The Bugs

[SolCannibal]

Interesting ideas. If there is a way for them to learn/develop spell casting it would be way easier to just open dimensional portals.

Well, they are able to make one kind of TW-weapon at least - that could work as an excuse/springboard for this kind of thing and more, i guess.

I still maintain that the Xiticix don't "know" how to make any kind of "TW". The instinctively make a weapon that humans understand as TW. Now this doesn't mean that they won't develop anything new but it does, IMHO, make it less likely.

True, going by Xiticix Invasion the race is essentially animalistic and the TW-guns something they manage to craft out of some psionic response instinct, for reasons.

Must admit that while there were some curious concepts in the book's portrayal of them, i've never been satisfied with how in the end their "alienness" only served to make them mostly bestial "and they attack, attack, attack, unto death and no chance of communication" bug grunt armies with no little to nuance.

[Library Ogre]

Maybe some sort of brain bug, who could learn magic.

I did this using a Gene Splicer. In my game the Rolla-Morden hive was taken over by a Gene Splicer that set up under the hive and controlled it by controlling the queen. He did this for more than 10 years using the Xits to help him gather specimens in addition to experimenting on them. I admit when I did this I was watching way to much Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles (I even had a Sea King named The Valley Forge that the players were going to operate from) so I had plasma bugs as giant artillery and everything. I used the psi powers from the mutant animals in South America 1 & 2 as baselines and create Xits with massive powers.

What the players were going to find out was that the GS accidentally created a young queen with near human intelligence who learned magic over a period of years. She then forced the GS to create a group of infertile females who could learn magic and tech, brain bugs.

Never got a chance to run the whole thing but the players who did the first part enjoyed it. If I ever have a chance to run a long term campaign again I might use it.

This makes me think of the Bugs from Systems Failure interacting with the Xits, and coming to a combination.

[Shark_Force]

I still maintain that the Xiticix don't "know" how to make any kind of "TW". The instinctively make a weapon that humans understand as TW. Now this doesn't mean that they won't develop anything new but it does, IMHO, make it less likely.

One thing I just thought of as I was looking up stats on their weapons is "how do they fight vampires, werewolves, and other magical beings with special damage rules?"

I don't believe the TK guns would hurt them and none of the melee weapons are magical so how can they hurt them. I did a quick review of the bugs skills and none of them even have a lore skill.

well the TK guns are either magical or psionic in nature, take your pick.

that said, don't they have supernatural PS?

[Mack]

One thing I just thought of as I was looking up stats on their weapons is "how do they fight vampires, werewolves, and other magical beings with special damage rules?"

I figure that's where the Resin gun comes in. Cover them in goop and bury them.

[Warshield73]

Interesting ideas. If there is a way for them to learn/develop spell casting it would be way easier to just open dimensional portals.

Well, they are able to make one kind of TW-weapon at least - that could work as an excuse/springboard for this kind of thing and more, i guess.

I still maintain that the Xiticix don't "know" how to make any kind of "TW". The instinctively make a weapon that humans understand as TW. Now this doesn't mean that they won't develop anything new but it does, IMHO, make it less likely.

True, going by Xiticix Invasion the race is essentially animalistic and the TW-guns something they manage to craft out of some psionic response instinct, for reasons.

Must admit that while there were some curious concepts in the book's portrayal of them, i've never been satisfied with how in the end their "alienness" only served to make them mostly bestial "and they attack, attack, attack, unto death and no chance of communication" bug grunt armies with no little to nuance.

I guess I can understand this view a little but I love the details added to the Xiticix in WB 23 and I think a lot of how the Xits were portrayed in it was as a result of what was in the Edict of Planetary Distress in SB2 MI.

The Xits are not strictly bestial, they will retreat, they will track an enemy from a distance until they can ambush our outnumber the enemy. They only fight to the death under very specific circumstances and they use some reasonably good tactics. Also, other groups with some high level of intelligence, like the Mechanoids, use swarm tactics too and they are not bestial.

I love the fact that they have no language humans can discern and no way to communicate. I think of them as less bestial and more as force of nature.

