I've been continuing to work on my homebrew game, and I've been working on expanding the information about Spectrals, who are aliens on a genocidal mission against humans, and the cause of all the strife on Rhand.

As a primer if you have no idea about anything to do with Living Steel; it's a hard sci-fi game that takes place on a world where a large portion of the human population has been affected by the VISR (Virally Induced Sociopathic Response) virus.  The core group of the player characters are heroes from an idealistic society that was wiped out by the Starguild Imperium about 150 years before the start of the game.  The mission of these heroes is to reestablish society in the image of their old homeworlds.  

These are the Spectrals, who are the cause of all the madness.

As an additional note; there's some game system stuff in there.  I'm using a very bodged-up version of d20.

Spectrals are the ultimate enemy of mankind on Rhand.  All the other challenges will have been for nothing if the Spectral threat is not removed.

Spectral Biology – The Spectrals survive from absorbing the Karma of living beings.  They do so aggressively, requiring contact at the moment of death in order to absorb the Karma through the Spectral Blade.  Anyone killed in this manner has their Karma Chain ended immediately, as it is absorbed by the Blade or Throne.  In a Spectral Hive or higher, the Karma that is absorbed is contained in the lattice-structured 'Throne' that the Pathfinder or Commander builds, while at the lower levels the Karma is stored within the Spectral Blade that is used to dedicate the lair.  Spectrals are not 'alive' in the human understanding of the word, being comprised of animated tissues that are under the constant control of the extended consciousness of the Pathfinders, Commanders, or Queens.  The receptive organs that make up what would be easily recognized as the Spectral itself are planted within a suitably protected cavity in a body (usually the head in humanoids), and then grow or absorb tissues to allow them to move the skeletal frame.  This adaptation allows Spectrals to utilize the technology of the races that they conquer without having to rely specifically on Slaves or Client races.  Mobile Spectrals (Workers, Warriors, and Monitors) do not tire and do not need to eat or rest.

Spectrals also do not 'see' in the common sense of the word.  They sense life at great distances, perceiving it like bright lights on a black field, and at up to 20km they may also sense the relative emotional state and intentions of any sentient creature.  At close distances they are able to perceive inorganic materials in an outline format, although they cannot recognize texture or writing.  They are still capable of seeing living organisms through solid obstacles, and hiding from a Spectral is an exercise in futility.  Spectrals do not receive or comprehend auditory cues.  Individual Spectrals do not have any vocal organs, and make no sound at all.  All communication is accomplished through relayed telepathic messages from the controlling Pathfinder or Commander.

Spectrals have no vital organs outside their heads, and are extremely resistant to blasts or concussion.  They are unaffected by any physical damage to locations other than their head that does not disable a limb (and then only double asterisk disabling injuries have any effect).  Any injury to their head with deals more than 60PD will damage the sensitive organs of the Spectral and cause them to lose contact with the central consciousness of the Spectrals and cease functioning immediately.  Workers have tough skins equitable to Combat Suits, and Warriors have hardened shells.

Minor and Major Worker:  The blank-faced Workers are the laborers of the Spectral Hives.  Minor workers are the smallest and most plentiful of the Spectrals, and are only capable of accomplishing simple tasks.  They normally remain in or very near to a lair.  Major Workers are larger and handle more difficult tasks.  They may be found outside a lair within the support zone performing construction and may have adapted tools for their use in the same manner as Warriors adapt weapons.  On Rhand, the Workers are humanoid and have obsidian skins that are equivalent to Combat Suits for protection purposes.  Workers may not travel outside the support zone of a Lair, or else they lose their connection with the Spectral consciousness and die.

   Minor Worker
        STR:     12   ATK (H-H)  +9 1d4+1c, 1d2+1s
   DEX:            14      KV: N/A      CA: 4   PF: 1
   Move:    10m

   Major Worker
   STR:   14      ATK (H-H)  +10 1d4+2c, 1d2+2s
   DEX:    14      KV: N/A      CA: 4   PF: 1
   Move:    10m

Minor and Major Warrior:  Warriors have hardened skins and limbs designed for combat.  They can adapt weapons that they have discovered for their use, removing external covers and growing musculature to permit operation of the weapons.  Additionally, all Warriors have the capability to grow and extrude Blades for use either as a melee weapon or to provide to Pawns or Slaves.  Growing a Blade takes one week, and once it has been removed from the Warrior's chest cavity, another Blade begins growing immediately and the removed Blade cannot be replaced.  Minor Warriors are usually used to escort Workers or Slaves working near a lair, while Major Warriors are used exclusively for guarding lairs, collecting Slaves, or combat operations against well-equipped enemies.  Minor Warriors may travel up to 1km beyond the support zone of a Lair, and remain outside it for up to 24 hours before dying.  Major Warriors may travel up to 100km beyond the support zone, but are still restricted to 24 hours before dying.



