Potential Rpg, Not Ns Related, List Of Races
Mantrid
Lockpick Join Date: 2003-12-07 Member: 24109Members
Lockpick Join Date: 2003-12-07 Member: 24109Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Feedback?</div> I just got done with the player-race part of designing it, let me know what you think.
Also, just for fun, what race would you like to play as? I lean towards being a Terran, but the Aerden also appeal to me.
Oh, and don't act like Starcraft invented the word Terran. It been used in many other Sci-Fi settings, and is valid for "an inhabitant of", as Earth can be refered to as Terra.
Player Races:
<b>Terran (Human)</b>
Appearance/Background:
Terrans all look different. Their skin hues range from pale pink to nearly black, passing through several shades of brown and tan. They can have hair that?s black, brown, golden, and red, not to mention several other modifications through dyes. Their eyes come in brown, hazel, blue, green and more. They typically stand around 5?8??, and walk on both hind-legs. Terrans usually live well into their 90s, although it is not unheard of for some to reach their 120?s. The native planet of the Terrans is a small, lush planet called Earth (sometimes Terra). Aside from stations and embassies, Terrans only occupy Earth?s moon (Luna) and the nearby planet, Mars.
Technology:
Terrans are new to extra-system travel. Before they achieved faster-than-light travel in the year 326,045 (local planetary time, The Year of Our Lord, 2,138) through their own version of the String-Relativity Exploitation, they were confined to their neighboring moon and near-by planet, Mars. Now, they have made further refinements, and are taking the initiative among the known intelligent races to create the first example of Worm-Hole technology. So far, their results have been inconclusive.
Military: Terrans still use an advanced form of black-powder in metal casings. Their only methods of siege are small chemically propelled explosives. They still use Kevlar, but they are trying to adapt the Lycene?s Magnetic-Vests for their own use. Their ships still closely resemble the antiques of their space program; air-plane like ships of white with black bottoms, with the ISU insignia emblazoned on the wing. These ships have machine-guns, ?cruise? missiles, and, on occasion, thermo-nuclear devices.
Medical: Over the course of Terran history, their life-spans have changed dramatically through artificial means. Currently, they are attempting to adapt Nanites to their physiology.
Personality:
Terrans are a clever race. They are also deceitful, paranoid, and often arrogant race. However, when they wish it, they can show extraordinary tolerance and diplomacy. They are always learning, and always thinking. They thrive on change, and so are quick to adopt any technology they can.
<b>Zypher</b>
Appearance/Background:
Zyphers are bipedal, semi-transparent tan gas-bags. They store gas from their homes within their body, and so can use it to adjust their size, density, and shape. By venting, they can slip through small cracks. They then re-inflate themselves by sucking up surrounding gasses. They have mouths, but only for communication. Due to their flexible nature, they can speak any creature?s tongue, provided they know the language. Zyphers hail from gas-giants, where massive organic structures loom in the clouds. By adjusting their volume and density, and by utilizing their natural vents, a Zypher can effectively fly.
Technology:
All Zypher technology is biological, which is why they haven?t formed strong bonds with the Terrans (the Terrans are interested in technology over everything else). The main component of there structures are hydrocarbons, harvested on their home-worlds of gas and clouds. Their ships and structures (along with the Zyphers themselves) are composed of a thin (but strong) layer of hydrocarbons, which are then filled with pressurized gas. They live to be over 170 years old.
Military: The Zyphers have developed organic ships, armed with unique weaponry that can break metallic bonds, redirect electrical currents, and even change the chemical configuration of objects. The Zyphers, and their ships, are capable of excreting a mucus that covers them, and can absorb a great deal of damage from bullets, plasma, even shrapnel.
Medical: The Zyphers haven?t developed medical technology in the traditional sense. Instead, they have modified their genetic coding to quickly heal them, and, if deflated, have several back-up air sacks to bring them back to normal.
Personality:
Zyphers are good-natured. They tend to help their comrades, and most other races. However, if their Zy-Hiit (the mega-structure that serves as a metropolis several thousand miles long and located in the center of the gas-giants they inhabit) is threatened, they become startling killing machines, employing biological weaponry and good old brute-force.
<b>Lycene</b>
Appearance/Back-story:
The Lycene have gray skin, silky platinum-blond hair, and deep blue eyes, and are hauntingly beautiful. They originate on the planet Rih, where they were, until recently, at war with the Jyri. They stand just under 8?, and live for only 40 years, sometimes 50. They are very peaceful, and so their war with the Jyri had them always defending, which they successfully did for millennia.