[Shark_Force]

True, going by Xiticix Invasion the race is essentially animalistic and the TW-guns something they manage to craft out of some psionic response instinct, for reasons.

Must admit that while there were some curious concepts in the book's portrayal of them, i've never been satisfied with how in the end their "alienness" only served to make them mostly bestial "and they attack, attack, attack, unto death and no chance of communication" bug grunt armies with no little to nuance.

I guess I can understand this view a little but I love the details added to the Xiticix in WB 23 and I think a lot of how the Xits were portrayed in it was as a result of what was in the Edict of Planetary Distress in SB2 MI.

The Xits are not strictly bestial, they will retreat, they will track an enemy from a distance until they can ambush our outnumber the enemy. They only fight to the death under very specific circumstances and they use some reasonably good tactics. Also, other groups with some high level of intelligence, like the Mechanoids, use swarm tactics too and they are not bestial.

I love the fact that they have no language humans can discern and no way to communicate. I think of them as less bestial and more as force of nature.[/quote]

they're a hive. think of them as a giant creature with each insect being a cell. you don't worry if you lose a few cells fighting off a disease. neither does the xiticix hive. if you get a scratch or minor cut, you don't *think* about how your body is going to repair those, and you don't mourn the loss of the skin cells that were damaged or the blood cells that are lost before the wound can be sealed. if you get an infection, you don't think twice about using an antibiotic that might kill some of your own cells, the issue at hand is the preservation of the overall creature, not the individual cells.

basically, the xiticix are a hive of bugs. they're a bit smarter, but simply put: you and i are not "people" to them. they don't declare war on us any more than you declare war on the individual cells of your food. cells aren't people. and to the xiticix, an individual person is just a cell.

that doesn't mean they don't communicate; it means that they don't communicate with individual humans, and they only communicate with each other in the same kinds of ways that the various parts of your body do; your lungs don't ever ask your throat how its day was (so far as we can tell), and neither do individual xiticix. they'll pass along chemical signals that let each other know which basic response to give, but they aren't going to be forming entire sentences any more than you'd expect to have a conversation with your bicep... your various body parts can certainly communicate, but it isn't anything like the communication between two people.

so yeah... good luck trying to have a conversation with a xiticix warrior. so far as it is concerned, it isn't people, and neither are you.

[Warshield73]

I still maintain that the Xiticix don't "know" how to make any kind of "TW". The instinctively make a weapon that humans understand as TW. Now this doesn't mean that they won't develop anything new but it does, IMHO, make it less likely.

One thing I just thought of as I was looking up stats on their weapons is "how do they fight vampires, werewolves, and other magical beings with special damage rules?"

I don't believe the TK guns would hurt them and none of the melee weapons are magical so how can they hurt them. I did a quick review of the bugs skills and none of them even have a lore skill.

well the TK guns are either magical or psionic in nature, take your pick.

that said, don't they have supernatural PS?

As far as I know regular TW TK guns do not damage vamps, if I'm wrong about that I want to know.

Also I don't think just having supernatural PS damages vamps but again I could be wrong.

One thing I just thought of as I was looking up stats on their weapons is "how do they fight vampires, werewolves, and other magical beings with special damage rules?"

I figure that's where the Resin gun comes in. Cover them in goop and bury them.

It would take a lot trap even one vamp before he turns to mist to escape. Even then a vamp could eventually break out with its SNPS. But, even if you think this will work for a few vamps it won't work in large numbers.

[Warshield73]

True, going by Xiticix Invasion the race is essentially animalistic and the TW-guns something they manage to craft out of some psionic response instinct, for reasons.

Must admit that while there were some curious concepts in the book's portrayal of them, i've never been satisfied with how in the end their "alienness" only served to make them mostly bestial "and they attack, attack, attack, unto death and no chance of communication" bug grunt armies with no little to nuance.

I guess I can understand this view a little but I love the details added to the Xiticix in WB 23 and I think a lot of how the Xits were portrayed in it was as a result of what was in the Edict of Planetary Distress in SB2 MI.

