From: skomedal@solan.unit.no (Knut Torstein Skomedal)
Subject: stats for Aliens
Organization: Norwegian Institute of Technology
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 92 18:42:04 GMT


Here's my stats for Aliens. Thet're written in the Net Monstrous Compendium
format. If you don't have that collection, you can probably find it  at
gryhaw.stanfor.edu or some other site. Put the  Aliens in the a-d.tex file
and add a\newpage command at the end. Then make the following changes:
enter NMC-single.tex (or double if you use that) and add an "l" after the 
\begin{tabular} in the \mname macro. You might also want to change the
evensidemargin in the preamble to the same as the oddsidemargin. When I
tried to print the file with the preexisting value, the first two characters
got hacked off. That could of course be different on another printer.

Enjoy. Knut Skomedal

PS. comments would be welcome.
                        
\mmonster{Alien}
\mname{Facehugger&Chestburster&Drone&Queen&Champion}
{---&---&Any land/any&---&---}
{DM's desicion.&Either&nonexistent,& common, or \/{\em becoming}& common fast}
{---&---&Hive&---&---}
{any, but&''\ldots they&mostly come&at night\ldots mostly\ldots ''}
{none&host&anything organic&anything organic&anything organic}
{special&special&special&Genious[18]&Supra-Genius[19]}
{---&---&---&variable&---}
{Special&Special&Special&Lawful Evil&Lawful Evil}

\mvstats{special, see&Queen entry}
{5&variable&1&variable&variable}
{24&variable&18, cl 18, sw 12&3 or 24, cl 6, sw 12&24, cl 6, sw 12}
{1&variable&8&variable&variable}
{15&variable&13&variable&variable}
{1&4&4&3 or 4&4 + Psionics}
{Special&variable&1d10/1d10/2d8/&2d8/2d8/3d10/1d12&2d8/2d8/3d10/\\
&&&1d4 + Poison&[all + Combat&1d12 [all +\\
&&&&Modifier]&Combat Modifier]}
{Extrude Acid&Special Birth&Extendable Jaw&Extendable Jaw&Extendable
Jaw\\&&+ as Drone&Paralytic Poison&Tail Rending&Tail Rending\\
&&&Surprise&Charm&Hug\\
&&&Web&&Psionics}
{---&---&Acid for blood&---&---\\&
Immune to&as Drone&1/2 damage from&1/2 damage from&1/2 damage from\\&
Mindbased&&Magical Heat \& Cold&Magical Heat \& Cold&Magical\\&
Spells&&immune to&&Heat \& Cold\\&
&&Mindbased&&\\&
&&Spells&&}

\mfstats{Nil&10\%&10\%&variable&variable}
{S&S-L&L&H&H}
{Nil&Nil&Nil&Fearless[19]&Fearless[20]}
{175&variable&3000&variable&variable}

Aliens are an incredibly adaptable and ferocious race of creatures
that are believed to originate in the plane Acheron. They are at least
known to exist there in large numbers, the different tribes constantly
waging war. Those located in Acheron do not seem to have any kind of
society, but divinations seem to suggest that there exist prime planes
where they have developed a higher form of cooperation than humanly
possible. They also suggested that at least one ancient Champion has
attained Demigod status. (Suggested reading: Ender's Game by O.S.Card,
and of course the Alien movies/books.) 
Each tribe is telepathically controlled by a Queen. The Queen will be
found in the center of a sprawling underground hive, often with a
domeshaped construction made of all sorts of materials above ground.
This hive consists of interconnected tunnels in a complicated
labyrinthine network in three dimentions that are almost impossible
for a human to travel through, often dropping long distances straight
down to take advantage of the Drones phenomenal climbing ability. The
tunnels in the outer part of the hive are small, often less than 3' in
diametre, but this doesn't hamper the Drones' speed at all. In the
centre of the hive there are larger chambers where the Queen and the
Champions reside, and where the eggs are kept. The inner surfaces are
covered by a Chitinous material the Aliens produce.
Should a tribe of Aliens be discovered on your prime plane, they must be
eradicated {\em \bf At Once}\/ or they will spread like a virulent disease
over the surface until they control all land.
 Their kind reproduce in a manner singularly repulsive to most other
sentient beings (see below), though to them the idea of using and 
killing a host creature is as natural as giving a baby a bottle. 
They are capable of surviving in all normal climates, and can even 
survive for short periods of time in a perfect vacuum. They are very 
resistant to heat and cold, saving for half or quarter damage if 
exposed to such spells.
They have acid for blood, which makes them extremely dangerous to
fight. Only creatures immune to acid can do so, and even then at high
risk. Should a tribe of Aliens capture Trolls, you must take action at
once or expect a population explosion. Should you discover a 2' tall
leathery egg in a strange old dungeon, destroy it at once from a
distance. It might contain a facehugger. If it does, it will open at
the top and a Facehugger spring forth if you make noticeable
vibrations or radiate heat within a 5' radius of it.\\

