SM Idol or is it The Imperiums got Talent?

[Solomon de Gravier]

Do you reckon some medieval warriors could hold genestealers off for 120 years?

 

Well a moment ago you were saying that stone age people could hold them off so I guess yes. EVeryone seams to be going for Medieval times at the moment so perhaps something different?

 

Whats the chances of having the geneseed on standby? That would make it a little shorter.

 

Maybe the White Scars had already decided to have a new chapter but hadn't found somewhere for them to guard yet. This would shorten the time a little.

 

That said, if they were to end the war and then create the geneseed there would be 50 years of peace by which time I doubt the warriors would fancy going back into battle, maybe the white scars were sent to intervene, their report shows how angry and valient the tribes are so the astartes say no don't stop them, keep an eye on them if they look like they're going to lose at some point so be it don't waste your time fighting 2 battles, go down after they've been wiped out and kill the genestealers (it is localised as you pointed out) if the tribes keep fighting and they're still there by the time the geneseed is ready lets swoop down, obliterate the genestealers and recruit them as they'll certainly be ready to sign up at that point!

 

Good idea. How can Geneseed swoop?

 

My concern is how fast to genestealers replicate?

 

They don't I think? I think that they are only born where the Hive Mind is but I could be wrong?

 

Could they feasibly hold them off for that long?

 

Could a planetfull of angry stone age warriors with 100 years of experience hold out against a hulkette of slimy Xeno scum? I'll have to think about that :)

 

Would the Astartes be willing to lose a planet's worth of humans for the sake of having them keep fighting, are humans seen purely as collateral? potential marines? expendable?

 

Well. The Astartes know that there's plenty more fish in the sea so a planetfull of idiotic stone-agers wouldn't really matter much.

 

Hmmm, I can feel it getting close!

 

Al

 

Good work. Still no coconut? I feel really strongly about the name: Captain Skar!

[mousetrap]

Right,

 

A new xenos would move it to far from the 40k universe as its known, I like the idea to make the story work I just think its needing too many plot motivators to make it work? I fear so i'm gonna need to know who could be held at bay the longest by a slightly more advanced race than medieval.

 

What if they weren't medieval and similar/slightly more advanced than we are at now? Maybe a little more advanced, they discovered an alternative weopon (but similar in potency) to gun powder?

 

Al

 

p.s I meant the WS's swooped not the geneseed!

[Ace Debonair]

A new race just for your story is not, in fact, impossible.

 

It would work better than trying to establish a force that can survive against one of the existing races, who between them are the greatest possible collection of dangers to the Imperium.

 

You've shown some great imagination so far, so I doubt it'll be too hard for you to come up with a disposable enemy race to fight. B)

[mousetrap]

Okay,

 

I'm struggling to get my head around creating a race of killers that haven't been seen before and won't be seen after QuistoRol? It seems....to convenient. I'm not against the idea as yet because I think you make a great point about the Master Killer races being the only survivors in the year 40k, so Humans with sticks and stones fending off a foe which space marines find difficult to dispatch would seem a little strange!!!

 

Does my idea of not quite 40k advanced but further advanced than us be a plausible fight? I'm not saying they're equal, infact no where near, but they're using their ingenuity to survive in the difficult to attack tree cities. Baring in mind that the force that was on the hulk (say 1000 genestealers for arguments sake) have no way of regenerating their number, it becomes more believable that they are emminently superior to the humans, just vastly out numbered 10000 to 1. Throughout the battles the genestealers don't take heavy losses, infact very few losses at all over the 120 year (which we may have to shorten) the humans are no match for them (infact whenever they come into contact with the genestealers they're ripped to shreds) but they are capable of defending their home and keeping the genestealers at bay. All the battles rely on the human numbers repelling the genestealer attack, until they retreat with a few casualties and so it continues. Its a bit like Alien/pitch black.

 

Is that plausible? or is another xenos on the cards?

 

All this for a Jet Bike!!

 

Cheers for the ideas though, keep them coming!

 

Al

[mousetrap]

How about he Kroot, or do they not travel on Hulkettes? Could the tribes hold them off?

 

Other than that I'm looking into the minor Alien races already available on the lexicanum and so far I reckon:

Enoulians Here

Galg Here

Hrud Here

K'nib Here

Old Ones Here

 

These 2 sound the most plausible as they could've used a Hulk as transport and 1 is chaos!

Reptos Here

Scaephylyd Here

 

Could make stuff up about these guys as there isn't anyhting on them.

Tushepta Here

 

Hmmm.

[Rabidus]

Just remember - space is big...

