 Mantid Spirits, How are they organized? |
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 Aug 22 2006, 01:51 PM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 111 Joined: 12-July 06 From: Redmond,UCAS Member No.: 8,876  |
I don't seem to recall reading this before. How do mantids gather amongst themselves? Do they establish "hives" like other insect spirits, or are they more loosely structured? The only examples I've seen are the gangs (of a sort) in Burning Bright or the story "A Plague of Demons" in the Into the Shadows collection. Do you think they operate in smaller groups? Or do they actually have a single queen and a hive/nest hidden somewhere? Thanks.
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Aug 22 2006, 02:13 PM
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#2
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Old Man Jones Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,415 Joined: 26-February 02 From: New York Member No.: 1,699 |
They don't, for the most part. Mantids as described in Bug City are solitary or in small groups, and prey on other bug spirits. Queens especially can't stand each other, and are always full flesh-form. So you'd get a queen and a few drones and that's it.
-karma |
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Aug 22 2006, 02:17 PM
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#3
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 111 Joined: 12-July 06 From: Redmond,UCAS Member No.: 8,876 |
So if a queen died, would one of those servants somehow "become" a queen so that particular group could survive? Or would the other mantids just die with the queen, or shortly after?
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Aug 22 2006, 02:41 PM
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#4
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
Mantids don't have "queens" like hive insects. Being solitary insects they have "mothers", which is just about the same thing with different organization. All female mantids are mothers, equally capable of reproduction. The only servants are the males, who are more docile less intelligent than the females.
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Aug 22 2006, 02:47 PM
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#5
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 111 Joined: 12-July 06 From: Redmond,UCAS Member No.: 8,876 |
Awesome. Thanks for the clarification, hyzmarca. That really helps me out with the updating of our campaign. :D
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Aug 22 2006, 05:01 PM
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#6
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
Check Desolation Angels (Loose Alliances) |
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Aug 22 2006, 08:38 PM
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#7
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,577 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Gwynedd Valley PA Member No.: 1,221 |
The mantids are friendlier towards metahumanity usually hunting other bugs. Get between them and the target and you're otast. work towards the same and they are powerful allies-the problem is they may decide to convert a female in your group or eat a male.
The groups seme to be made up of females who are good merges, and can assume either form-mantid or metahuman. males turned are just mantids. Many females are the sort of person who wants an out form the owlrd but they have been known to convert an unwilling woman if she's in a position they want. |
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Aug 22 2006, 08:52 PM
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#8
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Old Man Jones Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,415 Joined: 26-February 02 From: New York Member No.: 1,699 |
It's important to note that while they are technically friendlier towards metahumanity than the rest of the bug spirits, they have a completely alien mindset. They are still bugs, after all, and think differently.
-karma |
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Aug 22 2006, 09:27 PM
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#9
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,006 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Just because Hestaby and I both don't think the Tir should be getting its nose all up in other people's business, it don't exactly make us best friends. Same way here. Alien mindset point is valid, but even without it there's no reason to think mantids are "friendly", whatever Ms. Bitten may say.
~J |
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Aug 22 2006, 09:31 PM
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#10
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
More importantly than the operatives is the Empowerment Coalition. |
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Aug 23 2006, 03:35 PM
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#11
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Shadow Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 3,737 Joined: 2-June 06 From: Secret Tunnels under the UK (South West) Member No.: 8,636 |
Look at it this way. Just because you don't like regular bug spirits, does that make you happy when an even more dangerous creature comes along and uses you as a tool to attack them with? Mantids are not your friends. Incidentally, in SM you get the new Nymph mantid spirits. They're listed as being rare, but having a sort of delphic oracle status amongst the mantids. So they have some sort of society, they're just not family types. |
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Aug 23 2006, 03:42 PM
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#12
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Freelance Elf Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 7,324 Joined: 30-September 04 From: Texas Member No.: 6,714 |
Yeah. Being "friendlier towards humanity" than the other bug spirits isn't saying much.
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Aug 24 2006, 04:14 AM
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#13
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
The friend of my enemy, is my enemy.
