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[[File:Xenomorphs1.png|right|300px]]

<div style="border: thin solid black; background:#eeeeee; width: 50%;
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'''Editor’s Note:''' The Alien movies scared the heck outta me as
a kid. I’ve used elements of that genre of Sci-Fi horror in
games here and there, including Star Frontiers. This article
was submitted and I initially feared that it didn’t feel like Star
Frontiers. But then my mind started rolling out ideas...

Imagine that a human starship misjumps into the Frontier
because of damaged engines. The crew is scared to death
because of an encounter with something horrible... and
probably shoots anyone non-human on site. Unknown to the
humans now stuck in the Frontier, and unknown to the
players who found the ship... somethings are lurking within
the darker regions of the ship’s engines, waiting to unleash
their animal wrath. The Frontier is a big place, but may not
be large enough to hide from this adversary.

Or maybe the Aliens are yet another of the Sathar’s
constructs, a creature either native to a Sathar homeworld
now believed extinct, or a beastie genetically engineered in a
Sathar lab and unintentionally unleashed... perhaps this
adversary is directly responsible for the silence from Sathar
space the Frontier has witnessed...

Some of this material is original; some of this material is
derived from several online sources, including an out-of-print
game by the now-defunct Leading Edge publishing group.
This author claims credit for the conversion and for the added
details specific to the Star Frontiers game, not the original
intellectual property of the Aliens license.
</div>

==Lifecycle of the Aliens==
===The Egg===
The Egg contains the first form of an Alien. Eggs may be laid
by any of the adult Alien forms, but the Queen is by far the
most prolific and efficient Egg-layer, as described later. The
Egg itself is made of a polarized silicate, like the exoskeletons
of all Alien forms. The silicate is extremely tough and durable
and is an ideal protection for the newly-created Facehugger
within it. For the purposes of gameplay, an Alien Egg has 50
stamina points, before being destroyed, killing the
Facehugger inside and is immune to needler weapons. An Egg
laid by a Queen weighs 30 kilograms, while one laid by a
normal, adult Alien is less than a quarter of that weight. The
difference lies in their long-term durability. Queen-laid Eggs
will protect and support the Facehugger for centuries, while
Eggs from other Aliens last only a few months.

===The Facehugger===
The Facehugger looks like two long, spindly hands which have
been joined together and to which a longs tail has been
attached. The outside of the Facehugger is mad of an
extremely tough polarized silicate, but the inner surface, the
“palm” of the hands, is less well protected.
The Facehugger is dormant within the Egg and can wait there
for an unlimited time. It will awaken in response to
movement outside the Egg by sensing vibrations, rather like a
spider, the Facehugger is keyed to respond to the repeated
motion patters of living creatures and is even capable of
determining the approximate mass of the life form. If the
lifeform weighs less at least 15 kilograms, the Facehugger will
awaken and will attack. It possesses good instincts regarding
attack techniques and will wait until the target is as close as
possible to the Egg before springing. When the Egg opens, a
small amount of a special gas is released, which prevents
nearby Eggs from opening from a short time, a minute or so,
in a ventilated area? After this period has elapsed, another
Egg can open in response to other life forms, or the
continuing struggles of the original target. Due to their unique
physiology, dralasites are immune the reproductive qualities
of a Facehugger and are ignored, for one of the other,
Frontier races. Other types of Aliens have no such
compunction, however.

When in action, the Facehugger is capable of crawling on its
“Fingers” at 60 meters/turn and of leaping up to 5 meters (in
game terms, a Facehugger may leap at a target from one
square away). The tail provides the remarkable power behind
the Facehugger’s leap and is used to carry the creature from
the Egg to the head of a nearby target. Rules for the
Facehugger’s Leap and its behavior in combat are given
below.

[[File:Xenomorphs2.png|right|400px]]

'''Facehugger Leap:''' When a Facehugger leaps at its target, it
must roll its Attack value or less to attach itself to the target’s
head. If it makes the roll, the Facehugger grasps the target
very tightly with its fingers while tightening its tail around the
target’s throat. It then inserts a flexible tube from the center
of its inner surface into the target’s mouth and emits a broadspectrum
parlaying agent from the end of the tube. This
immediately enters the target’s lungs and causes
unconsciousness. If there is something between the tube and
the target’s mouth, like the faceplate of a helmet or similar,
protective device, the Facehugger will secrete a sufficient
quantity of Acid Blood to allow the tube to penetrate. This
takes one turn.

If the Facehugger fails its roll by 10 or less, it has grabbed
the target’s head or upper torso, but has not been able to
place itself properly or paralyze the target. It will attempt to
paralyze the target again during the next turn.