 

I mean think about it. The Imperium alone has billions, upon billions, upon BILLIONs of people in its military arm alone! And they still only take up the tiniest fraction of space. I mean, just the most minute percentile imaginable. Not only is there all that open space for any race of aliens (and really any xenos life form is an alien - they dont have to be advanced technologically or anything) so the chances of them being seen by a human is slim. The chances of them being by humans on two different worlds are slim. But it happens.

 

so, perhaps...

there is a dark elder reaver ship. It raids a planet, killing, maiming, torturing, doing what they do. They steal a whole bunch of artifacts from this planet, including a giant golden sarcophigus (the archon thought it would look fetching in his bedroom) and when they get on board, some bright spark opens it. It contains alien spore, in suspended animation, which comes violently to life. This alien is..I dont know, looks like this http://www.jesse-toves.com/images/concept-art/high-res/monster-ark-02_R02-still.jpg. Pretty mean looking right? This spore, burrows into the dark eldar, hibernates and then explodes forth in a messy and ultimately fatal way. So the aliens quickly destroy the occupants of the ship, it floats around space, before they drop back into the suspended animation. This ship smashes and merges into the space hulk, space hulk gets spat back out, lands on your planet, the spores are rejuvenated and your guys now have some serious gribblies to contend with. Now why they dont take over the world? Maybe each creature can only reproduce once? Maybe they cant reproduce and the box contained a finite amount. Maybe a thousand spores? These gestate in local fauna, your two tribes explore crash, encounter alien and war encshews. Maybe this species is sort of immortal> every time they die, they revert to the spore mode and infect anew host? So hence why, though they have limited numbers and are beatable by enough humans wielding pointy sticks, they just keep coming back, year after year after year.

 

Now thats a VERY quick idea - but hopefully you should get the meaning...this platform, the 40kverse..it leaves a lot open. There might be countless species out there, but the main ones are all that are spoken about because they are the main contenders for the galaxy. There is very likely a lot of species which just don't get a mention, except in the footnotes of history. The losers.

 

Rabids

[Dosjetka]

About the genestealers: in the game, they have (or had, as I haven't seen the new 'dex) a WS of 6. That's as much as a SM Captain and Chapter Master! So a thousand of those things would shred your tribes to bits! (a nice thought though...*daemonic laugh resonates in the dark cave where BBL lives*).

Sorry about that, my other daemonic half controlled my hands for a bit...;)

 

Anyway. A thousand genestealers is a no-go. And they DO reproduce, but into "humans", basically humans with the genestealer DNA, that's how they infiltrate worlds and infect the minds of humans and other races. Look here for more info.

 

If you want to create a new Xenos species, count me in, I beg of you!

 

BBL

[mousetrap]

I know you're thinking I'm crazy for not snapping your hand off with a new xenos but, at this moment in time I think the back story gains credence if the xenos is a known species.

 

I could be wrong, I often am but hear me out.

 

So here's my last attempt to get the genestealers involved, I fear this may go the way of the Jet Bikes Squads! If this doesn't work its creating a new xenos time (although as there is no details (other than a name) for the Tushepta I reckon thats the bad boy to adapt).

 

Am I wrong again?

 

I've done some further research which threw up a little morsal that I'm basing my whole argument around!

 

A full on genestealer force with unlimited Purii and potential hosts would take 100 years or so to become a menacing threat to a civilisation! There are 5 generations before the cycle is complete and another genestealer capable of infecting a new host is created!!! thats 4 Generations of hybrids! how hard can they be?!

 

So what if the Hulk had only a handful of genestealers? Maybe the part that crashed was a small segement of a much bigger hulk and the genestealers inside were isolated? There aren't enough of them to pose a menacing threat immediately so they realise they'd need to progenate (i.e infect the humans) to grow their number. At the same time though, there needs to be enough of them to make them believe they could run a successful attack on the human bases.

In summary; too few genestealers so the humans, whilst weak individually are a threat purely by outnumbering them and the genestealers know that. Yet, there are enough of them to run snatch and grab raids to infect new hosts. Say 100, against an army of 100s of thousands, 100-1 odds.

The fact they are forced initially to run snatch and grab missions means that the generation time for new hybrids is slowed dramatically (compared to them having a full force that infects quite rapidly allowing the genestealer cult to grow at a rapid rate, the process they use to generate offspring would be slowed down thanks to low resources (human hosts)).