{\noindent \normalsize \bf Facehugger}\\
 The Facehugger has a flat, approximately 1' long and 
1,5' wide, pale white body, with 8 spindly legs and a 3' long tail. 
The tail is so strong that a successful Open Doors check is needed to
break its grip should it get a hold. On its abdomen it has a
retractable pseudopod capable of extruding acid in order to remove
things blocking its access to the feeding openings in the host's body.
 The Facehugger will attach itself to a victim's face by twining its 
tail around the victim's neck and holding on with its legs. 
It will then force the pseudopod down the victim's throat, 
rendering the victim comatose in the process, and hatch the embryo of a
Chestburster in the victim's entrails. Obstructions like helmets, clamped 
jaws and the like are conveniently removed with a dash of acid that causes
1d10 points of damage. The Facehugger will keep the victim comatose until
the chestburster is selfsustaining, which takes approximately 72 hours, 
then it dies. If a Facehugger is incapable of finding a victim inside
of 12 days after it has hatched, it dies. Facehuggers are without
intelligence, operating on instincts only, but they are superbly
programmed. Since they have no mind, they are immune to mindbased
spells. They are one of the most efficient organisms in existence.
They are  able to extend the pseudopod to a length of 6 feet. If this
is insufficient to reach an area in the victim capable of sustaining
the embryo of the Chestburster, which is highly unlikely, it will withdraw.
 To attach itself to a free, unwilling victim, it must make a
successful attack where armor is counted as AC10, but Dexterity and 
magic works as usual. If successful, It will use its pseudopod
as described above the next round unless removed by force. If the 
victim shuts its jaws, the Facehugger will use its acid to dissolve the
offending obstruction. The dissolving process takes one round if the 
victim makes a successful Wisdom check to avoid screaming with pain. If the
Facehugger still have not been removed, it automatically renders its
victim comatose. A comatose victim cannot be woken up as long as the 
Facehugger is alive, and killing it releases a rather large dose of
acid in the victim's entrails, causing 5d10 points of damage. If the 
victim has been comatose for more than 22 hours there is a 2\% 
cumulative chance per hour beyond that time for the embryo to survive.
The embryo will then develop normally, taking nourishment from the 
corpse of the host.\\

{\noindent \normalsize Chestburster}\\
 Approximately 72 hours after the Facehugger starts
the incubation, the Chestburster is selfsustaining. At that point the
Facehugger dies and the victim wakes up, normally ravenous with hunger.
1d12+3 hours thereafter the Chestburster is fullgrown. The Chestbursters
``birth'' is an ordeal of pain and violence. It will bite and claw
its way out of the host creature, inflicting from 6d6 to 6d12
points of damage depending on the way it decides to go on the way out.
The DM should make a ruling as to the extent and effect of internal damage.
If the Chestburster rips all of the character's intestines apart on the
way out, a Cure Light Wounds spell is not likely to do much good.
If no dangers threaten, the Queen has the Chestburster eat the host to gain 
sufficient nutriments to complete its rapid growth, else she tries to
hide it. The Queen is in telepathic control of the Chestburster from
the moment it emerges from the host, and will not let it be killed
without reason. The Chestburster is the young form of the Drone, and grows 
to full size in 20 hours if there is food available. It is usually 
sufficient to eat the creature it hatched from.\\

\begin{tabular}{llllllllll}
Age(hours)&size&HD&THAC0&damage/attack&poison&save penalty&AC&movement&XP-value\\
0&S(2')&2+3&18&1/1/1/1&1 dose&4&5&12&270\\
5&M(4')&4&16&1d2/1d2/1d6/1&2 doses&3&4&13&650\\
10&M(6')&6&14&1d3/1d3/2d4/1d2&3 doses&2&3&14&1400\\
15&M(7')&7&14&1d4/1d4/2d6/1d3&5 doses&1&2&15&2000\\
20 Adult&Drone\\
\end{tabular}\\

