The Sacred Locust Warriors of Sanagaatth

The locust baths of Sanghattha - Crime and Transformation

In farthest Sanghattha, there is a particular form of ‘execution’ favored for state criminals and high profile enemies of the government of the region controlled by that city-state..  

The offender is bathed ritually in milk, wine, and water, and fed and exquisite meal of many courses, gourds and creams, meat and mince pies, purple and green fruits, vegetables and kurriest, and meat and red fruit.  They are fed by seven scarlet sisters, by hand and ladle..  

Thereafter they are oiled, and presented to the Locust Baths, once part of the Sangaathic Stepped Gardens.  There, before city and state officials, selected temple officiants, and a crowd of onlookers both delightful and jaded, the offender is painted, ritually in a thick molasses like layer of Imperial Honey, until all but their eyes and the most fleshy parts of their genitals are covered within,

Then they are lowered into the Pit, and the 33 species of dermophagic Honey Locust set to the offender, whose skin shall be devoured by the hook-footed species, torn off in great strips to get at the honey dripping off.  The offender is then left to die of exposure. Officially.

The reality is rather more exotic.  The locusts, by now having hooked into the victim’s bare muscle and under flesh, form a protective barrier from the elements.  Over the next 48 hours, hundreds of these locusts remain, covering the character’s body, slowly opening and closing their wings as they lay their eggs into the offender’s skin.  Enzymes secreted by the locusts keep these eggs from metabolizing or hatching however.   

Very few survive the injury and ultimate destruction of their eyes and genitalia.  Almost none survive the decorticatation of their skin.   However, in the rarest of cases the offender has sufficient reserves of will and incredible control over their own mind and body, and manages to harness these in the name of survival.  It is these few we speak of for the remainder.   

These few rare unfortunates may then realize that the silver metalic thread used to lower them into the pit may also be used to bind the locusts, especially by their hook feet, already buried deep.  If they can work quickly and constantly, with hands covered in honey, bugs, and their own blood, they might be able just maybe to sew the locusts fast into their flesh...which both prevents their escape and prevents the hatching of their offspring.   It most certainly must be done by touch and with skinless hands, covered in three inch insects and your own blood.

It is said the nature of the metallic thread helps, but who would know who was not there?

The tradition itself is so extreme to have crept into local folklore, it is just common enough that most executed in this fashion have at least attempted it over the last 200 years. They are seldom successful.  Those who have managed this (and there have been fewer than 8 in all of Sanghattan’s 2,000 year history, and survived beyond the 48 hour mark are considered criminals no longer.   Having purged themselves of all wrong doings, they are now, legally, completely new people.  Those of wealth and means may then use their own magical, alchemical and scientific resources to maintain their life.   

It is said that Cualryx the Locust Lich was the first one to sew the locusts directly into their flesh.   Of course it is also said that it stalks the living seeking vengeance on the city state. Others claim he is the power behind it.

The blind eunuchs that remain become locust warriors

Those who make it this far are given a ritual scimitar preserved for this purpose and five minutes privacy.   Should they live at the end of that time they will be taken to the healing baths. There, treated alchemically and hormonally for a single passing of the outer moon, the locust warrior forms a biological and magical bond with the carpet of once-locusts now bound to their flesh;  the locusts harden and become an armored skin, while retaining the warriors initial flexibility..and expanding it.   

Also, the alchemically treated hormone baths and bizarre diet sees a considerable gain in weight, the body’s flexibility.

They are trained to see with the eyes of the locust bodies covering them by ancient monastics who have ways going back to the last Padishah Empire of Dyzan.  

Now treated for increasing immunity to poisons, gases, and sight based effects, the genderless locust warriors act as champions and protectors of the great City state of Sanagaatth and it's territories.

Hit Points

Locust Warriors gain d10 hp per level

Weapon training

Blackjack, Blowgun, Dagger, Garotte, Hunga Munga, Katar (Dagger),  Mace, Morningstar, Pole Arm (d10), Short sword, Spear,  

Armor training

Locust Warriors wear no armor.  Many wear nothing but a wrap for their ruined sex and their blind eyes, though at higher levels it is common for both to be surgically embedded with gemstones as a sign of success and accepting a transcendence of their former life.  Many sagas of the equatorial lands are writ and songs sung of a variety of such warriors, most of which are wholly fictional.

