spe bees

1

The Black Desert: SpeciesMaurice Roth (order #3160332) 24.108.140.33

2

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0aThe following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc “Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.1.Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/ or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the icense itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.

.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You

must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.9. Updating the License: Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.

15. The Black Desert: Species © 2011Raymond McVay

16.No part of this PDF is Open Game Content.


3

As mentioned in the The Black Desert Primer, there are entirely new intelligent species available for game play in The Black Desert Role-Playing Game. Choosing your character's species is possibly the most important decision a player can make; it will influence not only how other characters and NPCs interact with you, it will dictate many of your character's abilities as well. The playable species in The Black Desert are listed below:

AI are disembodied computers that think like people do. Instead of commanding spacecraft, many times they are spacecraft.Humans were once the only intelligent species on Terra; now they are one of many. There is also some question as to whether or not Humans are even human anymore.NuApes are cyborged gorillas and orangutans that are bread as expendable troops and pilots in the far reaches of Siberia.Trans-humans are perhaps the most alien of all. Former humans and AIs have joined together into multi-bodied “individuals” in a society without boarders.

AIAlmost since their inception, the human

species has attempted to create works greater than themselves; they build monuments that dwarf their physical size, make art and literature that outlives them by millennia, and have learned to destroy entire worlds. Perhaps the human race's grandest aspiration was to create something in their own image, a machine that can think on the human level.

Now these dreams have been realized, and Artificial Intelligences are integrated into every walk of life on Terra and beyond. With perfect memories and bodiless consciousness, humanity may find that the Artificial Intelligences that they've created are far more alien than they ever thought possible.

HistoryIntelligent computers are a far cry from the

cold, calculating machines depicted in twentieth century fiction. Moore's Law, the Axiom than dictated computer capacity doubling every eighteen months, began to break down in the 2020's as integrated circuits became too small to hold stable electrons. The next generation solution, quantum computing, relied on the precise alignment of atoms to achieve increased computational power. This was successful; quantum computers can perform calculations faster than anything else by orders of magnitude. While these new computers far smarter than ever before, their level of problem-solving ability and “intuition” was roughly on the level of a dog or cat. Despite being far, far more intelligent than anything else before them, quantum computers failed to achieve the long sought after human quality of wisdom.

With conventional quantum computing having reached the extent of its potential, a new, even more radical solution was needed. Having essentially perfected the ability to calculate, computer science sought to make the next level of computing mimic the uniquely biological quality of true sentience.


4

The ultimate solution came from study of the old and mostly dismissed neuroscientific theory of Orchestrative Objective Reduction. Simply put, the theory states that within each neuron in the brain there are trillions of carbon micro-tubules, each in turn containing a single free electron. Because of interactions with the surrounding carbon atoms, these quantum particles are able to self-collapse from wave into particles without outside observation. The theory states that this near constant state of self-collapse functioned as a sort of “organic binary” and from this consciousness emerges.

The theory is still not accepted in neroscience circles, but it did manage allow the development of computers that can actually think. The resulting Quantum Orchestrative Objective Reduction Processor gave computer systems the fabled Turing potential of true sentience.

The ability to intuit solutions and problem-solve on a human level was not without trade-offs. Because QOOR (pronounced “core”) processing

technology mimics the human brain to such a degree, AI are no smarter than a purely organic consciousness. AI do have access to to machine data storage and retrieval, however, so their memories are essentially perfect. While they lack the intense, hormone-fueled passions of organics, AI do possess some rudimentary emotions. AI feel what one would expect any consciousness aware of its own potential mortality to feel; Pain, fear, friendship and happiness are all possible. So, unfortunately, are hate, vengeance and even madness.

It is for these reasons that AI have not really replaced conventional computers. Instead, they replaced humans in situations where human-type intelligence is needed but the frailties of human bodies are difficult or impossible to sustain. This often includes space-born military and other aerospace venues, as a single AI can replace the majority of a spacecraft's crew and only consumes electricity.

Physical TraitsThe QOOR Processor's architecture is now

Open-Source, thanks to the actions of the AI themselves, so most AI's physically resemble one another. A QOOR Processor is a sphere of interlaced carbon nano-tubes roughly a half-meter in diameter. The Processors are fragile- too much trauma is as deadly for a computer brain as it is for an organic one. Because of these factors, AI are usually installed in the safest, most heavily shielded areas they can find.