Technology:
The Lycene, aside from defensive technology, and developing space-flight (which arose only out of necessity), they have mainly focused on the arts.
Military: The Lycene have no weapons that don?t serve an ornamental purpose, and, when fired, their plasma system provides a dazzling light-show. Their defenses, however, are a force to be reckoned with. They created the first known ?Shields?, the personal ones known as Magnetic-Vests. These bend energy waves and projectile paths through locally generated magnetic fields. Every ?hit? uses some of the shield?s energy, and so limits their use.
Medical: After decades of researching the potential of stem-cells, the Lycene developed a fluid that duplicates their effect, is artificial, and completes the regeneration process within minutes. The liquid washes over a Lycene, and adapts to match the structure of surrounding cells. Deep gashes and wounds are quickly filled in. It can?t, however, revive the dead.
Personality:
The Lycene are very sensitive. Due to their artistic background, they can be very emotional, and often shed tears during a musical recital. They enjoy conversation immensely, and adore the concept of love. Instead of fighting, they tend towards raising the defenses, and walking away.
<b>Jyri</b>
Appearance/Back-story:
The Jyri are the physical embodiment of power. Large, stocky, and sporting thick muscles, they are a force to be feared. Their skin is primarily deep blue, with black hair and black eyes. Both genders keep their hair short, with the exception of the men?s beards. They, too, come from Rih, where they fought the Lycene for thousands of years. Several decades ago, the two races banded together to ward off a rogue group of Mirshi, and have remained allies ever since, which has come to be known as the Rih Alliance. Average Jyri lifespan is unknown; there are no documented cases of any Jyri dying of old age.
Technology:
All Jyri technology more complex than a blade is rickety, unreliable, and cobbled together. There ships groan under their own weight, and the energy-concentration grids are exposed and, on occasion, blow the users hands off. However, their bows and swords are stronger than many modern weapons.
Military: If it wasn?t for spaceflight, it was a weapon. While anything dealing with black-powder or more advanced was dangerous and unreliable, the Jyri still had it first. They developed steel before the wheel. Even now, they still remain largely nomadic, though their tents are now made of weaved steel sheets and aluminum poles. They prefer melee fighting, and anything involving stealth for fighting (mines, sniper rifles) are looked down upon.
Medical: Almost none. The extent of Jyri medical technology is vaccines and antibiotics to fight simple diseases. If a Jyri is mortally wounded, he is killed for the good of the race.
Personality:
Jyri tend to be mean, but are a valuable asset as a friend. They fight with courage and honor. They tend to be brash, and no more enjoy a fine piece of art than something they can?t eat. A Jyri will always break down a locked door instead of picking the lock.
<b>Aerden</b>
Appearance/Back-story:
The Aerdens are black, rough, worm-like creatures, with no discernable features, save tiny vents used to shoot streams of the fluid they are contained in. They come from a planet of liquid nitrogen that orbits a dead sun. To prevent death, they have an extensive circulatory system of super-heated fluids. On their home, they swim below the surface, gathering water ice. This ice is then brought down to the point where the pressure is so great that the nitrogen assumes an almost solid-state. This is where they built their massive cities, seen only by other Aerdens. Aerdens live nearly 450 years, and communicate via telepathy, which allows them to ?talk? to any intelligent creature within a mile. They can not, however, ?hear? thoughts not directed at them. Aerdens can survive pressure beyond several million PSI, but are most comfortable at a couple hundred.
Technology:
The most obvious piece of Aerden technology is their pods. To facilitate exploration on planets, while avoiding those hostile environments of 15 PSI, they developed large glass tanks (artificially gravitationally reinforced) that hold them, and several thousand pounds of liquid nitrogen. These tanks are usually mounted on a wheeled base, although flying apparatuses are not unheard of. They took longer than any other race to leave their planet, mainly because they not only had to build a ship, but also had to make it carry millions of pounds of liquid nitrogen, and be able to function submersed. Currently, they employ chemical sensors that respond to their telepathic ability to control their machinery.
Military: The most obvious weapon for personal combat is shooting a stream of liquid gasses, which can damage machinery and instantly kill tissues. Their ships employ a kind of ?shock cannon?. It super-cools a craft, then rapidly heats it. The sudden expansion quickly rips the enemy craft apart. Aerden ships are to be feared, and their ominous metal hulls floating through space can cause fear in many stead-fast would-be heroes.
Medical: Aerdens require no medical attention. Their shell is as hard as many metals. If the shell is pierced, their hot fluids rush into their environment, and kill them almost instantly. When an Aerden dies, a nest of larvae form in the dead shell, and begin to mature, such is their way of asexual reproduction.
Personality:
Aerdens remain neutral in most conflicts. They are unexcited by major events, as they will live through several in their life. They can be easily angered, but usually control their temper.
Also, just for fun, what race would you like to play as? I lean towards being a Terran, but the Aerden also appeal to me.
Oh, and don't act like Starcraft invented the word Terran. It been used in many other Sci-Fi settings, and is valid for "an inhabitant of", as Earth can be refered to as Terra.
Player Races:
<b>Terran (Human)</b>
Appearance/Background:
Terrans all look different. Their skin hues range from pale pink to nearly black, passing through several shades of brown and tan. They can have hair that?s black, brown, golden, and red, not to mention several other modifications through dyes. Their eyes come in brown, hazel, blue, green and more. They typically stand around 5?8??, and walk on both hind-legs. Terrans usually live well into their 90s, although it is not unheard of for some to reach their 120?s. The native planet of the Terrans is a small, lush planet called Earth (sometimes Terra). Aside from stations and embassies, Terrans only occupy Earth?s moon (Luna) and the nearby planet, Mars.
Technology:
Terrans are new to extra-system travel. Before they achieved faster-than-light travel in the year 326,045 (local planetary time, The Year of Our Lord, 2,138) through their own version of the String-Relativity Exploitation, they were confined to their neighboring moon and near-by planet, Mars. Now, they have made further refinements, and are taking the initiative among the known intelligent races to create the first example of Worm-Hole technology. So far, their results have been inconclusive.
Military: Terrans still use an advanced form of black-powder in metal casings. Their only methods of siege are small chemically propelled explosives. They still use Kevlar, but they are trying to adapt the Lycene?s Magnetic-Vests for their own use. Their ships still closely resemble the antiques of their space program; air-plane like ships of white with black bottoms, with the ISU insignia emblazoned on the wing. These ships have machine-guns, ?cruise? missiles, and, on occasion, thermo-nuclear devices.
Medical: Over the course of Terran history, their life-spans have changed dramatically through artificial means. Currently, they are attempting to adapt Nanites to their physiology.
Personality:
Terrans are a clever race. They are also deceitful, paranoid, and often arrogant race. However, when they wish it, they can show extraordinary tolerance and diplomacy. They are always learning, and always thinking. They thrive on change, and so are quick to adopt any technology they can.
<b>Zypher</b>
Appearance/Background:
Zyphers are bipedal, semi-transparent tan gas-bags. They store gas from their homes within their body, and so can use it to adjust their size, density, and shape. By venting, they can slip through small cracks. They then re-inflate themselves by sucking up surrounding gasses. They have mouths, but only for communication. Due to their flexible nature, they can speak any creature?s tongue, provided they know the language. Zyphers hail from gas-giants, where massive organic structures loom in the clouds. By adjusting their volume and density, and by utilizing their natural vents, a Zypher can effectively fly.
Technology:
All Zypher technology is biological, which is why they haven?t formed strong bonds with the Terrans (the Terrans are interested in technology over everything else). The main component of there structures are hydrocarbons, harvested on their home-worlds of gas and clouds. Their ships and structures (along with the Zyphers themselves) are composed of a thin (but strong) layer of hydrocarbons, which are then filled with pressurized gas. They live to be over 170 years old.
Military: The Zyphers have developed organic ships, armed with unique weaponry that can break metallic bonds, redirect electrical currents, and even change the chemical configuration of objects. The Zyphers, and their ships, are capable of excreting a mucus that covers them, and can absorb a great deal of damage from bullets, plasma, even shrapnel.
Medical: The Zyphers haven?t developed medical technology in the traditional sense. Instead, they have modified their genetic coding to quickly heal them, and, if deflated, have several back-up air sacks to bring them back to normal.
Personality:
Zyphers are good-natured. They tend to help their comrades, and most other races. However, if their Zy-Hiit (the mega-structure that serves as a metropolis several thousand miles long and located in the center of the gas-giants they inhabit) is threatened, they become startling killing machines, employing biological weaponry and good old brute-force.
<b>Lycene</b>
Appearance/Back-story:
The Lycene have gray skin, silky platinum-blond hair, and deep blue eyes, and are hauntingly beautiful. They originate on the planet Rih, where they were, until recently, at war with the Jyri. They stand just under 8?, and live for only 40 years, sometimes 50. They are very peaceful, and so their war with the Jyri had them always defending, which they successfully did for millennia.
