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10.2.5: Creating Creatures

Table of Contents [Hide/Show] Compose the creature’s concept Determine the creature’s niche, symmetry and size class    Determining Mass Variation Ranges and Die Rolls (With A Quick Word on Buoyancy)    Determining Height Variation Ranges and Die Rolls    Determine the creature’s Speed Determine the creature's Durability and Learning Rate    Determine the creature's hit difficulty ratings    Determining Standard Trade Value    Determining Life Phase thresholds and Lifespan Roll Determine the creature's Initial Discipline Ratings, if applicable Determine if the creature has any special abilities    A Quick Word about Synthetic Lifeforms Compose the creature's physical description Assign attacks to the creature Compose the remainder of the race's description Determine the creature's "hero level" Determine the amount of points to add to the creature's Attributes Spend points on the creature's skills Determine the creature’s derived statistics Test the creature

Starflight just wouldn't be Starflight without other forms of life to interact with. This includes the various forms of life in the game, from innocuous little plants, to ferocious predators, and even other forms of intelligent life. Life is an integral part of the game. The following sub-chapter outlines the steps needed to create new life for an SFRPG campaign; not just surface lifeforms for the characters to hunt and trade, but also intelligent lifeforms.

Creatures, also known as lifeforms, can be broadly placed into two categories. The first category consists of those races capable of acting with judgment, including the capacity to abstractly communicate ideas to other beings. These races are known as sapient races. The second category, as one might expect, consists of lifeforms lacking the capability of acting with judgment and are known as non-sapient lifeforms. Sapience is often confused with sentience, a term which refers to a being's ability to to feel or perceive subjectively. Whether or not non-sapient lifeforms may possess sentience is a matter best left to philosophers and metaphysicists. That said, as a caveat, the two terms are often used interchangeably and so any reference to sentience in this text should be considered in the context of sapience.

Most creatures fall on the Character scale (though some very large creatures can also be placed on the Vehicle scale, as detailed below). For the most part, creating a creature is similar to creating a character, albeit with some significant differences. The specific pieces of information that must be generated in regard to a specific creature depends largely on whether or not the species possesses sapience. A sapient race will need all of the same information included with the races in Chapters 2.2 and 2.3 (personality, description, race relations, territory, names, motivation, and stats). Further information about a specific member of that species can be generated using the character creation rules found in Chapter 2.4. For non-sapient races, though, a different information set is needed, one geared more towards members of that species in combat situations. It's unusual for situations to arise wherein information is needed about a specific member of a non-sapient race, but in those instances the character creation rules should suffice (with a couple of minor limitations, which will be outlined below). It should be noted that creating a creature from scratch requires more in the way of multiplication and division than creating characters, vehicles or starships; while not strictly necessary, it is recommended that a creature designer have access to a calculator to expedite the design process.

Regardless of whether the desired creature is sapient or not, the main point of the creation procedure is to generate its physical description and basic characteristics at a minimum. Both sapient and non-sapient races follow the same basic multi-step procedure for creation, though some of the steps may be skipped for one type of creature over another. Here is the basic outline of the procedure:

1. Compose the creature’s concept.
2. Determine the creature’s niche, symmetry and size class.
   1. Determine the creature's mass variation.
   2. Determine the creature's long dimension (height) variation.
   3. Determine the creature’s Speed.
3. Determine the creature's Durability and Learning Rate.
   1. Determine the creature's hit difficulty ratings.
   2. Determine the creature's Standard Trade Value.
   3. Determine the creature's Life Phase thresholds and Lifespan.
4. Determine the creature's Initial Discipline Ratings, if applicable.
5. Determine if the creature has any special abilities.
6. Compose the creature's physical description.
7. Assign attacks to the creature.
8. Compose the remainder of the race's description, if applicable.
9. Determine the creature's "hero level".
10. Determine the amount of points to add to the creature's Attributes.
11. Spend points on the creature's skills.
12. Determine the creature’s derived statistics.
13. Test the creature.
    

Compose the creature’s concept¶

Before a creature designer (creator, for lack of a better word) begins to build their creation in earnest, they should take a minute or two to think about just what it is they want to create. Is their creation going to be a slavering 4-armed venomous beast, a six-legged farm animal, a race of giant starfaring spiders, a D&D™-esque dire wolf, or perhaps something else? Having a good creature concept is always a good place to start before beginning the creation of a creature, as the concept will guide your choices and perhaps determine a few of the creature's abilities. Along with writing down the final desired capabilities of the creature, it may help to try and sketch it out. A visual reference to a creature can also help spark ideas, and help the creator to give it its desired abilities. Obviously, the more detailed the sketch the better, but even a stick figure may be useful. Finally, writing down the creature's concept alone may provide a creator with enough information to fill out the creature's physical description information.

What constitutes a good concept is generally up to the designer, but in general a creator should be able to answer these questions: what does the lifeform eat?, what's the lifeform's general shape?, how big is the lifeform?, how does the lifeform move (if it moves at all)?, and how dangerous will the lifeform be to player groups?. A creator that can answer these questions in the concept phase has a solid base from which to start. If the creator can't answer a question or two (or even all five), it's still possible to create a lifeform. It just means more decision will need to be made on the fly.

Creature creation can be a long and complex process. To aid first-time designers, two examples will be included at the end of each step in the process, one sapient race and one non-sapient race. More specifically, these examples will go through the procedure to create two creatures from Starflight II, the Poison Glider (non-sapient) and the Dershetche (sapient).

A Dershetche?

The original Starflight design team was nice enough to include a picture of a Poison Glider in the SF2 manual. Getting a text description is also really easy; one need simply go into SF2, find a Poison Glider, and take some screenshots of the text. One could just as easily go swipe the info from starflt.com.

Here's the description:
A cat-sized, insect-like carnivore. This creature's body is covered with a shiny yellow exoskeleton with a black camoflaging pattern. It has two powerful rear legs for jumping, and extendable membranous flaps which allow it to glide long distances. Its front claws are hooked for grasping and it has a small swivel head with one large compound eye. It also has a retractable, needle-like mouthpiece capable of injecting a potent poison.

There's a lot of information contained in that short paragraph. We already know the creature is a relatively small insect-like carnivore (which suggests the creature is bilateral), that it has an exoskeleton (which suggests some natural armor) with a camoflaging pattern (camouflage is a special ability of some creatures), two legs for jumping and gliding flaps (the lifeform is primarily a biped but has the ability to glide), two claws for grasping (two motor appendages), a single eye, and has a poisonous bite. The swivelling head is a fairly unique feature for this creature; it would allow the eye, mouthpiece and any other attached organs to be repositioned in any direction. This will need to be noted in the creature's final ability set.

Finally, there's some information available on the Poison Glider in the Starflight II hex code. It has a unit STV of 1500 SP per cubic meter (and a total STV of 3000 SP), a volume of 2 cubic meters, fast movement, and a 300 point damage rating (which would translate to 30 points in SFRPG). From the SF2 cluebook, Poison Gliders are bought by the Nelsons and on one of the Humna Humna worlds. A creature creator should consider including this kind of information in their concept; it took a good deal of effort by a number of members of the Starflight III project to extract the data from the hex, which is fortunate to have in this case.

We're less fortunate when it comes to the Dershetche. All we've got to go on with them is a short description: A race of flying, carnivorous plants. Their policy of immediately devouring other sentient forms has kept them from being very popular. We also know from their trade buoy that they are an Industrial Age race with an average population density. While that's not a great deal of information, it should be enough to proceed.

Some among the Starflight III community have indicated their belief that the Dershetche look a little bit like a stingray or manta ray, based on an unidentified lifeform flying in the background of a picture of the Tandelou worshiping the Most Valuable Thing in the early parts of the Starflight II cluebook. While this cannot be definitively identified as a Dershetche, the community members involved make a very strong argument, and so given the absence of any available picture of a Dershetche we'll go under the assumption that their assessment is correct. Every little bit helps.

Determine the creature’s niche, symmetry and size class¶

Once a designer has a concept for their creature, the next step in the creation process is to determine the creature's niche, symmetry and size. This is a crucial step, as these factors will determine several of the creature’s base statistics directly, including its Durability and Learning Rate, height, base HD, hit points, speed, mass, lifespan, and potential damage capability.

A lifeform's niche refers to its position on the food chain. Food chains can be very intricate and a lifeform's position on the food chain may change depending on its location, particularly if the creature is present on more than one planet (a creature that is an apex predator on one world may find itself prey for another, larger predator on another world). Because of this fact, the information on the lifeform's niche need not be terribly specific. What's crucial is the lifeform's eating habits; more specifically whether or not the lifeform can synthesize the element most necessary for its development and growth on its own (carbon is most common, but other elements such as boron and silicon are possible), and what is the primary source of energy for the lifeform. All lifeforms fall into one of ten base catagories based on this information. These basic categories are outlined in the table below.

ifeform either obtains energy from an unusual source, produces unusual compounds, or has an unusual physical composition but still uses carbon dioxide as a carbon source

Lifeform Niche Categories By Feeding Habits

		Carbon Source
		Producer (Autotroph)	Consumer (Heterotroph)
Energy Source	Photosynthetic	Lifeform obtains energy by converting light energy into chemical energy and uses carbon dioxide as a source of carbon	Lifeform obtains energy by converting light energy into chemical energy and obtains carbon by intake of organic compounds from the environment (which can include other organisms).
	Chemosynthetic	Lifeform derives energy through the oxidation of inorganic compounds (such as hydrogen sulfide) and uses carbon dioxide as a source of carbon	Lifeform derives energy through the oxidation of inorganic compounds (such as hydrogen sulfide) and obtains carbon by intake of organic compounds from the environment (which can include other organisms).
	Herbivore	Lifeform obtains energy by ingestion of other autotrophs and uses carbon dioxide as a source of carbon	Lifeform obtains both energy and carbon by ingestion of autrotrophs.
	Carnivore	Lifeform obtains energy by ingestion of heterotrophs and uses carbon dioxide as a source of carbon	Lifeform obtains both energy and carbon by ingestion of other heterotrophs.
	Omnivore	Lifeform obtains energy by ingestion of a mix of autotrophs and heterotrophs, and uses carbon dioxide as a source of carbon	Lifeform obtains both energy and carbon by ingestion of a mix of autotrophs and heterotrophs.
	Exotic	L
Lifeform either obtains energy and carbon from unusual sources, requires consumption of unusual compounds, or has an unusual physical composition.

The above chart uses terminology appropriate to carbon-based life. In the event that the creature is based on a different element, a more appropriate producer source substance will need to be selected (silicon dioxide for silicon-based life, boron nitride for boron-based life, etc.).

Note that if a lifeform has the capability to feed in more than one mode (say, a lifeform that can behave as both a photosynthetic producer and a carnivorous consumer), the creator should select the mode that the lifeform prefers to use most often. If the lifeform does not have a preference, then pick whichever category is furthest down on the chart, with any consumer category outranking all producer catagories. Secondary feeding habits should be listed with the creature's traits (see below).

A lifeform's niche determines a number of basic characteristics. To determine these how the effects of niche on the creature, the creator need merely look up the information on the table below. Here's a quick overview of the information included in the table for each niche:

• Base Unit STV: This is a modifier to the the lifeform's standard trade value per cubic meter. As a general rule, lifeforms higher in the food chain will have a higher unit STV.
• Base Attack Bonus (Non-Sapients Only): A lifeform may get a bonus to its base attack value based on its niche. This value is added to various other modifiers to determine the lifeform's final attack values. The Security sub-discipline is used as the base attack bonus for sapient creatures, and so this value only applies to non-sapient creatures.
• Learning Rate Modifier: This is a modifier to the creature's Learning Rate. All creatures have at least some ability to learn and adapt from their environment, even if they don't possess sapience. This modifier will be added to a die roll to determine the creature's Learning Rate later in the creation process. As a general rule, lifeforms higher in the food chain will have a higher Learning Rate modifier.
• Attack Damage: The attack damage columns list the dice types used when figuring up how much damage the creature can cause when attacking. There are five attack damage columns in the table, one for the various possible types of attacks a creature may have at its disposal. This information is used when the creature's attacks are figured up later in the creation process. While sapient beings are not generally given attack damage (it's assumed they prefer to use fashioned weapons more than what nature gave them), it can be done if the creator wishes. A "d1" entry on the table always means a result of one.
  • Bite Die: This lists the die type used when figuring the creature's damage due to any biting attacks. The damage done from bites depends largely on the makeup of the teeth in a creature's mouth. As one might expect, the higher the lifeform's position on the food chain, the more damage they can inflict with a bite.
  • Claw Die: This lists the die type used when figuring the creature's damage due to any clawing or raking weapons. Claws are the obvious weapon here, but clawing weapons can also include talons, pincers, or any other type of hooked appendage (except for hooked stingers, which are considered a type of gore weapon along with straight or barbed stingers).
  • Slap Die: This lists the die type used when figuring the creature's damage due to any slapping, slamming or punching attacks (a tail whip, kicking, head butts, etc.). Note that this kind of attack is considered an unarmed attack, and that the amount of damage from the attack is added to the non-lethal damage done as a result. This kind of damage is generally Non-Lethal.
  • Gore Die: This lists the die type used when figuring the creature's damage due to any attacks with goring weapons (such as horns, antlers, etc.). These weapons can also include stings, particularly if the weapon also causes acid damage or poisoning.
  • Special Die: This lists the die type used when figuring the creature's damage due to any special attacks. As the name would suggest, these encompass any attacks not covered by the other attack rolls. Examples of expecial weaponry may include psionic attacks or natural ranged attacks. Depending on the type of damage intended, this die can vary (at the creator's discretion), but it is generally recommended the indicated die be used.
    

500

Lifeform characteristics based on Niche

Niche	Base Unit STV	Base Attack Bonus	Learning Rate Modifier	Bite Die	Claw Die	Slap Die	Gore Die	Special Die
Photosynthetic Producer	200	0	-5	d1	d1	d2-1	d2-1	d2
Chemosynthetic Producer	300	1	-3	d1	d1	d2-1	d2-1	d2
Herbivorous Producer	200	2	-1	d2	d2	d2	d5	d2
Carnivorous Producer	350	4	1	d5	d2	d1	d1	d2
Omnivorous Producer	250	3	3	d2	d2	d2-1	d1	d2
Exotic Producer	750	6	5	d1	d1	d1	d1	d5
Photovore (Photosynthetic Consumer)	250	6	-4	d1	d1	d2	d2	d5
Electrovore (Chemosynthetic Consumer)	350	7	-2	d1	d1	d2	d2	d5
Herbivore (Herbivorous Consumer)	400	8	0	d2	d2	d5	d10	d5
Carnivore (Carnivorous Consumer)	600	10	2	d10	d5	d1	d1	d5
Omnivore (Omnivorous Consumer)	500	9	4	d5	d5	d2	d1	d5
Exotic Consumer	1
15	+6	d1	d1	d1	d1	d10

Symmetry refers to the balanced distribution of duplicate body parts or shapes within an organism. Most lifeforms will exhibit some form of symmetry within their structure. Symmetry is, at best, and approximation; it's a rare thing when an organism is completely symmetrical with itself. Symmetry is important for determining the potential lifespan of an organism, as detailed below. To determine the lifeform's symmetry, a creator need only look at their creature concept and search on the table below for the most apt description.

s a whole, the lifeform exhibits reflection symmetry along a single plane, which roughly divides the lifeform into two mirror images. A bilateral lifeform has a defined left, right, dorsal and ventral side. Many lifeforms (including humans) fall into this category.