Alignment

There are no restrictions upon the Locust Warriors though their alignment prior to transformation will have a minor effect. Over time there is some tendency towards emerging lawful behavior however.

‘Natural’ attacks & defences

Once their transformation is complete, a first level Locust Warrior has a starting AC of 14.  This will increase, slowly, as the character advances.

Also, an unarmed character may make dual attacks using an action die of d16 for each.

• A closed fist strike with their ‘stone locust fist’ strikes at + (level) doing 1d6 + str + level
• An open fist strike with locust wings is a razor locust strike and strikes at level+agil doing 1d4 damage plus 1d4 bleeding damage for the next two rounds.   

Further, at first level and thereafter the Locust Warrior can

• Can hold their breath for Sta / min up to level/day
• is immune to sight or gaze based attacks
• save v. poisons and gasses

Luck

A locust warrior who began as a member of another class finds that their very karma changes on completion of the rite;  The Locust Warrior’s luck score at ritual becomes their “initial luck score” for all intents and purposes.  This luck score may be applied to the locust warrior’s AC or a specifically chosen weapon (which may be a weapon they used in a previous life).  This must be chosen at first level and may not be changed thereafter.

Side effects & Restrictions

1. They do not consume food nor require it; instead they are fed a sacred Amber Luna Tea once a day that is said to provide them all of the nourishment they require. The locusts are known to ambush and eat gnats, small bugs, and other things that wind up on the warrior's body.   They may freely drink liquids though alcohol has limited effect on their metabolism.

2. A locust warrior is not permitted to use magical potions; this is as much a social taboo as it is self-preservation. It is thought that extended potion use could undo much or most of the transformation under the wrong circumstances. So none use them.

3. Those who were leveled characters prior to this transformation are functionally first level.  Over time and the gain of levels some of their specific (important) memories and skills will return to them but otherwise the transformation is permanent.  

Exception - if the character was bound to a patron or a god in their prior life, it is likely that in some manner the connection will persist.  A wizard who was patron bonded before their “execution” may find that they are still bound to their patron but perhaps not as a wizard would be. (Specifics of this call are left to the Judge.  If the patron or divine figure would be okay with the transformation, let it stand)

Abilities and notes by level

Level one - Stone Locust Warrior

Blindsense 30’ AC 14 +2 Str, +1 Agil, - 1 Pers

A closed fist strike with their ‘stone locust fist’ strikes at + (level) doing 1d6 + str + level

An open fist strike with locust wings is a razor locust strike and strikes at level+agil doing 1d4 damage plus 1d4 bleeding damage for the next two rounds.   

Can hold breath for Sta / min up to leve/day

2nd - Blooded Locust Warrior

Blindsense 50’ always adds agil bonus to ac permanently

May meditate (15 min/level minimum that will restore 1d3 pers. Damage and 1d6 + level hp once a day

The character’s sense of smell becomes unusually sharp, altered to detect pheromones from all living things  +4 to related perception bonuses.

At this level the locust warrior may understand the language of most insects. Between these two facts, a locust warrior is only surprised one in six.

3rd - Dedicated Locust Warrior

Blindsense 60’ agil penalty no longer applies to AC

At this level the locust warrior may form a complex set of pedipalps, and grow a layer of throat-locusts that will act to form speech; this will allow the character to speak with most insects.  In time the character should be able to relearn whatever languages the previously possessed.

Further with training the character may learn additional languages from the following list, once per level

A third level locust warrior may also intercept/deflect (DC _) or catch (DC ) incoming missiles, up to a number equal to their Agil bonus in a round.  

4th - Speaking Locust Warrior

At this level the warrior develops dedicated antennae that allow for greater blindsense (120) and +4 perception within that area. Further they may now with practice speak many mechanical languages of the Galactic Imperium and other aliens, as well as both send and receive radio signals.

Also at this level, the Locust Warrior gains the first of several unique unarmed attack forms.

Tunneling locust strike

The Locust warrior can now vibrate their hands and the locusts upon them with sufficient force and speed to allow lsaw like chewing through softer materials - wooden and thatch walls, a man’s chest, that dog, etc.