If the attack fails by 10 or more or the character passes a
successful Reaction Speed check, then the Facehugger
missed the target entirely. The Facehugger will land within 2
meters of the target and during the next turn it will race after
the closest, appropriate target using normal movement, until
it catches up, at which time it will leap at the target and
make another attempt to attach itself.

'''Facehugger Combat:''' When a Facehugger has partially
grabbed a target but is not properly placed, it continues
trying to immobilize the victim. It gets one try each turn at its
Attack score. For each person assisting the target, reduce the
Facehugger’s Attack score by 10 (20 if the character has the
Medical skill). If the Facehugger makes its roll, it can only be
removed surgically. If it fails, it has been thrown off and must
spend one turn recovering. The Facehugger will continue
trying to attach itself until it is successful or it is thrown off
the target.

A Facehugger that has grabbed a target cannot be safely shot
off. If the situation is desperate Characters can try to shoot
the Facehugger, but they have the same chance of hitting the
Facehugger’s victim as they do of hitting the Facehugger. If
the attack roll hits, roll a 1d10. 1-5 hits the Facehugger and
6-10 hits the Facehugger’s victim. If the victim is hit, roll
damage normally. In addition, if the Facehugger is hit the
victim and all nearby Characters are subject to Acid Spray.

Once it is firmly attached to its target, the Facehugger will
implant one or more Chestburster Embryos inside the chest
cavity of the target. Each Embryo is placed by the tube, which
can be extended almost 2.4 meters initially and can grow at a
rate of a half a meter per day, if necessary. As the
implantation procedure goes on, the Facehugger will keep its
host dormant by limiting its oxygen supply and reintroducing
the paralyzing agent if necessary. The creature possesses a
marvelous ability to monitor a live host and to guarantee that
it does not die.

The full implantation procedure takes 20 plus 1 to 5 hours. It
then takes two more days for the Embryo(s) to mature into
the Chestburster form. Throughout this 3 day period the
Facehugger is slowly wasting away and it will generally die
and fall off the host a few hours before the Chestburster
hatches. If by some chance the Facehugger’s implantation
process and the growth of the Chestburster are interrupted
by being placed in a Cryostasis chamber, Embryo
implantation and incubation take 20 times longer as normal.

The number and type of Embryos planted by the Facehugger
are determined by the state of the host and it’s mass. If the
host is dead during implantation, only a Warrior Alien can be
produced. One Warrior Embryo can be implanted for every 15
kilograms of mass of the host. If the host is alive during the
incubation, then any type of Alien can be produced, including
a Queen or a Sentry. One Sentry Embryo can be implanted
for every 25 kilograms of mass of the hosed, while only a
single Queen Embryo can be implanted regardless of the
host’s size, though the minimum mass for a Queen Embryo is
50 kilograms. Decisions about what type of Embryo to
implant are made by the Queen, if necessary.

Note that the Embryo type is determined when it is
implanted. The only variation here is that if the host dies
after implantation but before the Chestburster hatches, the
Alien automatically grows into a warrior. Also, the masses
given above are the minimums for each type and no Embryo
can be planted in a host of less than 15 kilograms. For
example a 70 kilogram host can only be used for 4 Warriors,
or 2 Sentries or 1 Queen.

This embryo may take on some of the host's DNA or traits,
such as bipedalism, quadrupealism and other body structure
changes, possibly owing to the need to adapt, using
indigenous wildlife as a reference for what features to retain
for use in that particular environment. For example, an Alien
created through a Yazirian host, typically have wings on
which they can glide, whereas a one made from a Vrusk has
eight legs, giving it increased speed.

===The Chestburster===
The Chestburster is the immature form of the normal, adult
Alien. It has a number of characteristics which are different
from the adult forms, in particular its ability to regularly she
its skin as it grows and the phenomenal rate at which it can
eat and process food. For the purposes of gameplay, a
Chestburster has 10 Stamina points, no attacks and a
movement value of 30m/turn.

As mentioned before, the Chestburster is laid in the embryo
form in the chest cavity of the Host and incubates over the
course of two days. At the end of the incubation, the
Chestburster weighs less than a kilogram and appears to be a
cross between an adult Alien and a Facehugger; it has
acquired the head and upper arms of an adult, but retains the
long, powerful tail of the Facehugger.

When incubation ends, the Chestburster breaks out of its
host, using its tail, teeth and even acid secretions to create
an opening. In ideal circumstances, the Chestburster will then
consume the Host to fuel its growth, but this is not vital. The
creature requires a great supply of food, inorganic matter and
water. It will consume a total of two times its eventual adult
weight of this, of which roughly ¼ must be hydrocarbonbased
matter (including animals, plants, nylon,
petrochemicals, plastics and so forth), ½ should be inorganic
(including dirt, glass, sand and other substances high in
silicon) and ¼ water. The adult weights of the various, Alien
types are given in their descriptions on the following pages.

