The following material is from THE THIRD INVID WAR, a fan supplement by Dave Deitrich and Chris Meadows. Please feel free to use, copy, and distribute it as you see fit. All we ask is that you give proper credit to us and do not claim that it is your own work. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

THE STAGE SIX INVID NPC

When the Regis decided to send an occupation force back to Earth, she was faced with a serious problem; it was simply impossible for her to be in two places at once. Her "enlightened evolution" experiments demanded her full attention, but the food supply problems on New Optera were critical enough that she had to ensure that the temporary re-occupation of Earth was successful. Plus her forces on Earth would need some way to rebuild all the Hives and fortifications that were destroyed during the Third Robotech War.

Finally, she reached a decision. She called together the best of the Stage 5 Invid that had survived the previous war with the humans. These Invid were the strongest, smartest, and most loyal followers of the Regis, who had proven themselves time and time again on the battlefields of Earth. These humanoid Invid would be the leaders of the Earth re- occupation forces, and to this end the Regis evolved them into a higher form of life, granting each of them a small amount of her powers. These elite Invid became the ultimate stage in Invid evolution; the Stage Six Invid.

The stage six Invid is completely humanoid in appearance, like the stage 5 Invid, but are usually taller and slightly more agile. The biggest difference is their eyes, which are slitted and catlike. They are always very attractive and have the same light Caucasian skin/complexion and long hair as their less-developed brethren.

But the greatest difference in these new Invid is the presence of psychic powers, similar to those of the Regis herself. In essence, the stage six Invid can be considered mini-Regents and mini-Regis of the Invid race. Individually, their powers are not incredibly impressive, but together they can perform acts equal to those of the Regis, including transmutation of Invid and mecha, and the alchemical ability to create Invid hives and power cores. These new Invid were also the most intelligent and the most devious since the Regent. They were the ones who came up with the idea of the Invid space hives and the new Invid mecha designs. And they are constantly at work thinking up new plans to prevent the humans from interfering in their work.

Unfortunately, the evolution of the Stage Six Invid has had some unexpected effects on their mental stability. Most of the new Invid consider themselves far superior to lower stage Invid, especially the Stage Five Invid. This has led to a great deal of friction between the two Invid "races", to the point where some stage 5 Invid might consider betraying their superiors if they thought they could get away with it. This superiority complex borders on psychosis when it comes to humans. At best, stage 6 Invid consider humans a lesser race, who do not deserve the rights of freedom or self-rule. At worst, some stage 6 Invid see humans as vermin, suitable only for hard labor, laboratory tests, and extermination.

Stage 6 Invid are ALWAYS snobbish and overbearing. They care little for the concerns of others, and are often inconsiderate and outright rude to anyone who is not a fellow stage 6 Invid. They are loyal only to themselves, other stage 6 Invid, and the Regis. Temperament among leader Invid tends to vary; some are quite emotional, easily giving into bloodlust and berserker tendencies during battle, while others are analytical and emotionless, carrying out their plans and attacks with cold, calculated efficiency. However, no stage 6 Invid will ever allow his/her emotions to interfere with the occupation force mission.

NOTE: There are maybe only two dozen stage 6 Invid on Earth, including those stationed in the orbital hives. Gamemasters should not indiscriminately throw them at PCs, but instead save these characters for recurring villains and enemy masterminds. Combat with stage 6 Invid should only come after a long series of other adventures and battles, perhaps even saved for the final climactic battle of a multi-part adventure.

Pilot: Warlord Battloid
Hit Points: 24 + 1D6
S.D.C.:6D6
Alignments:Anarchist, Miscreant, Aberrant, or Diabolic

ATTRIBUTES

I.Q. 10 + 2D6
M.E. 10 + 3D6
M.A. 10 + 2D6
P.S. 10 + 1D6
P.P. 10 + 2D6
P.E. 10 + 1D6
P.B. 10 + 2D6
I.S.P. 2 x M.E.

NOTE: Any attribute of 16 or more (except ISP) gets to roll another 1D6 and add it to that specific attribute score.

Attacks per Melee: Four hand-to-hand, Six with Mecha Combat Training. Damage from punch or kick is 1D6.
Bonuses: +1 to strike, +3 to parry or dodge, +3 on initiative.