Symmetry Definitions

Category	Description	Lifespan Modifier
Amorphous	The lifeform doesn't exhibit overall symmetry, and has the capability of altering its shape at will. Amoebae are the classic example of this category of lifeform (Spemin also fit in here).	*2
Irregular	The lifeform doesn't exhibit overall symmetry but does have a fixed shape. Parts of an irregular lifeform may exhibit other forms of symmetry. Many plants fall into this category, as do lifeforms such as sponges.	*3
Spherical	As a whole, the lifeform exhibits reflection symmetry along many cutting planes along multiple axes, producing many possible mirror image divisions. Spherical lifeforms are (as one might expect) sphere-shaped, exhibiting no clear dorsal, ventral, left or right sides. A few corals has spherical symmetry, but most spherical lifeforms are microscopic (such as the members of the Staphylococcus genus).	*4
Radial	As a whole, the lifeform exhibits reflection symmetry along many cutting planes along a single axis, producing many possible mirror image divisions. Radial lifeforms have a defined dorsal and ventral, but no clear left or right side. Jellyfish are considered radial lifeforms (though their tentacles may be of different lengths), as are many forms of mushrooms.	*5
Bilateral	A
*6

If a creature designer doesn't know the symmetry of their desired lifeform (either because they have a poor concept or are just creating the creature at random), they may either select a symmetry level at random or make a roll of 1d5+1 and use the category whose lifespan modifier matches the end result. As a general rule, the lower down on the chart the lifeform falls, the more complex it is.

Finally, size refers to the various dimensions of the creature and covers such qualities as its volume and weight. Unlike vehicles and starships, however, the volumes given for lifeforms refer to the lifeform's actual internal volume (as opposed to a "bounding box" value). As with vehicles and starships, size determines a large number of the lifeform's stats. Here's an outline of some of the stats determined by size, as indicated in the table below:

• Creature Size Class: As with vehicles and starships, a creature's size is categorized by a numeric size class. To prevent confusion between creature and vehicle/starship size scales, creature size classes are prefixed with the letter "C" (thus a size class of C5 corresponds to size class 5 on the creature size class scale).
• Approximate Minimum Volume: This column lists a the minimum volume a creature may have in order to be categorized in a particular size class. A creature is said to be of a certain size class so long as it is at least as large as the minimum required size for the size class.
• Durability Bonus: This is a modifier to the creature's Durability. This modifier will be added to a die roll to determine the creature's Durability Rate later in the creation process. As a general rule, larger lifeforms are more durable.
• Base HD Ratings: This lists the base hit difficulty ratings for a creature of a given size class. These ratings will help determine how hard the creature is to hit.
• Dimension Range/Roll: Sometimes a creature designer will need to have a rough estimate of how "tall" or "long" a creature is on average (this is especially true for sentient lifeforms, which have a height stat). This column lists a range of acceptable values of the long dimension for a creature of the indicated size class. The values given can be used for any lifeform, but are most appropriate for humanoid lifeforms. A creature designer may either select a value from the range indicated, or use the indicated dice roll formula included to get the long dimension of the lifeform. Note that this gives the average long dimension for the species; individuals can be longer or shorter than this average dimension. A formula for determining variations and for how to determine average mass for creatures with non-humanoid proportions will be discussed momentarily. Note that it is not necessary to determine long dimension information for non-sapient creatures, if the creator would like to skip that step.
• Mass Range/Roll: Similarly to the dimension range/roll column, this column lists a range of acceptable values of the mass of a creature of the indicated size class, assuming the lifeform is neutrally buoyant in water (neither floats or sinks readily). A creature designer may either select a value from the range indicated, or use the indicated dice roll formula included to get the mass of the lifeform. Alternatively, if they've determined the height of the creature with the a dice roll, they may multiply that result by ten and use the resultant amount as the result of the mass die roll (this method assures that the lifeform would be neutrally buoyant in water). Note that this gives the average mass for the species; individuals can be lighter or heavier than this average mass. A formula for determining variations will be discussed momentarily. Note that it is not necessary to determine mass information for non-sapient creatures, if the creator would like to skip that step.
  

,406+

SFRPG Creature Size Class Conversion Chart

Creature Size Class	Approximate Minimum Volume (m3)	Durability Bonus	Base HD Ratings	Dimension Range / Roll	Mass Range / Roll
0	<0.001	-5	65/50/65	<0.38 m (No Roll)	< 1 kg (No Roll)
1	0.001	-4	62/50/62	0.37-0.64 m 0.37 + (d10 * 0.03)	1-5 kg 1 + (d% * 0.04)
2	0.005	-3	59/50/59	0.64-0.8 m 0.64 + (d10 * 0.02)	5-10 kg 5 + (d% * 0.05)
3	0.01	-2	56/50/56	0.8-1.16 m 0.8 + (d10 * 0.04)	10-30 kg 10 + (d% * 0.2)
4	0.03	-1	53/50/53	1.16-1.37 m 1.16 + (d10 * 0.02)	30-50 kg 30 + (d% * 0.2)
5	0.05	0	50/50/50	1.37-1.73 m 1.37 + (d10 * 0.04)	50-100 kg 50 + (d% * 0.5)
6	0.1	1	47/50/47	1.73-2.49 m 1.73 + (d10 * 0.08)	100-300 kg 100 + (d% * 2)
7	0.3	1	44/50/44	2.49-2.95 m 2.49 + (d10 * 0.05)	300-500 kg 300 + (d% * 2)
8	0.5	1	41/50/41	2.95-3.72 m 2.95 + (d10 * 0.08)	500-1,000 kg 500 + (d% * 5)
9	1	2	38/50/38	3.72-5.37 m 3.72 + (d10 * 0.17)	1,000-3,000 kg 1,000 + (d% * 20)
10	3	2	35/50/35	5.37-6.36 m 5.37 + (d10 * 0.1)	3,000-5,000 kg 3,000 + (d% * 20)
11 (Vehicle Size Class 1)	5	2	32/50/32	6.36-8.27 m 6.36 + (d10 * 0.19)	5,000-11,000 kg 5,000 + (d% * 60)
12 (Vehicle Size Class 2)	11	3	29/50/29	8.27-10.43 m 8.27 + (d10 * 0.22)	11,000-22,000 kg 11,000 + (d% * 110)
13 (Vehicle Size Class 3)	22	3	26/50/26	10.43-13.14 m 10.43 + (d10 * 0.27)	22,000-44,000 kg 22,000 + (d% * 220)
14 (Vehicle Size Class 4)	44	3	23/50/23	13.14-16.55 m 13.14 + (d10 * 0.34)	44,000-88,000 kg 44,000 + (d% * 440)
15 (Vehicle Size Class 5)	88	4	20/50/20	16.55-20.85 m 16.55 + (d10 * 0.43)	88,000-176,000 kg 88,000 + (d% * 880)
16 (Vehicle Size Class 6)	176	4	17/50/17	20.85-26.27 m 20.85 + (d10 * 0.54)	176,000-352,000 kg 176,000 + (d% * 1,760)
17 (Vehicle Size Class 7)	352	5	14/50/14	26.27-33.08 m 26.27 + (d10 * 0.68)	352,000-703,000 kg 352,000 + (d% * 3,510)
18 (Vehicle Size Class 8)	703	5	11/50/11	33.08-41.68 m 33.08 + (d10 * 0.86)	703,000-1,406,000 kg 703,000 + (d% * 7,030)
19 (Vehicle Size Class 9)	1
6	8/50/8	41.68m+ (No Roll)	1,406,000 kg+ (No Roll)

If a creature designer doesn't know the size of their desired lifeform (either because they have a poor concept or are just creating the creature at random), they may either select a size class at random or make a roll of 2d10 and use the category that matches the result.

Note that some lifeforms are large enough to fall on the vehicle scale. For these lifeforms, the creature designer must decide whether their creature will use the character scale or vehicle scale for combat. This decision would affect the creature's movement, attacks and HP, and can make some creature's very dangerous to deal with.

From our concept, we know a few things about the Poison Glider already. First, it's a carnivore, as evidenced in the basic description: A cat-sized, insect-like carnivore. Given that it has the capability to inject "a potent poison", its more likely that its a consumer than a producer. From the picture, we can see that it has a distinct dorsal, ventral, left and right side, so its definitely a Bilateral creature. Finally, from the information we have on it from the SF2 documentation, we know that it has a volume of two cubic meters.

So, what we have here is a 2m³ bilateral carnivorous consumer. Looking at the charts gives us several pieces of information information for generating the Glider. First, because it's a carnivorous consumer, we know that it has a base STV of 600, an attack bonus of 10, and plus 2 modifier to its Learning Rate. We know that when the time comes to assign attacks to the Glider, we can use d10 for any biting attacks, d5 for any clawing, raking, or special attacks, and d1 for any slapping or goring attack we might give the Glider. From the lifeform's symmetry, we get a multiplier of *6 for its lifespan. Finally, because the lifeform has a two cubic meter volume, we know that it is a Character Size Class Nine creature (just below the necessary threshold to put it on the vehicle scale, it gets a plus 2 modifier to its Durability roll, it has a base HD of 38, a base THD of 50, and a base FHD of 38. Since this is a non-sapient lifeform, it's not strictly necessary to bother with figuring up its height and weight. However, we'll do so for the sake of the demonstration. In that case, we know the Glider is might weigh somewhere between one and three metric tonnes (more on this "might" business a little later). If we assume it has roughly humanoid dimensions (not necessarily that big of a stretch), it might have a length somewhere between 3.72 and 5.37 meters in length.

As far as the Dershetche are concerned, we know from their description that they are "a race of flying, carnivorous plants" with "a policy of immediately devouring other sentient forms". This gives us enough information to figure out their niche and size, and allows us to make a guess as to their symmetry. Most carnivorous plants derive some or most of their nutrients (but not energy) from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, which suggests the Derschetche are photosynthetic consumers. The requirements of flight demand bilateral symmetry. Finally, we have to determine their size. Here we run into a problem, since we have no definitive data; we only know that they have to be large enough to devour other sentient creatures. 2d10 are cast; the Dershetche are Character Size Class Eight creatures.

So, from the charts above, the Dershetche would have a base STV of 250 and a base attack bonus of 6, but since they're a sapient race then neither one counts. They do have a -4 modifier to their Learning Rate. They're sapient, so they wouldn't ordinarily need attack information; in this case, given their dietary propensity, some kind of natural attack may be necessary. For attacks, they can use d5 for assigning special attacks, d2 for slapping, punching, goring and stinging attacks, and d1 for biting, clawing and raking attacks. Bilateral symmetry gives them a lifespan modifier of *6. Finally, at CSC 8 they get a +1 Durability modifier and have base HD ratings of 41/50/41. They might weigh between five hundred kilograms and one metric tonne (probably not, though), and (assuming humanoid dimensions) might be anywhere from 2.95 to 3.72 meters in length.

Hell of a lot of information for three little criteria, ain't it?

Determining Mass Variation Ranges and Die Rolls (With A Quick Word on Buoyancy)¶

As previously mentioned, the die roll included in the Size Class chart is good for determining the average mass of a lifeform. Most of the time (particularly for non-sapients), this average value can be used a generic catch-all for all members of a species. However, there may come some times (sentient character creation among them) when a designer will need to build in a way to have some mass variation for their characters. The procedure for determining a mass variation die roll is simple enough, but it can be math intensive. Before proceeding with the procedure, it is necessary to determine the average mass of the creature.

The masses listed on the table assume that the average member of the resultant lifeform will be at least close to being neutrally buoyant in water. That is to say, most lifeforms will have the same density as water, which is a thousand kilograms per cubic meter (a lifeform with an average volume of one cubic meter should have a mass of one thousand kilograms). Given that the substance with the largest molecular concentration in most lifeforms is water, this makes sense. If the average member of a species is neutrally buoyant, they will neither float nor sink in water, which further means that (given that not all members of a species weigh the same amount) some individuals of the species will have a tendency to float, while others will have a tendency to sink.

Trouble with this assumption is that it doesn't necessarily hold true for all lifeforms. Some lifeforms may have members who all float or all sink. So, it doesn't necessarily follow that a species of a certain Size Class (which is based entirely off of the lifeform's volume) would have an average mass that also fall into the Size Class. What's important to know in this case is the lifeform's primary mode of transportation; whether or not the lifeform is best categorized as land-based (a runner), air-based with powered flight (a flier), air-based without powered flight (a floater), or sea-based (a swimmer).

Runners can have the widest variations in possible mass; there are some species that are much lighter than they should be for their volume, while others are much more massive than they should be. If so desired, a creator may select a mass for their lifeform from a category up to three size classes lower or higher than the size class indicated by the lifeform's volume. Exotic runners are an exception; their mass may be up to six size classes lower or higher. Note that selecting average mass from another Size Class will impart a modifier to the lifeform's Durability, as outlined in the table below. Alternatively, a creator may make a 2d10 roll to determine how buoyant a creature is. A creature creator always has the option of just going with the indicated size class. Exotic runners may double the amount indicated by the roll without further Durability penalty, at the creator's discretion. The chart below details the possible results and effects.

xtremely Dense

Lifeform Buoyancy in Water via 2d10

2d10 Result Range	Buoyancy Level	Mass Size Class Adjustment	Durability Modifier
0	Extremely Buoyant	Roll 1d10 (0 counting 10) and add 2 to the result. Use the Size Class a number of steps equal to the result above the indicated Size Class	-3
1-2	Very Buoyant	Use the Size Class two steps above the indicated Size Class	-2
3-5	Buoyant	Use the Size Class one step above the indicated Size Class	-1
6-12	Average	Use the indicated Size Class	0
13-15	Dense	Use the Size Class one step below the indicated Size Class	1
16-17	Very Dense	Use the Size Class two steps below the indicated Size Class	2
18	E
Roll 1d10 (0 counting 10) and add 2 to the result. Use the Size Class a number of steps equal to the result below the indicated Size Class	3

NOTE: "Above" and "Below" in the chart are terms relative to the Size Class Chart. For example, if a CSC10 creature is determined to be Very Buoyant, the chart indicates that the mass from "the Size Class two steps above the indicated Size Class" should be used. Relative to the chart, that's referring to CSC8, not CSC12.

If the result of the die roll indicates a mass from a Size Class that does not exist in the table, use the result from whatever extreme end of the chart is indicated (either Size Class 0 or Size Class 19, whichever is appropriate to the situation).

Fliers, by design, generally have lightweight skeletons and other structures designed to provide a lot of power while preserving weight. If so desired, a creator may select a mass for their lifeform from a category between three size classes lower than the size class indicated by the lifeform's size and the indicated size class. Exotic fliers are an exception; their mass may be up to six size classes lower. Likewise, the mass of floaters may be up to six size classes lower. For fliers and floaters, the same chart as runners may be used, but a roll of 1d10 is used instead of 2d10. Note that this means that all fliers have no higher than average density. A creature creator always has the option of just going with the indicated size class. Exotic fliers and floaters may double the amount indicated by the roll without further Durability penalty, at the creator's discretion.

For runners, fliers and floaters, once the target Size Class for mass has been determined, figuring out their average mass can be done in one of two ways. The creator may either select a desired mass at random in the range indicated on the table, or they may make the d% roll as indicated.

Swimmers are unique in that in order for them to function in a liquid environment, all individuals must be neutrally buoyant in order to prevent them from floating to the surface or sinking all the way to the ocean bottom. To find their average mass, simply multiply the volume of the creature by 1000. The result is the creature's average mass in kilograms. Should a swimmer be intended to inhabit a liquid medium other than water, the 1000 can simply be replaced by the density of the desired fluid, provided that that particular density is in units of kilograms per cubic meter (for example, to find a swimmer that swims in hydrochloric acid, one would multiply the volume by 1180, since the density of HCl is 1,180 kg/m³). Again, exotic swimmers are an exception to this rule; treat them as exotic runners for purposes of determining mass. NOTE: It is possible to adjust the mass for runners and fliers should a creator wish to base them on a substance other than water. In that case, the creator should use the table as indicated but multiply the desired result by x/1000, where x is the density of the desired base substance in kg/m³.

One final thing to consider with lifeforms is the possibility of significant sexual dimorphism, or systematic differences in form between individuals of different gender in the same species. For certain species, there can be a substantial variation in the average mass of one gender over the other. In these cases, a creator may either choose to treat the various genders like seperate species (and come up with individual average masses), or select average masses for each gender, the mean of which is the average mass of the species.

