Into the Night - Random Aliens, part 1

    Greetings and iadace, fellow pilgrims! This is the first post dedicated to fixing some of the shortcomings of Into the Night, which I reviewed here. In this post, I'll go over a method for creating random alien races for use in a Numenera game, mostly using random tables.
    I was originally going to make this all one post, but it turns out that tables take up a ton of space, so this post will cover alien biology. I also intend to make posts for random alien cultures and random planets, with links between them all. Until then, here's biology:

Random Alien Tables

1. Biology - You are here.
2. Culture
3. Planet

Biology

    These tables determine the physical form of your alien race. Roll or choose at least one option from each table. I designed these tables with both NPCs and PCs in mind, so if a player wants to play an alien, they can work out the details with the GM and balance out strengths and weaknesses. I for one have never liked Numenera's policy of making racial options their own descriptor. If you keep it simple enough, you might could get away with adding on these abilities in addition to your descriptor.
    Update: Someone just pointed out that Numenera doesn't use d4, d8, or d12. I'm not going to shorten or lengthen these tables, but if you lack the appropriate dice, use the Dungeons and Dragons Dice Roller.
    Update 2: Okay, never mind. Backed by popular demand, the two non-standard tables have been converted to standard dice. Perhaps it's not the most elegant solution, but now you just need d6, d10, and d20 to use these.

Table 1 - Form
1d6	Form	Details
1	Biped	The creature walks upright on two legs, and probably has some upper manipulation limbs.
2	Quadruped	The creature has four or more ambulatory limbs, but none that are specialized for manipulation. To manipulate something, they must sit down, prop themselves up, or use just one hand.
3	Centaur	The creature has a lower body with four or more ambulatory limbs, and an upper body with some dedicated manipulation limbs.
4	Serpentine	The creature has no ambulatory limbs, and must slither around.
5	Amorphous	The creature is capable of changing its shape somehow. It might be a shapeless amoeba-like thing capable of forming pseudopods, a creature that cultivates multiple specialized limbs, or a full-blown shapeshifter.
6	Multi-limbed	The creature has several limbs which can be used for a variety of purposes, like an octopus.

Table 2 – Biology
1d10	Biological Analog	Details
1	Fish	The creature is or was adapted for life underwater. Gills, fins, scans, swim bladders and nictitating eyelids are all likely features.
2	Avian	The creature is descended from fliers. Wings, vestigial or otherwise, are a given. Warm blood, high-capacity lungs, keen eyesight, and speed and dexterity are likely. Feathers optional.
3	Plant	The creature is an ambulatory plant, or possibly fungus. Leaves and tendrils are likely features, as well as photosynthetic skin. The creature most likely reproduces through seeds or spores.
4	Reptile	The creature has scales, teeth, claws, cold blood, and/or a tail, like a reptile.
5	Amphibian	The creature is semi-aquatic, and probably has damp, semipermeable skin and webbed feet, as well as lungs.
6	Mammal	The creature is warm-blooded and probably hirsute. They probably also give live birth and nurse their young.
7	Mollusk	The creature has few or no hard parts, a mucous membrane, and probably a multitude of special limbs or pseudopods.
8	Arthropod	The creature has a hard exoskeleton with mechanical joints, like an insect or a crustacean.
9	Mineral	The creature is made primarily of an inorganic material, like silica, stone, or crystal.
10	Exotic	The creature is made of some bizarre material normally unsuited for life, like fire, energy, light, etc.

Table 3 – Size
1d6	Size	Details
1	Tiny	The size of a house cat, or smaller
2	Small	Shorter than 4ft tall, or about the size of a large dog
3	Human-Sized	-
4	Large	8 to 12ft tall, or about the size of a horse
5	Huge	12 to 20ft tall, or about the size of an elephant
6	Gargantuan	Elephant-sized or larger.

Table 4 – Movement
1d6	Movement	Details
1	Normal	The creature walks, or slithers, as its form suggests.
2	Flight	The creature has wings, gravity obviators, or gas sacs with which it can fly.
3	Swimming	The creature is faster than any human swimmer, but doesn’t necessarily breathe water.
4	Burrowing	The creature is adapted for burrowing with digging claws or the like.
5	Climbing	The creature is an adept climber, either with sticky pads or just long, strong limbs.
6	Multiple	Roll twice and add the result.

