Starfinder: Dead suns

[ChaoticSky]

Argh, i want to play a Shirren but i cannot find any pictures that are close enough to claim but still good looking. With all the crap on the internet it should not be this hard to find vaguely sexy bug people with a slim chitinous look instead of fuzzy or humanish ones. 

[Angie]

Argh, i want to play a Shirren but i cannot find any pictures that are close enough to claim but still good looking. With all the crap on the internet it should not be this hard to find vaguely sexy bug people with a slim chitinous look instead of fuzzy or humanish ones. 

You'd be surprised how hard it is to find stuff you want.

Don't let a lack of picture hold you back. Sometimes a description is better.

[Muse]

I'd like everyone to meet Vasha. 

  She's a tall, slender girl, graceful and elegant, with a keen mind and strong leadership skills.  (Unfortunately she's also a bit hot headed.  A touch lacking in judgement, she often grabs an idea and runs with it.) 

  Vasha is 24.  Before joinnig this crew she was a medical student with a specialty in xenobiology.  Her money ran out before she could complete medical school.  Instead of falling prey to predatory lending, she decided to take what she did know and go exploring. 

  Vasha is a bisexual xenopheliac, but a virgin on account of having kept too busy with her studdies to have much opertunity to do more than dance and kiss. 

[HopeFox]

This is bringing up some interesting questions. To what extent are the various races likely to be interested in each other sexually?

Kasathas, lashuntas, vesk and ysoki seem to have the same sort of sex and gender dynamics as humans, so it's reasonable to think that the possibility of romantic and sexual attraction between those five species is there. Especially so with the lashuntas, who are attractive to most humanoid species.

Shirren have three biological sexes. It's not clear how the physical act of reproduction works, but my best inference is that the male and female have "typical" intercourse, then the female somehow transfers the fertilized egg to the host. I suppose a shirren male or female could enjoy intercourse with another species. It's hard to say if there's anything "sexual" about the egg transferal process. The weird thing about the shirren is that they used to be part of a hive mind, so it's hard to say what kind of sexual or romantic instincts they have now that they're individuals.

And then there's androids, who have no biological sex. Some of them have gender identity, but others don't. There's no evolutionary reason for them to have a sex drive. An android that was manufactured by unscrupulous designers to be used as a sexbot might have an inherent sex drive, but others would probably only see sex as an interesting physical activity like tennis. And that's only if they had the relevant parts, or modified themselves to have them.

[ChaoticSky]

Shirren have three biological sexes. It's not clear how the physical act of reproduction works, but my best inference is that the male and female have "typical" intercourse, then the female somehow transfers the fertilized egg to the host. I suppose a shirren male or female could enjoy intercourse with another species. It's hard to say if there's anything "sexual" about the egg transferal process. The weird thing about the shirren is that they used to be part of a hive mind, so it's hard to say what kind of sexual or romantic instincts they have now that they're individuals.

And then there's androids, who have no biological sex. Some of them have gender identity, but others don't. There's no evolutionary reason for them to have a sex drive. An android that was manufactured by unscrupulous designers to be used as a sexbot might have an inherent sex drive, but others would probably only see sex as an interesting physical activity like tennis. And that's only if they had the relevant parts, or modified themselves to have them.

Heh. Well heres my thoughts on the matter (and since i want to play one, i have been thinking about it alot).

Putting aside the age old saying that fantasy-setting humans will fuck *anything*;

Shirren have three genders; male, female and host. The male supplies the sperm, so they likely have a penis or something like one. Females supply the eggs, so despite what 'female' brings to mind they probably have a ovipositor, or something like one. Hosts bear the young, provide a genetic contribution of their own (likely through a uteral blood connection), and supply the developing young with immunities (the way we do through milk), this means they probably have a vagina and womb, or something very much like one. Culturally, the host is also considered the 'mother', and shirren vary between having trio-relationships and having Hosts as a 'brood mother' of sorts for many m/f couples (but having primacy where parenting is concerned, not just a babymaker for other people).

So what this means is that male and female shirren can probably fuck traditional females, with shirren females being a much stranger experience. I could see some erotic 'breeding' style play where both a male and female shirren fuck a human 'incubator', but outside of a hental-style plot i cannot see that actually producing viable pregnancy because normal-females dont have the same internal mechancs as a Host, to say nothing of biological barriers. On the other hand shirren Hosts can be fucked by males of other species, but theres no eggs to fertilize in this mix. If you can get past the differences in appearance, fucking aliens who you are wildly incompatible with(biologically) is probably the safest sex imaginable; no diseases, no pregnancy, no pills or condoms. I would be entirely shocked if there wasnt at leased some concious cultural recognition of that fact, much like the benefits of anal sex before condoms where invented.