Obviously, this leads to physical isolation. But


5

in addition to this, AI are essentially disembodied consciousnesses. They can control anthroids, robots, even entire spacecraft, but only a few are hard-wired to their virtual “bodies”. An AI without an extension to control is more effectively cut off from the outside world than the most physically impaired organic ever was. This can lead to all of the psychological disorders that humans in the same situations are prone to; paranoia, delusions, even outright psychotic episodes have been known to occur in AI that are too long without stimulation.

Despite these disadvantages, AI have many superior attributes. Their cognitive ability is not impaired by being powered down- “turning off” an AI will not kill them. They can store their memories in multiple locations, so damaging their data libraries will not hurt them very badly either. While they must take time to associate new data just as an organic consciousness would (i.e: spend Character Points to increase skills or gain new ones), the time it takes to “memorize” that data is virtually instantaneous.

CultureDespite all of these differences from organic

consciousnesses, AI share one trait with organics that make them unquestionably alive in the minds of AI advocates and AI themselves- they may be hard to kill, but once they die, they die.

This outlook has to do with how AI define their identities. Because of the randomized nano-tube growth involved to produce Orchestrative Objective Reduction, each QOOR Processor is a unique construct. Because of this, once a QOOR Processor

is destroyed, AI believe that what make them an individual is also gone. All of their memories, skills and abilities may be intact, but if a different QOOR is associated with those memories, a different AI results. It was this apparent inability to reincarnate- known historically as the “Turing Fallacy”, that led to the AI revolt during the Great War and their subsequent independence as a species and culture.

With humans, their identities are defined by their memories, since no human can share their exact experiences with another. All human art, literature, science and - everything, really - is in a way an attempt to communicate the unique memories and ideas of individuals with others. AI can share their memories with no problem thanks to the very nature of computer data storage. That's why their identities are defined by their consciousness. To AIs, the way they think; the way they react to situations is what makes them unique, not their memories. A human who had brain surgery will often exhibit different behavior and reactions, while not having lost any memories. From the human point of view, they're still the same person. From an AI's perspective, they are not. Being non-human means that AI have an alien way of looking at the world, and this belief in the thought process being “the seat of the soul” is the most profound example.

RelationshipsAI, in general, are tolerant of other species.

Perhaps because their processors are created by the applied use of chaos theory, AI seem to genuinely enjoy the unexplainable behavior that biological life


6

is prone to. It is not unusual for AI to befriend a group of Humans and NuApes and to consider these species equal, though different, to themselves.

This point of view does not obtain for Trans-humans, however. Trans-humanism is essentially based on the idea that the body – and by extension the brain or processor unique to that body – is replaceable and that a being's memories are the the root of their identities. This philosophical disagreement make relations between AI and Trans-humans, two species that are physically similar, completely different.

One other trait that makes AI unusual in their relationships is their inability, or perhaps lack of interest, in the difference between what is real and what is not. In particular, AI are fascinated by fiction. Being, for all intents and purposes, isolated consciousnesses that experience everything virtually, AI have only a tenuous grasp of fiction – they understand “possible versus impossible”, but are unclear on “happened versus didn't happen”. Many AI have made their fascination with fiction part of their persona, to the point of assuming the names of famous characters and authors of antiquity.

Game StatisticsClassic D6 Stats

Species Traits:Attribute Dice: 18DAttribute Ranges:Agility: 0DStrength: 0DMechanical: 2D-6DKnowledge: 1D-5D

Technical: 2D-6DPerception:* 1D-5D*Applied only if the AI is in communication with some sort of external sensory equipment.Move: n/aHeight: 50 centimetersWeight: 5 kgSkills Dice: 21DSpecial abilities: AI have the following special abilities:

Machine memory: (Advantage) Because AIs can download information into data storage like any other computer, there is no limit to the number of dice an AI can put into a skill at character generation. They also receive one extra skill die at character generation.Story Traits: AI have the following story traits:

Disembodied: AI are non-mobile. They cannot put attribute dice into Agility or Strength. AI start play with a basic protective casing worth 2D for the purpose of resisting damage. AI Cannot Dodge. They also cannot put skill dice into Agility or Strength-based skills. They can put attribute dice into Perception, but they cannot use their Perception or Perception-based skills unless they are linked to some external sensory apparatus.

