Starship Troopers - Arachnids for Traveller

[towerwarlock]

Has anyone done the stats of the Arachnids from Starship Troopers for Traveller? I have been slowly working on this for Traveller, using the TNE rules, and thought I would ask.

 

[Paladin]

Which flavor of warrior bugs are you going for?

Novel - one guy can roast dozens in short order
Early in the movie - you need 6 guys pouring on fire to drop one
Late in the movie - one guy can kill multiple, 30-50 guys on a wall can kill hundreds/thousands
Roughneck Chronicles - 1 squeeze of the trigger on an MG (c. 3 bullets) kills a bug.
Mongoose RPG - c. 3 shots for one bug


Personally, I like the 1 MG Burst can kill, but not all of the time. 3D6+4 for an auto rifle puts avg damage at 14-15 HP.

 

[alex_greene]

CT's Double Adventure 5, The Chamax Plague / Horde involved creatures like this, IIRC.

I'll go and look up the stats, and get them to you shortly. They may need translating from CT to MGT, though.

 

[towerwarlock]

Well for one thing, the Book had the troops in power armor with really powerful weapons. The Movie GOT NOTHING RIGHT EXCEPT THE BUGS. The Cartoons were closer to being like the book but were still not accurate. So let's try all of the above and see what we get.

 

[alex_greene]

Try these (based only on the movie version):-

Species: Arachnid
Type Mass Strength Dexterity Endurance
Eater 500 kg 4d6 3d6 4d6
Weapons: Mandibles (Teeth) +2
Armour: 3

Species: Winged Arachnid
Type Mass Strength Dexterity Endurance
Hunter 200 kg 3d6 4d6 3d6
Weapons: Mandibles (Teeth) +1
Armour: 2
Note: This species can fly, and it exhibits the behaviour of an aerial Hunter when stalking its prey. It prefers to bear its victims away to a high location, to feed upon its meals at leisure.

Species: Brain Bug
Type Mass Strength Dexterity Endurance
Eater 5000 kg 2d6 1d6 2d6
Weapons: Special
Armour: 0
Note: Incapable of movement under own steam. Has to be borne by a carpet of smaller (1kg) servitor drone bugs.
Note: Telepathic, Psionic Strength 12, Telepathy (constant low level Telempathic communication with all arachnids within Planetary range, costs 0 Psionic Strength). Does not know Shield or Assault psionic powers, though can use the Probe telepathic power.
Special Weapon: Brain Consumption: The Brain Bug uses a long, articulated spike like a large ovipositor. Thrusting this into the head of its victim, killing the victim instantly, the brain bug sucks out the victim's brain matter.
The brain bug acquires the victim's thoughts and memories - over the six hours required to digest the human brain matter, the bug can roll its own Intelligence and / or Education, and use up to 1d6 of the victim's skills including Tactics skill, if any.
Alternatively, the brain bug can use the consumed brain matter to restore any Psionic Strength points it may have spent.

Species: Tanker
Type Mass Strength Dexterity Endurance
Eater 20000 kg 10d6 3d6 10d6
Weapons: Plasma +3
Armour: 5
Special Weapon: Plasma The Tanker shoots a spray of burning, toxic, acidic plasma from its front mandibles, extending outwards in a cone roughly twenty metres by ten. All caught in the srea of effect are affected. If the plasma hits organic matter, it does 2d6 damage per combat round to the target. Full body armour alone protects agains the plasma, but the plasma dissolves all armour but ship's hull plating at a rate of 1d6 points per combat round.

 

[shotgun-toting chipmunk]

The Movie GOT NOTHING RIGHT EXCEPT THE BUGS.

Actually, the only thing the movie got right was the names, and the scene with two ships crashing into each other over Klendathu.

The Arachnids in the book had 8 legs, hence their name. They had ranged weaponry, and starships (not asteroids).