Year 0 :Hulk crashes on the praries, Genestealers consolodate their position and numbers, meanwhile the Human tribes are curious and send teams to investigate, a few away teams disappear and are kept within the Hulk to begin with (some away teams are sent at the same time as the other tribe and end up fighting each other before reaching the hulk). Genestealers see how easy the humans are to kill so go in search of their homes, stumble across the Tree fortress and attack, due to centuries of war the shear numbers of humans only a horn call away overwhelms them so they retreat with a few they've captured. Genestealers go in search of easier prey to start the progeny and find the Rols, same thing happens, attack, horn call, outnumbered, retreat with captured Humans. Both Tribes realise the monsters came from the 'sky metal' (hulk) so don't send any more away teams and reinforce defences, continue war. Genestealers Figure out that no more easy prey are coming and that the losses they take is so few in comparison to the humans they infect they launch sporadic raids on both tribes.

 

Total Humans lost to the genestealers 150 of which infected 100, Genestealers lost 10.

 

Year 1 : As the raids increase the tribes realise they are losing too many of their best warriors by fighting on 2 fronts, Morale is depleting and they are losing men trained to fight at an accelerated rate. As fate would have it the genestealers having laid dormant for a while have been concocting there biggest raid yet and they've chose the perfect place for it. A concentrated area for hosts, thats right the front line of the tribal war, so off they go on this raid with the largest force they've taken out, attack the front line positions and instantly create havoc, the tribes, who have no idea each other know about the genestealers, both realise the greater threat and the commanders of each tribe order them to concentrate their man power on the raiding force. Both tribes are as shocked by the raid as they are by the sudden ceasefire between them but understand the necessity at this point to concentrate their might against a common enemy. The tribes call all men to arms and soon the genestealers are surrounded, they realise they will soon be overwhelmed so give up their aim of infection and maim and kill their way back the the hulk. Not without leaving many dead or injured/infected on the battlefield ready to be taken back to their tribal homes to infiltrate. tribal leaders in an unprecedented move, call a temporary ceasefire in order to meet up and discuss the new threat. They have meeting decide that in order to survice the new alien infestation they're gonna need to work together and lo, Quisto-Rol is formed (will elongate this part!) MEanwhile back at the Hulk the first generation of Hybrids are born and nutured.

 

Total Humans lost to the genestealers 500 of which infected 150, of which now infiltrating the tribes 75, genestealers lost 25, Humans in the Hulk 175

 

Years 2 - 20 : Raids continue as Patriarch genestealers try to contact their contagii. First Hybrids born in the tribes, doctors and midwives start noticing some abnormalities, extra arms in some children. Associate the extra blue limb to the genestealers and report this to the eldars, more and more are born with a similar deformity until an elder notices a pattern. The correlation between the children born with 3 limbs born to parents who fought and were wounded in the huge raid a year before is striking. When this is discovered the doctors are given orders to take the children away to be studied, the parent (contagii) who are obsessively protective of their offspring lash out, this is reported to the elders who call a meeting to declare that any children born with extra limbs be killed on site, along with those already born. This send the Contagii mental and they attack the elders, unfortunately for the contagii the eldars are well protected and the contagii are either killed or rounded up and banished. Obviously they would go to the Hulk to join the Hive. thinking this has sorted any immediate problem, The tribes have underestimated the fact that their wives are also contagii but due to social rules already in place, the women aren't allowed to attend such meetings so were unable to lash out and be banished, their hysterical pleading for their child to be saved is put down to female melancholy and so they are left to find a new mate and create a new hybrid. The Maelignaci (1st generation kids) who grow up in the hulk and join in some of the raids their patriarch run, the humans can't believe the abominations infront of them nor the way they are used as decoys whilst the genestealers attack and infect specific targets on the other side of the battlefield. This process continues...

 

Total Humans lost to the genestealers 5000 of which infected 1250, of which now infiltrating the tribes 450 of these number banished 300, genestealers lost 55, Humans in the Hulk 875, Maelignaci in Hulk 400

 

Years 21 -40 : Much the same occurs, raids continues, defences fortified, develop new weapon against the genestealers, injured/infected tribesman bear 3 limbed kids, kids killed, tribesman banished, The link between the females being contagii as well becomes apparent thanks to 3 limbed kids being born to fathers who have not fought, females start to be banished, Raids continue. in the Hulk the 3rd stage Genestealers are born (hybrid), keeps developing numbers are growing but the numbers able to infect others is diminishing (Purii), raides are becoming more desperate and less frequent due to the lower number of Purii available to progenate, use a different tactic to send a handful of genestealers with a force of contagii, Maelignaci, and Hybrids as fodder. A bit of a scandal in that one of the most reveered Elders, a proud fighter promoted to elder after a long service bears a child with 3 limbs, banished and shakes the morale of the humans. Realising that morale will soon become an issue, propaganda is stepped up to illustrate that every soldier is netitled to extra stuff (To be decided) if he signs up as well as creating a fighting class that is reveered throughout the nation, they're given incredible praise where ever they go and the more experienced and brilliant warriors are treated like walking gods even the privates in the army receive a lot of attention, thus the 'why should I fight' undertones are quashed. Process continues...

