Mind-Controlling Parasites
TrivialCritters · Really Little Critter · Really Little
The mind-controlling parasites on Mars are so small and hard to detect that nobody knows they're there until people are already under their control. These parasites are extraordinarily intelligent and ambitious, which is why they've survived so long on Mars after being stranded there many millennia ago. As long as a creature has brainwaves, a parasite can attach itself to it. What these tiny organisms want more than anything else is to live on a planet full of lifeforms they can attach themselves to. There are only about a dozen of them to start, but each is able to self-replicate after living in a host for a week.
Use the host's stats for Owie Limit and Fierce difficulty. Outside of a host, use Bug stats (Core Rulebook p. 52).
Reactions
- •Attack a Friend: The parasite makes whoever it's controlling attack one of their friends and cause one Owie.
- •Risky Behavior: The parasite makes its host do something that puts them in harm's way, like climb up to a dangerous height or go outside in a dust storm.
- •Jump Hosts: The parasite jumps from one host to another, leaving the previous host incapacitated for the scene.
Adventure ingredients
- Conquering Earth: Mars is fine and all, but the place these parasites could really thrive is Earth. The parasites are trying to sneak onboard a shipment of specimens that are returning to Earth to be studied there. If they make it, Earth becomes their playground!
- Infiltrator: The parasites want to find out what it is the humans are planning for Mars, and to do this they've sent in a parasite infiltrator. Whenever the infiltrator learns of a project that would prevent the parasites from invading the colony — like the construction of a more advanced medical facility or a special body scanner — it tries to sabotage the project from the inside.
Book: Mars Colony p. 23