The Xiticix have special glands capable of releasing a num- ber of different chemical scents for several reasons, ranging from communication and identification to tracking.
1. Chemical Alarm: The warning scents include danger, at- tack, and death (of the sender). The scents can be smelled a dis- tance of about four miles (6.4 km). The alarm scent can only be smelled by other Xiticix and characters with
sense of smell (including dog boys).
2. Chemical Death: When a Xiticix is killed or loses 80% of its M.D.C., it releases a strong chemical that reeks of death. This warns other Xiticix that one of their members has just been vio- lently slain, signaling danger. Any warrior that detects either the chemical alarm or the chemical death will move to investigate, but diggers, nits, grubs, and workers will move away, though
they will give off their own chemical alarm as they do, which
could in turn summon more warriors to investigate.
Other chemicals that are possessed by only a select few of these other-dimensional creatures are detailed in the entries for those specific types below.
Nits
"I tell ya they like maggits, but was more like the size of my
Excerpt from the of Orion Greenfeld
When a Xiticix emerges from its egg, it is almost three feet long and completely helpless, when compared to the M.D.C. adults of the species. These "nits" are rather larvae-like and are the babies of the Xiticix colony. The small things depend on the grown adults, especially the nannies and workers whose job it is to see that they are fed, to protect and care for them. Every meal the nit eats is a fungus like sludge that contains pure magical en- ergies. This diet allows them to grow into M.D.C. creatures as they mature. They remain in a weak, S.D.C. state for almost a year before their natural armor begins to grow and they mature
into a grub. It is as yet unknown whether P.P.E. can be absorbed
directly by the nit (as in the case of a ley line running through the hive) to transform it into an M.D.C. creature naturally, with- out the need for the sludge diet. If such is the case, however, the role of the nannies and hunters would be unnecessary and none of them would develop within the hive. Perhaps this is why they are previously undocumented.
Nits are not aggressive and will not attack except out of ne- cessity. Even when they are attacked, their first instinct is to flee, but if such a course is not possible they will lash out (often ineffectually) with toothless bites. Nits never leave their birthing chambers, and those that do are often killed by the warriors in the Queen's chambers because they are not supposed to be there. Nothing and no one is allowed near the queen unless she announces it beforehand through chemical messages.
Nit
Alignment: Survival-minded creature, considered Miscreant. Attributes: Not really applicable. Mental stats are animal or
lower and physicals are rarely over 10. Speed is a paltry 6.
Size: Approximately 3 ft (.9 long. Weight: 50
M.D.C.: None. Hit Points: 4D6 S.D.C.: 5D6; A.R.: 7
Horror Factor: 6 when alone or 8 if a dozen or more are wig- gling about together.
Average Life Span: 1 year before maturing to a grub. Disposition: Hungry and slow-witted. It is a baby after all. Natural Abilities: None.
Combat Skills: None.
Per Melee Round: One (1) Bonuses: None
Weapons: The nit is only able to bite for 2D6 S.D.C. P.P.E.: 2D10
Grubs
been older ones or Kinda like de maggits but wit some armor on em and claws."
Excerpt from the debriefmgs of Orion Greenfeld
Around the end of its first year of development, a nit will de- velop the first plates of its exoskeleton. At this stage, the armor covers the head, shoulders, back, and most of the legs, but its ul- timate shape is still undeterminable. That development comes later. These are the young, possibly teenage equivalents of the Xiticix in that they are maturing steadily, but have not yet grown large enough to take their place in the hive. They remain in the Nit chambers with their younger, helpless siblings and act as auxiliary guards in case of attacks. They are, of course far from deadly in combat, but are capable of contributing to the de- fense of the egg chambers. Grubs have rudimentary chemical control that the nits do not, and those that wander out of the egg chambers are not necessarily killed if they send a chemical "an- nouncement" beforehand. This is rare, though, and most grubs are killed if they trespass.
After a year of development, the grub begins to grow the ap- pendages and body shape that will determine its place in the hive. Exactly what that place will be depends on the needs of the hive. Up to this point in its development, the young Xiticix can
become any kind of adult, even a queen if it is needed, because
its development is not predetermined by genetics, but is instead influenced by the chemical given off by the queen. Those chem- icals are a kind of manpower request that ensures the needs of the hive are met in order to ensure its future As the second grub year grows to a close and the creature approaches its third birthday, it is finally a fully developed Xiticix. Al- though still rather small (about 5 ft tall), it is strong enough to take its place as a working member of the hive.
