Need help creating an alien bad guys.

[Xavier]

Okay, I know that creating aliens in and of itself is not so hard, but I'm a little rusty and could use some insight from the brilliant folks here on the hero boards.

 

Basically what I want is this: The alien in my star hero campaign is from an alternate dimension. They do not have corporeal bodies as we do and are capable of taking over the bodies of humans. Their bodies are more like smoke and they can go just about anywhere that is not hermetically sealed. This also serves as their typical method of taking over the bodies of humans. They just enter the human through the various "openings" and basically set up shop. After entering the alien strips the brain of any useful information.

 

I thought in a particularly grizzly twist that they can't abide the internal organs because they do actually take up space, so they simply reach up dislocate the jaw and pull them out leaving it all in a pile somewhere. The creature stays behind animating the now disembowled body. I know it's sick, but my players are feeling pretty sure of themselves lately and I need to put some fear back into them.

 

I know that the "smoke" from is a basic, desolidification and that's not really a problem. I can't quite work out how to do the taking over the host thing. It it a transform?

[McCoy]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

Basically the host has been killed, right?

 

I would do it as an NND killing attack, does BODY, invisible effect.

 

Then disguise/mimicry skills for the alien to take the host's place.

 

Add a small VPP for skills acquired from the host, maybe this has to be reset to "telepathy" every time a new host is aquired. Or just hand-wave it.

[Xavier]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

I was thinking that the acquistion of info from the host could be one heck of an enormous telepathy kinda thing. I'm also thinking that what would make them particularly frightening is if they kept the skill from their previous hosts. Of course now that I think about that it seems a bit much. Some strategic jumping of hosts and you would have a virtually unstoppable monster on your hands. Not quite what I was going for. I like the NND idea. Make it versus containment suit or some such and go from there. They will have a other powers some tech based, some innate. I haven't decided if they are able to hide or not. I hadn't quite finished working out their personality quirks yet.

 

I was thinking though that the hosts will be pretty easy to spot. No eyes, just a creepy blue glow where their eyes should be and the same creepy blue glow when they open their mouths. If this is the case then it might make disguise/mimicry superfluous.

[McCoy]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

I was thinking that the acquistion of info from the host could be one heck of an enormous telepathy kinda thing. I'm also thinking that what would make them particularly frightening is if they kept the skill from their previous hosts. Of course now that I think about that it seems a bit much. Some strategic jumping of hosts and you would have a virtually unstoppable monster on your hands. Not quite what I was going for. I like the NND idea. Make it versus containment suit or some such and go from there. They will have a other powers some tech based, some innate. I haven't decided if they are able to hide or not. I hadn't quite finished working out their personality quirks yet.

 

I was thinking though that the hosts will be pretty easy to spot. No eyes, just a creepy blue glow where their eyes should be and the same creepy blue glow when they open their mouths. If this is the case then it might make disguise/mimicry superfluous.

Go with telepathy, cumulative effect, maybe linked to the killing attack, and a larger VPP.

 

If the idea is horror, urge you reconsider making the host easy to spot. Make the players figure out that they have to do something like check for a pulse or watch to see if their friend forgets to breathe to spot the aliens. Nothing like a little paranoia to get them shooting at each other.

[Xavier]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

Get them shooting at each other? I hadn't considered that. Unfortunately one of the crew is a telepath. I'd have to find a way to shut him down without it looking like I was shutting him down.

 

I will consider keeping them hidden. Of course now that I think about it. Who says they couldn't make their mind look normal to a 'path. I could force him to have to do a deep scan in order to determine if it is a human anymore or not.

 

McCoy, I like it.

 

I like it a lot! Thanks for the help.

[McCoy]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

Get them shooting at each other? I hadn't considered that. Unfortunately one of the crew is a telepath. I'd have to find a way to shut him down without it looking like I was shutting him down.

 

I will consider keeping them hidden. Of course now that I think about it. Who says they couldn't make their mind look normal to a 'path. I could force him to have to do a deep scan in order to determine if it is a human anymore or not.

 

McCoy, I like it.