   Minor Warrior
   STR:   16      ATK (Blade)  +12 1d6+3c, 1d3+3s
   DEX:   16      ATK (LAR8)  +8/+11/+11/+13
   Move:    10m      KV:  N/A   CA: 6   PF: 3

   Major Warrior
   STR:   18      ATK (Blade)     +15 1d6+7c, 1d3+4s
   DEX:   16      ATK (LAR8)    +11/+14/+14/+16
   Move:   15m      KV:  N/A   CA: 7   PF:  3
 
Monitor:  The Monitor is only arguably a separate class of Spectral, as only a single Monitor can exist per Pathfinder at a given time.  These Monitors are generated by the Pathfinder and used to extend the range of the Pathfinder's telepathic abilities.  A Monitor has an insectoid body with 10 legs and looks like a spider crab with a body roughly the size of a bowling ball.  The Monitor is unique among the Spectrals in its ability to travel great distances from the Hive.  The Monitor can travel on its own for 1500km or 3 days after leaving the Hive's support zone.  At the end of this distance or time it must be within a Cyst or support zone or die immediately.  If it is being transported by Slaves or Clients, the Monitor may enter a dormant state which will allow it to travel for up to 30 days and any distance before dying.  Monitors are capable of creating Slaves in the same manner as the Pathfinder, but require 24 hours of cumulative influence before imprinting is complete.

Pathfinder:  
The Pathfinders are the primary tool of invasion among the Spectrals, and are the lowest class of Spectral which could be described as having a consciousness.  They appear similar to a swollen tick, with small, ineffectual legs ringing a hardened spherical carapace.  The 'head' of the Pathfinder is where it exudes Blades, Throne Rods (used to create its Throne), or Larvae, which are placed within dead sentients to create new Spectral Workers or Warriors.  The Pathfinder is incapable of moving on its own, although if moved from its Lair it will be able to survive for up to 72 hours outside the support zone.  Pathfinders are highly telepathic, able to communicate across planetary distances with any other Spectrals, and capable of communicating with Slaves or other sentients within 2km of the support zone or its Monitor.

The Pathfinder is also capable of creating Slaves, sentients whose minds have been subverted to the will of the Pathfinder.  A Pathfinder may only create a single slave at a time, and will do so by gradually breaking down the consciousness of the sentient and imprinting obedience to the instructions of the Pathfinder into its psyche.  This takes some time, approximately 6 hours per Slave, and requires the expenditure of 1 point of Karma from the stored amount to establish the link, but the ability of the Slaves to move beyond the support zone and their total obedience makes them useful tools.  Pathfinders are also capable of creating Pawns, who have accepted the offer of power from the Spectrals in exchange for service.  If an individual is contacted by a Pathfinder, they will have dreams of great power and influence, and a feeling that they have the possibility of achieving greatness.  If they accept the offer and embrace their dreams of power, they will become a Pawn, receiving instructions via dreams from the Pathfinder.  They will also have their Strength, Constitution, and Charisma increased by +4 and will receive a +4 enhancement bonus to Diplomacy and Human Perception.  A Pathfinder may have up to 6 Pawns at any given time, and will have no qualms about removing its influence from a Pawn if a more suitable subject presents itself.  Generally, if possible it will have unwanted Pawns move close enough to make them into Slaves, if possible.  A Pawn who is an Organization Boss may also be selected to be raised to the status of Dominant Leader, granting a +20 bonus to Diplomacy and causing them to accumulate entire Organizations the way a Boss would normally accumulate Gangs.

Commander:  There are currently no Commanders surviving on Rhand.  They were all killed in the destruction of the Spectral spacecraft.  It is known that they are extremely power telepaths and are capable of creating large amounts of Slaves within the support zones of their Hives.

Queen:  A Queen is an uplifted Commander who takes charge of a Colony once all the life has been extinguished.  There is no information currently known about Spectral Queens.

Client Races:  There are many tasks that Spectrals are not well suited for.  In order to overcome these issues, the Spectrals utilize Clients, races which have been as a whole subjugated to the Spectral influence through various means.  The specific Client Races on Rhand will be discussed elsewhere.

