Swarm Weapons

[Akestos]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: Chemical Projectile Gun for Large Hive Creatures - Turbolaser Sized.
• Image Source: Steve Wang | Custom Text
• Canon Link: Yaret-Kor | Rock Spitter | Chemical Load Grenade
• Primary Source: Yarte Basal - Furthering the Design

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: The Hive Mind | The Swarm's Will | SpaceSurge
• Affiliation: Faction Name(s) SwarmSurge, SpaceSurge, and the Closed-Market
• Model: SpaceSurge Sphere Spitter
• Modularity: Mass-Produced
• Material: Terminus Armor | Biological

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Slugthrower, Chemical Explosive
• Size: Large
• Weight: Heavy
• Ammunition Type: Organic Sphere, 1 meter in Diameter.
• Ammunition Capacity: 12
• 
  Reload Speed: Average
  
• Effective Range: Long Range
• Rate of Fire: Average
• Stopping Power: Average
• Recoil: Average

SPECIAL FEATURES

Strengths:

• Can be grafted to a variety of larger hive creatures after they are born.
• Explosive with a potent acidic after spray, the explosion is about 5 by 5 meters wide, the acidic spray going another few meters.
• All Purpose Weapon vs Shields or Armor
• Reliable weapon, and can self repair most surface damage over two days, longer up to two weeks for heavier damage.

Weaknesses:

• Very average weapon.
• 12 shots in a burst then a reload, while a turbolaser wouldn't stop near as often.
• Not the greatest anti-fighter weapon. More suited for hitting corvette and upward sized targets.
• Will struggle to hit fast moving speeders on land, better suited to firing at individuals, slower armor or buildings.
• Might be possible to shootdown the projectiles before impact, but tricky given their size, not without a large amount of flak or point defense. Whatever it hits first, is what it explodes on, there is no timed delay.

DESCRIPTION

About the size of a turbo laser. Firing one meter in diameter, small, spherical projectiles, of about the same damage as a turbolaser shot, only with some area of effect spray. Though the ammunition is organic in nature, it has a harder biological surface which erupts outward when struck both with explosive force, but also potent acidic spray to eat away at surfaces. Many explosives at their core are chemical in nature, so a chemical reaction is nothing new. This weapon can be grafted on any creature capable of carrying a turbolaser sized weapon, however, it is often fitted on bigger organic craft in space. Hive maturation chambers are usually used for additions such as this after birth, but certain specific species can also graft weapons onto other creatures away from a hive.

The weapon's design is the first signs of the SwarmSurge moving into a dangerous new domain. SpaceSurge, the first hint of the next state of hive consciousness. Small as always, starting small and getting bigger. This weapon mirrors that, in that's unassuming, not very big and just matching a standard turbolaser for power. It has limited ammunition before it needs to reload, and the projectiles could be detonated before they impacted, given they are just 1 meter in size this is not easy. Area of effect flak might be the best option in that case. It's like targetting the smallest object you can think of over very wide distances for most craft in space, as space is bigger than most people picture.

Originating from the One Sith designs of Vong tech, Raien Keth had planned for many more such devices, however he died before this was realised. His acolytes however, did not.

This weapon, like most from the SwarmSurge or SpaceSurge, carries no infection.
Muse

 

[Akestos]

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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: Melee Talon or Blade for Hive Species.
Image Source: Devil May Cry - Vignette2 (Altered Shaded/Red) | Tyranid Codex | Custom Text
Canon Link: Fighting Claw | Vong Grafting
Primary Source: None

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Manufacturer: The Hive Mind
Affiliation: Faction, SwarmSurge | Closed-Market
Model: Swarm Fighting Claw
Modularity: Yes
Production: Mass-Produced

Material: Vong Fighting Claw Parasites | Internal D13 Structural support

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Classification: Sword or Talon
Size: Average
Weight: Average

SPECIAL FEATURES

Strengths:

• Easy Fit. Can be either wielded, grown or grafted on a hive species.
• Styled after Vong Tech, this weapon is extremely sharp, hardy, and dangerous to most opponents in melee.
• Like Vong Fighting Claws. It cuts through most energy shields.
• These are retractable blades often, very long claw weapons, though there is often some pain given the size of it when first extending the claw. Alternatively, it can be kept out as a sharp extra limb or wielded like a sword.
• Natural Regrowth. If the parasite inside the sword, limb or talon remains alive, it can regrow if fed nutrients. To a sword size, this usually takes five days, but lesser damage takes less time, a surface hit might just take a day. These can be fed directly from a host creature, or fed externally through a small organism, hive structure or plant. In the case of the D13 mineral, if the internal support is entirely removed, that will need a replacement.

Weaknesses:

• Melee, there is absolutely no range beyond sword distance to this weapon. Often times it can't even be thrown as it'll be attached.
• Average resistance to Lightsabers. Less than regular vong fighting claws. They will go through it but it will take several hits. Like chipping away at rock with a mallet.
• Wildgrowth. The weapon is linked to the Hive via secondary infection, which means it's at the mercy of the creature carrying or using it, not the hive mind itself. In the case of a sword, for example, the creature wielding it will almost certainly be the one deciding when it strikes. Depending on their level of consciousness as to how much control they assert.
• Wildgrowth by its nature is a secondary infection and can cause issues of mutation for the Hive in offshoot species, meaning this sword could end up mutating in a way that doesn't benefit the creature, though this is rare as the parasite might well just be removed.
• The creature could be telepathically attacked through its own weapon, not physically any weaker than a limb for this, it is one point of shared telepathic contact, not just simple impulse along a nervous system like a limb might be. It is not a shared point of contact to the Hive Mind itself, as that consciousness is three times removed, Weapon - Creature - Hive Node - Swarm Will or Hive Mind
• It is possible the parasite creature will be killed with enough damage, rendering the weapon blade or talon stuck in a fixed position, still sharp but forever fixed there until it is replaced with another weapon. In this symbiotic state, the parasite shares traits of the host creature, and the creature it is fixed on is a good guide as to what will kill it.

DESCRIPTION

While most Hive Species can grow their own weapons for melee combat, sometimes they will be growing or carrying the Hive Claw. In either case, it's about the size of a sword, and a deep orange or red shade, but can come often come in blacks, yellows, browns, and greys. Some Swarm members with greater intelligence also prefer to wield these weapons like a sword, or have them grafted on other creatures, allowing for adaptation to any challenge the Hive, Swarm or Surge might face in the moment. A known fact to those who remember is that the One Sith were experimenting with Vong technology in their final days, and much of this technology was being used by Raien Keth for his weapons and creations. Continued by his apprentice [member="Darth Centax"] after his untimely death.

The Fighting Claw parasite was one such creature that was taken by the swarm as their own, and while not all species are implanted with it, some are, especially melee soldiers or predators. Whether sword or talon, it will have a sensory connection to its host. While this confers no special abilities, it does give opponent options to telepathically attack a creature through its own weapon. While the D13 structure internally gives it a bit more fixed structure to it, it also provides a weakness in that it cannot regrow organically.

Often part of various Terminus armors such as Terminus Armor or Terminus Barab Armor depending on how the virus mutates, the talon is also grafted on to various hive organisms, especially certain soldiers, predators or firstspawns. The parasite is quite small and doesn't require a lot of food unless it suffers damage to the blade, in which case it will need more food than usual from the host or an external source.