I've also been playing with the idea of having my character get aroused when she gets to make a decision... the Swarm seems to have used the pleasure principle (atleased in part) to control its members, and it specifically mentioned that the Shirren rewired themselves to be rewarded by making their own choices instead of for doing what they were told, they can even get addicted to it. So it might make a neat bit of alien foreplay to get the shirren to make choices before or during sex to heighten arousal. 'the red one or the black one?' 'moans' 

As far as Androids go, they clearly cant become pregnant or make someone else such and are probably highly desired as casual partners for that reason by humans (and other races who are similar). They do have a mix of organic bits in there (which makes them Cyborgs not Androids /nerdrant!), so its entirely possible that they could have the proper biological parts for sex, and equally possible that they might have non-biological parts that do the same job (vibrator penis anyone? ). And while they have no evolutionary need for a sex drive, they are human based and do feel emotion the same as humans do (they are just much worse at expressing them), so i would say on balance that any android that isnt one of the hardcore machinist 'how dare you assign me a gender you filthy meatbag!' types probably has some interest in sex. Though i would assume they tend to view it more casually than humans do, since they lack all the messy side effects; a pleasurable activity, but not a especially significant one. Though that said, for obvious cultural reason i bet a pretty penny that they are extremely rare in semi-exploitative industries like prostitution and porn, despite lacking humanity's hangups.

[evilnerf]

Is there still room in this game? 

[wander]

On androids; In Eclipse Phase it's noted that AI characters take pleasure from data retrieval, aka learning/experiencing new things. To this end if they were in a sexual partnership, I would see them as being always up for new things, trying new kinks, just to experience it and log it's data away on how it felt.

Of course it would be the androids that have been built to have sexual organs that could do this and their programming could mean they take pleasure from whatever they were programmed to. Because of the complete openness of their construction, futanari or other interesting configurations (like shirren style as previously mentioned) could be viable sexual organs for an android to be given, for whatever reason. We think sexbot as our first thought, though I also think spies made to look like their cover would benefit from this, so as not to be found out and also for seduction purposes, taking for an example a femme fatale spy out to screw the intel from her mark.

[Tremerette]

In some Starfinder RP I am doing with someone I just take it as my Android having a female body and identifying as female. She had been conned into slavery but the male human character (later to become her lover) helped her escape. RPing it as quite new to her sexuality as they were using her for purely labor nothing kinky. She likes exploring sex but it is an emotional and pleasurable thing for her completely unrelated to reproduction.

Reproduction (beyond renewal) in her mind with her partner would be one of two things. One him being a technomancer helping her create a new android. Two them having a human woman become a third member of their relationship, the child of this would have not have a physical or genetic link to her but she would treat it as her child and help nurture it.

In the TV show Humans a Synth reassures her human lover that although she did not derive physical pleasure after sex she appreciated the closeness.

I think Androids are open to a lot of interpretation without any being wrong. They get built in various ways with some made to look like specific species being possible. I can see an android having all the fun benefits while another in the same game not being built that way.

[wander]

Much agreed, I think they're the one race where they're very much 'Your Dude' and they can be whatever you want them to be, on the justification that they were just built/programmed that way.

[ChaoticSky]

On androids; In Eclipse Phase it's noted that AI characters take pleasure from data retrieval, aka learning/experiencing new things. To this end if they were in a sexual partnership, I would see them as being always up for new things, trying new kinks, just to experience it and log it's data away on how it felt.

Thats not quite right, AGI's (and infomorphic human egos) can engage in 'task eroticism', where they basically plug completion of a particular task into their pleasure centers. So instead of feeling good from their feel-good bits (which they dont have, being virtual entities) they get good feelings from completing certain tasks. Most often ones that have to do with their job. Imagine being a bored office drone who has to stare at sheets of data all day looking for spending anomalies. Now imagine you get a orgasm every time you find a anomaly.. whos going to be paying more attention? This is the benefit of task eroticism, its good for you, and its good for whoever your doing tasks for. Data retrieval was just one example given.

Though for the same reason you could totally make a android who got off on learning new things. While not a virtual entity, theres no reason their pleasure has to be limited to physical stimulation, much like Shirren's Choice-eroticism.

[corvusul86]

For Shirren, don't forget that the secondary arms are called 'mating arms' and are used for reproduction, so I picture something like squid which use one of their arms to pass sperm to the female.  Given the third sex, I suspect the female lays an egg, the male rubs sperm on it, and they implant it in the third sex. 

