SPECIES OF THE COSMOS

“The stars remember nothing. They don’t care where you came from—and they will not care when you are gone.”

This supplement does not concern itself with where each species began, what planet nurtured them, or what myths shaped their cultures. It does not deal with how their space travel began, what technology was used, or how their cultural beliefs in magic or deities gave way to mysticism and mechanics. We leave that to the storytellers, to the scattered data-logs, and to the countless shattered moons orbiting forgotten suns.

In MechD20, the focus is not on history, if focuses on adaptation. This suppliment does not rewrite racial histories or invent evolutionary chains. Instead, it looks at each species through the lens of their reaction to the challenges of space exploration—how they thrive in the cold corridors of derelict ships, how they suffer in high-gravity hellscapes, and how they evolve (or fail to) when exposed to solar radiation, hard vacuum, or alien atmospheric pressures.

We keep their names the same—Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, and more—out of respect for the timelessness of their archetypes. They may wear starbound armor now. They may speak through neuro-links instead of scrolls. But their essence remains. Dwarves are sturdy, Elves are graceful, and Halflings have excellent appetities.

This chapter provides you with descriptions of each species as they exist in a galaxy filled with strange moons, black hole cults, and stellar horrors. Their strengths are physical and mental. Their weaknesses are environmental and instinctual. And all of them are survivors.

Dragonborn
Bio-adapted for extreme environments, Dragonborn are often seen as elite shock troops or planetary guardians. Their internal physiology allows them to survive in radiation zones and oxygen-poor habitats.

Dwarves
Dwarves feel most at home on high-G worlds or in the pressurized guts of starship engines. Their stocky build and muscle density grant them stability in turbulent conditions. Many serve as engineers, asteroid miners, or frontline mech pilots.

Elves
Graceful and long-lived, Elves are naturally suited for the vacuum of space. Their light bone density and acrobatic instincts make them ideal pilots, EVA specialists, and shipboard infiltrators. However, they often find high-gravity environments uncomfortable, and many Elves avoid worlds with gravity higher than standard Terran norm.

Gnomes
Gnomes treat the galaxy like a playground of puzzles. From decrypting ancient alien code to rewiring pirate EMP bursts mid-fight, gnomes are indispensable wherever machines hum and things go wrong. Their enthusiasm borders on reckless, but their results are undeniable.

Halflings
Halflings excel in cramped environments, whether navigating ductwork on an orbital station or maintaining delicate biotech arrays. Their laid-back attitude often conceals highly tuned instincts honed over decades in close-quarters colonies.

Half-Elves
Half-elves make peace where others make distance. With instincts that bridge cultures and a knack for adaptation, they thrive aboard mixed-species crews. They’re often found serving as negotiators, navigators, or station liaisons, able to read a room even when it’s leaking oxygen.

Half-Orcs
Born for survival, half-orcs are gravity-forged and pressure-tested. Whether they grew up on an overpopulated megastation or a backwater mining moon, they learned early how to take hits—and how to hit back. They make loyal crewmates, relentless marines, and terrifying boarding agents.

Humans
Humans remain the baseline—adaptable, curious, and stubborn. Whether raised in domed cities on red deserts or aboard generational freighters, they push the boundaries of known space with unrelenting energy.

Tieflings
Rift-touched by the chaos of subspace, Tieflings often find their abilities and appearances altered by gravitational flux, radiation storms, or rogue psionic feedback. Whether feared or revered, they are innately connected to the unknown.