HUMAN

Humans, from the planet Earth, are the newest sentient species of notable size to enter the galactic stage and are hands-down the most rapidly expanding and developing. They independently discovered a Prothean data cache on Mars in 2148, and the mass relay networks shortly thereafter.


BIOLOGY

Humans have a fairly robust physiology, typical of a bipedal mammal. In comparison to the Council races, humans are roughly physically on par with turians and less agile than asari (whom they closely resemble). Humans are averagely stronger than salarians but not as fast. Like most organic races, humans are also capable of producing biotic individuals but there is a high risk of medical complications. Biotic powers in humans does not occur naturally like in the asari, it requires a person to be exposed to eezo.

Humans can live to about 150 years, and recent medical advances have eradicated almost all known diseases that afflict them. However, as humans only emerged on the galactic stage within the last thirty years, it is highly likely that the introduction of new technology into their society will greatly increase their average lifespan. Humans reach physical maturity at eighteen years of age.

It has been noted that humans are unusual in the galactic community, because they have far greater genetic diversity compared to other species with more peaks and valleys. This makes human genetic material useful in biological experiments, as a control group.

Despite the substantial genetic diversity of humans, certain physical traits have been becoming more rare ever since the 19th and 20th centuries, when the mixing of different Earth ethnicities, due to social progression and acceptance, became more commonplace. To this end, with the merging of genetics, certain traits have declined in frequency. Recessive physical traits like blonde and red hair, as well as blue and green eyes, are even less common in the 22nd century.


HISTORY

In 2148, human explorers on Mars uncovered a long-ruined Prothean observation post, with a surviving data cache that proved Protheans had studied CroMagnon humans millennia ago. While religions tried to assimilate this discovery into their doctrine, a global rush began to decipher the petabytes of data from the outpost. Discovering information on a mass relay orbiting Pluto, explorers managed to open the Charon Relay and discovered it led to Arcturus. With the help of the fledgling Systems Alliance, humans expanded to other systems, opening any mass relays they could find.

Humans first came to the attention of the galactic community after a brief but intense conflict with the turians, known by humans as the First Contact War, begun in 2157. The conflict began when the turians attacked a human fleet attempting to activate a dormant mass relay (illegal under Council law) and then occupied the human colony of Shanxi.

Led by Admiral Kastanie Drescher, the Second Fleet then launched a massive counter-attack, which caught the turians by surprise and expelled them from Shanxi. The conflict caught the attention of the Citadel Council, which wasted no time brokering a peace, thus introducing humans to the galactic community. As a consequence of the Alliance’s swift and decisive action during the First Contact War, the Alliance became the representative and supranational governing body of humanity. Since then, humans have rapidly risen in prominence.

In 2165, humanity was granted an embassy on the Citadel in recognition of their growing power and influence in the galactic community. The timing of this achievement, less than a decade after first contact, caused some friction with other Citadel races who had waited decades for such recognition.

Humanity continued to expand to unclaimed star systems on the edge of Citadel space, which eventually led to competition with the batarians. When the batarians tried and failed to convince the Council to declare the Skyllian Verge “a zone of batarian interest”, they closed their embassy and withdrew from Citadel space. Viewing humans as the cause of their fall from grace, batarians frequently came into conflict with human colonies, especially batarian slavers.


CULTURE

Humans are generally seen to be very intelligent, abnormally ambitious, highly adaptable, individualistic and thus, unpredictable. Their strong desire to advance and improve themselves, as well as their restlessness and relentless curiosity surprised most of the Council races. Even their economy, which is much smaller than any of the Council races, is very powerful relative to their size, and humanity’s military prowess is among the greatest in the galaxy, despite the fact that only 3% of humans volunteer for the Alliance military (a far smaller proportion than other races). Their ability to defeat the turians in the First Contact War demonstrated graphically the potential of human military strength and is therefore a subject of concern for many races, who fear the awakening of a ‘sleeping giant’ that could be the human military.


GOVERNMENT

Systems Alliance, which represents a majority of humans, has had an embassy on the Citadel since 2165. While the humans lack a seat on the Citadel Council, some other species dislike their sudden ascendancy compared to their status as relative newcomers on the galactic stage when it took other species centuries to achieve what humanity managed in decades.

Humans have also been doing what the Council could not: colonize planets in the Attican Traverse, the Skyllian Verge and along the borders of the Terminus Systems, all volatile regions where the Council has little authority, despite constant clashes with batarian gangs and slavers.

Unlike many species in Citadel space, humans have no close allies among the other races, though they are trade partners with the turians and asari. Without alliances or key political positions, humans have to follow the edicts of the Council with very moderate influence on their decisions other than willingness to die rather than losing more of humanity's independence.