For all types of lifeforms, the same procedure is used to generate the mass variation roll once an average mass has finally been determined. All mass variation rolls are based on a roll of 2d5, and are designed to provide variance at 5% intervals for a range of possible masses from 80 to 120% of the average mass. When a player or GM goes to make a specific creature, height (or whatever appropriate "long dimension") is usually determined first. At least one of the d5s for mass always comes from the roll for height (for swimmers, the result of the height roll is used as the result of the mass roll). Given that the interval between results is the same for each possible outcome on the die roll, all that's necessary for the creator to do is to determine the base mass value and the interval multiplier.

The interval multiplier is determined first. To do this, the creator will multiply the average mass value by 0.8 (80%) and record the result. The creator then will multiply the average value by 0.85 (85%) and record that result. Finally, the result of the creator will subtract the result of the first calculation from the second one (the 85% result minus the 80% result), and round the result to the nearest hundredth of a decimal point. This final result after rounding is the interval multiplier.

Now the creator can determine the base mass value. To do this, the creator takes the 80% result from the last set of calculations, rounds it to the closest hundredth of a decimal, and subtracts from the resultant amount the interval multiplier. That result is the base mass value. At this point, the information needed to compose the height formula is complete. The formula is always of this form:


Note that it is possible (though rare) that, through this process, the actual value of the average mass becomes an impossible result. This is perfectly acceptable, but for those creators who do want the average to be a plausible result, slight alterations to the base mass value, the interval multiplier, or both change may be made until the average becomes possible. The formula creation process will at least get any designer in the ballpark of the final result.

We already know the Glider is a CSC 9 creature, since it has a volume of 2 cubic meters. It's obviously a land-based creature, but we can see that it does have flight as a secondary mode of transportation: It has two powerful rear legs for jumping, and extendable membranous flaps which allow it to glide long distances. Because of this, we won't set the average mass entirely to chance; we'll say its buoyant and use the mass formula from CSC 8 instead of CSC 9, and make it water-based to keep the math easy. This gives the glider a possible weight somewhere between 500 and 1000 kilograms. Letting fate decide, we roll d% and come up with a result of 78. The die roll for CSC 8 is 500 + (d% * 5), so the final average mass of the Glider is 890 kilograms (500 + (78*5) = 500 + 390 = 890).

Now to figure the interval multiplier. We multiply 890 by 0.8 and get 712 kilograms. We can now take 890 by 0.85 and get 756.5 kilograms. So, the interval multiplier is going to 44.5 kilograms (756.5 - 712.0 = 44.5). We can now figure out the base mass value, which is going to be 667.5 kilograms (712 - 44.5 = 667.5). The final mass variation formula for the Poison Glider is therefore 667.5 + ((1d5 from height + 1d5) * 44.5) meters.

The Dershetche are a sapient race, so we will need to know their mass formula. We've determined they're a CSC 8 creature, which gives them an internal volume of anywhere between half a cubic meter and one cubic meter. We also know it's a flier from its description: "a race of flying, carnivorous plants". Because they are a race of fliers, we can make a quick 1d10 roll to determine their buoyancy. The roll is made; the result is a five, indicating buoyancy and a weight between 300 and 500 kilograms. The roll also imparts a -1 Durability bonus. Letting fate decide for the actual average mass, we roll d% and come up with a result of 81. The die roll for CSC 7 is 300 + (d% * 2), so the final average mass of the Dershetche is 462 kilograms (300 + (81 * 2) = 300 + 162 = 462).

Now to figure the interval multiplier. We multiply 462 by 0.8 and get 369.6 kilograms. We can now take 462 by 0.85, which gives us 392.7 kilograms. So the interval multiplier is going to be 23.1 kilograms (392.7 - 369.6 = 23.1). We can now figure out the base mass value, which is going to be 346.5 kilograms (369.6 - 23.1 = 346.5). We're ultimately going to use 2d5 to determine the long dimension of the Dershetche (which from their shape is going to be the wingspan). The final mass variation formula for the Dershetche is therefore 346.5 + ((2d5 from wingspan) * 23.1) kilograms.

Determining Height Variation Ranges and Die Rolls¶

As previously mentioned, the die roll included in the Size Class chart is good for determining the average long dimension of lifeforms (for the sake of this discussion, "height" will be used as a catch-all for the long dimension; this could easily be used for determining length or width if necessary). Most of the time (particularly for non-sapients), this value can be used a generic catch-all for all members of a species. However, there may come some times (sentient character creation among them) when a designer will need to build in a way to have some height variation for their characters. The procedure for determining a height variation die roll is simple enough, but it can be math intensive. Before proceeding with the procedure, it is necessary to determine the average height of the creature.

Determining an average height is easy enough if the lifeform has humanoid or near-humanoid proportions, if it's water-based, and if it's a runner or flier. All that the creator needs to do if this is the case is to either pick a value at random that's appropriate for the creature's size class, or roll the die roll indicated for the size class. The height rolls in the table already take into account humanoid proportions and neutral buoyancy in water.

Things become much more tricky if the lifeform is a swimmer, or if it has a substantially different set of proportions from the humanoid norm (i.e. if it isn't roughly shaped like a human). In this case, the height must be calculated. The creature's exact volume will need to be known in this case (the creature's mass divided by its density). The height calculation uses the following formula:


The proportionality constant is different for various types of lifeforms and will need to be set at the designer's discretion. Mathematically, it's a dimensionless ratio of the length of the long dimension to area of the other two dimensions. The higher this number, the longer and skinnier the creature will be. For reference, all spherical lifeforms would have a proportionality constant of 1.241. Any constant lower than that amount will throw a meaningless value and should be avoided. The constant for humanoid lifeforms is approximately 3.721. For something like a (female) giant squid, which is extremely long but has a relatively narrow body, the constant is 19.991 (a very large value). No table yet exists for the proportionality of creatures; creature creators will have to wing it in those cases where the creature is definitely non-humanoid in shape. It is possible to derive the proportionality constant of a type of creature, provided that one knows the long dimension and volume (or mass and density) of a similar creature.

If for some reason a creator doesn't want to deal with the hassle of figuring out the proportionality constant for their creation, they may simply pick a height at random. This is probably the least useful and least realistic way of selecting the average height for the species, but it can be done if realism isn't that big of a concern. This method is perhaps best for determining the long dimension of lifeforms with irregular symmetry.

As with mass, there may be significant sexual dimorphism between the various genders of the species, which in turn may cause a substantial variation in the average height of one gender over the other. In these cases, a creator may either choose to treat the various genders like seperate species (and come up with individual average heights), or select average heights for each gender, the mean of which is the average height of the species.

Once the average height of the species has been determined, the height variation roll for the species can be determined. All height variation rolls are either based on a roll of either 1d5 or 2d5. Both die rolls are designed to provide variance for a range of possible heights from 80 to 120% of the average height. The 1d5 rolls provide variance at 10% intervals; in other words, a result of one on 1d5 will indicate 80% of the average height, two will indicate 90%, three 100% (the average), four indicates 110%, and five indicates 120%. 2d5 is the same, but provides variance at 5% intervals instead. All swimmers must use the 2d5 for the die roll, no exceptions. Both methods provide an even interval for each possible outcome on the die roll, so all that's necessary for the creator to do is to determine the base height value and the interval multiplier.

The interval multiplier is determined first. To do this, the creator will multiply the average value by 0.8 (80%) and record the result. The creator must then select whether their die roll will be based on 1d5 or 2d5. If the roll is based on 1d5, the creator then will multiply the average value by 0.9 (90%) and record that result. If it's based on 2d5, the creator will multiply the average value by 0.85 (85%) and record that result. Finally, the result of the creator will subtract the result of the first calculation from the second one (the 85% or 90% result minus the 80% result), and round the result to the nearest hundredth of a decimal point. This final result after rounding is the interval multiplier.

Now the creator can determine the base height value. To do this, the creator takes the 80% result from the last set of calculations, rounds it to the closest hundredth of a decimal, and subtracts from the resultant amount the interval multiplier. That result is the base height value.

At this point, the information needed to compose the height formula is complete. The formula is always of this form:


Note that it is possible (though rare) that, through this process, the actual value of the average height becomes an impossible result. This is perfectly acceptable, but for those creators who do want the average to be a plausible result, slight alterations to the base height value, the interval multiplier, or both change may be made until the average becomes possible. The formula creation process will at least get any designer in the ballpark of the final result. Also, all individual members of a species are always considered to have the same Size Class as an average member of their species, regardless of whether their final long dimension would indicate a different Size Class.

First thing's first. We'll assume that the Glider is near human proportions, we've already made the assumption that it's water-based, and we know its a runner. This lets us use the chart to determine the Glider's length. Given that the Glider is a Size Class C9 creature, an average member needs to be somewhere between 3.72 and 5.37 meters in length. We'll let fate decide in this case and toss the dice (3.72 + (d10 * 0.17)). The d10 comes up as a one; the Glider's average length is therefore 3.89 meters.

Now to figure the interval multiplier. We'll pick 1d5 for the die roll, giving us 10% intervals in length. We multiply 3.89 by 0.8 and get 3.112 meters. We can now take 3.89 by 0.9 and get 3.501 meters. So, the interval multiplier is going to 0.39 meters (3.501 - 3.112 = 0.389, which rounds to 0.39). We can now figure out the base length value. 3.112 rounds to 3.11, so the base length value is going to be 2.72 meters. The final height variation formula for the Poison Glider is therefore 2.72 + (1d5 * .39) meters.

Now for the Dershetche. Here's where we come to a slight problem: the Deretche is shaped like a manta ray, which looks absolutely nothing like a human being. Now, we could take a guess at its actual proportionality constant; this isn't rocket science, so we don't have to be incredibly precise. Or, we could try to figure it out.

A quick Internet search shows that a manta ray is 10 to 16 feet long with a span of 14 to 20 feet, and a weight of up to 3000 pounds. This is Starflight, so we need to work in metric; plugging those numbers into the MegaConverter Website gives us a length of 3.048 to 4.8768 meters, a span of 4.2672 to 6.096 meters, and a mass of 1,360.77711 kilograms. We know the manta ray is a swimming lifeform, thus its density has to be close to that of water (1000 kilograms per cubic meter). Dividing the mass by the density gives us a reasonable estimate of the manta ray's volume; 1.36077711 cubic meters. The long dimension is going to be its span, and since we're using a maximum weight, we probably should use the maximum span, 6.096 meters, to act as the lifeform's height.

We can take the height equation h = c * V^1/3 and solve it for the proportionality constant c. This gives us c = h / V^1/3. We have the volume and long dimension of the manta ray, so we just plug our numbers in and solve. C for a manta ray is going to be approximately 5.501, and so we'll use a c value of 5.501 for the Dershetche.

We know that the average mass of a Dershetche is 462 kilograms. We also know they are somewhat buoyant, and therefore less dense than water. We'll arbitrarily say they have a density of 900 kilograms per cubic meter, so the average exact volume of a Dershetche is .513 cubic meters (462 kilograms divided by 900 k/m³ equals .513). We can then use the height calculation formula based on these numbers: the average long dimension (wingspan) of a Dershetche is 4.4 meters (5.501 * cube-root(.513) = 5.501 * 0.80052 = 4.403663 m, rounds to 4.4).

Now to figure the interval multiplier. We'll pick 2d5 for the die roll, giving us 5% intervals in length. We multiply 4.4 by 0.8 and get 3.52 meters. We can now take 4.4 by 0.85 and get 3.74 meters. So, the interval multiplier is going to 0.22 meters (3.74 - 3.52 = 0.22 even). We can now figure out the base length value; it's going to be 3.3 meters (3.52 - 0.22 = 3.3). The final height variation formula for the Dershetche is therefore 3.3 + (2d5 * .22) meters.

Determine the creature’s Speed¶

Once a creature's average long dimension has been determined, it becomes possible to determine the creature's speed. Speed indicates how fast the lifeform will be able to move at its most basic level of movement (walking for runners, easy cruising for both fliers and swimmers).

All creatures in SFRPG have at least two speed ratings, one for tactical movement (for use in combat) and one for general movement (for adventuring). Tactical movement is expressed in terms of meters per round (m/rd), where one round is approximately equal to six seconds. General movement is expressed in terms of kilometers per hour. One meter per round is equal to 0.6 kilometers per hour. Keep in mind when determining a creature's speed that the speed rating is its base speed; it will be possible for the lifeform to move up to four times the listed speed for relatively brief periods of time (such as during a chase or other "emergency" situation). Naturally, if the lifeform is intended to be stationary, it will have a speed of zero for both tactical and general movement, and this step can be skipped.

Figuring up a creature's speed is relatively simple. The creator should already have determined the creature's mode of transit, their long dimension, and their size class; these by themselves provide a good deal of the information needed to determine a creature's speed. Two other pieces of information need to be determined at this time. If the creature can be classified as a runner, the creator must know how many propulsive appendages the creature uses for movement. A larger number of appendages tends to make a lifeform be able to move faster (at least up to a point; all running creatures with five or more appendages are classified as multipeds and use the same set of multipliers, regardless of how many appendages the lifeform actually has). The other piece of information that's needed is the relative speed category of the lifeform. There are five categories: very slow, slow, average, fast and very fast. This information can either be set arbitrarily by the lifeform's creator, or selected at random (1d5 can be used, with a result of 1 corresponding to very slow, increasing by one category per increment up to very fast on a result of 5).

To determine the lifeform's basic speed, find the multipiers on the chart below that correspond to the lifeform's relative speed category and movement mode for both m/rd and kph. If the creature is a flier below Character Size Class 6, subtract the creature's size class from 7 and multiply the result by the speed category modifiers (for example, a CSC 3 creature would multiply the speed category modifiers by 4, since 7 - 3 = 4). If not, leave the modifiers as is. Finally, multiply the modifers by the long dimension of the creature, and round the results to the nearest whole m/rd and kph (for amorphous creatures, use the cube root of their volume in place of the long dimension). The final result is the creature's base speed. For creatures with more than one movement mode, speeds will need to be determined independently for each movement mode.

Height to Speed Ratios for Lifeforms

Creature Type	Very Slow Lifeform Speed Multiplier (m/round)	Very Slow Lifeform Speed Multiplier (kph)	Slow Lifeform Speed Multiplier (m/round)	Slow Lifeform Speed Multiplier (kph)	Average Lifeform Speed Multiplier (m/round)	Average Lifeform Speed Multiplier (kph)	Fast Lifeform Speed Multiplier (m/round)	Fast Lifeform Speed Multiplier (kph)	Very Fast Lifeform Speed Multiplier (m/round)	Very Fast Lifeform Speed Multiplier (kph)
Monoped/ Pseudoped	1	0.6	3	1.8	5	3.0	7	4.2	9	5.4
Biped	2	1.2	4	2.4	6	3.6	8	4.8	10	6.0
Triped	3	1.8	5	3.0	7	4.2	9	5.4	11	6.6
Quadruped	4	2.4	6	3.6	8	4.8	10	6.0	12	7.2
Multiped	5	3.0	7	4.2	9	5.4	11	6.6	13	7.8
Flyer	8	4.8	16	9.6	24	14.4	32	19.2	40	24.0
Floater	2	1.2	3	1.8	4	2.4	5	3.0	6	3.6
Swimmer	8
4.8	8	4.8	16	9.6	16	9.6	24	14.4

We know from our earlier discussion that the Poison Glider is a bipedal runner with fast movement, and that it also has the ability to glide as a secondary form of movement (though we don't really know how fast it moves when it glides; we'll assume it is a Fast runner but a Very Slow flier). We also know that it is a CSC 9 creature with an average length of 3.89 meters.

That's all the information we need to determine the Glider's speed ratings. Looking at the table, we see that Fast bipeds have a multiplier of 8 m/rd and 4.8 kph. It's a runner, so we don't really need to deal with its size (for now). We simply take those multipliers time 3.89 and round to the nearest whole number. The Glider's walking speed is 31 meters per round and 19 kilometers per hour (3.89 * 8 = 31.12, rounds to 31 m/rd; 3.89 * 4.8 = 18.672, rounds to 19 kph).