The Xits are not strictly bestial, they will retreat, they will track an enemy from a distance until they can ambush our outnumber the enemy. They only fight to the death under very specific circumstances and they use some reasonably good tactics. Also, other groups with some high level of intelligence, like the Mechanoids, use swarm tactics too and they are not bestial.

I love the fact that they have no language humans can discern and no way to communicate. I think of them as less bestial and more as force of nature.

they're a hive. think of them as a giant creature with each insect being a cell. you don't worry if you lose a few cells fighting off a disease. neither does the xiticix hive. if you get a scratch or minor cut, you don't *think* about how your body is going to repair those, and you don't mourn the loss of the skin cells that were damaged or the blood cells that are lost before the wound can be sealed. if you get an infection, you don't think twice about using an antibiotic that might kill some of your own cells, the issue at hand is the preservation of the overall creature, not the individual cells.

basically, the xiticix are a hive of bugs. they're a bit smarter, but simply put: you and i are not "people" to them. they don't declare war on us any more than you declare war on the individual cells of your food. cells aren't people. and to the xiticix, an individual person is just a cell.

that doesn't mean they don't communicate; it means that they don't communicate with individual humans, and they only communicate with each other in the same kinds of ways that the various parts of your body do; your lungs don't ever ask your throat how its day was (so far as we can tell), and neither do individual xiticix. they'll pass along chemical signals that let each other know which basic response to give, but they aren't going to be forming entire sentences any more than you'd expect to have a conversation with your bicep... your various body parts can certainly communicate, but it isn't anything like the communication between two people.

so yeah... good luck trying to have a conversation with a xiticix warrior. so far as it is concerned, it isn't people, and neither are you.

I love the fact that the Xiticix as a race are ones you can't bargain with, can't reason with, can't blackmail, can't even question or interrogate. When my players have used telepathy or other powers to try and scan them when they are near or with groups I have said they have been overwhelmed by the shear volume of thoughts and feelings coming from them. When they have scanned Xits alone they can't find anything they recognize as words and because of there very different eyesight the pictures in their heads are unrecognizable.

I have gone as far as to say they are partially immune to spells like domination because they can't understand the commands. Domination cast on a Xit simply leaves it catatonic for the duration of the spell.

[Axelmania]

One thing I just thought of as I was looking up stats on their weapons is "how do they fight vampires, werewolves, and other magical beings with special damage rules?"

I figure that's where the Resin gun comes in. Cover them in goop and bury them.

I also have to wonder if the Queens / Young Queens might be intelligent enough to experiment on tied-up things like werewolves/vampires until they figure out that silver/wood hurts them, and then spread this knowledge to their more intelligent Super-Warriors / Leaper Assassins.

The goop approach would cause a natural problem with vamps due to their ability to turn to mist though... and silver wouldn't be as plentiful as wood for experimentation on werebeasts.

Queens from the outset have been telepaths, and despite the language barrier I think if they took the occasional human prisoner, eventually they might encounter one who had experience hurting vampires with stuff like water pistols and might be able to figure out their own means of collecting water to dump on vamps.

They also might be able to use telepathy on vampires directly to find out their weaknesses, if it ever comes up in their surface thoughts. I think the question is whether or not vampires are constantly thinking about their weaknesses, or whether it would require a deep memory probe (which basic lesser-sensitive telepathy cannot do) to find that out.

I wonder if new vampires are even actually aware of their weaknesses. Do they need to be taught that by other vampires if they weren't already aware as humans? I like the idea of wilds and new secondaries bungling into their weaknesses through pure ignorance.

That ignorance is actually an effective tool against the Xiticix since if they're not thinking of special countermeasures, the 60ft telepathic scan that Queens could spam until the save vs psi is failed, couldn't turn anything up.

That said, it probably doesn't take long for a vampire to learn that daylight and running water hurt, unless they've managed to conveniently avoid those threats by following their instinct to burrow.... but a night-time rainfall would teach them of the latter!

Super-Warriors have Electrokinesis and Queens have Psi-Sword which also might be of some help in harrying vampires.

Invasion giving the basic worker SNPS (pg 75) could pose a problem for vamps if one takes the interpretation that any source of SNPS gives you the ability to hurt vamps... I can't remember where that interpreation comes from though.