 

I like it a lot! Thanks for the help.

Being natural telepaths themselves, and duplicating the host memories, naturally their mimicry skill extends to at least surface telepathy.

 

You're welcome, always glad to complicate life for some PC's.

[Eodin]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

If you REALLY want to complicate things, add a touch of Mental Illusions to that, so that if the characters start getting suspicious the Mental Illusions can "point the finger" at someone other than the host. Nothing big, just a character thinks he saw a glow momentarily around someone (other than the host) or thought he heard an inappropriate sound from someone (other than the host). Essentially Telepathic "ventriloquism".

[Xavier]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

You are so right. I already started making them and the work up is kinda scary. I'm calling them Spectres Here is what I have so far:

 

Spectre form: Desolidification

Sight + Hearing sense groups: Images

HKA 3D6 NND:Spacesuits, Containment suits and the like

Spectre Psionics: Multipower (Still tweaking the point total)

-FF

-Mental Illusions

-Mind Control

-Mind Scan

-Telekinesis

-Telepathy Cumulative, Linked to HKA

 

This will be the basic design I think, I just have to work out the power level. The characters are on the high side of normal so I have to be kinda careful.

[Eodin]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

On the downside, you need to consider how long the host remains intact with the Spectre inside. Since the host is dead and without internal organs, if the Spectre is not "sustaining" the physical body somehow, the body's going to decay. You can be practical (about 3 days of low activity) or pick something for dramatic impact.

[Xavier]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

Good point. I hadn't thought of that. I would probably pick something like 2 or 3 days. This way the Spectres are motivated (very motivated) to get to an area with a large preferrably dense population. It's something to think about. Makes 'em that much more fearsome. Can you imagine what ONE of these creatures could do if they ran amok on a someones homeworld.

[Outsider]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

Having the parasite just kill the host with a big HKA, then using "special effect" to have it look like the host as it moves about solves some problems, but isnt necessarily the only way to go.

 

Look at having the parasite be small, for starters, say 1/4 or 1/8 mass, then consider how to write it up as a parasite that actually lives in the (at least temporarily) living body of its host, insunuating itself with the host's central nervous system. What would be needed for that, and what would the advantages of this approach be?

 

1)

The parasite, living inside the host's skin, will not be able to sense the outer world. One could have it sense the outer world indirectly via Telepathy, sending constant queries to the host to tell it what is going on, or it could buy Clairsentience limited to sensing only what the host senses. The Clairsentience option seems more appropriate, and has the advantage of not really being resistable. Since the possibilities for senses are so wide, it might be best to buy this as a Clairsentience VPP, useable only to "tap into" senses already posessed by the host. 0 END, of course. The VPP switch time then becomes how long it takes the parasite to insinuate itself into a new host's sensorium.

 

2)

Just being a rider isnt much fun, nor is it very villainous. The core of what makes these parasites dangerous and to be feared, by definition, is their ability to substitute their own will for that of the host. Quite obviously, this means they have a big ol' Mind Control, usable only on their host. Not much else to say about this one. Make it IPE, since there is a egoist in among the PCs. The big advantage of using Mind Control is that it keeps the knowledge and skills of the host intact, but just changes the motivation that drives their use.

 

3)

The parasite, being from another dimension entirely, and possibly having to change bodies across species very very often, will run into trouble with communicating. Telepathy, again, might be used to solve this, or one could give the parasite Universal Translator with the limitation that it only understands forms of communication known by itself or by its current host, and can only actively communicate in forms that its host is physiologically equipped to communicate in.

 

4)

The parasite needs to be able to communicate with its host, and possibly delve into its host's memories. If the Clairsentience and Universal Translator options were used, then a really powerful Telepathy isnt really needed. Just enough to communicate without having to vocalize, which the parasite probably isnt even capable of on its own. Giving it a powerful enough Telepathy that it can just delve deep into the host mind and 'know' things that might change its decisions on orders would be much faster than playing 20 questions by ordering individual answers via Mind Control, though. The Telepathy should, again, be only vs host.