The Glider also has a gliding speed which must be determined. Looking at the table, we see that Slow fliers have multipliers of 8 m/rd and 4.8 kph. Since the Glider is above CSC 6, it doesn't get any bonus for its size. Since these happen to be the same multipliers as the ones used for its speed, we know the Glider also glides at 31 m/rd and 19 kph.

As for the Dershetche, we know that they are a flier species (but we don't know how fast they fly). We also know that they are a CSC 8 creature with an average wingspan of 4.4 meters.

Since we don't know how fast of a flier Dershetche are, we'll leave it to chance and roll 1d5. The die is cast; the result is a 2, so the Dershetche are Slow fliers. We now have enough information to determine their speed. Looking at the chart, we see the multipliers for slow fliers are 16 m/rd and 9.6 kph. Since the Dershetche are above CSC 6, no modifier is applied for their size. We simply take those multipliers time 4.4 and round to the nearest whole number. The Dershetche have a cruising speed of 70 meters per round and 42 kilometers per hour (4.4 * 16 = 70.4 m/rd, rounds to 70; 4.4 * 9.6 = 42.24, rounds to 42 kph).

Determine the creature's Durability and Learning Rate¶

Once the creature's niche, symmetry and size have been determined, the creature's Durability and Learning Rate need to be determined. These two basic racial attributes are critical for determining a number of derived attributes, and directly determine the lifeform's physical and mental faculties. Note that Learning Rate is not necessarily a direct measure of a creature's intelligence, but rather simply the rate at which the lifeform acquires knowledge or skills. A creature may have comparatively low intelligence, but may still have the capacity to learn quickly.

To determine a creature's Durability, the creator rolls 2d5 and adds the result to the modifiers from the creature's size and buoyancy. If The final result is the creature's Durability. If the result is less than one, then the creature's Durability becomes one; no creature may have zero Durability or lower. Biological creatures may not have a Durability rating higher than nine. If the result is higher than nine, any excess must be exchanged for an appropriate amount of natural armor (see the next paragraph). Only synthetic lifeforms or lifeforms based on exotic materials (such as metal or rock) may have a Durability of ten.

At this point in the design process, a creator may elect to exchange points of their creature's Durability for natural armor. Natural armor functions just like a full suit of physical armor (see Chapter 5.3), except that it can be "fixed" (heal) over time at the same healing rate as the lifeform. Each point of Durability exchanged for natural armor allows the creature to have an additional Class equivalent of armor added to them. Any HD penalties for armor still apply for natural armor, though the Finesse and Perception penalties may be ignored.

Learning Rate is determined in the same manner as Durability (by adding modifiers to a 2d5 roll), except that the modifier comes from the lifeform's niche. Also, creatures are allowed to have a Learning Rate of zero. These creatures act simply on instinct, or they may be automatons (such as Arth androids) that have been pre-programmed. In either case, these creatures cannot learn or benefit from training. If a creature is generated with a Learning Rate of less than zero, the creator can set their creature's Learning Rate at either zero or one at their discretion. As with Durability, there is an upper bound to a creature's Learning Rate, in this case ten. If the fina; result of the is higher than ten, any excess must be exchanged for an appropriate amount of weapons dice (see the next paragraph), or lost if the creature has no natural weaponry.

At this point in the design process, a creator may elect to exchange points of their creature's Learning Rate for weapons dice. Weapons dice allow a creature the opportunity to gain attacks that are more effective than what their size would ordinarily indicate. Each point of Learning Rate exchanged for weapons dice grants the creature an additional d10 to be rolled during the determination of the creature's attacks later in this procedure. For now, the creator simply keeps track of the number of points exchanged.

Time to figure out the Glider's Durability and Learning Rate. We'll begin with it's Durability. 2d5 is rolled, and the result is a five. The Glider gets a +2 Durability modifier from its size. We made the Glider buoyant, which imparts a -1 Durability penalty. The Glider's final Durability rating is six (5 + 2 -1 = 6). For the sake of making them interesting, we'll exchange one point of Durability for some natural armor (accounting for the Glider's exoskeleton). This gives them a Durability of 5 and 50 AHP, with a -2 penalty to their HD and FHD. They are not quite as robust as a human, but they can withstand more punishment.

Now we can roll for the Glider's Learning Rate. 2d5 are rolled, and come up as a seven (a high roll for a non-sentient lifeform). The Glider gets a +2 bonus to its Learning Rate, by virtue of its niche. Its Learning Rate is nine (7 + 2 = 9). We won't exchange any amount for weapons dice for the Glider, so nine is its final Learning Rate. The Glider can learn and adapt to its environment very quickly (again, its the same rating as a Human).

For the Dershetche, we roll 2d5 for Durability and come up with a seven. The Dershetche get a plus one Durability modifier from their size, which is cancelled by a -1 modifier for their positive buoyancy, so their final Durability rating is seven (7 + 1 - 1 = 7); they are slightly more durable than a Human but not as durable as a Veloxi. We don't have any indication of natural armor for them, so we'll just say that they have none. For their Learning Rate, the 2d5 roll also comes up as an eight. Again, we won't exchange any amount for weapons dice, so eight is the final Learning Rate for the Dershetche. From its niche, the Dershetche get a -4 penalty. The final Learning Rate is four (8 - 4 = 4), a fairly low rating.

Determine the creature's hit difficulty ratings¶

With the creature's Durability known, it's possible to determine the creature's final base hit difficulty (HD) ratings. HD ratings for creatures are dependent upon three things: the base HD ratings determined by the creature's Size Class, the creature's base speed for general movement (speed in kph), and the Class of the creature's natural armor (if any).

A creature's speed provides a modifier to the creature's general hit difficulty (HD) and touch hit difficulty (THD) ratings. To figure up this modifier, subtract ten from the creature's general movement speed, divide the result by five, and round up (to a maximum bonus of +30). If the creature's general movement speed is five kph or less, the modifier becomes -5 regardless of the creature's actual speed. For all stationary creatures, the modifier is -10.

The final calculation of a creature's HD ratings is simple enough. Take the base HD ratings and add to them any penalties inflicted due to any natural armor the creature has. Add to the ratings the amounts indicated by the creature's speed. The final result of these calculations will produce the creature's HD ratings.

We've determined the the Poison Glider is a CSC 9 creature that moves at 19 kph and has Class One armor. The base HD ratings for CSC 8 are 38/50/38. The Class One natural armor inflicts a -2 HD/THD/FHD penalty, so the ratings become 36/48/36. We now subtract ten off the speed (giving us 9) and divide by five (giving us 1.8). Rounding up, we get a bonus of +2 HD/THD. The Glider's final HD ratings are therefore 38/50/36.

We can figure out the Dershetche's ratings similarly. Since they are a CSC 8 creature, they begin with HD ratings of 41/50/41. We've given them no natural armor, so there is no penalty to their HD ratings. They have a speed of 42 kph; this ultimately gives them a speed bonus of +7 (42 - 10 = 32; 32 / 5 = 6.4; rounds to 7). The Dershetche have a final HD rating of 48/57/41.

Determining Standard Trade Value¶

Non-sapient only step

This next step is, in general, reserved for non-sapient lifeforms (though if a GM were to be running a campaign that included slave trading for some reason, they might want to take the time to go through with this step for the various sapient lifeforms in their campaign).

A lifeform's trading value is based on four main criteria: its niche, its relative level of intelligence (indicated by its Learning Rate), its desirability, and its volume. Of these criteria, niche and intelligence are crucial for determining the relative worth of a lifeform. This relative worth is the lifeform's standard trade value per cubic meter (as discussed in Chapter 5.7), which in a trading situation is multiplied by the lifeform's volume to get its final absolute trading value.

Desirability, simply put, is whether or not anybody actually wants to buy the lifeform. There may be several reasons why someone wouldn't want to buy a lifeform (including reasons like inedibility, a particularly annoying quality such as making a constant noise, or the requirement of an extremely expensive enclosure for storage). If a creator hasn't done so in their creature concept, this would a good time to consider which races might be willing to buy the lifeform, and (assuming a race inhabits more than one world) at which specific worlds the lifeform is desired. A creator can get as detailed as they'd like as to the reasons why their lifeform is desirable, though this is not necessary, strictly speaking. In the event that the lifeform is not desirable to anyone, its STV is simply zero and the rest of this part of the procedure can be skipped.

If a lifeform is desirable to someone, however, it may hold that it has qualities which would either make it more valuable or less valuable than normal. For all lifeforms that can be bought and sold, a series of dice rolls need to be made first to establish whether or not this is the case, and to determine the exact amount that the lifeform's desirability affects its value. Use 2d10 for the first roll and find the result on the following table.

oll on the High Table and increase the lifeform's STV by the indicated amount, then Roll on the Low Table and increase the lifeform's STV by the indicated amount.

Determination of the Desirability Table used via 2d10

2d10 Result	Effect
0-5	Roll on the High Table and reduce the lifeform's STV by the indicated amount, then Roll on the Low Table and reduce the lifeform's STV by the indicated amount.
6	Roll on the Low Table and reduce the lifeform's STV by the indicated amount.
7-11	Do not roll on either table; desirability does not affect the lifeform's price.
12	Roll on the Low Table and increase the lifeform's STV by the indicated amount.
13-18	R

ultiply the result by ten.

Desirability High Table using 2d10

2d10 Result	Amount Added/Subtracted
0	Roll d%, and multiply the result by ten.
1-18	M

5

Desirability Low Table using 1d10

1d10 Result	Amount Added/Subtracted
0	Roll d% and use the result.
1-3	25
4-6	50
7-9	7

Figuring up a lifeform's worth is simple and can be accomplished as soon as the lifeform's Learning Rate has finally been determined. Simply multiply the lifeform's Learning Rate by 100 and add that value to the base STV value indicated by the lifeform's niche. Add to that amount the amount indicated as a result of the desirability roll(s). The final amount is the lifeform's STV per cubic meter. This amount is then multiplied by the lifeform's volume (in cubic meters) to get its final overall STV. In the event that the lifeform's STV per cubic meter is zero or less after the result of the desirability roll is factored in, use a value of 100 as the lifeform's STV per cubic meter.

We know that the Poison Glider is a carnivorous producer from earlier discussion, and we recorded the base STV value of that niche earlier on (the value was 600). We've also determined that the Glider has a Learning Rate of nine, so its intelligence contribution to its base STV is 900 (9 * 100 = 900). We add those values together and get 1,500 (600 + 900 = 1,500). The Glider does have some buyers (indicating desirability), so we now need to make a 2d10 roll for the Glider's desirability. The result is eight, indicating no change to the base result and no additional die rolls necessary. The final unit STV of the Glider is 1,500. Given that the Glider has a volume of two cubic meters, this gives the Glider a final absolute STV of 3,000 (1500 * 2 = 3,000).

The Dershetche are sapient, so there's no real need to calculate their STV. We'll still do it in case anybody feels the need for a slave that would devour its owner (sounds like some kind of poetic justice). We know that the Dershetche are a photosynthetic producer from earlier discussion, and we recorded the base STV value of that niche earlier on (250). We've also determined that the Glider has a Learning Rate of four, so its intelligence contribution to its base STV is 400. We add those values together and get 650 (250 + 400 = 650). The Dershetche don't really have any buyers, but we're going to argue that they do, so we make the 2d10 roll for desirability. The result is 5, so we need to roll 2d10 on the high table, and then 1d10 on the low table. The high table result is 14 (140), and the low table result is 2 (25), so we will subtract 165 from the the value of the Dershetche; this result comes up as 485. Given the calculated average volume of .513 cubic meters, the Dershetche would have a final absolute STV of 248.8 (165 * .513 = 248.8), if any body actually wanted to buy them. Sounds like a seller wouldn't make a whole lot of profit from them anyways.

Determining Life Phase thresholds and Lifespan Roll¶

A final piece of information about a lifeform that can be directly determined by its size, niche, symmetry and Learning Rate is its maximum potential lifespan. As with height and weight, this aspect of a lifeform may vary from individual to individual, though nowhere near as much. It is not necessary to determine this information for a non-sapient creature, but the creator may still do so at their own discretion.

Note that this procedure produces a maximum potential lifespan. It doesn't necessarily follow that an individual will live as long of a life as indicated; war, diseases, famine, and any other number of factors can reduce an individual lifeform's lifespan significantly (G'Nunk are prime examples of this; most die fairly early in their life cycles due to a lifetime spent in death matches).

To determine a lifeform's maximum potential lifespan, take the lifeform's Size Class (not its volume) and multiply it by the factor indicated by its symmetry. The final result is a base maximum lifespan value. This value applies for all lifeforms. If the lifeform is a sapient creature (regardless of its level of technological development), then a value equal to ten times the lifeform's learning rate may be added to the base lifespan value. This step can be done at the creator's discretion; they may very well want to have a relatively short-lived sapient lifeform. Skipping this step should be considered carefully for any kind of "uplifted" sapient lifeform (one that has only recently achieved sapience).

Once any adjustments have been made to the base lifespan value for sapience (if applicable), an adjustment may be necessary for a few "special cases". The first of these special cases is for photosynthetic producers; for them, multiply the base lifespan value by 10 (plants tend to have exceptionally long lifespans; some are millenia old). Photosynthetic consumers may multiply their base lifespan value by 5. Synthetic lifeforms may multiply their base lifespan value by 50 (although they don't have an absolute lifespan, this value can be used for the determination of life phases, as discussed below). Any lifeform that can use photosynthesis as a secondary means of gaining energy may multiply their lifespan value by 5 whether they are a producer or a consumer. Any other animal lifeform that lacks a hard skeleton of any type (amoebae, jellyfish, etc.) will multiply their lifespan by ½, rounding any remainder to the nearest tenth of a year. Any lifeform that is an "offshoot" of another race, they may adopt their parent race's lifespan. (the Umanu are a good example of this; they have a maximum lifespan of 120 years by virtue of being fundamentally Human, but as a seperate species they should only live 90 years at maximum). Finally, any microscopic lifeform will need to have their maximum base lifespan value set in units of months rather than years, even if it is a sentient lifeform.

After any adjustments for special cases have been accounted for, the result of all calculations up to this point is the creature's maximum potential lifespan. At this point a 2d10 roll is made to throw in an additional "random factor" that would either serve to increase or decrease the species' maximum lifespan, resulting in a final lifespan value. The potential outcomes of this die roll are outlined in the table below.

ncrease maximum lifespan by 75%

Random Factor Affecting Lifespan via 2d10 Roll

2d10 Result Range	Effect
0	Decrease maximum lifespan by 75%
1-2	Decrease maximum lifespan by 50%
3-5	Decrease maximum lifespan by 25%
6-12	No effect (100%)
13-15	Increase maximum lifespan by 25%
16-17	Increase maximum lifespan by 50%
18	I

With the final lifepsan value determined, it becomes to possible to determine the definitions of the creature's life phases. A creature's life from the time it is born to the time it dies (assuming it dies of old age) is divided into six phases: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, middle age, old age, and venerable age. The effects that life stages have on a character are discussed in Chapter 2.4. The creature creation process makes the assumption that the lifeform being created is in its Adulthood stage of life. If this is not the case, an adjustment for the creature's Life Phase will need to be made to its attributes during the derivation of the creature's derived statistics. If a child is totally different from the adult form of the creature (say for an insectoid form of life), it may be best to create a separate creature, one reflecting the adult life phases of the lifeform and the other the pre-adult life phases of the lifeform.

Determining the age at which a lifeform enters a particular life phase requires a little bit of math. This is because a life phase is expressed as a percentage of the lifeform's final lifespan value. Each life phase has a range of potential percentage values. A creator may either select a specific percentage from the range indicated, or they may make the indicated 1d10 roll to select the percentage randomly.

