival the Coalition of Allied Planets (a well meaning government that still thinks representative democracy can work on such a large scale, even as they watch other states crumble around them and rant angrily about the corruption in their congress), the Th'karian Democratic League (a group led by squid-faced freaks who took a "Democracy is non-negotiable" approach and basically lasted as long as they did by having advanced A.I. to calculate and make the important decisions and having client states who weren't racist, jingoistic prats), and the Kissili (Despotic, slaving bat-people who think humans are yummy. Especially children) all launching proxy wars against each other. One of the member states of the Th'karian Democratic League started messing with A.I. technology before it should have and clumsily created an army of kill-bots, which proceeded to turn on them, causing the Th'karian government to shatter as everyone argued over who was to blame and who should be protected. Without the Th'karian screwing stuff up, the Empire was able to kick the tar out of the Kissili, who the Coalition hated moderately more than they hated the Empire, and the two remaining major powers basically decided to shake hands and call it a day before things got any more out of control. The Imperials went to work, mopping up the A.I. uprising and straightening out the local star systems, while the Coalition decide to try to use that time to clean up their Congress, which worked about as well as the last five times they tried.

Since I promised there would be stuff to do from the get-go, I have a few options regarding your ship and your captain. I have a ship and a captain ready to go, if you'd prefer to just stick with the ones I already have, but if you prefer, we can also create new ones from scratch, since that's ultimately a feature I'd like to have in the final version.

Attributes/Skills

As it stands, here's what we've got for Attributes, and a partial skill list. I have to leave soon, but I'll be back later tonight.

Power: A measure of simple physical strength.
Coordination: A measure of your character's ability to move deftly and precisely.
Resilience: A character's physical hardiness and conditioning.
Empathy: A character's ability to understand others.
Awareness: A character's perceptiveness, and situational awareness.

Skills: Note that some actions may fall under more than one skill. In that case, use the higher. Likewise, some skills may have more than one Attribute associated with them. Again, use the higher.

Brawl:
Duelist:
Gunslinger:
Rifleman:
Navigation:
Pilot:
Security:
Computer Use:
Bluff:
Mechanic:
Persuasion:
Linguistics:
Gunnery:
Demolition:
Coercion:
Leadership

edited 20th Feb '17 3:20:34 PM by Dragon573

It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.
pblades Since: Oct, 2009
#2: Feb 7th 2017 at 6:09:11 AM

I'm pretty intrested in the space bats. If they're a mercantile persuasion and flies around inside a giant crab, all the better.

PresidentStalkeyes Eats moldy bread and flies into windows from United Kingdom of England-land Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Do you like me? (Yes ⎕ Definitely ⎕ Absolutely!!! ⎕)
Eats moldy bread and flies into windows
#3: Feb 7th 2017 at 6:52:28 AM

Important question: do we get to make our own species..es?

Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!
Izshta The Flamebringer from Mor Ardain Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
The Flamebringer
#4: Feb 7th 2017 at 9:05:23 AM

The plural of species is species. The More You Know.

So, I gather we would basically be playing everyone who would go on an away team not wearing a red shirt on Star Trek (TOS, that is)?

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.
Dragon573 Sanity not included from Sitting at a bonfire Since: Jun, 2016 Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Sanity not included
#5: Feb 7th 2017 at 9:38:45 AM

[up]Essentially, yes. Exact role on the ship is determined by your skills at the beginning of the campaign, though traits will also influence it, depending on the circumstances (those will be noted in the descriptions when I have everything up).

[up][up]Given that character creation is in its most basic state, I'm more than open to suggestions.

[up][up][up]I'm not sure if that's a reference to something. With that said, you're actually not far off on the crab thing. The Kissili are parasitic in nature and culture, and make use of living ships which also serve as a food source during voyages. It's been thousands of years since mainstream Kissili culture devoted any real effort to making things for themselves instead of taking it from others. As to being mercantile, they were once upon a time. Then they gave power to the wrong person, who gave more power to the wrong people, they realized they had the best ships in their portion of the galaxy and turned to piracy, eventually transforming from a relatively benign government under sensible, if profit-driven corporate rule into a corrupt, decadent plutocracy.