{\noindent \normalsize \bf Drone}\\
 The drone is an 8' tall, black, bipedal monster somewhat 
resembling a cross between a giant spider and a giant scorpion, yet 
vaguely humanoid. It has a long, backwards-sloping head without
visible eyes. One variant of the species have some kind of pipes
sticking out of their backs, unknown to what purpose. The Drone has a 
dense exoskeleton that hints of an insectoid origin. It has a
skeletal, ridged tail with a poison stinger at the end. The Drone
injects a paralytic poison that immobilizes the victim for 1d4 turns unless a
Neutralize Poison spell is used at a successful hit with the tail.
It's hide is sleek and glistening, usually in shades of black, grey
or brown.
 The drone is telepathically controlled by the Queen, and functions 
approximately like a worker/warrior ant. Because of this outside
control they are immune to mindbased spells.They do not normally
reproduce, but if the Queen should be killed, all Drones have the
capacity to produce a new Queen. They function somewhat like the
facehugger in this respect, inserting the embryo of a Queen into a
host creature. {\bf How} this is done is not known. The Drones don't
have much of a brain, but they have superb instincts, and a relentless
drive to survive. Should the Queen die the Drones will be confused for
a while, but they will thereafter operate independently, each trying
to secure the survival of the race by breeding a new Queen. Drones
operating independently are still immune to mindbased spells. Should your
PC's try to eradicate a tribe of aliens, keep in mind that the job is 
not finished until the last Drone is dead. The eggs can survive for
centuries unless they are destroyed. 
Due to high "blood"-pressure, acid spurts out of any wound they 
receive, and the Queen takes advantage of this. Opponent must save 
vs BW (+4 modifier) to avoid the spray of acid she directs their way. 
Such a spray inflicts 
3d6 points of damage to bare flesh the first round, 2d6 the next and 
1d6 the third. The acid dissolves normal armor and weapons in seconds.
Each magical "+" dissolves in one round. When a Drone is killed, it 
releases all the acid it contains (the veins partially dissolves) 
in a puddle of acid 10' in diametre. Anyone caught standing within 
this area must save vs BW or receive 5d6 points of damage the first 
round, 4d6 the next and so forth. 
The acid will dissolve even rock, and makes a 1' deep hole in the ground,
deepening to 2' in the center if the ground is flat. What remains of
the Drone (very little beyond skin and sceleton) can be found in the 
center of this hole. Drones have a lifespan of approximately 200 years.\\

\Com The Drone (completely remote controlled by the Queen) has a 
claw/claw/bite/tail sting attack-form, but (the Queen) will 
generally attempt to paralyze the victim if possible, to use it as a host.
If the victim is paralyzed, the Drone will carry it to one of the 
incubation chambers and glue it to the wall with its web within the
detection radius of an egg. The web takes 14 strength to break and 
lasts for approximately 5 days before it dissolves. 
The jaw of the Drone can be extended 1' forwards with explosive force.
This attack has THAC0 12. The tail is approximately 6' long and very supple.
Using the tail, the Drone (Queen) can attack both to the front, back
and the sides with THAC0 9. The Drones can climb {\em \bf wery}\/
well, and often attack from the walls or the ceiling, thus gaining 
a +1 to surprise. 
The Queen can access all sensory input the Drones experience, and will
employ clever tactics in battle. No army this coordinated exist
elsewhere.\\

{\noindent \normalsize \bf Queen}\\
 The Queen controls everything in the hive exept the
Champions with a Psionic ability. She can extend her control to a
range in miles equal to her hit dice. She looks like a larger version of 
the Drones exept for a large "tail" containing her breeding-apparatus, the
size of which mostly keps her in one place, and renders her incapable
of using her spiked tail. To move, she have to make the Drones carry
her. She has a large, rather flat head that and flares out in two fans. 
 The Queen is capable of laying a number of eggs equal to her hit dice
every day if the food-suppy is sufficient. Whenever the population of
the hive grows too large and there is sufficient land for the new
Queen to emigrate, the old Queen lays a batch of Queen eggs. When the 
Chestbursters from these are ``born'' they fight among themselves
until only the (presumably) fittest one remains. The Queen Chestbursters
need longer time to develop than Drone Chestbursters. A Queen embryo
becomes selfsustaining as quickly as a Drone Embryo, but typically needs
6d12 hours to finish their growth. As soon as the fledgling
Queen has grown to the size of a Drone about half of the Drones leave 
with her to start a new hive. The new Queen start growing the breeding
tail as soon as the new hive offers a minimum of security and starts 
laying eggs after approximately 1 year. If the Aliens are in the process of
consolidating their hold in an area about half of the eggs the Queen
lays will contain new Queens. These will be expelled from the hive
with only a few Drones to fend for themselves as soon as they are large enough.
When the areas surrounding the hive have been secured by other hives, 
the old Queen cuts down on the production of new Queens, only
producing new Queens when the population in her own hive exceeds 200 Drones.
In an area where the Aliens have been for long enough to stabilize the
population and kill all foes the old Queens stop producing new Queens
exept when they grow too old (see below). And instead keep their
Drones, building up an army and fighting among themselves for
domination of the area in order to secure their own tribe's survival. 
If travelling in an area where Aliens are in the process of spreading 
out, the Queens will control 20d10 Drones, and a wilderness encounter 
will be with 1d6 of these. In an area with
stable populations of Aliens the Queens will control thousands of
Drones and intruders can be attacked by any number of these. Remember
that the Queen can se all that the Drones can see, so she is
immediately aware of the intruders and can direct more Drones to the
area without delay if the intruders cannot be handled by those present.\\