Strikes at one/half level and inflicts 3d6 plus agili mod with a successful strike an an target with an AC of 14 or less.

Such a character can also tunnel through five feet of mud, brick, or wood, or other light construction material a round with a DC 16 Fort save.

Also at this level the Locust Warrior gains a second action die; the first action die (d20) may still be divided into a pair of unarmed strikes while allowing the d14 as a weapon strike at the Referee’s discretion.

5th - Harvester of Rare Butterflies AC becomes 18 if it is not already

At fifth level the Locust Warrior gains an additional +5' to their movement speed and another unique unarmed strike.

seven locust chakra ram

-Fort Save DC = the locust warrior’s str + level; failure stuns the opponent for 2d4 rounds.

From Sixth level on, each level title is used internally, but externally they only use their unique title, as with any other exceptionally high level character. .

6th level - Locust Master of Shed Skins, (unique title)

At sixth level the Locust Master may divine both of their d20 action dice into a pair of open and closed fist strikes, all using a d16 action die to strike.

7th level - Locust Master of Many Strides

At 7th level the Locust Master adds 15’ to their movement score. This is permanent.

8th level - Locust Master of Legs

The final third of the total transformation transforms the layer of locust-skin into a hardened form of interactive chitin,  a million swirls and whorls in their now shell-like skin where the locusts finally danced before their subduction into this new form.

AT this point, provided it is made specifically for the character, they may wear any armor  that they are trained in without suffering any additional penalties beyond those of a normal armor wearing individual.  Note that heavy and medium armored Locust Masters cannot use their hand to hand attacks very effectively and do so one step below their normal action die or dice.

9th level - Locust Master of Wings

At this level the metamorphosis begun at first level is complete;  a set of wings one and half times long as the character is tall deploy by molting within d3 days of achieving level.  Save for the very lightest of individuals (weighing less than 100 pounds) this will allow hovering (15 - 20’ in most circumstances)  for STA in rounds at a time or very limited flight (5’ movement speed, impossible in high winds, for (STA adjustment plus level) rounds

10th level- Locust Guru of Rainbows AC becomes 20 if it is not already.

The wingspan of the Locust Master doubles in size and becomes a brilliant multi colored panoply.   +1 PERS (permanently) as people gather round to touch your soft foofy wing tips whenever you enter civilization.  Also at this point, the Judge may deem you worthy to use one power or ability from your previous life once a day, at the level that the character was last leveled prior to their transformation.

Level	HD	Crit die/table	Action die	Fort	Ref	Will
1	2d6	d12/II	1d20	+1	+1	+0
2	4d6	d14/II	1d20	+1	+1	+1
3	6d6	d16/III	1d20	+1	+2	+1
4	8d6	d20/III	d20+d14	+2	+2	+1
5	10d6	d20/IV	d20+d16	+2	+3	+2
6	11d6	d24/IV	d20+d20	+2	+3	+2
7	13d6	d24/V	d20+d20	+3	+4	+2
8	15d6	d30/V	d20+d20	+3	+4	+3
9	17d6	d30/V	d20+d20+d14	+3	+5	+3
10	20d6	2d20/V	d20+d20+d16	+4	+5	+3

A note on level titles;  those who were greatly lawful in their prior existence will find their locust skin will tend to turn a rich hue of  greenish jade and so at first level would be titled a Green or Jade Stone Locust Warrior

In like fashion, one who was exceptionally devoted to chaos might find themselves becoming a deep rich purple hue (plum), and those ambivalent on the matter a rude yellow, the shells the colour of dried snot.   

While the level titles are consistent they are spread across each alignment with their own colour scheme in accordance with the ancient colour associations of the Sanagaatti culture.  Socially, this alters (tho barely) the level title. A lawful first level locust warrior would be titled Jade Locust Warrior; at second a Jade Blooded Locust Warrior and so on.

Likewise, a former disciple of chaos would find at first to be a Plum Locust Warrior, at second, a Plum Blooded Locust Warrior, etc.   Neutrally aligned locust warriors tend toward an Ochre colour, depending on how ‘decisively neutral’ they were in their life before. A tenth level locust warrior would be addressed as a Jade Locust Guru of Rainbows, a chaotic one Plum Locust Guru of Rainbows, and so on.

RP notes:

On reaching First level, the character’s Sanagaatthi keepers will test the character three times, once to test each the mind, the (new) body, and a (Minor) test of will.  Thereafter unless the character departs, they will be feted as the new champion of that city state.  Save in times of war the character will be expected to act as state champion / knight errant / or special police officer, depending on who is running the city-state at that time.   

By the time such a character reaches third or fourth level (sometimes as early as 2nd) if any other Locust Warriors remain in existence, they will be called to seek the new aspirant out and test them.   By ancient law and custom, they retain the right to destroy the warrior if they do not meet the standards of the older warrior’s mettle.

Weapons mentioned

The Blackjack, Blowgun, Dagger, Garotte,  Mace, Morningstar, Pole Arm (d10), and Spear are all located in the DCC RPG rulebook.  

Weapon name Damage Price in Sangaattha

Hunga Munga	1d5 (crits 19-20)	8 gp
Katar	1d6 (adds str mod)	2 gp
Star blades	1d8 + 1d4 (crits 20)	10 gp
Crescent Blade	1d8 (crits 19-20)	16 gp
Butterfly Sword	1d8 (special)	20 gp ea

Hunga Munga are, in this case, triple bladed axes

Katar are punch daggers, locally constructed in a manner to augment the strength behind the blow.

Crescent Blades are essentially reinforced razor blades mounted into a bone or chitin set of knuckledusters.    Older versions (called Star Blades) had morningstar like protrusions doing an additional d4 but with a normal (i.e 20) crit threshold

Butterfly swords are thick somewhat sharp shortish blades designed primarily for thrusting. On a successful crit the weapon inflicts an additional 2d4 plus the critical result given the slight curve of the blade haft and the micro-sluices at the end to facilitate bloodletting.

Armies of Order - the Clockwork Syndicate

Known only amongst the rabble of the higher worlds, The Clockwork Syndicate is a transmissible conformeme from the Realm of Order that transforms lesser creatures of order into members of the syndicate - a multi planar, multi world organization dedicated to removing possibility and replacing it with predetermination.  They largely accomplish these tasks by subversion of the dominant life form of an area through subtle alteration of fate, probability, and deep dream mind control and manipulation.  

In worlds without an abundance of or presence of magic, such creatures move unchecked in great numbers, able to shape and mold society without recourse to being discovered.   

Picture of one of Niven's Pak.  It gets the proprtions about perfect.  Just add a touch of this guy. 

Creature - Violation enforcer (clockwork syndicate)

Violation Enforcer : Init +0; Atk +4 Possibility drain melee touch attack (1d6 special); AC 14; HD 4d8; hp 25; MV 25; Act 1d20; SP Drain Tomorrows; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +4; AL L.

Drain Tomorrows - the primary form of damage that the creature inflicts is not expressed in hit points. Literally it is an attack on all of the character’s inherent possibilities as they exist at that precise moment in time. (“Stealing tomorrows.”)  to the ultimate effect of dooming the target to one, singular future, and eventually that future will be ignoble death.  

On a successful attack  damage is taken from  an attribute called “Possible Tomorrows” which begins identical to the target’s luck score.  Having this score reduced to zero without injury may well render the target a 0 level character until such a time as the ‘stat’ can be regenerated.   

Perhaps most cruelly, this attack on a zero level character functionally dooms them to never gaining experience points no matter their acts.     

Appearing in a parody form of the target’s species as it appears at old age (a human would be attacked by the Enforcer in the guise of a wizened old caricature with knobby knees, bad posture, and bad or missing teeth and hair etc.  frex) often clad in a black or grey coat/cloak/cape that seems to act as its badge of office and only real identifier as to what it is.  Otherwise the being is apparently sexless, genderless, and otherwise incapable of imitating human life.

Creature - Drone Spider (Oneiric Sentinel)

(clockwork syndicate)

Dream Police (1-4): Init +2; Atk weapon +5 doom bite melee (2d6); AC 15; HD 5d8; hp 30, 25, 23, 15; MV 20; Act 1d20; SP Doom bite, ; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +4; AL L.