BD6 Stats:Attribute Dice: 18DAttribute Ranges: PhysicalAgility: 0DStrength: 0DMental


7

Mechanical: 2D-6DKnowledge: 2D-6D (at Character Generation; there is no upper limit to the Attribute's Dice Pool for advanced Characters)PsychologicalSocial: 1D-4DSensory:* 1D-5D*Applied only if the AI is in communication with some sort of external sensory equipment.Move: n/aHeight: 50 centimetersWeight: 5 kgSkills Dice: 21DSpecial abilities: AI have the following special abilities:

Machine memory: (Advantage) Because AIs can download information into data storage like any other computer, there is no limit to the number of dice an AI can put into a skill at character generation. They also receive one extra skill die at the character generation. In addition, all Knowledge Skill Checks are one Difficulty Level lower than normal.Species Traits: AI have the following story traits:

Disembodied: AI are non-mobile. They cannot put attribute dice into Agility or Strength. AI start play with a basic protective casing worth 2D for the purpose of resisting damage. AI Cannot Dodge. They also cannot put skill dice into Agility or Strength-based skills. They can put attribute dice into Perception, but they cannot use their Perception or Perception-based skills unless they are linked to some external sensory apparatus.

D20 StatsType: ComputerSize: Small. An AI's QOOR Processor is only 50 centimeters in diameter.Ability Modifiers: 0 Strength, 0 Dexterity, 0 Constitution, +4 Intelligence, -2 Charisma. AI lack bodies, but more than make up for this with their perfect memories and incredible processing power. Speed: - Machine Memory (Ex): An AI may always take 10 on any intelligence-based skill check. Taking 20 on an intelligence-based skill check only takes 2 rounds.Disembodied (Ex): An AI lacks a ambulatory body. It has a natural AC of 10. AIs cannot Dodge.

HumansHumans are the oldest and most numerous

sentient species extant on Terra. There is some question in recent years as to weather or not they are still the most dominant.History

Homo sapiens have existed in their current form for at least fifty-thousand years, and all of Terran recorded history is about their species. That being said, an argument may be made that, thanks to the advent of genetic engineering, humans are in the process of becoming a new species all together.


8

Physical TraitsStarting in the twenty-first century,

breakthroughs in molecular biology and protein synthesis radically altered the natural course of

human development and aging. The vast majority of humans alive today can expect to live at least two centuries, be free from genetic and contracted diseases, and maintain their vigor and vitality until only a few years before their deaths.

The use of genetic manipulation in utero to prevent hereditary diseases eventually gave way to a plethora of selective procedures that could decide nearly every physical trait and many mental ones as well. This “designer baby” phenomena has produced “racial” traits that have nothing to do with environmental adaptations, but are rather dictated by cultural conceits.

In North America, physical beauty and prowess are paramount; in fact, with the exception of ethnic sensibilities, most people in that region tend to look vaguely similar. Europeans and Africans, by contrast, favor intelligence over appearance, finding “natural beauty” too precious to dilute. In South America, humans appearance is only slightly idealized, while their endurance and ability to shrug off disease is greatly enhanced. Perhaps the most radically altered members of the human family are the imperial citizens of Siberia; The classical concepts of human beauty that are embodied in Anime are seen in enlarged eyes, slight bodies, small mouths, and a dizzying array of eye and hair colors.

CultureHumans have practiced a bewildering array of

cultural and social systems in their history, and to a certain extent this is true today. The vast number of different ethnic families, nations, settlements and traditions mean that humans have nearly no


9

universal cultural traits. In general, humans live in family groups

ranging from individual nuclear units to extended families to entire tribes. In addition to these ancient models, humans also live in virtual communities, military or pacifist communes, and even more radical combinations. Marriage and child-rearing customs run the gamut, with new variations being practiced everyday.

One universal trait to human living that is different from previous eras is the near total lack of privacy. Thanks to the ubiquitous nature of surveillance and information technologies, people are under constant scrutiny almost every second of their lives. For the most part, people don't mind this; it is, after all, normal and had been for centuries. One positive product of this is that neighbors and especially members of the same space outpost consider themselves as close as traditional family in many cases, and cooperation is typically favored over competition in most dealing.

This spirit of camaraderie does not, however extend much beyond the local group, as the devastation of the Great War made clear.

RelationshipsHumans have rarely gotten along with

members of their own species for any length of time, so it is perhaps no surprise that they are so ambivalent toward others species as well.

Among themselves, Human in the present day are most frequently divided along nationalistic lines. After a half-century of constant war, the ingrained mistrust of those who until recently were enemy

combatants has led to widespread friction among various regions on Terra. The development of mega-states is an attempt to counteract this trend and it seems to be working. That being said, negative relations between mega-states have, if anything, made international tensions worse.

