Batarian (Mass Effect Supplement)

Batarian

Physical Description

[Source]

Batarians are superficially similar to humans in terms of facial structure, body composition, sexual dimorphism, and height. Batarian heads have various cartilage "ridges", with one running from the top of their skull down the back of their neck, and others running down their cheeks at an angle. What would be a nose in humans and asari is instead an inverted flat triangle symmetrically ridged vertically. Batarian mouths are lined with needle-like teeth, and produce a voice that sounds deep and guttural when compared to other human-like races, even drell. Batarians have four eyes, each a black abyss with no discernable pupils or irises. Batarian skin ranges between reds, browns, yellows, and greens.

History

Ancient batarian society developed similarly to humanity, though notably a few thousand years prior. Batarians gained their knowledge of mass effect technology from prothean ruins on Bira, a moon of Verush, whose human analog would be the planet Mars. Batarians take pride in establishing FTL capabilities around the same time as other races due to the ruins having been severely damaged by the moon's earthquakes. They were among the races to join the Council in the Formation Era spanning from 500 BCE - 0 CE, and had an embassy within a century of the volus establishing theirs.

The Batarian Hegemony is notoriously aggressive, even in this era of relative peace. Sometime around 1785 CE, a batarian fleet bombarded the salarian colony world of Mannovai; in 1913, they annexed the independent asari colony of Esan; and in 2115, Citadel forces skirmished with batarian forces on the planet Enael. When humanity began colonizing the Skyllian Verge, the Hegemony reached out to the Council to declare it "an area of batarian interest" as they already had a spattering of colonies on the region's edge. Being denied for obvious reasons, they immediately closed their embassy and severed diplomatic and economic relations with Citadel space, becoming an inward-looking rogue state.

Money and weapons funneled from the batarian government to criminal organizations led to many brutal raids on human colonies in the Verge, such as Mindoir, culminating in the Skyllian Blitz of 2176, an attack on the paradise world of Elysium by batarian-funded pirates and slavers. In 2178, the Alliance retaliated with a crushing assault on the moon of Torfan, long used as a staging base by batarian-backed criminals. In the aftermath, the batarians retreated into their own systems, and are now rarely seen in Citadel space.

Society

Batarian society is built on a Hegemony-enforced caste system in which what caste one is in is depended on a subscription service, with spending more credits giving you access to better facilities, work, and respect. To question or circumvent the system is considered an insult and a crime. Many batarians believe their number of eyes grants them intellectual superiority, though this is mostly because other races find it challenging to decide which set to focus on in discussion.

Slavery is a fundamental part of batarian society. Slavers are among the highest castes, and are feared across the galaxy, particularly among more recently established colonies. Victims of such raids are usually implanted with control devices in their skulls, a painful operation since the slavers rarely make use of anesthetic. It is common for batarians to enslave addicts who can not support their habit.

While still hostile to the Systems Alliance, the Batarian Hegemony is not considered a major threat by the Citadel Council. The Hegemony's Department of Information Control ensures that only government-approved news enters or leaves batarian space, so it is difficult to gauge how the average batarian views the caste system or their nation's isolation, though it's highly likely the Hegemony governs as a autocratic or totalitarian authority. Despite being self imposed, most batarians view humanity as the source of their isolation, leading to increased hostility. While the Hegemony outright funds and supports these actions, they are quick to distance themselves from any incriminating events.

Despite their isolation, the batarians still provide up-to-date glossaries and linguistic rules to the rest of the galaxy, though it is suspected that this is only so they can continue exporting propaganda. Batarian languages have become "lingua franca" in the Terminus Systems due to the prevalence of batarians in the region.

Batarian Names

Like humans, batarian names consist of a given name and family name.

Male Names: Afothor, Carn, Dhapo, Drathar, Ecray, Eporn, Irorok, Khamak, Okorem, Prathan, Sato, Sonk, Uderlak

Female Names: Apenine, Adrechia, Banim, Della, Erakis, Famisa, Fophe, Igosin, Iraphi, Kranine, Krathe, Okhefin, Pravile, Ramye

Family Names: Can'dabar, Das'codah, Dhen'gess, Dran'fapos, Ghapsacan, Gronnopos, Kasbovran, Khognalak, Krak'gork, Pec'bawen, Sanrowar

Batarian Traits

Ability Score Increase. Three ability scores of your choice increase by 1.
Age. Batarians reach adulthood in their late teens and live between 125 and 150 years.
Alignment. Batarians outside of Hegemony space are widely regarded as slavers, pirates, and any number of other types of criminals, and as such are mostly Chaotic or Lawful Evil.
Size. Batarians are comparable to humans, asari, and drell. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Quaternocular Vision. You have advantage on Perception checks that rely on sight. When you make an attack with a ranged weapon, you may double the weapon's normal range once, regaining use at the end of a short rest.
Ingenuity. When you make a saving throw you are not proficient in, you gain a bonus to the roll equal to half your proficiency bonus.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Batarian.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 5''	+2d10	100 lb.	× (2d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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