Homebrew Vulcanian Species Details

 

"You're part Vulcanian, aren't you? Ah well then, a pretty face won't affect you at all." Harry Mudd said, disappointment crossing his normally cheerful face. He turned to the three beautiful women with him, "You can save it girls, this type can turn himself off from any emotion."

— Gene Roddenberry, Mudd's Women

 

Vulcanians are a people of powerful emotions, and their past history is one of war and destruction.  Recognising that they risked the destruction of their entire race, a philosopher named Surak proposed a different way - to lead a life governed by logic rather than emotion.  Before he died of radiation poisoning, Surak's teaching had spread across Vulcania and had started his people on the path to logic. 

Thousands of years later, Vulcanians are seen by other races as a people without emotions, but this is not correct, their emotions still exist but they are buried underneath logic and discipline.  Now the only sign of humanity a Vulcanian will display will be a raised eyebrow at the foolishness of other species.

Discipline leads to strength

Vulcanians are approximately the same size as humans ranging from 5 feet tall to over 6 feet. Vulcanians practice physical as well as mental discipline which means there is little difference in body shape with most being perfectly proportioned and weighing between 130 and 189 pounds.  Males are noticeably taller and heavier than females.

Vulcanians have a similar skin coloration to humans, although those with paler skins tend to have a yellow or orange hue. Vulcanian males rarely have facial hair, shaving being seen as a sign of mental discipline.  They favor elegant robes in reds and browns, similar to the landscape of their home world. 

Time is on their side

Vulcanians can live to reach 300 years, giving them a broader perspective than shorter-lived races such as humans.  Vulcanians history spans thousands of years and this, combined with their longevity, puts their focus on the long term. 

A Vulcanian will think nothing of spending ten years in a desert retreat taking part in a ritual to purge themselves of emotion.

This is not to say that they are incapable of action, and Vulcanians can act decisively when required. Although there are few links between their species, Vulcanians' long-term view means they often get on well with Elves.

 

 

Vulcanian Traits

Your Vulcanian character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of thousands of years of devoting themselves to the study of logic.

Mindmeld

By touching another creature, Vulcanians can form a mental link, reading the other creature's thoughts as per the Detect Thoughts spell.

The Mindmeld will only work with creatures who have at least some intelligence, even if this is an instinctive animal intelligence. 

If the Vulcanian attempts to Mindmeld with a creature who is unwilling to accept the meld, the Vulcanian must roll an Intelligence check contested by the target's Wisdom check. 

Controlled Emotions

Vulcanians practice a system of mental discipline that gives them control over their emotions.  This gives them advantage in saving throws against spells or other effects (such as Fear) that would generate an emotional response. 

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 1, and your Intelligence score increases by 2.

Age

Although Vulcans reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, Vulcanians are much longer lived with a life expectancy of 200-300 years

Size

Vulcanians range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Vulcanian. In keeping with a race devoted to logic, Vulcanian is a language focused on utility and precision; unlike human languages, there are very few similes because a Vulcanian will describe a spade as a 'long handled digging object' rather than having to come up for additional words. This precision is seen in the way Vulcanian words are structured, often being made up of three parts such as kal-i-fee meaning "challenge" or fal-tor-pan which describes one of their most sacred rituals.