The growth rate of a Chestburster is phenomenal and is only
limited by the food supply. With sufficient food, the
Chestburster will attain its full size within a day of “hatching”.
If it does not find enough food to reach maturity with in three
days, it will die; the creature’s metabolism is far too fast to
allow it to live for very long. Throughout the growth period,
the Chestburster will maintain as low a profile as possible, as
it is not fully capable of combat.

A Chestburster can chew its way through obstacles quickly; it
can get through a standard, interior wall of a ship or building
in about 20 seconds. There is no known limit to the materials
which one can chew through, including steel and other
metals, because it can secrete acid while chewing, if
necessary.

Once the Chestburster reaches full size, its metabolism
changes drastically. The skin thickens and hardens, the need
for food comes to an end and it acquires the full use of its
movement and combat abilities. The exact size and abilities of
the adult Alien depend on the type: Warrior, Sentry or Queen.

===Warrior===
This is the most common Alien form. A Warrior stands about
2.4 meters tall and weighs nearly 150 kilograms. Its has all
the dangerous attributes of the species; an incredibly tough
exoskeleton of polarized silicate, concentrated acid for blood,
powerful claws and teeth and a long tail used in battle and for
balance.

There are 18 stingers on a Warrior’s tail, each of which is
20cm long and contains a small sac of a paralyzing substance
like that used by the Facehuggers. In combat, the Warrior
can inject a stinger and its sac into a target, which results in
the rapid incapacitation of the target, if the target fails a STA
check. The stinger remains in place for a number of hours,
during which time the sac continues to secrete the paralysis
substance into the victim, every turn. The stingers can be
regenerated in a single day and are only used against prey
which is likely to be dangerous or to struggle powerfully.

The tubes on the Warrior’s back produce a slimy web which
gives the Warrior greater mobility. This works like a spider’s
web and it affixes itself tightly to any areas which have been
encrusted by Resin. The web produced will easily hold the
weight of a Warrior and a victim of similar size. The
maximum distance the web can be shot by the tubes is 6
meters. Although the web naturally adheres to Resin, it can
be used to attach the Warrior to other surfaces, as well; in
such cases it cannot be shot and must be wrapped around a
projection or some other attachment point. The tubes are
also capable of coiling the web around themselves, which
allows a Warrior to ascend through a webbed area at 3
meters per turn.

The limbs of every Warrior are studded with special glands
which secrete small amounts of a web-like substance and acts
as a light glue in contact with the Aliens’ Resin. This allows
the Warrior to maneuver easily through encrusted areas.
There are also assorted hooks and spikes on the limbs which
permits the Warrior to attach itself to the Resin, for
ambushes and for use during periods of dormancy.

An additional use for the tubes on the Warrior’s back is as a
harness for prey. Victims of up to Yazirian size can be placed
between the tubes and then webbed into location. This leaves
the Warrior’s limbs free for additional maneuvering and
combat.

Warrior Aliens produce and shape Resin that forms the Alien
Hive. The Resin is secreted from the mouth of the Warrior
and is formed with the hands. Warriors perform the labor for
the Hive, including building the tunnels and chambers,
maintaining them and gathering available food and hosts for
Eggs.

Lastly, a Warrior Alien can lay one Egg each day, if it eats 10
kilograms of organic and inorganic material.

===Sentry===
[[File:XenomorphsSentry.png|right]]
The Sentry is the Alien type that links the Queen to the rest
of the lair and which is the leader of all nearby aliens of other
types. It is exactly like a Warrior, except that it has small
sensors built into its hands which are capable of creating and
sensing extremely small vibrations within the Resin and
webbing of an Alien Hive.

These vibrations are a sophisticated form of communication
and allow the Sentry to inform the Queen of what is going on
in the Sentry’s area in great detail. The Queen responds to
this information, by giving instructions to the Sentry. The
Sentry passes these orders to nearby Aliens vocally or by
using the infrared pattering on its head, as described under
Alien Metabolism.

There is no chance of the Sentry having its own opinion or of
changing the Queen’s orders. A Sentry is essentially a wellprogrammed
communications machine, which accurately and
quickly passes information to and from the Queen.

When operating outside the Hive, Sentries will attempt to
leave a web trail behind them. Even a single strand of web is
capable of passing the vibrations to and from the Queen and
in this way, the Queen can remain in control of Aliens working
at a considerable distance from the Hive.

===The Queen===
The Queen is, of course, the most devastating of all Aliens.
Unlike other Aliens, she continues to grow and develop after
reaching maturity, depending on her food supply, easily
reaching 4.5 meters tall. Their body structure differs also,
having twin sets of arms and being built more similarly to a
theropod dinosaur than a humanoid. Queens have a much
larger braincase than the average adults, protected by a large
crest above their heads. Another well-known feature of the
Queen is an immense ovipositor in its lower torso, which is
responsible for creating Facehugger Eggs (similar to a queen
termite). The Queen is able to detach from the egg sac, if
necessary (as in the case of an emergency). Queens also
have a higher ability to relate cause and effect to make
observations and deductions, allowing them rudimentary
understanding of technology in the same way as some
primates.