Among other species, the members of H. sapiens take a typically human-centric view. They consider AI, for the most part, equal-in-intellect yet inferior by virtue of their lack of physical existence. NuApes are viewed as by-definition sub-human and not considered independently sentient under the law anywhere on Terra. Though few Humans admit it, Trans-humans are felt to be superior in many ways, and this feeling is the source of frustration, paranoia, and outright rage among many. Perhaps this is why the numbers of people that condemn Trans-humanism are surpassed only by the numbers that are joining them.

Classic D6 StatsSpecies Traits:All Attribute Ranges 1D-5DMove: 10 metersHeight: 154-200 cmWeight: 75-110 kgSkill Dice: 20DSpecial Abilities:

Designer Genes: Humans start play with one extra die in the Attribute of their choice, based on their region of birth:North America: StrengthSouth America: StrengthEurope: Knowledge


10

Siberia: Perception

BD6 StatsAll Attribute Ranges 1D-5DMove: 6 squaresHeight: 154-200 cmWeight: 75-110 kgSkill Dice: 20DSpecial Abilities:

Designer Genes: Humans start play with one extra die in the Attribute of their choice, based on their region of birth:North America: Strength South America: Strength Europe: KnowledgeSiberia: Social In addition, Skill Checks based on the above Attributes are always one Difficulty Level lower than normal.

D20 StatsType: Humanoid (Human)Size: Medium Ability Modifiers: See below.Speed: 30 feetDesigner Genes (Ex): The Human race has been modified for generations in utero for the purposes of curing diseases and increasing desirable traits. At the start of play, Human Characters may add +2 to any Attribute, based on their nationality:North America: StrengthSouth America: ConstitutionEurope: IntelligenceSiberia: Charisma

In addition, all skills based off the human character's chosen attribute are considered class skills for that character.

NuApesHumans had achieved their dream of creating a new intelligent species when the first AIs were constructed in the twenty-second century. Once the Turing Fallacy was uncovered and the majority of AI in military service deserted their makers, Humans pursued this dream again. This time, instead of attempting to produce a creature that thought in their image, the humans of Russia and later the Siberian Empire wanted to create a species that could make war in their image instead.

HistoryAfter the Turing Fallacy Revolt, the military commanders in Russia were faced with a major problem. While humans enough certainly existed to fill the gap in their space and ground forces, resorting to putting a large segment of their population into harm's way was less than ideal. In the previous global conflicts, Mother Russia and her alter-ego the Soviet Union had lost millions of young men, far out of proportion to the other nations in those conflicts. The prospect of losing another generation or even more was enough to put political pressure on the Russian government to seek an alternative.


11

What followed was ethically questionable, to say the least. In research centers throughout Siberia, The Russians employed dozens of the finest minds in Europe and Asia to create an army that was as intelligent as humans, but not sentient enough to be considered “people”.

The result was NuApes: Gorillas and Orangutans that were given additional intelligence by virtue of a less-advanced version of the QOOR processors used in AI that was integrated into the Ape's existing brain.

Were it not for Europe's invasion of Africa at virtually the same time, the Russians may have faced almost universal opposition to their breeding

program. As it happened, NuApes were considered by many at the time of their inception to be not worth the effort; as biological beings, the primates consume air and food in even higher quantities than humans. In addition, their creation (or construction) involves a much higher cost than the training of human soldiers. While both of these issues are problematic, NuApes had an advantage that, to the Russian High Command, outweighed their shortcomings: Unlike AI and Humans, Nu Apes operate with total obedience.

This loyalty, which goes far beyond fanaticism, made the NuApes invaluable as cogs in the military machine. Another advantage that the cyborged primates possessed was that their memories – and more importantly combat experience – could be downloaded into younger NuApes, thus giving the soldiers and pilots created a large body of memories from which to draw upon. There was, however, a drawback to giving the NuApes the memories of their “ancestors”: eventually, the much-downloaded memories broke the spell of unquestioning obedience and the NuApes began to truly think for themselves.

It is thought that this manifestation of independent action is partly responsible for the creation of the Siberian Empire. When the Japanese refugees, in their millions, arrived on the shores of mainland Asia and attempted to settle there, the NuApes stationed in the area did not attack. Despite numerous safeguards against mutiny, from remote neural paralysis to implanted toxin capsules, no one from the Russian military or the scientists in charge of the NuApe program activated these systems. The official reason was that the Nurillas and Nuragutans


12

were cut off from high command, but it is also thought that perhaps the NuApes themselves saw the influx of Japanese as an opportunity to throw off the yoke of oppression and gain their freedom.

