Made by Kevin Dole, The Armourer 1996
E-mail: dmerrill@plainfield.bypass.com
The big, bad bug, my way. I know that it has been beaten to death,
but one more kick won't hurt it to much. I designed by aliens to be
an even match, 1-on-1, to my version of the Ch'doth, and more than
an even match for a fully grown Wook. My advice, as it often is, is
"run away"....
MYTHICAL OPPONENTS #2: RAKASHKKA ("ALIENS")
Note: This is a GM file. The knowledge known to PCs will be limited,
as the Rakashkka are a "myth". The knowledge available should be limi-
ted by the GM. An excellent way for information to be pieced together
from existing evidence, and maybe the assistance of a survivor (a
shell-shocked child or damaged droid).
Rakashkka Information
Named after a particularly brutal demon from Wookie mythology,
these mythical monsters are more commonly called "Aliens" throughout
the galaxy, as they seem like nothing ever discovered. Professional
exo-biologists officially consider the Rakashkka to be a non-existent,
universal myth, used to scare small children, much like the Ch'Doth,
for the simple reason that a creature so aggressive would quickly out
hunt its prey in a nature environment. The first part of the following
report is based on interviews with several hundred psychiatric patients.
Some were able to function normally in society with medication and
therapy, but all had frequent night terrors, occasional panic attacks
and unexplained phobias of insectiod crustaceans, reproduction and warm,
dark, humid places.
"...They exist in five forms: pod, egg-carrier, warrior,
drone and queen. The pod is a strong, air-tight, leathery rounded
off cone. It contains a single egg-carrier, and is set to open when
a living organism passes within 2m over the top of the pod.
When the pod opens, the egg-carrier searches for the nearest target,
and attacks. When successful, it positions itself over the victim's
face, forcing a tube down the throat of the victim, for a period of
3-5 days. At the end of this period, the egg-carrier dies and falls
off. IV fluids are not needed, as it appears that the carrier provides
all needed gases, nutrients and fluids for its victim.
How this is possible, given the wide number of metabolic and physio-
logical requirements in the galaxy is unknown, and is obviously the
creation of disturbed minds. It is "known" that removing the carrier
from the victim before it is ready usually leads to the death of the
host.
"The carrier is always described as a 1.5 meter long crea-
ture, having 6 to 8 clawed limbs and a powerful tail. It has no appa-
rent sensory structures, but is sensitive to movement. It, like all
described forms, supposedly has concentrated acid for blood.
"The host regains consciousness in a few hours after detach-
ment of the carrier, with headache, hunger and minor cuts along the
sides of the head (from the carrier's claws) being the reported symp-
toms. After an incubation period of 36-40 hours, the host beings
convulsing violently and vomiting. The victim's chest begins to bulge
outward, with a small, violent creature eventually thrusting threw.
If left undisturbed, it begins to feed on the dead host, then exits the
area. If disturbed, it panics and runs, but searches out the nearest
food source. It immediately begins growing, molting its skin every 2.5
to 3 hours, growing up to 50cm between molts.
"The warrior form is by far the most common form, making up
perhaps 98% of the total population. It stands 3 to 3.5 meters tall,
with a roughly humanoid body. Its skin is a grey-black, chitinous
armour, easily capable of stopping explosive slugs and even blaster
bolts. The four arms terminate in powerful, clawed hands capable of
digging into landing craft armour. The head is large and domed, with
a set of piston-like jaws set behind the outer, fanged jaws. It is
fitted with a long, flexible tail, sometimes described as having a
stinger.
"The drone is a smaller, unarmoured version of the warrior,
who serve the queen and maintain the fields of pods. They will not
attack outsiders, and seem to be oblivious of their surroundings. Of
the 6279 patients interviewed, only 2 have seen drones.
