Larva

(Version 1.01 - Last Modified: 03/30/2003)

History

In the Zerg swarm, the base of everything they use, from their buildings to their creatures, comes from the Larva. The Larvae are the only creatures in the Zerg swarm that resemble the original Zerg insects that the Xel’Naga discovered and modified. Although they have been altered considerably in both size and strength, the creatures carry inside them the ability that the Xel’Naga found most intriguing: their genetic versatility. The Xel’Naga enhanced this ability and, later, the Overmind refined it to serve its own purpose.

Inside each larva are the genetic codes and the DNA for every creature in the Zerg swarm and many assimilated races that the Overmind did not see a use for. While the larvae are not individually intelligent, they have very strong survival instincts, which is one of the reasons they were able to survive for so long on their desolate home world. With a single command, the Overmind, a Cerebrate, or an Overlord can initiate a transformation in a larva that will change it from a single insect-like creature to a dangerous monster of the swarm.

When the command is given the larva will form a strong eggshell around itself to protect it during the transformation process. The Zerg Swarm will protect these eggs and they will kill anything that approaches one, including simple animals that accidentally wander too close. The egg will vary in size and strength depending on the creature that the larva is transforming into, as will the time it takes for the creature to reach maturity. Inside the egg, the larva is destroying the delicate balance it establishes between the diverse genetic codes inside its body, allowing a single strand to become dominate. Once dominate, the strand will continue to mutate and change the larva’s body until it is ready to hatch as a fully mature member of the Zerg Swarm. The only way to stop a larva from changing once the process begins is to kill it.

Racial Statistics

• Alignment: None, considered to be an evil animal.
• Attributes:
  
  • I.Q.: Low Animal Intelligence, considered an IQ of 2.
  • M.E.: 12 (9+1D6)
  • M.A.: 3 (1D6)
  • P.S.: 8 * (6+1D4)
  • P.P.: 10 (6+1D6)
  • P.E.: 12 * (8+1D6)
  • P.B.: 3 (1D6)
  • Spd: 7 (2D6)
  • * PS and PE are considered supernatural
• Size: 3’ (0.9 m) long, with an average diameter of 6" (15.2 cm).
• Weight: 60 lbs (27.2 kg)
• M.D.C.: 35 in magic rich areas (PE attribute x2 +3D6)
• M.D.C. Armor Rating: See ability number 3, Armor, under the Natural Abilities section.
• S.D.C.: 17 in non-magic rich areas (5D6)
• Hit Points: 20 in non-magic rich areas (PE attribute +4D4)
• Armor Rating: See ability number 3, Armor, under the Natural Abilities section.
• Average Life Span: Effectively immortal and will live for tens of thousands of years as long as it continues to eat.
• Horror Factor: 8
• P.P.E.: 20 (1D4x10)
• Magic Powers: None
• Natural Abilities:
  
  1. Evolutionary Transformation:
     
     With a single command from an Overlord, a Cerebrate, or the Overmind, a larva can transform itself into nearly any of the other creatures in the Zerg Swarm. The larva has the genetic codes for the following Zerg creatures: Drone, Zergling, Hydralisk, Ultralisk, Defiler, Overlord, Mutalisk, Scourge, and Queen. A larva also has the ability to transform into a Cerebrate, but it is extremely rare for this to happen. When transforming into a Drone, the larva’s egg will have 50 M.D.C. and requires two weeks before it reaches full maturity. When transforming into a Zergling, the larva’s egg will have 60 M.D.C. and requires three weeks before it reaches full maturity, but a single larva will split and become two independent Zerglings. When transforming into a Hydralisk, the larva’s egg will have 100 M.D.C. and requires four weeks before it reaches full maturity. When transforming into an Ultralisk, the larva’s egg will have 300 M.D.C. and requires eight weeks before it reaches full maturity. When transforming into a Defiler, the larva’s egg will have 100 M.D.C. and requires six weeks before it reaches full maturity. When transforming into an Overlord, the larva’s egg will have 250 M.D.C. and requires four weeks before it reaches full maturity. When transforming into a Mutalisk, the larva’s egg will have 150 M.D.C. and requires five weeks before it reaches full maturity. When transforming into a Scourge, the larva’s egg will have 75 M.D.C. and requires three weeks before it reaches full maturity, but a single larva will split and become two independent Scourges. When transforming into a Queen, the larva’s egg will have 200 M.D.C. and requires six weeks before it reaches full maturity. The egg has an M.D.C. Armor Rating of 10 and regenerates at a rate of 1 M.D.C. per melee.
  2. Armor:
     
     All Zerg creatures have incredibly tough exoskeletons that reduce the damage that they receive from any incoming attacks. Reduce all damage, either from normal or magical attacks, by 5 points. For example, if a volley of mini-missiles inflicted 66 points of damage, it would be reduced to 61 points of damage. Damage cannot be reduced below zero. The creature has an M.D.C. Armor Rating of 6 in magic-rich environments.
  3. Regeneration:
     
     A feature from the original Zerg creature, the Larva can regenerate at an amazing rate, and can regenerate whole limbs and body parts. As long as 25% of the creature's body is still attached to its head, the creature will completely refenerate. The creature regenerates at a rate of 5 M.D.C. per melee. It will take two minutes to regenerate each foot length (0.3 m) of its body, two minutes to regenerate a leg, ten minutes to regenerate an eye, and five minutes to regenerate a mandible (needs both mandibles to perform a bite attack).
  4. Hive Mind Immunities:
     
     From the fact that at a basic level all Zerg share the same mind as the Overmind, individual Zerg creatures are very resilient to mental attacks. Any mind altering or mind affecting spells or psionic powers such as sleep, possession, or hypnotic suggestion will not work on a Zerg creature. This also functions as a permanent Mind Block on all Zerg creatures.
  5. Survival Instincts and Immunities:
     
     From the ingrained survival instincts that were developed by evolution and the Xel’Naga, and incorporated by the Overmind, all Zerg creatures are immune to diseases, toxins, poisons, and gases, both normal and supernatural. The Zerg are also unaffected by Horror Factor and Awe Factor and any attempts to intimidate them. With the assimilation of several space borne creatures, all Zerg can function completely normally in space, in an atmosphere, or underwater, with no maximum depth, with no penalties. Zerg creatures can survive temperatures between -200 to 500 degrees Celsius. Land based Zerg creatures have no way of propelling themselves in space besides pushing off from solid structures.


• Combat Skills: 1 attack per melee.
• Damage: A Bite inflicts 1D6 M.D. with a W.R. (Weapon Rating) of 7 and a Ram Attack inflicts 1D4 M.D. with a W.R. of 6. Increase W.R. of all attacks by +1 for every four points of supernatural PS above 10 (at values 14, 18, 22, etc.). In non magic-rich environments, attacks inflict S.D.C. damage, but normal PS damage bonuses apply.
• Bonuses: +3 to save vs. all types of magic and +2 to save vs. psionics (counts as a non-psychic).
• Penalties: Larva are not very bright and while they have very good survival instincts, they are primarily driven to locate food, due to the environment they developed in, they have no natural predators so they tend to ignore creatures larger then themselves, unless they are attacked.
• Natural Skills:
  
  • Land Navigation (50%)
  • Prowl (80%)
• Allies: The Zerg have no real allies, but since the death of the Overmind, several independent Cerebrates have banded together and given each other aid.
• Enemies: The Zerg have made many enemies over the millennia that they have been traveling throughout the galaxy.