The combat abilities of a grub depend on its age. A two year old grub is little more than a partially armored nit, but it is faster, tougher, and has some natural weapons. These still young Xiticix will fight only in self defense or if ordered to do so by a nanny, a warrior or the queen. Their battle tactics are straight- forward and direct; they charge and bite. If a number of them are present (as is the case in most egg chambers), they swarm and attack in bunches trying to bear down their target under combined weight. Once in combat, the things rarely break off or give up and tend to fight to the death. A grub that is almost three years old will look very much like the adult it will shortly be- come, but other than its partially developed M.D.C. exoskeleton and not quite full sized weapons, it has none of the special abilities or chemicals of its adult version (older grubs are actually young Xiticix of a specific type, and thus their stats are given in the respective entries of each adult type of insect).
Grub
Alignment: Considered anarchist or miscreant.
Attributes: 1D6+2 and is considered to be in the same cat- egory as a supernatural predator, functioning on instinct as much as intellect. M.E. 1D6, P.S. 3D6, P.P. 3D6, P.E. 3D6, P.B. 1D6, Spd. 3D6 running (grubs have wings, but can not fly yet).
Size: 3 to 4 ft. m) in year two, and 4 to 5 ft in year three.
Weight: Up to 200 (91 kg) through year two and passing 300 (136 kg) in year three.
M.D.C.: 6D6 for second year and for third year. Damage Capacity for Non-M.D.C. Worlds: Hit Points: 4D6
for both; S.D.C.: for second year and 2D4xlO for third year; A.R.: 10 for second and for third year.
Horror Factor: 7 individually or 9 for a group or more. Disposition: Determined and relentless. More animated than the
nits, but not as intelligent as even the young adults.
Natural Abilities: None have developed to any notable levels yet.
Combat:
Attacks Per Melee Round: Three Bonuses: +1 to dodge
Weapons: None, other than bites and claws. Bites inflict 4D6 S.D.C. and claw slashes do 3D6 S.D.C.
P.P.E.: 3D6+10
Nannies
"I tell ya it was feedin dem nits wit da sludge stuff! Like some nanny or nurse or sumptin. No
Excerpt from the of Orion Greenfeld
The "Nannies" or "Nurses" are somewhat hulking creatures with bright yellow markings and long arms. Their mouths and mandibles are somewhat larger than most other Xiticix and ex- cepting the Queen, they are the largest of the Xiticix reaching about 12 ft (3.7 m) in height and a little more than a thousand pounds (455 kg) in weight. They are often hunched over, a pose common in feeding the nits, but their legs are a bit longer than other Xiticix. They lack the wings and flight abilities of most of their kind, and their head more closely resembles that of the queen than other Xiticix, with an extra antenna and larger horns. Also like the queen, these insects have a number of roughly oval shaped organs on their abdomens that glow when they process
P.P.E. into sludge. The nannies move with deliberate care and slowness as they go about their duties of feeding and tending the nits and grubs, but they can move quite quickly when they have 69
to. Their size makes them powerful, but it is their ability to pro- cess the sludge necessary for the development of the young into M.D.C. creatures that is the true strength of the nannies. War- riors and workers alike will protect a nanny as readily as they do the young. The only other Xiticix that can produce the sludge is the Queen.
Xiticix sludge is produced when a nurse (or the Queen) im- beds P.P.E. energy into a solid substance. This is done through a supernatural process that has yet to be recorded elsewhere in the Megaverse and it only occurs inside the bodies of these rare Xiticix. When a nanny performs the operation, large rounded or- gans on her thorax glow brightly and a few moments later she regurgitates an amount of the sludge, which is either fed to nearby nits or stored in alcoves carved from the upper areas of the egg chambers (very large hives will have separate rooms for this storage and nannies that work full time producing it within those rooms). The nanny can use her own P.P.E. for the process, but it can only produce limited amounts of sludge and is likely only used in emergencies. The usual method of making sludge involves the capture of live specimens (commonly humans) who are then devoured alive. Their flesh provides the solid matter needed to form the deep red sludge and as they perish, their dou- bled P.P.E. is absorbed by the nanny and transferred into the waiting materials. This process, or more accurately the resulting magical energy in a portable form, may explain the rumors some people have heard about practitioners of magic organizing raids on Xiticix hives for no apparent reasons. It is quite probable that they know of this phenomenon and seek to secure the transport- able P.P.E. for their own use (the sludge can be drained of P.P.E. and used by any practitioner of magic to augment own magical reserves. One pound of sludge holds the equivalent of 20-24 P.P.E. points).