8%-67%
(58%+1d10*1%

Life Phases by Total Lifespan Percentage

Life Phase	Max Lifespan Percentage Die Roll
Childhood	0%-(Adolescence Age) (No Roll)
Adolescence	5%-14% (5%+1d10*1%)
Adulthood	12%-21% (12%+1d10*1%)
Middle Age	25%-34% (25%+1d10*1%)
Old Age	44%-53% (44%+1d10*1%)
Venerable Age	5

Note that for a creature with a relatively short lifespan (roughly 20 years or less), it is acceptable to have their life phases listed in terms of months, not years. Simply round the result to the nearest tenth of the year (an Arth year is ten months long, so one-tenth of an Arth year is equal to one Arth month). For longer-lived lifeforms, rounding should be done to the closest year (even if by doing so it takes a particular life phase out of the prescribed range for that phase).

With the life phases determined for a lifeform, all that remains is to determine its final lifespan roll. This roll determines the age at which an individual member of the lifeform will die of natural causes (provided it does not die beforehand), and is made once the lifeform reaches its Venerable Age life phase. Death is not necessarily immediate once the creature reaches the determined age, but the lifeform will die before reaching the next year (month for short-lived creatures).

The lifespan roll for a creature always has the following form:


To determine the Lifespan roll for a creature, subtract the lifeform's Venerable Age threshold from its total lifespan, and note the result. Lifespan rolls may either be made with rolls of xd5 or xd10 (it should be noted that this is one of the cases where a roll of zero on 1d10 counts as ten), so it's important that the result of the subtraction be evenly divisible by either five or ten. If the result is evenly divisible by either five or ten, the result of that division becomes the x in the xd5 or xd10 roll. If the result is divisible by either five or ten, the creator may select which one they would like to use. If the result isn't evenly divisible, add any remainder to the lifeform's Venerable Age threshold (this is the indicated "modulus" in the lifespan roll formula shown above; it basically serves as a couple of "free" years or months over the venerable age threshhold that the lifeform is going to live. These extra years will never affect the already-determined Venerable Age threshold itself). It's important that the remainder be as small as possible; whichever die type produces the smallest remainder should be selected (for example, let's say that for a given lifeform the result of the subtraction is 39. If you divide that by ten (for an xd10 roll), you get a result of 3 and a remainder of nine. If you instead divide it by five, you get 7 and a remainder of four. In this case, dividing by five produces the smaller remainder, and so 7d5 should be selected for the lifeform's lifespan die roll).

While we really don't need information about the Poison Glider's life cycle, nothing says we can't use it. After all, a character group might at some point stumble across a nest of baby Gliders; maybe they'll be forced to combat both them and their angry mother...

The Glider has a volume of two cubic meters, which we've already determined puts it into Character Size Class 9. We also know that it's a bilateral lifeform, which gives it a *6 multiplier to its lifespan. This gives the Glider a base maximum lifespan of 54 (9 * 6 = 54). It's a non-sapient creature, so it gets no bonus from its impressive Learning Rate. It doesn't fit any of the special cases, so it gets no bonuses there either. Finally, we'll roll 2d10 for random factors; the result is an eleven, so no adjustments need to be made. The maximum lifepsan of a Poison Glider is therefore 54 years.

We're going to leave the determination of its life phases to chance, so we'll make five quick d10 rolls and record the results. The results come up as 8, 9, 7, 4 and 3. It'll hit adolescence at 13% of the 54 years (5+8=13), adulthood at 21% (12+9=21), middle age at 32% (25+7=32), old age at 48% (44+4=48), and venerable age at 61% (58+3=61). The Glider has a fairly long lifespan, so we'll round to whole years. It therefore reaches adolescence at 7 years (0.13*54 = 7.02, rounds to 7), adulthood at 11 years, middle age at 17 years, old age at 26 years, and venerable age at 33 years.

We now need to determine the final maximum age dice roll. We have a margin of 21 years to account for. We can translate that either to a 4d5 roll or a 2d10 die roll and tack the extra year to the end of the Venerable age to make the math nicer. To make things interesting, lets make it a 4d5 roll. The Glider's final lifespan roll is 34 + 4d5 years.

So, here we go with calculations for the Dershetche. The Dershetche have CSC 8 and are a bilateral lifeform (giving it a *6 multiplier to lifespan). This gives the Dershetche a base maximum lifespan of 48 years (8 * 6 = 48). Dershetche are sapient, so we multiply their Learning Rate (which was four) times ten and add it to the base value, giving us 88 (4 * 10 = 40; 48 + 40 = 88). Dershetche are a photosynthetic producer; this is one of the special cases. We must multiply this amount by 5, giving us 440 (88 * 5 = 440). Finally, we'll roll 2d10 for random factors. The result is nine, so no effect. The maximum lifespan of a Dershetche is 440 years.

We'll leave the determination of its life phases to chance, so we make five quick d10 rolls. The die rolls come up as 7, 6, 5, 4, and 9. Cutting to the chase, the Dershetche reach adolescence at 53 years, adulthood at 79 years, Middle Age at 132 years, Old Age at 211 years, and Venerable Age at 295 years. We have a margin of 145 years. Although we this does divide evenly by five (giving a roll of 29 d5), the roll does seem to be a bit much, so we'll take the unusual step of taking five years to the end of the Venerable Age and making this a d10 roll, which gives us a roll of 14d10. The final lifespan roll is 300 + 14d10 years.

Determine the creature's Initial Discipline Ratings, if applicable¶

Sentient Only Step.

The six Disciplines used in SFRPG are the exclusive domain of sapient races. If the creature being created is non-sapient, the creator can effectively skip this step; the creature will have a zero rating for all Disciplines and sub-Disciplines (note that non-sapient races still have access to Attributes and Skills). Particular abilities that a non-sapient creature may need that would ordinarily be covered by a sub-Discipline can be covered by the Performance Skill, or through creature traits (see below).

With a sapient creature's Durability and Learning Rates established, it's time to determine the initial point values of the creature's Discipline scores. The potential value of these scores for any given creature is determined by what the race's desired technological level will be. As might be obvious, this is merely an indication of how advanced the species is. Depending on what technological level has been chosen for the creature, the creator may be limited in the number of "higher ratings" they can make for that creature. The designer should have included the creature's technological level in their creature's design concept. If they haven't, then the creator may select a technological level for their race at random, or roll d% and use the result on the following table.

tarfaring Age

Technological Level Determination of Creatures via d%

d% Result	Creature Tech Level	General Description	Maximum Allowable Disciplines
00-24	Stone Age	Prehistoric, stone and bone tools, very limited technologies	Lifeform may have up to two Disciplines rated as Average (roll 1d5; a result of 4-5 indicates two Disciplines, 2-3 indicates just one Discipline, and 1 indicates no Disciplines). The remaining Disciplines must be rated as Poor.
25-49	Metal Age	Pre-industrial, metallic tools, large variance between earlier to later years; represents the bulk of Human history	Lifeform may have one Discipline rated as Good, and up to two additional Disciplines rated as Average. The remaining Disciplines must be rated as Poor.
50-74	Industrial Age	Automated tools, introduction of advanced technology up to beginning of interstellar travel; 1850s-2100s in Human civilization	Lifeform may have one Discipline rated as Excellent, and up to two additional Disciplines rated as Good. The remaining Disciplines may be rated either as Poor or Average (use 1d2 roll; a result of 2 equals Average).
75-99	S
Species regularly conducts interstellar travel	Lifeform has no restrictions on Discipline ratings whatsoever.

Once the creature's technological level is established, the creator may then assign initial Discipline scores based on that information. Disciplines have four possible categories, each corresponding to a specific initial Discipline score as well as a maximum training score. These categories and scores are listed in the table below.

Discipline Level Categories and Associated Scores

Category Name	Initial Discipline Level	Maximum Trainable Level
Excellent	50	250
Good	30	200
Average	10	150
Poor	0
100

If there are restrictions on the creature's Disciplines from their technological level (i.e. if the species isn't Starfaring), it's recommended that the creator select which Discipline will have the highest Discipline score first, and then proceed to lower levels if necessary. The creator may either select levels at their own discretion, or make a 1d10 roll and look up the result on the chart below to determine the creature's highest Discipline score. This roll also determines the number of times the creator may re-roll on the chart to select the next highest Disciplines, if necessary. In the event that a Discipline is selected more than once, simply re-roll on the table until an unassigned Discipline results.

edicine

Discipline Level Categories and Associated Scores

d10 Result	Indicated Discipline	Number of Disciplines in the next Lowest Category
0	Science	1
1	Science	2
2	Navigation	1
3	Navigation	2
4	Engineering	1
5	Engineering	2
6	Communications	1
7	Communications	2
8	Medicine	1
9	M
2

Note that in all cases, a creature's Command Discipline always has a starting value of zero, and a maximum training value of 150.

This is also a good time to establish a species' economic level, if it hasn't been done already. Economic level is an indication of the health of the planetary economy. In the Starflight Universe, this is one of three values: depressed (which is also used in those cases where a species does not engage in trade or if they don't have anything more advanced than bartering), level, or inflated. Economic level largely has an effect on the value of standard trade goods and minerals bought and sold on a world. A creator may simply assign an economy to their creation, or may make a roll of 1d10. On 0-2 the economy is depressed, 3-6 indicates level, and 7-9 indicates inflation.

The Glider is a non-sapient creature, so it skips this step. All of its Discipline scores are zero. Period.

Fortunately, we have the Dershetche to help us out with this step. We know that they are an Industrial Age race, so we don't need to make a roll for their technological level. We know from the table that they can have one Discipline rated as Excellent, up to two additional Disciplines rated as Good, and the remaining two as either as Poor or Average. Finally, we know that they don't engage in trade, so their economy is automatically depressed.

We roll 1d10 and get a three. This gives us Navigation, so Navigation will be rated Excellent for them. This roll also indicates that we need to pick two more Disciplines to rate as Good. We roll again twice on the table. The first roll is a 7, indicating Communications. The second roll is a 2, indicating Navigation. Since we've already assigned Navigation the rating of Excellent, the second throw must be re-rolled. The re-roll comes up as a one, indicating Science. Both Science and Communications are now rated are Good, leaving Engineering and Medical. We roll 1d2 for each; Engineering comes up two (Average), while Medical is a one (Poor). Finally, we'll set their Command at zero, which is normal for all species.

The initial Disicipline ratings for the Dershetche are as follows: Command 0, Science 30, Navigation 50, Engineering 10, Communications 30, and Medicine 0.

Determine if the creature has any special abilities¶

Once the creature's initial Discipline values (if any) have been determined, most of the lifeform's basic characteristics will have been determined. At this point, it's time to determine if the creature has any kind of special abilities or restrictions. Special abilities are any kind of unusual quality that serves to moderate some aspect of the creature. These abilities may include qualities unavailable to characters, giving the creature an advantage during a confrontation. The creator should reference their creature concept and select the special abilities that best describe what the creature should be able to do, if those abilities haven't already been explained away earlier in the creation process.

If the creator so desires, they may assign their creation traits as listed in Chapter Four as special abilities for their creature. This should be done with careful consideration, as the assigned trait will affect the entire species. As one might suspect, there are some limitations on which traits can be assigned to an entire species. No species can be assigned the Comeliness, Wealth, Social Status or Education variable traits. Reputation can be assigned to an entire species, provided the trait is assigned in relation to some characteristic of their being instead of to a given occupation. The Contacts Talent cannot be assigned to an entire species, while Ambidexterity can be assigned to any species. All other Talents are restricted to sapient beings only. Most Complications cannot be used. Any species may be assigned the Allergic, Bleeder, Curious, Intolerant, Addicted, or Phobic Complications, while Creed, Greedy and Honest may be assigned to sapient creatures only. When a Trait is assigned to a creature, any specific creatures or characters automatically gain those traits. They do not give the specific creature any additional building points, but don't cost any additional building points either.

Creatures may have special qualities other than Traits. The following table gives a listing of short descriptions of possible non-Trait qualities that can be given to creatures in SFRPG. Note that not all lifeforms may be given certain special qualities; where there are restrictions, they are noted in the ability's description.

he lifeform is resistant to a particular kind of weapon (laser, missile, plasma cannon, etc.) or to a particular effect of a weapon (fire, ice, electric shock, etc.). The creator must specify what the lifeform is resistant to at the time of its creation. If hit by a weapon to which the creature is resistant, count the weapon as five classes lower than its actual class before applying damage. If hit by a weapon that causes an effect to which the lifeform is resistant, the weapon does no damage. Lifeforms may only be resistant to one specific effect.

Special Abilities and Restrictions for Lifeforms

Ability	Description/Effects
Biological/Chemical Weaponry	The creature is capable of making an attack that directly delivers either a biological or chemical agent to its target (including diseases, venom, acid, etc.). The creator may select a specific set of effects, either a specific effect listed in Chapter 12.4.2 or using those effects as a guideline. Can be combined with another attack or used as a special attack on its own. The lifeform must belong to a niche capable of delivering the specific form of attack desired.
Bioluminescence	The lifeform is capable of generating a light source for itself. Can be used as a Lure (see below) if desired. Provides light up to ten meters, or dim light up to sixty meters from the emission source.
Combined Organs	The lifeform has at least one body part that perform the functions of another body part (for example, the creature's motor appendages can also be used as its propulsive appendages). For purposes of determining hit location in combat, the part in question is considered to be of its "primary category" (for the previous example, if the appendages are primarily considered motor appendages, then the appendages take hits when motor appendages are indicated, not propulsive appendages).
Constrict	The lifeform has the ability to squeeze an opponent in an attempt to deal damage and to suffocate them. See Chapter 9.2 for details. To have this ability, the lifeform must have a sufficient motor or propulsive appendage capable of wrapping around another being (tentacle, arm, vine, etc.) or must have a worm-like or snake-like physique (proportionality constant greater than 10).
Directed Eyesight	The visual organs of the lifeform are capable of being moved in such a way as to shift the center of the lifeform's field of vision away from directly ahead. The amount of redirection available is at the discretion of the designer, up to 180 degrees. This ability requires the lifeform to have at least one visual organ.
Enhanced Visual Sense	The lifeform has the ability to see in conditions of low to no incident radiation, or in uncommon bandwidths. The creator may specify which bandwidths the lifeform is able to see in. This ability requires the lifeform to have at least one visual organ.
Esper Potential	The lifeform has some kind of psionic ability. This can include any kind of telepathic, clairvoyant, precognitive or psychokinetic ability (including the lifeform's ability to reduce damage to itself, or to attack other creatures as a Special attack), at the creator's discretion.
Extra Resistance/Healing	The lifeform has the ability to heal faster than normal and/or a biological means of shrugging off a small amount of damage delivered to it (it has damage reduction). If the lifeform can heal quickly, replace the words "hour" with "round" and "rounds" with "seconds" for all natural healing functions and Checks. If the lifeform has damage reduction, a number of points of damage equal to five times its size class can be ignored from any attack made on the creature. This ability requires the lifeform to have a Durability rating of at least eight, or to have had a Durability rating of eight or higher before accounting for natural armor.
Improved Grab	The lifeform has the ability to grab an opponent in a manner generally much more easily than most other lifeforms. After a successful Melee attack, the creature may immediately attempt a Grapple as a free action, without provoking an Opportunity attack. This ability requires the lifeform to have at least one motor appendage or gustatory organ.
Lure	The lifeform has some kind of custom lure. This can either be visual, olfactory, or auditory in nature (at the creator's discretion). If the lifeform encounters an opponent capable of perceiving the lure, the opponent must make a Willpower Save (DC equal to twice the lifeform's size class) or start moving directly towards the lure. While being drawn towards the lure, the opponent can do nothing else.
Multiple Movement Modes	The lifeform is has two or more modes of movement. One movement mode is primary; that movement mode will determine the lifeform's speed. Other speeds must be calculated for the additional movement modes.
Natural Ranged Attack	The lifeform is capable of making a ranged attack of a nature that is not easily emulated by character scale weapons (such as shooting harpoons, showering an attacker with molten rock, etc.). All natural ranged attacks are considered Special Attacks; the lifeform's niche must be capable of performing a special attack. Any additional effects may be added to the attack at the creator's discretion.
Natural Stealth	The lifeform has the capability of blending in with its surroundings in some manner (generally visually, but other methods such as masking its own infrared output are possible as well). The specific type of camouflage must specified by the creator. Typical effects include additional bonuses to HD (not THD or FHD) and Hiding and Seeking Checks made for hiding.
Natural Weapon-Like Attack	The creature has at least one natural attack or defense that behaves similarly to one of the weapons listed in Chapter 5.2. Use this weapon in place of the creature's normal natural attack rolls when the attack is utilized. The ability to generate electric shocks can be emulated by any creature using PPC weapon equivalents. For all other weapons in Chapter 5.2, the lifeform must be classified as exotic in order to have this ability.
Regeneration	The lifeform has the ability to regenerate lost limbs or other organs. In the event the lifeform is maimed, it may make one Recuperation Check per day for the express purpose of regrowing the lost organ. The DC of the Check is 100; the degree of success determines a number of "healing points" gained cumulatively towards the regrowth of the lost organ. When the number of healing points gained equals the creature's HP, it has regrown the lost organ. This ability cannot be applied to Cognitive Organs for any lifeform.
Special Atmosphere	The lifeform has an unusual atmospheric requirement. This can include an unusual gaseous element or molecular compounds in other states of matter (liquids, plasma or even solid substances). If the lifeform's current environment does not include the required substance, they must immediately begin Checks for suffocation (see Chapter 12.4.2).
Swallow Whole	The lifeform has the capability of swallowing opposing lifeforms or prey sufficiently smaller than itself. See Chapter 9.2 for details. To have this ability, the lifeform must have at least one gustatory organ.
Synthetic Lifeform	The lifeform is artificial in nature. Synthetic lifeforms have all the privelages and restrictions as outlined below.
Terrifying Presence	The lifeform's appearance is such that it strikes fear into the hearts of most other lifeforms on sight. When encountered, any opponent must make a Willpower Save (DC equal to three times the lifeform's size class) or immediately become Shaken.
Trample	The lifeform has the capability of trampling over any opponent of sufficiently small size. See Chapter 9.2 for details. To have this ability, the lifeform must be a runner.
Weapons Resistance	T

