Additional Predator/Yautja Background

Created by D.B. Chow
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Here are some ideas that my friends and I have used in the past. However, these are just our ideas, and may not agree with the version Dark Horse comics uses. These include the Yautja caste system, their laws and a few notable NPC's that the PC's may meet. Credits to K. Gilroy especially, whose role playing inspired a lot of ideas.

The Caste System of the Yautja

As their entire culture revolves around the hunt their social order is based on the number of kills and/or trophies they acquired. Though there is much overlapping between the classes, I have narrowed it down to the following few:

The "Eta"
The untouchables of the Yautja. Mostly they are the lame or the crippled, who are unable (or too cowardly) to join the hunt. Instead, they serve as slaves and do menial jobs for the hunters. They are ridiculed and humiliated on a daily basis by the other Yautja.

The "Unblooded"
The children of the Yautja are trained for their future hunts. Before their first hunt they are considered the "Unblooded," juveniles who have yet to prove themselves. They represent about 40% at any one time.

The "Young Bloods"
These are the recently "blooded" warriors. They are usually reckless and depressingly keen, trying to make a name for themselves. Many of them are proud of their petty trophies, which amuses the more experienced hunters. About 30% of Yautja at any one time is considered a "Young Blood." The Blooding is described below.

The "Blooded"
Though all hunters are considered "Blooded", this usually refers to those who are far from being Young Bloods but not yet an "Ancient" or one of the "Honored." This represents 20% of the Yautja population.

The "Honored"
These hunters are the elite of the Yautja society. Not only have they survived many hunts, they have gathered many more trophies than the average hunter or have performed a great service to the entire Yautja community. They comprise approximately 10% of the populace.

The "Ancients"
The mightiest of the Yautja are the veterans known as the "Ancients." Almost all had been one of the "Honored" and continued to survive for centuries of hunts. Ironically, these are the least concerned by the hunt anymore, focusing their attention to their arthritis instead. They are still great warriors; they just have too many trophies to care anymore. As a result, they are more compassionate and disciplined than most other Yautja. Many have learned new fighting techniques over the ages. For example, one "Ancient" who had hunted in 16th century Japan learned "Hira Baraki," or two sworded combat, and continues to use it today, and has two custom swords. These represent less than 1% of the entire population.

The "Bad Bloods"
The criminal caste. These are usually serious nutcases even when compared to your average Yautja. Many have committed crimes such as: murder of another Yautja, killing prey that is not game or failing in the hunt. These are constantly being tracked by the "Arbitrators." About 5% of all Yautja are "Bad Bloods," and in the above castes the number of these criminals have been added to the total amount.

The Blooding (or Rite of Passage)
This is the graduation of the Yautja. It always take place on the first hunt of the young Unblooded. About a dozen Unblooded goes with a veteran, usually one of the Honored, onto the hunting grounds for the first time. Depending on the difficulty of the hunt the young are given a certain standing in the community. On a difficult hunt failure usually means death, either at the hands of the prey or by suicide; many consider death more honorable than in failure in a hunt. Should the hunters succeed, they are marked on their foreheads as one of the Blooded. Each Clan has a different insignia for the mark of the Blooded; usually they are symbols for ferocity or courage. It has been known that at least a half dozen humans have been blooded. This is looked down on most of the Yautja community, and a hunter who "bloods" a human may be considered a "Bad Blood." Some of the Ancients who respect their human foes have approved of this action, and so far the "blooding" of humans is only considered eccentric, and not criminal. Some of the Yautja have special laser scalpels for the Blooded insignias, but blooding with acidic blood and other means of permanent marking is also common.

The Yautjas' code of law/honor

Though there are many more ordinances than what we have here, the basic laws are as follows:
  1. Hunting Worthy Game:
    When hunting, the Predator must be sure that his prey is considered game, and legit to kill. Sometimes the hunter will equal the odds (not using the shoulder cannon or some other weapon). Worthy game must fill the following criteria: Can defend itself and/or is able to kill the hunter himself, of age (killing children is considered the height of bad manners,) not linked to other lives (so that removing the prey will not doom another, e.g. pregnant women) and unwilling to be hunted (what honor in killing one who wants to die?)
  2. Failing in the Hunt:
    If the Predator fails in his hunt he usually takes his own life, preferring to die than to live in shame. However, some cowards prefer to live in obscurity rather than die. This is considered to be dishonorable and suicide is then "assisted" by an Arbitrator.
  3. Claiming the Kill of Another Hunter:
    To take the trophy of another Yautja, living or dead, is considered to be a great insult. For example, two Unblooded go on their first hunt. One Yautja takes on an alien and both are mortally wounded. While the wounded hunter is dying, the other hunter conveniently finishes off the alien and claims the kill as his own, abandoning the wounded Yautja. This is the most embarrassing crime, and the hardest to prove.
  4. Murder of Another Yautja:
    To kill another Yautja intentionally. This excludes self defense and killing a foe in a wrestling match to settle a dispute (see below.) This is the worst crime.
Most of these crimes are obvious, and are dealt with by an Arbitrator. However, sometimes when each party is accusing the other, the case is resolved by a wrestling match. Usually this is only to the knock out or off ring, but in the case of one side accusing the other of claiming the kill of another, it is to the death. The most common reasons for a match is as follows, with the first as the most common: Right to hunt, right for hunting grounds, to settle a petty dispute, to reclaim honor, claiming the kill of another.