Doom bite  - The bite attack itself does 2d6, is savage, and almost certainly will leave a scar where the mandibles attempted to rip away chunks of flesh.  Each of the four palps however is studded with microinjectors;  the Doom bite’s extra kick comes from this, the Ichor of Oneiric Control (see below) which they have a number of distinct uses for.  Do note that without a store of the ichor, the drones are unable to use the secondary abilities at all.  

He’s getting better can’t you tell - the ichor can also be used to punish ‘rogue thought’ in which case it stays within the victim’s system until three successive saving throws v. poison (DC 14) have been completed. Until that time they are -4 to spellcraft, attack, and thief ability rolls.   The character will be listless, lethargic, and confused much of the time.  

We told you what to dream -  dream police can use this power to plant deep hypnotic suggestions to later influence behavior or create spies.  

In desperation, they can overwrite their victims completely (DC 16 Will save, once a round to resist as it is ongoing), substantially but crudely altering their personality.  Most often used to selectively alter a target’s cosmological affiliation (congratulations you’re lawful now).   Can also be used to induce or remove (not cure) madness.  

Plant seed of coded suggestion - the drone can create and implant a time delayed perception alteration (read: hallucination) or effect.   Example - the best swordsman in the party can be implanted with the hallucination of a gunfighter directly lifted from a John Ford movie.  The warrior will be startled (tis only there but a moment), sufficient to incur a -3 penalty but only until the end of the following round.   Can also be used to aid but this selom occurs.

Appearing less like a spider and more like someone built a robot from an artist’s impression of a spider.  The drone is a vaguely arachnoid  brass and steel construct of pneumatic hoses and fluid filled tendrils;  Multi injectors line the pedipalps like teeth, waiting to program your sleeping mind and prevent Unacceptable Thought.

Drone spiders preferentially will wait to attack when the victim is sleeping if at all possible but they can do the attack even 12 hours ahead of time - it will still affect them later…..esp their bite. Quite literally they can induce one of these effects on a time delay.  

(Judge’s are advised not to abuse this for obvious reasons.  Don’t be that person. )

Yup about like that. 

Creature - Classification Drone XZ-C7/41180 aka  

dataindexfilenumberplease (clockwork syndicate)

Class Drone XZ-C7/41180: Init -1; Atk weapon +8 laser drill attack (8d4, range 600’); AC 16; HD 8d8; hp 42; MV 15; Act 2d20; SP Deresolution attack; SV Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +6; AL L.

The J3Zu5-99 gold laser brain drill can be used offensively an actual weapon (“funduscopic examination tool”) once every three rounds (for this is not it’s actual purpose).  Primarily it is used for two other purposes.

Inspection & analysis (‘seven laser scan’)- as a full round action the Drone can produce seven beams of light with which it will spend the round probing, scanning, and in basically all ways recording a given target.  There is very little game effect at this stage save that the Drone can be presumed to detect weaknesses or flaws which it files away for possible use later.   It is also a required precursor to it’s C&S attack (below) but otherwise is not an attack.  It almost certainly WILL flip the PCs out while they try to figure out WTF it is doing

Categorization & Storage (aka the DeRez attack) - Drone XZ can most efficiently study a phenomenon by reducing it to data and playing with that data in a conceptual realm.   This is the only thing XZ can do during a given round regardless of circumstance.   It begins at the top of the round and ends at the top of the following.  The target is permitted a DC 22 REF save to avoid being in the scan grid but failure means they are immobilized as they are loaded into a bizarre supernal realm made of data.  

Quite likely, most such who are “uploaded” are studied in a kind of stasis and later returned. Sometimes altered or “programmed” but many times not.   Those who are captured and returned, are returned 2d20 days later at a place associated with that character, and will appear free of injury or recollection of anything past the failed reflex save.

Once just a cog in a vast information processing think-machine thank, a chance encounter with existential chaos led to this cog becoming a singular entity and gaining massive power.

However even bloated with the power of the eggs of a dead god, all this being cares about is … filing, indexing, and categorization.  Unless new elements exist it will not persist, moving immediately to an area of the local omniverse in the direction of greater unexpressed novelty.

