I’ve been running a Star Trek game for my Saturday group for a few weeks, and finally we had a combat sequence.  I’ve been using Decipher Trek, which has got solid mechanics (particularly like the starship combat rules), but which is a bit dodgy in character combat.  Use of phasers is fairly good:  stun requires a test to see if you’re stunned, set it to “obliterate” and you make the guy disappear…but most PCs can walk away from a phaser shot that is described as burning a foot wide hole in a metal door with an “Ow!  That sucked…”

Hand to hand is equally bad.  It’s very obvious that the Decipher character designed were a bit kludged to try and fuse the d20ish aspects that came into the design with the elements of Last Unicorn Trek that worked well…unfortunately, your character winds up with ridiculous amounts of damage they can soak up.  this can be fix with a few simple adjustments, like knocking out one of the health levels, but I decided to do a port over to Cortex.  (Whether or not I use it is another matter!)

First I took a pass at doing up some species templates of Old Show/Movie period aliens.  (We’re running in a combo of the retcon universe of Abrams and the original universe…)  The templates are meant more as a guide for what traits the aliens often have and aren’t necessary to build a reasonable facsimile.

ANDORIAN:  Antennae: [d2] add to Perception tests; Redundant Circulation: Immunity to Cold [d4]

AXANARI:  Enhanced Senses [d4]; Radiation Resistance [d4]

BETELGEUSANS:  Tough [d8]

BOLIANS:  Good Natured [d6]

CARDASSIAN:  Vesala [d4]: Works as contacts

DELTANS:  Allure [d4]: Pheromones; Credo, Oath of Celibacy [-d6]; Enhanced Communications, Empathy [d8]; Enhanced Senses, Empathy [d4]

GORN:  Inherent Armor [d4]: Impact & Cutting Damage; Inherent Weapons [d4]: Claws and Teeth, d4B; Dull Sense, Smell [-d4]

KLINGON:  Honor [-d4]; Tough [d8]

NAUSICAANS:  

Brawler [d4]; 

Formidable Presence [d4]; 

High Pain Threshold [d4]; 

Out for Blood [-d8]

ORIONS [Female]:  

Allure [d4]; 

Immunity [d4]: Ultraviolet; 

Lustful [-d4]; 

Owned [-d8] if slave

ORIONS [Male]:  

Immunity [d4]: Ultraviolet; 

Tough [d4]

ROMULANS:  

Enhanced Sense, Hearing [d2]; 

Discipline of D’Era [d4]: Add to willpower tests

TELLARITES:  

Hearty Constitution [d4]; 

Poison Tolerance [d4]; 

Stubborn [-d4]

VULCANS:  

Enhanced Sense, Hearing [d2]; 

Enhanced Sense, Mind Meld [d6]: Must be able to touch target; 

Fast Healing [d6]: Must be able to trace meditate; 

Unemotional [-d4]: Against social tests

XELATIANS:  

Enhanced movement, swimming [d6]; 

Enhanced sense, vision [d4]; 

Enhanced communication, luminal [d4]; 

Impaired communication [d8]: mute; 

Invertebrate [d6]: Adds to AGL tests, save on land, when it is a negative to movement tests

XYRILLIANS:  

Curious [-d4]; 

Good Natured [d4]; 

Pacifist [-d4]; 

Parasitic Reproduction [-d4]

ZARANITES:  

Complex Needs, Atmospheric [d8]; 

Enhanced Sense, Sight [d4]: Night Vision; 

Impaired Sense, Vision [-d4]: Light sensitive; 

Mathematician [d6]