Best D&D "Aliens?"

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I just finished "Alien vs. Predator," and while it exceeded my low expectations, what it mostly did was convince me that Aliens make for a great dungeon crawl on the run.

3E has two competing Aliens analogues, the Kythons detailed in "The Book of Vile Darkness" and the Kruthik of "The Miniatures Handbook." Neither are perfect analogues -- damn those lawyers! -- the Kython are the scarier ones, but they also have bio-weapons they use, which isn't very Alien-like. On the other hand, the Kruthik are plains-dwelling critters that are like really, really scary ants, really. Both have Aliens-like life cycles culminating in CR 13 (Kython) or CR 6 (Kruthik) versions at the top of the hierarchy (and food chain).

Has anyone used either of these monsters and have any advice on how well they worked? Were you trying to model the Aliens from the movies?

 

[mariusm]

Try this.

This was made for 3ed before modern came out... but it could be a good place to start working with. I found it on the web somewhere... maybe there is a 3.5 version out.

Cheers,
Marius.

PS: I can't attach the file as it is 900kb and the limit is 244kb. Just mail me at all.dump@gmail.com and I will send the file to you...

 

[demiurge1138]

Here's a link to a Xenomorph template on these boards.
http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43360

Frankly, I love the kythons, and have tried to find a place to fit them into my game since I got the BoVD. Sadly, it hasn't worked yet...

Demiurge out.

 

[Henrix]

Especially the kython, but also the kruthik, seems more modeled after 40K tyranids, and are thus a step removed from their Alien* sources.
I'd probably go with the kython and use tyranid miniatures for them.




* All these movies and whatnot and they still have no distinguishing name?

 

[Gez]

* All these movies and whatnot and they still have no distinguishing name?

They have. Xenomorph.

In a different genre, both illithids and beholders are D&D aliens.

 

[Klaus]

IMO, the best "Alien" analogy is the Grendelspawn found, IIRC, in the Urban Arcana book for d20 Modern. There's even a Queen.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Especially the kython, but also the kruthik, seems more modeled after 40K tyranids, and are thus a step removed from their Alien* sources.
I'd probably go with the kython and use tyranid miniatures for them.




* All these movies and whatnot and they still have no distinguishing name?

Bingo. Good old Warhammer 40K and it's inspired madness. heck, the cycle countinues if you look at Starcraft and the Zherg there.

I'm surprised that we haven't seen minis for these as one of them was from the miniature's handbook.

Me, I've used both of them. The kython were invading slowly from one place and a red wizard who was a master of crossbreeding monsters 'invented' the other race in greater numbers to hunt them down. Of course the player's got caught in the middle....

 

[talien]

I just finished "Alien vs. Predator," and while it exceeded my low expectations, what it mostly did was convince me that Aliens make for a great dungeon crawl on the run.

3E has two competing Aliens analogues, the Kythons detailed in "The Book of Vile Darkness" and the Kruthik of "The Miniatures Handbook." Neither are perfect analogues -- damn those lawyers! -- the Kython are the scarier ones, but they also have bio-weapons they use, which isn't very Alien-like. On the other hand, the Kruthik are plains-dwelling critters that are like really, really scary ants, really. Both have Aliens-like life cycles culminating in CR 13 (Kython) or CR 6 (Kruthik) versions at the top of the hierarchy (and food chain).

Has anyone used either of these monsters and have any advice on how well they worked? Were you trying to model the Aliens from the movies?

Aliens: Game Over: http://members.toast.net/talien/michael/freebies/indexaliens.html

 

[Desdichado]

I'd probably go with the kython and use tyranid miniatures for them.

I've done that.

 

[Gez]

I'm surprised that we haven't seen minis for these as one of them was from the miniature's handbook.

Patience. The Kruthik Hatchling is in Deathknell.