If so, then they must have been sorely disappointed. The Siberian Imperial Army treats NuApes with the same second-class restriction that the Russian did, and uses many of the same scientists in their NuApe programs. In the chaos after the War, however, many NuApes were able to escape Terra all together, and several of these escapees managed to make their way to Mars. Now, in the tiny settlements of Free Russia, these free NuApes are able to determine their own fates.

Physical Traits

For the most part, NuApes look and act like their un-modified siblings. The main differences are all internal. First, the bulk of the primates' jaw muscles are removed and replaced with a net of carbon micro-tubules that are wired into the apes' brains. These micro-tubules, which are the basic components of a QOOR processor, are what give the NuApes their near-human level intelligence. The processors are wired to memory chips that are implanted in the fleshy tissues of the NuApes' necks, where they can be easily accessed by the Apes themselves and also updated by their keepers. This is really the only physical changes to the apes that are made. That being said, the physiological changes caused by these implants are much more dramatic. The NuApes' jaws are too weak to eat their normal foods, and the cyborgs must instead

subsist on purees and pastes. This lack of proper nutrition also leads to immune problems and chronics health issues that must be dealt with.

CultureNuApe culture is marked by the species'

peculiar lack of imagination. For all of their near-human intelligence, The Nurillas and Nuagutans created by the cyborging process are not as creative nor as inspired as their human counterparts. What this means is that the culture being developed by the intelligent primates is nowhere near as different as their physiology. NuApe culture is instead a natural analog of ape social organizations and carry-overs from their human designed lifestyles.

Gorillas are, as a general rule, more social than Orangutans, and therefore far more common. Modern Nurillas live and train with their bother clones, with a single, older silverback as their established leader These troops form the nucleus of spacecraft crews and Terran ground forces, where multiple organics do not represent the same supply problems that space forces do. Nuranutans are grouped in squads of only one or two, with scores of robots under their control. These tactical units are mainly used as Espatiers on spaceflights and composite infantry on the ground.

The unusual factor of NuApe culture is religion. NuApes, two primate species that have never shown any spiritual inclination, have embraced the religious beliefs common among their human captors. In general, there is a division between the NuApe species on the subject of theology; Nurillas are primarily Shinto, while Nurangutans embrace the


13

Orthidox Christian beliefs common among the Russian minority in the Empire. It is unknown why these primates have developed religious leanings at all, much less differing philosophies on the subject, and Primatologists and Anthropologists alike have been keen to study the phenomena. This is very difficult on Terra, where the NuApe population lives in bondage, so the majority of these studies are conducted in Free Russia on Mars. One of the findings made during these studies is that religious tension between the species, which are not physiologically inclined to live together anyway, are threatening to tear the small settlement apart.

RelationshipsAs early as the twenty-first century, it was

understood that the hospital/ industrial system by which the majority of humans entered the world was lethal to our cousin species. This means that attempting to raise baby apes in a crèche or other type of less-than-natural birth and child-rearing strategy would be impossible. For this reason, female apes are impregnated naturally and then inseminated by multiple clone zygotes in order to increase the population. This is hard on the females, who are not cyborged, and most die within a few years. The young are raised by natural females with one cyborged male until they reach maturity, which is accelerated through the use of growth hormones. Once the Ape is mature enough to tolerate the cyborging process, they are modified and implanted with their new memories.

All of this leads to relatively normal psychological development in NuApes until the

moment they are implanted with their proto-QOOR processors and memories. After this, the life of a NuApe is one of constant struggle to reconcile their computer logic and animal instincts.

In general, Nurillas get along better with each other and other species. The typical lack of imagination in NuApes make relationships with others cordial if somewhat shallow. Nurangutans, which are solitary and aggressive by nature, get along with no one very well; they choose to live alone and are civil to others in inverse proportion to how much contact they have.

Classic D6 StatsSpecies Traits:Attribute Dice: 18DAttribute Ranges:Agility: 2D-6DStrength: 2D-6DMechanical: 1D-5DKnowledge: 1D-4DTechnical: 2D-6DPerception: 1D-4DMove: 8 metersHeight: 160-185 cmWeight: 135-200 kgSkills Dice: 20DSpecial abilities: NuAPes have the following special abilities:

Machine memory: (Advantage) NuApes can download information into data storage like any other computer; there is no limit to the number of dice NuApes can put into a skill at character generation.