The nannies spend nearly their entire lives in the egg cham- bers tending to and protecting the young Xiticix, both nits and grubs. Unlike the nits and grubs, the nanny can leave the egg
chambers to move about the hive, but such actions are rarely
necessary. If anyone should threaten their charges, the nannies will seek to remove the young from harms way, if possible, and barring that, they will fight ferociously to defend them. As pre- viously mentioned, the nannies can be quite fast and their size makes them powerful adversaries in combat. In addition to raw physical attacks, the nannies can also spit a powerful acid and can secrete a more deadly version of the warriors' poison.
Nanny
Alignment: Considered but cares instinctively for the young and will protect them, even through self-sacrifice. Attributes: 3D6 and is considered to be in the same cate-
gory as a supernatural predator, functioning on instinct as much as intellect. M.E. 1D6, P.S. 7D6, P.P. 3D6, P.E. 4D6, P.B. 1D6, Spd. 3D6 running (The nannies cannot fly). All physical attributes are supernatural, in- cluding P.S. See the Rifts Conversion book for details, as well as the general damages listed below under combat. Size: ft
Weight: kg)
M.D.C.: Young: 2D6xlO+30, Fully Grown: 3D6xlO+50. Damage Capacity for Non-M.D.C. Worlds: Hit Points:
Young: P.E.x2, Fully Grown: S.D.C.: Young:
4D6xlO, Fully Grown: A.R.: Young: 12, Fully Grown: 14.
Horror Factor: 10 individually or 12 for a group of six or more.
Disposition: Protective and dedicated normally, but aggressive and dangerous when the young are threatened.
Natural Abilities: Process P.P.E. into a solid form. The act takes 4D4 melees and requires a significant amount of P.P.E. One pound of sludge requires 25 P.P.E. points and will end up holding 24 (for each 25 points invested, one is lost).
2. Spit Acid: Like the Hunter below, the Xiticix Nanny
can spit a powerful acid out to a maximum range of 80 ft
(21.3 m). She is +2 to strike with this attack. The acid covers 1D4 square feet and does 1D4 M.D. per melee round for up to 2D4 melee rounds. Unless it can be removed via magic,
psionics, or dousing with saltwater (a natural for
the substance), the acid will continue to do damage until it becomes inert. Removal of damaged armor or equipment as soon as possible is often advisable.
3. Poison: The nanny's mandibles can also be coated with the most powerful version of the Xiticix poison. It is has dou- ble the penalties of the normal poison described above, but the duration is the same.
4. "Call to Arms" Chemical: This special chemical not only tells all Xiticix of a hive that smell it that they are re- quired to fight, it actually stimulates their equivalent of adrenaline and urges them to do so. This makes all Xiticix under its influence eager to enter battle and hypes them up for it. Warriors and hunters are naturally aggressive and are already unafraid in combat, so this chemical has the most af- fect on non-combat Xiticix like workers and grubs. Workers, diggers, and grubs exposed to the chemical add one extra at- tack per melee round, +1 to strike, parry, and dodge, and +2 to initiative and damage for the duration of the battle. Other Xiticix are less dramatically affected, but still excited by the chemical, which gives them one extra attack per melee and +2 to all damage. The nanny can affect all Xiticix within
feet
Combat:
Attacks Per Melee Round: Four (4) attacks per melee round. Bonuses: +1 to strike, parry and dodge, +4 to roll, and +1 on
initiative (all bonuses are doubled when the nanny is protect- ing young Xiticix) in addition to any bonuses from attributes. Weapons:
4D6 M.D. Rarely used by the nannies.
2. Short Sword: 1D6 M.D. plus supernatural punching dam- age. Commonly available in the egg chamber for defense rea- sons, but nannies prefer their natural weaponry.
3. Spear: 2D4 M.D. plus supernatural punching damage. Commonly available in the egg chamber for defense reasons, but nannies prefer their natural weaponry.
4. Hand to Hand Combat: The supernatural P.S. of the nanny means that punches do mega-damage. Damages below are rep- resentative of an average nanny's and may increase for those that are extraordinarily strong (30 P.S. or higher. See the Rifts Conversion Book for actual damages).
Critical strike on an
Restrained punch: 4D6 S.D.C. Normal punch: 2D6 M.D.
Power Punch: 4D6 M.D. (counts as two attacks)
Bite attack: 3D6 M.D. plus poison. 10+30