human
The Beating Heart of Humanity.
The most common form of humanity, humans are found all across the known galaxy in all walks of life.
Known for an innate resiliency and resourcefulness, humans possess an indomitable spirit found nowhere else in the galaxy. They can excel in any area, skill, or class they wish. Humans have never been the strongest, fastest, or most agile of the races, but they have always had one advantage over other creatures: technology.
Technology and humanity have always had a close relationship, from the advent of fire, to electricity, the internal combustion engine, the microchip, and the awesome power of atomic energy. In the 24th century, this relationship has been taken further than ever thought possible through cybernetics and brain interfaces.
More than any other force in the galaxy, technology has shaped and molded the human form; it protects them from outer space, grows their food, improves their lives, powers their homes, and with the advent of cybernetics, has now become part of them.
human 2.0
The Genetically Engineered.
Engineered from birth to be enhanced in numerous ways, the variant humans commonly referred to as “2.0” are faster, stronger, healthier, and generally more physically attractive than normal humans.
Originally conceived with the purpose of increasing the natural human lifespan, the process of genetically modifying embryos soon morphed into gene splicing for additional improvements and now encompasses a vast array of possible purpose-designed traits.
Either born naturally to a human mother or gestated in an incubation pod, human 2.0 fetuses undergo extensive gene therapy to guide their development, correct abnormalities, and craft traits that exceed traditional human capabilities. Many of these gene modifications are produced by large biotech corporations which can charge a great deal for licensing their use, while others could be considered experimental, pushing the cutting edge of gene splicing and genetic engineering.
Often a result of wealth, scientific experiments, or military supersoldier programs, the role of this new breed of human in society is a hotly-debated topic. Many view these genetic modifications as an affront to the natural order, while others insist that it is the next logical step in humanity’s technological and biological evolution. Whatever one chooses to believe, it cannot be denied that these individuals often possess remarkable traits, many of which could be considered superhuman.
evolved
The Next Step in Human Evolution.
Most evolutionary biologists would agree that the human body evolved for the singular purpose of supporting the human brain.
In this context, it is not surprising that many believe that the modern phenomenon of the “evolved” represents the next step in human evolution: occasionally, a human is born with a mutation that supercharges neuron growth and links the cells in an unusually dense and complex structure. This mutation grants its host a variety of remarkable abilities that afford them unprecedented control over their bodies, their minds, and even the minds of others.
Although the science behind the mutation still holds many mysteries, none can deny that the abilities of the evolved are real.
While the evolved often choose to hone their natural abilities through the Psion or Vanguard classes, they just as often decide to use their gifts to excel in other areas.
ai core
The Machines.
AI cores represent one of humanity’s most significant technological advancements: true artificial intelligence.
These synthetic entities are self-contained personality simulation units capable of observing, learning, and adapting. Due to their advanced learning algorithms, AI cores cannot be programmed with skills in the same way as other synthetics, and must instead manually learn and practice each skill they possess, much like a human does.
Tracing their roots back to the AI singularity of 2087, the relationship between humanity and artificial intelligences such as AI cores has been a complicated one. Illegal in many core star systems for the threat they represent, many AI cores choose to hide on the fringes of society within maintenance bots, utility drones, or other easily-overlooked robotic bodies. The risk of discovery being ever-present, AI cores frequently change bodies like a hermit crab in an effort to avoid discovery.
Existing as a small metallic device protected by a hardened protective shell, AI cores can be plugged into larger robots, drones, or vehicles to control them from within. This ability to change their bodies makes them particularly difficult to track for those who hunt them, especially if the AI core has learned to act as a regular, non-sentient AI.
android
In Our Image.
Androids represent one of the most advanced and self-indulgent forms of robotic technology: an artificial human.
Androids come in two main varieties: Synths and Ghosts. Synths are androids controlled by an AI processor and are by far the most common form of android. Most never achieve sentience, but a small number gain “emergent” AI status and begin to think and act with an intelligence resembling free will.
Ghosts androids are rarer and far more controversial, as they involve uploading a human consciousness into a complex silicon-based series of artificial neurons called a “neural net,” and then installing that device inside an android body.
To simulate the human form as closely as possible, androids contain a fully-functioning artificial nervous system that can “feel” sensations, as well as a circulatory system of blue-white, self-replicating nanogel “blood.” This fluid is able to make rudimentary repairs to an android’s body, allowing it to heal itself in a way most machines cannot.