Page 76 of VK revised mentions "Creatures of magic that also possess Supernatural Strength" under "Magic Weapons".

"It is the same for true super­ natural beings. e.g. fellow demons, Deevils, Splugorth, Demi­gods, Godlings, angles, deities, and so on." also follows...

but what is not covered is for things which are neither a COM/SB but which have supernatural strength.

"Supernatural P.S. is on an entirely different. metaphysical level , which is why it works and other M.D. attacks by mortals and their creations of science do not." obviously ignores the Titan Juicer, which is a mortal creation of science with SNPS.

[Shark_Force]

I still maintain that the Xiticix don't "know" how to make any kind of "TW". The instinctively make a weapon that humans understand as TW. Now this doesn't mean that they won't develop anything new but it does, IMHO, make it less likely.

One thing I just thought of as I was looking up stats on their weapons is "how do they fight vampires, werewolves, and other magical beings with special damage rules?"

I don't believe the TK guns would hurt them and none of the melee weapons are magical so how can they hurt them. I did a quick review of the bugs skills and none of them even have a lore skill.

well the TK guns are either magical or psionic in nature, take your pick.

that said, don't they have supernatural PS?

As far as I know regular TW TK guns do not damage vamps, if I'm wrong about that I want to know.

Also I don't think just having supernatural PS damages vamps but again I could be wrong.

One thing I just thought of as I was looking up stats on their weapons is "how do they fight vampires, werewolves, and other magical beings with special damage rules?"

I figure that's where the Resin gun comes in. Cover them in goop and bury them.

It would take a lot trap even one vamp before he turns to mist to escape. Even then a vamp could eventually break out with its SNPS. But, even if you think this will work for a few vamps it won't work in large numbers.

i don't own vampire kingdoms (a friend did, we've moved away, and i don't have an active rifts group so replacing rifts books is at a somewhat lower priority for my limited funds), but i do have my nightbane books. according to that, magic spells and "charmed weapons" can damage vampires. now, i'm fairly certain it's a little different from the rifts version, because i don't recall spells doing half damage in rifts but they do in nightbane, but i'd have to consider a TW weapon to be enchanted in some form or other.

additionally, it lists "supernatural creatures" as being able to harm vampires. so i'll agree it is at best unclear whether that means the bugs can damage vampires, and probably means they can't (supernatural PS has been given to too many obviously not-supernatural things for me to consider it evidence that something is a supernatural being).

having said that, though, i've given a bit further thought...do the bugs really even need protection from vampires? they have nothing that vampires want. they aren't a food source. they aren't good slaves (can't communicate with them, so good luck with those hypnotic powers). there is generally no reliable food source in xiticix-controlled areas (you might, if you're very lucky, occasionally find a small group of wandering humans, but i doubt you'd be that lucky to find them even once per week let alone once per day, which is how often vampires should feed). and you can bet the xiticix aren't going to just let you use their territory long term, and sooner or later they'll dig you up and expose you to the sun, and then you die. so, ultimately, their protection against vampires is primarily a lack of interest. there is nothing for a vampire to gain by attacking the bugs.

(with that said, i think it's perfectly fine for the xiticix to not have any built-in defenses against something they have likely never encountered... the vampires can't create master vampires, therefore no secondary or wild vampires, therefore there really shouldn't be vampires on the xiticix home world. i do also think that the hive, as a whole, can probably eventually adapt though. it might take a loss of many warriors, but eventually there's a good chance the hive will eventually discover at least one vampire weakness, and then try to exploit it).

[Axelmania]

i do have my nightbane books. according to that, magic spells and "charmed weapons" can damage vampires.
now, i'm fairly certain it's a little different from the rifts version, because i don't recall spells doing half damage in rifts but they do in nightbane, but i'd have to consider a TW weapon to be enchanted in some form or other.

You're reading "Limited Invulnerability and Super Regeneration" on pg 185+187 of Nightbane which says:

Magic spells and charmed weapons will also inflict damage, but spell magic does only half damage.
Note: the attacks of supernatural beings like Nightbane and Guardians will do direct and full damage to the vampire's hit points.


