Fire Elementals?

[Mithras]

How on earth (!) could I have an alien race which could be considered by humans almost as 'fire elementals', ie. hot, burning, perhaps plasma based? Any ideas, off the wall theories? That they could actually have their own ships would be even neater.

Alas I have a cool Space Opry image, but no real hooks to hang it on...

 

[AndrewW]

Does it actually have to be hot? Don't want to go around burning up everything. Their materials on their native planet (if any) could be heat resistant.

Lab experiment into plasma energy that got combined with an AI project and got loose?

 

[Mithras]

I'm just after something otherwordly, ephemeral, untouchable really - but I don't want something as hokey as Original Star Trek's 'unknown type of energy cloud'!!

 

[Mongoose Gar]

Check out Tim Powers' Declare. The djinni in that are whirling vortices of energy whose thoughts are effectively arrangements of physical objects.

 

[AdrianH]

The Faeros in Kevin J. Anderson's "Saga of Seven Suns" series fit the description perfectly. They are fire elementals and live in stars. They do travel in ships, presumably because they would be unable to survive in the cold away from their homes.

Of course, unless and until the players learn what they are, the aliens will seem exactly like a Star Trek "unknown type of energy cloud".

The Hydrogues, the air elementals from the same series, are the enemies of the Faeros. They live in gas giants. Once one of their ships makes an appearance, fuel-skimming will never be the same again... :twisted:

 

[TravellerArt]

Read K. J. Anderson's Seven Suns series, one of the alien races in there is what you are after.
(Note, I am not recommending the books just pointing out there is a fire based race in there :wink:. They are not that good really, but I read all seven though :roll

EDIT: Looks like I got beaten to it.

 

[Mithras]

Many thanks ... I'm using a gas giant race, the Jgd from JTAS.
Will explore further...

 

[Mithras]

Ah, Anderson also has gas-giant floaters, and he has a race of robots and I was planning to have both of those things in my little setting! Am I creating space opera? Well, I suppose Traveller is by its definition space opera. So I shouldn't feel to bad.

Its certainly not hard science is it.

 

[AdrianH]

Hard science it isn't, but with numerous character types (e.g. EDF military, green priest, Ildiran), it's asking to be a RPG. Traveller ought to be able to handle it.