Table 5 – Adaptations
1d20	Adaptation	Details
1	Aptitude	This species is really good at one thing, and receives an asset on all related tasks. This might be technology, hunting, bartering, etc.
2	Camouflage	Either the creature can change its body color to blend in, giving it an asset on stealth, or it has terrain specific camouflage, giving it two assets on stealth, but only on that specific terrain.
3	Clairvoyance	This species can see the future, to some extent. They can never be caught by surprise, and a level 5 (or higher, GM’s discretion) Intellect task can determine roughly how dangerous/rewarding a particular endeavor might be.
4	Energy Manipulation	This species can manipulate a certain type of energy or force, like heat, light, gravity, electricity, magnetism, etc. They have an asset when dealing with these forces, and can use them offensively in a short ranged attack that deals 4 damage and costs 1 Intellect point.
5	Exotic metabolism	In addition to (or in place of) normal food, this species has some broader food source. They can ingest detritus, electricity, light (i.e., photosynthesis), minerals, etc.
6	Exotic Senses	This species can see in infrared, ultraviolet, radar, or has echolocation. In addition to revealing things about its environment that other creatures might miss, they negate the penalties of working in darkness.
7	Extremophile	This species can survive in an environment that would kill other species. This might be extreme heat or cold, poisonous atmosphere, crushing pressures, or the void itself.
8	Fast	This species is extremely fast and agile. +4 to Speed pool and/or an asset on Speed tasks.
9	Intimidating	This species has a terrifying, predatory appearance. They receive an asset on intimidation.
10	Natural Armor	This species has a tough hide, thick scales, armor plates, or the like. +1 Armor.
11	Natural Weapons	This species has teeth, claws, or something similar that are still deadly to use. Their unarmed attacks count as medium weapons.
12	Poison	This species has a stinger, spit, or gas that conveys a deadly poison. Creatures who fail a Might defense immediately take 3 damage, and 1 damage for every hour thereafter for 1d4 hours. Using this costs 2 Might points.
13	Regeneration	This species has incredible regeneration abilities. Severed limbs regrow, albeit slowly, and they have two single-action recovery rolls instead of one.
14	Shapeshifter	This species can alter the shape of its body somewhat. This grants it an asset on disguise, fitting through tight spaces, etc.
15	Slow metabolism	This species only needs to eat about once a week.
16	Smart	This species is known for its intelligence. +4 to Intellect pool and/or an asset on Intellect tasks.
17	Sociable	This species can make friends with all sorts, and gets an asset on all pleasant social interaction.
18	Strong	This species is incredibly strong. +4 to Might pool and/or an asset on tasks requiring great strength.
19	Telekinesis	This species can manipulate objects up to short range, using their Intellect pool instead of Might. The difficulty of any fine manipulation tasks is increased by 2 outside of immediate range, however.
20	Telepathy	This species can mentally communicate with any other sentient species, surpassing all language barriers.

Table 6 – Weaknesses
1d20	Weakness	Details
1-2	Boorish	This species is known for its poor social skills. The difficulty of all pleasant social interactions is increased by one.
3-4	Clumsy	This species has poor motor skills. -2 to Speed Pool and/or increase the difficulty of all tasks requiring dexterity by one.
5-6	Ineptitude	There’s one thing that this species is particularly bad at. This might be technology, navigating, lying, or something else, but increase the difficulty of all such tasks by one.
7-8	Sensory blindness	This species lacks one or more common senses, like vision, hearing, smell, etc. This could make all tasks that normally require it more difficult by one level, or they could have some way to compensate, such as echolocation.
9-10	Slow	This species is not very fast. -2 to Speed and/or increase the difficulty of all tasks requiring speed by one.
11	Special environment	This species requires a special environment, which it cannot survive outside of, such as underwater, a special atmosphere, high temperatures, etc. For every hour spent outside this environment, the creature takes 4 points of damage.
12	Special metabolism	This species has a very special diet. It might be food from its own planet, containing specific chemicals, or it might be something like electricity or certain minerals. Either way, normal food provides them no nourishment and may even be poisonous.
13-14	Squishy	This species is soft-bodied and does not absorb damage well. -4 to Might pool or reduce hit points by one-third, rounded down.
15-16	Stupid	This species is renowned for its stupidity. -2 to Intellect pool and/or increase the difficulty of all tasks requiring intelligence by one.
17-18	Violent	This species has a natural propensity for violence. When combat begins, a member of this species cannot stop fighting until they have killed/incapacitated at least one foe, or succeed on a level 4 Intellect task.
19	Vulnerability	This species has an allergy to a specific, semi-rare substance, such as certain plants, fungus, mammals, synth, a specific metal, etc. Exposure to this substance forces a level 4 Might defense, or all actions are increased in difficulty by 1 for 1d4 hours. Ingesting the substance requires the same Might defense, but also deals 4 damage.
20	Weak	This species has particularly weak muscles. -2 to Might pool and/or increase the difficulty of all tasks requiring strength by one.

Table 7 – Reproduction
1d10	Reproductive Method	Details
1-2	Sexual, internal	This method requires sexual intercourse between two or more individuals. One or both might then give live birth or lay eggs.
3	Sexual, external	This method involves one individual laying eggs, and another fertilizing them.
4-5	Hermaphroditism	This species has both male and female sex organs, and can create a genetically identical offspring or reproduce sexually.
6	Parthenogenesis	This species asexually produces genetically identical offspring, either through laying eggs or live birth.
7	Budding	This species grows nodules on its body that eventually fall off and become genetically identical offspring.
8	Sporulation	This species produces spores, or seeds, that take root in soil or some other medium and slowly mature into adults.
9	Parasitic	This species can only reproduce by gestating their young in the body of another creature, living or dead, willing or otherwise.
10	Artificial	This species can only reproduce with the aid of technology.

Table 8 – Lifespan
1d6	Lifespan	Details
1	Very Short	Less than 30 years.
2	Short	30 to 60 years.
3	Moderate	60 to 120 years.
4	Long	120 to 300 years.
5	Very Long	300 to 1000 years.
6	Immortal	Indefinitely, barring violence, disease, or an accident.

Recommended Reading

    Now to give credit where credit is due. Naturally I have been influenced by a variety of sources, and the idea of randomly generated alien races is nothing new. If you found this blog post useful, check out these other useful resources. The best part is that they can all be acquired for free:

Stars Without Number is a d20 based space exploration hexcrawl game set in the future, psychic powers included. It has excellent tables for random aliens, planets and such. The free version has just about everything you need for this purpose.

Species and Societies is a pay-what-you want PDF of random tables for generating, what else? Species and societies. It also has adaptation notes for a variety of systems, but sadly the Cypher System is not among them. Future blog post, maybe?

Metamorphica is a great resource for just about any game. It has a truly staggering collection of tables and suggestions for their use. You can create alien species, monsters, demons, chaos-mutated sorcerers, you name it. It's all systems agnostic, and it's pay-what-you-want. It's an incredibly useful book, though, so I highly recommend supporting the creators.