A Queen goes through ten Stages of development; at each,
she becomes larger, more powerful and more productive. The
developments of a Queen and her abilities at each Stage are
as follows.

When a Chestburster Queen matures, it is considered a Stage
One Queen. It fights and lays Eggs exactly like a Warrior
Alien, although it is better protected. It can only progress to
Stage Two, by eating 300 kilograms of organic material, or
about 4 human-sized victims. As each victim is consumed,
the Queen sheds her outer layer of skin and grows a new,
larger protective layer. The shedding and growth cycle takes
a period of one day. After the fourth victim is devoured, the
Queen has completed her growth into a Stage Two Queen.

At Stage Two, the Queen is capable of laying 10 Eggs a day,
although it requires a supply of 10 kilograms of organic and
20 kilograms of inorganic material per Egg. Additionally, it
has increased fighting abilities, as listed under Aliens in
Combat. The last new ability of a Stage Two Queen is
increased protection and the ability to survive greater
damage.

To progress to Stage Three, the Queen must eat 450
kilograms of organic material, the equivalent of 6 more
people, for a total of 10. She can lay 20 Eggs per day, if raw
materials are available. Additionally, it has increased fighting
abilities, as listed under Aliens in Combat.

Stage Four is reached after a total of 20 people have been
eaten and give the Queen the ability to lay 30 Eggs per day.
Additionally, it has increased fighting abilities, as listed under
Aliens in Combat.

Stage Five requires 10 more people, as food, for a total of 30
and 40 Eggs per day, can be laid. Additionally, it has
increased fighting abilities, as listed under Aliens in Combat.

The remaining Stages continue, in the same pattern. Each
requires an additional 10 human-sized victims as food and
increases the number of Eggs the Queen can lay each day, by
10. Additionally, it has increased fighting abilities, as listed
under Aliens in Combat.

The highest possible Stage for a Queen is Stage Ten. When
she reaches this Stage, she arranges for a Queen Embryo to
hatch. As soon as the Chestburster form of the new Queen
emerges, the old Queen will build this Hive up until it is
capable of protecting another, new Queen and will then move
on; in this way, a Stage Ten Queen is able to expand the area
controlled by Aliens steadily and almost unstoppably.

Meanwhile, the new Queens left behind have full Hives to
protect them and if food is available they can advance to
become Stage Ten Queens, themselves.

==Alien Metabolism==
The metabolism of the Alien is just as unusual as its
reproductive cycle, as might be expected. The skin is
composed of a polarized silica and provides remarkable
protection from environmental extremes, as well as impact.
All Aliens, regardless of type, are immune to needler weapons
and extremely long falls.

In addition to these oddities, they do not have constant,
cellular activity, like mammals, and consequently do not
generate body heat, so they are invisible to infrared sensors.

Their internal energy is electrical, in nature and is circulated,
via the devastating Acid which is their blood. The Acid is
highly conductive and the molecules are ideal for energy
storage and transportation. This process is similar to that
used in automobile batteries and other small, electrical
storage-devices.

Because of this, Aliens do not require organic food to survive.
They need it to create Resin and webbing, to grow, as well as
to heal from injuries, but to continue existing, they only need
to have access to an electrical current. They can derive this
energy from a number of sources, including solar energy,
static electricity and direct current.

Aliens are even capable of surviving simply by being close to
high levels of electrical power. For example, current moving
in a power line induces a current in the Alien in much the
same way that a radio signal induces a current in an antenna.
This kind of current supplies enough power for an Alien to
survive in dormancy and to recharge slowly, while inactive.
Because of this affect, Aliens are attractive to the machinery
of the Frontier; in a way, it “smells” good to them.

These sources of “food” make the Alien a creature of
incredible endurance. It eats dirt and water to reach adult
stage and once mature, can survive on the energy generated
by a light breeze. The process of absorbing energy is a quick
on and they can go to virtually have no energy to being fully
“charged” in about an hour, if the energy is available. Their
natural, physical abilities are enhanced by this arrangement,
as an Alien which is active while exposed to a strong “food”
source can work and fight indefinitely, without tiring.

In addition to the above, Aliens are also very efficient on a
purely, physical level. They regenerate non-fatal damage
within a day and can always recover from an injury which is
not immediately fatal. Aliens have incredible strength and can
lift and carry up to 200kg of weight.