Technology:
The Lycene, aside from defensive technology, and developing space-flight (which arose only out of necessity), they have mainly focused on the arts.
Military: The Lycene have no weapons that don?t serve an ornamental purpose, and, when fired, their plasma system provides a dazzling light-show. Their defenses, however, are a force to be reckoned with. They created the first known ?Shields?, the personal ones known as Magnetic-Vests. These bend energy waves and projectile paths through locally generated magnetic fields. Every ?hit? uses some of the shield?s energy, and so limits their use.
Medical: After decades of researching the potential of stem-cells, the Lycene developed a fluid that duplicates their effect, is artificial, and completes the regeneration process within minutes. The liquid washes over a Lycene, and adapts to match the structure of surrounding cells. Deep gashes and wounds are quickly filled in. It can?t, however, revive the dead.
Personality:
The Lycene are very sensitive. Due to their artistic background, they can be very emotional, and often shed tears during a musical recital. They enjoy conversation immensely, and adore the concept of love. Instead of fighting, they tend towards raising the defenses, and walking away.
<b>Jyri</b>
Appearance/Back-story:
The Jyri are the physical embodiment of power. Large, stocky, and sporting thick muscles, they are a force to be feared. Their skin is primarily deep blue, with black hair and black eyes. Both genders keep their hair short, with the exception of the men?s beards. They, too, come from Rih, where they fought the Lycene for thousands of years. Several decades ago, the two races banded together to ward off a rogue group of Mirshi, and have remained allies ever since, which has come to be known as the Rih Alliance. Average Jyri lifespan is unknown; there are no documented cases of any Jyri dying of old age.
Technology:
All Jyri technology more complex than a blade is rickety, unreliable, and cobbled together. There ships groan under their own weight, and the energy-concentration grids are exposed and, on occasion, blow the users hands off. However, their bows and swords are stronger than many modern weapons.
Military: If it wasn?t for spaceflight, it was a weapon. While anything dealing with black-powder or more advanced was dangerous and unreliable, the Jyri still had it first. They developed steel before the wheel. Even now, they still remain largely nomadic, though their tents are now made of weaved steel sheets and aluminum poles. They prefer melee fighting, and anything involving stealth for fighting (mines, sniper rifles) are looked down upon.
Medical: Almost none. The extent of Jyri medical technology is vaccines and antibiotics to fight simple diseases. If a Jyri is mortally wounded, he is killed for the good of the race.
Personality:
Jyri tend to be mean, but are a valuable asset as a friend. They fight with courage and honor. They tend to be brash, and no more enjoy a fine piece of art than something they can?t eat. A Jyri will always break down a locked door instead of picking the lock.
<b>Aerden</b>
Appearance/Back-story:
The Aerdens are black, rough, worm-like creatures, with no discernable features, save tiny vents used to shoot streams of the fluid they are contained in. They come from a planet of liquid nitrogen that orbits a dead sun. To prevent death, they have an extensive circulatory system of super-heated fluids. On their home, they swim below the surface, gathering water ice. This ice is then brought down to the point where the pressure is so great that the nitrogen assumes an almost solid-state. This is where they built their massive cities, seen only by other Aerdens. Aerdens live nearly 450 years, and communicate via telepathy, which allows them to ?talk? to any intelligent creature within a mile. They can not, however, ?hear? thoughts not directed at them. Aerdens can survive pressure beyond several million PSI, but are most comfortable at a couple hundred.
Technology:
The most obvious piece of Aerden technology is their pods. To facilitate exploration on planets, while avoiding those hostile environments of 15 PSI, they developed large glass tanks (artificially gravitationally reinforced) that hold them, and several thousand pounds of liquid nitrogen. These tanks are usually mounted on a wheeled base, although flying apparatuses are not unheard of. They took longer than any other race to leave their planet, mainly because they not only had to build a ship, but also had to make it carry millions of pounds of liquid nitrogen, and be able to function submersed. Currently, they employ chemical sensors that respond to their telepathic ability to control their machinery.
Military: The most obvious weapon for personal combat is shooting a stream of liquid gasses, which can damage machinery and instantly kill tissues. Their ships employ a kind of ?shock cannon?. It super-cools a craft, then rapidly heats it. The sudden expansion quickly rips the enemy craft apart. Aerden ships are to be feared, and their ominous metal hulls floating through space can cause fear in many stead-fast would-be heroes.