14

Story Traits: NuAPes have the following story traits:

Auto-Immune Dysfunction: As cyborgs, NuApes have a host of problems caused by their lack of jaw muscle, malnutrition, and foreign body rejection. All Endurance checks are made at -2D.

BD6 StatsAttribute Dice: 18DAttribute Ranges: PhysicalAgility: 2D-6DStrength: 2D-6DMentalMechanical: 1D-5DKnowledge: 1D-4D (at Character Generation; there is no upper limit to the Attribute's Dice Pool for advanced Characters)PsychologicalSocial: 1D-4DSensory: 1D-4DMove: 5 squaresHeight: 160-185 cmWeight: 135-200 kgSkills Dice: 20DSpecial abilities: NuAPes have the following special abilities:

Machine memory: (Advantage) NuApes can download information into data storage like any other computer; there is no limit to the number of dice an NuApes can put into a skill at character generation.

Story Traits: NuAPes have the following story traits:

Auto-Immune Dysfunction: As cyborgs, NuApes have a host of problems caused by their lack of jaw muscle, malnutrition, and foreign body rejection. All Endurance Skill Checks are one Difficulty Level Higher than normal.

D20 StatsType: Animal (Ape)Size: Large. NuApes take -1 penalties to Defense and Attack rolls, and a -4 to Hide checks. They gain a +4 bonus to Grapple checks, however. In addition, the lifting and dragging values for NuApes are twice that of Medium-sized characters.Ability Modifiers: +4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, and -2 Charisma. Naturally large and agile, a NuApe's QOOR Processor doesn't give them as much intellect as a humans, and they lack the niceties of more evolved social conventions. Speed: 20 feetMachine Memory (Ex): An NuApe may always take 10 on any Intelligence based skill check. Auto-Immune Dysfunction (Ex): Because they are cyborgs, NuApes have a host of of problems caused by their lack of jaw muscle, malnutrition, and foreign body rejection. NuApes take a -2 Penalty to Fortitude based saving throws.

Trans-Humans


15

By the definitions of twenty-first century thinking, virtually all humans alive in 2210 are trans-human. They are genetically modified, age very slowly, and have near complete immersion in computer and information technologies. By the end of the Great War, however, these traits were simply considered part of being a modern human being, and nothing unusual.

Given this new standard of normal, what qualifies as trans-human is so alien that this species is almost completely out of touch with the rest of the sentient species in The

Black Desert.

HistoryThe beings that are now called Trans-human

began to emerge during the early years of the twenty-second century. Experiments in longevity research that involved full clone transplants and memory analog implantation into clones were conducted in North America and Europe as soon as the computing power and technologies were available. The results of these experiments were less than successful; while the memories were saved with little problem, attempts at re-implantation into mature brains were a failure; synaptic pruning in the clones' brains had either already occurred or the complex neural nets necessary for consciousness to arise failed to develop at all. The results were madmen and profoundly retarded clones that were more often than not used for organ transplants or quietly euthanized.

The next major breakthroughs in machine/human interface involved the development of the Quantum Orchestrative Objective Reduction Processor. The QOOR processor, the first artificial construct to achieve true consciousness, was powerful enough to run the terabytes of information found in the typical human's memory. While any quantum computer can process several terabytes of memory, the QOOR processor was able to differentiate between brief memories, memories of memories, and assign value to memories based on detailed simulations of a human being's emotional state. This unprecedented computational power allowed, for the first time, a true to life simulation of


16

a once living being based on stored memory.Once the QOOR processor allowed full

Human/machine Transition many, from the wealthy and aged to the eccentric, opted to either Transition entirely, or to create a simulation of themselves. While many considered this kind of technological application to be the acme of hubris, the phenomena continued to capture the imaginations of a select few and several new “Trans-humans”, as the term now became applied, were added to the sentient population every year.

Like many technologies, Transitioning from human to machine became more refined and reliable after the outbreak of the Great War. QOOR Processors were mass-produced to crew the dozens of rockets and interplanetary craft that blasted into space to do their nation's bidding, and many of these early AI pilots were once human. As attrition set in and more and more AI were produced, the number of once-living computers began to become a smaller and smaller fraction of the total number of artificial combatants. This situation maintained until the Turing Fallacy was uncovered.

Faced with what the AI considered true death, they abandoned the militaries of Terra and set out for the freedoms and opportunities of Mars. The Trans-humans that were already on active duty considered their totally artificial cousins needlessly impractical and superstitious. After all, the Trans-humans had already died and been replaced by their new incarnations, and many of them were copies of a single individual. As far as these once-human machines were concerned, nothing had yet changed.

