Martian Invaders from 'War of the Worlds' (1953 Movie Version)

Typical Martian

F: Typ (06)
A: Typ (06)
S: Pr (04)
E: Gd (10)
R: Ex (20)
I: Typ (06)
P: Gd (10)

Health: 26
Karma: 36
Popularity: - 50 (Worldwide)
Resources: Un (100) as a group - N/A as individuals.

Talents:
Martians possess many advancements and skills - Most of which for the purposes of this write-up are inferred:

• Pilot: starship
• Pilot: tripod
• Astrogation
• Knowledge: Martian Culture
• Military
• Energy Weapons
• Science: Advanced

Powers:
Martian Physiology: The standard Martian's physiology is incredibly efficient, granting them the following abilities:

• Telepathy/Hive Mind: The Martians communicate with each other via a telepathic means, utilizing higher brain conditioning. The Martian telepathy is fairly standard, and operates at Gd (10) in normal circumstances, Ex (20) within a collective of martians.
• Advanced Resistances: The Martians are resistant to toxins and poisons (but not disease, see below), and are considered to have Ex(20) protection.
• Ultra-vision: the Martian visual cortex allows them a type of ultra-vision at Gd (10).

Contacts:

Martians have contacts with their own people.

Limitations:
Martians have the following limitations:

• Non-Human Appearance: The Martians have a non-human appearance, and are -2CS for the purposes of reaction and effects during first encounter.
• Immune System Failure: Martians are highly susceptible to terrestrial bacteria, which is considered lethal. Upon first exposure, a Martian must make an Endurance FEAT vs. Death. A White Result means death will occur in 4-6 Hours, a Green Result means 1-2 days, a Yellow Result 2-4 days, and a Red result means 4-12 days.
• Gravitational Issues: The Martians have some problems in Earth's heavy gravity, causing them to suffer -1CS Agility.

Martian Tripod (1953 version)

Speed: Rm (30) Control: Rm (30) Body: Am (50) Protection: Am (50) (See Below)*

Martian Tripods look as if they are floating manta-shaped creatures, but are actually supported by three invisible 'legs', which allow them to move over all terrain types. The Martian Tripod utilizes a magnetic field that surrounds it, granting it additional protection of Mn (75), as well as complete protection against Energy attacks at Shift-Z (500). The field survived a direct hit from a nuclear device without slowing the machine down in any way, shape, or form. The Martian Tripod is self-contained, allowing an unknown number of Martians to pilot.

The main weapon of the Martian Tripod is the Heat Beam, which utilizes a Shift-X (150) direct heat attack. This weapon can fired once per round, and can target objects ranging as human-sized to ship/battleship scale. The Tripods work in unison as a continuous firing line. A secondary weapon, the Skeleton-Ray is shown which is a short-range pulse disintegration weapon which does Mn (75) damage and can be used once per round, including the same round as the heat beam.

Tripods are the ground forces for the Martian invasion, and are not built to withstand space-travel. They can apparently submerge and navigate like a ship. Martian Tripods have a distinctive sound due to their travel, which can be heard up to miles away.

The Pod People from 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'

F: Varies
A: Varies
S: Varies
E: Varies
R: Varies*
I: Varies*
P: Varies*

Health: Varies
Karma: Varies*
Popularity: Varies/-10 as an alien race by other races (One would assume)
Resources: Mn (75) - See Below

Talents:
Theoretically, the Pod People have all talents that their counterparts possess, adding to a collective intelligence. It is never expressly stated that the Pod People share knowledge, but it is stated in both the novel and the movies that they are of one mind, so it is probably that any mental skill possessed is shared, and that any physical skill is also shared. For the purposes of the write-up, specific mystical and mental skills are not shared.

Powers:
Group Collective: Pod People are a collective alien intelligence, which travels from planet to planet quietly subverting and replacing the dominant lifeform before moving on. As they are a collective intelligence, the pod people are actually part of a larger consciousness, thus they are all part of the same unit. This does not make the consciousness a hive mind: Pod People can share knowledge to a limited degree, but are not instantly aware of actions taken by the other members of the consciousness. As such, the aliens have the following abilities:

• Duplication: The aliens exist by taking over the dominant race, which is done through the creation of near identical doubles. These doubles are perfect in every way to the original being, down to the skills, memories, and abilities of the individual. The process begins with exposure to the aliens, either through direct contact or being in proximity (within an area) of a 'pod'. The pods quickly mature, growing from their initial pod form to a complete copy within 24 hours. During this time, the individual in question must make a Psyche FEAT vs. Am (50) intensity, requiring a Red result. If the individual does not succeed, the process continues. Once the process has been completed, the individual must make another FEAT, and failing that, is destroyed and replaced. The process can be interrupted in the 24 period if the pod which is replacing the individual is found and destroyed. The replacement has all of the abilities of the host, with the knowledge the host has of using those abilities.
• Telepathy: The Pod People communicate through near telepathic means when in the same area, granting them gd (10) telepathy.
• Environmental Awareness*: A pod person is aware of their environment, and can determine if something is amiss or if there is a non-pod person present. The environmental awareness connects all of the pod people together, and they can determine if there are humans (or whatever else is dominant) in their sphere of influence. The awareness seems based on the visual acuity of the host: They must see their targets to determine if they are not part of the great alien consciousness.
• Alert: As seen in the 1978 movie, pod people alert others to their presence with a high pitched scream, which can be heard up to several blocks away. The pod persons in the area will point and all scream, thus leading many others to their location.
• Resources: The invasion builds resources as it replaces individuals, thus the high resource rank representing the level at the highest point of the invasion. The pod people will devote all of their personal resources to spreading the invasion, and will pool resources to that end.

Contacts:
None, as they are numerous.

Limitations
Despite the abilities, the invasion has several key limitations:

• Replacement Limitations: Pod people cannot replace waking individuals, thus can only complete the transition and replacement of individuals while asleep or unconscious. If a person can remain conscious, they can prevent the final stage of replacement.
• Detection: There are three major limitations that pod people have: Complete lack of emotion, lack of individual presence, and the overwhelming desire to spread the invasion. As such, a telepath or empath simply needs to make a power FEAT to determine if the individual is replaced or not. Anyone with enhanced senses (Specifically tracking or smell) has a chance to determine if the individual has been replaced. Finally, any attempt to solicite an emotional or unique response will reveal the individual's intent. Pod people also cannot replace robots or artificial beings, and may have greater issue with mystical or non-organic life.
• Invasion: One would assume that the invasion has a reputation throughout the stars and amid alien races.
• Limitations of the Host: Pod people have the same limitations the original version have, therefore, a limitation to a color would still be in effect.
• Limited lifespan: Discussed more in the novel, the pod people have a lifespan of about five years, and must then look for a new dominant species on a different world.
• Host Reliant: The Pods require the hosts/replaced individuals to spread the invasion, and cannot travel or act as their original form. The original pods are, however, capble of surviving space and re-entry, as they appeared as a meteor shower.

One final note: