I'm planning a bug adventure for my players, mostly flesh forms (true-forms are a bit too powerful for the current group of beginners), and I've been wondering if anyone has done interesting (read: evil GM stuff) things with flesh-form insect spirits.

First, are there any rules (official or not) concerning bug spirits 'investing' in any non-metahuman host? Can they take over a critter, mundane or awakened, and will awakened powers be retained after the infestation? What about 'invested' mages/shamans?

Second, What happens to cyberware/bioware installed in a 'host'? Is it regected? destroyed? retained? could you install bio/cyber in a flesh-form? (my idea is that theoretically you can, but you'll have to develop bug-specific ware, especially in the case of the more "transformed" flesh forms - which would mean it will be a rare thing. Most hives just don't have the infrastructure to develop their hardware, though Ares might for their new 'pets'. Just remember that "real" insects are quite different from mammals in the biological level, and the more "transformed" a flesh form is, the less human it is).

And last, I remember seeing (house?)rules somewhere concerning "stages transformation" (i.e. adding a few true-form powers to flesh forms gradually, the less successes in the Willpower test, the more powers the new bug gets), but they are nowhere to be found now, not on these forums, the old forum, NERPS documents or google. The only place I could find that mentions them is this great random-generator page. Help in finding these houserules and/or re-building them from sratch will be apprichiated.

Besides leaving and calling nastier critters to deal with the problem?

-Siege

You have read Threats 2, right? With the Ares bug-critter hybrid guard animals?

Go, read Threats 2, and return when you have found wisdom.

Am I the only one that thought the title of this thread was very dirty?

The answer is yes, you can invest bugs into non-metahuman hosts. The reasons this is not common is lower powered final products and the lack of useful memories (IMO on the latter).

The only evil thing I've done with Bugs is let them participate in Underground fights, where if they win they take the loser. One of the PCs was... surprised both by having to fight the flesh form and then after winning finding out what happens to losers.

Flesh forms in a Piasma Bear!!!!

*Note, I have never done it, it just seemed like a cool idea*

Some things we've seen flesh forms do:

Workers moving stuff (furniture or cars or ...) or making a road or tearing down a building or digging a hole. Since they are just workers they keeping doing their job regardless of the runners passing by. Only the queen knows why they've been set to that job.

A hive moving from one place to another. Perhaps the old was getting flooded. Workers passing by in a long line, each one carrying a cocoon.

A battle with some soldiers, where the runners don't realize that half the opponents are simply workers trying to get out of the way.

A beetle-infested elephant, liberated from the zoo. Had beetle-armor, reach (trunk) and mandibles.

In bug city, dozens of ugly-ugly-ugly flesh forms moving through the street driving hundreds of citizens to flee in front of them. A half-dozen good merge flesh forms (without noticable sign of infestation) yelling to the crowd that the only safety lay in getting to building XXX where they'd be safe. Building XXX was already a hive. Flesh forms in armor "guard" building XXX and usher the crowd into the auditorium. Call it a "recuitment drive".

Flesh forms watching a place, like a Private Investigator might.

Flesh forms picking up or delivering some material the queen thinks is useful to her hive/economy.

"Good merge" flesh forms back at their regular place of work again, after a week or two away. Perhaps their job is answering calls to Lonestar reporting strange occurrances in the Barrens. Perhaps their job is as dispatcher for Scully and Mulder. Perhaps their job is as editor to the National Enquirer or The Globe. Perhaps their job is as Assistant District Attorney, or delivery boy for the nearest Fixer.