Species Template: Chameloid
By Ryan
Scott
Chameloids
(pronounced KAHM-e-loidz) are the only known race native to the Alpha and Beta
quadrants capable of shapechanging. Their
home world is Pollux VIII, which lies on the far end of the neutral zone between
the Romulan and Klingon Empires. The majority of species native to that planet rely primarily
on eyesight for sensory input. Their
evolutionary ancestors developed in a niche where they fed on a range of
extremely fast creatures and were preyed upon by very lethal ones.
These ancestors developed the ability to alternately mimic their
predators and prey just to survive. In
turn, these species developed keen eyesight to spot the Chameloids ancestors,
forcing them to further perfect their mimicry.
Eventually, these animals developed other means of detecting the
shapeshifters, and so the Chameloids had to develop intelligence.
Unlike
the Founders, chameloids are solid creatures, and need not return to their true
shape at any time. Their true form
is that of a tall (2 meters), hairless humanoid with pallid yellow skin.
Furthermore, they can only mimic individuals they have seen in
person, rather than taking on unique shapes or inanimate objects.
They are further limited by size they cannot mimic any creature less
than one meter or greater than three meters in size. A Chameloids yellow eyes are the only feature that cannot
be changed. Of course, this can be
concealed using the Disguise skill. Chameloids
reveal themselves to others so rarely that their existence is widely regarded as
myth. Note that Chameloids do not
gain any abilities from their shape, such as speed or strength.
They merely look (and, if desired, sound) like the subject in question.
Note also that a Chameloid can change only his or her body, not clothing
or other effects.
Chameloids
have not developed warp technology, and so are constrained by the speed of
light. They are, however, able to
infiltrate the ships of other species and travel anywhere from there.
Attributes
Fitness 2 [5]
Coordination 2 [6]
Intellect 2 [5]
Logic -1
Presence 2 [5]
Empathy -1
Willpower -1
Psi 0 [3]
Skills
Culture (Chameloid) 1 (2)
Shape Shifting (choose Specialization) 4 (5)
History (Chameloid) 1 (2)
Language (Chameloid) 2
Mimicry (choose Specialization) 2 (3)
World Knowledge (Pollux VIII) 1 (2)
Typical
Advantages/Disadvantages
Exceptional Eyesight (+2)
Shapeshifter (+6)
Poor Chemoreception (-1)
Poor Hearing (-1)
Authors Notes
A
Chameloid named Martia appeared in Star Trek VI on the Klingon penal asteroid.
The above information is largely speculation and based entirely on the
film.
Editor's Notes
I have adjusted the Template for the higher
cost I assigned to the Shapeshifter
Advantage. I would also consider whether or not all Chameloids are so
talented at the Shapeshifting Skill;
my inclination is to give the average Chameloid a Shapeshifting Skill of 2 or
3. Even if shapeshifting is something they do all the time, I'm not
convinced it should be so much higher than their language skill level.
Star Trek® and all related marks , ®, & © Paramount Pictures. Star Trek The RPG and all related products are © Last Unicorn Games, Inc. Individual works are the property of respective authors and may not be reproduced without permission. HTML code, layout, and custom images are property of TrekRPGNet and may not be reproduced without permission. See the legal page for more information.