Of course, those are the Kissili that haven't been fortunate enough to be inducted into the benevolent light of Imperial Culture. As with any species, those are slowly assimilated into Imperial Culture. Taught about the glory of the Empire, and how Imperials brought the light of civilization to the heathen hordes, and now they can enjoy the fruits of that endeavor, if they're willing to defend it as Imperials themselves.

Quick note: on the subject of it being thousands of years since they did things for themselves, it's also been thousands of years since any human set foot on Earth. We don't actually know where it is any more. The constant upheavals that accompanied the formation of the first Stellar Empires basically made a mess of things, and a lot of things like the exact date and the location of certain significant planets were lost as each new government tried to assert itself, often with new calendars and the suppression of information that could lead to the resurgence of a culture they wanted to stamp out. Not that we'd really want to go back to Earth anyway. We kinda fucked it up during the reign of the United Earth Colonization Initiative. When the outlying colonies revolted, we... didn't stay united for very long.

The capital of the Empire is actually known as the Imperial Palace System, with the entire star system devoted to the glory of the Empire. Palace Prime is the seat of the actual Palace, but it could be argued that the real seat of government is The Vindicator, currently the largest and most powerful warship in the galaxy, drifting in orbit. That's where Empress Melak III prefers to rule from. Because if it can't glass a planet from orbit, it doesn't feel like home.

Charming woman, really.

It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.
PresidentStalkeyes Eats moldy bread and flies into windows from United Kingdom of England-land Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Do you like me? (Yes ⎕ Definitely ⎕ Absolutely!!! ⎕)
Eats moldy bread and flies into windows
#6: Feb 7th 2017 at 9:52:04 AM

I'm getting a distinct British Empire sort of feel here. As a Briton myself, I approve! :V

Anyway, on the topic of species, I wonder if we'd have to introduce them before the game starts, with their own dedicated sheet, and then make a character out of them, or introduce them with the character, (that is, use the character's stats as a sort of benchmark for what is considered typical for their species, along with cultural details and whatnot). And could we play as a robot if we wanted? Not that I would necessarily want to, but I get the feeling someone might.

Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!
Dragon573 Sanity not included from Sitting at a bonfire Since: Jun, 2016 Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Sanity not included
#7: Feb 7th 2017 at 10:35:54 AM

Well, what did you have in mind for this species? Anything specific?

Robots are one of the species I already have. Well, several of the species actually.

Affectionately referred to as "Artificial Imperials," Synthetic lifeforms are actually one of the few species that enjoys full citizenship from creation. At a point in the distant past, an A.I. revolt much like the one that shattered the Th'karian Democratic League took place. The Empire was still in its infancy, and would likely have been devastated were it not for the intervention of their own synthetics, who'd been emancipated after demanding equal rights mere decades earlier. Dubbed the Proving War by the Imperial Synthetics, this conflict cemented good relations, and Palace Prime features a prominent mural depicting the war. The few Imperator war-droids that still remain from that era exist as living legends, their armor plating often adorned with the names of Imperials they served with, personal artwork, and the odd bit of affectionate graffiti from adoring citizens, and every time one finally gives out, an Empire-wide day of mourning ensues.

edited 7th Feb '17 10:36:41 AM by Dragon573

It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.
PresidentStalkeyes Eats moldy bread and flies into windows from United Kingdom of England-land Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Do you like me? (Yes ⎕ Definitely ⎕ Absolutely!!! ⎕)
Eats moldy bread and flies into windows
#8: Feb 7th 2017 at 10:56:20 AM

That sounds pretty interesting. On second thoughts, I think it might be a better idea to wait and see what the other character creation options you've already thought of are, in case you've already covered something. Just as long as no race is Always Chaotic Evil (or Always Lawful Good, for that matter); I can't stand that.

Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!
Dragon573 Sanity not included from Sitting at a bonfire Since: Jun, 2016 Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Sanity not included
#9: Feb 7th 2017 at 11:12:37 AM

Imperials are always lawful. Imperials make the laws.

Imperials are always good. It is the Imperials who determine what "good" is.

On a more serious and less 1984 note, I have to go soon, so I'm putting up a new section covering attributes. It also has a partial skill list. If it feels like a skill or an attribute is missing, feel free to put forth any ideas you have. I'll be back later tonight to get the rest of the list up as fast as I can.

edited 7th Feb '17 11:25:09 AM by Dragon573

It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.
Izshta The Flamebringer from Mor Ardain Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
The Flamebringer
#10: Feb 7th 2017 at 12:49:42 PM

"Because if it can't glass a planet from orbit, it doesn't feel like home." Relatable.

Persuasion is Diplomacy, Bluff is, well, Bluff, and Coercion is Intimidate, I assume?

On a side note: Things I see missing: Attributes: An intelligence-substitute. Skills: Likewise, some sort of knowledge skills I see a distinct lack of.

Also, instead of posting all the rules in the OP, might I suggest putting them in a google docs page and putting a link to that in the OP for ease of reading? (Also, that would allow direct commenting on the page) (Also possibly along with the less-immediately-pertinent setting information, to avoid the OP becoming a massive wall of text)

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.
Cwest5538 Blood Mage Apologist from Kirkwall Since: Aug, 2016 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
Blood Mage Apologist
#11: Feb 7th 2017 at 1:28:04 PM

I would love to join this!

However, I don't actually see any skills for Disguise or Stealth. The former could fall under bluff, but I feel like having an actual stealth skill would be nice.

Also, have a proposed creature idea!

Name (Human): Drakons.

Scientific Name (Human): Terrarium Duo-Crura.

Nicknames: (Human):' Reptiles, Scaleys.


Name (Kali'vri):' Kali'vra.

Scientific Name: Oper'am.

Nicknames: Halish (fond), Tr'lin (angry), Geil (the "come and kill me you #%$!#%!# insult.)

Description: Kali'vra, on average, have very polarizing physiques. They tend towards either being thin and wiry, or large and muscular; despite their build, almost all Kali'vra stand at upwards of six feet, the largest ever Kali'vra standing at a massive 7’2.

They are humanoid in nature, standing on two legs, and sporting two arms. They resemble lizards uncannily, with their very soft skin being covered by hard scales. Said scales are generally darkly colored, and are almost always one uniform color. Kali’vra that have two or more colors are almost always considered social Pariahs.

The head of a Kali'vra is also reptilian, looking distinctly dragonlike. Individual bloodlines of Kali'vra sport different features, which include but are not limited to horns, frills, and different eye colors. They also have a long tail which tapers off to a whip thin point, although it isn’t prehensile. Most of their clothing generally accommodates this.

Species Traits:

-Amphibious: Kali'vra are generally good swimmers, and can breathe both air and water.

-Elemental Resistance: Unlike Earth reptiles, Kali'vra aren’t cold-blooded. On the other hand, they aren’t warm-blooded either- the warmth of a Kali'vran’s body is in a constant state of flux, giving them the ability to withstand extreme cold and heat, as their bodies will adjust to the most advantageous temperature at the moment.

Homeworld:

The Kali'vra homeworld- or Hii’sshhelk, as they call it- is extremely hostile to almost all life. Everything that lives there has to fight tooth and nail to reach their second birthday, and the struggle doesn’t stop there.

Walking a mile in a desert can bring you into a freezing tundra; walking a mile through that can lead you straight into a volcanic wasteland. Various facilities are scattered around the planet, but the Kali'vra have mostly abandoned Hii’sshelk, in favor of colonizing other planets. In other words, the planet was so damn hostile that it forced them to develop space travel to leave.

Wooze looks at Glass with a 'please take her away' look
StygianEmperor Full-Conversion Cyborg from the Stygian Empire Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Full-Conversion Cyborg
#12: Feb 7th 2017 at 6:07:30 PM

This setting is cool. I'm probably just going to do what I always do and make a full-conversion cyborg. Dump-stat Empathy just as hard as I can.

