Sci-fi p-zombies. The interview log really added to this, taking an already well-thought-out idea and giving it an even more interesting "face of the enemy" as it were.

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Oh, I like this one. They are on face a space zombie, but the depth and characterization make it something different entirely.

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I marvel at stuff like this, because I can't write it. Engrossing!!

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Thanks, as for your questions. Those things would be up the GM I suppose, but the way I envisioned it was that there was no cure (of course clever PCs could come up with one) and that yes the network could be disrupted be something like a solar flair emp, or any other large source of radiation. As for being Hacked or snooped, why not. I also flirted with the idea of the sivver using a psionic energy or the Force depending on the setting. Go to Comment

Yes, the spores as they are written would not become active in any animal with a body temperature below 32 degrees C? What above fish or filter feeders like clams and oysters, might laying dormant in these food stuffs be a means of transmitting infections.
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DId that fix it? Go to Comment

I would imagine that the sivver molecules would have to have a great deal of catalytic activity to direct the formation of new sivver molecules with the host. So they could also direct the folding or re-fold existing proteins. Perhaps that could be a sivver infection biomarker, when nitric oxide synthase or calcineurin is folded incorrectly (I just want to pick molecules that bound non-carbon molecules)

As for the crystal lattice, I am willing to suspend disbelief enough to imagine a clear shiny crystalline molecule that actually has complex molecular structure containing both high energy and low energy bonds and when exposed to a relatively small amount of ambient energy becomes polar when the those low energy bonds break. But indeed there is more fiction in here than science and certainly more fiction than engineering. Go to Comment

This is quite well done sir!
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Wow, very indepth and complete, I was expecting something shorter, but it just kept going, with mroe and more useful info to paint a complete picture of these parasites. (whcih is a good thing by the way.)

Very veristile and quite nasty, they make for a great take on "space zombie" and excellent example of non carbon based life forms that are truly alien in their outlook and goals.

The multiple  evolutionary options are a nice touch, and they can be easily adapted to a fantasy setting with minimal effort.

Excellent stuff, and sure to show up in my upcoming space campaign!

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Axel, I have a small request. Can you edit the formatting of the summary for this sub so it's not spaced so far at the top and bottom on the main page? It's nothing huge, it's just irking me in the same way that an image that stretches your screen horizontally does.

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Yes. Thank-you! Go to Comment

I like the flavor a lot! Zombies that sweat crystals. And extra points for not making it a simple virion or bacterium that does the dirty work. The biology backstory is pretty good, too. I don't like to imagine anything coming out of a deep-sea vent that isn't a horrible monster.

Are they like prions? Saying something is a crystal is sort of like saying that it is stackable in a grid, and nearly all proteins are can be forced into a crystalline pattern (that's how X-ray crystallography works). But at the same time, you can have really simple proteins direct massive behavioral changes (mad cow disease), so that works.

Also, it strikes me as sort of weird that crystals have an EMP profile when crystals are just lattices of ionically balanced molecules. No polarity. Go to Comment

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Minor flavor. Definitely usable, since communication is essential for any group of soldiers.

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You've got the spirit of the thing, I approve.

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A fine foundation. I can envision a lot springing from this.

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"Thus being in love can help the PC kill opponents and take their stuff."

Now, is that the ultimate reason why a player should attempt to roleplay a serious love interest? For some perhaps, but that sounds simply horrible to me. See a few threads on nonmonetary rewards, and think of all the plot hooks, changes in social standing and acceptance that may come with love.

Also, it is a great opportunity for a player to change his character, whether for a time, or permanently! Anything can change, from daily habits to that which is dryly summed up as alignement (thus the rogue becomes a good guy, the noble knight finds himself doing not quite so noble deeds, principled people become chaotic, wild guys may settle down, etc.). Love can shake up one's emotions quite a lot, so the character may be actually nervous before a battle he would actually handle easily - not nervous of the battle itself, but more of the impression it leaves on the chosen.

So granted, game-wise there will be bonuses to rolls (especially if it is defending the loved one), but also penalties - for instance the character should be often distracted from the mission by thinking about matters unimportant.


All in all, love could be treated as a kind of addiction, along with changes of moods, and changes in the character's behaviour as well. Being under the influence of this potent drug, the PC may suddenly not be afraid of the worst monsters, and at other times be grasping for words which usually come up so easily. Go to Comment

Ack! I really didn't notice the sarcasm in the brief post I considered too sparse to cover the topic. It is nicely started in places, with warnings on how serious such an engagement is, fickle fate and more... and all that comes of it are bonuses and penalties to ability checks. You have started to peak my interest, then abruptly cut it off.

But, I do have humour. Really. It just didn't turn on this Friday afternoon. :( Go to Comment

The piece covers a need subject, but so underdeveloped, that I was left needing more. It still seems incomplete to me. Go to Comment