The universe is teeming with alien life, and a fair amount of it has clawed its way up the evolutionary ladder to sapience, meaning that explorers will meet countless examples of alien species if they travel far enough, long enough.
Generally Humanoid
Alien lifeforms run the gamut from the vaguely humanoid, to the truly exotic and bizarre. Generally speaking, only the most human like and compatible of these lifeforms will be of interest to humans, especially as travelling companions. View the amount of bipedal oxygen breathing species listed here not as an endorsement for that type of life, but rather as the criteria requirements for potential crewmembers on the human ships that this work is aimed at chronicling the adventures of.
Social Animals
The types of alien species most likely to throw their lot in with the humans and travel alongside them will have descended from social animals, and have a clear understanding of chain of command and power structure, as well as a willingness to work with other species and attempt to understand them.
Adaptable
Life with humans isn’t easy, even for other humans, imagine how adaptable an alien has to be to learn to live and work beside them. The aliens listed here will be able to tolerate similar environments and conditions as humans, often sharing food and breathable atmosphere. Just the ability to tolerate human psychology and work with them is a mark of an adaptable species, making these species exceptional.
Endless Diversity
There is always a new species to meet out there, always a new take on alien life, by no means consider these species options the only ones available. Work with your DM to convert fantasy races into aliens, or to stat out your favorite bizarre alien creature from another property. Your imagination is the only limit.
Alien Names
Alien names will be quite varied, and often unpronounceable, don’t be afraid to go by your alien character’s human nickname. Otherwise, delve deep into your imagination and find what type of name the 18 alien might have. If that’s intimidating, you might want to stick to Human characters.
Alien Traits
Aliens have a wide variety of traits, too diverse to list here, that will be listed in their individual entries.
Age: Most aliens reach maturity in 8-30 years, and have a lifespan of rarely more than a century or two.
Size: Aliens vary wildly in size, from under 3 feet, to nearly 9 feet in height. Most aliens have a size of Medium. Speed: Most aliens have a base walking speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Aliens speak, read and write their native language, Tradespeak, and one human language of their choice. (Unless you want to be a jerk and skip the human language part, while that would make roleplay complex and rewarding