SKILLS

    Basic Mechanics (general):                  60%
    Detect Ambush:                              65%
    Detect Concealment:                         55%
    Intelligence:                               55%
    Interrogation:                              65%
    Invid Mecha Mechanics:                      90%
    Knowledge of Protoculture/Flower of Life:   70%
    Navigation (air, land, water):              80%
    Navigation (space):	                        75%
    Pilot Invid Battloids (all):                90%
    Protoculture Alchemy/Transmutation:         70%
    Tracking:                                   60%
    W.P. Energy Pistol (+2 to strike)
    W.P. Energy Rifle (+1 to strike)
    W.P. Sword (+2 to strike)

All skills are equivalent to Earth skills. In addition, choose 2D4 skills from the Medical, Physical, Science, or Technical categories.

PSIONIC ABILITIES

TELEPATHIC/EMPATHIC COMMUNICATION WITH INVID: Stage 6 Invid have full telepathic/empathic powers with all Invid. This power does not include reading minds or mental probes. Range is about 5 miles without assistance. I.S.P. 1 per 5 minutes of communication.
EMPATHIC COMMUNICATION WITH NON-INVID: Stage 6 Invid can sense the presence and emotional state of non-Invid beings, but not as reliably as with true Invid. Empathic range is only around 100 feet. I.S.P. 5 per 1 minute of communication.
PRESENCE SENSE: Leader Invid can sense the presence of intelligent life forms around them. This sense is not exact; only direction and relative distance can be detected. It is this "sixth sense" that is responsible for the stage 6 Invid's high initiative bonuses. I.S.P. None; a natural function that requires no effort on the Invid's part.
SENSE PROTOCULTURE ENERGY: Stage 6 Invid can psychically feel the presence of protoculture energy being used anywhere near them (within a 1 mile range). They can also detect the presence of living Flowers of Life within 1/2 mile. Exact number and location of protoculture sources can only be detected within about 300 feet. I.S.P. None; a natural function that requires no effort on the Invid's part.
LEVITATION (SELF):The leader Invid can lift and suspend themselves into the air. Limited to up and down movement only. I.S.P. 2 per minute of levitation.
BIO-REGENERATION (SELF): Stage 6 Invid can regenerate 2D6 hit points, or 3D6 physical SDC points per melee. This power does not include the regeneration of lost limbs. I.S.P. 6 per healing.
BIO-REGENERATION (OTHER INVID): Stage 6 Invid can restore 1D8 hit points, or 2D6 physical SDC points per melee to other Invid. They must physically touch the wounded Invid in order to heal them. I.S.P. 6 per healing.
MIND BLOCK (SELF): Leader Invid can erect a mental wall that prevents the penetration of telepathy, empathy, and other mind probes. I.S.P. 4 per 10 minute duration.
PSI-SWORD:The most powerful mental ability of the Stage 6 Invid is the ability to form a mega-damage energy weapon from their own mental powers. This weapon appears to be a shimmering blade of energy that looks almost like a glowing sword. The Invid can form and dissipate the psi-sword at will. The blade can do up to 1D6 M.D. to anything it touches, but damage can be lessened if the Invid desires. I.S.P. 20 per 5 minutes.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

When the Regis created the stage 6 Invid, she imparted each of them with a small percentage of her powers. Individually, these powers don't amount to much, providing the leader Invid with a few low-key psychic abilities. However, when multiple stage 6 Invid work together, they are capable of transmutation feats equal to those of the Regis herself. These powers allowed the Invid occupation force to rebuild their fortifications upon their return to Earth, and for the stage 6 Invid to create the new mecha designs and orbiting hives later on during the war.

By gathering together and combining their powers, the stage 6 Invid are able to perform the following feats. Each leader Invid can only participate in one such transmutation per day. All powers are identical to those described for the Regis on pages 75-76 of the Invid Invasion book.

Transmutation of Invids: Requires 6 Leader Invids.
Transmutation of Mecha: Requires 4 Leader Invids.
Transmutation of Power Core (for Hive): Requires 12 Leader Invids.
Transmutation to Warp Speed: Requires 24 Leader Invids.
Stasis Bubble: Requires 2 Leader Invids.

Some stage 6 Invid have been able to augment their powers for short periods of time using other means, such as special Invid brain computers and genesis pits. These plot devices and their effects are left up to the imagination of the game master.

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deitrich@mcs.net Last Updated: Friday, 18-Jan-08 02:59:14 PST