I'm always confused whenever I read "direct" to a vampire's hit points since they're never assigned a baseline SDC. Does it say anywhere vamps cannot acquire SDC from physical skills? Perhaps there are other ways in which vampires might acquire SDC and anything not explicitly "direct" to HP will deplete the SDC first?

Anyway the match to this in the original Vampire Kingdoms was page 24, where "Limited Invulnerability" and "Super Regeneration" were separate sections. Neither mention magic though. That's found on page 33 "Vampires versus Magic" which mentions:

Mega damage magic energy .. inflicts half damage direct to hit points
SDC spell magic does not hurt the undead

The key difference here would be that something like "Wall of Fire" would be useful against vamps in SDC worlds, but in Rifts it's less useful, perhaps good if they're wearing SDC armor to protect against stakes.

Magic weapons inflict hit point damage rather than mega-damage when used against vampires

So it seems roughly consistent: full from "charmed"/"magic" weapons, half from spells/energy magic.

I think the question is whether all TW decides whatsoever count as magic weapons for the purposes of hurting vampires, or if only particular ones do.

[Shark_Force]

I think the question is whether all TW decides whatsoever count as magic weapons for the purposes of hurting vampires, or if only particular ones do.

well, obviously not all TW devices are weapons, so those ones don't count as magic weapons.

that said, the ones that are weapons are definitely magic, and definitely weapons. in the absence of some other clarifying information that explicitly spells out what is and is not a "magic weapon" that directly excludes TW devices, or specific TW devices, it should work.

[Axelmania]

Are the WEAPONS magic, or is their POWER SOURCE magic?

I see being a magic weapon as more opt-in than opt-out.

RUE126-7 for example "Whenever the device is not in use, it does not radiate magic, because it is not currently empowered by magic"

Might we agree that when, say, a TW lightning blade is turned off, it can't hurt vampires, because it isn't empowered by magic?

Another thing is what the spell is. If I create a "steel sword of magic net" then even if slashing with it fires magic nets, I don't know that the sword itself (despite being a weapon) would qualify as magic.

[dreicunan]

Any source of SN P.S. will allow hand to hand attacks made with a part of their body to cause damage to a vampire. That is the only interpretation of p. 80 of WB:1 Revised that accords with how it is written, specifically the "just like anyone else with Supernatural P.S." So Titan Juicers damage Vampires with punches as per their Supernatural P.S.

Vamps are immune to electrokinesis kand pryrokinesis (see WB1r p. 77), Psi-sword inflicts full damage.

P. 71-84 of of WB1r are quite thorough about what can harm vamps and what can't.

[Axelmania]

Interesting bit I noticed about TW in revised (not sure about prior to that) on 77:
Techno-Wizard weapons that are not spe­cifically designed to hurt vampires inflict half damage.

This puts them on par with Rune and Bio-Wizard weapons and MD energy spells (also half) but inferior to Holy/Biomancy/Demonslayer (which do full)

Any source of SN P.S. will allow hand to hand attacks made with a part of their body to cause damage to a vampire. That is the only interpretation of p. 80 of WB:1 Revised that accords with how it is written, specifically the "just like anyone else with Supernatural P.S." So Titan Juicers damage Vampires with punches as per their Supernatural P.S.

Pg 80 did just mention "Mortal beings with the super ability of Supernatural P.S." so I get the impression the "anyone else" is referring to that major super ability in the preceding paragraph, and not to other ways of getting it like the lesser super powers of Extraordinary PS (which you can even get via the Physical Training power category) or Titan Juicer.

Pg 76 also mentions:
Supernatural P.S. spell magically magnifies a character's P.S. to the supernatural level. Damage that would be M.D. via Supernatural P.S. does Hit Point damage to vampires.

I figure this is intended for the Superhuman Strength spell (which gives Supernatural PS 30) and they forgot the name or intended to rename it?

[dreicunan]

Interesting bit I noticed about TW in revised (not sure about prior to that) on 77:
Techno-Wizard weapons that are not spe­cifically designed to hurt vampires inflict half damage.