 

5)

The takeover of the host I picture as taking some time (more than a phase, less than 5 minutes), and requiring a more or less helpless victim, though your vision may be different. Perhaps the actual takeover can be written as a Gradual Effect HKA, NND Does Body, with the Body Damage only causing Disabling Wound Effects (Stomach location). This would handle the ill effects on the host without actually putting the host any closer to death via regular bullet/blaster/laser wounds. One could write up the takeover as a much smaller attack, that is Continuous, and, instead of being Gradual Effect, has a variation of "Cumulative" that allows the Body damage from it to be counter as a single attack for purposes of eventually causing a Disabling Wound. The advantage of this version is that the parasite will never just 'bounce' on an attempt to take someone over (unless they are immune via hermetic seal, or some other means) but instead will always eventually succeed, though some hosts take longer than others.

 

6) The parasite should be susceptible to not having a host. This would be a simple, straight forward Susceptibility Character Disadvantage.

 

 

One problem I see with this method, though is : When the host is attacked, does the parasite get hurt? How much of the attack does the host body screen out? Can one effectively target the parasite by aiming for location 12? I'd handle this by saying that, since the parasite mostly lives in the host's gut, along his spine, and in his skull, that hits to locations 3, 4, 5, 12, and 13, pass some of their damage along to the parasite. The head locations, not being where the main body of the parasite actually has set up shop, but only locations where it has significant appendages for the manipulation of the host, would do reduced stun/body damage to the parasite (but still increased to the host!) while 12 & (maybe) 13 would be full stun/body locations. The amount of damage that the host body shields the parasite from is up for debate. Maybe the parasite takes half the damage the host does after defences, though this would not reduce the host's damage suffered, and would be limited, at least on body damage, such that once the host has taken a disabling level wound to one of those locations the parasite is no longer shielded, and takes full damage. (ie, the host has a 10 Body stat, and takes 14 body to the stomach, after defences. The parasite takes half of the damage to the point where disablement occurs (10 body) taking 5 body itself, then takes full damage thereafter, for 4 more body, suffering a 9 body hit, total. Parasites probably induce their host to wear extra armor on location 12

 

Another question that comes to mind : If the parasite is sufficiently small compared to its host, and if it has sufficient knowledge (or access to such) about the physiology of its future host, choose to occupy some other part of the host's insides, so that it doesnt kill its host in fairly short order? If it displaced a lung the host will live indefinitely, but not have such a hot REC anymore. Or maybe displace some of the copious amount of fat present on the native of Corpulus Prime, and not screw up the host's life functions at all?

 

Anyway.. I will think on this some more.

[Xavier]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

Having the parasite just kill the host with a big HKA, then using "special effect" to have it look like the host as it moves about solves some problems, but isnt necessarily the only way to go.

 

Look at having the parasite be small, for starters, say 1/4 or 1/8 mass, then consider how to write it up as a parasite that actually lives in the (at least temporarily) living body of its host, insunuating itself with the host's central nervous system. What would be needed for that, and what would the advantages of this approach be?.

 

The idea of the parasite being small never occurred to me and I generally regard it as immaterial since outside the host body it is insubstantial and able to assume any shape it wants. As for taking over the hosts CNS...My notion here is that the parasite doesn't need anything but the shell once it's "read" everything that it needs from the host brain. It effectively "downloads" everything from the hosts mind memories, skills, knowledge...etc and then discards the rest in favor of being able to exist in the hosts body comfortably.

 

 

1)

The parasite, living inside the host's skin, will not be able to sense the outer world. One could have it sense the outer world indirectly via Telepathy, sending constant queries to the host to tell it what is going on, or it could buy Clairsentience limited to sensing only what the host senses. The Clairsentience option seems more appropriate, and has the advantage of not really being resistable. Since the possibilities for senses are so wide, it might be best to buy this as a Clairsentience VPP, useable only to "tap into" senses already posessed by the host. 0 END, of course. The VPP switch time then becomes how long it takes the parasite to insinuate itself into a new host's sensorium.

 

Like the Clairsentience idea. I'll use it.