"The queen also follows the lines of the warrior, but is bet-
ween 15% and 35% larger.... [T]hree of the patients who saw queens
were quite emphatic that they are immobile, being attached to a large
"egg sack" and supporting structure. The other, a human female,
reported that the queen was able to tear the egg sack off (this subject
is currently undergoing extensive therapy, and is not expect to have her
pilot's license renewed). All describe it as having a delta-shaped head,
and having a loud, piercing scream.
"The reports indicate that the best method for combating the
foe is through fire, ... and that it is invisible on thermal imaging
systems....
"The violence, shape and weaknesses of these creatures all
indicate an ... unresolved conflict and guilt. Many of the patients are
also the only survivors of a group of colonists or a ship's crew, but
most are not believed to be murderers....
"... All patients were amazingly detailed in their descript-
ions of the creatures, with an amazingly high rate of similarity
(nearly 96.9%) for a group that had previous contact before their dis-
order appeared. Considering that only two cases knew each other before
the onset of their disorder, but had not seen each other for several
years, that rate in simply incredible. For example, the pschological
symbolism of the mother...
"All patients... were vehement in that the creatures were
real, and that a military task force must be assembled to destroy the
creatures and their homeworld...."
(from Nonrelated, Multispecies Hallucinogenic Physiological Disorders,
Number 176: The 'Rakashkka' Quixotics, Dr. Zushakkia of Kashyyyk,
Republic Institutes for Mental Health Digest; num. 120a vol. 286.
RIMH Press, Coruscant.)
The second part of this report is taken from a corresponding article
analysing the biological fesability of the Rakashkka lifeform:
"My good freind and colluege, Dr. Zushakkia, has asked me
to analyse the descriptions given to her by the "Rakashkka Quixotics"...
"The lifeform described could only come from a disjointed
mind without a deep knowledge of biology. The Rakashkka are but one
conflicting statment after another. For example, if a creature is
supposedly resistant to the heat of a sublight drive or the full star-
light in vaccume, then how is it that a flamethrower (which has only a
small fraction of the heat) be the most effective form of weapon?
The animals drawn are too lightly structured to hold their own weight
in normal gravity, much less three or four. And going back to heat,
how can a cold blooded creature survive in the shadows of space, where
the temperature is but a handful of degrees above absolute zero, then
withstand the shock of a solid slug bullet without shattering, much less
be able to move.
"Behaviorly, the creatures are just as much an impossability.
Anything that vicious would have destroyed all game herds centuries ago,
and never woiuld have acheived space flight.... In short, they are,
not to put to fine a point on it, impossible. Dr. Zushakkia's patients
could not have seen this species, as this species could not exist."
(from Nonrelated, Multispecies Hallucinogenic Physiological Disorders,
Number 176: The 'Rakashkka' Quixotics-Appendix A, Dr. Oreggata of
Ithor, Republic Institutes for Mental Health Digest; num. 120a vol. 286.
RIMH Press, Coruscant. Simultaniously reprinted in The Exo-Biology
Quartly under the title What Happens When Crazies Try to Describe a
Species.)
Rakashkka Statistics:
Pods
PERC +1 Detect Nearby Host 5D
has Body of 3D+2
Egg-Carriers (Face Huggers)
DEX 3D Dodge 4D Running 4D
PERC 2D Hide 3D Search 5D Sneak 4D
STR 3D Brawling 4D Climbing/Jumping 4D Swimming 4D
Special Abilities:
Tail: If tail attack is beats the difficulty by +5, it wraps around
the victim's throat, doing 3D damage per round, until victim is
unconscious.
Ovipositor: As soon as victim is unconscious, egg-carrier places a tube
down the victim's airway. This tube places an egg in the
victim's chest (Very Difficult Sensors roll to detect with
medscanner, Heroic Medicine roll to locate w/o medscanner.),
provides all needed gases and fluids for victim until it
falls off. Does 10D Stun to sedate host.
Claws: +1D to Climbing, holds onto side of victim's head with 7D STR.
Terminal Defense Mechanism: When surgically removed from host, does 14D
damage to host.
