 September 28, 2011 - 11:11am | Idle thoughts on a new menace species The Mantes are an insectoid like omnivore resembling a preying mantis. They have a hive like society with 3 or 4 castes of significantly different body types in each caste. The "Swarmer" The lowest cast is a seemingly unintelligent to low intelligent creature that is used as a swarm to overrun enemies. They are created when the standard larva are fed cirtain foods/compounds that interact with its version of DNA, locking and unlocking key sections of genetic code to produce the quick growing "swarmer" These creatures live for nothing but to eat and swarm; Luckily they only live for 1d5 mounths. Their bloated dead husks are collected and become a food source for the growing hive. The Worker Again the worker results when the standard larva is fed the right foods/nutrients. they are larger than the swarmer and the foundation of Mantes society. Doing all the work and normally account for 90% of the species unless a swarm state is on. The Warrior is a worker that has injested ____________ and metamorphed into a warrior. they dont live for long 2d5 months. But they are deadly opponents and exert some control over the swarm The Flyer is another "warrior" model and results when a worker injests ___________ and metamorphs into a flyer. The Queen is hermaphroditic and produces standard larva when impregnated by a warrior, whom she eats during the coupling but when she impregnates a flyer with her stinger a new queen larva begins to grow inside the flyer eating it from the inside out. the Mantes has a high iron content in their chitonous shells (much like the iron content in a homing pigeon's bill) that makes them very attune to magnetic fields- they never get lost, camoflaged vehicles do not fool them. When a swarm is on it eats every thing carbon based- plants, animals, people, their own dead. If not checked the swarm will die off 1/5 at a time each month for 5 months. In the first few month the shear mass of numbers masks the warriors but in the last two month they are more visible and exposed. I had intended that this be a space faring race comperable to the sathar but after writing the above I'm unsure. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 28, 2011 - 11:17am | I suppose they could only be a space faring race if they have a way of transfering knowledge to the next generation or unless there is a "hive mind" where knowledge is maintained. The other possibility is that they are a weapon. Used by another species to clear the ground on a planet for it to move in. the hives just become a food source themselves to the overlord creature after that. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 September 28, 2011 - 11:37am | The other possibility is that they are a weapon. Used by another species to clear the ground on a planet for it to move in. the hives just become a food source themselves to the overlord creature after that.
Neat idea, what if they lived x number of days or months? 1.) Drop them on planet 2.) Swarm, kill, take over 3.) Die off, quickly decompose |