We can make a few easy decisions about special qualities for the Glider, given what we already know about it. Taking a quick glance at the available traits, Senses is an obvious variable trait; we'll give it +5 for eyesight to help it track prey. None of the rest of the Traits seem to fit, so to keep things relatively simple we'll say that's it. For non-Trait qualities, Biological/Chemical Weaponry is necessary (given that the Glider "is capable of delivering a potent poison"). We'll make the poison capable of causing fifteen points of Lethal HP every minute until a successful DC 40 Fortitude Save is made, or unless someone makes a succesful Toxicology Check on the victim. We'll also give it an Enhanced Visual Sense and say it can see in infrared, to make things interesting. Finally, we've already indicated the Glider can fly in addition to walking, so Multiple Movement Modes is another essential quality.

As for the Dershetche, a negative Reputation isn't too big of a stretch; we'll set it at -10 (most species don't like it when other species try to eat them, as a rule). The policy of eating other lifeforms would make Creed or Intolerant possible racial Complications; we'll give them Creed at -5. For non-Trait abilities, Improved Grab might be useful for latching onto prey. None of the others seem to fit, so we'll leave the Dershetche with what we have.

A Quick Word about Synthetic Lifeforms¶

Synthetic lifeforms are unique as far as lifeforms go. As their name suggests, synthetic lifeforms are artificial; they are not naturally occurring lifeforms. As such, they are subject to their own set of rules when used during the course of an adventure or campaign. The following goes over the specific changes to their rules, as opposed to non-synthetic lifeforms. Lifeform designers may want to keep these changes in mind when making a synthetic creation; if they aren't, these rules can effectively be ignored.

Synthetic lifeforms automatically have a Durability of ten, but may not have a Learning Rate greater than five. This is because synthetic lifeforms are usually made out of materials (such as durable plastics and metals) that are stronger than the average lifeform. By the same token, the programming of any synthetic lifeform (and the resultant level of intelligence) will be limited by the limits of the programming language used, and even the most sophisticated computer programming languages can't emulate the level of natural learning abilities (for most species, anyway).

Synthetic lifeforms are immune to a wide array of adverse environmental effects. They are immune to any effects that would influence the mind (usually requiring Willpower Saves), poisons, anything that would cause them to become hungry or fall asleep (though synthetic lifeforms may require their own recharge cycle, which can be set to emulate either or both of these effects), natural diseases (they can still be "infected" with computer viruses or other malware, which can be set to have the same effects as a disease), and any effect that requires a Fortitude Save unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless. They also don't need to breathe (and are therefore immune to all atmospheric effects), and never become Shaken or Dazed. For details on how these environmental effects ordinarily affect lifeforms, see Chapter 12.4.2.

The main drawback to synthetic life comes in handling damage. Synthetic lifeforms have no natural healing ability; for synthetic lifeforms, the Mechanics sub-discipline acts in the same manner as the Long-Term Care sub-discipline for non-artifical life. The amount of damage that can be repaired is limited to no more than the number of points in the synthetic lifeform's Recuperation Skill. In regards to taking damage, synthetic lifeforms have no Reproductive Organs and may or may not have other Sensory, Motor or Propulsive Organs. If a synthetic lifeform is reduced to zero HP, its body is immediately destroyed (however, this does not necessarily cause the lifeform's death, as will be explained shortly; it does, however, knock ten months off the lifeform's next maintenance cycle, which will also be explained shortly). On a positive note, synthetic lifeforms are not subject to Non-Lethal Damage or the lethal effects of massive attacks (other than the inflicted damage). Any Wounds inflicted on a synthetic lifeform do not cause additional HP damage, but will reduce the period of the lifeform's next maintenance cycle by one month (see below). For more on how wounds and damage are inflicted on non-synthetic life, see Chapter 9.2.

The key component of a synthetic lifeform is its central processor, which serves as the lifeform's cognitive organ. The only way to completely kill off a synthetic lifeform is for it to sustain 100% cognitive organ damage; failure of the cognitive organ has the same effect as reducing the lifeform to zero HP. If a synthetic lifeform's "brain" can be recovered, there is a good chance it will be "resurrected" by placing it inside a new body. Removing a synthetic lifeform’s brain from a destroyed frame and installing it in a similar but intact frame requires 10 minutes of work, an Engineering Toolkit, and a successful DC 75 Mechanics Check (this increases to a DC 125 Check without the Toolkit). If successful, the lifeform retains all memories and any training or additional programming it has received (though any physical modification unique to the old frame is lost). If the Check fails, additional attempts can be made, but five months are reduced off the lifeform's maintenance cycle for each attempt. If failure occurs enough times that the amount of time to the next cycle is reduced to zero or less, then resurrection is impossible and the lifeform can be considered lost at that point. The Check has critical potential: in the event of critical success, no time is reduced until the next maintenance cycle for any prior failure or even for the lifeform's "death". In the event of critical failure, the brain malfunctions and is destroyed outright.

For all their advantages, synthetic lifeforms are lifeforms, which among other things means that they have to deal with the adverse effects of aging. Rather than life phases, synthetic lifeforms use maintenance cycles for a similar effect. All synthetic lifeforms should have listed in their profiles an "initial maintenance cycle", which lists the amount of time that passes between the time the lifeform is initially brought on-line and its first maintenance cycle. At the end of that time, a GM running a campaign in which the synthetic lifeform is a participant will roll 1d% and compare the result to the table below for the effect of that cycle. Subsequent maintenance cycles take the same amount of time as the initial maintenance cycle, minus one month (cumulative) per subsequent maintenance cycle. The time between maintenance cycles can be reduced via Wounds and via destruction of the lifeform's frame (being reduced to zero HP). Once the time between maintenance cycles reaches one month, no further months are subtracted from the period between maintenance cycles, but a cumulative penalty of -1 is inflicted to the roll per subsequent maintenance cycle.

he lifeform suffers no ill effects this maintenance cycle.

Synthetic Lifeform Maintenance Cycle Results via 1d% Roll

d% Result	Effect
≤00	Total Primary CPU/Memory core hardware failure. The lifeform goes BSOD and fails completely (dies). An attempt to transfer the lifeform's memory into a new brain can be made if done within 24 hours of failure. The procedure requires a successful DC 150 Sensor Use Check. If successful, the memories and personality of the lifeform are preserved, along with any software upgrades made since the lifeform came on-line.
01-04	Software controlling flow of lifeform's power supply becomes corrupted. Every 1d5 days, the lifeform will shut down completely for a period of 1+1d10 hours, with a 5% chance (four or less on a d% roll) of causing an overload and explosion, destroying the lifeform's frame (zero HP). Can be corrected with a successful DC 125 Sensor Use Check. The Check has critical potential: on a critical failure, the lifeform explodes immediately.
05-09	Total hardware failure occurs in main sensory processing junction. The lifeform loses all sensory capabilities. The unit can be replaced with a DC 125 Mechanics Check. This Check has critical potential: on a critical failure, the failure cannot be corrected without moving the brain to another synthetic lifeform frame.
10-14	Intermittent hardware failures occur in main sensory processing junction. The failures occur at an interval of 1d5 days and last for 2d10 hours. During those sensory blackouts, the lifeform loses all sensory capabilities. The unit can be replaced with a DC 100 Mechanics Check. This Check has critical potential: on a critical failure, the hardware failure becomes permanent (treat as above).
15-19	Total hardware failure occurs in motor/propulsive processing servo junction. The lifeform loses control over all motor and propulsive appendages. The junction can be replaced with a DC 125 Mechanics Check. This Check has critical potential: on a critical failure, the failure cannot be corrected without moving the brain to another synthetic lifeform frame.
20-24	Intermittent hardware failures occur in motor/propulsive processing servo junction. The failures occur at an interval of 1d5 days and last for 2d10 hours. During this period, the lifeform loses control over all motor and propulsive appendages. The junction can be replaced with a DC 100 Mechanics Check. This Check has critical potential: on a critical failure, the hardware failure becomes permanent (treat as above).
25-29	A random failure occurs in one of either the lifeform's sensory organs, motor appendages, or propulsive appendages. The failure occurs in the lifeform's frame itself; there is no problem with the lifeform's cognitive organ. The damage can be repaired with a DC 50 Mechanics Check. This Check has critical potential: on a critical failure, the damaged part remains damaged (another attempt may be made to fix it), but the GM must roll again for another effect on this table.
29-99	T

Compose the creature's physical description¶

By this point in the creature creation process, a creator has generated most of the data necessary to fill in the "basic characteristics" of a species (in fact, the only thing that has not yet been set in stone is the number of genders the creature exhibits, which we'll get to presently). The creator should by now have enough information to write a physical description of the creature. This can either be a short descriptive blurb (generally good enough for non-sapient races), or a full-on biological summary (usually what you see for sapient races). For purposes of this discussion, a method for composing a full summary will be discussed. This step is not as quantitative as previous steps; it will require some careful thought by the creator.

A creature's physical description is more than just a quick summary of what it looks like (although that is a big part of the description). It is an opportunity to add some depth and personality to a lifeform. This is when a creator can determine their creature's disposition, what environment is best suited for their creature, what the lifeform's specific place in the food chain is, how the species continues itself, and so on.

When determining what a lifeform looks like, a creator can be as specific as they'd like to be. The first thing to consider when writing the creature's description is its exterior. Some examples of exterior coverings are scales, an exoskeleton, fur, skin, hair, feathers, and metallic armor. Determining the creature's exterior is an important step, as a creature's exterior oftentimes directly determines what kind of environment it is best suited for. If the creature has thick fur, it would do well in a polar environment. If it has been given Camouflage as a special ability, it'd do well in an area that complements the specific camouflage (for example, if the camouflage is designed to hide a creature in thick brown grass, it probably is best suited to live in either a savannah or plains area). If the creature has green skin, forests may give it the opportunity to blend in and hide without formal camouflage. A creature typically won’t be found in an area outside of its environment, unless transported there by some external force or method. When selecting an external covering for their creature, the creator should be reasonably detailed, including any color patterns in the covering or specular traits, such as shininess.

With the creature's exterior finished, the creator should move on to specifics regarding the creature's sensory organs, manipulators, and weapons. These are important not only because they allow the creature to interact with their world, but they also provide hit locations for combat (without which the creature is far more vulnerable to certain types of damage). Creatures may have any of the five senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch), though it's not a given that a creature has all of them. In general, in order for a creature to possess a sense, it must be given at least one of the corresponding organ (visual organs for sight, auditory organs for hearing, olfactory organs for smell and gustatory organs for taste). If a sensory organ is required by one of the lifeform's special abilities, it must be given that organ. It's generally assumed that a creature automatically has the sense of touch (the tactile sense) by virtue of its nervous system or closest analog.

The creator should record the number of given sensory organs the creature has. A lifeform can be given as many of a particular kind of sensory organ as its creator wishes, though for combat purposes there may come a point when a creature has so many of one kind of organ that it's basically impossible for the creature to lose that sense entirely during the course of combat. Such a creature is considered to have "numerous" organs of that type. An example of a creature with "numerous" organs are the Gazurtoid, who have numerous gustatory organs. They can never lose their sense of taste through combat actions, at least not directly.

One important aspect of any creature with visual organs (i.e. any organism that has sight) is the creature's field of vision. This feature determines whether or not the creature has line of sight on its target during combat situations. The creator should take the time to consider carefully just how big of an arc their creature can see into. As a general rule, a creature's field of vision is going to be determined by the placement of their visual organs on their body; eyes sunken into a creatures head are not going to afford nearly as big of a visual arc as a convex compound eye on the creature's exterior. As a general rule, its better for the creator to determine the peripheral arc first, and the optimal arc second. If a creator needs a hard, fast rule for determining the optimal arc, they can use 60% of the area covered by the peripheral arc.

With the sensory organs determined, the creator can turn their attention to manipulators. Manipulators come in two general forms: propulsive appendages and motor appendages. Propulsive appendages enable the lifeform to move, pure and simple. Some examples of propulsive appendages include legs, tentacles, pseudopodia, cilia, wings, flotation sacks, and fins. More exotic examples (not seen in nature, at least not on Earth) include wheels, treads, and rotors. The number and kind of propulsive appendages given to the creature should be very dependent upon the creature's mode of transit. Motor appendages allow the lifeform to manipulate objects in their environment. Some examples of motor appendages include arms, tentacles, pseudopodia, vines, stems, and branches. Creatures may also use their mouths in this capacity if they have them, though generally a mouth is not considered a true motor appendage. The number and type of both motor and propulsive appendages should definitely be included in the text portion of the creature's physical description.

A creature may or may not possess natural weaponry. Natural weapons are generally either used for self defense, for catching prey, or in some cases both. There are five general types of natural weapons: biting, clawing, slapping, goring, and special. Biting weapons generally use mechanical leverage to apply damage to the target. Some examples of natural biting weapons include teeth, beaks, mandibles, and pincers. Claws are generally in a category by themselves, though a creature may be able to use a pincer for the same general effect if it is shaped like a hook (this would likely enable the creature to use the pincer as both a biting or clawing weapon; go with whichever one causes more damage for the creature's niche). Slapping, slamming or punching weapons generally are the same as the creature's motor or propulsive appendages (examples include hands, tails, feet, and tentacles). Goring weapons cause damage by piercing the target through brute force. When combined with poison, these weapons are usually called stings. Some examples of goring and stinging weapons include stingers, horns, quills, thorns, and tusks. Finally, creatures with special weapons may have externally placed organs that complement those weapons (such as a poison sac for a venomous creature, or a conic snout to help direct psionic energies). Natural weapons are far more common in non-sapients than in sapients, though there is no real reason why a sapient creature couldn't be given natural weaponry. The creator should record whether or not the creature has any natural weapons and make note of any of them in the creature's physical description. The effects of any natural weaponry will be determined in the next step.