Medical: Aerdens require no medical attention. Their shell is as hard as many metals. If the shell is pierced, their hot fluids rush into their environment, and kill them almost instantly. When an Aerden dies, a nest of larvae form in the dead shell, and begin to mature, such is their way of asexual reproduction.
Personality:
Aerdens remain neutral in most conflicts. They are unexcited by major events, as they will live through several in their life. They can be easily angered, but usually control their temper.
Comments
The Mirshi are a strange race, indeed. They are ancient ships forged by a long-forgotten species. The AI aboard one ship eventually mutated into allowing sentience after running through damaged circuits several hundred-trillion times. This lone ship spread its ?gift? to every other one of its derelict ?brothers?. Unfortunately, the engines of these ships have long been destroyed, and any fuel they had had been vented out into space.
What they still did possess, however, was their Gravitational-Field/EM Wave Generators. Through elegant use of this system, they can essentially alter reality to a certain extent, even temporarily ?rewrite? the local Laws of Physics.
Unless deactivated, a Mirshi will never, ever allow anyone to board it. It will attempt to destroy any intruders, by starting fires, evacuating oxygen, et cetera.
Political Parties:
Name: International Space Union (ISU)
Race: Terrans
Founding Entities: The space-faring Earth countries: United States of America, European Alliance, Russia, China, and the Middle-Eastern Extra-Atmospheric Coalition.
Name: Zypher Republic
Race: Zyphers
Founding Entities: Collective minds of the major Zy-Hiit.
Name: Rhi Alliance
Races: Lycene and Jyri
Founding Entity: N/A; Came about in response to a Mirshi attack.
Name: Independent Aerdens
Race: Aerdens
Founding Entity: The Aerden Space-Flight Council
Edit: oops, Imperium Galactica 2, not Galactic Empires...
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Also, just for fun, what race would you like to play as? I lean towards being a Terran, but the Aerden also appeal to me.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Watch it, you're stepping into a major trap here. Unless you seriously know what you're doing, never ever play a character in your own RPG. I have yet to see a single case where I didn't end up thinking that the game would have been better without this character. It's quite simple actually, gamemaster-characters are too closely connected to the guy with the story ideas. It takes some sort of skizophrenia for the DM to be able to avoid railroading the characters, and the result is that the roleplaying and ultimately, fun, suffers.
But anyway, myself I'd probably go for a Terran character.
Get a background story together and you could easily make an RPG of it.
I was just saying which race I prefer.
And you can't beat Telepathic Ice Worms!
Edit: Okay, I'm going to set up some of the back story now, but before I start any unique project, I like to know my setting. However, the setting is still a bit vague, and I will eventually build a great deal of it. For now, though, I want requests. That is, if you want to know something about this world, ask me, and I'll try and make something up. Don't ask for pictures though, the best you'll get is a rough outline. I mostly modify pictures with Photoshop, not make them from scratch.
So, questionize me, Cap'n!
Examples include questions regarding planets, such as Rih, science, such as the String-Relativity Exploitation, technology, et cetera.
Anyway, questions? The best way for me to know what to set up first is to know what people are curious about.
is it possible to ally oneself with a mishra, if you have something it wants; ori s it completely xenophobic?
can jeri and Lycene be guiled into renewing thier old fued on a personal bases?
what are the major territorial disputes?
are terrans the only ones likely to use foriegn technology? what is thier relitive technological potency (how many terran cruisors equil a aerden ship, or a zypher ship of similer class)?
what does each race accept in trade, what does it usually offer in return? how much do they want to trade (cha'know, are they ferengi level or cardassian)?
Since the "Aerdens" are supposed to be a playable race , how will you manage melee fights involving them ? Would they just have a probability of being slain ? Or a new stat like shell integrity ?
I don't see why the Zypher wouldn't have strong bonds with the Terrans. Scientists would have a limited interest in other humanoid races , and if the Zypher are supposed to have biological equivalents to the Terran technology then both races have <i>much</i> to exchange. Contacts with them would be easier than with thoses passive telepathic worms.
Also , it is illogical that the Terrans can salvage Lycene technology that easy. The Jyri would see it as a threat to their military supremacy , so they'd oppose their veto (possibly creating tensions among the alliance)
Else the Mirshi is a nice idea , not as cliché as sentient nannites or random robotic life forms. Are they able to take over any kind of ships , or just thoses of the humanoid races ?
