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Message no. 1
From: mancini@******.com (Steve Mancini)
Subject: Insect Theory Question
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 10:58:08 -0800 (PST)
Greetings all.

Working on an idea for a run for my rather neglected runners.

In the back of my brain I have a few nagging questions...

Does the process by which a being is possessed/assimilated by
an insect spirit require the host body to be sentient? Could
a hive, in theory, set up operation under/near say, a long term
care hospital for coma patients?

Does the hostbody have to at any point been sentient - so if
we say you can infest a coma patient, could you infest a clone?

Do you think the hostbody needs to be humanoid, or could any
sentient being be a target?

I don't think there is a clear cut answer - anyone who offers one,
please provide a citation from the books to support one - call
me a litigous skeptic, but if you say there is an absolute answer,
I'd like to read it myself as well.


Da Minotaur
Message no. 2
From: gurth@******.nl (Gurth)
Subject: Insect Theory Question
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 21:18:29 +0200
According to Steve Mancini, on Sunday 30 March 2003 20:58 the word on the
street was...

> I don't think there is a clear cut answer - anyone who offers one,
> please provide a citation from the books to support one - call
> me a litigous skeptic, but if you say there is an absolute answer,
> I'd like to read it myself as well.

Get yourself a copy of Threats 2 and check the Betrayal chapter. It deals
with a number of the things you're asking about, and should give enough
ideas for the answers to the other questions, I think.

Just in case, after the spoiler space come some answers to your questions:


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> Does the process by which a being is possessed/assimilated by
> an insect spirit require the host body to be sentient?

Sentient as in being self-aware, recognizing itself in the mirror, etc.?
I'd say no, not necessarily.

> Could
> a hive, in theory, set up operation under/near say, a long term
> care hospital for coma patients?

Though this isn't answered by the Threats 2 chapter, I don't see why not.

> Does the hostbody have to at any point been sentient - so if
> we say you can infest a coma patient, could you infest a clone?

Same here.

> Do you think the hostbody needs to be humanoid, or could any
> sentient being be a target?

This is where Threats 2 comes in handy: not only is the Betrayal chapter
about Ares breeding insect spirits, it also makes clear that they're using
perfect-meld flesh form critters (dogs, piasmae, even thunderbirds) as
guard animals. Pretty much any living creature would do, IMHO.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
"Als Michael Jackson een auto was, had hij heel Halfords leeggekocht"
-- Ruud de Wild
-> Probably NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

GC3.12: GAT/! d- s:- !a>? C++(---) UL+ P(+) L++ E W--(++) N o? K w(--)
O V? PS+ PE@ Y PGP- t- 5++ X(+) R+++$ tv+(++) b++@ DI- D+ G+ e h! !r y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 3
From: Tobias.D@********.de (Burning Avatar)
Subject: Insect Theory Question
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 09:53:52 +0200
On Sun, 30 Mar 2003 10:58:08 -0800 (PST)
Steve Mancini <mancini@******.com> wrote:

Some spoiler space for players from evil GMs ;)

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> Greetings all.
>
> Working on an idea for a run for my rather neglected runners.
>
> In the back of my brain I have a few nagging questions...
>
> Does the process by which a being is possessed/assimilated by
> an insect spirit require the host body to be sentient? Could
> a hive, in theory, set up operation under/near say, a long term
> care hospital for coma patients?
>
> Does the hostbody have to at any point been sentient - so if
> we say you can infest a coma patient, could you infest a clone?
>
> Do you think the hostbody needs to be humanoid, or could any
> sentient being be a target?
>
> I don't think there is a clear cut answer - anyone who offers one,
> please provide a citation from the books to support one - call
> me a litigous skeptic, but if you say there is an absolute answer,
> I'd like to read it myself as well.

IMO the clear cut answert is: No you don't need a sentinent host and yes you can use
(para) critters as host. Thats the impression from what I read in MitS/Threads. Although
there is the unwritten law beneath the mega cons not to use bugs for their intrests, in
one of the Threds (the german version includes both, so I dont know which one) one of the
threads is some secred works from Ares to use infected para-critters as watch-critter...

> Da Minotaur

- Burning Avatar

--
BA's Data Haven: http://home.t-online.de/home/tobias.d/shadowrun

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