<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <![endif]--> Name: The BUGS   by William J. Wilson A.K.A. Grendel T. Troll

 

Physical Structure

 

Their physical form varies.  Some of them remind Humans of giant blaster-wielding ants, cockroaches, and even scorpions.  They have heavily-armored exoskeletons, segmented bodies, and heavy, bone-crushing mandibles.  Several forms have been identified by surviving populations.

 

Senses

 

Bug senses are, mostly, comparable to human senses.  Their senses of hearing an smell, however, are superior.  Their language relies upon hearing ultrasonic pitches and they can track and identify their hive brethren by scent.

 

Speech

 

Their speech contains mostly clicks, whirrs, and ultrasonic noises.  If they must, they communicate to others using electronic voice-boxes.

 

Society and Customs

 

The bugs operate using a hive-based hierarchy.  An egg-laying queen is the mother of all in the hive.  Her "children" are set - with the use of hormones and training methods - in castes designating their position in the hive.

 

When a queen is ready to create another of her kind, she prepares an egg with special hormones that will produce another queen.  When the larva matures, the "princess" will challenge the queen for the hive.  If the princess wins, she is the new queen and the rest of the hive dies out, in favor of the new queen's eggs.  If the princess fails, and is not killed, she will go somewhere else to found a new hive.

 

With the introduction of rocketry and crude FTL drives (.1LY/Day) the bugs have altered their culture slightly, where the princess will not challenge the queen at all; she will leave the hive, launch into space, dock with one of their asteroid "starships", and target another system.  During the voyage, she will lay eggs in the rock.  When the ship reaches the desired system, the rock hits the targeted planet/moon.  The queen and her eggs survive the impact and proceed to take over their new territory.  If more than one "Bugsteroid" (a new term coined by survivors and troops) lands in an area, the two hives will compete with each other.

 

Bug Technology is lower than Standard Tech.  They haven't perfected laser weapon technology - relying on blasters, slug throwers, and missiles.  Their factories look almost organic to an observer.  Their mining tunnels are heavily networked and serve as colony warrens as well.  Their power source is either hydrocarbon combustion-based or nuclear fission.  Ship tech consists of rocket propulsion that has sufficient fuel to accelerate an asteroid out of the solar system's FTL threshold zone.  The queen enters a dormant phase, similar to cryogenic storage, until her ship impacts at the destination.

 

In more recent times, the bugs have developed automatic defense systems for their bugsteroids.  The system makes it more difficult to be vaporized before it hits.

 

Attitudes

 

There are only two kinds of life: the bugs and food.  Bugs from other hives are sometimes food.  Sometimes the food fights back.  No matter.  Eat, eat, and eat......

 

Special Abilities

 

Radiation Tolerance: The nature of the bug physique makes them highly resistant to radiation - from electricity to cosmic rays.  This allows them to travel in crude spaceships for years at a time with no armor or shielding.  It also makes any energy weapon (lasers, blasters, electrostunners) do 1/4 damage against them.  Kinetic energy weapons (i.e. bullets) are more effective.

 

Exoskeleton Armor: in addition to any other armor the bug is wearing, all damage against them is reduced by 1/2 (making energy weapons do 1/8 damage) against any part of the bug's body covered by its exoskeleton.

 

 

Characteristics:

Average Size	Varies
Average Mass	Varies
Average Lifespan	20 years
Reproductive System	Heterosexual, Oviparous
Body Temperature	40 Degrees Celsius

 

BUG Characters

NOTE: it is NOT recommended that bugs should be played as PC's.  They are intelligent enough, but not independent.  Their opposed views against other PC's might pose a little problem -especially when the bug gets hungry.....

 

Ability Scores	Roll Adjust.
Strength	+40
Endurance	+50
Dexterity	-10
Reflexes	-10
Perception	-10
Logic	-30
Charisma	-40
Willpower	+0

 

 

 

 

 

 

Movement
Walking
Running
Hourly