 

Total Humans lost to the genestealers 10,000 of which infected 2050, of which now infiltrating the tribes 900 of these number banished 600, genestealers lost 35, Humans in the Hulk 1475, Maelignaci in Hulk 800, Hybrids in Hulk 400

 

Years 41- 60 : Much the same occurs, raids continues, defences fortified, develop new tactics against the genestealers, injured/infected tribesman bear 3 limbed kids, kids killed, tribesman banished, females bearing 3 limbed kids kileld also, Raids continue. in the Hulk the 4th stage Genestealers are born (True hybrid), These are sent back to the tribes to usurp the leadership of the tribes through infiltration like assassins, 1 of the heads of the tribes is killed by a true hybrid resulting in the tribal heads moving to a heavily fortified area in the monastry where only a handful of people have access and there is a scale of command. To combat the true hybrids, random searched are carried out throughout the land as well as a form of undercover police force being set up, these tribesmen pose as other true hybrids and approach suspects to play on their attachment to the genestealers, when discovered the undercover tribesman (Ineed a better word for undercover) kills them when suitably alone. Many True Hybrids are caught when exposed in the real light although some manage to evade capture adn continue their dastedly deeds, Although they never attain the same level in the heirarchy again. Battle veterans, including their wives are moved to a secure area of the forest when injured, the idea being to let them recuperate and forced to mate. The doctors still can't tell when an injured soldier is just injured or infected as well so the only true plan to secure the safety of the tribe is to isolate all the injured, they're no use in a fight anyway at the moment. If the child is born normal, they are relaised back to the tribe to retire on full military benefits, if the child can shake 3 peoples hands they are banished. Raids atart to use few genestealers and more contagii, Maelignaci, and Hybrids, the genestealers really need to create some offspring that can progenate soon or they will be in trouble. Process continues...

 

Total Humans lost to the genestealers 15,000 of which infected 4500, of which now infiltrating the tribes 1800 of these number banished 1200, genestealers lost 15, Humans in the Hulk 4000, Maelignaci in Hulk 1600, Hybrids in Hulk 800, True Hybrids in the hulk or in society 400 of which killed 200

 

Years 61 - 80 : Much the same occurs, raids continues, defences fortified, develop new tactics against the genestealers, injured/infected tribesman bear 3 limbed kids, kids killed, tribesman banished, females bearing 3 limbed kids killed also, Raids continue. in the Hulk the 5th stage Genestealers are born (Primacii), These updated versions are sent back to the tribes to take over from the True Hybrids. They are nearly indistinguishable from the humans and pick up what the True Hybrids started, able to fully usurp the leadership of the tribes and infiltrate the upper echelons of the tribe once more, they decide to use emotion rather than force as their key tool, havoc is caused when the entire of 1st and 2nd company are sent in to an ambush and nearly all are injured/infected or killed. Morale takes a huge blow. The Primacii are uncovered by chance when the 3 highest ranked Primacii in the tribal army (they've worked up to that rank slowly) are caught passing on information to a tribesman posing as a true hybrid, they continued to watch the 3 primacii while never undertaking any otheir orders fully until their link became apparent to their primarch, the primarch is captured when he appraches the tribe (on a raid) to nurture his offspring, the primacii are captured and tortured to expose the other primacii, when they don't give any information the primarch is wheeled in and tortured, the primacii who are totally devoted to their primarch divulge a lot of information until their cold traitorous whimpers die out with them. The primacii uncovered by the interrogation are rounded up and publically exicuted, these included several elders and many high in the tribes hierarchy. With the traitors seemingly caught and dealt with the tribal morale lifts once more and the fight that was looking lost is now back on an equal footing. Raids start to use no genestealers at all, more contagii, Maelignaci, Hybrids and true hybrids are used, the genestealers realise that the next generation is the key to the battles success must hold out for a while longer, whilst their numbers are large now they need to be able to progenate soon or when the last Purii is lost so will be there chance. Process continues...