Aliens, in all stages of their life cycles, have shown severe
vulnerabilities to heat, such as fire and flame-throwers, but
cold temperatures are an inadequate precautionary measure-
-except at the extremes, such as liquid nitrogen. Since they
can adapt to a vacuum and endure cold climates, it is unlikely
they would be driven off by chilly conditions, but blasts of hot
steam or cold air can be effective, especially when paired
together. It is postulated that applying both hot and cold
temperatures in rapid succession would achieve a very lethal,
"cracking" effect on an Alien's exoskeleton, similar to rapidly
heating and cooling glass. Consequently, all Alien types take
double damage from flamethrowers and incendiary weapons.

===Other Characteristics===
The senses of the Aliens are good. Their vision is remarkably
sharp and they can see further into the infrared than Humans
and Yazirians, though not to the ability of Vrusks. They have
an elongated, cylindrical head but lack visible eyes. The
creature's lack of visible eyes serves to remove a massive
weak point from a nigh invulnerable beast. Due to the
absence of clearly visible eyes, Frontier scientists have
concluded it is possible that the creature uses echolocation to
"see" its environment, much like bats. They also have
excellent hearing.

Aliens generally communicate by sound, although they do not
have a language that is recognizable to the Frontier races.
Their communications skills are like those of bees or ants,
which carry vital messages about food or danger, but which
are clearly beyond the realms of Frontier-style
communication. In vacuum and other situations where sound
is useless, Aliens communicate by adjusting the heat
production of the surface of the head. Although this is
invisible to most of the eyes of the Frontier races, the infrared
abilities of Aliens make it easy for them to determine what
patterns are being displayed.

Because Vrusks have better infrared sight than the other,
Frontier races, a Vrusk Character has a chance to notice
“speaking” Aliens, if he or she makes a successful
Comprehension roll. If the Vrusk succeeds, he sees the color
change and if they are already familiar with the Alien lifeform,
can warn their party, spoiling the Aliens element of surprise.
The Character must state that he or she is actively looking for
changes in the infrared spectrum, however.

This infrared sense is one of the primary ways the Aliens
track their prey. Their sense of smell is also used
prominently, as it informs the Alien of the rough, organic
composition of the victim and is frequently what alerts them
to the presence of the victim in the first place. The Aliens can
also detect their prey using pheromones, much like a colorful
aura around the body.

Much like the Facehugger within its Egg, a dormant, adult
Alien can remain in that state for decades or centuries with
no loss of ability and it will wake up, only in the presence of
food or danger.

Adult Aliens are well-adapted to swimming and can survive in
vacuum for unknown lengths of time.

==Alien Hives==
The Alien Hive is constructed from Resin which is secreted
from the mouths of Warriors. This Resin is composed
primarily of polarized silicon and is extremely tough and
durable. It also has remarkable insulating properties and is
semi-opaque. Much like termites, they mix Resin with solids,
like dead victims and dead/cannibalized Xenomorphs or with
dirt, trees or Frontier-made structures. These materials are
then broken down by spitting acid on them and molding into
shape and place, though it shows amazing heat and
moisture-retaining qualities. Another important feature of the
Resin is that it interferes with radio communications and any
Characters penetrating deep into a Hive will find they lose
contact with the outside world.

Aliens normally build their Hives around pre-existing
structures, such as a natural ground depression, a frontiermade
structure or a strand of trees. The Resin is used to
insulate and protect the Hive, to provide structural framework
for the Aliens to move on and to create niches for
concealment and rest in dormancy.

Aliens build the Hive so that they can use the walls, floors
and ceilings for movement. Their gripping power, combined
with special glands that secrete a contact cement, allow them
to support themselves from the ceiling and walls, much like
giant insects. This greatly increases their mobility and their
Stalking ability, within the Hive.

Because the Resin is composed of the same type of material
as the Alien’s exoskeleton, the Hive provides ideal
camouflage. If an Alien remains motionless, it is almost
undetectable, blending perfectly into the wall or ceiling. This
plays a key role in how deadly the Aliens are within their
Hives.

Sentry Aliens have the ability to pick up and monitor
vibrations through the Resin. This sense is used to
communicate with the Queen and also provides them with
exceptionally accurate remote sensors for tracking the
movement of life, within the Hive. In essence, this
gives the Sentry an accurate picture of
numbers, movement and position of all life in
the Hive. The Sentry thus has a much clearer
picture of the situation within the lair than
any Character could ever obtain.

==Removing Facehubbers==
[[File:Xenomorphs3.png|right|300px]]

This is obviously of critical importance
to anyone who is facing the possibility
of Chestbursters in their future. The
removal of a Facehugger is actually
a fairly simple procedure, unless
the survival of the host is also
important; if so, it is extremely
difficult.

