Thean

**Theans** are the most common species in the galaxy.

## History

    For as long as SGT civilization has existed, Theans have been the single largest mystery in the known Galaxy. To many, they are irrefutable proof of the Progenitors' power, and point to the fact that they had some great plan for the Galaxy. The first Theans discovered were called the Thari, and the GP did not consider them even remotely remarkable, writing them off as nothing but a fairly adaptable race of swamp-living hunter-gatherers. They were race isolated and forgotten. A century later, more Theans were discovered on a planet hundreds of light years away from the Thari homeworld. Although their biology was markedly different and they had more varied behavior, genetic testing indicated that they were indeed the same species as the Thari. At that point, the Progenitors were a well-known fact of the galaxy, and most GP scientists assumed that they had long ago seeded multiple worlds with the same species that had experienced slight genetic change over a short period of evolution. This remained the prevailing theory for centuries as more and more Theans were discovered and race isolated.

In the middle GP Era, a chilling discovery was made by Vanon scientist Tenik Hentiz while he was stationed as planetary ecologist on a lush agri planet called Xril. During some genetic mapping of the local species, he found the file on the small herbivorous Ruthomp which had been undergoing controlled breeding for three centuries. Over its domestication period it had changed from a small, rough-skinned quadruped into a larger, lumbering biped that stood about as tall as a Yiedden. Hentiz nearly moved on from the file after gathering his data, but he was stopped by a strange discrepancy in the Ruthomp sequence. Inexplicably, the computer read that the newer bioform shared five perfect of its genome with Theans. Assuming gene splicing or some other mundane explanation, Hentiz looked into the matter further. There had been no gene splicing.

Over the next several decades, Hentiz bred more and more Ruthomp, keeping them in static conditions with extra care put into the near-total removal of selective pressures. During this study, something extraordinary happened. Decade by decade, the genome shifted, manifesting more and more Thean genes seemingly by spontaneous mutation. After ninety years of research, Hentiz unveiled his project to the greater GP community, and the theory of convergent re-speciation was confirmed. Somehow, by Progenitor design, seemingly unrelated species could spontaneously mutate over several generations into Theans. This led to the understanding that all or most Thean breeds arose independently of one another, mutating towards interbreed ability after millions of years of total genomic isolation.

The discovery of their incredible and bizarre origins shook many Theans to the core, sparking a new era of rich Thean culture sharing and the creation of numerous new religious and ideological movements. Briefly, there was a Thean supremacy movement, but it was quickly quashed by the GP.

## Factions

Theans are the most populous race in the galaxy and they can be found in every faction.

## Building a Thean

#### **Assumptions:**

All Theans are size medium and start with 9 HP and Acclimated 1.

#### **Step 1: Selecting a Stat Tree**

First select a primary, secondary, or tertiary stat tree:

* Primary: All stats are 12. Replace one stat with an 18 and gain one additional culture point

* Secondary: All stats are 13. Replace one stat with a 17

* Tertiary: All stats are 14. Replace one stat with a 15

#### **Step 2: Choosing Breeding**

Next choose whether to be Purebred, Lightly Bred, or Heavily Bred:

* Purebred: Unmodified stats, gain 1 more Acclimated
* Lightly Bred: Gain 1 point to add to a stat and 1 point to subtract from a stat during character creation
* Heavily Bred: Gain 3 points add to stats and 3 points to subtract from stats during character creation

#### **Step 3: Selecting Traits**

Pick 1 "pro" trait. If you wish to take additional "pro" traits, you must take a "con" trait for each one, to a maximum of 3 "pro" traits:

 Quick Reactions: +1 defensive Dex
 Hunter's Eyes: +1 to hit with non-psychic ranged attacks
 Hardened Carapace: +1 Soak, if slain, carapace may be crafted into armor that provides 1 Soak (DC 15)

\*Cannot take both

A player that creates a Thean should take time to decide what their homeworld is like, what their particular culture may be, and the finer details of their appearance, as the Thean building tree does not provide this information to a satisfying degree.

## Biology

"Thean" is a title given to any subspecies of a galaxy-spanning population of four-limbed bipeds with two-lobed brains, sensory, breathing and feeding organs (including eyes, nostrils, ears and mouths) on their sagittally placed heads. All Theans breathe by using large gas sacks in their chests and all possess a hardened endoskeleton. Hair, fur, scales, and even quills are not uncommon traits. With the exception of these shared traits, Theans can have wildly different body types, flesh tones, features, lifestyles, and other adaptations.

## Culture

Thean culture is as varied as their appearances; some come from Isolated planetary communities that have a distinct way of life, while others have been part of the galactic fold so long that their cultures have dissolved into it.

## Thean Breeds

Despite centuries of inbreeding between Thean breeds from different worlds, distinct subspecies still remain, some more common than others.

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