I'd probably ignore this theory for a game on E though, for obvious reasons.

[ChaoticSky]

For Shirren, don't forget that the secondary arms are called 'mating arms' and are used for reproduction, so I picture something like squid which use one of their arms to pass sperm to the female.  Given the third sex, I suspect the female lays an egg, the male rubs sperm on it, and they implant it in the third sex. 

I'd probably ignore this theory for a game on E though, for obvious reasons.

It doesnt make alot of sense to lay a egg and then stuff it back inside. Which is why i think females have a ovipositor. female implants the egg(/s?) into the Host, and then the male fertilzes it in the usual way.

As for the mating arms, i had considered them more like a T-rex's arms, used for stimulating/caressing a lover rather than directly performing sexual acts (And their sides/rib area being a feel-good spot). Since the arms can be used for normal tasks (its just considered lewd) i dont think they have a specialised sexual function.

[corvusul86]

Of course, don't forget 'feels good' is going to be a strange thing with Shirren, given the way their pleasure neurotransmitters work.

The Shirren are a very strange race.  Honestly, Androids seems easier to roleplay for me, but I like to see some real sci fi weirdness in a setting like this.

[Muse]

  i clearly need to read more about the Shiren and the kassatha! 

  Random bit of human sexual biology/psychology since we're talking about biological oddities of pleasure and procreation. 

  It's clearly biological advantageous for humans to enjoy sex.  On the most primal level, life is a chemical reaction where chains of charbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen try to find newer and better ways to self replicate!  No wonder sex is so often on our minds! 

  But humans derive pleasure from more than just potentially procreative intercourse.  Some of it makes sense.  Nipples are sensitive so that we can enjoy feeding our kids. 

  But then...  Well, I know it's not universal, but ever girl i ever dated had very sensitive ears.  (As do I.)  How did that happen? 

  There's also what we find attractive.  Freud pointed out that we usually find secondary sexual characteristics--like breasts and butts--more attractive than primary ones. 

  I hope that wasn't too much babbling.  I was just thinking that it's not terribly weird for a species to have sensitive ribs.  :) 

  I'd also like to see Lashuntas and Shirens kissing by rubbing each other's antenna together. 

[ChaoticSky]

Heh. Those two races have alot in common, antenna, passably telepathic...

But Lash are racist against Shirrens 

At leased by stereotype.

[corvusul86]

Heh. Those two races have alot in common, antenna, passably telepathic...

But Lash are racist against Shirrens 

At leased by stereotype.

Forbidden love?  Nothing like that could possibly make lead to fetishizing...

I bet Absolom Station's network is about 75% Lashunta/Shirren porn.

[evilnerf]

So I never heard back on my query, but I was bored, so I made a character.  Lemme know if I can join or not.

Lt. Valeri Hightower
Race      Human
Alignment   Lawful Good
Deity   Iomodae
Homeworld   Absalom Station
Faction   The Stewards
Gender   Female
Sexuality   Pansexual

Lieutenant Valeri has been a member of The Stewards for 6 months now.  Fresh out of the Academy, she is unpopular among the rest of the station security due to her hardnosed attitude.  She has decided to make a name for herself and move up the ranks, even if she has to make a few enemies along the way.  Still, she joined, and has continued to serve, primarily as a way to help people and carve out some corner of law in this harsh galaxy and is more than willing to fight and die for what she believes in.

She's had a few flings in the past, but never found anyone she could really relate to on a personal level, but still, sometimes she wish there was someone who could penetrate her hard exterior and make her feel loved.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

HP 10
SP 6
Resolve 5

EAC 12
KAC 13

Fort 0
Ref 4
Will 2

Init +2
Speed 30

Arc Pistol, Static
+3, 1d6E, Arc 2, 50 ft, 20 charges, Stun

Frag Grenade
+2, Explode (1d6P, 15 ft), 20 ft.

8 + INTELLIGENCE MODIFIER
Skill   Attr   Ramks   Total
Acrobatics (dex)   2   1   6
Bluff (Cha)   4   1   8
Computers (Int)           
Culture (Int)   0   1   4
Diplomacy (Cha)    4   1   8
Disguise (Cha)    4   1   8
Engineering (Int)   0   1   5
Intimidate (Cha)          
Medicine (Int)         
Perception (Wis)          
Piloting (Dex)   2   3   7
Profession          
Sense Motive (Wis)   0   1   4
Sleight of Hand (Dex)          
Stealth (Dex)    2   1   6

Carrying Capacity             5
Arc Pistol, Static (750)   L
Frag Grenade (35)   L
Stationware, Flight Suit (95)   L
Comm Unit, (7)   L
Tool Kit, Engineering (20)   L
Flashlight (1)   L
Fire extinguisher (15)   L
Credits: 78c   

Theme
THEME KNOWLEDGE 1st Level
   You are obsessed with starships and vehicles, and have committed to memory almost every related tidbit of knowledge you’ve ever come across. Reduce the DC of  culture checks to recall knowledge about starship and vehicle models and parts as well as famous hotshot pilots by 5. Piloting is a class skill for you, though if it is a class skill from the class you take at 1st level, you instead gain a +1 bonus to your Piloting checks. In addition, you gain an ability adjustment of +1 to Dexterity at character creation.

