Byshinti
A diminutive race of nomadic traders, the byshinti are found everywhere there is free trade. They enjoy haggling, perhaps even more than the actual wealth. Decorum, respect and exacting language in business dealings are very important to the byshinti.
Description: Byshinti are small, averaging a mere 1 meter in height. They are slim of build, and generally humanoid. They have wrinkled blue-gray skin, which gives them a wizened appearance. Their bristly hair is pale yellow, white or silver gray, and byshinti eyes are black or blue. Byshinti love to openly display their wealth, and wear the finest clothes they can afford, decked out with as much jewelry they can wear.
Personality: Byshinti are free spirits who wander the galaxy in search of wealth and adventure. Most byshinti are encountered in clans, traveling in their own vessels. As noted above, byshinti enjoy the art of the deal, and while most are honest traders, there are those who would rather swindle others than deal fairly. Byshinti loathe corporate structures, preferring to deal vis-à-vis.
Homeworld: Even the byshinti do not know where their homeworld is, or even its name. They have always (it seems) been spacefarers, and never settle on any planet except under the most dire circumstances. Byshinti do have a legend of a mythical paradise called Shinta, but it isn’t clear if this is an afterlife or an unattainable destination.
Language: Byshinti speak their own language, Bysh, but are well-versed in numerous languages.
Sample Names: Bel Ganoo, Dor Tranda, Fian Choo, Kir Nim, Lai Mar, Min Keeg, Shan Brell, Sien Joo, Xiri Vanta, Zoda Wir.
Age: Child 1-9; Adolescent 10-17; Young Adult 18-24; Adult 25-44; Middle Age 45-64; Old 65-84; Venerable 85+.
Racial Traits:
+2 CHA, -2 STR; byshinti are charming and confident, but physically weak.
Speed: 6 meters.
Small size: due to their size, byshinti get a +1 size bonus to all attack rolls and Defense, as well as a +4 size bonus to Hide skill checks.
+2 racial bonus to all Bluff, Diplomacy, Gamble, Gather Information, and Sense Motive checks; byshinti are expert negotiators.
+2 confidence bonus to all Will saving throws; byshinti are supremely confident.
Natural Linguist: Byshinti learn many languages. Read/Write and Speak Language are always class skills for byshinti. Additionally, byshinti gain 2 extra languages at 1st level.
Automatic Languages: Bysh.
Bonus Languages: any.
Use as you like.
(also posted in belly120's "Meet the Aliens" thread)
or just steal a race that has the numbers you want, and just change the name & description to fit your campaign.
Like taking the numbers for Gnolls, and just putting some other creature picture on it with a space name like The Frobazzo, with 1 Hero level they are treated like a 3rd level guy (or whatever gnoll LA is, dont recall offhand)
just look at any marval commic super hero their super powers are off set by relitivly mundane materials that can kill them in no time. (superman and kryptonite for example). obviously don't go for something stupid like water like they did in that film signs (what idiot came up with the idea of an alien race that dies on contact with water invading a planet that is more than 60% water not to mention the rain)
Humans are unfairly better than Rabbits. Thats just the way it is. Goblins are not as powerful as Ogres, they are a weaker species. Why does that premiss come to a halt with species that we will encounter in space?
Look at the Drow.
Did they heap a ton of penalties to offset the power, or did they just admit they are better than humans(baseline) and get a Level Adjust to be a higher CR. Give the drow some spaceships, and have them have some homeworld out there somewhere... and what do you got? Aliens that have better bonuses than baseline(human) without adequate penalties.
Simple enough to let folks take LA1 or LA2 space species with 4 Hero Levels and treat them as a 6th level PC.
What level are you starting the PCs at?
but yeah I have to agree not all species are equel, but making one species super powerful with out a drawback can make sure people played them more than others. like in the original D&D I always played a dwarf simply becuse they could use most of the weapons that a human fighter could (minus the few two handed weapons) they had the best saving throws, all the hitpoints of a human fighter and a few aditional skill such as find traps ect and don't forget the infravision.
but back to the topic, look at the predator in the film of the same name. it's very strong, durable and agile, inteligent (learns to use the target's language very fast and lay's ambushes) has can see in infrared, but it lack in people skills. so yeah why make them equel. unfortunatly if you have one super powerful race you end up with a party constising of that race alone (unless you have someone who goes for another race just becuse of it's athetics). if you had a choice between playing the predator from the film or a normal human, which would you pick? the human would give you more of a chalange but the predator would kick butt with little trouble making sure you last longer in the game.
Its a question of starting up a game:
GM: Everyone roll up a 1st level guy.
Jimmy: I wanna take this unballanced UberRace.
GM: OK, everyone roll up a 3rd level guy but Jimmy. Jimmy, you roll up a 1st level Uberdude to fit in the 3rd level party.
Jimmy: What! How is that fair?
GM: Lets see, you get Darkvision, +4Str, +2 dex, FarshotFeat, and all that is offset by... "alergic to beestings". That's how its fair that the rest of the team gets to take 2 extra class levels to make up for your Uberdude.
Heres a link to the d20srd.org hyperlink SRD Monters As Races section. Just change the name, picture, & fluff text to fit any monster with an LA to a space race. Dont fret coming up with enough hardships to make the alien on par with humans... play the superior race as superior, using Level Adjust & Effective Char Level for balance. Space Minotaurs? No problem, but the rest of the party is gonna have a whole lot more hero levels than them with all their hitdice, horns, & hurtfulness
6th level party vs 8 goblins = boring slaughter
8th level party vs 8 Goblins with 8 character levels (Str3/Fast2/MA3) =
... Whoa, wait a min...ouch... What do you mean the goblin took MeleeSmash?... BigAl, Stop throwing grenades they are Evasioninig! ..gahhh.. MEDIC!!
Same thing with the Space Drow or SpaceGnolls, but you end up with
4th level party vs (3) 3rd level humans = Party has only 2 clas levels so it is Str2 or Smart2 against the Fast3 and the Tough3. Even though the party level is 4, they have fewer class levels than 4th Humans have
A 8thlevel party could have a Strong1 Minotaur PC on equal terms as the Str3/Tough5 8th level human PC