How to profit from the Xiticix?

[flatline]

If a group of PCs find themselves near a hive, what are some of the ways that they might turn a profit off the Xiticix?

Is there a market for Xiticix weapons? Body parts?

Any valuable things that might be taken from a hive?

--flatline

[Slight001]

I can see necromancers and necro-techs (rifter class) having fun with bug parts.

Edit: I had fun with a small game a while back making necro-tech enhanced exoskeletons for the group. My final master piece for the big fight was a suit of powered armor built almost entirely from xiticix body parts even manage to salvage some resin glands to make regenerative ablative armor for myself.

[Killer Cyborg]

If a group of PCs find themselves near a hive, what are some of the ways that they might turn a profit off the Xiticix?

Is there a market for Xiticix weapons? Body parts?

Any valuable things that might be taken from a hive?

--flatline

The CS pays a very low bounty for Xiticix. The heads might be worth that much.
The bug weapons don't sell well on Rifts Earth.
My group started exporting them to Palladium, and importing alchemist weapons.
The bug weapons are heavy, but there's nothing like them on Palladium. They're superior to bows, crossbows, and ballistas in a number of situations, especially since you don't need to carry a lot of ammo.
Of course, they only really work for psychics and mages, and supernatural creatures and such, but there's still a market there.
I'm not sure how well they'd sell on Wormwood or other markets.

[glitterboy2098]

apparently xit's are tasty, so lure them into ambushes, harvest the meat, sell for profit.

[Killer Cyborg]

apparently xit's are tasty,

I outright reject that notion, and I don't recall it ever being official.

[flatline]

We used to collect the Xiticix rifles since they're so PPE efficient. They're too heavy to use like a regular side arm, but we used them mounted on things all the time. And we never had trouble finding people who wanted to buy them from us.

But we never made a business out of them.

--flatline

[Killer Cyborg]

As for the hives, they're mega-damage construction. If you dismantled one, you might be able to sell chunks/sheets of resin so that human settlements could build their own walls/defenses out of them.

[flatline]

As for the hives, they're mega-damage construction. If you dismantled one, you might be able to sell chunks/sheets of resin so that human settlements could build their own walls/defenses out of them.

So if I build a wall out of MDC bricks but use regular mortar, what do I end up with? will the resulting wall stand up to MD attacks?

--flatline

[Nekira Sudacne]

Merc Ops says that a large number of communities offer a bounty of 50 credits per xiticix head. Not all will, but an enterprising group can find one.

[Killer Cyborg]

As for the hives, they're mega-damage construction. If you dismantled one, you might be able to sell chunks/sheets of resin so that human settlements could build their own walls/defenses out of them.

So if I build a wall out of MDC bricks but use regular mortar, what do I end up with? will the resulting wall stand up to MD attacks?

--flatline

That's up to the GM.

[taalismn]

Carapace body armor?

Considering that crabshell is harvested and processed for the chitin to use in dissolving sutures, might not similar substances be chemically gleaned from Xit shell.
Similarly, horseshoe crabs are bled to use their blood in pathogen-sensitive test kits.
However, similar uses, if any, are, like chicken-fried Xiticix, unofficial, and up to the GM to allow or not.

[Riftmaker]

Make armor from the bodies salvage the scent glands to sell to other hunters sell the heads ( and only the heads ) for the bounty. Maybe if they have a heart like organ sell the heads to the CS and the hearts to lazlo?

Sell their weapons, tws might want their isp powered stuff for research.

[Shark_Force]

they have guns that spit MDC concrete (more or less) when you feed them PPE.

note that the resin is specifically noted as losing cohesion after something like 6 months, iirc. so you need to keep reapplying it (which means you have to actually sell the gun, unless you want some really angry former customers 6 months from now).

[boxee]

Yea big seller would be scent glands.
Never really liked the Xiticix.

[Phaze]

It is stated in one of the NG books that the NG has a standing bounty on Xiticix. Heads count. Queens count more.

[flatline]

Carrying a bunch of Xiticix heads doesn't seem very convenient. Judging from the art, they're probably bigger than bowlings balls and probably heavier, too.

--flatline

[Glistam]

Even the cheapest Xiticix weapon sells on the market for a minimum of 3,000 cr, and all are considered rare on the market. I think you would do a lot better financially if you sold the weapons in a city like MercTown or Kingsdale or somewhere you could find a plethora of enhanced users (people strong enough to make use of the weapons).

I also like the idea of making armor from the carapace's, and harvesting the scent glands. Considering the campaign trying to be roused against them, items like that may become very valuable for those who wish to battle them.