Any attempt to remove the Facehugger is met by
one of the defense mechanisms of the creature. If it
is cut or injured, its Acid Blood endangers the
host and anyone else nearby. If someone
attempts to simply pull it off, it will anchor
itself to the host, by tightening the grip of
the tail around the host’s throat. As a final
defense, if the Facehugger is killed in any other way,
it will inject the entire reserve of the paralyzing agent. Such a
dose is lethal to any human, vrusk or yazirian.

The task of safely removing a Facehugger is extremely
difficult and can only be attempted by someone with the
Medical skill. The base chance is equal to half the character’s
Major Surgery sub-skill, if it applies to a team of trained
medical personnel, who have not researched the problem and
who have no special equipment. For a medical team which is
experienced in dealing with removing Facehuggers and has
special equipment, the task is equal to the character with the
highest Major Surgery sub-skill.

If the attempt to remove a Facehugger fails, the creature is
still removed alive from the patient and may be kept for
study. The patient, however, is killed.

==Aliens in Combat==
The Aliens are the most dangerous species ever encountered
by the Frontier and there are a number of special rules
governing their actions in combat.

===Stalking===
Stalking is a vital part of a predator’s attack, especially for
creatures like Aliens which are hunting armed prey. The
reason is simple; if a target with a weapon has some
warning, it is easy to defeat an Alien at a distance. If the
Alien can get close, however, it might be able to attack the
target before he or she has a chance to open fire.

Because of natural abilities and extreme cunning, all Aliens
have a default, stealth rating of 80%. Additional Difficulty
Levels below are for an Alien or group of Aliens attempting to
stalk prey. The Levels give assume confined terrain, such as
jungle, a building or an Alien Hive, with many places to hide.
For more open terrain, such as an urban street or
countryside, the Difficulty Level is increased by 20.

{| style="width:300px;"
|+ '''ALIEN STALKING TABLE'''
|- style="color: white; background: navy; font-weight:bold;" align="center"
|align="left"|Targets are:|| Difficulty Level
|- align="center"
|align="left"|At Leisure|| +40
|- style="background: #eeeeee;" align="center"
|align="left"|Cautious|| +20
|- align="center"
|align="left"|On Alert|| --
|- style="background: #eeeeee;" align="center"
|align="left"|Moving and Very Alert|| -20
|- align="center"
|align="left"|Stationary and Very Alert|| -40
|}

When Stalking, Aliens can close to Medium range,
without difficulty. From that point, they
must make a successful, Stalking check
for each Range Category; from Medium
to Short and Short to Point Blank. The
Stalking check is equal to the Alien’s
default stealth rating, adjusted by the
table above. If the Aliens fail the
Stalking check at any
point, they may
have been spotted,
the Characters can
respond any way
they want and the
Aliens must decide
whether to charge or
run away. If they
successfully close to Point
Blank range, then they are
able to pounce on the
Characters using the guidelines
given below.

Aliens decrease the Difficulty Level by
20, whenever the Characters are actually going directly
through an area inhabited by Aliens. For example, a group of
“bug hunters” are moving through an Alien Hive. They are
very alert, so any Aliens attempting to Stalk them would be
at -20. Because they are in the Alien’s environment, however,
the Aliens gain a +20, negating the modifier completely.

If this is the first contact between the Characters and an Alien
or it’s Hive, the Difficulty Levels are decreased by 20. This
represents the Characters’ unfamiliarity with the creature’s
behaviors and tactics.

===Alien Attacks===
To attack, an Alien must be within 2 meters of its target. A
Warrior or Sentry attacks by Grabbing and immobilizing its
prey, by Biting with its powerful, telescoping jaws, or by
using the Stingers in its tail. To determine the type of attack
used, roll a 1d10 each turn; on a 1, it Bites, on 2 through 9,
it Grabs and on a 0, it Stings. All Alien attacks are considered
Melee Attacks.

When an Alien attempts to Grab a target, the Referee makes
an Attack roll for the creature. If the Alien succeeds, the
target is grabbed. A grabbed target has been pinned by the
Alien and cannot resist effectively. This means that the target
is incapacitated. It cannot move, fire a weapon effectively,
attempt melee attacks or take any other physical action. In
addition, the target takes damage from being crushed by the
Alien’s grip. The Alien does 3-30 points of damage, due to
the Alien’s strength. If the target is still conscious and
struggling, the Alien will continue to attack, each turn, until
resistance ceases. Once the target is quiet, the Alien will try
to take it to a safe place within the Lair, where it will be
webbed in place and prepared for a Facehugger.

For Bite attacks, the Alien does 2d10 points of damage, if a
successful Attack roll made. Note that extra armor protection
given by a helmet or light armor is of no use here, since the
jaws are penetrating through the front, where there is either
no protection or simply a face shield.

Sting attacks do 4d10 points of damage on a successful hit. If
the target takes any damage at all, it must make a STA check
or it is automatically incapacitated by the paralyzing drug
implanted by the stinger. The stinger will continue to disperse
its paralyzing agent, requiring the Character to make a STA
check each turn, until it is removed or they are incapacitated.

