What race would you like to play?

[Miss.Annano]

• Nox
• Human
• Asgardian
• Tokra
• Jaffa
• Unas

Those seem pretty straight forward but 

• Advanced Replicator
• Ancient
• Goa'uld
• Beings of Oannas
• Crystalline entities
• Great spirit people

Those could all be interesting choices

Honestly I'd love furlings but heaven forbid we actually learn more then a handful of things about that race.

 

What race would you like to play as?

[socialfauxpas]

I struggle to see any of the not already written races as not being game breaking. Possibly that could introduce some sort of failed advanced replicator ("basic advanced replicator" sounds wrong) that doesnt have all the amazing abilities of its counter parts. But that stretching the canon fairly far.

Like the aturen are pretty much made up by the game as Nox-lite because the power of resurrection is too good for a tabletop game player race. Also finding a reason for a whole bunch of nearly any of the other races to join SGP would be a bit weird. "Sure this rogue Clone of thor is totally happy to run around in combat fatigues and wielding a baretta". Maybe some side rules for if a whole party is playing as Asgardians or Nox it could be balanced. But that would need new classes as well.

But who doesnt want to play as a lego spider.

Edited March 11, 2020 by socialfauxpas

[Bahamut_A6M5]

Interesting to see how, in that list, reol aren't even mentioned. Seriously, those cunning bastards could make their way through a goa'uld facility with their chemical deception ability, sabotage it and walk away as nothing had happened. Now, wouldn't that make for at least an option to be considered? Also, reol would be less broken than a self replicating lego toy. Or an arrogant ascended being (they make for interesting NPCs just to poke PCs XD ).

Still, I have my doubts about including Tok'ra as a playable choice, less a goa'uld. Even though Stargate SG-1 RPG allowed for both to be played, it didn't allow for both host and parasite/symbiote to be played simultaneously. A player acting as one had to create either the host or the symbiote and the other was a NPC (in the case of Tok'ra).

[socialfauxpas]

1 hour ago, Bahamut_A6M5 said:

Still, I have my doubts about including Tok'ra as a playable choice, less a goa'uld. Even though Stargate SG-1 RPG allowed for both to be played, it didn't allow for both host and parasite/symbiote to be played simultaneously. A player acting as one had to create either the host or the symbiote and the other was a NPC (in the case of Tok'ra).

I played a Tok'ra, I enjoyed it. Made an Int/Wis character Int was the human part, wis the tokra. Rolled opposing ability checks at the start of the session to see who was in command at the start. Got to play two seperate character types. Had 2 defining factors, one for each persona, and when one of those was close, the corresponding persona would ask to be in command during that part. 

[1001100x02]

Got to say that this take on the tok'ra/goa'uld hasn't really appealed to me based on my initial read through.

[Arcameides]

@1001100x02

32 minutes ago, 1001100x02 said:

Got to say that this take on the tok'ra/goa'uld hasn't really appealed to me based on my initial read through.

What do you not like about it? Any suggestions?

[Gobekli]

I find the simplicity of 5e to be the solution. In previous iterations of goa’uld a pathfinder approach was taken resulting in rules heavy tweaks to the race. This version is understandably simpler, with the basics covered and allows for local player and GM additions to the race. Though this is true for all the classes and races, the complexities of the goa’uld should imho be addressed with descriptions and option suggestions (host-symbiote in control as above) without tying down all players and GMs to clunky rules lawyering. 

[1001100x02]

1 hour ago, Arcameides said:

@1001100x02

What do you not like about it? Any suggestions?

Well, 5E doesn't do botches the way Spycraft does, one result of which was that when things didn't go to plan the host and the symbiote could find themselves out of sync with each other for a round or so. There were systems for dealing with the symbiote changing hosts. Mechanically, the symbiont and the host were distinct yet interdependent entities.

Yet here, the mechanics don't really give any impression of that -- though to be fair when introduced into the series we were given the impression that Jacob was perhaps unusually... active... as Tok'ra hosts go.

To start with, the cut'n'paste of the Jaffa's loss-of-symbiote drawback needs to be reworded to specify that it's a symbiote without a host that appears to be the one to suffer the con damage. Further, there's nothing there to suggest that the character is sitting on 2 millennia of hard earned experience, so the advantage to mental saves should instead be advantage to mental checks; if you want to get creative, offer the ability boost to the choice of any mental score, then apply the check advantage to the other 2 (a character who takes the +2 to Charisma gets advantage to Intelligence and Wisdom checks, etc)

Credit where credit's due, I love that you folks picked up the Pangaran symbiote thread. (And Pangara absolutely needs to be one of the human world options instead of the tollan whose behaviour in the series would seem to make ill suited to membership in the SGP. Joined Pangarans working alongside their singular fellows offers an intriguing synergy.)