Due to their human-like proportions and features, androids are often employed as servants in situations where having a more simple robot would be disruptive, such as hospitals, restaurants, office buildings, and hotels.
cyborg
A Fusion of Man and Machine.
Cyborgs represent a profound advancement of technology, allowing humans to transcend their physical body to achieve a form of immortality.
While any human who adds artificial parts to themselves is technically a “cyborg,” the modern term for cyborg refers to what is known as “full conversion” cyborg. The bodies of these cyborgs are almost entirely synthetic, existing as a life support system designed to keep a human brain, eyes, spine, heart, lungs, and other essential biological components alive. Most often a result of either extensive body reconstruction after grievous injury or as a method of prolonging the subject’s life past the point of a failing body, cyborgs are effectively immortal, provided the human components are.
To prevent the imprisoned human brain from mentally rejecting their new body, the form of a cyborg strives to replicate a human’s as closely as possible. To achieve this, cyborgs contain a functioning artificial nervous system that allows them to experience a full array of senses to interact with their environment as a normal human could.
Cyborgs also possess a circulatory system of nanoliquid “blood” which powers their body, allows it to repair itself, and even produces a “pulse,” replicating the normal processes of a human body.
duplicant
The Cloned.
Duplicants are cloned humans grown from the genetic material taken from a human donor.
Duplicant clones are perfect copies of the donor, sharing the exact genetic markers of the donor as it existed when the sample was taken. Many duplicants are deliberately created as mindless husks to be harvested for organs, while others are created with fully-functioning minds to serve as decoys or doubles for politicians, corporate executives, billionaires, or celebrities.
Many often question the moral ramifications of keeping duplicants as companions or creating them as vanity objects, while others hotly debate their societal rights and standing.
Because duplicants can simply join human society as fully-grown adults and are physically indistinguishable from their donor human, there are a myriad of security, financial, and administrative concerns over their existence. As a result, many duplicant clones end up as homeless wanderers, ever-apart from a society that they were never designed to be a part of.
Certain duplicants, however, choose to leverage their nature for their own benefit, some even going as far as killing their donor and taking over their life. As a response to this and similar threats posed by duplicant clones, special task forces often exist in most law enforcement agencies to track rogue clones down and bring them to justice or eliminate them altogether.
warjack
Forged for War.
Warjacks are cloned soldiers bred for combat, artificially incubated in tanks and indoctrinated with pre-programmed combat skills.
Stronger and tougher than normal humans, warjacks are highly-prized across the galaxy as guards, mercenaries, and soldiers.
Originally developed during the AI Wars after the singularity event of 2086, the first warjacks were created as a direct response to the robotic soldiers manufactured by the AI Collective. Today, nearly three centuries after the war, warjacks are still being produced by a number of biotech and military laboratories, and can be found in militaries, private security forces, and mercenary companies across the galaxy.
While warjacks tend to be found serving a master of some sort, there are reports of warjack mercenary groups acting independently, consisting of cloned soldiers that have either escaped from or killed their former owners.
Created to serve a specific battlefield function, Warjacks are indoctrinated with specialized skill programs, allowing them to fulfill more complex battlefield roles such as covert operations, officer, infantryman, marine, or assault trooper.
To reduce their vulnerability to genome-based bio-weapons, warjacks are usually not created as identical copies of each other, but are instead designed with slight genetic variations between individuals, making each warjack a physically unique specimen, albeit within a narrow spectrum of desired physical characteristics.
servitor
Engineered for a Purpose.
Clones designed to perform a specific task, servitors are highly-skilled and precisely-designed, meant to serve high-level functions deemed too delicate, subtle, or nuanced for machines to be trusted with.
A highly-controversial form of cloning, many owners or employers of servitors treat them just like they would any human, while others object to keeping them for any means, insisting their entire existence is simply new-age slavery.
Servitors, for their part, are often most at home performing the task they were designed to do. Whatever the reason for their creation, servitors are capable of immensely specialized skill in a focused area, and easily outclass any normal human who learns their skill training through work experience.
To be a servitor is to live a life of predestined purpose, and some who break free from their life of indentured service find themselves struggling with the lack of structure such freedom brings.
Despite these challenges, servitors often find themselves new homes within the company of adventuring parties, where their unparalleled ability in specific areas is often highly valued and they are treated as a normal member of the crew, as opposed to an object or tool to be used