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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tar Markvar" data-source="post: 199862" data-attributes="member: 2859">I like the idea of ankhegs in the colony. That makes a lot of sense. As do dire ants. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> I also like the idea of an enclave of escaped slaves hiding out in the colony. If I did that, I could have a queen in the colony with less game-balance guilt (the party averages about level 10, but I give them a +1 EL in a D&D setting because they have Dragonstar equipment), since the slaves would be willing to help. The idea of devils manipulating the formians is a bit less attractive, if only because I want to show the ants as manipulators in and of themselves. Being involved in a hive mind with beings of up to 20 Intelligence makes it difficult to be controlled by any outside force, I would imagine. I want the formians to seem cold and heartless and ruthless and infallible, so they should be the controllers, not the controlled.The point of the journey is to find the starship in the colony and take control of it, but I want it to be interesting. I think the formians, given four human generations with the technology, could have assimilated that as well, so the warriors could be wielding laser rifles, et al. What are your impressions of a formian colony? Would the tunnels be carved meticulously and square (as their tendency toward order would dictate), or are they ant enough to simply make hewn caverns? Would there be all sorts of hidden areas, or would they bother, since anyone who belongs in the colony would know their way around instinctively through the hive mind? I have precious little material on the formians, but I want them to be formidable and scary foes. Any pointers?</blockquote>

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