However, the pangaran symbiotes aren't amnesiac. They're blank slates. Without the weight of their inherited memory, they have the chance to learn to be something other than conquerors or rebels.  So their advantage to physical saves works, but I'm not really seeing Charisma, the force of personality, being a key ability. Similarly rather being shrewd diplomats, it strikes me their other racial ability should be more along the lines of adaptability or assimilating new things.

[Gobekli]

No symbiote means no host immunity=death. The add to stats, even as low as it seems would seem to represent the symbiotes years of living. I note the Unas symbiotes as base line. 

[1001100x02]

3 hours ago, Gobekli said:

No symbiote means no host immunity=death. The add to stats, even as low as it seems would seem to represent the symbiotes years of living. I note the Unas symbiotes as base line. 

Even an 18 year green army private gets a +2 ability bump, so no, that doesn't even come close to modelling the symbiote's 2K years of experience.

[Gobekli]

True about the army private, perhaps allowing proficiency bonus? Example ,,, if the symbiote is proficient in a background? 

[1001100x02]

Again, the assumptions of the system are that you're starting out with a bit of life experience under your belt but not a lot: after 2 millennia, tok'ra -- and indeed any of their species with access to the genetic memory of their system lord mothers --  should be proficient in most if not all skills. Given their experience and the physical enhancement provided by a symbiote, the average tok'ra is effectively going to be Logolas to everyone else's Gimli. If you were going

Giving them advantage on checks Wis modifier times is realistically the closest you're going to get to reflect what they're capable of while keeping them reasonably balanced against other options.

And honestly, given the setting of the game, I think I'd keep the elder tok'ra out of the PC's reach altogether. Being subservient to Earth's military is grossly out of character for the elder members of the faction from everything we've seen in the show, especially given how salty they were about Jacob/Selmak's tendency to side with the tau'ri led to them excluding him from some of their war councils. If you do make them a player option, they should be treated with considerable care.

Keeping the species to the pangaran generation is, I think. the smarter choice. Their power level is more reasonable, and being a tabula rasa far more prone to interventionist action makes for a more probable reason for them to part of SGP and opens up interesting narrative choices playing them against their more cautious and conservative older siblings.

[Gobekli]

Assuming they are keeping elder Tok’ra out may account for part of the rules; if so, then legolas is kept out. Egeria made broods that had no elder memories but got hers only, then another recent pangaran brood that got the so-called ‘amnesia’. See the Tok’ra spy background. 
 

As for earlier powerful versions remember that she made many broods, younger ones might be acceptable if they were hidden away as noted, or if they served long boring duties as spies in various mining camps with low access to training. They might be good at evasion, but little else. The Goa’uld should be the all dancing all nasty skill sets, but tempered with crippling greed, but that’s another story as they are npc.

Edited April 2, 2020 by Gobekli

[1001100x02]

On 4/3/2020 at 10:44 AM, Gobekli said:

Assuming they are keeping elder Tok’ra out may account for part of the rules; if so, then legolas is kept out. Egeria made broods that had no elder memories but got hers only, then another recent pangaran brood that got the so-called ‘amnesia’. See the Tok’ra spy background. 

As for earlier powerful versions remember that she made many broods, younger ones might be acceptable if they were hidden away as noted, or if they served long boring duties as spies in various mining camps with low access to training. They might be good at evasion, but little else. The Goa’uld should be the all dancing all nasty skill sets, but tempered with crippling greed, but that’s another story as they are npc.

The series showed that there are only 2 generations: The ones I'm referring to as elder Tok'ra which are Egeria's (1st and only) revolutionary spawning who have fighting the system lords for over 2000 years fuelled by the elder memories they inherited from her, and then the Pangaran newbies who have basically been socialised as good guys. Both of these are starting options for PCs. Anyone from not from either of those generations is one of the exceptionally rare goa'uld turncoats (who I think we all agree are best left as NPCs).

And again, even if there was more than 1 elder spawning, even the least experienced has lived in excess of 2000 years because that's how long Egeria was on ice. If we say a host lasts on average 250 years a pop, that's at least 8 previous hosts. At least 8 whole other people with lived experiences the symbiote has absorbed knowledge from while actively hunted by the system lords whilst pre-programmed to fight a guerrilla espionage campaign against them.

Given that there are no longer bonus feats at 1st level as far as I can make out from the rulebook, my idea of forcing elder tok'ra to take a mandatory 1st level feat to better model their capabilities won't work. Which yet again brings me back to the "Advantage on Wis Mod checks of their choice per long rest" as the only decent solution.

[velvetsanity]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned wanting to play Sekhmet (Bastet's preferred host species when the other Goa'uld were still using the Unas) yet.