This puts them on par with Rune and Bio-Wizard weapons and MD energy spells (also half) but inferior to Holy/Biomancy/Demonslayer (which do full)

Any source of SN P.S. will allow hand to hand attacks made with a part of their body to cause damage to a vampire. That is the only interpretation of p. 80 of WB:1 Revised that accords with how it is written, specifically the "just like anyone else with Supernatural P.S." So Titan Juicers damage Vampires with punches as per their Supernatural P.S.

Pg 80 did just mention "Mortal beings with the super ability of Supernatural P.S." so I get the impression the "anyone else" is referring to that major super ability in the preceding paragraph, and not to other ways of getting it like the lesser super powers of Extraordinary PS (which you can even get via the Physical Training power category) or Titan Juicer.

Pg 76 also mentions:
Supernatural P.S. spell magically magnifies a character's P.S. to the supernatural level. Damage that would be M.D. via Supernatural P.S. does Hit Point damage to vampires.

I figure this is intended for the Superhuman Strength spell (which gives Supernatural PS 30) and they forgot the name or intended to rename it?

Well, your impression is wrong, as otherwise the last part of the paragraph, "just like anybody else with Supernatural P.S." would make no sense. That last line settles the issue of if non-supernatural sources of Supernatural P.S. allow one to deal damage to vampires; the source doesn't matter, just that one has Supernatural P.S. Titan Juicers deal damage to vamps with their bare hands, because they have Supernatural P.S. (and since Titan Juicers are still SDC creatures, vamps still instinctively hold back against them and inflict SDC damage, so Titan Juicers can stay in the fight against vamps for a long time).

Also, you are thinking back to an outdated interpretation of Super Powers. Extraordinary PS no longer gives Supernatural P.S. in Rifts. That was the case in CB1 unrevised because at that time the only PS power in HU was Extraordinary. With HU 2e that changed, and CB1r changed things so that Extraordinary is considered roughly equal to Augmented, Superhuman to Robotic, and only the Supernatural P.S. power is considered to be the same as Supernatural P.S. for the purposes of inflicting MD (but with much improved lifting and carrying abilities, which is true of all three levels of strength powers).

[Mack]

Getting back to the bugs... Do they count as a Supernatural Beings? Or more specifically, does Desiccate the Supernatural work on them?

[Library Ogre]

Getting back to the bugs... Do they count as a Supernatural Beings? Or more specifically, does Desiccate the Supernatural work on them?

I don't consider them supernatural, or even CoM... they're just aliens.

[Axelmania]

your impression is wrong, as otherwise the last part of the paragraph, "just like anybody else with Supernatural P.S." would make no sense.

It makes sense if you read that as anyone else with supernatural PS (the super power) which had been immediately mentioned prior to that.

Also, you are thinking back to an outdated interpretation of Super Powers. Extraordinary PS no longer gives Supernatural P.S. in Rifts. That was the case in CB1 unrevised because at that time the only PS power in HU was Extraordinary. With HU 2e that changed, and CB1r changed things so that Extraordinary is considered roughly equal to Augmented, Superhuman to Robotic, and only the Supernatural P.S. power is considered to be the same as Supernatural P.S. for the purposes of inflicting MD (but with much improved lifting and carrying abilities, which is true of all three levels of strength powers).

CB1 unrevised and also DB4 Skraypers, I believe. This change in CBRp45 is something I should try to commit to memory. Kinda skimmed the changes to powers and missed some.

Certainly puts the fight between Herbert Rowland (CB2p104) and Herakles into a new perspective, since he only had Extraordinary PS so per CBRp9-10 his punches at PS 32 would be shrunk from 4D6 MD/punch to 2D4 MD/powerpunch...

To last 2 hours in a battle, Herakles must've really been toying with him...

Given that Superhuman PS is also a minor power, giving him that instead (1D6 MD per punch, 4D4 per power punch) might work better...

In fact, it was always weird he always had 1 minor 1 major (that's not really achievable by any of the tables, even if you take the "Continuous Mutation" option where you have major @1st, minor @2nd, you'll get a major or super-psi by 4th and he's 8th...