 

 

2)

Just being a rider isnt much fun, nor is it very villainous. The core of what makes these parasites dangerous and to be feared, by definition, is their ability to substitute their own will for that of the host. Quite obviously, this means they have a big ol' Mind Control, usable only on their host. Not much else to say about this one. Make it IPE, since there is a egoist in among the PCs. The big advantage of using Mind Control is that it keeps the knowledge and skills of the host intact, but just changes the motivation that drives their use.

 

If they effectively kill the host when they take over the host then a mind control for controlling the host is unnecessary. The mind control they do have is for them to control others without having to take them over. This sort of gives them minions they can control to do things they can't do for themselves. I am thinking this is something where they "infect" those around them with a spore or some such that allows them to control their mind without destroying their mind.

 

 

3)

The parasite, being from another dimension entirely, and possibly having to change bodies across species very very often, will run into trouble with communicating. Telepathy, again, might be used to solve this, or one could give the parasite Universal Translator with the limitation that it only understands forms of communication known by itself or by its current host, and can only actively communicate in forms that its host is physiologically equipped to communicate in.

 

I'm thinking that in it's natural from in it's home dimension it does not need a host, but then again for them that may be just plain boring so they travel. Any languages the parasite needs at least with regard to communicating with other members of the same species as it's host it will learn from the host.

 

 

4)

The parasite needs to be able to communicate with its host, and possibly delve into its host's memories. If the Clairsentience and Universal Translator options were used, then a really powerful Telepathy isnt really needed. Just enough to communicate without having to vocalize, which the parasite probably isnt even capable of on its own. Giving it a powerful enough Telepathy that it can just delve deep into the host mind and 'know' things that might change its decisions on orders would be much faster than playing 20 questions by ordering individual answers via Mind Control, though. The Telepathy should, again, be only vs host.

 

Already covered.

 

 

5)

The takeover of the host I picture as taking some time (more than a phase, less than 5 minutes), and requiring a more or less helpless victim, though your vision may be different. Perhaps the actual takeover can be written as a Gradual Effect HKA, NND Does Body, with the Body Damage only causing Disabling Wound Effects (Stomach location). This would handle the ill effects on the host without actually putting the host any closer to death via regular bullet/blaster/laser wounds. One could write up the takeover as a much smaller attack, that is Continuous, and, instead of being Gradual Effect, has a variation of "Cumulative" that allows the Body damage from it to be counter as a single attack for purposes of eventually causing a Disabling Wound. The advantage of this version is that the parasite will never just 'bounce' on an attempt to take someone over (unless they are immune via hermetic seal, or some other means) but instead will always eventually succeed, though some hosts take longer than others.

 

The way I envision this is that the parasite in it's natural form is a cloudy, smoke-like mass floating about (oops, guess they can fly) looking for a host. They are relatively slow so it is possible to out run them, but once they corner a victim it's pretty much a done deal unless the victim is in something that provides containment or the parasite is in containment. It does not cause stomach wounds first. It invades the host takes over then removes the insides to make space. I'm thinking that this may be a human specific kind of thing. They may not need to do this with other species. It kills the host after it has taken over by removing the internal organs. The parasite is not actually connected in any way to the nervous system of the host. That would make death for the host a truly incomprehensible horror. The parasite would make the host body do it, but it wouldn't feel it. It only needs the outer shell. A Gradual Effect HKA, NND Does Body, with the Body Damage only causing Disabling Wound Effects (Stomach location), seems appropriate. I'll consider it.

 

 

6) The parasite should be susceptible to not having a host. This would be a simple, straight forward Susceptibility Character Disadvantage.

 

I think this is brilliant. I'll use it.