===The Queen===
As devastating as Warriors are, they seem almost
harmless when compared to the destructive power of a
high Stage Alien Queen. Beginning at stage one, the great
size of a Queen even gives her a special attack, called
Trampling.

Because of her mass, the Queen can overrun Yaziriansized
or smaller opponents. Each turn, the Queen can
move and anyone in her path is rammed and knocked
aside. Each time that the Queen comes into contact with a
possible target, the Queen makes an Attack roll and the
target makes a Reaction Speed check. If the Queen is
successful and the target fails the Reaction Speed check,
the target is trampled for 2d10 points of damage times
the Stage of the Alien Queen, with a minimum multiplier
of 3. This represents the Queen stepping on or crushing
the target, as she passes. If the Queen does not move
during a turn, then she can try to make a Trampling
attack against every, possible target within 2 meters.
Trampling attacks are executed during the movement
phase of a turn. If the Queen’s Attack roll fails or the
target makes a successful Reaction Speed check, the
target narrowly avoids being trampled by the Queen.

In addition to Trampling, the Queen has the normal
attacks of a Warrior Alien, except that it makes two
attacks per turn (one Grab and a 50/50 chance of either a
Bite or a Sting).

A Queen’s Grab attack does 1d10 points of damage, times
the Queen’s Stage, with a minimum multiplier of 3. During
the following turn, the Queen can either release the target
and make another Grab at a new victim or Rend the
target; the Referee makes the choice. If the Queen Rends
the target, the target takes the maximum amount of
damage, regardless of armor. This represents the fact that
the Queen as torn the target, in two. If additional attacks
are necessary, the Queen can Rend a target once per
turn, in place of its normal, Grab attack.
For a Queen’s Bite or Sting, the damage done is 1d10,
times the Queen’s Stage, plus 1d10. For example, a Stage
7 Queen does 8-80 points of damage (1d10 x 7 +1d10)
with a bite or a sting.

If a target is successfully stung by a Queen’s stinger and
does more than half the target’s stamina in damage, the
target has been impaled and should be treated as though
they had been grabbed. On the following turn, the Queen
may Rend the target, as described above.

===Acid Blood===
The blood of an Alien is a highly-concentrated, molecular acid
and it is extremely dangerous. An Alien’s Acid Blood is
capable of eating through any frontier-made material and can
devastate facilities, equipment and nearby Characters
whenever an Alien is wounded or killed.

Anytime an Alien takes damage, some of its blood will spray
into the surrounding area. Every person or piece of
equipment within the Spray Range must check for Acid
Damage, using the following guidelines.

The Spray Range depends on the weapon which damaged the
Alien. Pistols have an Acid Spray Range of 1 meter, Rifles and
Shotguns have a Spray Range of 3 meters and Heavy
Weapons and Explosive Weapons have a Spray Range of 5
meters. Every target inside the Acid Spray Range must make
a Reaction Speed check. Failure indicates they have taken
Acid Damage. If the Character succeeds, he or she has
reacted fast enough to avoid the spray of Acid Blood.

An Alien hit by a Flame Unit (such as a flame thrower or
incendiary grenade) or a Beam Weapon does not Spray Acid,
at all; the Acid is consumed by the fire and the heat from a
beam weapon instantly cauterizes wounds, so there is no Acid
Spray.

===Acid Damage===
When an Acid Spray from a Warrior, Sentry or Queen Alien
hits a Character or a significant piece of equipment, the
following rules are used to determine the damage done.

If the Spray is caused by a normal, small-arm weapon
(pistols, rifles, and so forth) the victim takes 5-50 damage.
Just roll a 1d10 and multiply the result, by 5. If the Spray is
from a larger, heavy weapon, including machine guns and all
Explosive Weapons, the damage is 30-300, rolling 1d10 and
multiplying by 30.

The Acid Spray from a Facehugger does ¼ the normal
damage and the maximum Spray Range is 2 meters,
regardless of the weapon type.

When equipment is hit by an Acid Spray, roll damage
normally. Use that damage roll as the percentage chance for
equipment failure. If the roll is greater than the damaged
rolled, the equipment still functions. If the roll is less than the
damaged rolled, the equipment has been damaged and is
unusable.

Inertia screens and skeinsuits reduce Acid Damage by half
and by 1/4 if both are used, but if the equipment damage roll
fails, the items are still useless. Combat Armor will also
reduce Acid Damage by half, but is always worthless
afterwards.

