This is the first of a series of articles concerning my homebrew SF setting originally posted at my personal site, EvilBastard.net, which I’m importing over here to IoM.

At the dawn of the 28th Century, the powerful hand of Imperial Earth stretches far across the stars touching the lives of countless humans and aliens alike. Humanity dominates the known galaxy, assimilating cultures and conquering any that would oppose its rule. It is a broad, expansive empire yet distant frontiers abound.

It is on one of those many frontiers that the first game in my home brew Sci-Fi setting will begin… but I’m getting ahead of myself. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing bits and pieces of what I have developed.

Today?

Today you get a peak at one of the alien races I have written up for This Empire Earth. Please note that the character generation rules were developed utilizing Savage Worlds.

Ambriidans

The Ambriidans are a race of amphibian humanoids. When the Empire discovered Ambriid, they found what was initially thought to be a sub Tech Level 0 culture that had not emerged much beyond the Bronze Age. It turns out that while their manufacturing technologies were primitive, their planetary sciences were TL 3.

Ambriidan scientists eagerly joined the Empire (not that they had much choice in the matter) contributing a wealth of insight to the Imperial knowledge base. Ambriidans now serve in the Imperial Navy and in many other aspects of the Empire.

All Ambriidans have webbed fingers and toes and have no claws.

Ambriidan Skin color ranges from golden to various shades of green to green with striping of red and/or yellow to black skin and occasional striping. They can adjust their skin color in moderate fashion to facilitate or control heat absorption.

Ambriidans shed their skin twice each year. Customarily, the shed skin is consumed for its nutrients and spiritual value. It is considered a great intimacy to share one’s flesh with another. Usually, the feast is shared with immediate family. Pulerauntane, the Ambriidan Chieftain at first contact with the Empire, shared his Winter skin with Captain Normand – a great honor.

Ambriidans thrive in wet, tropical settings, but can survive in almost any climate with appropriate survival gear. An Ambriidan “wet suit” fits slimly underneath most clothing. It circulates water to cool or heat the body as necessary. Absent the wet suit, the Ambriidan must regularly hydrate in fresh water.

Ambriidan males sing hauntingly compelling melodies. Any given night on Ambriid a chorus of thousands can be discerned singing their mournful songs. Many have commented that the music sounds not dissimilar to Tibetan Throat Singing.

Character Creation Notes| Ambriidans start with the following abilities:

• Start with d6 in Smarts and d6 in Agility
• Cling to walls and ceilings – the Ambriidans suffer no penalty for scaling even the slickest surfaces as long as they are making two point contact with the surface (i.e. feet, hands, combination). At a two-point contact, the Ambriidan suffers -2 penalty to move rate. Four point contact provides the Ambriidan with no movement penalties. If using only one point of contact, the Ambriidan rolls as a standard Climbing skill (d8).
• Leap Frog (Edge) – The Ambriidan’s legs are so powerful and efficient he can leap distances far beyond what humans might consider normal: 6 yards vertically and horizontally from standing, 12 yards running. A successful strength roll grants one extra yard of distance. There is no penalty for using this edge in combination with wall climbing.
• Water Baby
• Ambriidans can move at the same rate in the water as on land. They suffer no penalties as long as their hands and feet are bare.
• Ambriidans can hold their breath underwater for fifteen minutes. A successful vigor roll will provide them 1d6 additional minutes.
• Sea water is poison (-3). They cannot abide it. Sea water rapidly dehydrates them. When immersed, a vigor roll must be made each turn to save vs poison. A failed roll results in complete, immediate exhaustion with death in 2d8 x 3 minutes unless successfully treated. Successful treatments include a thorough fresh water cleansing and hydrating (-4 Healing roll).