Baux Symbiotic Worm

By: IsaFlame
Created: 1996
Posted to the PML: July 28, 1998 @ 19:25

Preface

This was originally done around 1996. It's based on the Anime (Baoh)

Baux Symbiotic Worm

Host Type: Most any non-M.D.C. Animal, Human or D-Bee.
Host Environment: Frontal lobe of the brain. The worm attaches to the brain and feeds off both the blood and elector-chemicals of the brain. Introduced into the host by artificial injection into the blood stream, by way it finds its way to the brain.
Reproduction: Asexual, unable to reproduce on its own. Artificially created/cloned.
Hit Points: Special! 4D6 S.D.C., immune to all attacks except fire.
Average Life Span: Without a host the worm lives 2D6 hours. In a host it will live for the duration of the host's lifetime.
Hit Points: The Baux worm has 2D4 S.D.C.

Notes of Powers:

The worm has an innate power of Sixth Sense and Empathy (with its host only) and it will trigger a metamorphosis of the host's body in reaction to any perceived danger, real or not. It takes only one melee action to complete the transformation. The metamorphosis grants its host powers as the worm matures in stages. Note: the powers listed are only applicable in the Baux state, unless otherwise noted. The host will transform back to normal 2 melees after the threat is past.

Egg Stage Level Transformation:

The host is considered to be at level zero in experience his O.C.C. temporarily frozen while the worm develops into its adult stage and he needs 2000 experience to reach the next level).

• Supernatural Strength and Endurance: +5 to P.S. and +5 to P.E.; both attributes are supernatural for the duration of the transformation.
• Host Becomes a minor Mega-Damage Creature: M.D.C. is equal to P.E. (include the above bonus) attribute.
• Bio-Regeneration: 1D6 M.D.C. per minute.
• Energy Resistance: see Rifts: Conversion Book One.

Larvae Stage Transformation:

The host is now considered to be at level one and uses the Psi-Stalker Experience Table to determine the maturity rate of the worm).

• Enhanced Speed and Reflexes: +2D4 to P.P. (minimum 20), +1D6x10 to Spd. The character can leap 20ft across and 10ft high from a standing start, and can add another 10ft with a running start. Combat Bonuses: Two additional attacks per melee, +3 to Roll, +4 to Initiative.
• Increased Mega-Damage Capacity: Double the character's M.D.C., plus 4D6 M.D.C. per level/stage of growth.
• Enhanced Bio-Regeneration: The host's regeneration ability becomes supernaturally fast, restoring 1D4+2 M.D.C. per melee. The host cannot re-grow limbs, but he can re-attach severed limbs and their full function will be restored in two melee actions.
• Claws: The character gains talons on his hands and feet that add +1D6 MD to hand to hand damage.
• Acid Touch: The character can do 3D6 M.D. damage every melee action of contact to objects/people he touches. This ability can be activated/discontinued at will. The corrosive damage stops the moment the character stops concentrating, indicating that it may be psionic in nature.

Pupae Stage

Experience level two

• Stealth/Blending: The character naturally moves silently at this point, and the dark neutral blue grey of his skin offers some camouflage. Prowl at 45%, the percentage jumps to 70% at night or in darkness (this is a fixed number that doesn't increase with experience).
• Forearm Sabers (humanoid hosts only): The host can grow one 20 to 36 inch blade on each forearm (takes two melee actions), each blade temporarily subtracts 5 M.D.C. from the host's M.D.C. base. The base of the blade starts at the wrist and the tip ends below the elbow. The blade has 5 MDC, and does 2D4+PS in hand to hand combat or the blade can be thrown (with a simple flick of the wrist) to do 2D6 M.D.; throwing range is based on the character's P.S. With this natural weaponry, the character has WP-Paired Weapons and WP-Knife skills (at 2nd level to begin).
• Swarm Needles: The character's hair generates and can fire a barrage of energy needles (as few as 1D4 to a single target or as many as 3D4x10 in an area attack). The range is 50ft+2ft per level; targets are -1 to dodge per 10 needles shot at them, if they parry the needles will embed in the object used to block. Damage: Each needle does one point of S.D.C. damage as it embeds itself into the target, then they explode the next melee in a contained 3 inch radius doing 1D4 M.D. (each needle).

Adult Stage

Level three: the character at this point loses all the experience he earned to obtain this stage/level and resumes his O.C.C. as if uninterrupted

• Self-suficience: Add 100 M.D.C. to the character's base M.D.C. He is now resistant to cold attacks (1/2 damage) and no longer needs to breathe when transformed.
• Black Lightning (special attack): The character becomes a living dynamo, capable of generating an incoherent electrical field around himself up to a 10ft radius that does 1D6x10 M.D. per melee. Or he can focus the electricity into a bolt of lightning with a range of 500ft (+3 to strike) and does 4D6 M.D.
• Energy supply: A derivative of Black Lightning, the character can act as a living power supply by impaling himself with the plug of any weapon or machine. Energy Weapons that are plugged into him have an effectively unlimited payload (before a power player gets cocky Burst damage is calculated by the weapons usual payload), but the character loses two attacks and is -3 to strike with the weapon and has no bonuses to counter-act the penalties (this is to reflect how much the character has to concentrate to keep the weapon powered).

Vulnerabilities: The Baux worm and its host are extremely susceptible to fire, even S.D.C. fire can damage them (treat damage from S.D.C. fires as M.D., and M.D. fires do x3 damage).

Mute: The host is mute when transformed and cannot use radio communications or magic. Sign language and psionics are still possible.

Notes on Appearance: The host looks normal most of the time, save for the bluish abscess that develops where he was injected with the worm (this never goes away. While the worm is maturing the host's body will itch profusely and develop sores (most of which will go away when the worm is fully mature). The transformation of the host changes with each stage of the worm's growth. Egg stage: The host's eyes glow a solid, pupilless gold, and his hair acts like a halo of flame whipping about. Otherwise the host looks normal.

Larvae stage: The character's hands and feet have prominent talons (can't wear shoes when transformed, the shoes are destroyed when transforming). The hair is a minimum length of 12 inches long and takes on a slate blue color. The host otherwise looks normal.

Pupae Stage: The host's skin becomes dark blue with grey/black striping. The hair is now a minimum of 20 inches in length.

Adult Stage: Basically the same as the Pupae stage transformation, with the addition of the arm blades.

BauxSymbioticWorm.php -- Revised: January 27, 2021.