Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Macerid Territories

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Macerid Territories

And now we create a mostly antagonistic faction of insectile aliens. These aggressive arthropods do not have a hive mind, like many similar species in other sources, and are not a faceless menace, but tyranids from Warhammer 40,000 or, to some degree, zergs from Starcraft. They hostility and possession of a very rare resource can create opportunities for adventures or military campaigns, if we want to use GURPS Mass Combat. As a racial template, the macerids are cheap, but unremarkable. You probably have noticed that none of the racial templates so far have any adjustments to the primary or secondary attributes, and it is intentional, but will probably end soon.

Macerid Territories

Capital World: Maceris II.

Major Species: Macerids.

Languages: Macerisian.

Culture Groups: Macerid.

TL: 10 (TL 9 civilian technologies).

Macerids are a race of arthropods from Maceris II – a formerly garden (now barren and exhausted) world orbiting a yellow main sequence star. Since the ancient times the macerid culture was dominated by the concept of “might makes right” – the strongest warrior was leading the tribe, then the most talented warlord was leading the country, and so on. Driven by the desire to conquer the neighbors, the macerid technological development favored military technologies.

After several world wars, the hive general Kt’chik managed to bring the whole planet under his yoke. While suppressing rebels and other challengers of his rule, he forcefully directed the scientific research to develop more advanced space travel technologies. Exploring their home system, macerid scientists located derelict precursor installations on one of the outer icy planets. Decrypted writings of the extinct aliens told the scientists about the installations’ function – mining of an exotic crystalline material nowadays usually known as “material X”. This rare material allowed warping the fabric of space, which allowed the scientists to create the first FTL warp drives.

Macerids quickly began to colonize the neighboring star systems. When the number of colonies reached 56, the macerids have contacted sto – a similarly aggressive plant-like alien species. Ideology of both species did not let them establish peaceful relations, and a massive interstellar war broke out. At the same time, opportunist warlords incited a civil war, throwing most of the macerid worlds into chaos. When an exploration vessel of the belari encountered warring macerids and sto, the newcomers instantly provided both aggressive species a new vector for their conquest.

  

MACERID [7] Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell 1 [2]; Ambidexterity [5]; DR 1 [5]; Sharp Claws [5]. Disadvantages: No Sense of Humor [-10]. Natural Comfort Zone: 1°C - 32°C (35°F - 90°F), 1 atm., 1.2g, oxygen atmosphere. Macerids look like hunched wingless bugs covered in thick gray chitin. The thorax usually has a different, but dull color – pink, yellow, purple, green, rarely gray or black. The wrists have claw-like chitinous protrusions that do not interfere with tentacle-fingers that the macerids use to manipulate objects. Red eyes of a macerid are placed on short semi-rigid eyestalks. The eyestalks are mobile, but do not provide any vision advantage, as the carapace does not let the macerid to look behind himself. The macerids possess an acute sense of smell and taste – many of the ancient macerids had an ability to produce pheromones that induce different effects in others, but this ability has degraded and almost atrophied a long time ago. In the recent days, some scientists are trying to reactivate these abilities via genetic engineering. Some people assume that the macerids are all part of a hive mind, but this assumption is incorrect. The macerids believe that only the strong can rule and because of that strive for strength and power in all the definitions – acquisition of weapons, resources, social or economic influence, subterfuge and sabotage of others’ works, etc. They often have such disadvantages as Overconfidence, Impulsiveness, Bully, or Callous. The concept of humor is alien to them – they are always completely serious. The macerids rarely contact other species peacefully, and when they do, it’s either because they fear the other party or because they have an opportunity to gain something valuable that cannot be taken by force. Sample Universal Names: Ma’chkk, Kl’cko, Tack’stk, Rakt’got.