 

Total Humans lost to the genestealers 25,000 of which infected 9500, of which now infiltrating the tribes 3600 of these number banished 2400, genestealers lost 5, Humans in the Hulk 8000, Maelignaci in Hulk 3200, Hybrids in Hulk 1600, True Hybrids in the hulk or in society 400 of which killed 200

 

 

Years 81 - 100 : I reckon this is when the White Scars get involved need to figure out how and why but they're getting involved before the Purii take hold.

 

So what do you think?

 

I think it works, baring in mind the genestealers after year 80 have about 15,000 varients to call on, still no way enough to take on the complete human race! I read about the whole genestealer process and have tried not to move away from the laws of it. I think its possible, I'm a little concerned about how hard the hybrids and the like are in a fight but I imagine its nothing a bunch of like minded angry swordsmen couldn't sort out? I just need a number of genestealers that were at the initial hulk crash where this is a viable option! Maybe it was a full hive on the hulk but during the crash landing most of them were killed? It also works as the increasing threat of this genestealer horde coupled with that rip in space is enough to start a new chapter, and as someone pointed out maybe the WS's were looking to start a new chapter and this is the perfect reason!

 

It needs tweaking here and there but does it read like it could be plausible!?

 

Tear it to shreds if needs be, I can use the same theme for the alien (maybe not exactly) we make up if this isn't viable, at least the same timeline and key events? maybe they could be shape shifter or something?

 

I need to know if this is plausible first though!

 

Al

[Ace Debonair]

I need to know if this is plausible first though!

 

Al

 

I'll quote myself from earlier in response.

 

 

Tyranids were nowhere to be seen until a while after the most recent founding.

 

And this does not correspond to a day or two, either. :(

 

Swap out the genestealers for your own boys though, and it's good! :P

[Solomon de Gravier]

I know you're thinking I'm crazy for not snapping your hand off with a new xenos but, at this moment in time I think the back story gains credence if the xenos is a known species.

 

Like previously said: Tyranids are recent history. Make and break your own. It won't change the Imperium at all.

 

So here's my last attempt to get the genestealers involved. Am I wrong again?

 

Oui monsieur! Yes Sir! Yea my Lord! Of course! Absoulutely fantabdoodley yes! Genestealers is a no no!

 

Like Ace Debonair said: Everything is fine if you use the Sdinaryt (I'll wait a while before people get this).

 

Of course. Since it's your IA you could pressure us into using Tyranids but I think Sdinaryt are the answer.

[mousetrap]

Okay so the tyranids aren't around before the last founding so what does this mean?

 

"737.M41 Valos reported stripped of life. (Hive Fleet Behemoth).

738.M41 Latest Founding (26th)."

 

Literally the last try!!!

 

If that doesn't mean anything I'm sorry for wasting your time with the last big post but hopefully you'll find it in your hearts to help me out of this funk I'm in!

 

Tyranids backwards isn't the way though!! Nice try.

 

So as a result of you all being so anti me and tyranids, the least you can do is help me out with my new xenos!! Only kidding! I do need help though.

 

Is anybody against me using the tushepta which do exist but have no fluff? or do I need to make up my own alien name Options are:

Rormir

Ceferlinot

Micim

Captocy

 

Instead of genetic implantation hows about shape shifting? Makes it easier for them to infiltrate the tribes? I need a way of stringing the struggle out, the genetic thing worked fine but need a parallel.

 

I did have an idea to make them play on the emotions of the tribal fighters, Basically they make the people looking at them see what they want to see so 3 people could be looking at the same alien but seeing 3 completely different things, The alien would have no power over how it was being perceived (which would be their weakness as it'd only take one person to descibe the aliens appearance and thye'd know it was an alien).

 

How about the alien has very vulnerable young who are born from a single queen, the young need tending too and feeding so stay vulnerable for a long time, the humans are food rather than a genetic host. The need to feed the young would drive the snatch and grab tactics. Wouldn't explain the infiltration though, unless the matured young grew into various forms, the queen could change the offspring produced via hormonal change (much like sex is determined in bee hives) 1 set to tend to the young permanently, 1 set of hunters, 1 set of shape shifters (or those things I just described above)? Maybe the eggs are laid into the humans? is that too close to the Alien trilogy do you reckon? I need an idea for why the human children are killed at birth (another 3 arm baby problem).

 

Failing that it could be a sporal or aura type alien that inhabits humans and takes over there psyche then use the human body as a vector to create their true forms so the aliens land as entities and create bodies for themselves by taking over the human childrens bodies but implanting their own psyche? there would need to be a distinguishable mark on them? But I don't know why these would cause the 2 races to call a truce? I need something physically violent I fear.

 

Hmmm, this is why the genestealers were class, I'd figured it all out! Suggestions please everybody! Do you think I should modify my genestealer tale or create a new one?