{| align="right" style="width:310px"
|- style="background:navy; color: white;"
|colspan="2"|'''Alien Queen'''
|-
|colspan="2"|[[File:XenomorphQueen.png|300px]]
|-
|align="right" style="width:100px"|'''Type'''|| Larbe Xenomorph
|-
|align="right"|'''Number'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| 1 per hive
|-
|align="right"|'''Move'''|| Medium (60m/turn)
|-
|align="right"|'''IM/RS'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| +5/50
|-
|align="right"|'''Stamina'''|| 100 plus 20 per stage after Two (100-280)
|-
|align="right"|'''Attack'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| 65
|-
|align="right"|'''Damage'''|| Special- listed under [[Xenomorphs#Aliens in Combat|Aliens in Combat]]
|-
|align="right"|'''Special Attack'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| Acid Spray, Trample, Paralysis
|-
|align="right"|'''Special Defense'''|| Immune to Needlers, Acid blood.
|-
|align="right"|'''Native World'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| Unknown
|}
{| style="width:310px"
|- style="background:navy; color: white;"
|colspan="2"|'''Alien Facehugger'''
|-
|colspan="2"|[[File:XenomorphFacehugger.png|300px]]
|-
|align="right" style="width:100px"|'''Type'''|| Small Xenomorph
|-
|align="right"|'''Number'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| 1 per egg
|-
|align="right"|'''Move'''|| Medium (60m/turn)
|-
|align="right"|'''IM/RS'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| +6/60
|-
|align="right"|'''Stamina'''|| 25
|-
|align="right"|'''Attack'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| 65
|-
|align="right"|'''Damage'''|| Special- listed under [[Xenomorphs#Aliens in Combat|Aliens in Combat]]
|-
|align="right"|'''Special Attack'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| Acid Spray, Paralysis
|-
|align="right"|'''Special Defense'''|| Immune to Needlers, Acid blood.
|-
|align="right"|'''Native World'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| Unknown
|}

{| style="width:310px"
|- style="background:navy; color: white;"
|colspan="2"|'''Alien Warrior'''
|-
|colspan="2"|[[File:XenomorphWarrior.png|300px]]
|-
|align="right" style="width:100px"|'''Type'''|| Medium Xenomorph
|-
|align="right"|'''Number'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| 20-200 per hive
|-
|align="right"|'''Move'''|| Medium (60m/turn)
|-
|align="right"|'''IM/RS'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| +6/55
|-
|align="right"|'''Stamina'''|| 70
|-
|align="right"|'''Attack'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| 75
|-
|align="right"|'''Damage'''|| 3d10 claw, 2d10 bite, 4d10 tail
|-
|align="right"|'''Special Attack'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| Acid Spray, Paralysis
|-
|align="right"|'''Special Defense'''|| Immune to Needlers, Acid blood.
|-
|align="right"|'''Native World'''
|style="background: #eeeeee;"| Unknown
|}

<div style="border: thin solid black; background:#eeeeee;
padding: 5px; margin: 5px;">
'''Editor’s Notes: Creature Compatibility'''

It’s interesting to note that when a Facehugger places it’s
embryos into a host, the race of that host has some effect
on the eventual appearance of the Chestburster and the
resulting full-grown alien that it’s destined to become.

'''Human Host''' – This union results in the standard
Xenomorphs listed within the scope of this article.

'''Dralasite Host''' – Because of their amorphous nature, a
Dralasite has a base 50% chance that the Facehugger can’t
figure out how to interface with it and therefore aborts the
attempt, leaving the Dralasite ill (-15 on all rolls for 20
hours). A successful incubation will result in an alien able
to regenerate at a rate of 5 STA per turn (unless reduced
to zero Stamina).

'''Vrusk Host''' – This will result in an alien with eight legs,
able to move at 90 m/turn.

'''Yazirian Host''' – The resulting alien will have wing-like
membranes and will be able to glide, just like the Yazirian.
It will also be able to battle rage, with a base chance of 5%
per combat round.

'''Other Hosts''' – An alien bursting from the chest of any
other creature will retain some features of that base
creature’s physiology. Details of other races are left up to
the Referee.
</div>

Xenomorphs - Revision history

Terl obar at 03:25, 6 August 2010

Terl obar: Created page with '
Top:Star Frontiersman main page | Up: Star Frontiersman Issue 5 main index | Up: Adversaries…'

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:25, 6 August 2010
Line 5:		Line 5:
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	</div>		</div>
-		+	by [[Madin Jackson]]
	[[File:Xenomorphs1.png\|right\|300px]]		[[File:Xenomorphs1.png\|right\|300px]]

Xenomorphs - Revision history

Terl obar at 03:25, 6 August 2010

Terl obar: Created page with ' Top:Star Frontiersman main page | Up: Star Frontiersman Issue 5 main index | Up: Adversaries…'

Terl obar: Created page with '
Top:Star Frontiersman main page | Up: Star Frontiersman Issue 5 main index | Up: Adversaries…'