Acid Blood: Does 5D damage, except to other Aliens
Environmentally Hardened: Immune to all environmental factors, including
vacuum
Cold-bodied: Does not appear on thermal imaging systems.
Height: .3m (tall), 1.5m (long)
Move: 15
Juveniles (at birth)
DEX 3D Dodge 4D Running 4D
PERC 2D Hide 3D Search 5D Sneak 4D
STR 3D Climbing/Jumping 4D
Special Abilities:
Birth Explosion: Forcing its way out of the host does 20D damage to host.
Teeth: +1 Brawling Damage
Acid Blood: Does 5D damage, except to other Aliens
Environmentally Hardened: Immune to all environmental factors, including
vacuum
Cold-bodied: Does not appear on thermal imaging systems.
Height: .3m
Move: 15
Warriors
DEX 4D
PERC 4D Hide 5D Search 6D Sneak 4D+2
STR 4D Brawling 5D, Climbing/Jumping 6D, Swimming 5D
Special Abilities:
Acid Blood: Does 5D damage, except to other Aliens
Environmentally Hardened: Immune to all environmental factors, including
vacuum
Cold-bodied: Does not appear on thermal imaging systems.
Armoured Skin: +2D+2 Physical, +2 Energy, does NOT reduce Flame damage.
Four Arms: May make two skill rolls per round without penalty.
Claws: +3D Climbing, Brawling damage.
Teeth: STR+2D damage.
Inner Jaws: STR+3D damage, may make only one attack per round, not in
any round where outer teeth are biting.
Tail: STR damage, injects venom when roll exceeds difficulty by 10. Venom
does 5D Stun.
Height: 3-3.5m
Move: 13
Drones
DEX 2D
PERC +1
STR 2D Lifting 3D
Special Abilities:
Acid Blood: Does 5D damage, except to other Aliens
Environmentally Hardened: Immune to all environmental factors, including
vacuum
Cold-bodied: Does not appear on thermal imaging systems
Four Arms: May make two skill rolls per round without penalty.
Height: 2m
Move: 10
Queens
DEX 3D Brawling 5D, Brawling Parry 6D, Dodge 5D
KNOW 1D+2
MECH 0D+1
PERC 4D Search 5D
STR 6D Command: Rakkashka 15D, Brawling 7D
TECH 0D+2
Special Abilities:
Acid Blood: Does 5D damage, except to other Aliens
Environmentally Hardened: Immune to all environmental factors, including
vacuum
Cold-bodied: Does not appear on thermal imaging systems.
Armoured Skin: +3D Physical, +1D Energy, +1D Flame.
Four Arms: May make two skill rolls per round without penalty.
Claws: +3D Climbing, Brawling damage
Teeth: STR+2D damage.
Inner Jaws: STR+3D damage, may make only one attack per round, not in
any round where outer teeth are biting.
Tail: STR+1D damage
Egg sack: -2D DEX when attached, does STR-2D damage to queen when she
rips off.
Hive Mind: When queen is killed, the members of the hive go berserk,
attacking closest object to them. Is also very protective
of here eggs (think over zealous, ultra-vindictive, cast
iron bitch)
Height: 4m
Move: 0 (w/ egg sack), 12 (w/o egg sack)
Additional GM's Info:
Dr. Oreggata made three major errors. He choose not to
acknowledge that the Rakashkka did NOT have their own spacecraft. He
also neglected the fact that many modern insulative materials can burn
(certain carbon-fiber/cermaic composites). His other error is this: If
this is how badass the predators are, the prey and scavengers must be
pretty mean to. (If you go to the Alien homeworld, keep this in mind!)
Rakashkka hives often show up on derelict ships and space
stations. They are immune to vacuum, extreme heat and cold, and are not
effected by nerve gas or poison atmospheres.
Several species have legends concerning such monsters, but no
archaeological evidence.
It is possible that not all forms of Rakashkka have been seen,
and thus are not listed here. Feel free to generate specialized forms.