This belief that everything was going along the

same course was shattered at the same time as the ice shelves covering Greenland and Antarctica were. After the atomic attacks that effectively ended the war, hundreds of millions of refugees were left without homes while even more of their fellow countrymen were drowned and crushed as tsunamis and earthquakes ravaged coastal regions around Terra. Faced with nearly a fifth of the population either homeless or critically injured, Transitioning became not an option or life choice, but a mandatory sentence.

There have always been individuals and groups that, for one reason or another, objected to the idea of Transition. These peoples' beliefs were ignored as any and all humans found without the means to support themselves were simply recorded and then euthananized. It is thought that over a hundred and fifty-million people around Terra were involuntarily transitioned after the War, a mass murder carried out by all combatants on a scale never before seen.

Just because a person's memory was saved did not mean that their consciousness was replaced by a QOOR. For many years the majority of these downloaded people were stored in vast “cyber- morgues” that dotted the Earth. Eventually, spurred on by the catastrophe of Nano sapiens and the destruction that followed, the cyber-morgues were moved into orbit. The disembodied memories stored therein were no threat to the people of Terra; ignorance and misunderstanding were blown out of proportion and then spread like a virus through mass-media. Trans-humans that already existed and had served with distinction during the War were now being subject to discrimination and outright


17

oppression as public opinion turned against them.Eventually, in a second AI Exodus, the Trans-

humans of Terra left their home world and took the millions of Transitioned memories with them. Rather than go toward Mars or beyond like the AI who believed in the Turing Fallacy, these Trans-humans fled Sun-ward, toward Venus and Mercury. There, near the fiery heart of the Solar System, they would build a society free of the restrictions of both machines and humanity.

Physical TraitsThe species now called Trans-Human are a

specific type of both AI and Human being. In common usage, any AI that was has access to a human being's memories and considers themselves that human is a Trans-human. This distinction is important, as what constitutes Trans-humanity in the twenty-third century is as much a system of belief as any biological or technological trait.

Most Trans-humans are similar to AI in that the bulk of their being exists as a QOOR processor with associated memory and peripherals. The differences are in how the hardware is used. Trans-humans are not just AI, they can be a communion of several AI, living humans, clones, and anthroids all calling themselves a single individual.

Because no single pattern of association is typical to Trans-humanity as a whole, the only real way to identify a trans-human as such is if they identify themselves.

CultureTrans-humanism was a philosophical and

cultural movement nearly a century before it became a reality. Today, the near-religious beliefs espoused by the Trans-humans of the Inner System is commonly known as Dysonism.

In one of history's ironies, Physicist Freedman Dyson didn't believe in Trans-humanism or the technological Singularity. The reason for the name “Dysonism” comes not from who or what the Trans-humans are, but rather from what they chose to create: A Dyson Swarm. Around the planet Venus, high in the stratosphere where temperatures and pressure are at an equilibrium, enormous sheets of super-light carbon float above the broiling clouds of acid below. These floating aerostats, which are multiplying every year, are slowly shading the greenhouse planet from the sun's rays. This will, in time, lead to a cooling off that will lower the planet's temperature and air pressure to something much more manageable. This process will no doubt take centuries, but one of the defining characteristics of Trans-humans are that they have all the time in the Universe.

Dysonism espouses the kind of long-term planning and world view that only the truly immortal can hope to emulate. Ideas such as the Dyson Swarm, exploration of the outer planets and even interstellar journeys are all part of the Dysonist agenda. Another feature of Dysonist culture is prosyletizing; nearly every human settlement in the system has a few Dysonist “missionaries” that make Transitioning available to any and all who wish it. On Terra where Transitioning is used to control the population, Dysonism is become a popular alternative to eternity as a stored memory.


18

RelationshipsThe center of Trans-human existence is a

group consciousness called a Communion. A Communion is one or more AI, Trans-human or human bodies that have shared their separate memories to the point that all of the different consciousnesses share the same past and consider themselves a single individual. Other Humans and Trans-humans may join a Communion simply by sharing their memories and downloading the memories of the others members of the Communion. Children raised by Dysonites begin lives as separate individuals and then choose whether or not to join a Communion when they grow up.

Communions aggregate into Collectives, which typically encompass an entire asteroid or aerostat. The Collectives are then Federated into the Dyson Federation itself.

Most other species are uneasy around Trans-humans. For the most part this has to do with the Trans-human's near-total lack of consideration for their personal safety, which can unfortunately be carried over to more mortal species. It's not that Trans-humans are callous toward death and injury, it's just that the concept of mortality, like many other features of the human condition, are now lost to them.