The enemy of my friend, is my enemy. The enemy of my enemy... The key point is that while regular Insect Spirits(from MITS, I don't have SM yet) look upon meta-humanity as a take-over target, Mantids do so to a lesser extent and look upon the other Insects as prey. Now the last time I looked, if you don't want pests in your house, you might want to stop killing their predators. |
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Aug 24 2006, 04:16 AM
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#14
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 451 Joined: 8-May 06 Member No.: 8,533 |
is my enemy's enemy, nothing more, nothing less. I really think that applies in this case. |
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Aug 24 2006, 04:36 AM
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#15
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
Key words being to a lesser extent. They still see humans as nothing more than food.
If I sit on an mantis and it just gives me a dirty look when I get up (this really happened, btw), I'm not going to let it roam the house just because it may also eat another species of insect first. I'm going to find something that will kill the motherfucker for good. |
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Aug 24 2006, 04:59 AM
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#16
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Freelance Elf Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 7,324 Joined: 30-September 04 From: Texas Member No.: 6,714 |
Not if their predators are your predators, too. |
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Aug 24 2006, 12:22 PM
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#17
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,577 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Gwynedd Valley PA Member No.: 1,221 |
sort of. Mantids' main target is other bugs, not metahumanity. meaning if you find a group of Mantids it is not as terrible as finding a Termite Lair in your condo complex' basement. BUT they are not human and they will view you as usable or even expendable in their goals without any guilt the same way you would view the gun on your hip a usable tool. They also may decide they will meet their goals better if you become one of them (if a woman) or one of their playmates (if male). They won't ask your feelings on the matter and not give a darn about your friends, your family or yourl ife because it is what they want. Think of them as the bitchy queens of your high school who just care what they want and the rest of you can just make way for them. |
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Aug 24 2006, 12:54 PM
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#18
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 111 Joined: 12-July 06 From: Redmond,UCAS Member No.: 8,876 |
Another problem, I think, with mantids, is the fact that they cannot exist on our plane without preying upon humanity. They need human bodies to "step through" right? The spirit uses a meat body as its physical shell, and therefore someone has to die. So even though their main diet/meal of choice are other bugs, humanity works in a pinch as a snack or a vessel. They can't be trusted, ultimately.
In our old campaign, the team became connected to a mantid group when one of our number was taken to a UB clinic for medical attention. We had no idea at the time what was going on in the background. When the character dissappeared and later returned, all better, we figured (IC) that she'd simply faded for a bit to escape any heat coming down from the situation which put her in the clinic in the first place. She then became involved with our team's shaman. Even after he discovered her true nature, he stuck with her, saying to the GM that although the original persona was gone, the mantid version was still a sentient being, and since it hadn't hurt him or any of the team, and since it was an enemy of our (growing) enemy, he considered it an ally/friend. For about 6+ game years, the team had a mantid in its ranks from time to time, and the mundanes never knew. Masking kept it secret from other mage types. The whole thing ended when A) the mantids began using the team for their own ends B) the rest of the team realized it. It all culminated in a big battle (go figure), and in the end the surviving team members went their separate ways. I guess my long winded point is, no matter what, humanity is a pawn to the mantids at best, cattle at worst, and the bugs can't be trusted at all. |
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Aug 24 2006, 06:36 PM
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#19
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
No. They can use other spirits, too. Well, for males anyway. |
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Aug 24 2006, 06:59 PM
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#20
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
:proof:
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Aug 24 2006, 07:46 PM
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#21
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
Goddamn it.
Uh, yeah. That is a lot of peoples' main point. |
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Aug 24 2006, 07:54 PM
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#22
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 111 Joined: 12-July 06 From: Redmond,UCAS Member No.: 8,876 |
Great! :D I'm in good company, then.
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Aug 25 2006, 01:35 AM
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#23
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
If I recall correctly, Insect Spirits do not necessarily require meta-humans to "cross over". They generally only require hosts.
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Aug 25 2006, 02:05 AM
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#24
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 18-February 03 Member No.: 4,110 |
What happens when the rest of the bugs (as long as I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony) are gone? Would Mantids stop there? Reminds me of that saying "First they came for the jews, and I did nothing, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I did nothing because I was not a Catholic. etc, etc, etc and when they came for me, there was no one left to etc etc." |
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Aug 25 2006, 02:28 AM
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#25
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 111 Joined: 12-July 06 From: Redmond,UCAS Member No.: 8,876 |
That's an interesting question, Shansu. Would they start eating humanity exclusively, or take their ball, go home, and perhaps try to find bugs in some other plane?
My vote would be that they'd start a change in diet. |
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