Homebrew Romulan Species Details

"The Romulans are very moral, Captain. They have an absolute certainty about what is right and what is wrong, who is a friend and who is an enemy, a strict moral compass which provides them with a clarity of purpose."

– DeSeve, 2369 ("Face Of The Enemy")

 

The Romulans were a humanoid race from the planet Romulus. The Romulans were biological cousins of Vulcans, descended from those who rejected Surak's reforms during the Time of Awakening. 

Vulcan Traits, Romulan Wit

Romulans have pointed ears, eyebrows that are arched and up-swept, varied skin color, and copper-based blood that appeared green when oxygenated in the arteries, or copper or rust-colored when deoxygenated in the veins. Some Romulans have two brow ridges above the bridge of their nose, forming a V-shape on the forehead, while other Romulans lack these ridges, making them outwardly indistinguishable from Vulcans. Ridges were a trait associated with Northerners.

Militaristic Civilization

When Surak's reforms of embracing logical principles and rejecting emotion spread rapidly across Vulcan in the 4th century, a minority rejected Surak's ideals. They were described as "those who march beneath the Raptor's wings", a symbol later to be used in the Romulan Star Empire, and eventually departed Vulcan after losing a nuclear war called the Time of Awakening. At some point, they settled on twin planets that became known as Romulus and Remus, thereby laying the foundation of the Romulan Star Empire. 

In Romulan society, military/political rank influences social standing. Because Romulans were members of a militaristic civilization, who considered defending the Romulan Empire and their own personal honor of foremost importance, military service and its accompanying rank were decisive factors in determining social eminence. However, while the military played an important role in Romulan society, it was the Romulan Senate that controlled the government. 

By the 24th century, the government of Romulus was dependent upon the Tal Shiar, the Romulan secret police, to maintain order and stability among both civilians and the military. The Tal Shiar was known for its brutal tactics, which included routine kidnapping, torture, and assassination. Many Romulans feared even expressing dissenting opinions in order to not bring the attention of the Tal Shiar. There were also indications that tension existed between the military and the Tal Shiar.

Controlled Deviousness

The Romulans lacked the rigorous mental disciplines developed by the followers of Surak. Like the Vulcans, the Romulans gave up unrestrained violence as a way of life. However, in the case of the Romulans, this was replaced with a controlled deviousness: as a species, the Romulans were generally thought of as duplicitous, a reputation reinforced by the actions of their government over time.

The Romulans saw and valued themselves as a passionate people. They dealt with loss differently from Humans: they loved deeply, and if it ended they honored that love by loving again, more deeply still. The totalitarian nature of Romulan society, in which dissent was often a crime and Romulan security officers masqueraded as citizens, led many Romulans to be extremely paranoid. 

Romulan Names

Male Names: Ayel, Bochra, D'Tan, Elnor, Hiren, Kaseth, Koval, Mirok, Narek, Nero, Parem, Setal, Sirol, Suran, Talok, Valdore, Zhaban

Female Adult Names: Caithlin, Donatra, Frenchotte, J'Vini, Karina, Kimara, Laris, Narissa, Oh, Pel, Ramdha, Sela, Shira, Tallinn, T'Rul, Zani

Romulan Traits

Your Romulan character will have many traits similar to your Vulcan cousins, except that you do not possess their psychic powers such as the mind meld.

Ability Score Increase

Your strength score increases by 2, but your charisma decreases by 2. 

Age

Romulans reach maturity at the same ages of Humans and Vulcans, and typically live as old as 200 years.

Size

Like your Vulcan cousins, you range in height from 5 feet to over 6 feet tall. Your size is medium.

Alignment

Due to their deep appreciation for Romulan militaristic society, Romulans will most commonly fall into the lawful category. However, with their xenophobic views against other species and paranoia of trusting others, they also will fall into either neutral or evil alignment. 

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Stoicism

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened. Additionally, twice a day, you may roll a d6 and subtract it from the DC against charms and fright.

Tireless

Like your Vulcan cousins, Romulans need very little sleep. You can go for a number of days equal to your constitution modifier with no sleep, after which you need only sleep for 8 hours. You may gain the benefits of a long rest after 4 hours of meditation.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Romulan.