Ice
Character
Image Credit: http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/221/5/a/wither_wasp_by_frozen_scumbag-d6hfzbc.png
Name: Basilisk WaspDesignation: Non-sentient
Homeworld: Enigma Prime
Language: Body movement, buzzes, and pheromones
Average height of adults: .5 meters long, 1 meter wingspan
Skin color: Cream, dark gray, and red
Hair color: N/A
Breathes: Type 1
Strengths: Flight, Pheromones
Weaknesses: Ineffective at attacking when alone. Pheromones work less effectively when raining. Large size can make it easy to spot in less dense vegetation.
Distinctions: It's a huge flippin' wasp. lol
Average Lifespan: 7 weeks
Races: N/A
Estimated Population: 1 Billion
Diet: Omnivorous - Will feed on nearly anything they can find. Though meat is their preferred food.
Communication: Body movement, buzzes, and pheromones
Culture: N/A
Technology level: N/A
General behavior: As a wasp, they work around a hive mentality. Unlike normal bees or even wasps, they don't build actual established hives. Instead, they tend to be nomadic. Whole hives only staying in an area for a week or two before moving on to a new location.
Food gathering is done when a hive moves to a new area. Workers move out to collect plant resources in the area, which forms the staple diet of this species. "Hunter" wasps are sent out to try and lure unsuspecting prey back to the hive where the entire nest worth of wasps will attack and consume the animal (or sentient) that gets close enough. A target not lured by the pheromone will more likely result in the wasp moving on to a different target. Though if there are as few wasps in the area. They might be emboldened to attack on their own as a small group, rather than waiting for the colony to help.
The hunter wasp accomplishes this by excreting a pheromone, that puts the target into a trance like state. Once overcome by the pheromone, the target will follow the buzzing sound of the wasp till it has reached the hive and is swarmed by the colony as they consume the victim alive. The pheromone excreted is extremely powerful. It would take a Master Jedi or Sith trained in expelling toxins to be able to overcome the pheromones. That or a friend who hasn't yet succumbed to it, to shoot the wasp and break his ally free of the affects by getting him out of the vicinity.
A sealed suit would also render a target immune to the effects. And a person with a lot of other people nearby would not attract too much attention from the wasps, as they tend to go for solitary creatures. But again, if a lot of "hunter" wasps are nearby, its not impossible they might try and attack a small group of individuals.
When "hunter" wasps see a possible target, they actually stop flying and approach on foot. They are essentially ambush predators. Hiding within its surroundings to avoid detection. It will then stalk its prey and attempt to get close unseen. If a wasp manages to get close enough, it will begin to emit its powerful pheromones to trap its victim in a trance like state.
The victim will have 5 seconds to realize something is amiss and get away. If they do successfully evade the attempt at being hypnotized, the person is not out of danger. Each time the person is exposed to the pheromones, they become less and less able to fight its alluring effects. Eventually even the strongest will person will not be able to resist.
When a victim has become trapped in the trance, the wasp will take flight once more. The buzzing of its wings draw the victim to wherever they go.
The wasps mandables form its primary weapon for attack. They are very powerful, able to slice through leather armor and even light metal armor such as an astromech or b-1 battle droid might possess. Anything stronger though will be quite immune to the wasps bite.
Weather wise, the cold does not affect them much. And they can survive in all but the coldest regions. And the only reason for that is the cold kills off their sources of food, not actually them. What the weather does do to them though is make their primary weapon less effective. When raining, a "hunter" wasp will have a much more difficult time luring away a target as the rain dissipates its pheromones more quickly.
As a species, they tend to be the primary food source of the Night Stalkers. However, even the Night Stalker is wary of focusing too much on this creature, because once the hive is alerted to being under attack by one of those beasts, the pheromones they excrete have a chance of luring even them to a painful, horrid end.
History: N/A
Notable Player-Characters: N/A
Intent: To start filling the food chain of Enigma Prime with different critters. As well as provide the expeditionary force with another obstacle to overcome....or at least be aware of and avoid.
[member="Mrrew"]
also explained how the wasps would react if someone broke free of the trance based on number of allies and/or number of other wasps nearby.