\Com The Queen remains non-combatant as long as possible, but she is
capable of tearing loose from the breeding tail in an emergency
situation, and thus becoming a Champion prematurely. A Queen who
enters Championhood prematurely {\em do not} gain the increased Combat
Modifier or the Psionic Powers at once. These takes decades to
develop. She is able to employ her tail, but without the bonus to THAC0, as
she hasn`t used it before, and her movement rate is increased to 24,
climb 6, swim 9. She employs the special attack {\em Tail Rending} if her
attack roll hits with 10 or more to spare. If that occurs, she has
spitted the unfortunate creature on her tail. She will then lift it, 
grab it and tear the tail out, preferably sideways. This attack
inflicts 10d10 points of damage, and should tear most creatures in two.
Most Queens are also able to use their telepathy to attempt to {\em
Charm}\/ attackers into protecting their {\em mother}\/ (the Queen).
A Queen turned Champion prematurely remains a Champion thereafter,
developing her psionic powers normally. Her body will rapidly adjust
to her new status, gaining the physical characteristics of the
Champion in a few months if the food supply is sufficient. Queens
develop according to the table below:\\

\begin{tabular}{lllllllllll}
Category&Age&Hit&THAC0&Combat&Height&Tail&Jaw&MR&AC&XP\\
&&Dice&&Modifier&&Length&Extention&&&Value\\
1&---$>$10&12+1&9&Nil&12'&9'&2'&20\%&-1&7 000\\
2&11-99&13+2&9&Nil&13'&9'&2'&25\%&-1&8 000\\
3&100-199&14+3&7&+1&13'&10'&3'&30\%&-2&9 000\\
4&200-299&15+4&5&+2&14'&10'&3'&35\%&-2&10 000\\
5&300-399&16+5&5&+3&14'&11'&4'&40\%&-3&11 000\\
6&400-499&18+8&3&+4&15'&13'&4'&45\%&-3&13 000\\
\end{tabular}\\
                      
{\noindent \normalsize \bf Champion}\\
 A tribe of Aliens are guaranteed to have a Queen, but
to have a Champion the tribe must be more than 500 years old. Of
course, with the notoriuos adaptability of the Alien species, the
probability that a tribe is that old is quite high in an area where
the Aliens have access. The access to an area must be abjudicated by
the DM. If the Aliens have been present in that area long enough then 
the following \/{\em \bf cumulative}\/ table should be used:\\

{\noindent \normalsize \bf Table A}\\
\begin{tabular}{lcl}
d100 roll&&Age of tribe\\
&&\\
01-50&&Queen's Age\\
51-65&&+200\\
66-75&&+300\\
76-85&&+500\\
86-90&&+500\\
91-95&&+500\\
96-99&&+500\\
100&&Roll on Table B. (Table B is Cumulative with Table A.)\\
\end{tabular}\\

{\noindent \normalsize \bf Table B}\\
\begin{tabular}{lcl}
d100 roll&&Age of tribe\\
&&\\
01-80&&+500\\
81-95&&+1000 and roll again on table A\\
96-100&&+500 and roll again on this table\\
\end{tabular}\\

 Unless a Queen is killed prior to reaching an age of 500 years, she
will at that time evolve into a Champion. At an age of 500
years she is no longer fertile and loses her breeding-tail. She lays a
last batch of Queen eggs prior to this, so that there is a new Queen
ready to take over the control of the tribe. The new Queen has a
rudimentary control of the Drones after day one, but there is a lot of
tricks of the trade that the old Queen teaches her. Over the next few 
decades the old Queen turns her ability to control the Drones in a 
new direction, and develops Psionic powers. The process takes 1d4 decades,
unless there is an older Champion there to teach her, in which case it
takes 1d4 years.
The new Champion is thereafter a devoted a protector of the hive, a 
Royal Guardian of sorts.\\
 