One final thing to consider about a creature's manipulators and sensory organs is how the lifeform uses those organs in order to communicate. Most creatures have ways of communicating with other creatures, particularly other members of the same species. Methods of communication often involve the generation of sound, but can also include pheremonal releases, changes in color, and gesticulation (among others). A creator may select any method they wish for their lifeform. As a general rule, however, it should be in keeping with the remainder of their organs; it'd be difficult for a creature to use gesticulation as their mode of communication if the creature has no motor or propulsive appendages, and it'd be difficult for a member of a species to communicate with other members of the same species via sound generation if none of them have any auditory organs.

A creature’s disposition should be the next thing to be determined. Disposition is a fancy word for moodiness, and largely determines how aggressive the creature is (i.e. how more willing it is to attack another creature, versus running away). Of critical importance is determining what will provoke a creature into combat. All creatures will try to avoid any creature larger than themselves whenever necessary, and will prefer to run if it is a viable option. All animals will attack to defend territory or their young, or to prevent predation. Predatory species also "attack" to predate on prey creatures; this includes primary consumers, who predate on plants or other producer species. Generally creatures choose to feed on other creatures that are as large or smaller than themselves. Larger creatures are occasionally prey for a predatory species, though often pack-hunting is required if the prey species is an animal or mobile plant species. Creatures encountered outside of their natural environment generally tend to be stressed, and therefore more aggressive. The most aggressive creatures will attack for the sake of attacking; these creatures should be the exception rather than the rule. Finally, sapients do have the capacity for making a conscious decision as to whether or not to attack.

A lifeform's feeding habits are an important thing that needs to be determined. By and large, the question of what the creature will choose to feed upon has already been answered by determining the creature's niche. Feeding habits answer the questions of how often a creature needs to eat before it begins to starve (for details on starvation, see Chapter 12.4.2). Related to this question is whether or not the creature requires water or some other liquid solvent, and how often it needs it before dying of thirst. As a general rule, the larger the creature, the more it will need to ingest during the course of a day (which either means that what it eats needs to be larger, or that it needs to eat more frequently than smaller creatures). If a creature has a favorite "prey" species, the creator may make a note of that.

If the creature is an animal lifeform, sleeping habits will need to be determined as well. Sleep performs many biological functions; in SFRPG, it is required for optimal natural healing among other things. Animal lifeforms need to get at least some sleep during the course of their day, or face sleep deprivation (see Chapter 12.4.2). The amount of sleep a creature needs should be included it its physical description. As a general rule, larger creatures require more sleep, as do carnivorous species.

Finally, a creature's reproductive habits should be determined (this may be a taboo topic for some creators, but it is one of the key biological functions necessary for the continuation of any species, so it's necessary. Creators are advised to be sure their mother is nowhere nearby when they go to write this part of the creature description.). Reproduction is the biological process by which new individual organisms are produced. There are two broad categories of reproductive methods, asexual and sexual. Asexual creatures can reproduce without involvement with another individual of the same species. Sexual reproduction requires the involvement of two or more individuals, typically through the use of gamete cells specialized to specific genders ("females" of any species have the largest gamete cells). There are a small number of species that are capable of both forms of reproduction.

The reproductive method used by a species determines a couple of things about the creature. First, it determines the number of genders the creature has. Asexual creatures have a single gender. Sexual creatures have multiple genders, depending upon how many gamete cells are needed to succesfully generate another lifeform. Most creatures that use sexual reproduction have two genders. Though there is theoretically no limit, the fewer the number of individuals that have to be involved, the more successful the lifeform tends to be at reproducing itself. The number of genders in turn determines how many reproductive organs the lifeform tends to have. Asexual lifeforms tend not to have any organs dedicated to the purpose of reproduction. Most sexual lifeforms as a rule have a single organ, which is used either for the delivery or reception of gamete cells during reproductive activities. Sexual lifeforms may have multiple sex organs; it's even possible for members of different genders to have different numbers of sex organs if there is sufficient dimorphism in the race. The creator should record how many genders there are in the race, and the number of reproductive organs the creature has for a given gender. The reproductive method should be included in the creature's physical description (particularly if it isn't a clear cut method used on Earth), along with information about how long it takes a new member of the species to gestate (develop before birth), and what method of birthing is used by the species (live birth, laying eggs, etc.).

With this information all gathered together, the creator can compose a coherent physical description for their creature. While they may discuss features of the creature in any order that they choose, the following format is recommended: first, begin with the species niche and transit mode, and list any exterior features. Next, put in information on the creature's average long dimension and mass, and discuss the major sensory organs. Some information about the creature's overall level of intelligence and toughness (based on its Durability and Learning Rate) can be put in next, followed by a discussion of its manipulators and natural weaponry, as well as its method of communication. Feeding and sleeping habits can be discussed next, with reproductive habits coming last in the creature's discussion. A list of the creature's major organs typically follows the text discussion; this list must be included, even if the remainder of the physical description is completely ignored.

We started the discussion of the Poison Glider with the description given for it in Starflight II: A cat-sized, insect-like carnivore. This creature's body is covered with a shiny yellow exoskeleton with a black camoflaging pattern. It has two powerful rear legs for jumping, and extendable membranous flaps which allow it to glide long distances. Its front claws are hooked for grasping and it has a small swivel head with one large compound eye. It also has a retractable, needle-like mouthpiece capable of injecting a potent poison.

That's a pretty good description, as far as a non-sapient race goes (aside from the part about being "cat-sized", its reasonably accurate too). If we were to do the Poison Glider like a sapient race, the end result might look something like the following:

Poison Gliders are a bipedal insect-like carnivorous species covered with a shiny yellow exoskeleton with a black camouflaging pattern. Extendable membranous flaps attached to its exterior allow it to glide long distances, and it has two front claws which are hooked for grasping objects. They are typically anywhere from three to 4.75 meters in length, weighing between 750 and 1100 kilograms. It has a small swivel head with one large compound eye, and a retractable, needle-like mouthpiece capable of injecting a potent poison. Poison Gliders are comparable to Humans in terms of problem-solving capabilities as well as physical toughness. Gliders use a complex system of gesturing to signal other members of the species, mainly during their mating season. Gliders typically spend up to half of their day hunting, and can usually go about two weeks without food and about five days without water. Gliders typically don't sleep until after completing a meal; they typically sleep for about sixteen hours afterwards. Gliders reproduce sexually; females lay a sack containing 10 to 20 eggs after a six month gestation period.

• Motor Appendages: 2
• Visual Organs: 1
  • Field of Vision: Optimal 180 degrees forward, Peripheral 300 degrees forward.
• Auditory Organs: 0
• Olfactory Organs: 1
• Gustatory Organs: 1
• Propulsive Appendages: 4
• Reproductive Organs: 1
  

Now to slap out the description for the Dershetche:

The Dershetche are a race of flying carnivorous plants. Their ability to fly is unique among carnivorous plant species; they are members of the order Ericales but are otherwise completely unrelated. The wingspan of a Dershetche is approximately four and a half meters in length, with individuals weighing somewhere around 450 kilograms. The Dershetche are highly dependent upon their planet's oftentimes severe weather to assist them in flight. Their general overall appearance is similar to a manta ray; they have a very round shape (when viewed from above), but are very flat. They have two simple eyes on their dorsal side set forward, and a long, prehensile vine towards their posterior which serves as a control surface in flight. While they are slow to learn new skills, Dershetche are very durable and have been known to survive direct lightning hits without even so much as a scar. Dershetche utilize photosynthesis to gain energy from the environment. This gives them their characteristic green outer skin color. They usually can't gain sufficient nutrients through photosynthesis; they gain those nutrients through predation on smaller animal lifeforms (the intelligence level of their prey is not typically a concern to a Dershetche). The Dershetche mouth is located on their ventral side. Dershetche are capable of creating low-pitched, rumbling vocalizations which other members of the species hear through an in-line auditory organ. The vine-like tail is capable of grabbing hold of creatures of significant size and stuffing them into the creature's mouth, where the prey is suffocated before being slowly digested. A typical Dershetche can go for about a year after a sufficiently sized kill before needing to kill again. Dershetche do not require sleep and usually gain sufficient water through atmospheric moisture. Dershetche reproduce via self- or cross-pollination, generally around the time they enter Middle Age. For a three-month period, a series of small, white flowers bloom from the vine; this renders the vine useless for controlled flight. Pollen is carried between blooms by pollinating insects. A white, venomous fruit is produced from any fertilized bloom, containing anywhere from 2 to 8 seeds (depending upon how much of a chance the fruit has had to grow during blooming). At the end of the period, all the blooms and fruit fall off the vine. Dershetche take approximately a year to sprout out of the soil and can gain flight after about ten years. While still in the ground, the mother Dershetche oftentimes will protect the area from would-be predators.

• Motor Appendages: 1
• Visual Organs: 2
  • Field of Vision: Optimal 90 degrees forward, Peripheral 150 degrees forward.
• Auditory Organs: 1
• Olfactory Organs: 0
• Gustatory Organs: 1
• Propulsive Appendages: 2
• Reproductive Organs: Numerous while in bloom; 0 other times (see discussion)
  
  

Assign attacks to the creature¶

During the course of composing the creature's physical description, the creator may or may not have given the creature a number of natural weapons. If the creature was not given any natural weapons, this step may be skipped. If, however, the creature was given a natural attack, it's time to determine just how much damage the creature can cause with that attack.

Creature attacks come in one of five categories (as discussed in the previous step): biting, clawing, slamming, goring, and special. A creature may only have a single attack value per natural attack available, no matter how many actual weapons of the type they may have. For example, even though a lion has four sets of claws available to it, it only gets a single attack value for clawing attacks. It can also bite, which is a seperate attack category, so it also has a biting attack value.

Determining the strength of a creature's attack in any given category is dependent upon three things: its volume (not its Size Class), whether or not the creator set aside any weapons dice during the determination of the creature's Learning Rate, and its niche. Each niche has five dies associated with it, one for each of the five general attack categories. To determine the creature's attack value in a given category, roll a number of dice of the type indicated by the attack category equal to the sum of the creature's volume and weapons dice, rounded up. For example, carnivorous consumers roll d10 for biting attacks, d5 for clawing and special attacks, and d1 for slamming and goring attacks. Let's say a creature with a volume of 2.5 cubic meters has been given claws, and that its creator set aside two weapons dice. The roll in that case would be 5d5 (2.5 rounds up to 3, 3 + 2 = 5, and d5 is indicated for clawing attacks.

There two special rules regarding the die roll for figuring up an attack value. First, the result of zero on any die counts as a zero, regardless of the die type. Secondly, any time a zero or nine are rolled on a die, whatever value they indicate for the current roll should be added up, and then rolled again. This may continue as long as a zero or nine come up on the die.

Once any re-rolls have finally been resolved, the final tally is the creature's attack value for that attack category, and should be recorded with the creature's stats. If the creature has any additional natural attacks, the creator may go ahead and roll for them as well.

We've given the Glider a single attack, its needle-like mouthpiece capable of injecting a potent poison. We already know that the mouthpiece delivers poison to its target, but we need to know how much damage the mouthpiece does when the Glider goes to envenomate its target. The Glider has been established as a carnivorous consumer, so its attack dies are d10 for biting attacks, d5 for clawing and special attacks, and d1 for slamming and goring attacks. For the sake of argument, we'll say that the way it uses the mouthpiece is similar to the way most creatures bite, and so we'll make it a biting attack. The Glider's volume is an even two cubic meters and no weapons dice were set aside for them, so we'll make a roll of 2d10 for the Glider's attack. The dice are rolled; the results are five and nine. That's fourteen, but we have a nine on one of the two dice, so we'll roll that dice again. Again, nine comes up as the result, so we add nine to the tally (we're up to twenty-three now) and roll it again. The next roll comes up as a seven, so we'll stop there. The Poison Glider does thirty points of damage with its bite (making it quite a dangerous creature, especially when considering that bite is coupled with poison).

The Dershetche were not given any natural attacks, so we'll skip this step for them. Don't worry; they're going to get plenty of attention in the next step...

Compose the remainder of the race's description¶

At this point in the procedure, items such as the creature's skills and attributes, hero level and derived statistics are the only things that still need to be filled in regarding the creature. These traits are handled by the character creation rules for sapient creatures, so at this point very little else needs to be done for them. If the creature being created is a sapient race, then a few additional elements unique to sapient beings need to be filled in at this point in the procedure, after which the creature will be complete. If the creature is non-sapient, skip this step.

As discussed in Chapter 2.2, sapient beings have eight pieces of information in their profiles: an overview, personality, physical description, relations with other races, territory, onomastikon, motivation, and basic characteristics. The creature creation procedure has filled in the details about the creature's physical description and basic characteristics. This step in the procedure will fill in the remaining six pieces of information.

Despite it coming first in the race's profile, a creator may choose to wait until they've filled in the rest of the information for their race's profile before choosing to complete the overview. The overview is a brief introduction and summary of a given race. A creator may include any information they wish about the species in the overview, including information included later in the race's profile, instructions as to whether or not the race would be recommended for PCs and/or NPCs, and anything else the creator would like to say about the species that doesn't readily fit elsewhere (a brief history of the species is a good example). The key thing about the overview portion of the race's profile is to keep it brief. It can be quite easy to expound too much on a race in their introduction; usually information is unnecessarily repeated as a result.

As part of the overview, a creator may wish to give their creation an alternative name using scientific taxonomic nomenclature. Taxonomic names are simply for flavor; they play absolutely no role anywhere in the course of the game. Classifying a lifeform can be a tricky proposition that will require some (perhaps intense) research. It's helpful to find an Earth lifeform that is similar to the given lifeform, and to look up the characteristics of its individual classification levels (kingdom, phylum, etc.). If the creator is lucky enough, they might be able to find a species that's similar enough to the lifeform to be able to use the same Genus (it should be noted that in taxonomy, the lifeform's location is never an issue. Thus, it is possible for an extraterrestrial lifeform to share a Genus name with an Earth lifeform.) If not, the creator will have to come up with their own Genus name, based on the lifeform's primary characteristics (for example, the Thrynn are considered of the Genus sapienraptor. This is not an actual Genus name, but a joining of the two Latin words "sapien" ("wise") and "raptor" ("bird of prey", in this case used similarly to the Genera Utahraptor and Velociraptor), thus meaning "wise bird of prey"). All names Genus names must be in Latin. If the creator doesn't know Latin, they can try to fake it so long as there isn't a Latin expert in their playing group. If there happens to be a Latin expert in the group, the creator would do well to enlist their help in coming up with a suitable name. Species names are a little more flexible. They can either be in Latin, or something that sounds Latin-esque. A clever creator might also get away with using the name of the creature's homeworld (or something close to it) to function as the species name (Thrynn are an example of this as well. Their taxonomic name is Sapienraptor thoss; Thoss is the name of the Thrynn homeworld).

Personality gives a listing of how a member of that species can be expected to behave in social situations. This expounds on the disposition the creator selected while preparing the creature's physical description, and may also be used to describe why a species as a whole believes or acts in a certain manner. Think of it kind of like a stereotype. Note that it does not follow that an individual member of the species will behave in the manner listed in this section, though whoever creates an abberant individual should probably come up with a pretty good reason for the change (abnormal upbringing, traumatic experience, etc.).

A sapient race may or may not have dealings with other sapient races, depending upon their technological level and level of isolation from the rest of the galactic community at large. Even if a given sapient race has no direct interaction with another species, other races might have an opinion or attitude about that race. Details about these dealings and attitudes should be included in the race's relations with other races. The creator should at a minimum discuss the relations their creation has with other sapient races in the same Sector. If they might have contact with races in other Sectors, they should also include the relations with races in the other sector. Relations can be simple phrases, such as saying their race likes Race X, hates Race Y, and is neutral towards Race Z. Ongoing disputes, grudges, alliances, or any other interaction can be included in this section.

A sapient's territory is simply the area to which they lay claim. The size of this area is going to be highly dependent upon their technological level. Stone Age and Metal Age creatures generally lay claim to a single world (or possibly only a single continent on a single world), though it is possible for an undeveloped sentient race to inhabit multiple worlds, particularly if they have frequent contact with starfaring races (the Nga-Seng are an example of this). Industrial Age species generally lay claim to a single world, but depending on their level of development may lay claim to a single star system. Again, if they have frequent contact with other starfaring races, they may claim worlds in multiple star systems, or claim multiple whole star systems. For any non-starfaring race, a brief discussion of the highest level of technology the species has invented can be added into their territory discussion if the creator so wishes (including weapons, electronics, vehicles, etc.). Starfaring races generally have what's known as a "sphere of influence", which is a territory encompassing at least one star system and part of the surrounding area of hyperspace, where their ships can be encountered. When listing a starfaring race's territory, a creator may be as specific as they wish, listing out which systems the species inhabits, which systems they lay claim to without necessarily having any permanent habitation, and any constellations, major flux nodes or nebulae within their demesne. If they don't wish to be that specific, a creator can get away with just listing which star systems contain homeworlds and colonies and which general region of space they patrol (generally part of a sector, or multiple sectors if appropriate).

To facilitate the selection of an appropriate name for an individual of a given species, an onomastikon (this is a fancy Greek word for "name dictionary") should be included in the race's profile. A good onomastikon will include a discussion of how many words can be included in the creature's name, how the species is given names culturally (including whether or not the species allows nicknames and how they are used if allowed), what sounds are preferred in names of the species (including pronunciations, particularly if any odd sounds exist in their language), and how many "suffixes" (generally a surname) can be affixed to a "prefix" (usually a given name). In addition to the discussion, an onomastikon needs to include examples of the prefixes and suffixes that can be used by the species. If there is variation between what names are acceptable based on gender, lists for each gender should be provided. A reasonably sized list of names includes about twenty names per provided list; depending on the structure of names used by the species, that should provide four hundred unique names at a minimum for the species.

Finally, there may be many reasons for a given member of a species to leave the familiarity of hearth and home to face the unknown. The usual reasons are listed in the final section, motivation. The idea behind the motivation section of a race's profile is to give a leg up on the history of any character (PC or NPC) that may be found outside the usual territory for that race. The creator may choose any adventuring motivation they wish for their creation, as long as it is clear and logically thought out (this is any area where using the plot slicing technique discussed in Chapter 11.1.1 could come in handy).

Coming up with data for an entire sentient race can be an arduous process for any creator, so much so that it is recommended that they gain the input of other members of their player group (in particular the GM who will be running the campaign that the new race will be in, provided of course the GM and the creator are not the same person). Other people can provide their own ideas about a given race, and may provide the creator with some ideas for things to include in their species profile. There's nothing wrong with going solo, but a team effort (especially towards the end) can make a race just that much better.

In any case, with the final pieces of information filled in, a sapient race is complete at this point in the procedure. The remaining steps of the procedure will therefore be for non-sapient races only.

The Glider is non-sapient, so we don't need to fill in any information for it. However, we can fill in the information for the Dershetche, and call them done. After taking some time to consider the Dershetche and what we know about them up to this point, we might write a the following to fill in the remaining pieces of information for them:

The Dershetche are a race of stingray-like, flying carnivorous plants native to the Delta Sector. They have a fairly bad reputation with most of the races in the sector; even the Humna Humna will not trade with them. This isn't for lack of trying, mind you, but their policy of immediately devouring any sentient lifeform has, quite understandably, kept them from becoming very popular.

• Personality: Not much is known about the personality of a Dershetche; much of what is known is second-hand information that comes from the Tandelou. Dershetche are a fairly amicable race, at least to other plant-like forms of life. They apparently are mildly aloof, and tend to keep to themselves most of the time. The Dershetche have a word for most animal forms of life. That word is "food". Due to their physiology, the Dershetche rarely get enough nutrition from any of the extant lifeforms on their homeworld; the only animal megafauna on their world are Wheel Snakes, which don't provide a good deal of nutrition. They therefore attack any other animal lifeform on sight, regardless of its size or intelligence. The Dershetche do possess a moderate level of intelligence, having reached an industrial level of development without outside assistance.
• Relations with Other Races: Dershetche are generally viewed negatively by most of the Starfaring sapient races in the Delta Sector, given their peculiar dietary habits. Most of the non-starfaring races in the Sector also view the Dershetche the same way, though any contact between the Dershetche and other non-starfaring races is rare at best. Only two extant starfaring races don't view the Dershetche with abject loathing. The first are the G'Nunk, who visit the planet every now and again to test their mettle. Dershetche reportedly find armadillo G'Nunk tastier than worm G'Nunk. There are rumors that the G'Nunk use the planet as part of their justice system; anyone who survives receives a full pardon. There are also rumors of G'Nunk visiting the planet for other purposes, though the nature of those purposes remains a mystery. About the only race in the sector that doesn't take a dim view of the Dershetche are the plant-like Tandelou, who make infrequent visits to their planet. It is suspected that the Tandelou "Center of the Universe", where they conduct the Thdok-Bryg-Ahhh in the presence of the Most Valuable Thing, is in fact somewhere on the surface of the Dershetche homeworld. While they haven't had regular contact with Alpha Sector races as yet, it can be assumed they would only be friendly with the Elowan, and possibly the Spemin (who apparently bear a striking resemblance to the tertiary larval phase of the Tandelou).
• Territory: The Deshetche are a non-starfaring race. They can only be found on their home planet, located at δ106x73, p1. The Dershetche have not yet progressed far enough industrially to begin exploration of their home system; they do have rudimentary air vehicles which are used for faster travel (much like the way Humans use automobiles), as well as durable sea craft capable of withstanding conditions in the equatorial oceans. They have yet to develop computers of any significant processing power, and have only recently begun developing telecommunications. On their home planet, the Dershetche have a roughly Average population density, which is a little more scarce around the planet's equator and more dense towards the poles.
• Onomastikon:Dershetche names tend to have a lilt to them, heavy on soft sounds (particularly "J", "H", "C") and vowel sounds. They generally have single word names which depict who their parent was, when they were born and where they germinated. Dershetche names are usually four syllables long. Nicknames are not used amongst the Dershetche; what few friends they do have usually take the time to pronounce their names in full. Dershetche names consist of a single prefix and up to three suffixes, with suffix sounds also used for the prefix. It is possible for a suffix to be used as a prefix as well, and for the same suffix to be used multiple times.
  • Names: ai, ae, ao, au, ay, cha, che, chi, ee, ei, hei, joi, li, ooo, sei, soo, sui, swe, swi, ua.
• Motivation: Dershetche don't generally stray too far from where they were born. When they do, its usually because the animal food supply has become too scarce, or to find a better spot to spread seeds. Some Dershetche are known to keep a constant vigil for landing starships, to see just who is daring enough to visit their world.
  

The final written profile for the Dershetche can be seen in Chapter 2.3. That profile is the same as the profile for them listed here, except that the version listed there has been peer reviewed by other members of the Starflight III project.

Determine the creature's "hero level"¶

By this point in the creation process, enough data has been gathered about sapient creatures to build individual characters. In case you missed the message in the last step, the procedure from this point forward is for the completion of non-sapient creatures only. Generic sapient characters can be completed using the character creation rules covered in Chapter 2.4.

The next step towards creating non-sapient creatures is to determine their "hero level". As with characters, the hero level is simply a number of additional points given to a creature to spend on their Skills. The creator should by this point have an idea of just how strong or intelligent they wish their creation to be. If they wish to make them stronger than what's indicated by their stats to this point, they may give their creature as many additional building points as they wish, but (as with characters) are generally encouraged not to give more than 50 additional points. Creators never have to use extra building points; it's entirely at their own discretion. If a creator is building a creature for a specific campaign without the guidance of the campaign's GM, they may add extra points for hero level, but it is strongly recommended that the GM review the creature before using it. Added building points are set into a general pool; later, these points may be assigned to any of the creature's various skills.

The Glider is somewhat of a dangerous creature (three stars according to the SF2 cluebook, about midway up the scale). To make things interesting, we'll give them an additional 20 building points for their hero level.

Determine the amount of points to add to the creature's Attributes¶

With the creature's hero level determined, it's time to determine the number of points that may be added to the creature's Attributes. Non-sapient creature creation assumes the use of RPG-style stats (this ensures that the creature is general enough to be used in both RPG-style and Starflight-style campaigns). To determine the number of points that may be spent on the creature's "physical" Attributes (Power, Finesse and Physique), the creator makes three rolls of xd10, where x is the character's Durability score. The results of these rolls are recorded separately, and then assigned to one of the three physical Attributes. The creator then does the same thing again for the creature's "mental" Attributes (Intellect, Acumen and Charm), using its Learning Rate score to determine x. Unlike characters, non-sapient creatures do not get attribute point pools to spend. Rather, the creature may use any points given to them by their hero level.


It's time to figure up the Glider's attributes. We know that the Glider has a Durability Rating of five and a Learning Rate of four. We'll begin by determining the Glider's physical attributes. Three rolls of 5d10 are made; the results are 30, 29 and 14. Flying and being able to track prey are going to be important for the Glider, so we'll put 29 points into Power, 30 points into Finesse, and 14 points into Physique. We'll now make three 4d10 rolls for mental attributes; these come up as 19, 18 and 10. The Glider is not a creature that tries to intimidate it's prey, so 10 can go to its Charm Attribute easily. We'll give 18 points to its Intellect Attribute and 19 points to its Acumen Attribute (on the idea that higher perception helps to catch prey. We finally have the 20 points we gave the Glider for its hero level. Again, the ability to hunt prey is paramount for a predator, so we'll focus those points in areas that containing skills useful for its style of hunting. Eleven points will go to its Acumen (bringing it to 30 even), four will go to Power and five to Finesse (bringing both of them to 34).

Spend points on the creature's skills¶

Once all of the creature's points have been allocated to the creature's various Attributes, the time has come to spend those points on the skills that the individual characteristics cover. For more information about the effects of skills and sub-disciplines, see Chapter 3. As with characters, each point spent on sub-characteristics correlates to a +1 modifier to any skill Checks. A creator may leave any skill unmodified, but must allocate all of the points given to the Attribute to the skills under that Attribute. Remember that no skill may ever have more than 100 points allocated to it for any reason.


The Glider's Power attribute was allocated a final total of 34 points. Brawling might be a useful skill to have here, but Three-Dimensional Maneuvers is essential given its ability to glide. We'll give the Glider 20 points in Three-Dimensional Maneuvers and ten in Brawling. The remaining four can go to Lifting. Finesse was also allocated 34 points. All three of these skills are incredibly useful, but the most important is probably Hiding/Seeking when it comes to finding prey. Eleven points are allocated to Dodge and Dexterous Maneuvers, while twelve points go to Hiding/Seeking. Finally, a mere 14 points were allocated to the Glider's Physique. We must assign a few points to Recuperation, or else the Improved Healing trait we gave it will be worthless. Six points will be given to Concentration and Stamina, with two points going to Recuperation.

We've allocated 16 points to the Glider's Intellect. Knowledge and Cunning are going to be crucial; we'll split the points evenly between those two and leave Resourcefulness at zero. Thirty points have been allocated to Acumen; Perception and Survival are going to be key here; again we'll split the points evenly amongst those two and leave Performance at zero. Finally, we've only got ten points in Charm, but fortunately none of those skills are particularly crucial. We'll sink all ten into Personality; the Glider might not prefer to intimidate its prey, but it'd probably be nice to have the option.

Determine the creature’s derived statistics¶

Once the creature's attacks have been determined, its time to figure out its derived combat statistics. Creatures have the same twelve derived statistics as characters, and for the most part they are determined in the same way as they are for characters (with a few key exceptions). The following list outlines how to determine the derived statistics for creatures.

• HP/NHP: Similarly to characters, simply multiply the creature’s Durability score by ten. The result is both the creature's HP and NHP.
• SI: A creature’s strength index is a combination of their hit points, any armor hit points, and the combined strength of all of their available attacks (as opposed to characters, vehicles and starships, which only use the strongest available weapon for SI calculation).
• HD/THD/FHD: This has already been determined for the creature; no additional calculations are necessary at this point.
• Initiative: To determine a character's Initiative value, subtract their Durability score from 11. Note that it is possible for extremely durable creatures to have negative Initiative scores.
• Attack Bonuses: A creature receives a base Attack Bonus value from their niche. A creature's Melee Attack Bonus is simply this base Attack Bonus value added to the creature's Power modifier, while the creature's Finesse modifier is added to the base Attack Bonus value for its Ranged Attack Bonus.
• Saves: Saves are calculated in exactly the same way for creatures as they are for characters. A creature's Fortitude Save is a combination of their Health trait and Physique modifier. The Reflex Save combines the Reflexes trait with the Finesse modifier, while Willpower Save combines the Discipline trait with the Acumen modifier.
  

Looking at the information we've gathered on the Poison Glider up to this point, we can readily determine its derived stats. Since it has a Durability of 6, we know instantly that it has 60 HP/NHP. We gave them 50 AHP worth of natural armor and they have a biting attack capable of doing 30 points of damage, so their SI is going to be 140 (60 + 50 + 30 = 140). We've already determined their HD ratings are 38/50/36. With a Durability of 6, they have an Initiative rating of 5 (11 - 6 = 5). The Glider is a carnivorous consumer, which has a base attack bonus rating of 10. It has 34 points in both its Power and Finesse Attributes, which gives both of them a +3 modifier. It's Melee Attack Bonus and Ranged Attack Bonus are therefore the same, with a value of 13 (10 + 3 = 13). We didn't give the Glider any points in Health, Reflexes_ or Discipline, so those won't help the Glider's saves out any. The Glider's Physique score is 14 (giving it a +1 modifier), so its Fortitude Save is one (0 + 1 = 1). We already know its Finesse modifier is +3, so its Reflex Save is three (0 + 3 = 3). Finally, its Acumen score is thirty, giving it a +3 modifier. The Glider's Willpower Save is therefore also three (0 + 3 = 3).

Test the creature¶

Once the creature's derived statistics have been determined, the creature is essentially complete. The only thing else that needs to be done (besides giving the creature a name, if one is desired and if it hasn't been named already) is to test it in combat. Only by testing the creature will the creator know if they've made the creature stronger or weaker than they originally intended, and will indicate to them whether or not any changes need to be made.

Testing a creature is easy enough. The creator should build a character group with a combined SI roughly comparable to that of the lifeform. Human characters armed with laser pistols and physical armor of sufficient strength to match the creature's SI are recommended for the test. The creator may assign points for attributes as they wish. Alternatively, human archetype characters (built as discussed in Chapter 12.3.1) may be used for testing purposes (a combination of Commander, Scientist, Doctor and Security Officer is recommended). For those lifeforms on the vehicle scale, combat should be conducted against at least one ITV, or more if the SI is high enough. In any test, the opposing group should fall into an SI range anywhere from 80 to 120% of the creature's SI.

If the creature is defeated, another test can be conducted by having two creatures face off against the same opposing group. If they are defeated again, it's likely that the creature is weaker than what the designer intended. If, on the other hand, the creature defeats the sample group easily, additional members may be added to the opposing group. If a group with a total SI of 200% or more of a single creature's SI is defeated by the creature, it may be an indication that the creature is too strong. In either case, what constitutes "too strong" or "too weak" is totally up to the creator, and what they intended in the first place.

At the conclusion of any test, a creator will have some indication of how powerful their creation really is. If they are happy with the creature as is, they can consider it complete and ready to be used in a SFRPG campaign. They may decide to make additional "creatures" to indicate various life phases of their creature if they wish, or they may choose to fiddle with the hero level of their creation, making "elite" members of the species. If, on the other hand, they aren't happy with their creation, they can go back through the creation procedure and make any changes they deem appropriate in an attempt to either strengthen or weaken the creature at the case may be. Alternatively, they can save the creature for a different adventure and start over from scratch, or (if they're really hacked off) dump the creature completely.

The Glider is complete at this point. Sufficed to say, it passed its combat tests and is ready to use as is in any campaign...

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