 

As always, thanks in advance

[Dosjetka]

If you decide to do a new xenos race, then I have a great idea of how they infiltrate human dwellings! Have you read the book Sabriel by (can't remeber the name...I'll look it up ASAP). The evil spirits in the story basically "posess" a human being and then control it. They are week beings and are afraid of light IIRC. I'll go read it up in the book again and correct my mistakes/add more stuff about them.

 

BBL

[mousetrap]

Right so creating a new xenos is the way. I'm looking forward to hearing your idea BBL.

 

With that in mind its time to admit I have writers block! argghh!

 

So, as no brilliant ideas are hitting me and at this moment I dont want to rewrite my method for pulling the 2 tribes together, I'm gonna write a list of what I need to recycle the plausible genestealer story. So, this is what I need from my xenos:

 

1. They need to live on a Space Hulk. Where are they from? What casued them, did they evolve on the hulk from quite benign species?

 

2. They need to start with a few individuals that feel the need to propogate.

 

3. They need a reason to attack the tribes. Food being the obvious choice, survival of their species being the other, maybe the humans could be like human batteries a la the Matrix films? could the xenos be a mechanoid race?

 

4. They need to be able to kill tribesmen easily but equally, no match to multiple tribesmen. I've been toying with them not being in the medieval era over the weekend, I reckon they could be a little more advanced than our society but the weaponry could be different i.e not based on gun powder? does that sound like a good idea? or somewhere around the early 1800s, primitive fire power and tactics? What do you reckon? I think the medieval idea maybe too obvious.

 

5. They need to be able to infiltrate the camp yet be distinguishable from the natives. So 2 stages of development, the first being a basic phase where they are easily identifiable without much scrutiny and a second phase where they are nearly indistinguishable from the tribesmen, yet still have a tell tale sign when studied thoroughly. Could they use humans as a vessel? control captives, take human form?

 

6. They need to be able to survive and develop over 100-120 years. During this period they have moments of vulnerability but the longer they survive the larger threat they pose to the tribes.

 

7. They need to generate enough of a threat to make the astartes step in.

 

8. They need a blue head and a reddish brown body. I'm thinking of my chapters colour scheme and the reason it looks like it does is down to this ancestral foe.

 

9. They need to have different stages of development where they have a different appearance / ability. So like a pupal stage and an adult stage?

 

10. They need to be vicious!

 

I appreciate this is all obvious if you read the genestealer idea, but its more a mental note for myself than anything else!

 

That said, I would love some ideas for this new xenos so please feel free to chime in with any idea you have.

 

Thats about it for the mo, can someone suggest another piece of lore I need to create for my chapter whilst this mental block is in effect?

 

Thanks for your ongoing help.

 

Al

[mousetrap]

Ok Given it some thought.

 

Xenos Needs a Name but here is effectively what they are:

 

Created from A Queen who lays eggs. The eggs hatch and create a nymph which develops much like a tadpole does except on land. Initially slug-like the nymph sprouts legs and starts taking the form of an adult slowly. They are non threatening for many years until all their limbs develop to a sufficient level, when this occurs (generally around the time the articulated scales start to form) they become a little more dangerous. There are 3 types of this xenos, the Vanserts, Gunadiras & Drawné, the Queen changes the function of the creatures through hormonal changes within her. The key types of adult offspring are:

 

1. Vanserts (workers)

Essentially bred to tend to the young, attend the Queen and do the house keeping, they have the ability to fight but are easily slain and only pose a threat when attacking in vast numbers. They have long torsos with a protruding abdomen, are Grey in colour and are covered with articulated scales along their spine. A long Neck equal to half their total body length leading to a head with a white boney 'mohican' protruding from the top and bottom of an oval shaped head. The head has no mouth, ears or eyes (as they very rarely venture out of the Hulk they have little need for the extra senses) They have an accute sense of smell from hair like tendrils that protrude from their fore arms which enables them to navigate. Allied to these forarms they have 4 more limbs, 2 Legs and 2 arm like limbs with Boney spikes protruding from the end, used for carrying the eggs from where the queen to the nursery or wherever they are needed within the hulk. The eggs need to be moved either due to the eggs maturation phase or, due to malformation. Malformed eggs are taken and fed to the Drawné and Gunadiras for extra nutrition. The Vanserts do not eat, they gain nutrients from the placental mucus secreted by the queen when she creates an egg, the eggs are held with a mucus suspensioin prior to being laid, when laid inevitably some of the mucus escapes and runs over the Vanserts waiting to deliver the eggs to the nursery, this highly nutritious slime is absorbed by the Vanserts through the epidermis on their necks and underbelly. As the nutrition is absorbed in usable form their physiology means they do not need a stomach or intestinal tract, they are so efficient that they do not create any waste. They breath through the skin on their necks, in a similar way amphibians do, as a result there is 1 organ similar to a lung that also does the job of the heart situated in the neck, allowing the vital gasses they need are absorbed and circulated at the same time.

