Species Template: Deltan
By Old Nicodemus

Deltans are roughly Human height but with slightly lighter build. Most Deltans are slim due to a metabolism that is slightly higher than that of Human norm.  Deltans have no body hair; this is a genetic trait rather than a cultural norm. Skin tones are as wide-ranging as among Humans.

The Deltans’ homeworld is Delta IV, a lush planet with an extremely Earth-like climate.

Attributes
Fitness 2 [5]
Coordination 2 [5]
Intellect 2 [5]
Presence 3 [6]
    Empathy +1
    Willpower +1
Psi 1 [6]
    Range –1

Skills
Any Science (choose Specialization) 1 (2)
Charm (Seduction) 1 (2)
Culture (Deltan) 2 (3)
History (Deltan) 1 (2)
Language, Deltan  2
Pain Reduction*  2
Receptive Empathy  2
Projective Empathy  1
World Knowledge (Delta IV) 1 (2)

Typical Advantages/Disadvantages
Sexy +2
Code of Honor (Vow of Celibacy) –2
Deltan Autophobia* -3

* New Disadvantage, see below

Deltan Empathic Skills:   All Deltans are touch empaths of varying skill.

Deltans are capable of empathically linking up with each other. This union has various effects.

<see chart.>

# Of Union Members

Effect

3

-

6

Range Edge of 0

9

Range +1

12

Range +2, Focus +1

15

Range +3. Focus +2

18

Focus +3, Mind Shield

Links cannot proceed past 18 due to loss of cohesion within the group and the danger of burn-out.  Most links do not proceed past 12 and are often family occasions.

Deltans are extremely social beings and prize polite speech and good etiquette at all forms of social interaction. Being as they are, they excel at group projects.

Deltan Autophobia:  Over the millennia, the combination of semi-isolation caused by the Deltan pheromonal effects on Younger Species, as well as developed social norms, have cursed the Deltans with a unique and sometimes overpowering condition similar to Terran autophobia.

Deltans fear isolation and will seek out any form of company to abate this syndrome. In some cases the syndrome is quite severe, happening when the subject is away from any Deltan contact for more than a week.

However, in most cases the syndrome is manageable as long as the subject is not left alone.

Typically, the syndrome begins as a deep feeling of melancholy which progresses to depression. This depression lasts for some time and then, if social contact is not regained the final stages of the syndrome begin. These final stages consist of hysteria and suicidal urges, which rapidly degenerate into catatonia and finally death.

In the most severe cases, the syndrome’s progress can take as little as a week to reach fatality while the more normal progress rarely reaches past the depression stage.

Author's Notes
Derived from a Pocketbooks novel and starting with Patrick Murphy’s excellent statistics.  The most notable changes were the addition of Receptive and Projective Empathy to Base skills (which I felt better reflected Deltan empathic abilities) and the Willpower edge (to better reflect the mental and emotional discipline Deltans must acquire in order to function among Younger Species [“I mean, c’mon, you think the Vow is ALL??”] and stave off the effects of the autophobia).

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