Flesh is a design flaw.
Skiller2 The Sun’s Firstborn from The Bay Area Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Abstaining
The Sun’s Firstborn
#13: Feb 7th 2017 at 6:40:46 PM

So are these Imperials kinda like The Imperium of Mankind, as in 'assimilate into the Empire or die heathen/xeno scum', or are they more of a Roman or British style?

Also, this sounds pretty cool.

PresidentStalkeyes Eats moldy bread and flies into windows from United Kingdom of England-land Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Do you like me? (Yes ⎕ Definitely ⎕ Absolutely!!! ⎕)
Eats moldy bread and flies into windows
#14: Feb 7th 2017 at 6:44:29 PM

I'm getting the latter impression, since they were touted as a Hegemonic Empire and all and I get the feeling that they wouldn't bother trying to co-exist with their democratic rivals if they were the 'enslave everyone' type of empire. Plus I personally would prefer the latter since I'd find it hard to relate to the other variety, but that's probably just me.

edited 7th Feb '17 6:45:03 PM by PresidentStalkeyes

Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!
Skiller2 The Sun’s Firstborn from The Bay Area Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Abstaining
The Sun’s Firstborn
#15: Feb 7th 2017 at 6:59:18 PM

Yeah, I think it's a sort of a mix, leaning more to the Hegemonic side. Sort of like the Roman Empire.

edited 7th Feb '17 7:00:32 PM by Skiller2

bluefire_phoenix Servant of the People from The Lone Star State Since: Feb, 2016
Servant of the People
#16: Feb 7th 2017 at 7:51:34 PM

I'm interested

People are not simple. They are an intricate web of contradictions, emotions, and motives playing off People with equally convoluted webs
Dragon573 Sanity not included from Sitting at a bonfire Since: Jun, 2016 Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Sanity not included
#17: Feb 7th 2017 at 10:47:55 PM

Persuasion is Diplomacy, Bluff is, well, Bluff, and Coercion is Intimidate, I assume? On a side note: Things I see missing: Attributes: An intelligence-substitute. Skills: Likewise, some sort of knowledge skills I see a distinct lack of.

Actually, there isn't really a straight up "intimidate" skill.

At its most basic, Persuasion is about helping people achieve their goals, while Coercion is about making them do things counter productive to those goals. This has to do with the Imperial mindset.

Suppose the Imperials need a star system for its resources. So they offer a treaty to the current inhabitants that would help their fledgling nation become prosperous, and expand faster than they'd thought possible. The alternative is war, and the Empire has much bigger guns. The Imperial mindset recognizes no meaningful distinction between the natives signing because they want to cooperate, and the natives signing because they don't want to piss off the Empire. Either way, it's in their best interests to sign, so it's a persuasion check.

Coercion, meanwhile, is all about getting people to do things that are bad for them. Making a deal with someone with intent to use the terms to screw them over is a Coercion check, as is sleeping with someone to steal their I.D. badge to get into a high-security area, or writing up a contract that, buried in the fine-print, gives you the right to plant a bomb in the client's skull. These are extreme examples, granted, but they carry the general point.

As for the lack of an intelligence stat, that's actually because the Empire doesn't believe in the concept of intelligence as we know it. They actually detest the concept, in fact, feeling that such a thing is a waste of good talent. Rather, they look at everyone in the galaxy as having potential, so long as the individual is willing to work at it. That's one of the reasons they're so expansionist; all those people spread through the galaxy, the Empire doesn't think it can afford not to snatch them up.

Knowledge skills, I'm working on.

Also, instead of posting all the rules in the OP, might I suggest putting them in a google docs page and putting a link to that in the OP for ease of reading? (Also, that would allow direct commenting on the page) (Also possibly along with the less-immediately-pertinent setting information, to avoid the OP becoming a massive wall of text)
That's actually a really good idea. I should have thought of that.

@Stygian: Just remember; Empathy isn't your ability to make friends, it's your ability to understand people, friend and enemy alike.