The Bounty on the heads is almost negligable, I'd think, compared to the financial benefits of the above. but if you've got an intern who has time to kill, it couldn't hurt to load up the bug heads you've collected into the back of a truck and have the intern (or lowest guy on the totem pole) drive them to a participating town and collect the bounty. It should at least cover the cost of gas, and maybe even the intern's pay too.

[Shark_Force]

Carrying a bunch of Xiticix heads doesn't seem very convenient. Judging from the art, they're probably bigger than bowlings balls and probably heavier, too.

--flatline

says the guy who carries around a briefcase full of briefcases full of pocket dimensions.

[FatherMorpheus]

Getting creative with Xiticix to make money is always fun. I could see selling the weapons to people like Juicers and the like, but one would flood the market quickly I think.

I've always thought the bounty on them is super low. I would think that it would be higher, maybe a place like Lazlo or New Lazlo would offer more? Recovering a bounty from the CS might be problematic depending on your group of hunters.

[flatline]

Carrying a bunch of Xiticix heads doesn't seem very convenient. Judging from the art, they're probably bigger than bowlings balls and probably heavier, too.

--flatline

says the guy who carries around a briefcase full of briefcases full of pocket dimensions.

Actually, it's a single briefcase full of folders and each folder may have other folders nested in them. But you got the idea right.

Do Xiticix heads fall within the weight limit for Dimensional Pocket?

--flatline

[Slight001]

Recovering a bounty from the CS might be problematic depending on your group of hunters.

IIRC, the CS is so focused on getting locals to kill bugs for them they have a policy of "Don't ask Don't tell and ignore the obvious." when it comes to paying out bounties to d-bees, mages and supers for bug heads.

[flatline]

Recovering a bounty from the CS might be problematic depending on your group of hunters.

IIRC, the CS is so focused on getting locals to kill bugs for them they have a policy of "Don't ask Don't tell and ignore the obvious." when it comes to paying out bounties to d-bees, mages and supers for bug heads.

Alternatively, the heads themselves could become a sort of local currency, backed by the knowledge that you can always convert them to credits later by claiming the bounty.

--flatline

[FatherMorpheus]

At 50 credits a head, it seems like the cost vs risk isn't there. I'm thinking it would have to be more like 500 to 1000 a head to be worth it.

[flatline]

At 50 credits a head, it seems like the cost vs risk isn't there. I'm thinking it would have to be more like 500 to 1000 a head to be worth it.

Especially if you're paying book prices to charge your e-clips!

--flatline

[FatherMorpheus]

At 50 credits a head, it seems like the cost vs risk isn't there. I'm thinking it would have to be more like 500 to 1000 a head to be worth it.

Especially if you're paying book prices to charge your e-clips!

--flatline

Exactly, you would need someone who has a melee weapon or mage or something that doesn't run out of bullets. And if you were powerfully enough to take on Xiticix why would you go after such a small bounty.

[flatline]

At 50 credits a head, it seems like the cost vs risk isn't there. I'm thinking it would have to be more like 500 to 1000 a head to be worth it.

Especially if you're paying book prices to charge your e-clips!

--flatline

Exactly, you would need someone who has a melee weapon or mage or something that doesn't run out of bullets. And if you were powerfully enough to take on Xiticix why would you go after such a small bounty.

To help establish a cover identity?

--flatline

[Zer0 Kay]

Step 1. Kill Xiticix
Step 2. Do something with the body or land
Step 3. Profit

[flatline]

Let's shift perspective a bit. Instead of profiting directly from hunting Xiticix, how might the PCs profit off of other Xiticix hunters (besides just taking their stuff)?

Is there an opportunity here to provide a profitable service to other hunters or perhaps be a middle man between the hunters and some other service provider?

--flatline

[Phaze]

Become a manufacturer of synthetic 'scents'.

[taalismn]

Regardless of it being canon or not...I really like the idea of a Kentucky-Fried Xiticix franchise.
"Waitress! There's a TK Machinegun in my order of breaded thorax!"

[Riftmaker]

Regardless of it being canon or not...I really like the idea of a Kentucky-Fried Xiticix franchise.
"Waitress! There's a TK Machinegun in my order of breaded thorax!"

Im officially stealing this for my head cannon thank you

[Hotrod]

You know, when I think of them more like a lobster than a bug, they do look kinda tasty.

[Zer0 Kay]

You know, when I think of them more like a lobster than a bug, they do look kinda tasty.

Uh... But a lobster is just a water bug.

[Zer0 Kay]

Become a manufacturer of synthetic 'scents'.

Why not synthetic sense?