\Com Champions does not grow taller with increasing age, but gains 
weight and becomes a spiked killing mashine with 
a {\em \bf loooow}\/\\tolerance for troublemakers. 
Though the physical fighting capabilities
of an Alien Champion are awesome, it is their Psionic abilities that
are really deadly. Champions have all the fighting skills of the Queen
and gains the special attack {\em \bf Hug}\/ as well. If a Champion hits the
same character with both claw attacks it has grabbed him and proceeds
to give him a good hug. The Champion grows a series of barbed spikes
on the chest, which a victim of the hug is impaled upon. The victim
is hit by 2d4 of the spikes, takes 1d6 points of damage per spike and
is stuck there unless an Open Doors roll is successful. If the
character remains there other characters may hit him instead of the
Champion with further attacks. 
Champions develop Psionic powers equal to a Psionicist of a level
equal to half of their Hit Dice, with the following modifications:
\begin{itemize}
\item The Champion gains PSP's equal to 3 times their own maximum hit points.\\
(The number of hit points they have when unhurt).
\item Telepathy is always their main science.
\item Their Power Score progresses according to the table below.
\item They gain and use the Contact and ESP powers without cost.
\end{itemize}
Champions evolve according to the following table:\\

\begin{tabular}{llllllll}
Age&Hit&THAC0&Combat&MR&AC&Power&XP\\
&Dice&&Modifier&&&Score&Value\\
500-699&20+10&\/1&+6&50\%&-3&14&17 000 + psionics level 10\\
700-999&22+13&-1&+8&55\%&-4&15&19 000 + psionics level 11\\
1000-1499&24+16&-3&+9&60\%&-5&16&21 000 + psionics level 12\\
1500-1999&26+19&-5&+10&65\%&-6&17&23 000 + psionics level 13\\
2000-2499&28+22&-7&+11&70\%&-7&18&25 000 + psionics level 14\\
2500+&30+25&-9&+12&75\%&-8&19&28 000 + psionics level 15\\
\end{tabular}\\

Alien Champions are believed to have lifespans in excess of 4 000
years, but they don't change after they've reached an age of 2 500.
For those of you who are versed in the books of Larry Niven an analogy
with his Pak Protectors springs easily to mind. If a Champion should
be the sole survivor of some calamity that befell the tribe (which
would probably have to be a war with another tribe) it would
probably go crazy.\\

 The treasure of an Alien tribe depends upon the age of the tribe, and 
the availability of treasure in the surrounding region. The amount of
treasure tends to grow larger over the years, but much depends upon 
the chance capture of people or places carrying or storing treasure.
This must be abjudicated by the DM, as even an{\bf ancient} Alien
tribe will be without treasure if there are no tresures around. If the
tribe is located within an area where treasure is available every 
one thousand years of age of the tribe increases the amount of
treasure it has amassed by +20\% to the roll on table C. 
A 1 200 years old tribe would have amassed treasures as indicated  by
making a roll of 1d100 + 20\%.
If the age of the tribe is less than 500 years a modifier of -30\% 
must be applied. The age of the tribe is determined by consulting 
table A or B.\\

{\noindent \normalsize \bf Table C}\\
\begin{tabular}{ll}
d100 roll&Treasure Type\\
&\\
01-30&L,R\\
31-50&A\\
51-70&A,B\\
71-85&A,B,10*R\\
86-95&A,B,H\\
96-99&A,B,G,H\\
100+&A,B,G,H,U,Z\\
\end{tabular}\\

 Another valuable commodity to be found in an Alien hive is the 
Queens royal jelly. This substance can be used as a component in most
potions concerned with healing and aging. It enhances the effect of
the potion to as much as three times the original. The royal jelly
loses it's potency rapidly, however, and must be applied as a
component within three weeks of first having been exposed to air and
then vacuumpacked if it is to have any effect. A potion made with 
royal jelly loses it's extra potency according to the table below unless used.
 The royal jelly coats a freshly laid egg in a thin layer sufficient
to make one potion. The breeding tail of the Queen contains enough
jelly to make 4d4 potions, if used sparingly. Extracting the jelly is
a dangerous job however, remember that the breeding tail contains a
lot of nasty acid and is connected to a Queen as well. The jelly 
oxidises quickly when exposed to air, and loses it's potency in 1d6
turns unless it is kept within an air-tight container.\\
\begin{tabular}{ll}
&\\
1st week&Healing potions have triple effect, aging potions double effect.\\
2nd week&Healing potions have double effect, aging potions have 50\% increased effect.\\
3rd week&Healing potions have 50\% increased effect.\\
\end{tabular}