 

 

One problem I see with this method, though is : When the host is attacked, does the parasite get hurt? How much of the attack does the host body screen out? Can one effectively target the parasite by aiming for location 12? I'd handle this by saying that, since the parasite mostly lives in the host's gut, along his spine, and in his skull, that hits to locations 3, 4, 5, 12, and 13, pass some of their damage along to the parasite. The head locations, not being where the main body of the parasite actually has set up shop, but only locations where it has significant appendages for the manipulation of the host, would do reduced stun/body damage to the parasite (but still increased to the host!) while 12 & (maybe) 13 would be full stun/body locations. The amount of damage that the host body shields the parasite from is up for debate. Maybe the parasite takes half the damage the host does after defences, though this would not reduce the host's damage suffered, and would be limited, at least on body damage, such that once the host has taken a disabling level wound to one of those locations the parasite is no longer shielded, and takes full damage. (ie, the host has a 10 Body stat, and takes 14 body to the stomach, after defences. The parasite takes half of the damage to the point where disablement occurs (10 body) taking 5 body itself, then takes full damage thereafter, for 4 more body, suffering a 9 body hit, total. Parasites probably induce their host to wear extra armor on location 12

 

I've recently decided to use hit locations. I hadn't previously because I though they made the game a little more deadly than I liked. I have since reconsidered. The parasite whether in host or out cannot abide energy based attacks. Physical attacks on the host destroy the host form, but do not hurt the parasite. Energy attacks however, hurt the host and the parasite. Would the parasite want armor? Probably.

 

 

Another question that comes to mind : If the parasite is sufficiently small compared to its host, and if it has sufficient knowledge (or access to such) about the physiology of its future host, choose to occupy some other part of the host's insides, so that it doesnt kill its host in fairly short order? If it displaced a lung the host will live indefinitely, but not have such a hot REC anymore. Or maybe displace some of the copious amount of fat present on the native of Corpulus Prime, and not screw up the host's life functions at all?

 

Not an issue. The parasite does not get to choose. It occupies the host anyway it can. This is the price it pays for invading human space. This can change from one species to another as noted in the answer to 6. I want it so that it MUST move from host to host. I'm running a heroic level campaign. If they could stay in a host indefinitely that would make them too powerful I think.

 

 

Anyway.. I will think on this some more.

 

You have forced me to think very carefully about my bad guy(s)! (And I'll have to copy this entire thread for reference) Thanks for the well thought out points. I really appreciate it. Keep the suggestions coming.

[Old Man]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

You should rent and watch "The Faculty"

 

It might help a bit with your story and villains.

[Ghost who Walks]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

Hmm, I owuld do a couple of things differently.

 

It all depends on how often you want these guys to take over bodies. If they do it every scenario, its a power. If they stay in the same bodies for mulitiple sessions, I wouldn't bother buying it.

 

For the skills/knowledge, I would just buy it as a knowledge skill:

~Past bodies life, (int roll)

 

Specific knowledge I would put in a VPP, skills only, only changeable with bodies.

 

You could also do it with a couple levels of cramming, limitation, only skills body possessed. This would simulate getting/learning information, but it would take awhile.

 

If they are really, really, alien (and they sound like it), you could buy invisibility to mental powers...

[Outsider]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

The idea of the parasite being small never occurred to me and I generally regard it as immaterial since outside the host body it is insubstantial and able to assume any shape it wants. As for taking over the hosts CNS...My notion here is that the parasite doesn't need anything but the shell once it's "read" everything that it needs from the host brain. It effectively "downloads" everything from the hosts mind memories, skills, knowledge...etc and then discards the rest in favor of being able to exist in the hosts body comfortably.

 

You should decide on the nominal size of the parasite outside the host, since there exists the possibility (or high probability) that, at some point, your players will encounter it outside the host, and might shoot at it with energy weapons. Smaller size = higher DCV. If your players are like my players, they will probably end up doing something else that makes the size of the free-roaming parasite an issue, like maybe trying to use a suction device of some sort to force it into a bottle, which they then cap. (and write "CAUTION! NOT A GENIE!" on the outside of!) The other advantage of it being small is that you could justify having the parasite itself take damage only when its host/shell is hit in certain hit locations by energy weapons. If it is man size (the default) then it wouldnt really be fair not to have it get hit whenever the host got hit, rather than just when the host takes a nasty shot to the gut. Just my POV, of course.

