Vulcan

The Vulcans or Vulcanians were a humanoid species from the core world of Vulcan. They were widely known for their logical minds and stoic culture.

Appearance and Biology
Vulcans closely resembled Humans, with the same average height and weight. Their pointed ears were slightly larger than the Human norm, and their slanted eyebrows sometimes gave them a questioning look. The inner, or nictitating, eyelid protected the retina from the intensity of the Vulcan sun. Vulcan skin complexions ranged from olive to dark mahogany, with a green cast provided by their copper-based blood. The Vulcan heart rested in the lower center of the torso, surrounded and protected by highly efficient lungs. The higher gravity and thinner atmosphere of their planet gave them greater strength and enhanced their senses, especially their hearing.

Vulcans possessed telepathic abilities. The mind meld allowed them to merge their consciousness with other intelligent beings, but it required touching. Limited telepathy could be achieved without touching. Vulcan children were often telepathically linked with future mates chosen by their parents. The children were then drawn together when they reached adulthood. When injured, Vulcans turned their psychic abilities inward and healed themselves via a coma-like healing trance.

Personality
Vulcans exalted logic over emotion, and usually repressed or sublimated emotions in daily behavior. Vulcans who dealt with non-Vulcans on a regular basis often maintained an almost glacial calm, possibly as self-defense against so much unguarded feeling. Among themselves, Vulcans usually seemed more relaxed; Vulcan diplomats often cultivated a kind of distant good humor and politesse. Even Vulcan diplomats, however, had trouble predicting or depending upon the behavior of more emotional species.

History and Culture
The Vulcans possessed a sophisticated, ancient culture with customs dictated by their devotion to logic. Vulcan art forms were formal and precise, intended not to evoke emotional response but to stimulate thought or help induce a meditative mindset. Vulcans also enjoyed strategy games, formal debates, and similar encounter and never gave in to emotion (including violent emotions). The constraints of Vulcan reproductive biology, however, made this difficult. Every seven years beginning at age 14, Vulcan males experienced Pon Farr, in which the mating urge emerged with irresistible force. A Vulcan who did not mate suffered a fatal neuro-chemical imbalance. He also experienced plak-taw, the “blood fever,” when he lost all control of his emotions and could fight and kill without hesitation. Hence, Vulcans generally bonded in their preteen years, to logically select mates before the madness of Pon farr. Vulcan marriages then proceeded logically in the koon-ut-kal-if-fee ceremony, only rarely resulting in ritual combat to the death.

Vulcans saw violence as a waste of resources, time, and lives, and therefore illogical. If a Vulcan practiced a martial art, he did so to hone his physique and discipline his mind. Above all else, Vulcans valued peace and preferred to resolve differences–logically–through meditation. They were no fools, however, and when a Vulcan logically concludes that force must be met by force, he made a formidable adversary.

The Vulcan obsession with logical thinking came from ancient times when they were a hostile, passionate race of warriors. Surak, the father of Vulcan logic, lived during the last great period of wars. After both of the major sides were devastated by war Surak met with them to establish a lasting peace. Surak's philosophy of logic soon prevailed in Vulcan society and the planet was united.

Names
Vulcans used only given names, though in ritual greetings they add their parent’s name (and sometimes more), as in Satok, son of Tavin, son of Vorik. Even Vulcans of extremely ancient and powerful families used no honorifics; aristocracy was illogical, and logically, anyone worth impressing should already know who you were without being reminded of your family’s status.

RPG D6 Stats
Technology Level: Space

Government: Representative democracy

Home Planet or System: Vulcan

Attribute Dice: 14D

DEXTERITY 2D/4D

KNOWLEDGE 3D/5D

MECHANICAL 2D/4D

PERCEPTION 2D+2/4D+2

STRENGTH 2D/5D

TECHNICAL 2D+1/4D+2

Special Skills:

Strength Skills:

Vulcan Nerve Pinch. Time to use: one round. This skill is used by Vulcans as a less aggressive means of overpowering an opponent. When used correctly this technique causes STR+4D stun damage. The difficulty is Easy for Vulcans and Difficult for non-Vulcans. The character must make the difficulty to use successfully.

Perception Skills:

Vulcan Mind Meld. Time to use: few rounds to an hour or longer. This is a limited telepathic ability allowing Vulcans to link minds with each other, or with another race. It requires physical contact unless the recipient is a projective telepath, usually accomplished with the Vulcans hands resting on the temple of the subject, and the Vulcan can do nothing else while the contact is taking place. The following can be attempted using Mind Meld: Special Abilities:
 * Receptive Telepathy: Allows the user to read another's memories, or share memories and thoughts with them. Sharing memories with a willing Vulcan target is Very Easy. Sharing memories with a willing target of another species is Moderate. Sharing memories with a completely alien being is Heroic. An unwilling target can add their Perception or Control to the difficulty. Add +5 to the difficulty if the Vulcan is not touching the target.
 * Shared Will: Allows the user to share some of their Willpower skill with the target, serving as an excellent way to teach the Willpower skill. Every 1D that the character shares with the target is subtracted from their own Willpower for the duration of the effect. The effect typically lasts 24 hours, and personality types and insanities are often exchanged temporarily while the effect lasts as well. The difficulty to share will is Moderate.
 * Fal-tor-pan: The ability to separate and merge the katra, or life essence. It is a rarely used ability which allows the user to place his katra into another host so that it can be returned to his body, or another body, later. It requires a Heroic difficulty roll to perform Fal-tor-pan.

Healing Trance: This trance allows the Vulcan to stabilize his wounds and to heal significantly more rapidly than normal. However, for the duration of the healing the Vulcan is in a deep trance. Entering the trance requires no roll; the actual healing is more difficult. Every six hours the character may make a STR or stamina roll to heal one wound level. If the difficulty is beat by more than 10 points he heals two wound levels, and if the difficulty is missed by more than 5 points his health worsens by one wound level due to mental strain. Prematurely rousing the character from this trance is risky, and unless a Moderate (A)medicine roll is made the shock of doing so will cause his health to worsen by one wound level. The safest method of ending a healing trance is to mind meld with the subject; however, in emergencies shaking him vigorously also works. The character automatically leaves the trance when he has reduced his level of injury to Stunned.

Story Factors:

Pon-Farr: Upon reaching physical maturity a Vulcan male undergoes a pon-farr every seven years. During this time the Vulcan chooses a mate, and must either copulate with them or, if the chosen mate is unwilling, battle for the right to do so. The Vulcan becomes extremely hostile, and emotionally unstable. If this situation is not resolved within a few days at most the Vulcan can die from the resulting stresses.

Suppression of Feelings: To void the hostilities of Vulcan's past all Vulcans are taught from birth to suppress any emotions. There are only a handful of extremists who reject this teaching.

Move: 10/12

Size: 1.5-2 meters tall

Behind the Scenes
The Vulcans are a cross-over species based on the species by the same name in Star Trek canon.