Cyst – A Cyst is the lowest level of Spectral lair, capable of storing 3 points of Karma and supporting up to 1 Spectral.  The maximum area of a Cyst is about 6m diameter, and its support zone extends 1m beyond the walls of the Cyst for every point of Karma stored.  
Dedication Cost: 18 Karma Bloodbath: 40

Cell – A Cell is the second stage of Spectral lair, capable of storing 9 points of Karma and supporting up to 6 Spectrals.  The maximum area of a Cell is 36m in diameter, and the support zone extends 10m beyond the walls of the Cell for every point of Karma stored.  
Dedication Cost: 54 Karma Bloodbath: 120

Comb – A Comb is the third stage of Spectral lair, and is the lowest level of lair that can support a Pathfinder, capable of storing 81 points of Karma and supporting up to 36 Spectrals.  The maximum area of a Comb is 216km in diameter, and the support zone extends 100m beyond the walls of the Cell for every point of Karma stored.  
Dedication Cost: 485 Karma Bloodbath: 1078

Hive – A Hive is the lowest level of Spectral Lair that can support a Commander.  The Hive can is capable of storing 6561 points of Karma and supporting up to 216 Spectrals.  The maximum area of a Hive is 1.2km, and the support zone extends 100m beyond the walls of the Hive for every point of Karma stored.  
Dedication Cost: 39,366 Karma Bloodbath: 87,480

Superhive – A Superhive is the highest level of Spectral Lair that exists without Spectral domination of the planet.  The Superhive is capable of storing 43,046,721 Karma and supporting up to 7,776 Spectrals.  The maximum area of a Superhive is 7.2km, and the support zone extends 100m beyond the walls of the Hive for every point of Karma stored.  At the point when a Superhive has been established, all remaining living organisms will be herded to it for sacrifice.  This is a true holocaust factory, as the Commanders in the Superhive will wish to complete the stripping of the planet prior to its activation as a colony.  Additionally, the Superhive acts as a sort of terraforming center, changing the climate of the planet to better match the Spectral ideal (approx -10 C).
Dedication Cost: 258,280,326 Karma Bloodbath: 573,956,280

Colony – When a planet has been completely stripped of all life, it becomes a Spectral Colony world.  How the Spectrals continue to survive once the planet has been stripped of life is a mystery.

The normal process of Spectral Invasion is to initiate a bombardment of high-tech centers around the planet, dropping Client infantry to secure sites which are vital to continued access.  Containers of VISR Virus and accompanying weapons pallets are dropped on population centers, and Spectral Pathfinders are dropped near small centers of population in otherwise remote locations to begin establishing secondary hives.  The Spectral spacecraft would then select a suitable population center, and land, releasing Client infantry and a contingent of Major Warriors with a Commander.  The Commander would immediately begin a Bloodbath, with the intent of forming a Hive as quickly as possible.  The Commander would use its not-inconsiderable telepathic powers to draw more and more of the residents to the dedication site, and when the bloodbath is complete, a new Hive would stand in the city.  This process would be repeated at each major population center until the Spectrals were in control of a majority of the planet, at which point they would initiate the establishment of a Super Hive and begin, using persuasion or force, moving all remaining living creatures to the site of the Super Hive for its dedication Bloodbath and the subsequent extermination of the remaining life.

In the remote areas, the Pathfinders locate Pawns and establish contact with them.  If possible, they elevate Organization Bosses to Dominant Leader status and begin using these organizations to either establish Hives or, depending on the progress of the Commanders, to move them closer to the location where the Superhive will be.

Probably a silly question but out of curiousity: What is Living Steel?

Quote from: MGuy;577083Probably a silly question but out of curiousity: What is Living Steel?

It's an old RPG from the late 80's.  It was based on the Phoenix Command Combat System, with skills and RPG elements tacked on.  I fell in love with the setting, but most people couldn't stomach the combat, it went for ultra-realism as a means to keep players from wanting to do it.

Anyway, the precis for the setting is up at the top.  As far as the game system went, it was a 3d6 roll low skill system and a percentile to hit and location combat system.  I adapted it over to being a d20 skill and to hit system, but I kept the percentile location system because it really doesn't slow things down much (one more dice roll than baseline; in here instead of to hit>damage it's to hit>location>glance check (think armor save).  The damage is actually based off an interrelation of the location and the armor protection of that location.

But I'm getting verbose about it.

Oh, if you meant more specifically, the Living Steel is also the name for the Seven Swords Power Armor that the 'good guys' use.  7SPA8.