Since their survival requires a good measure of agressiveness , they should be constantly trying to provoke war between advanced races , to increase their ship's exposure. Should a race find a way of killing a ship's crew with minimal damage to the ship's hull/machinery , the Mirshi would ally them quickly for sure (deals most likely involving salvaged technologies and precious minerals)
A nice NPC race would be gas (or plasma) clouds wandering in space , possibly polymorphic (they'd make the perfect infiltrators) , kind of the antithesis of the Mirshi (peaceful race protecting the universe's equilibrium and trying to prevent wars between higher races , through unusual and clever means)
Oh and Mantrid , what's with the "string-relativity exploitation" ? <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
No, their "Armor" would be the integrity of the magnetic field that reinforces their pods, and their "Health" would be a measure of the damage done to the tube they're in. The die on contact with such low pressure and high tempertatures that we're accustomed to.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I don't see why the Zypher wouldn't have strong bonds with the Terrans. Scientists would have a limited interest in other humanoid races , and if the Zypher are supposed to have biological equivalents to the Terran technology then both races have much to exchange. Contacts with them would be easier than with thoses passive telepathic worms.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Correct, but the Terran have no way of adapting this technology. The government doesn't care, but the scientists are wetting themselves.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Also , it is illogical that the Terrans can salvage Lycene technology that easy. The Jyri would see it as a threat to their military supremacy , so they'd oppose their veto (possibly creating tensions among the alliance)<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The Lycene willingly gave it to them in order to promote trust. And, of course, because the Jyri have such close ties to the Lycene, the Lycene could simply tell them how to get around it.
Also, the Jyri don't really care about defensive technology. Pack on all the armor you want, you still don't want to mess with a blade-weilding Jyri.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Oh and Mantrid , what's with the "string-relativity exploitation" ? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Warning! Severe techno-jargon ahead!
The String-Relativity Exploitation.
Objects can not move faster than the speed of light. This can be attributed to the fact that their mass would increase to infinity, and the amount of energy required to move something like that would be phenomenal. However, if you remove an objects mass, breaking the "light-barrier" becomes a whole lot easier.
By stoping the motion of Strings (See: The String Theory), particles lose their internal kinetic energy. The strings (which are nothing but energy) condense into a neat little packet. With no energy, the mass drops to zero.
By engaging a device in the front of a ship while its in motion, all the Strings in every particle of the ship are "stopped". As the mass drops, the ship accelerates, much in the way that throwing cargo off of a moving object increases the speed. When the mass hits zero, the ship can move faster than the speed of light, because it will lack any physical form. The initial speed determines just how fast it will go.
The use of this is limited by one factor: energy. The forces compacting the Strings slowly decay. The greater the initial energy used to compact the Strings, the longer they will remain in a massless form. When they return to a positive mass state, the ship becomes visible, gets back volume, decelerates, and moves at sub-light speeds.
Don't blame me if that would never work in the real world, I'm not a physicist, I just read Scientifif American, and stretch the facts a bit.
Half-Breeds:
Half-Breeds are the product of sexual reproduction between two differing races. What follows is the physical description of Half-Breeds, as their mannerisms are not set in stone, and may either lean towards one parent?s race, or a blending of the two.
<b>Terran-Lycene (Linar)</b>
This mix tends to stand 6?5?? to 7?5??. They have skin tones similar to Terrans, but much, much lighter. They?re hair is usually the platinum-blond of Lycene, but can sometimes be a very white variation of other Terran hair colors. Their eyes are always deep blue. They tend to live into their mid 70s.
<b>Terran-Jyri (Tyr)</b>
This breed has dark blue-tan skin, and very dark hair of any Terran color. They are typically 6? tall, and live about the average lifespan for a Terran. Their eyes are black.
<b>Terran-Zypher (Zephen)</b>
While rare, they do exist. They are exactly like normal Zyphers, except they have assimilated all the information about Terrans that is carried in genetic coding. This leads them to tend towards philosophy and teaching, as they know have separate perspectives on issues.
However, this assimilation of DNA has a darker side. Sometimes, the dual point of view can have a maddening effect; more than one Zephen have gone insane.
Note: Terrans are the only outside race that can mate with Zyphers.
<b>Lycene-Jyri (Gijtu)</b>
The Gijtu are the ultimate military minds. The ferocity of their Jyri parent is balanced with the fight-or-flight instincts of their Lycene parent. They have light blue skin, black eyes, are 7?5?? tall with silver-gray hair. Those who enter the military often obtain the rank of General.