 

Also, the rules dont really allow for such a 'downloading' of the someone else's brain contents without some Stop Signs, Magnifying Glasses, or outright Bending. You could set it up as a VPP Only to Mimic that treats the skills/knowledges as powers, I suppose. But a lot of what is in someone's brain isnt contained on the character sheet, though, realistically, the mimic pool should have to pay for them if they are going to be accessible to the mimic. Things like native language, childhood memories, other personal memories, and so on.

 

 

Like the Clairsentience idea. I'll use it.

 

Cool. But if the parasite isnt actually riding inside the host, except in special effect, I dont know that it is necessary.

 

 

 

If they effectively kill the host when they take over the host then a mind control for controlling the host is unnecessary. The mind control they do have is for them to control others without having to take them over. This sort of gives them minions they can control to do things they can't do for themselves. I am thinking this is something where they "infect" those around them with a spore or some such that allows them to control their mind without destroying their mind.

 

Fair enough. I was just looking for a way to have the host's skills, knowledge, and stats to still be available to the parasite without any rule bending. I am uncomfortable with using Telepathy to draw information from a dead mind. Unless, maybe, you bought Retrocognitive Telepathy limited to only drawing information from the (now dead) mind of the host at the moment of its death... You could also (with just a little rules bending) preserve the physical characteristics of the host, most any host, by using a Multiform VPP.

 

 

I'm thinking that in it's natural from in it's home dimension it does not need a host, but then again for them that may be just plain boring so they travel. Any languages the parasite needs at least with regard to communicating with other members of the same species as it's host it will learn from the host.

 

I was thinking the same thing, actually, as far as not needing a host in the home dimension. And the main reason I proposed the Universal Translator is that learning a new language in any detail could take a good deal of time, even if it is being done via telepathy. Normally, someone with Telepathy can communicate with the target of their attack (and ONLY the target of their attack) across the language barrier, sensing or conveying intent/meaning. They are normally allowed to seek the answer to just a single question, or delve for a single fact each phase that the Telepathy remains unresisted. It isnt clear if being telepathically linked to someone with knowledge of an unknown to the telepath form of communication allows the telepath to understand that form of communication via reading the target's interpretation of it at the surface thought level. Considering that changing what level one is reading the target mind at requires a new attack roll, it could be that the parasite would have a great deal of difficulty both understanding the language of the host, AND delving into his memory to come up with appropriate responses. Easier to just have the parasite establish a memory level link, and not have to change it to get surface level information.

 

 

 

The way I envision this is that the parasite in it's natural form is a cloudy, smoke-like mass floating about (oops, guess they can fly) looking for a host. They are relatively slow so it is possible to out run them, but once they corner a victim it's pretty much a done deal unless the victim is in something that provides containment or the parasite is in containment. It does not cause stomach wounds first. It invades the host takes over then removes the insides to make space. I'm thinking that this may be a human specific kind of thing. They may not need to do this with other species. It kills the host after it has taken over by removing the internal organs. The parasite is not actually connected in any way to the nervous system of the host. That would make death for the host a truly incomprehensible horror. The parasite would make the host body do it, but it wouldn't feel it. It only needs the outer shell. A Gradual Effect HKA, NND Does Body, with the Body Damage only causing Disabling Wound Effects (Stomach location), seems appropriate. I'll consider it.

 

I was picturing the parasite's natural form as having a definite material presence, though an amorphous one. It cannot attack through hermetic seals, or, presumably, to pass through other solid objects, but it can seep through even very small openings of other sorts (how does it deal with liquids?) So, when it attacks a host initially, where is it? Does it take him over from the outside then crawl down the throat and upchuck the host's guts? Or does it move in first (Ptooey!) and then take over? I pictured a being that set up shop, then sent out tendrils that entwined themselves about the host's nervous system to control things.

 

 

Not an issue. The parasite does not get to choose. It occupies the host anyway it can. This is the price it pays for invading human space. This can change from one species to another as noted in the answer to 6. I want it so that it MUST move from host to host. I'm running a heroic level campaign. If they could stay in a host indefinitely that would make them too powerful I think.