[say652]

Carapace armor.
Resin (lol resin) weapons.
A mdc structure if the hive can be saved.
Quirky technowizard guns.
A giant trophy if you bag a queen.

Lets see.

I would offer cs citizenship to a person with 1000 confirmed kills.

[taalismn]

You know, when I think of them more like a lobster than a bug, they do look kinda tasty.

Uh... But a lobster is just a water bug.

At one time in New England they were considered to be trash; good only for bait. Cockroach of the sea, and you were looked down on if you subsisted on lobster.
Now they're approaching caviar in snob appeal, cost, and rarity.

[Killer Cyborg]

You know, when I think of them more like a lobster than a bug, they do look kinda tasty.

Uh... But a lobster is just a water bug.

Tuna is just a chicken of the sea.
But no, it really isn't.

[Shark_Force]

xiticix hives dissolve on their own after something like 6 months (might be 3 months if it's diluted resin, which is standard... can't remember, it's been a long time since i read the xiticix book). if you sell someone a xiticix tower, apart from the fact that you just managed to sell them a piece of property inside a xiticix hive territory, that tower isn't even going to be there after a while (unless the xiticix come back and do regular maintenance on it, which comes with some rather unpleasant drawbacks).

which is why i said you can sell someone the xiticix resin gun, but you can't build something with said resin gun and sell it unless you're willing to have an angry former customer in a few months.

[Killer Cyborg]

xiticix hives dissolve on their own after something like 6 months (might be 3 months if it's diluted resin, which is standard... can't remember, it's been a long time since i read the xiticix book). if you sell someone a xiticix tower, apart from the fact that you just managed to sell them a piece of property inside a xiticix hive territory, that tower isn't even going to be there after a while (unless the xiticix come back and do regular maintenance on it, which comes with some rather unpleasant drawbacks).

which is why i said you can sell someone the xiticix resin gun, but you can't build something with said resin gun and sell it unless you're willing to have an angry former customer in a few months.

All I can find on that offhand is p. 47
The structures on the surface have to be maintained and repaired much more frequently than those underground, mainly because the surface towers take the most punishment. The towers are the most obvious portion of the hive city and, as a result, the most frequently targeted for attack by surface dwelling humanoids. They also suffer wear and tear from the elements. Although they are made of MDC material, these structures wear, deteriorate and suffer damage from enemy attacks--they are made of mud and resin after all.

1. I don't see any specific time limit on how long it takes stuff to deteriorate.
2. It sounds like most of the deterioration comes from an assumption of somewhat routine attacks by enemies.
3. It only discusses structures made of the mud/resin combo, not pure resin.
4. The remaining deterioration would most likely come from weather affecting the mud portion of the mixture, and that wouldn't likely be any more of a factor for that stuff than it is for adobe or cob. So with the right preparation and care, even a structure made from the mud/resin mix could last a very, very long time in human hands, especially in the right climate.

[Glistam]

As for the hives, they're mega-damage construction. If you dismantled one, you might be able to sell chunks/sheets of resin so that human settlements could build their own walls/defenses out of them.

So if I build a wall out of MDC bricks but use regular mortar, what do I end up with? will the resulting wall stand up to MD attacks?

--flatline

Honestly the more I think about this question, the more I think that this would make viable M.D.C. structures. After all, M.D.C. cloth worn as armor will protect S.D.C. beings just fine from M.D.C. attacks, so I think this would be a feasible idea. What is the normal M.D.C. per area of a Xiticix hive?

[Josh Hilden]

Kentucky Fried Xiticix?

[Shark_Force]

xiticix hives dissolve on their own after something like 6 months (might be 3 months if it's diluted resin, which is standard... can't remember, it's been a long time since i read the xiticix book). if you sell someone a xiticix tower, apart from the fact that you just managed to sell them a piece of property inside a xiticix hive territory, that tower isn't even going to be there after a while (unless the xiticix come back and do regular maintenance on it, which comes with some rather unpleasant drawbacks).

which is why i said you can sell someone the xiticix resin gun, but you can't build something with said resin gun and sell it unless you're willing to have an angry former customer in a few months.

All I can find on that offhand is p. 47
The structures on the surface have to be maintained and repaired much more frequently than those underground, mainly because the surface towers take the most punishment. The towers are the most obvious portion of the hive city and, as a result, the most frequently targeted for attack by surface dwelling humanoids. They also suffer wear and tear from the elements. Although they are made of MDC material, these structures wear, deteriorate and suffer damage from enemy attacks--they are made of mud and resin after all.