However, for the most obvious or heinous crimes an Arbitrator is called in. He represents judge, jury and executioner. They are usually an Honored one who has shown justified rulings before, and there is no appeal for his decisions. There are a few subtle differences between the normal hunter and the Arbitrator.

Make these additions to the Predator O.C.C. by D.B. Chow:

Alignment: Must be aberrant
Requirements: M.E. 13, 7th level or above
Bonuses: +1 attack and +2 to any attribute other than I.Q., M.A., and P.B.
Skills: Select 3 more skills from each of these categories (apply a +10% bonus to each): Espionage, Wilderness, or Technical: Lore only.
Equipment: They usually are better armed than the average Yautja. Their armor and weapons are of top quality, and they have more freedom in choosing their arms (such as extra blaster, etc.)
Uniform: In addition to better armor, the Arbitrator may have the skull of a hunted Bad Blood from one of his previous trials as a trophy. This is usually on their shoulder or knee pads. This is both to honor the Arbitrator and act as a deterrent to other criminals. He may also have the insignia of the Arbitrator on his helmet, which looks like a Yautja version of the scales of justice.

Bug Hunt: A Predator Adventure

This is for low or medium level characters, especially combat oriented ones. We will assume that the PC's are a party that has worked together before. I suggest that they join the merc group "Contra Exterminus," headed by the 'borg enigma known as Gideon the Bioforged. Otherwise, any other organization will do. Below are the beginning and a few scenarios GM's may want to explore.

Gideon will want an emergency meeting in response to the discovery of an UFO in the ruins of a major city (GM's choose a place you're familiar with). As this may be only a red herring, he wants to send a recon squad. By their findings he will decide how to act. This squad will include the PC's and the following:
Special Forces Officer "Eightball": 5th level sp. forces
Partial Borg Dane: 4th level headhunter; here he carries the big gun, a Narunitm shoulder cannon (2D4x10+20 M.D.tm) that is not available anywhere else on Earth. Two rookie soldiers
For this mission the players will be given a suit of heavy armor and a Narunitm rifle of choice with 4 extra e-clips. They will be transported by a Coalition Mark V.

The PC's will travel for a few hours to that city. When they arrive describe the city to them; this is one of the places that everyone has deserted, so use your knowledge of that place to make it realistic. They squad will make progress around the city steadily. Any psychic character will feel uneasy, especially if he has sixth sense. Every once in a while the party will see some movement, but when they turn the creature has disappeared. After about an hour on foot they will find a long trench, as if a plane going very fast had made an emergency landing. Following this trench they will find a shuttle-like UFO, with a group of Aliens around it! They seem to be trying to breach its hull with little success. When they spot the PC's, however, they will disregard the ship and attack them instead! There are 2d6+2 creatures around the ship.

Alien (xenomorph) R.C.C. by Captain Best

Attributes: I.Q.: Animal, M.E.: 1d6, M.A.: None, P.S.: 6d6, P.P.: 1d4x10, P.E.: 6d6, P.B.: 1d4, and Spd.: 1d6x10. The attributes are not considered supernatural, and the intelligence of the xenomorph is animal, but cunning. Treat it like a racoon with sharp teeth and acidic blood.
Hit Points: 1d6x50, S.D.C.tm: 1d6x100
A.R.: 10
Horror Factor: 16, P.P.E.tm: 5d6
Bonuses: +5 to dodge, +4 to parry, +3 to strike, +4 vs magic, +3 vs psionics, and is impervious to mind control, horror factor, and virtually all poisons and toxins.
Combat Skills: 8 attacks per melee, bite (1d6 M.D.tm), bite (small inner mouth, 1d4 M.D.tm), claw (2d6 M.D.tm), power Claw (Counts as 3 attacks, 5d6 M.D.tm), ram Attack (counts as 3 attacks, 3d6 M.D.tm, plus target loses two attacks and initiative), tail whip (1d6 M.D.tm), power tail whip (counts as 2 attacks, 2d6 M.D.tm), and wild spree (counts as ALL attacks, Alien goes wild at point blank range, 2d4x10 M.D.tm).
Special Abilities: Spit acid (30ft range, 1d4 M.D.tm, +3 to strike), nightvision (200ft), excellent sense of smell and hearing (equal to a dog's), see the invisible, detect all life within 10ft, detect all aliens within a 1 mile radius, leap 30ft across or 15ft up from a stationary position (add 50% to range if the alien gets a running start), and heals 1d6x50 S.D.C.tm per day.
Upon Death: Acid Bath - If killed, the alien explodes into a acid shower. This does 3d6 M.D.tm to everything in a 10ft radius and 1d6 M.D.tm everything in an additional 20ft radius.

