Stinger

Website URL:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FShc3zcLBw
This interstellar leviathan is rarely seen – in fact, it’s only been seen in the roleplay world once and that was for a brief few seconds – preferring to remain out of sight in the depths, subterranean or ocean. It is amphibious in nature and is quite able to adapt to land and sea with equal ease of locomotion as it features both a powerful, serpentine body and a multitude of short legs, vaguely resembling a centipede crossed with a snake. It also has the added benefit of a segmented tail, allowing it to either tunnel or swim at great speed as well as the wicked ‘ball’ of hard spikes at the tip which aids in killing and defending itself from threats. There’s a dark indigo shine to most of Stinger’s body as well that would most closely resemble the carapace of a beetle or similar insect, save for its underside which is pale with a yellow tint. So pale that it is also translucent and if one was looking closely, they’d easily spot shadows of previous meals, often devoured whole, drifting within the small chemical sea of stomach acids. The face of this creature is quite off-putting, people should thank their lucky stars they don’t see it often. Long and narrow with four large violet eyes and a large mouth with, surprisingly, smaller teeth than one may expect from such a beast. The Stinger typically uses the powerful double-pair of pincers (4) on either side of its head to grasp prey and guide them to their mouth to swallow them with simplicity. TL;DR SUMMARY: Imagine a mad God creating a BIG centipede/snake/scorpion and then, because that God is an asshole, they decided to give it a Reaper Leviathan face. The Replicants These are what Stingers use to breach the surface. They devour all the organic materials they can – be it flesh, bone, blood, rocks, wood, dirt – and create what are typically called replicants to act as their scouts, soldiers and even mouthpieces during an invasion. These replicants seem to be directly linked to Stinger which stands to reason that this creature is not only a brute, it’s also capable of technology that some could only dream of. The other indication that there’s more to Stinger’s replicants than meets the eye is the addition of the unknown metallic and chemical alloys discovered within them. Their bodies also do not rot, almost as if they were preserved. Upon closer inspection, even the veins of the replicants are synthetic in nature, more of a plastic-like compound than anything and the brains of these creatures consist more of this synthetic material than organic. It’s unlikely that Stinger shares in its Replicants pain though. When a brain of one of these creatures was examined, there were no such small ‘wires’ implanted in the pain region, though there were definitely connectors in the brain stem and spinal cord as well as the ‘communication’ section. Stinger can speak through these creatures, if it wishes to do so. “I feel that I was far too nice during the experimental stage, fleshbags.” The Synthetic Materials The metals used in Stinger’s replicants will not appear as a known material within this dimension. It -does- have traces of common minerals found on Earth though, indicating that those are part of the production process that Stinger uses to create the Replicants. The metal itself shines with an unusual bluish-tint and after further testing, it has proved to be very dense as well as sharp, allowing it to be used as both armor and weapons. It also seems to be able to withstand extreme temperatures – even remaining undamaged by dragonfire – though the effects of extreme cold have yet to be tested. In order to break this metal, roll an even number (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20). Odd numbers are failures and the recoil will damage coinciding to the number rolled. Meaning if you are unlucky enough to get an 19 or 17, it’ll hurt and sting. This roll doesn’t count if you play a character who can control metal though. And I know there is one. The liquid replacement for blood that appears in some Replicants as a thick indigo substance that would look more like oil than water or blood as it reacts the same way in water that oil does – rises to the top, shimmering on the surface. It can also stain clothing and flesh for a lengthy period and the odor of it is like gasoline mixing with sulfur and, strangely, pickle juice. For starters, it’s not a combustible. Quite the opposite, it extinguishes fire which makes the creature with this running in their ‘veins’ much more resistance to flames impacting their use. Not all Replicants have this blood replacement. Only a few of them. Those are the ones that fire doesn’t work on and will be noted as such. The wire-like material that used as muscle tissue, veins and even replacing the synapses of the brain is flexible, strong and conductive. It also has traces of organic material as well as some components that remain a mystery. What doesn’t remain a mystery is that while this material is resistant to being severed, it’s not impossible. It takes a strong sword and a stronger swing though, not to mention a bit of Lady Luck. Less resistant to fire and lightning so that’s good news. In order to sever this ‘wire’, let’s say you need to roll a +10 or the recoil may break your weapon or some of your bones in that limb used for swinging? Stinger-Based Materials When Stingers devour other Stingers, their resources are processed all the same and, well, the Stinger that crash-landed close to the North American coast