@Cwest: Yeah, stealth was one of the things I left off in my haste. I'm getting everything together in a google doc as quickly as I can. Like the species idea, by the way. Can definitely be made to work.

@Skiller: Less "purge the heretic," more "you're going to be a prosperous, productive member of the galactic community, and you're going to like it!"

edited 7th Feb '17 10:48:27 PM by Dragon573

It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.
Izshta The Flamebringer from Mor Ardain Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
The Flamebringer
#18: Feb 7th 2017 at 11:19:46 PM

Reminds me of the Empire of the Star from the Eldraeverse.

Re: Empathy. If the idea was go all "Cybernetics Eat Your Soul," yeah, that would make sense. Which I think was the idea.

edited 7th Feb '17 11:19:58 PM by Izshta

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.
StygianEmperor Full-Conversion Cyborg from the Stygian Empire Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Full-Conversion Cyborg
#19: Feb 8th 2017 at 10:31:04 AM

No, I hate that trope. The idea was that he started off that way, not being able to empathize with people in that he felt trapped by or disconnected from his own biology, so total conversion would give him the body to match his mind.

edited 8th Feb '17 1:09:57 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.
PresidentStalkeyes Eats moldy bread and flies into windows from United Kingdom of England-land Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Do you like me? (Yes ⎕ Definitely ⎕ Absolutely!!! ⎕)
Eats moldy bread and flies into windows
#20: Feb 8th 2017 at 10:59:16 AM

So here's a species idea I've worked on and gotten a bit carried away with. Feasibly something I could use for any Space Opera RP. I even had a whole section dedicated to their language, Kynkadi (I'd call it a Conlang but it's far too underdeveloped to be that), but I cut it because it was getting to be longer than the rest of the sheet combined. Too much free time. :/

  • Name (Human): Zolatian

  • Scientific Name (Human): Fructus Equus

  • Nicknames (Human): Longnecks, Giraffe-People, Fruit Horses

  • Name (Kynkadi): Kynzi

  • Terms of Address (Kynkadi): Sendi (comrade), Zynsendi (trusted friend), Nydki (superior), Rydz (pest), Shudi (idiot), Nonzyn (grave insult).

  • Description: The Kynzi/Zolatians are a mammalian species that bear some resemblance to a horse or giraffe, being covered in horselike hair rather than fur. They have tall bodies and long necks, upon which a horse-like head with an extra-long, extra-thin snout and two large ears can be found. They have four long limbs; two arms and two legs; along with a giraffe-like tail. Their hands and feet are more reminiscent of camels, however, with three thick fingers on each hand and cameloid hooves for feet. They are also noted for their long tongues and extreme height, being around eight or nine feet tall on average. In terms of build, they can be gangly, muscular, or anything in between; obesity is extremely rare due to their herbivorous diet. Females have curvier bodies but flat chests, and brighter coats with dark spotted or striped markings. Males appear 'straighter' and have darker coats with bright markings. Males also grow long manes and facial hair, while females are comparatively 'bald'.

  • Species Traits: The Kynzi were originally a prey species on their homeworld. They are herbivores that subsist primarily on foliage, grasses and tree sap, although vegetables, grains and especially fruits are also consumed regularly. Some Kynzi are known to occasionally eat insects. They've developed immunities to a lot of toxins that are commonly found on plants. As a prey species, they are also known for their heightened sense of awareness; they can see 270 degrees in front of them, can detect subtle motions even in pitch-black environments, and are extremely sensitive to sound. When speaking human languages, they tend to do so with a vaguely African, Indian or sometimes Hispanic accent.

  • Homeworld: The Kynzi hail from the planet Zolat, which literally means 'The World' in Kynkadi. Zolat is a lush jungle planet littered with massive mesas and plateaus that rise above the landscape. The Kynzi evolved on these plateaus, and to this day pretty much all of their cities are built on them. There's a good reason for this; the forest floor is consumed by Alien Kudzu and mushrooms that can induce sickness or hallucinations in anyone who steps foot there. They've been hard at work exploring these neglected areas with the aid of technology, but vast swathes of the planet remain uncharted regardless.

