By Derek Holland

Radiation: all insects are much less affected by radiation than other organisms. Treat R2 and R3 as R1, R4 as R2 and R5 as R4. Senses: all insects have Awareness- perception 2 and depending on the insect may have as much as rank 6. Note their vision is much better at seeing motion and thus have problems reading and such. Treat this as if their language skills as 2 ranks less when reading.

Exoskeleton: this gives them an armor score of d4 (LI), d3 (HI), d6-2 (En). Most insects have tungsten, zinc, and iron in their mandibles to reduce wear. This allows them to be able to inflict damage to any substance weaker than tungsten. The exoskeleton also allows them their great strength- a max of 18.

Social interaction and intelligence: Insects are not really intelligent- most should have a INT max of 9 and social insect even less (7). Non-social insects are usually solitary and thus are limited to a PER score of 10 and can gain no greater than rank 8 in any PER skill. Social insects (termites, bees, wasps, ants and webspinners) are also limited to a PER max of 10 with other species (14 with their own) but can reach a rank of 12 in PER skills.

New mutation: Physical mutation: Strengthened Exoskeleton Good, automatic, CON The mutant (which must either be a arthropod or have full carapace) has zinc and tungsten reinforcing its exoskeleton. This gives it a +2 bonus to it armor in all classes. It also gives a +1 to its STR if the mutant is an arthropod.

Here are my views on the ways of thinking for the different types of insects:

Colonial (includes webspinners, termites, bees, ants, and some wasps only)
These insects tend to work and think in groups. Most are not leaders and they have a workers attitude- to get the job done at any cost short of hive (or home) distruction. They do not work well with animals and plants that are "free thinkers". They do take orders well, but tend not to be imaginative. The leaders of such insects (most GMs would say the king or queen) should be treated as solitary races. The one thing that the GM must be reminded of is that there is only 3 or 4 castes- worker, drone, queen, and occasionally warrior- in a true insect colony.[Wrong- there
can be upto 20 castes in ant colonies]

Solitary terrestrial predator (includes dragonfly, ladybug, firefly, robberfly, tiger beetle, some bugs, and many, many more). These insects look at smaller beings as food. Whether or not they control such urges is up to the GM and player. Most have wings and hunt while flying. As they are quite strong (PS minimum of 14), they look for physical answers to problems. Preds are leader types, and tend to be forceful in personality.

Solitary terrestrial herbivore (includes caterpillars, some bugs, whiteflies, some aphids, and many more)
These insects tend to be stupid- why do anything when there is tasty plants all over the place? They can be workers and will take orders if well fed. They are usually terrified of any predators that they encounter. They do not make good PCs.

Group dwelling terrestrial herbivores (includes some aphids, scales, mealybugs, some flies, hoppers, springtails, and it is giving me a headache thinking of all the rest). These insects tend to be sessile (ie they don't move much if at all). But some, like the hoppers, move around a great deal. Some (like aphids) have a separate warrior caste that is very active. They are found in groups but that is just because there is something eatable there. They also tend to be stupid in the extreme (max IN 9). They just go around looking for the next meal.

Aquatics (includes some beetles, immature dragonflies, some bugs, immature caddisflies, and a few more)
These insects are broken up into 3 groups: Surface dwellers (like striders) live on the surface. They tend not to go on land as they have great difficulty walking. They can fly and do so to get from one body of water to another. They look down on other races as they can do what others can not- walk on water. They fear fish larger than themselves and large fliers. Subsurface dwellers with gills (like naiads) are usually restricted to living underwater. If they do have the ability to breathe air, they look at the terrestrial world as alien. They are used to thinking in 3D and this will carry over. Subsurface dwellers without gills (like water scorpions) always stay near the surface to breathe. They tend to be paranoid about their air supply. They have no real set way of looking at most things. [Most should fit in the predator profile]