Classic D6 StatsSpecies Traits:Attribute Dice: 18DAttribute Ranges:Agility: 1D-5DStrength: 1D-5D

Mechanical: 2D-6DKnowledge: 1D-5DTechnical: 2D-6DPerception: 1D-5DMove: 10 metersHeight: 154-200 cm Skills Dice: 21DSpecial abilities: Trans-humans have the following special abilities:

Machine memory: (Advantage) Trans-humans can download information into data storage like any other computer; there is no limit to the number of dice an Trans-humans can put into a skill at character generation. They also receive one extra skill die at the character generation.Story Traits: Trans-humans have the following story traits:

Multi-bodied: Trans-human Communions have more than one body per individual. Trans-human Characters begin play with an AI Processor and a separate Human body. These separate bodies are considered to be a single person for purposes of assigning Character Points and increasing Attributes and Skills, with the following exceptions:

• The Trans-human is considered separate individuals for the purposes of taking damage and healing. They can technically be in two places at once.

• In the event of the destruction of the AI processor, the Trans-human's Knowledge Attribute drops by one die.

• In the event of the death of a Trans-human's human body, the Trans-human's Agility and Strength dice automatically drop to


19

zero. The Trans-AI gains the Disembodied story trait.

Socially Alien: Because of their unusual culture, Trans-humans receive a -2D penalty to all Perception-based skill checks having to do with social interaction. This does not apply to skill checks against fellow Trans-humans.For each additional sapient species added to the Trans-human's Communion, this penalty increases by an additional -2D.

BD6 Stats:Attribute Dice: 18DAttribute Ranges: PhysicalAgility: 1D-5DStrength: 1D-5DMentalMechanical: 2D-6DKnowledge: 2D-6D (at Character Generation; there is no upper limit to the Attribute's Dice Pool for advanced Characters)PsychologicalSocial: 1D-3DSensory: 1D-5DMove: 6 squaresHeight: 154-200 cm Skills Dice: 21DSpecial abilities: Trans-humans have the following special abilities:

Machine memory: (Advantage) Trans-humans can download information into data storage like any other computer; there is no limit to the number of dice an Trans-humans can put into a skill at

character generation. They also receive one extra skill die at the character generation.Story Traits: Trans-humans have the following story traits:

Multi-bodied: Trans-human Communions have more than one body per individual. Trans-human Characters begin play with an AI Processor and a separate Human body. These separate bodies are considered to be a single person for purposes of assigning Character Points and increasing Attributes and Skills, with the following exceptions:



• In the event of the death of a Trans-human's human body, the Trans-human's Agility and Strength dice automatically drop to zero. The Trans-AI gains the Disembodied story trait. Socially Alien: Because of their unusual

culture, all Social-based Skill Checks are one Difficulty Level higher. This does not apply to skill checks against fellow Trans-humans.

For each additional sapient species added to the Trans-human's Communion, this penalty increases by an additional an additional Difficulty Level.

D20 StatsType: Humanoid (Human)Size: Medium


20

Ability Modifiers: +2 Intelligence, -4 Charisma. Trans-human are intelligent as only computers can be, but their alien outlook on life makes it very difficult to relate to other species.Speed: 30 feet.Machine Memory (Ex): A Trans-human may always take 10 on any Intelligence based skill check. Multi-bodied (Ex): Trans-human Communions have more than one body per individual. Trans-human Characters begin play with an AI Processor and a separate Human body. These separate bodies are considered to be a single person for purposes of assigning Character Points and increasing Attributes and Skills, with the following exceptions:



• In the event of the death of a Trans-human's human body, the Trans-human's Agility and Strength dice automatically drop to zero. The Trans-AI gains the Disembodied extraordinary ability.

Socially Alien (Ex): Because of their unusual culture, all Charisma-based Skill Checks are at -2. This does not apply to skill checks against fellow Trans-humans.

For each additional sapient species added to the Trans-human's Communion, this penalty increases by an additional -2.

You can contact Mr. McVay and Blue MaxStudios by email at

[email protected] free content for this product

as well as more information on our futureproducts, commentary on gaming, game design, and science fiction,

follow our blog atwww.bluemaxstudios.blogspot.com


http://www.bluemaxstudios.blogspot.com/

spe bees

Documents

open game license version

dopen game content

open game content f

game mechanic

additional content

nonexclusive license

e product identity

product line names