Some rumor suggests that this is a rogue chaos creature that has not so much infected as infested a filing drone and so now is subverting its basic purpose

Among those duties include a supervisory relationship with a cell of the above forms.   When it encounters something strange and new (like a player character) it’s most likely form of ‘attack’ will be to scan, then to storage, then to copy, and then (maybe) to remove the original from storage, often having edited the memory of the experience from their consciousness.

Tactics

Likely on any operation they take part in, XZ-C7/ will coordinate from a secure but reasonably close location

For a variety of reasons however, not clear to human philosophers, there are certain restrictions to these behaviors.

• They will always work actively to keep individuals or groups they have manipulated separate.  To the point of introducing mind traits that bring down the target’s Personality score and thus reducing any chance their victims might have to coordinate their efforts.  The Syndicate prefers to keep their pawns isolated and fearful.

While the Violation Enforcers in theory lead in the field, the drone spiders function as a single unit and do their thing independently until told otherwise.  Their general M.O. is to reduce all mortal meat beings to their most basic, less dynamic (o level or less) forms to maintain the stasis quo.

The drone spiders largely act as one, and on their own until/unless directed otherwise by either of the others.

XZ-C7 will always spend a round analyzing a target before taking action; there will be whirring, lights, and sound but there is no game effect, it is not an attack.  (See Inspection & Analysis above)   Further XZ-C7 will very seldom use it’s laser for direct attack unless it most directly serves its goals.  Remember, the drones are expendable.

Scenario use

A close acquaintance of one or more PCs (friend, lover, extended family member, etc.)  is, for some indecipherable reason of pure logic and order, being slowly transformed.  They have not been themselves of late and now they are clearly acting with what you think is someone else’s control.  Investigation will likely lead to some push back by the drone spiders ‘working’ their friend/ally.

The PCs are approached by a grinning elvish madman claiming to represent “an autonomous collective” called the Gatecrashers Guild;  an organization of thieves and sorcerers that opposes the syndicate. They seek the groups aid in ambushing a large (12 or more) group of Syndicate members believed to be gravid with Ichor.  Is he lying?  Perhaps they are merely seeking additional meatbags so that his people aren’t in any danger?  Possibly this is a trap?   Maybe he’s been reprogrammed by the Drone spiders to draw the characters out….

A magus known to the PCs is on an ethereal galavant, harvesting tiny doses of the Ichor or Oneiric Control from those dying in their sleep.   The Syndicate does not appreciate competition from chaos tainted meat bags with delusions of significance so they are now ….….Coming after the PCs.  Rather than act directly, the Syndicate will slowly begin messing with the party in their sleep, creating  dreams and urges to visit that section of the etherea / visit the magus in question.  This will continue across many nights until one or more PCs express intention to do so.

As multiplanar pandimensional beings they can pretty much appear anywhere they have work to do (as defined by them..or the Judge).   Many of their more elaborate schemes involve manipulating groups of humans and other ‘lesser creatures’ into doing their bidding, often criminal organizations that have access to their targets for greater flexibility.  Concerns of morality are not theirs to contemplate.

Magic item: the Ichor of Oneiric Control - the ichor can be harvested from the dying under the right circumstances. In microdoses the ichor will both last for a good long time as well as provide actual aid, especially to spell casters.  A single small dab of the substance is sufficient to grant a +1 circumstance bonus on any checks involving concentration (useful for Thieves, Magic Users, Elves, and Clerics) In any actual quantity however, it allows one experienced in it’s use an unprecedented ability to change, control, and direct the thoughts of the dreamer.  Behavioral alterations, idea binding and excision, memory alteration and ‘enhancement’ and the creation of spies and sleeper agents - all of these are common uses for the Ichor in the right (wrong) hands/pods/manipulators. Illusionists of the Oneiric school frequently fight for and over the ichor, sometimes gathering into bands of arch-illusionists to raid Syndicate holdings for the Ichor.

Parting Blather

There is a lot of potential for abuse in these encounters; the point (such as it is) is to provide a novel kind of combat, not to flay the players egos and frustration.

But if you need a gentle mindfrag for a session, here you go.

They are also GREAT as red herrings.

This fan work is an unofficial aid for the DCC RPG; the words and ideas are mine, the art and pictures are not. I am always happy to get feedback or especially to hear how you used it. Enjoy!