 

My thought on being able to live in any part of the host : given sufficient knowledge of the host physiology, which the it could easily gain by taking over an good doctor, and given that all it actually needs is a certain amount of space to live in, there isnt really any reason why it has to kill its host. Dont get me wrong, I like the gut spitting nastiness, and understand that you want the creature to have to move from host to host, but I was just exploring details of the process. Perhaps, instead of needing space to be in, per se, the parasite kills its host because it excretes some sort of toxic chemical that a human host's body tries to deal with as best it can by filtering it out in the kidneys, processing it into something less harmful in the liver, or flushing it out the digestive system, none of which works, but all of which basically deteriorate/melt due to the concentration of toxin in them.

 

 

 

 

 

OK.. I had another thought... though, since you arent using the live host/mind control method, isnt going to be that useful... Damage Reduction vs Stun, Usable by Other (host) to simulate the fact that the parasite has no particular compunctions about driving the host body to destruction.

[Xavier]

Re: Need help creating an alien bad guys.

 

You should decide on the nominal size of the parasite outside the host' date=' since there exists the possibility (or high probability) that, at some point, your players will encounter it outside the host, and might shoot at it with energy weapons. Smaller size = higher DCV. If your players are like my players, they will probably end up doing something else that makes the size of the free-roaming parasite an issue, like maybe trying to use a suction device of some sort to force it into a bottle, which they then cap. (and write "CAUTION! NOT A GENIE!" on the outside of!) The other advantage of it being small is that you could justify having the parasite itself take damage only when its host/shell is hit in certain hit locations by energy weapons. If it is man size (the default) then it wouldnt really be fair not to have it get hit whenever the host got hit, rather than just when the host takes a nasty shot to the gut. Just my POV, of course.[/quote']

 

I'll consider the DCV situation. Again, this is an heroic level campaign. It doesn't take much to make things very difficult for the players. A few levels of DCV up or down can make the difference between a cake-walk, challenging or damn near impossible.

 

 

 

Also, the rules dont really allow for such a 'downloading' of the someone else's brain contents without some Stop Signs, Magnifying Glasses, or outright Bending.

 

It is not my intention to circumvent the rules of the game. And as long as I control the NPCs with the powers that have the Stop Signs and magnifying glasses. I can precisely control what happens in terms of game balance. No worries.

 

 

 

I am uncomfortable with using Telepathy to draw information from a dead mind.

 

Apparently we misunderstood one another. I intend that any information extraction would occur before the host was killed. If that is not what I said it is certainly what I meant. It is rather illogical to take information from a dead mind.

 

 

 

I was picturing the parasite's natural form as having a definite material presence, though an amorphous one. It cannot attack through hermetic seals, or, presumably, to pass through other solid objects, but it can seep through even very small openings of other sorts (how does it deal with liquids?) So, when it attacks a host initially, where is it? Does it take him over from the outside then crawl down the throat and upchuck the host's guts? Or does it move in first (Ptooey!) and then take over? I pictured a being that set up shop, then sent out tendrils that entwined themselves about the host's nervous system to control things.

 

It attacks the host by entering into the body. It enters into the body via any and all of the bodies natural openings that are available to it. I will concede however that I can see it would be easier to keep the nervous system intact for the purposes of controlling the body. It simplifies matters. Anyway as to the invasion of the body...it is highly invasive an immediately begins to kill the host. It reads the host mind, then finishes the host off.

 

 

 

Perhaps, instead of needing space to be in, per se, the parasite kills its host because it excretes some sort of toxic chemical that a human host's body tries to deal with as best it can by filtering it out in the kidneys, processing it into something less harmful in the liver, or flushing it out the digestive system, none of which works, but all of which basically deteriorate/melt due to the concentration of toxin in them.

 

I like it. I'll use it.

 

 

 

OK.. I had another thought... though, since you arent using the live host/mind control method, isnt going to be that useful... Damage Reduction vs Stun, Usable by Other (host) to simulate the fact that the parasite has no particular compunctions about driving the host body to destruction.

 

I'm also not quite dead set against it either. I will consider revising my concept.