1. I don't see any specific time limit on how long it takes stuff to deteriorate.
2. It sounds like most of the deterioration comes from an assumption of somewhat routine attacks by enemies.
3. It only discusses structures made of the mud/resin combo, not pure resin.
4. The remaining deterioration would most likely come from weather affecting the mud portion of the mixture, and that wouldn't likely be any more of a factor for that stuff than it is for adobe or cob. So with the right preparation and care, even a structure made from the mud/resin mix could last a very, very long time in human hands, especially in the right climate.

hmmm... did you check the digger for information on that? i don't own the book, just borrowed it from a friend a long time ago...

[Killer Cyborg]

xiticix hives dissolve on their own after something like 6 months (might be 3 months if it's diluted resin, which is standard... can't remember, it's been a long time since i read the xiticix book). if you sell someone a xiticix tower, apart from the fact that you just managed to sell them a piece of property inside a xiticix hive territory, that tower isn't even going to be there after a while (unless the xiticix come back and do regular maintenance on it, which comes with some rather unpleasant drawbacks).

which is why i said you can sell someone the xiticix resin gun, but you can't build something with said resin gun and sell it unless you're willing to have an angry former customer in a few months.

All I can find on that offhand is p. 47
The structures on the surface have to be maintained and repaired much more frequently than those underground, mainly because the surface towers take the most punishment. The towers are the most obvious portion of the hive city and, as a result, the most frequently targeted for attack by surface dwelling humanoids. They also suffer wear and tear from the elements. Although they are made of MDC material, these structures wear, deteriorate and suffer damage from enemy attacks--they are made of mud and resin after all.

1. I don't see any specific time limit on how long it takes stuff to deteriorate.
2. It sounds like most of the deterioration comes from an assumption of somewhat routine attacks by enemies.
3. It only discusses structures made of the mud/resin combo, not pure resin.
4. The remaining deterioration would most likely come from weather affecting the mud portion of the mixture, and that wouldn't likely be any more of a factor for that stuff than it is for adobe or cob. So with the right preparation and care, even a structure made from the mud/resin mix could last a very, very long time in human hands, especially in the right climate.

hmmm... did you check the digger for information on that? i don't own the book, just borrowed it from a friend a long time ago...

That's where that portion was.
Might be some other stuff somewhere, but I couldn't find it just flipping through the books.

[Shark_Force]

hmmm... maybe it was in the resin gun description. I know I read it somewhere that it dissolves in a relatively short time (that is, relatively short for a building). wish I could go digging through the book to find it now.

[Slight001]

hmmm... maybe it was in the resin gun description. I know I read it somewhere that it dissolves in a relatively short time (that is, relatively short for a building). wish I could go digging through the book to find it now.

I just looked through my copy and couldn't find any other references beyond what Killer Cyborg found.

My guess is a GM saw the "They also suffer wear and tear from the elements." line and ran with it. Beyond that line, which KC has in his quote, there is nothing about the hives taking damage beyond being attacked and no numbers are ever given, that I could find, to quantify the statement.

[Shark_Force]

huh. wish i could remember exactly where it was to narrow it down more for you guys, but i'm not about to send you searching through every section for it

it definitely wasn't a GM thing; we had a campaign that briefly involved the xiticix, but that one kinda never really got past the first session.

[Hotrod]

Kentucky Fried Xiticix?

Nah. Boil 'em alive, then crack 'em open with a Wilk's laser torch.

[HarleeKnight]

The TK-Rifle does 4D6 M.D.C. for 1/2 a P.P.E. point or 1 I.S.P. point... and -6 to dodge!

With the the extermination that went on the same time as the Tolkeen War, how is this gun not more common? Seriously, now I'm going to convince my G.M. to take us on a bug hunt just to get this weapon.

[glitterboy2098]

Kentucky Fried Xiticix?

Nah. Boil 'em alive, then crack 'em open with a Wilk's laser torch.

extract the meat, reduce it to paste, form it, then sell it as imitation crab meat..

[flatline]

The TK-Rifle does 4D6 M.D.C. for 1/2 a P.P.E. point or 1 I.S.P. point... and -6 to dodge!

With the the extermination that went on the same time as the Tolkeen War, how is this gun not more common? Seriously, now I'm going to convince my G.M. to take us on a bug hunt just to get this weapon.

I would expect the Xiticix TK rifle to easy to get through regular trade channels almost anywhere in NA except in areas where TW weapons are banned (CS territories, for example). If you're in a region anywhere near the bugs, it should be easy to get via trade with the locals.

If your character is strong enough to carry and use a 20lb rifle and is either psychic or is trained in the use of PPE, it's a great weapon. It's been one of my favorite weapons ever since RMB came out.

--flatline