Should they survive the battle, Officer Eightball will want to search the ship. They will have to bomb the hull (use the demolitions skill) otherwise Dane will have to shoot it open. Inside is revealed to be several cryogenic chambers, one of which is yet unopened. Inside is a Yautja warrior. Keep in mind no one has seen a Predator in this party before. The PC's should decide whether or not to open the chamber. Though this is a Predator vs. alien adventure the GM's should feign that the Predator may be hunting for humans. The warrior inside is in fact one of the Honored, and has taken the Unblooded for their first hunt. He calls himself "Dachande," then translates in American as Broken Tusk, for indeed, this lower left mandible has been chipped in battle. He is a veteran of Rifts Earth, and speaks American at 50%. I leave it to the GM's to make their own Dachande; he may be used as a recurring NPC.

It may be believed that the Predators have brought the Aliens. Broken Tusk knows that they arrived before he came, but may not tell the PC's. Should he be freed Broken Tusk will want to investigate. He will lead the PC's to an abandoned Pre Rifts lab. Several half dead Coalition Grunts will lie there, muttering about "bugs, giant bugs and some leader bug." At this point a swarm of Aliens will attack. There will be 2d6 aliens and 1 of the queen's praetorian guards with them! GMs, use discretion when making the special guard alien. I suggest that it has a lot more S.D.C.tm and definitely more attacks. It will summon more aliens every melee round, so he should be taken care of first. Should he be freed Broken Tusk will easily take care of the bugs. He will investigate, and tell the PC's that it was his undisciplined students have set these things free. He would return to his ship for a few more pieces of equipment and, for drama, what seems to be a Yautja skull. With a grimace he shall adorn this to his shoulder, for now he acts in the role of Arbitrator!

After this the Eightball will figure that there is one hive where all the Aliens are coming from. If they launch an assault on it they will secure the area for the rest of Contra Exterminus. Keep in mind that there will be a lot of humans who have the Alien embryo inside them. The PC's may try to rescue them, but should he be freed Broken Tusk will know that it is futile. The assault should be simple as all the characters are combat orientated and the bugs are only a minor threat. It will probably end with a battle with the Queen. However, it continues that the true foe is not the bugs, but the Coalition itself!

Here's the situation. A branch of the Coalition has decided to breed xenomorph to be the ultimate soldiers. Should he be freed Broken Tusk will tell the PC's how foolish this is. After the assault on the hive Gideon will give new orders to attack the main Coalition HQ. The Coalition HQ is about 15 miles away, surrounded by forests. Here are the ideas:

The PC's and (should he be freed/alive) Broken Tusk will use guerrilla tactics to approach the base. Keep in mind there will be tripwires, etc. as well as soldiers. Your average squad around the perimeter are probably as follows:
1 Coalition Special Officer
8 Grunts/Skelebotstm or a combination of both
2 SAMAS pilots
One Coalition Robot for handling Aliens in cages etc.
Around here the PC's will probably notice a few things randomly. They will need Land Navigation to get through the thick woods; however, they'll never be completely lost if Broken Tusk is with them, should he be with them. For every 2 miles roll or choose:
00-20% Caged Aliens being handled by Coalition troops
21-40% Some Unblooded Yautja fighting Aliens. Broken Tusk may "judge" them.
41-60% Coalition troops
61-80% Aliens roaming free
81-98% A fat Coalition soldier that seems to be in charge, with 2 squads and 2 Mark IV APCs.
99-00% The PC's will see the Queen fleeing! The battle was not as final as it seemed. This may be the defeated queen or a younger one. She is surrounded by 2d6 Aliens.
The PC's have to find a way in. They can disguise themselves or just fight their way in. There will be many cryo tanks with Aliens in which may be freed to cause chaos. The PC's will have to use their wits to defeat the entire project. More ideas for inside the complex are:

Ambush by Bad Blood: Unblooded with fight with ferocity that surprises even Broken Tusk! In fact, they carry an Alien embryo in them, and have gone mad with pain. They will attack Tusk on sight, as they believe him responsible.

Zombified Soldiers: Grunts with embryos inside will attack the PC's in a zombie like manner, driven by instinct mostly. They will be slow, but relentless. This makes for a spooky confrontation.

Final Confrontation with Death's Head transport: The fat commander wants to transport these bugs to home base in the Coalition States as soon as possible. The PC's may steal aboard to prevent an Alien infestation in the Coalition States. They will have to fight through guards, and finally confronting the commander himself. Here, the commander may come face to face with the wounded queen(!) who has stolen aboard to be with her children! The PC's may find it difficult to fight as the queen has damaged the flight controls, while the queen is in complete control and is more ferocious!

There's the basic idea. This may continue, for the Alien project will be unlikely to finish this simply. Broken Tusk may return as a hunter, or the PC's may be rescued by the Yautja's ship, where they'll train to become Predators as well. However, I do not have stats for the Queen alien or the embryos, which I leave for the righteous Captain Best to design.

God, I hope you enjoy this adventure as much as we did when we first used it. The Predator makes for awesome NPC's or antagonists.