Star Trek Romulan

Name: Romulan
Dice: 13D
Dexterity: 2D / 4D
Knowledge: 2D / 4D
Mechanical: 2D / 4D
Perception: 2D / 4D
Strength: 2D+1 / 4D+1
Technical: 2D+1 / 4D+1

Move: 10/12
Size: 1.5 - 2.0 m
Weight: 40 - 120 kg
Life Span: 200 years

Special Abilities:

• Curious: Confronted with a scientific mystery, Romulans need to know the answer. In situations where a Romulan character is confronted with the unknown, Romulan characters must make a Difficult Willpower check to resist the temptation of the mystery.
• Shrewd: Romulans have a keen sense for deception and persuasion. All attempts to bluff, fast talk, or lie to Romulans are increased by one difficulty level.
• Arrogant: Romulans believe they are better than other people, that their culture is superior to others. All Command, Persuasion and Con tests lose 1D unless the Romulan makes a difficult Willpower check to resist the temptation to be gratingly superior.

Description: "Our people are warriors, often savage. But we are also many other pleasant things" -- Liviana Charvanek

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. The Romulan Star Empire was the Romulan polity and one of the major powers in the galaxy by the 24th century.

Physiology

Due to their shared ancestry, Vulcans and Romulans possessed very similar physiology, including varied skin color. Romulans had pointed ears, eyebrows that were arched and up-swept, and copper-based blood that appeared green when oxygenated in the arteries, or copper or rust-colored when deoxygenated in the veins. (Star Trek Generations) Most Romulans had two brow ridges above the bridge of their nose, forming a V-shape on the forehead. However, a minority of Romulans lack these ridges, making them outwardly indistinguishable from Vulcans.

The Romulan heart is gray in color. (DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges")

Despite their common ancestry there were also many subtle internal physiological differences between Vulcans and Romulans. Their life signs registered distinctly enough on the scanners of the USS Enterprise in 2268 that officer Pavel Chekov was able to distinguish his crewmate Spock from the crew complement of a Romulan starship, though he did note the difficulty of the task. (TOS: "The Enterprise Incident")

The physical differences between Romulans and Vulcans were evidenced in Dr. Beverly Crusher's failed attempt to treat a Romulan, Patahk, who had suffered advanced synaptic breakdown, with the methods used to treat Vulcans. In fact, it was later determined that the genetic similarities between Romulans and Klingons allowed for the two species to have a compatible ribosome match to effect treatment. (TNG: "The Enemy") It should be noted that Dr. Crusher did learn something about the Romulan psychological make up and body chemistry from the previously mentioned experience in order to adjust medical equipment to cope with Romulans as she successfully treated an injured Romulan defector for serious burns. By extension, Dr. Crusher most likely continued studying Romulan biology/medicine after the fact.

The Terothka virus was a disease unique to Romulan physiology. Romulans were also susceptible to Tuvan Syndrome. (VOY: "Message in a Bottle"; DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges")

Romulans were known to be interfertile with Humans and Klingons. (TNG: "The Drumhead", "Redemption II", "Birthright, Part II")

Romulans lacked the rigorous mental disciplines developed by the followers of Surak. They were a passionate people, easily moved to extreme emotions. (TOS: "The Enterprise Incident")

In addition, like their biological cousins, Romulans did possess greater physical strength than that of a Human. (Star Trek)

Society

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. (TOS: "Balance of Terror") However, while the military played an important role in Romulan society, it was the Romulan Senate that controlled the government. (Star Trek Nemesis)

At one point in history, Romulus was a sovereign nation ruled by an Empress, as indicated by Q. (VOY: "The Q and the Grey") By the 23rd century, the highest position of power was held by the Praetor, who presided over the Romulan Senate. (TOS: "Balance of Terror"; Star Trek Nemesis) The Praetor headed the Continuing Committee, which was comprised of the Empire's most elite individuals, who made decisions of the utmost importance. (DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges")

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. (TNG: "Face of the Enemy")

Romulan society was based upon a highly structured caste system. Unlike most of the highly evolved species in the Alpha/Beta Quadrant, Romulans still practiced slavery, in this case of the Remans, which they used for slave labor and as shock troops. (Star Trek Nemesis)

Romulans tended to be highly xenophobic, engaging in extended periods of isolationism, and could be perceived as outright racist to other species, believing themselves to be superior. At least some Romulans believed that, one day, the Romulan Empire would rule the entire galaxy. (TNG: "The Neutral Zone", "Data's Day", "The Enemy") According to Miles O'Brien, there was no piece of technology in existence that the Romulans didn't claim they invented before everyone else. (DS9: "Explorers")

Both males and females could command warships, obtain high political positions, and could be members of the Tal Shiar. (TOS: "The Enterprise Incident"; TNG: "Contagion", "Face of the Enemy"; DS9: "Image in the Sand")

Culture and tradition

"Paranoia is a way of life for you, isn't it?"
- The Doctor to Rekar in 2374

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. (TNG: "The Neutral Zone")

During the 23rd century, Romulans practiced the death penalty on criminals by means both painful and unpleasant. Prior to the presenting of the charges, the Romulans allowed the accused a Right of Statement. (TOS: "The Enterprise Incident")

Reluctance to rely on overt hostility generally lead the Romulans to play a waiting game with their opponents, attempting to manipulate an adversary into breaking – or appearing to break – an agreement so as to give them a solid justification for striking. (TNG: "The Defector", "The Pegasus")

They were also well-known for fearing disgrace over death. (TAS: "The Practical Joker") With this frame of mind, Romulan parents disposed of any newborn carrying birth defects, as the alternative would mean a waste of resources. (TNG: "The Enemy")

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. (TNG: "Unification I")

A common Romulan courtesy was the saying "Jolan Tru", although what exactly this meant is unclear, as it was used in the context of both a greeting and farewell. (ENT: "United"; TNG: "Unification I", "Unification II")

In the 24th century, a dissident movement began to gain momentum, based on the desire to learn about Vulcan and their ideals. The movement's ultimate goal was the reunification of Romulus and Vulcan. Ambassador Spock was deeply involved in this movement. (TNG: "Unification I", "Face of the Enemy")

While many arguably belligerent and militaristic species, such as Nausicaans, Breen, and even Klingons often sold their fighting skills to the highest bidder, Romulans were rarely, if ever, seen involved in such activities. This was possibly due to the apparent superiority complex of most Romulans, many of whom likely found such work beneath them, and who preferred to serve the Romulan Empire in some capacity. However, Miles O'Brien once played a game of tongo with a Romulan mercenary (DS9: "Change of Heart"). In cases of anonymity, they were known for commonly using hired assassins, such as the Flaxians, to conduct their off-world "justice" (DS9: "Improbable Cause").

Source:

• Memory Alpha: Romulan
• Memory Beta: Romulan
• Star Trek RPG Players Guide (LUG) (pages 270-271)
• thedemonapostle