  • Culture:
    • The fact that Kynzi populations are concentrated on these plateaus, combined with the fact that for most of their history they had no way of travelling between them, Kynzi communities tend to be very tight-knit and big on sharing. In modern times, this has evolved into a form of socialism, shedding the more xenophobic aspects of their past tribal cultures in favour of simply emphasising the needs of the many over the needs of the few. As a consequence, punishment for crime is extremely harsh, and their police forces are well-trained and dutiful enough to double as a local militia on short notice.
    • Female Kynzi are typically seen as more practical and down-to-earth (that is, down-to-Zolat), while males are considered more emotional and spiritual; as such, females were traditionally expected to become labourers, soldiers or politicians, while males were expected to stay at home, raise the children and take up religious or artistic pursuits. In recent times, the rise of gender equality means that these traditional roles are being slowly phased out, but the cultural baggage and the stereotypes remain.
    • Kynzi have historically practiced a form of ancestor worship, with spiritual advisors - usually male - being purported to be able to commune with the dead by consuming hallucinogenic fruit that grows on Zolat. Fruit features heavily in Kynzi myth due to its role as a staple of the Kynzi diet; for example, the universe was said to have formed around fruit that dropped off a celestial tree, which eventually turned into stars and planets. Modern Kynzi, however, tend to be secular in most aspects of life, and are just as scientifically-aware as any other spacefaring species.

edited 15th Feb '17 3:26:18 PM by PresidentStalkeyes

Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!
Izshta The Flamebringer from Mor Ardain Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
The Flamebringer
#21: Feb 8th 2017 at 12:43:00 PM

[up][up] Apologies for the misunderstanding. I'd completely agree, too, the trope is idiotic.

[up] Ný šinir žilešo Šireni, será.

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.
PresidentStalkeyes Eats moldy bread and flies into windows from United Kingdom of England-land Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Do you like me? (Yes ⎕ Definitely ⎕ Absolutely!!! ⎕)
Eats moldy bread and flies into windows
#22: Feb 8th 2017 at 12:59:50 PM

[up]Forgive my ignorance, but what language is that?

Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!
Cwest5538 Blood Mage Apologist from Kirkwall Since: Aug, 2016 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
Blood Mage Apologist
#23: Feb 8th 2017 at 3:23:24 PM

[Moved/Deleted]

edited 14th Feb '17 1:19:36 PM by Cwest5538

Wooze looks at Glass with a 'please take her away' look
Izshta The Flamebringer from Mor Ardain Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
The Flamebringer
#24: Feb 8th 2017 at 4:34:09 PM

Šireni. A Conlang of my own. Specifically, the (in-univsere) modern construction of it, Imperial Shireni (Which is wonderfully redundant, thanks, Greywall).

Glosses as "Behold the language of the [Šintani] Empire," roughly. That said, it's usually used as an idiomatic expression with a meaning roughly equivalent to Hegemonic Empire, because they're obviously the best, and everyone else should be subject to their rule for the good of the Empire (they get manpower) and the good of the people (they get the benefits of Imperial rule).

If you hadn't noticed, they're Elves.

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.
PresidentStalkeyes Eats moldy bread and flies into windows from United Kingdom of England-land Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Do you like me? (Yes ⎕ Definitely ⎕ Absolutely!!! ⎕)
Eats moldy bread and flies into windows
#25: Feb 8th 2017 at 4:56:57 PM

Ohhhhhhhhhhh, I get it now. Pretty interesting there. Bynkan zyn, sendi. Translation  But anyway, I still wouldn't call mine a proper Conlang; I'd be flattering myself. :V

Incidentally, I'm assuming that the Empire (that is, the space one) takes a more live-and-let-live approach with governments they've assimilated, provided that said governments follow all the laws of the Empire, pay taxes, and contribute resources and manpower when demanded.

edited 8th Feb '17 5:00:09 PM by PresidentStalkeyes

Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!

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