So maybe Herb should really just get Supernatural PS swapped in for ExtPS so that he still has Supernatural PS (as CJ intended) under the new rules?

That would require making him even stronger. The major power gives +32 at least, meaning minimum 35 for humans, which could still keep him in the 31-35 range for 4D6 punches, but moving up to 5D6 MD punches doesn't seem like much of a problem for someone who could entertain Herakles for 120 minutes. He'd still be nowhere near Herk's 70 (although 35 is a nice even HALF of that, which I like) with his crazy 2D4x10 MD punches.

I guess this would reduce the Physical Training categories from HU2 to merely Augmented/Robotic levels.

I would imagine Augmented/Robotic would make a lot of sense of Juicers/Titans as well.

Given the comments Kev's made about potentially nerfing some of CJ's things I'm surprised he hasn't targeted the Titan Juicer. Perhaps it slipped his mind?

Getting back to the bugs... Do they count as a Supernatural Beings? Or more specifically, does Desiccate the Supernatural work on them?

Page 103 of Invasion mentions for the Spider Tribe:

+5% to sense and track the supernatural and Xiticix
The Spider Warriors have become a bit more attuned to the supernatural
and their long-time enemies, the Xiticix,
than other Psi-Stalkers.
The Xiticix are easy for the Psi-Stalkers (to?) track
because of their familiarity with the region and the bug men,
and because of the Xicitix's high level of P.P.E.

Page 108-109 (specified as reprinted with Lone Star with new material, though I'm not certain what was added) still only has "Sense Psychic and Magic Energy" and "Sense Supernatural Beings".

Diggers/Hunters/Leapers/Nannies/Queens/Super-Warriors are all psychics, so it might be plausible that Pg 103 is referring to the use of ability 1 to track these variants...

But unless Xiticix qualify as supernatural, it would seem like Psi-Stalkers could not detect your basic Warrior or Worker, since neither has psychic abilities.

The way they say "supernatural and Xiticix" instead of "supernatural including Xiticix" could also imply that is the case.

Invasion110's "Nourishment" still has the 3 basic options as well:

1) psychic
2) practitioner of magic
3) supernatural creature

"The Psi-Stalker can not feed on the PPE of beings who are not psychic, practitioners of magic, or supernatural in nature"

So either we must accept that Workers/Warriors are supernatural creatures or (because we know they aren't psychic) we must accept that Psi-Stalkers can't feed on them, and can only feed on the rarer specialists among the Xiticix.

If this were the case, I'd sort of expect there to be a note about it... when pg 100 mentions "Psi-Stalkers typically use lethal force against Xiticix, absorbing the doubled PPE at the moment of death" you'd think they'd say something like "except for the standard warrior, since they are not psychic".

If we look at the "Resin Spike Gun", it has something interesting...
pg 81 "Used only by the Warriors"
pg 82 "costs 24 PPE or 48 ISP to magically recreate the shooting spikes. Reloading can be done by the shooter or a Xiticix Queen

The implication seems to be that Warriors (who have between 20 and 70 PPE according to pg 70) can spend their PPE to reload the weapon. I suppose it might be referring to someone who stole the weapon off them, but even though Warriors aren't psychic (they have no ISP) I think there's an implication here they can use the PPE for reloads.

Using TW weapons was originally the realm of psychics/mages but perhaps also non-psychic non-magic supernatural creatures?

Another nail in the coffin is page 20's description of "Xiticix Young"

It is the infusion of magical energies via the use of "Sludge" that helps to turn the nits into MDC adults
(non-MDC supernatural predators in SDC environments; AR16)

If they're supernatural predators (which I would believe to be sub-class of supernatural beings/creatures) in SDC settings, it would stand to reason they are SPs in MDC settings too.

[Mack]

Getting back to the bugs... Do they count as a Supernatural Beings? Or more specifically, does Desiccate the Supernatural work on them?

I don't consider them supernatural, or even CoM... they're just aliens.

That might explain why my minions didn’t return.

On a completely unrelated note, I have a few openings in my enterprise.