Zeta, The Grey

-4 STR, -4 END, +2 INT,  +4 CHA |3 HP

Physical Appearance and Structure

Zetas are small, thin humanoids with pale skin. Averaging only three to four feet in height, zetas have oversized craniums and opaque black eyes. Their head is slightly elongated with a pair of nostrils, tiny ear holes and a small slit which functions as a mouth. Even adolescent zetas appear wizened beyond their years. Their pale skin is actually luminescent when exposed to black light or similar conditions.

Zetas possess a silicon based skeletal structure, but lack both fingernails and teeth. A zeta can survive weeks without sustenance due to an incredibly slow metabolism. Their metabolism makes zetas extremely long lived and it is not uncommon for them to live several centuries.

Zetas reproduce through cloning, most possess no sex organs, but the few that do are hermaphroditic.

Senses

Zetas have excellent night vision. Their sense of touch is also muted and most are almost immune to physical pain. Although they have poor hearing zetas are capable of hearing some sounds at higher decibels than humans. Smell and tastes are dull as their sense of touch.

Speech

A zeta does not possess a working functional voice box and they are capable of little more than high pitched screams and whistles. Zetas prefer to communicate through telepathy, but use telepathic translator devices with persons or races uncomfortable with telepathy. Zeta have a written language similar to binary code. Despite their inability to speak zetas are natural linguist and can learn any languages they are exposed to.

Society and Customs

Zetas only have a conceptual understanding of family by observing other races. All zetas due to cloning are essentially copies of the same being. Cloning a zeta takes just six months and it only takes 3 years for a zeta to reach full adulthood. Clones are designated batch numbers and unique ID but never names. Zeta schooling consists of a psionic connection to their community where lessons are learned through telepathic projection.

A zeta usually receives its name from whoever their first non-zeta companions are and most simply answer to whatever they are called. Unfortunately for zetas these names aren’t always so kind.

Zeta society functions with a form of telepathic hive mind. Confusing as it might be to other races zetas have no leaders but may make decisions representing the entire race by forming a ‘directive’. A directive can be formed by any thirteen adult zetas for the purposes of negotiating contracts, treaties, or any other decision which may affect their entire race. Once a directive is formed their conclusion or word is considered law by all other zetas. Two directives isolated from one another on opposite sides of the galaxy when faced with the same problem will always reach the same decision.

Zetas only function properly when grouped in odd numbers or in groups with greater than 13 members. An even number interferes with their decision making capabilities. While ten zetas may feel sickened, four zetas would suffer from confusion, isolating two zetas is debilitating, painful, and may eventually cause death from psionic sensory overload. For this reason most zetas travel alone and actively avoid their own kind when spending time away from the zeta collective.

An individual zeta’s personality can be as diverse as any human’s while outside the influence of the zeta collective. A zeta in the presence of the zeta collective displays very few individualistic traits.

Attitudes

Zetas are not native to our dimension and travelled here long ago. They know they were once capable of traveling between dimensions but are unsure of how they were marooned in ours. They entered our dimension in the Zeta Reticuli binary star system. Zetas are patient observers. They revealed themselves to humans almost 10,000 years after getting themselves marooned on earth. Zetas wish only to observer and study alien cultures with the hope of someday returning to their own dimension.

Heroes

For the zeta collective to observe and expand their understanding of this dimension they must send out individual zeta to observe and experience new things without interference of the zeta collective.

Zeta Racial Traits

Zetas have the following racial traits;

Age: 3 years

-4 Strength, -4 Endurance, +2 Intelligence, +2 Intellect, +2 Ego: Zetas have little physical prowess but a superior intellect.

Small: Zetas are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.

Normal Speed: Zetas have a base speed of 30 feet.

Bonus Talent: Psionic Potential

Zeta Mindlink: As the mindlink psionic power with the following exceptions; a zeta automatically establishes a mindlink with any zeta in range as a swift action (the zeta has no choice), a zeta can establish a mindlink (as per mindlink) with a number of non-zetas equal to its Ego modifier plus one, all connections are limited to 25’ plus 5’ per two hero levels and connections exceeding this distance are lost, using a zeta mindlink does not use or require power points.

Languages: Zetas begin play speaking Pan Sol. Zetas with high Intelligence scores can learn any languages they are exposed to (except secret languages).

Table: Zeta Mindlink Immune Disorder (ZMID)