Class
ENVOY IMPROVISATION 1st Level
As you gain experience, you learn envoy improvisations—little tricks that bolster allies, confound enemies, or change the ebb and flow of battle using guile, inspiration, or luck. You learn your first envoy improvisation at 1st level, and you learn an additional improvisation at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter. The list of envoy improvisations appears on page 62. 
   If an improvisation allows you to grant an effect to an ally, you cannot grant yourself that effect unless the improvisation states otherwise. If an envoy improvisation allows a saving throw to resist its effects or requires an enemy to attempt a skill check, the DC is equal to 10 + half your envoy level + your Charisma modifier.  Some envoy improvisations are language-dependent, mindaffecting, sense-dependent, or some combination of any or all of these. These terms are defined on page 270.

EXPERTISE (EX) 1st Level
   You are an expert at dealing with challenges that test your skills, be the challenges social or otherwise. At 1st level, when attempting a Sense Motive check, you can roll 1d6 (your expertise die) and add the result of the roll to your check as an insight bonus. You can use this and other expertise abilities as long as you have at
least 1 Resolve Point remaining. At 5th level, anytime you roll your expertise die, you gain a +1 bonus to the result.
   At 9th, 17th, and 20th levels, this bonus increases by 1. At 13th level, you roll 1d8 as your expertise die instead of 1d6.
   Beginning at 9th level, you have even greater expertise with skills to which you can add your expertise die that you have also selected with the Skill Focus feat. For each such skill, once per day when rolling your expertise die to add to that skill, you may roll the expertise die twice and take the better of the two results.

SKILL EXPERTISE (EX) 1st Level
   At 1st level and every 4 levels thereafter, you can use expertise with one additional class skill. You must have at least 1 rank in a skill to select it, and it must come from the following list: Bluff (Cha), Computers (Int), Culture (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Engineering (Int), Intimidate (Cha), and Medicine (Int).

Improvisations
Inspiring Boost (Ex)
   As a standard action, you can signal an ally within 30 feet who has taken damage from any attack made by a significant enemy (see page 242) at any point after your last turn ended. That ally regains a number of Stamina Points (up to his maximum) equal to twice your envoy level + your Charisma modifier; at 15th level, this increases to three times your envoy level + your Charisma modifier. Once an ally has benefited from your inspiring boost, that ally can’t gain the benefits of your inspiring boost again until he takes a 10-minute rest to recover Stamina Points.
  At 6th level, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to add your envoy level to the number of Stamina Points regained.

Feats
MOBILITY (Combat)
You can easily move past dangerous foes.
Prerequisites: Dex 13.
Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to your Armor Class against attacks of opportunity that you provoke by leaving a threatened square.

WEAPON FOCUS (Combat)
   You have increased training in a particular weapon type, making it easier to hit your target.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon type.

Benefit: Chose one weapon type (small arms, longarms, heavy weapons, etc.). You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with that weapon type. If your base attack bonus is at least 3 lower than your character level (or your mechanic’s class level, if you are a drone), you gain a +2 bonus instead.

[Muse]

I think this information is germane, Nerf. 

So, as far as I can see:

Angie, hopefox, wander, tremerette, corvus have given full sheets.

Re ZL and muse have given at least partial interest. Several others have voiced interest. I will leave it until Friday, then choose the 5 characters. So feel free to send in a sheet if you have not yet.

If I can work it, and there is interest I might ru a second table later on.

[HopeFox]

Shirren have three genders; male, female and host. The male supplies the sperm, so they likely have a penis or something like one. Females supply the eggs, so despite what 'female' brings to mind they probably have a ovipositor, or something like one. Hosts bear the young, provide a genetic contribution of their own (likely through a uteral blood connection), and supply the developing young with immunities (the way we do through milk), this means they probably have a vagina and womb, or something very much like one. Culturally, the host is also considered the 'mother', and shirren vary between having trio-relationships and having Hosts as a 'brood mother' of sorts for many m/f couples (but having primacy where parenting is concerned, not just a babymaker for other people).

