Interesting aliens.

[Tech priest support]

Could people name some interesting aliens from whatever source they choose that they would recommend using in SFRPGs, even if it means pretty much cutting and pasting them into a home made universe.

 

I'd start with the Kafer and Eber from 2300 A.D. I think both are plausible, believable aliens that are far from human in all ways but still relatable to to and comprehendible to humans. I can believe they could exist in the real universe given the care with whixh they and their origins and evolution were crafted. The kafer make great enemies, the eber could be good allies.

 

The ceph from the crysis series. They are another truly alien species with a different but rational, intelligent M.O. It's hard for them to be anything but enemies but with a little work they make great aliens of an existential threat level. Some unique things about the ceph is they are a collective intelligence and their species is at least 1.5 billion years old. Theynbsve apparently conquered their home galaxy and are sending out STL ships to other galaxies. Another issue is that while humans believe and use education extensively they ceph do not. Ceph colony and exploration vessels are given a biadic history of the ceph race and a massive, powerful toolkit in the form of advanced nanotech. But they recienfe no information oh situations or environments earlier ceph explorers usage faced. This may make you think that all new ceph explorers have to face things the ceph have vast experience in dealing with and have to go in with no knowledge of how to do it, thereby forcing them all to "reinvent the wheel" every time.

 

You're right and that's how the ceph want it. Forcing all new colony and explorer forces to adapt without prior knowledge of how to do it keeps the ceph adaptable, and adaptability is a trait the ceph consider indespensible. By and large ceph adapt to their environments as much as possible thru genetic engineering and nanotech restructuring of their physical forms. They are an interesting alien menace, and apparently capable of all types of physical adaotation and evolution but utterly incapable of even considering coexisting with other intelligent life. Research them on the net to get the full data on them.

[Tech priest support]

Sorry double post. My connection hiccupped.