Guide to races
During your time on station you may find yourself face to face (or face to mirror) with the not quite human. Be they aliens, mutated humans, or self aware constructs you're expected to try and coexist on this deathtrap. Learning their quirks can be key to knowing how to keep them amicable in times of peace, and easy to put down in times of strife.
Roundstart Races
On tgstation, these are the races allowed to be chosen at round start. Because they are freely available, you should expect to deal with them nearly every round.
Humans
On the station humans enjoy a degree of superiority over other races, everyone you meet in a position of power will generally be a human. By default, the AI will apply the protections of its laws ONLY to humans, though they may extend that protection to other races out of preference provided doing so doesn't harm humans. Should a conflict arise between a human and another race, expect the AI to take the human's side.
Benefits
- AI Protection
- Domination of Command Jobs
- Strength in numbers
Drawbacks
- Prone to mutation to other races
- No special traits
Where to find them: Everywhere
Lizardpeople
Second class citizens, lizards are generally regulated to lower level work. Within a department a lizard staff member may enjoy anywhere from almost equal standing to obvious racism and disrespect, depending on their coworkers. They enjoy few advantages beyond their striking appearance.
Benefits
- Memorable appearance
- Solidarity with lizards staffmates
Drawbacks
- Likely target of racism
- Noticeable lisssp
- Poor ability to hide their identity
Where to find them: Everywhere but command
Human Mutants
Over the course of a shift, you or someone you know may lose their humanity. These races are not born, but made. These players are less likely to be the targets of racism, as many may simply acknowledge their former humanity, but are none the less NOT human anymore.
Podpeople
Human blood, resurrected through a plant. Podpeople are rare to see, often only making an appearance if the cloner has been destroyed or the power is out for an extended period of time. They enjoy a significant benefit in healing but suffer huge drawbacks. Without a source of light, they quickly wither and die.
Benefits
- Gradually heals and gains nutrition in well lit areas
Drawbacks
- Starves to death in darkness
- Tendency to be overweight due to desire to stay in the light at all times
- Extra vulnerable to chemicals designed to kill plant life
Where to find them: Hydroponics
Slimepeople
Former humans who were converted to slime by mutation toxin. Many scientists working in xenobiology will undergo this mutation willingly to work closer with their slimes, but others may mass produce the toxin and try to push it on others. Their bodies are composed of a toxic jelly, which shouldn't be consumed by other races.
Benefits
- Full immunity from the wrath of hungry slimes
- Toxic blood that can poison others if ingested
- Immunity to bleeding out
Drawbacks
- More vulnerable to turning into nonhumanoid slimes
- Large hunger from jelly production
- Can be "drained" to death by removing their jelly manually or "cleansed" to death with drugs that treat toxin damage
Where to find them: Xenobiology
Flypeople
Walking abominations of mishmatched DNA caused by teleporter malfunctions. Careful use and upgrading of the teleporter can assure those that dabble with it don't end up in this sorry state. Unlike other mutant races, there's absolutely nothing redeemable about existing like this, unless you just enjoy being a freak.
Benefits
- None
Drawbacks
- Buzzing lisp
- Grotesque appearance
- Toxic flesh
- Radioactive damage
Where to find them: Near a teleporter
Skeletons
The skeleton within, unleashed! Somehow still alive, a skeleton is just a sack of stark white bones. Becoming one is a traumatic ordeal of consuming toxic chemicals that are likely to kill you if you do not act quickly and with medical support from coworkers. If you manage to survive the experience, skeletons enjoy a wide selection of useful immunities, just don't expect the crew to ever enjoy looking at you ever again.
Benefits
- Don't need to breathe
- Can survive in extreme temperatures
- Have no blood to lose
- Are immune to the effects of radiation
- Can play haunting melodies on their ribcage
Drawbacks
- Too spooky for most to tolerate
- Intensely fatal conversion process
Where to find them: Chemistry
Zombies
Rotted remains of former humans, brought almost all the way back to life. Unlike the zombies you find in movies, these zombies don't crave your brains despite what they might be compelled to say sometimes. It's perfectly possible to coexist with these zombies, though understanding their slurring speech might drive some to wish it wasn't.
Benefits
- Don't need to breathe
- Can survive in extreme temperatures
- Have no blood to lose
- Are immune to the effects of radiation
Drawbacks
- Very hard to understand
- Very hard to look at
- Requires that you die first
Where to find them: Chemistry/Medbay
Construct Races
These races were never human to begin with, rather they were made without any original human to convert. They are decidedly even LESS human in the eyes of many, and are frequently mistrusted as a result.
Adamantine Golem
Lumbering people of shining stone, adamantine golems are born into the servitude of their creators. While some will immediately gift these golems with freedom others will keep them close as assistants, bodyguards, or attack dogs. Golems do not have a will of their own unless granted one by their creator, and are not directly responsible for their actions if commanded.
Benefits
- Extremely resilient to brute damage
- Spaceworthy: immune to pressure, temperature, and breathing
- Improved unarmed attacks
- Have no blood to lose
- Are immune to the effects of radiation
- It beats being dead
Drawbacks
- Bound to will of creator unless freed
- Extremely slow
- Immune to cryogenic drugs
- Cannot equip clothing
- Cannot use guns
- Often prejudiced against and slain without mercy by the station at first sign of trouble
Where to find them: Xenobiology
Exotic Races
These races have very few ways to come about, and often rely on very rare situations to exist at all. You will almost never have to deal with them, but should be aware of them all the same for when the time comes.
Shadowpeople
Cursed beings of darkness, shadows that cannot exist for long in the light. They skulk in darkened maintenance corridors or in workplaces with intentionally destroyed lighting. They are not intrinsically evil, but still invoke an understandable level of mistrust in pretty much everyone.
Benefits
- Gradually heals in the dark
- Don't need to breathe
- Have no blood to lose
- Are immune to the effects of radiation
- Can see far in the dark
Drawbacks
- Will perish in the light
- Cannot see well in the dark
- Generally impossible to maintain a normal life on the station
Where to find them: In the darkness
Jellypeople
Bizarre three eyed beings with innervated skeletons immersed in a jelly frame. Their appearance is ghastly and utterly alien, though for some strange reason they almost seem... nostalgic? They are functionally equivalent to slimepeople in almost all regards.
Benefits
- Toxic blood that can poison others if ingested
- Immunity to bleeding out
Drawbacks
- Large hunger from jelly production
- Can be "drained" to death by removing their jelly manually or "cleansed" to death with drugs that treat toxin damage
- Extremely nonhuman looking
Where to find them: ???
Golems
Though they function equivalently to their adamantine brothers the source of these traditional golems is implied to be magical in nature. Golems generally do not have masters when they appear, though they suffer all the same problems adamantine do otherwise.
Benefits
- Extremely resilient to brute damage
- Spaceworthy: immune to pressure, temperature, and breathing
- Improved unarmed attacks
- Have no blood to lose
- Are immune to the effects of radiation
Drawbacks
- Extremely slow
- Immune to cryogenic drugs
- Cannot equip clothing
- Cannot use guns
Where to find them: ???