[Bahamut_A6M5]

That could have to do with the fact sekhmets aren't canon, but a species appeared in a suplement for AEG's Stargate SG-1 RPG not everyone knows or have access to.

[1001100x02]

1 hour ago, Bahamut_A6M5 said:

That could have to do with the fact sekhmets aren't canon, but a species appeared in a suplement for AEG's Stargate SG-1 RPG not everyone knows or have access to.

Speaking of, does anyone have any of the material from the unpublished 3rd season book they put up on their forums back in the day?

[Buubear]

I noticed ex-goa'uld isn't listed either.  Like Samantha Carter, yes she is human but she can use Goa'uld tech.  and human with the ancient gene again I didn't see in that list.  I don't have access to the rules just yet they aren't on sale and the Gen Con Online Stargate spots are already sold out (as far as I'm concerned -- see my other post).

Personally I would really have liked to be a Jaffa, that became a Goa'uld then "the Goa'uld died/sacrificed itself to save me theme...",  it happened more than once in the show.  But, adding the Jaffa part first is new.  Your still just basically a human just have a flavor difference, you would get some of the Jaffa abilities but not all.  Think Variant Human rule on 5th Ed D&D.  Which could apply to human, Jaffa, or Unas -- they are the ones most likely turned into Goa'uld.  Just my thought.

 

If I couldn't do that I'd go either Jaffa or Tok'ra.

Edited July 13, 2020 by Buubear

[Codewolf444]

I played the pregen Maste last year and plan on playing her again this year if I can. She is Tok'ra.

[Bahamut_A6M5]

On 7/13/2020 at 9:20 PM, Buubear said:

I noticed ex-goa'uld isn't listed either.  Like Samantha Carter, yes she is human but she can use Goa'uld tech.  and human with the ancient gene again I didn't see in that list.  I don't have access to the rules just yet they aren't on sale and the Gen Con Online Stargate spots are already sold out (as far as I'm concerned -- see my other post).

That would fall more likely under feats field rather than "races". It would be more like Carter gained a feat (let's call it naqadah blood) after Jolinar's death; Ancient gen would also be sort of a feat for humans. However, no such things (yet) in the rules.

On 7/13/2020 at 9:20 PM, Buubear said:

Personally I would really have liked to be a Jaffa, that became a Goa'uld then "the Goa'uld died/sacrificed itself to save me theme...",(...)

Goa'ulds never take jaffa as hosts. It might be snobish pride or it could have to do with jaffa physiology, but a jaffa turning into a host hasn't happened a single time in the show.

[1001100x02]

2 hours ago, Bahamut_A6M5 said:

Goa'ulds never take jaffa as hosts. It might be snobish pride or it could have to do with jaffa physiology, but a jaffa turning into a host hasn't happened a single time in the show.

In Children of the Gods, Teal'c says that when junior matures it would take him as a host. but it was very much along the lines of someone being forced to drink their own urine to survive

[Buubear]

10 hours ago, Bahamut_A6M5 said:

Goa'ulds never take jaffa as hosts. It might be snobish pride or it could have to do with jaffa physiology, but a jaffa turning into a host hasn't happened a single time in the show.

Actually, I remember in at least one episode where a goa'uld took a jaffa (albeit that larva's jaffa) as a host as an emergency measure to survive.  It then found a new host soon their after.  Tealc even remarked that it was highly unusual for it to happen but it was known.

Edited July 15, 2020 by Buubear

[Buubear]

7 hours ago, 1001100x02 said:

In Children of the Gods, Teal'c says that when junior matures it would take him as a host. but it was very much along the lines of someone being forced to drink their own urine to survive

Exactly!

[Buubear]

10 hours ago, Bahamut_A6M5 said:

That would fall more likely under feats field rather than "races". It would be more like Carter gained a feat (let's call it naqadah blood) after Jolinar's death; Ancient gen would also be sort of a feat for humans. However, no such things (yet) in the rules.

That actually makes sense and I like it!

[Bahamut_A6M5]

21 hours ago, 1001100x02 said:

In Children of the Gods, Teal'c says that when junior matures it would take him as a host. but it was very much along the lines of someone being forced to drink their own urine to survive

Rewatched the episodes, searched and read transcripts. There's no reference in neither to Teal'c stating something like that. So, unless it's from the DVD reshooting...

13 hours ago, Buubear said:

Actually, I remember in at least one episode where a goa'uld took a jaffa (albeit that larva's jaffa) as a host as an emergency measure to survive.  It then found a new host soon their after.  Tealc even remarked that it was highly unusual for it to happen but it was known.

Why would a larval goa'uld take a jaffa as host when it could use the jaffa's abdominal pouch to survive?