Star Wars Universe Roleplaying Game

Trandoshan

Trandoshans—who call themselves T’doshok—are towering, cold-blooded reptilian humanoids from the jungle world of Trandosha. Broad-shouldered and thickly muscled with heavy, scaling hides, they are renowned across the galaxy as relentless hunters, mercenaries, and slavers. Their culture revolves around the worship of the Scorekeeper, a distant, inscrutable goddess who tallies each Trandoshan’s “jagannath points” based on the worthiness of their hunts and victories. A life spent taking down dangerous prey—especially Wookiees, whom they despise—earns prestige and spiritual favor, while failure, capture, or humiliation can reset their score to zero and brand them as living disgraces.

Biologically, Trandoshans are built for survival and brutality. Their scaly skin sheds periodically throughout their lives and offers natural protection against injury. Their powerful limbs end in thick, clawed digits better suited for rending and climbing than delicate work, encouraging a dependence on tools, droids, and specialist gear for fine mechanical tasks. They possess regeneration abilities rare among humanoids: young and adult Trandoshans can gradually regrow lost limbs and damaged tissue, though serious trauma—such as burns from concentrated plasma—can scar them permanently and halt regrowth in affected areas.

Trandoshan eyes are adapted to see well into the infrared spectrum, allowing them to track warm-blooded prey in darkness, jungle undergrowth, or smoke-filled battlefields where other species might be blinded. Combined with their size, raw strength, and willingness to employ cruel tactics, this makes them terrifying close-quarters combatants. Many learn to stalk prey from tree canopies or ruined structures, favoring ambushes, sweeps, and prolonged hunts that test both their quarry and themselves. Over centuries, stories of Trandoshan slavers, bounty hunters, and gladiators have cemented their reputation as brutal, warlike, and nearly impossible to intimidate.

Despite that reputation, Trandoshans are not mindless beasts. Their society includes traders, technicians, strategists, and even rare Jedi. Some individuals temper their aggression with a strict personal code, showing mercy or honoring life debts—especially towards those who save their lives in battle. A Trandoshan who swears a life debt can become a fiercely loyal ally, even to members of species they traditionally despise. But for most, the hunt remains central: whether they serve crime lords, empires, or their own ambitions, Trandoshans measure their worth in trophies, scars, and the points the Scorekeeper has granted them for a lifetime of violence.

Home Planet: Trandosha (also known as Dosha), a jungle and forest world in the Kashyyyk system of the Mid Rim.
Physical Description: Trandoshans are large, bipedal reptilian humanoids standing roughly 1.8 to 2.1 meters tall, with dense, scaly hides that range in color from sandy brown and olive green to deep orange or yellow. Their scales are thick enough to blunt minor blows and are periodically shed and renewed over the course of their lives. Young and adult Trandoshans possess a remarkable regenerative ability, allowing them to slowly regrow lost limbs, damaged scales, and other tissue until they reach middle age, after which regeneration becomes unreliable or ceases entirely. Severe injuries from plasma or similar high-intensity energy can permanently disrupt this ability, leaving patches of scarred, non-regenerating hide.

Their heads are broad and angular, with pointed skulls, heavy jawlines, and rows of sharp, predatory teeth designed for tearing flesh. Some individuals sport small crests or feather-like growths along the crown of the head, while others have smoother scalps. Their eyes are large, forward-facing, and extremely sensitive, with horizontal pupils and the ability to see well into the infrared spectrum. This thermal vision allows them to track warm-blooded prey through smoke, darkness, or foliage that would blind many other species, making them dangerous ambush predators in almost any environment.

Each of their four limbs ends in three thick, clawed digits. These claws are perfect for raking, slashing, and climbing the trees and ruins of their homeworld, but they lack fine dexterity. Trandoshans can operate most standard weapons and equipment, but delicate tasks—such as detailed technical work or intricate surgery—are difficult and often delegated to specialized tools, droids, or other species. They usually go barefoot, as their broad, scaled feet do not fit standard humanoid footwear and offer excellent traction on natural surfaces.

Though heavily built, Trandoshans are not sluggish. Their musculature supports sudden bursts of speed, bone-crushing grips, and devastating melee strikes. Their cold-blooded nature ties their performance to environmental conditions: they thrive in warm climates and can become sluggish or vulnerable in environments that are too cold if they cannot find adequate protection or heat sources.

Average Height: A typical Trandoshan stands around 2.0 meters tall.
Average Weight: Trandoshans usually weigh about 80 kilograms.
Age of Adulthood: Trandoshans reach adulthood around 15 years of age.

Personality & Customs: Trandoshan culture is centered on the hunt and their devotion to the Scorekeeper. From a young age, Trandoshans are taught that every meaningful victory, worthy kill, or successful hunt earns them jagannath points—a spiritual tally that defines their worth in the eyes of their goddess. Capturing powerful enemies, taking rare trophies, and bringing down dangerous prey all increase this invisible score. Conversely, failure, shame, or being captured themselves can reset their tally to zero, branding them as failures whose only path to redemption is an exceptional act of brutality or revenge. This belief system encourages aggressive, risk-seeking behavior and fosters careers as bounty hunters, slavers, guards, and mercenaries throughout the galaxy.

As a people, Trandoshans tend to be ruthless, competitive, and easily angered, with a natural inclination toward violence and dominance. They hold long-standing enmity toward Wookiees, whom they see as prized quarry; capturing or killing a powerful Wookiee is seen as a major spiritual and social achievement. Many Trandoshan ships, clans, and hunting guilds decorate their halls with pelts, claws, and skeletal remains taken from their prey. However, their worldview is not entirely without structure or nuance. Honor, strength, and the efficient execution of a hunt matter more than pointless cruelty. Some Trandoshans respect foes who fight fiercely or survive against the odds, and a few even form grudging alliances with former prey when survival or profit demands it.

Trandoshans value hierarchy, but authority must be backed by strength and results. Clan leaders, elder hunters, and successful bounty killers command respect, while those who fail repeatedly or show perceived weakness can quickly lose standing. Life debts, while rare, are deeply significant: a Trandoshan who swears a debt—often to someone who saved their life—may shift their fierce loyalty entirely, treating their ghrakhowsk as a priority even over profit or tradition. A small minority also rejects some of their culture’s worst excesses, channeling their discipline and power into more constructive roles, or even service in organizations that oppose slavery.

Day to day, Trandoshans are blunt and direct. They are more likely to threaten, test, or challenge someone than to flatter them, and they often misjudge how intimidating they appear to other species. Many enjoy simple, visceral pleasures: physical training, dangerous hunts, heavy meals, and the satisfaction of a successful contract. While kindness and empathy are not hallmarks of their culture, individual Trandoshans can show loyalty, restraint, and even surprising compassion when it aligns with their personal code or the Scorekeeper’s favor.

Languages: Trandoshans speak Dosh and most also learn Basic.

Example Names: Bossk, Fusset, Krussk, Ssuurg, Tusserk.