MILITARY

The Alliance military is respected by the Citadel races for its novel tactics and technology. Their strength lies in fire support, flexibility, and speed. The Council regards the Alliance as a “sleeping giant” as only 3% of humans volunteer for military service. They make up for low numbers with sophisticated technical support and emphasis on mobility and individual initiative. Their military doctrine is not based on absorbing and dishing out heavy shocks like the turians and krogan. Rather, they bypass enemy strong points and launch deep into their rear, cutting supply lines and logistics, destroying headquarters and support units, and so on.

On defense, the Alliance military lives by Sun Tzu’s maxim, “He who tries to defend everything defends nothing”. Only token garrisons are placed on their colonies, whose job is mostly scouting and reporting on invaders, rather than engaging in combat. However, the Alliance stations powerful fleets at mass relay nexuses so that in the event of an attack they respond with overwhelming force.

The Hahne-Kedar company and Aldrin Labs are key suppliers of the military. All soldiers receive gene therapy for improved strength and stamina. The Alliance also recruits biotics, who are trained using techniques developed at BAaT.

At the time of the First Contact War in 2157 CE, the Alliance possessed a navy consisting of over 200 vessels ranging from small hundred-meter frigates to imposing kilometer-long dreadnoughts and carriers. By 2183 CE, it is recognized as one of the greater military forces in Citadel space. As a signatory of the Treaty of Farixen, the Alliance is restricted to building and maintaining a smaller number of dreadnoughts compared to the turians. The Alliance Navy has made up for this with the innovative design and deployment of carriers, which are as large as dreadnoughts, but are not constrained by the treaty because their primary armament consists of fighters instead of ship-length mass accelerator cannons.

The Alliance Navy is headquartered at Arcturus Station in the strategically invaluable system of Arcturus, which contains mass relays that link to major human colonies and Earth.


RACIAL TRAITS

Homeworld: Earth
Lifespan: 150 years
Creature Size: Medium
Movement Speed: 3
Talent: Human
Level Up: 100xp


TALENT: HUMAN
Rank1 Human Level1 Varied Nature: Humans have a robust physiology and have far greater genetic diversity than most other species. Human starts game with a +2 bonus to one ability score of the player's choice at character creation, representing their varied nature.

Rank2 Human Level5 Quick to Master: Humans gains +1 Bonus Talent. At every fifth Character Level after, they receive additional Bonus Talent point (Maximum 5 Bonus Talent Points at Human Level 25). These talent points can be invested into any Talent skills that your character has access to except the class signature talents.

Rank3 Human Level10 Rapid Expansion: Of all the sentient species in this galaxy cycle Humans expanded and adapted faster and wider than other races. Humans learned their way into the stars quickly, granting them discount bonus of 15% to all transactions.

Rank4 Human Level15 Genetic Diversity: Human genetic variation is the genetic differences in and among populations. There may be multiple variants of any given gene in the human population, a situation called polymorphism. No two humans are genetically identical. Human can now upgrade their chosen Varied in Nature attribute for +2.

EvolutionA Common: Humans are looked at as brash and rough among the galactic community. This is probably a direct result of the relatively short lifespan of a human. Due to the short lifespans of humans, they tend to act a lot more on impulse and feelings rather then waiting and thinking out a course of action. This gives them a rugged existence. It does not help that their reputation of the First Contact War puts fear and concern in eyes of many races. Common Human receives +2 Constitution and -2 Charisma.
EvolutionB Exotic: But there are humans, those who can crush down the negative reputation that precedes them beneath their feet. Those who, despite of the popular merging of genetics, still survived to date. These humans have recessive physical traits like blonde and red hair, as well as blue and green eyes. And while they do not benefit from modern human advantages such is bigger health pool due to all human merges that Common Human enjoys, Exotic Human makes it up with their striking appearance, beauty, attractiveness, those that were a rare catch even before discovery of Prothean Ruins on Mars. Exotic Human receives +2 Charisma and -2 Constitution.

Rank5 Human Level20 Adaptability: Humans showed the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions. Their capacity to be modified for a new use or purpose is the reason why could they spread widely through the galaxy. Adaptability is not just about changing something or adjusting to a situation. It encompasses being able to effect changes in a course of action with smoothness and timeliness, without any major setbacks. Human receives +5% to all Combat, Tech and Biotic Talent effects and damage.

EvolutionA Warrior at Heart: One who stands clearly and powerfully for that which his heart and soul hold dear. True warriors are fierce because their training is fierce. Human receives additional +15% to all Combat Talent effects and damage.
EvolutionB Techie: Enthusiast, or specialist in a particular technical field or subject, especially electronics, the human focus on technology, especially computing, increases their knack of all tech. Human receives additional +15% to all Tech Talent effects and damage.
EvolutionC Eezo Exposed: Only about one in ten eezo-exposed infants will develop biotic talents strong and stable enough to merit training. In extremely rare cases, humans who were exposed in utero but did not manifest biotic talents as children can develop them during young adulthood through additional exposure. Human receives additional +15% to all Biotic Talent effects and damage.