 

2. Gunadiras

These are the military versions of the Vanserts and about 2x the size (about 4ft high, 4 ft wide and 7 foot long). They are reddish Brown with a Blue Head and have white boney protrusions running north south on their shulls. They share the same physiology as the Vansert (Lung/Heart hybrid organ situated in the neck, 6 limbs, articulated scales along the spine and fleshy underbelly). There are s few adaptations from the Vansert's that make the Gunadiras suited to warfare. Firstly they have evolved a mouth (although its only uses is to clamp, there is no throat still) the Gunadiras also have 6 ears located on the top, bottom, front, back and both sides of its spherical head, giving the Gunadiras perfect 360˚ hearing. The Gunadrias are fed malformed eggs from the queen, known for their extreme nutritional value the eggs contain every nutrient and vitamin that the gunadiras need. Other difference are prominant and sharper boney spikes along with developed forearms where the tendril like hairs for smell are replaced with hardened quills that can be thrown at velocity. The neck is some what shorter as is the total body length making them more manouverable. They have developed glands on their necks and lower abdomen where they can propel 'Clafet' at a high velocity. Clafet are small parasites that share the Gunadiras DNA. They are about the size of pen lid and a similar shape (they look like that thing Neo has sucked out of his stomach in the Matrix, except they're not metal and a lot smaller). These are 'fired' from the neck/underbelly pockets at attackers, they are housed within Quills identical to those found on their Forearms. Once they puncture a target, the parasite inside invades the new hosts body and lodges itself somewhere in the nervous system of the host and starts seizing control of the hosts functions over time. (A detailed explanation of this process will follow). The idea of the Clafet's is to mimic Quills so that the new host doesn't notice a difference between a parasite carrying quill and a normal quill, thus giving the parasite a better chance of survival.

 

3. Drawné are like the artillery arm of the xenos. Much larger than the Gunadiras and Vanserts they are produced much more seldomly than the other 2 strains. They are identical to the Gunadiras other then a few minor differences such as an elongated head, shorter limbs proportionally and a tail (which has a heavy mace like end). 2 major differences are their size (6ft hign, 6ft wide and 10 ft long) and their Neck and lower abdomen glands are replaced by a much larger gland that creates much larger quills each containing a potent alkali. These are propelled in the same manner as before however due to the increased size, they take a lot more energy to 'fire' (meaning the frequency of firing diminishes) as well as needing a much more arched flight.

Slower and bulkier they are normally deployed later to add firepower from behind.

 

There are smaller princesses that are supported incase the queen became ill or died, but they remain infertile until the original queen dies and her link to them is severed.

 

They are all fiercely loyal to the queen and will defend her to the hilt, not only is she their only way to survive she is also the only way they can generate new members of the species. The queen is the only member of the species that needs an outside source of food, unsuprisingly she'd got a taste for human flesh! She has the capacity to absorb memories and is susceptable to stress and has been known to bear other variants on occasion due to the hormonal imbalance the stress causes. Specific examples to follow.

 

Generally it takes 35 years for a full maturation cycle to complete but many are considered ready some time before that. They are known aggressors and are fiercely territorial so much so that, they won't stop attacking until they are happy there is a safe enough perimiter around the queen. This can lead to exhaustive attacks miles away from the hulk as the perimeter can never be big enough. They can communicate psychically and have a semi-hive mind. (more to follow).

 

Well thats it, C&C's are encouraged, I doubt I've covered every angle so any flaws or enhancements you feel I should know about, just let me know!!!

 

Thanks as always.

 

Al

[Leebe]

35 years seems like an excruciatingly long growth period for development of a creature. At least a bestial one. A period of vulnerability is one thing, but that's a bit of a large gap. Even with a very large amount of egg production, 35 years is too long to be defenseless (at least for a territorial species that ventures a few miles beyond protecting a singular creature... whoever they're fighting is going to look for the breeder).

[mousetrap]

How does 20 years sound? Its not like they have to be fully formed to pose a threat, they're pretty mean beasties.