has already devoured two of its kin. The one around South America was injured by the explosion that destroyed the Dome and damaged its pyramid craft and provided little resistance to the healthy, well-fed Stinger. The other unfortunate kin devoured was prowling around Australia, young and inexperienced. Stingers are territorial by nature and fight for dominance, only capable of settling hostilities to destroy the same targeted planet. As planet-destruction is not the goal of this unintentional invasion, these struggles for territory will continue, making the earth shake and tremble and turning the ocean turn red with blood. The dark shiny purple carapace of a Stinger is highly resistant to physical damage as well as elemental resistance. Consider that these creatures are from space and arrived here via a meteor storm. Clearly, they can survive pressures that far exceed fleshling capabilities as well as extreme temperatures of hot and cold. They plow through the water, earth and stone with ease. So yes. Their casing is built very strongly. Therefore, a Stinger will always go for the weak points – like the eyes or the gut. The gut is always a safe bet. Nothing can damage this carapace, save for a 20. Do you feel lucky now, punks? Do ya? The stomach acids of Stingers can melt flesh, bone and stone. There’s been evidence of this already found in the tunnels from the ‘waste-product’ it used to aid in locomotion. It is this acid that continues to appear in Variations – like the Swarm-Mothers and Sky-Stingers – that can cause damage to most materials and flesh that depends on the average amount. If a Swarm-Mother vomits all over an unfortunate individual who felt like being a hero, well, that is a large amount. Acid damage is acid damage. I’ll leave it to those assembled to decide on how extreme the burns are with general splatter and such – clothing will probably be burnt away and skin after that if struck again. I’m sorry to say that the only thing that will survive a direct hit from a Swarm-Mother's response to a direct melee attack or one of the acid-spewing Bosses in the face is a 20. Still feel lucky? Be happy there’s only a few of them that do this shit. The pyramids that the Stingers used to generate their Domes possess energy of their own – composed of vastly unknown materials and using various sources to ‘charge’. Destroying the Domes may have damaged these pyramids enough so that they could no longer be safe to use again as a craft that could leave the planet, this does not mean they were damaged enough to be completely useless. Few Replicants (2) have a noticeable black triangular-shaped underneath their skin, one that still acts as a powerful barrier – like the Dome was – though it will only react to energy – magical energy to be precise. Meaning the two Replicants who have these buried within them are resistant to magical attacks. In addition, the pyramid will also ‘charge’ with more of a bombardment of these energies and grow stronger. TL;DR: It’s an intergalactic force-field that has been tinkered with to run on an altered battery. Gods have their magic, Stinger has science and technology far beyond your reckonings. It’s a great match. Replicant Variations Twitters or Little Birds Out of the most unusual things it has learned about since beginning to devour these strange, strange beings is this mystical bluebird called 'Twitter'. Varying of importance depending on the individual it ate though some were absolutely consumed by it, their thoughts and memories nothing more than ‘twitter’ and ‘tweets’. This is the reason why Stinger created small bird-like Replicants. Dense in metal though covered with a convincing façade, they are an open mockery of the bluebird icon. They even mimic the sounds of a bird though it may sound a tad strange, especially if one has an ear for birdsongs or the slightest drone of electronics when a small glitch occurs. The bird is completely mechanical – composed of no organic materials internally. It is a small machine, perhaps legacy of how many minerals Stinger has consumed, including any remaining meteor rocks left behind. They act as miniature spies – sharing optics and audio with Stinger though they only act one-way. Designed to act like the creatures they emulate and function like they always have. There are no secrets to be had here. Sky-Stinger Replicant A large wasp-like Replicant, the only airborne one of Stinger’s arsenal. Why? Creatures with wings are more difficult for Stingers to gather as opposed to land and sea creatures. Except for smaller birds that linger on the ocean’s surface or insects that may already have been on the other creatures. How large is ‘large’, you ask? Average full-grown horse. Nothing to worry about, I’m sure. This creature has ‘wings’ like the insect it is parodying, only the presence of the synthetic materials within them is clear. Metal-banded wings with the same material used for the replicants skin, only of a more delicate and finer make. The head also resembles that of a wasp – only on a much larger scale. The body of this wasp-like creature however is like that of Stinger’s own serpentine frame, complete with five longer legs, two of which that had wasp-like stingers attached to them. These stingers drip with the same corrosive yellowish-fluid that the Swarm-Mothers have inside of them. In addition to its two stinger-legs, this flying Replicant also has a tail like Stinger. Thick skinned, banded by the metal and affixed to the end is a large sphere covered in spikes of varying degrees of length. Total: 20