Attribute Dice: 16D
Dexterity: 3D/5D
Knowledge: 1D/3D
Mechanical: 2D/4D
Perception: 2D/5D
Strength: 4D/6D
Technical: 2D/5D
Special Abilities:
Hyperdense Flesh: +1D versus Physical and Energy attacks
Swashbucklers: +2D to Melee Combat and Parry: Vibro Rapier
Teeth and Claws: Teeth add +2D to brawl damage and Claws add +1D to
brawl damage
Story Factors:
Swashbucklers: Xerxians have a swashbuckling attitude and mentality
that leads to a generally carefree and boisterous lifestyle. They have
an ingrained disregard for all authority figures and can rarely be counted
on to do something simply because someone tells them to. However, by challenging
a Xerxian or calling his abilities into question one may easily manipulate
a Xerxian into seemingly insane acts of derring-do. Also, all Xerxians
must place at least 1 skill die into the Melee Combat: Vibro Rapier and
Melee Parry: Vibro Rapier specializations.
Anarchists: Xerxian society is based entirely upon dares and challenges.
They are completely incapable of taking "government" seriously. They consider
law enforcement officers a challenge to their ability to avoid or defeat
them.
Techno-Junkies: All Xerxians must place at least 2 skill dice into
some sort of Technical skill to represent childhood training
Xerxian Blade Dancing: This is a specialization of Melee Combat and
Melee Parry that may be used with any one or two handed sword. When fighting
in this style a warrior may replace his weapon's damage code with his Melee
Combat skill code for purposes of damage. He may also let fly with a flurry
of parrying blows before or during combat which (if successful) not only
deflects the oncoming attack but adds a bonus to a subsequent Intimidation
roll (made that round without multiple action penalties) equal to the amount
by which the Melee Parry skill roll was made. This may be attempted only
once per combat encounter and if the Melee Parry roll is failed no attempt
to Intimidate that particular enemy or group of enemies will work for the
rest of the encounter.
Move: 14/18
Size: 1.85-2.2 meters
Capsule:
Xerxes Minor is home to one of the galaxies oddest cultures. A massive
world, nearly the size of a small gas giant, it is also held within the
tremendous gravitic grasp of a Blue Giant star. Xerxes Minor is unique
in the galaxy for having developed not only life, but a sentient and highly
advanced species under the crushing pressure of 5 standard gravities. This
has resulted in a biosphere composed of incredibly tough, incredibly dense,
and incredibly strong lifeforms. The Xerxians themselves are slightly tall,
immensely broad. and heavily muscled felinoids who are much stronger than
even their over-muscled forms would lead one to believe. While their 1.9
meter height average isn't terribly unusual in the galaxy their 1
meter average shoulder to shoulder width is. From a distance they seem
to be cat-like dwarves, but up close they are revealed as the tiger-like
behemoths that they are. Descended from a species of jungle cats that developed
pack-based hunting tactics early in their existence, the Xerxians developed
better and better methods of tracking and killing the massive prey beasts
of their homeworld until they found themselves a primitive tool-using
race. From that early time they have had an insatiable curiousity about
how things work. As they grew more
sophisticated and civilized they relapsed into a more individualistic
lifestyle that their ancestral jungle cat predecessors lived before they
became pack-hunters. A modern Xerxian retains his love of gadgeteering
but is a firm individualist. Xerxian culture is based on honor and ability.
No Xerxian will follow orders just because someone says so, his ability
to carry out the task must be challenged and his honor must be called into
question if he hesitates. This leads to a rather violent society, but serious
injuries in
honor-duels are very rare. A proper honor-duel is conducted with either
a Vibro Rapier or teeth and claws. No other weapons are ever accepted in
an honor-duel. While one might think that such a system is unworkable it
actually works rather well. Once one Xerxian has established himself as
the "Pack Leader" then most Xerxians who work with or under him assume
he is competent
and follow his orders with little complaint since doing otherwise would
be both foolish and counterproductive. Only when the leader has proven
himself to be incompetent will he face mass rebellion. Only the most foolish
leader refuses to step down in the face of such a situation as he will
face honor-duel after honor-duel until he is deposed. Such a system might
lead to murderous jealousy and vengeful thoughts in most other races but
it is accepted as the way things are done in Xerxian society without a
second thought. All Xerxians are taught from childhood how to wield a Vibro
Rapier both usefully and artistically. A Xerxian Master Blade Dancer is
one of the most deadly melee combatants in the galaxy. Even Jedi are astonished
at the skill and grace with which a Master Blade Dancer wields his weapon.
There is no gender-bias within Xerxian society so a "Xerxian Blade Dance
Master" has equal chances of being a male or a female. This extends to
all facets of Xerxian society and is accepted as the norm in all ways.
While the Verpine and the Sluissi are each more technically adept, neither
race approaches technology quite like the Xerxians. Technical excellence
is considered a matter of racial pride and as such is pursued to some extent
by all members of the race. The Xerxians look at technology as a riddle
to be solved. Understanding that any given piece of technology can be improved
in some way, shape, or form, Xerxians find it a challenge to their abilities
and honor to make those improvements. Thus all Xerxian products are either
very advanced or obsolete by Xerxian standards, usually both. By agreement
with the Empire (and later the New Republic) the premier offworld distributor
of Xerxian products, Xerxes Industries, has consented to submit all of
their exports to Imperial (or New Republican) approval. This is to prevent
hyper-advanced Xerxian goods from getting into civilian hands. During the
time of the Empire the Emperor toyed with the idea of subjugating and enslaving
the Xerxians in order to benefit from their technological abilities but
decided against it upon the advice of then-Vice Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn
had studied the Xerxian culture and concluded that the Xerxians would see
an invasion as both a challenge and a blow to their honor and would react
with weaponry that the Empire simply could not deal with. It was instead
decided to set up the approval system with the Xerxians which was carefully
phrased as a "Treaty to protect an unprepared galaxy from the superior
and unprecedentedly advanced nature of Xerxian
technology". This agreement not only tweaked the racial pride of the
Xerxians but kept dangerously powerful equipment out of the hands of civilians.
Surprising enough there is virtually no smuggling of Xerxian goods offworld
due to the fact that to circumvent an honorably signed contract would dishonor
the entire Xerxian race. The Xerxians remained neutral during the conflict
between the Empire and the Rebellion until the death of Palpatine at which
time they considered the treaty null and void. The New Republic soon renewed
the treaty as well as welcomed Xerxes Minor into the New Republic. When
Grand Admiral Thrawn returned from the Unknown Reaches the Xerxians once
again became neutral for the duration of the conflict due to the fact that
it was Thrawn who proposed the treaty on behalf of the Emperor and acted
as the signatory for the Empire.
The Xerxians were submitted by Mad Rabbit <madrabbit@netdoor.com>