So what this means is that male and female shirren can probably fuck traditional females, with shirren females being a much stranger experience. I could see some erotic 'breeding' style play where both a male and female shirren fuck a human 'incubator', but outside of a hental-style plot i cannot see that actually producing viable pregnancy because normal-females dont have the same internal mechancs as a Host, to say nothing of biological barriers. On the other hand shirren Hosts can be fucked by males of other species, but theres no eggs to fertilize in this mix. If you can get past the differences in appearance, fucking aliens who you are wildly incompatible with(biologically) is probably the safest sex imaginable; no diseases, no pregnancy, no pills or condoms. I would be entirely shocked if there wasnt at leased some concious cultural recognition of that fact, much like the benefits of anal sex before condoms where invented.

That makes a lot of sense. The penetrative act of the female using her ovipositor to deposit the fertilized egg in the host could produce sexual pleasure just like the original reproductive act does, and thus could be replicated by other species. The "incubation threesome" with another species is pretty hot. :)

I've also been playing with the idea of having my character get aroused when she gets to make a decision... the Swarm seems to have used the pleasure principle (atleased in part) to control its members, and it specifically mentioned that the Shirren rewired themselves to be rewarded by making their own choices instead of for doing what they were told, they can even get addicted to it. So it might make a neat bit of alien foreplay to get the shirren to make choices before or during sex to heighten arousal. 'the red one or the black one?' 'moans' 

Do it. It's cute and hilarious.

Going by real-world reptiles, vesk probably have "normal" intercourse and then lay eggs (probably only one at a time, for similar reasons to humans). Otherwise, they probably don't have any real sexual oddities, other than having only one orifice and no breasts. Maybe hemi-penes, who knows?

One of the fun things about a sci-fi game like this is that the GM and the players get to make all this stuff up! Unless Paizo actually publishes a xenophilia guide in the Alien Archive, which I'm about 95% sure they're not going to do. 90% sure.

[evilnerf]

Extra bored today, so I rebuilt my character as a Soldier.  Just in case you guys think this works better.

[wander]

Well my Soldier Ysoki is built as a sniper, so I'm cool if they do a different soldier hat. ^^

Second, and this is super important!! As I've got a male Ysoki, anyone know anything interesting about rat reproduction? 

[corvusul86]

Well my Soldier Ysoki is built as a sniper, so I'm cool if they do a different soldier hat. ^^

Second, and this is super important!! As I've got a male Ysoki, anyone know anything interesting about rat reproduction? 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9385085

[ChaoticSky]

That makes a lot of sense. The penetrative act of the female using her ovipositor to deposit the fertilized egg in the host could produce sexual pleasure just like the original reproductive act does, and thus could be replicated by other species. The "incubation threesome" with another species is pretty hot. :)

I was picturing it more along the lines of female places eggs into the host (during intercourse), then male supplies the usual 'fertilizer' (also into the host), host gets pregnant and eventually gives birth to the larva. Though doing it in a chain of Male>female>host works, especially if you want to justify a Shirren Futa.

And yea! I thought so too. And the more i think of it the more it is now my headcanon that (going back to the mildly racist thing Lashunta have going against Shirrens), 'incubation' porn, where a lash is fucked by a female Shirren to fill her up with eggs, and then a male to fertilize them, is probably the Lash version of BBC porn. Not that they could actually get pregnant like that without a real Host, but hey porn.

Though now im not sure what gender to play! I had intended to play a host, simply because i default to female characters. But the idea of playing a female shirren is growing more intriguing, especially with your idea giving them the best of both genders, so to speak. Thoughts?

Second, and this is super important!! As I've got a male Ysoki, anyone know anything interesting about rat reproduction? 

Rats libido tends to slow down if its too hot or too cold, otherwise they make rabbits look like turtles. If i was playing a Ysoki I'd totally claim unlimited sexual stamina, limited only by physical exhaustion. But complain alot about any mildly extreme temperature the group runs into.

Female wise, i would likely assume they are highly fertile, but have short and relatively inconvenience-free pregnancies (compared to humans).

[Re Z L]

All done with the sheet! 

[evilnerf]

Well my Soldier Ysoki is built as a sniper, so I'm cool if they do a different soldier hat. ^^

Second, and this is super important!! As I've got a male Ysoki, anyone know anything interesting about rat reproduction? 

I built mine as a ranged oriented guard.  Since we already have a Melee Heavy Solarian.  Since you are going to be long ranged character, and we have an operative as well.  I'll just stick with the Envoy build.