 

I think I'm gonna change it so each egg is genetically coded to stop maturation at a certain point. The nymph part of their lives would be much shorter, from the nymph they develop into Vanserts then Gunadiras then Drawné, so the different types are only different stages of the maturation process. The Queen genetically codes them to stop developing once they reach a certain form, depending on the hormonal balance in the hulk (each stage (Vanserts, Gunadiras and Drawné) secretes a different hormone/pheromone that the queen is sensitive to, when the hormonal levels drop to a certain point within the hulk she creates eggs to bolster the number of the diminshed stage). This way they all exist and would be ready to fight from an earlier age, the only difference being the time it takes to create a Drawné is longer than any other member of the species, which is a good idea because they are the most likely to cause mass damage as they are the most developed.

 

So

0-2 years Nymph

2-5 years maturation to fully formed Vansert

6-12 years maturation to fully formed Gunadiras

13-20 Years maturation to fully formed Drawné

 

Thats not to say they can't fight at a slightly under developed form they are just not as effective.

 

Is that a more reasonable explanation and time frame?

 

Al

[Leebe]

That's much better if they're supposed to be a threat to the Imperium. Just seemed odd to have a species who was even slower at reaching combat readiness than your average guardsmen (and didn't compensate for it in some other way along the lines of the Eldar).

[mousetrap]

Hello Everyone,

 

As you well know my knowledge on all things astartes is blossoming but a long way from being on mastermind. I've read the Dark Angels, Black Templars & Space Marine codex's so feel I have a grasp of what makes a chapter but I need some help with regard to the rest of my chapter story so here's what I have:

 

Description of homeworld,

Description of the 2 tribes

Description of the Xenos that got the Astartes involved

 

Firstly, do any of these need more info adding to them?

 

Secondly I know there is a lot left to do but am wondering what exactly I need to sort out before these fellas officially exist.

 

Having read through some other IA docs I know I need:

Notable Battles

Battle Cries

Chapter Squads

Notable Characters

 

What else do I need? & what do I need to consider when writing these?

 

I'm not after ideas as such I just need guidelines, for those of you who've been with me from my embryonic stages, you'll know that I have a habit of using ideas that are impossible to implement so some help would be appreciated.

 

Anything you can add will be of a great help, I'll come up with the storyline but just need somewhere to channel my creativity!

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Al

[Sigismund Himself]

What every chapter and IA needs is a theme. So what theme do you intend to give these guys?

[Captain Juan Juarez]

What every chapter and IA needs is a theme. So what theme do you intend to give these guys?

 

And therein lies the hard part, methinks.

[mousetrap]

What do you mean by theme?

[Sigismund Himself]

What do you mean by theme?

What makes the chapter different from the other 999 in existence? Why do they get out of bed in the morning and hunt down the enemies of the Emperor? What drives them? That's generally what I mean by theme <_<

[Ace Debonair]

The Theme of a chapter is what gives it it's flavour, and what should link every part of the chapter together.

 

If you'll tolerate the shameless plug, take the Stonebound as an example. Their theme is fantasy dwarvish culture, and I think I've managed to convey the presence of the theme in all parts of the IA; their homeworld, how they fight, what they believe, and even their name derives from fantasy dwarvish, although you don't have to go that far <_< .

 

Other, more famous examples include the Space Wolves, who are based on vikings, and the White Scars, who take their cues from the Mongols.

 

The Theme of your chapter doesn't have to be a culture, as such. I recall you said something about wanting your chapter to be like knights earlier on - there's a good, solid base to work from. It's not original, and some sort of twist on the idea might help, but it's a good place to start. ;)

[Solomon de Gravier]

If you decide to do a new xenos race, then I have a great idea of how they infiltrate human dwellings! Have you read the book Sabriel by (can't remeber the name...I'll look it up ASAP). The evil spirits in the story basically "posess" a human being and then control it. They are week beings and are afraid of light IIRC. I'll go read it up in the book again and correct my mistakes/add more stuff about them.

 

BBL

 

 

Garth Nix. One of the best!

[Dosjetka]

If you decide to do a new xenos race, then I have a great idea of how they infiltrate human dwellings! Have you read the book Sabriel by (can't remeber the name...I'll look it up ASAP). The evil spirits in the story basically "posess" a human being and then control it. They are week beings and are afraid of light IIRC. I'll go read it up in the book again and correct my mistakes/add more stuff about them.

 

BBL

 

 

Garth Nix. One of the best!

Yes, that's the one! I still haven't had time to go look as I've been ill most of last week and I'm still recovering (stupid anti-biotics are making me weak...:)). I'll go look as soon as I can though!

 

BBL

 

Edit: forgotten letter :) (Thanks De Gravier) :tu: