starsys 9
a video game concept to be introduced as an rpg sourcebook
I wish this could be a video game. I would love to oversee the development, of course, but I’d rather see it made than have it be mine. I want to PLAY it. When I'm done I encourage you to fit your favorite dice systems to what I describe and go wild - honestly I just HAD to get this out of my head and into existence one way or another, and I’m sort of secretly hoping for enough exposure at some point to get the attention of some big video game companies. Anyway, here is Starsys 9, I hope you enjoy.
introduction
At a time so distant it might be either the past or the future, in some far-flung corner of the universe, there is a galaxy, the ninth star of which has a single orbiting planet. This is Star System 9. On this star’s one lonely planet, three factions battle for control of territory and access to resources:
faction one: human cyborg/robotic
The Cyberians are mostly human cyborgs with downloadable/transferable minds and robotic/cybernetic support crews. When a Cyberian is killed, their mind is simply downloaded into a new body, which is 3D printed with one mineral-matter jet and one organic-matter jet. For a price. Player Character Cyborgs require electricity to function, water for power moves, mineral matter for ammunition and armor, and hydrocarbons/organic matter for healing. Special abilities are orbital support (like missile/laser strikes or supply drops) which costs money and may require waiting for an available satellite. Cyberians specialize in kinetic and explosive damage, and maintain a physical damage option for ammunition budgeting and special counters. They can employ laser shields or physical shields; mechs and mega-classes have metal armor. Their on-world faction center is a couple of large Cyberian Citadels. The Cyberian off-world faction power base is a metropolis on one of the moons that orbit the planet. They use Cyberian credits for currency, and also gold and gems have an exchange rate. Their resources are Hydrocarbons (organic matter, used for healing) Minerals (mostly using metals for repairs and ammo) and Water (which is split into Oxygen and Hydrogen for use as fuel for power moves and weapons).
faction two: extraterrestrial spores infecting alien hosts
The Sporeborn are a symbiotic partnership between a sentient fungus (the Spore) and insectile aliens (the Hive-born) as well as a few other species that have been assimilated from around the galaxy. They are mostly sentient Spore-symbiot species, and “infected” (Spore-controlled) non-sentient support crews. When Sporeborn die, their DNA and memories are all held by their personal spores, even a single one of which can make its way back to a colony/hive spawn point for re-birth. Special Abilities pull from all personal resources to create large numbers of spores and/or chemicals, allowing special plasma, chemical, or spore-cloud moves that require specific minimum spore-counts. Sporeborn specialize in chemical and plasma damage, but are robustly equipped for physical damage. They can employ plasma shields or physical shields, as well as spore-cloud shields and mold armor. Insectile species secrete mineral armor carapaces, non insectile species have wearable armor. Their on-world faction center is a network of Spore-hive Colonies and their Genomorph Queens. Their off-world faction power base is the Colony Fleet, a bunch of biome-ships in orbit around Starsys 9. Sporeborn use hivepoints as currency, and the Queens use precious metal and gemstones for their metallic carapaces therefore creating a sporeborn market for gold and gems. Their resources are Organic Matter (which they use for healing and increasing their spore-count, either via spore disassembly or by consuming directly) Methane (which they use as fuel for power moves) and Minerals (insectoids consume metals and gems to create armored carapaces, non insectile aliens use minerals to create/repair supplies like armor and weapons)
Faction three: beings from other dimensions
Dimenkind, or Dimens, are inter-dimensional entities that have possessed other beings from several parallel dimensions. Players Characters are possessed beings such as mages, vampires, elves, and dwarves, who act in the service of eldritch hyper-dimensional semi-gods. Player Characters control a support team of bound servants like imps, zombies, hellhounds and goblins. Players are the entity that possesses player characters; when killed, they can be resurrected or simply possess another similar/identical being. For a price. Dimens specialize in magic damage/debuffs and physical damage, and sometimes use poison and a few kinetic weapons like slings, crossbows, and catapults. They can employ elemental shields (electrical shields damage or stun cyberians on contact, fire shields damage sporeborn on contact) or physical shields, they can have magic armor or worn armor (often both at once). Dimenkind’s off-world power base is an unknown dimension, their on-world faction center is one or two pocket dimensions called Realms, the entrance to which are enormous hellmouth portals on the planet of Starsys 9. Dimens use gold and gems as their main currency, but there is an exchange rate for Eldritch Favor Points, which are transferable. Their resources are Dark Matter (transmuted from Mineral Matter) for summoning/creating and repairing, Dark Energy (obtained through life-drain/blight on any Organic Matter/living character) for healing and casting spells. And Sulfur which is traded directly to Patron Dimens for Eldritch Favor Points, which can also build from performing actions dedicated to their eldritch patron, such as slaying enemies or landing critical hits. Special Abilities and Power Moves draw from all or any of these depending on the specific action. Raising undead minions requires access to organic parts, which are found as drops from dead enemies, or in varying supply from sites designated graveyard, cemetery, or burial ground.
game overveiw
All player experiences are on the planet. Off-world power bases represent forces outside character control or influence. On-world faction centers function as “in town”, they are spawn and fast travel points, and contain housing, recreation centers, merchants, storage and services. Cyberian Citadels, Dimen Realms, and Spore-hive Colonies are susceptible to attack but this should almost never happen, as loosing all faction centers is “losing” the Mega Game.
Citadels and Colonies use signal beacons and spore-piles to broadcast resources in a faction-maintained supply field called a Control Zone. They continuously spawn NPC support characters, and within that Control Zone support crew and player characters are automatically supplied with all necessary resources. Pocket Dimensions spawn NPCs, erratically radiate Dark Energy and occasionally spew Dark Matter like volcanoes, but do not maintain a Control Zone. Instead, Dimens use altars and rituals to spontaneously create temporary local spheres of influence that give them bonuses and debuff their enemies.
Players start with a training mission as a support crew character. Then they play as Player Characters controlling support crew, and unlock additional player characters, of which there are 9, plus sub classes. When all nine are unlocked, players continue to advance through subclasses and skill trees, but also receive access to their faction’s Mega Classes and the Mega Game is unlocked.
The Mega Game includes 3rd person map play of the same territory, and is a combat strategy game, wherein players continue to interact with other players who are playing in FPS mode.
The Cyberian Player Mega Class is a Mobile Command Base
The Sporeborn Player Mega Class is a Genomorph Raid Queen
The Dimenkind Player Mega Class is a Demonic Golem (a giant winged skeleton cyclops with a tentacle for one arm and a throne in it’s ribcage)
The Mega Game is a strategy battle game reminiscent of games like Herzog Swei. Players control an ambulatory base or boss, called the Mega Player Class. Players use this boss/base to build Mega Support Class creatures/machines, as well as deploying up to nine Player Character Classes. One Player Character must be dedicated to driving/controlling the Mega Class base or boss, while the other PCCs are operated by the game as AI, and are given orders similar to NPC support characters in first person mode. Players can switch back and forth between the Mega Game, which happens on a third person map of the same game, and inhabiting any of their nine deployed characters, playing them in first person as usual. When playing as a Mega Class, the screen is a control panel of command and menu options, and a 3rd person map.
Mega Player Classes broadcast a Supply Zone. Mega Player Classes can use NPCs and resources to build or buy Mega Support Crew and Installations. Mega Support Crew are things like bulldozers, possessed behemoths, and giant spore-beetle tunnelers. Installations are things like mining crews, spore-sludge pools, and water processing plants. Additionally Players can gain the ability to give orders to a single Mega Entity from an enemy faction or local Megafauna. Mega Abilities include resource processing, storage, and transport; bridge, wall, and tunnel building; npc generation, supply field broadcast, special movement (aerial, subaquatic, subterranean, etc) and player transport, teleport, and re-spawn.
As Mega Players, gamers have to provide supplies to their subordinates, and so must find, harvest, process, and distribute (or buy) large amounts of resources. Resources are also marketable, either in barter for full access to a control zone supply field via satellite, or in a collected mass for sale directly to the on-world control centers. Money is used to purchase support from the control centers, as well as for things like ‘decorative materials’ for wall and structure skins.
Possible end-game for playing in this form include being able to build all the way up to a player designed and owned on-world control center (city) the equal of non-player control centers in their control zone.
gameplay
Players start up their character in FPS mode, get some background and a cinemagraphic story introduction.
Each Player Character spawns with a squad of Assigned Support Characters under their command. Player Characters can only re-spawn these ASCs at a cost, using special equipment, abilities, and/or in specific circumstances. A new ASC squad can accompany a complete re-spawn of a player character; these will replace any previous ASC in existence at time of PC and squad respawn.
Players can additionally place any unassigned support characters under their orders, up to a number determined by their rank. A Player who has obtained the rank of “captain” for example could place 15 unassigned support characters under their orders whereas a “general” might be able to command 80 unassigned support characters and orchestrate a full assault on a large crowded battlefield.
As Players unlock more player character classes, they access more of the game- more map, more missions, more gear and random events. There are a total of 9 player character classes per faction, and each PCC has 3 sub-classes.
npc support characters
The support characters come in different size categories, have different abilities, carrying capacities, and movement capabilities. Support characters specifically assigned to a Player Character’s squad are called Assigned Support Characters. These are the support characters that spawn with the Player, under their command. ASC are highly customizable, and Players can go to a Programmery or an especially talented Engineer and have their behaviors and commands uniquely tailored to their specific requirements. They can be re-spawned by the Player at designated spots at a cost, and some of them may have specific resource needs.
Non Player Support Characters that are not assigned to a Player. They are from the same basic type menu as ASCs, but are non specialized. They spawn individually and are numerous within a control zone. Players can Order NPSCs, giving them commands from a basic list of preset orders. These NPSCs are not customizable, except in the case of characters with special abilities to do so, such as alien grey engineers. The number of NPSCs that a Player can have Under Orders at once is determined by their level and skill progress (“rank”) with very large numbers eventually possible. Within their Control Zone, NPSCs have no resource cost, and are relieved of a Players command after receiving no new commands for a certain amount of time, and also if the Player logs off. Outside the Control Zone, Players must provide resources for any NPSCs under their orders, and NPSCs will stay under their orders as long as that continues, or until they are released by the Player, even if the Player logs off. NPSCs that fail to receive resources have an equal chance to walk back to the nearest control zone, or shut down and remain in place, whereupon they are susceptible to enemy conversion or useable by subsequent allies entering the area, provided they can be supplied. NPSCs can be linked to Assigned Support Characters, in a “do whatever they do” fashion, such that any any commands or behaviors performed by the ASC will be performed by any linked NPSC to the extent of their abilities, even if that command or behavior is a unique command set created at a Programmery. In this way, Player Character “Generals” can place large battalions under the supervision of an ASC and carry out complex strategies using an army of acquired NPSC personnel.
Players with the ability to spawn support characters will only spawn the number of assigned support characters corresponding to the total number allowable by the Player Character classes under their command. Whether or not they spawn linked to a specific player character class is irrelevant, as the single player will control all of them regardless.
A word about alien greys - there is meant to be a little bit of cross over between the 3 factions, and the main vehicle for this is the classic, short, almond-eyed alien greys; this tech-savvy species fits in easily with the Cyberians, has been encountered by the alien-diverse Sporeborn, and are a favorite vassal of certain Eldritch Dimen Patrons like Electric Elementals.
gameplay section still being updated
coming soon - check this space to see these developments and more:
Health and Healing, Shields and Armor, Re-supply, and Builders
Special Movement, Special Terrain, and Terrain Territories
Battle, Bases, Fortresses, Arenas, and Missions
Story Example
Devi and Eternal Development
Player Handbook, Character Guide
player characters are one of three classes: Rogue, Fighter, Support, and every characters of these classes will be one of three types: Specialist, Purist, or Movement (which means they specialize in a type of terrain or have movement skills/bonuses like jumpjet, transport, or burrow).
Therefore, the nine player character classes are:
Rogue Specialist
Rogue Purist
Rogue Movement
Fighter Specialist
Fighter Purist
Fighter Movement
Support Specialist
Support Purist
Support Movement
Each of these has 3 subclasses, so when all of them are unlocked, Players can play their Mega Class using a team of nine all from a single base class - for example a Cyberian Mobile Command might be deployed with 9 rogues: a scout, a smuggler, a ranger, a thief, a spy, an agent, a sniper, an assassin, and a special ops rogue. All with overlapping skills and abilities, each with some unique skills and functions.
Rogues all have skills/bonuses in sneak, hide, lift (like pickpocket) climb, and special crit damage. Many will have skills like "mark enemy positions on map," "forge authorization" or "disguise self." Rogues are assassins/snipers, thieves/smugglers, and spies/special agents, this last category especially makes rogues responsible for marking things on the HUD map, getting locked doors and gates open, acquiring sensitive items like keys, placing explosives on guarded interior targets, and other infiltration/sabotage activities. This is especially useful as player characters can be captured instead of killed, preventing that specific character from being played by the player - these characters must be rescued or ransomed back.
Fighters are set up for survivability and DPS, and all typically have a relatively large support squad, do multiple types of damage and usually employ some kind of shield. Fighters are damagers/killers, shielders/tanks, and battle commanders. This last category especially makes fighters responsible for organizing the ebb and flow of encounters, guarding rogues while they do things like forge an authorization, keeping support characters alive, preventing enemies from reaching resource processing installations, escorting supply units, and spear-heading assaults.
Support characters are healers and suppliers; they are healers/fixers, resource processors/supply providers, and revivalists/NPC overriders. This last category especially allows support characters to be a strong offensive character, by allowing them to raise, convert, or infect player character remains and NPCs of other factions, as well as revive players and NPC's of their own faction. In this capacity they penalize enemy players for allowing their powerful characters to die, as these can then be used against their original team, or can prevent the enemy from doing this by reviving their own team members on the spot instead of allowing them to leave remains on the battlefield and re-spawn as normal. Additionally, support characters provide supplies like ammo and fuel and can therefor let allies use power moves more often.
Cyberian ASCs/NPSCs, PCs, Mega PCs and And Mega SCs - all cyborgs and robots
Assigned Support Characters/Non-Player Support Characters
Humanoid Bot - worker and fighter variants
Kite/Ray - support and fighter variants, kites are like drones, rays are the same but for under water
Bot Dog/'Fin - fighter and support variants, dog and dolphin builds available
Wagon/Sub - pure support, wagons are like small trucks, Subs are small submarines with a worker variant
Mecha - large robot; Bear, Jet Suit, and Orca versions
Player Characters
Rogue Movement: - Cyborg
scout - robot horse, long range rifle, mark enemies on map, calm
smuggler - hover cycle & mule, sword & pistol, cache, mark loot on map
ranger - bear mech, combat bow & physical damage, traps, tame/calm
Rogue Purist: - Cyborgs
thief - bonus to all class abilities, special backstab, disarm trap, cache
spy - bonus to sneak and hide, disguise, mark all on map, forge authorization
agent - bonus to hide and crits, disguise, forge authorization, traps, disarm traps
Rogue Special: - Cyborgs
sniper - special rifle, special headshot, bonus to climb, hide and crit
assassin - bonus to crit, hide, climb, and sneak, special strike, physical damage
special ops - bonus crit and sneak, disguise, traps, disarm traps, forge auth,
Fighter Movement: - Mechs
jet-jump mech - jump and glide, bullet dps, mech sword, bomb drop
amphibious mech - swim and dive, torpedo, rocket barrage, electric strike
digger mech - trench, wall, burrow, dozer shield, laser cutter, explosives
Fighter Purist: -Mechs
fighter mech - all dps
tank mech - all kinds of shields
berserker mech - physical damage specialist
Fighter Special: Cyborgs with Mech ASC options
commando
commander
combat tech
Support Movement:
movement buffer
flyer
water sprite
Support Purist
healing and repair
supplies, shields
alien gray support savant (a bit of everything)
Support Special:
combat medic
buffs debuffs
revivalist
Mega Classes
Mobile Command Base/Battle Ship//Battle Blimp - all in one, can harvest, process, store, and broadcast all resources; spawn any but Mega
Mega Tanker - land, sea, and air versions, can store and broadcast any resource
Mega Builder - mobile, slow, land only; can build installations walls and formations; can spawn ANY faction character including Mega
Processor A - water harvesting and processing
Processor B - organic matter harvesting and processing
Processor C - mineral matter harvesting and processing
Drop Base - purchased from Cyberian command, drops out of orbit, limited charges can be used to respawn or teleport to a spawn point
Ship/Jet/Submarine/Tank - Mega DPS,
Sporeborn ASCs/NPSCs, PCs, Mega PCs and And Mega SCs - Spore-symbiont Insectiles and affiliates
Assigned Support Characters/Non-Player Support Characters
Antman - worker and fighter variants
Mosquito/Squid - attack and support variants
Lizard Dog, amphibious - attack and support variants
Crab, amphibious - support and worker variants
Large Alien Beast -
Player Characters
Rogue Movement: scout/smuggler/ranger
alien wasp
pill bug burrow-roller
werealien
Rogue Purist: thief/spy/agent
alien sentient privet
stickbug transformer with chameleon spores
alien gray infiltrator
Rogue Special: sabatuer/assassin/sniper
alien vine naga assassin (snake stuff, thorns, vine growth/strangle hold)
alien grey sabatuer,
lizard man sniper
Fighter Purist - ‘fiddler’ mantis centaur
claw-shield
claw-cannon (a la pistol shrimp)
claw as claw-weapon (slender, sharp, stabbing and cutting claw)
Fighter Specialist - scorpion centaur
animalistic (physical tail and claw weapons)
upgraded (claw guns, chainsaw tail, etc)
molded (completely overgrown with spore)
Fighter Movement - weird alien centaur
lobster centaur
winged lizard centaur (fire, assisted jump/glide)
trapdoor burrower spider
Support Purist
centipede surgeon
quill healer
bubble dancer
Support Specialist
alien gray fixer, subverter
support spider (cocoon healing, web traps and shields-)
alien mushroom/snail plant (spore puff heal/poison, cap shield, many me)
Support Movement
dragonfly transport and combat support
turtle-plated digger - side tilt, detach regrow, multi-plated, hide inside
alien 3 segmented water turtle - shoot tail shell to enclose and shield allies
Mega Class
Player Characters: Xenomorph Raid Queen/Giant Anomalocaris/Giant Airborn Jellyfish thing
Mega Tanker - Giant Tick; land, sea, and air versions, can store and broadcast any resource
Mega Builder - Giant Beetle; mobile, slow; can build installations walls and formations; can spawn ANY faction character including Mega
Processor A - methane harvesting and processing - mold balloons midden mound
Processor B - organic matter harvesting and processing - sludge pool
Processor C - mineral matter harvesting and processing - mold mob
Spore Hive - generated by Raid Queens, can heal any except Megas, continuously spawns NPSCs
Mega DPS - slightly smaller battle mods of player character mega classes
Dimens - ASCs/NPSCs, PCs, Mega PCs and And Mega SCs - fantasy characters & magic users
Assigned Support Characters/Non-Player Support Characters
game intro scene/trailer
you know in RPG sourcebooks they always have, like, a fictional story that serves as an example of gameplay? This is like that, written with the possibility of it eventually being an animated video
An alien planet. Two moons are visible already as a large red sun prepares to kiss the horizon goodnight - copper light still warms the tops of a group of small mountains, or perhaps large hills. Between them, a dark fog pools in one of the shadowed valleys. Purple tinted lightning flashes in the gloom... once, twice; a glowing purple rift opens.
From this portal, a skeletal hand emerges. Slowly, a rotting zombie crawls out, as if from a grave. As it shambles off, a goblin head pokes out, looks around. Before it can come through, a second goblin clambers out over it, getting its fingers up the first goblins nose and stepping on its eye in the process. There is a tussle as each goblin tries to be the first to get all the way out. Then both reach back through and haul out a third goblin, who obviously doesn’t want to leave the rift. While they wrestle, another zombie or two wanders out. The goblins freeze for a moment, staring into the rift. Suddenly the third goblin stops trying to fight his way back in, and all three of them run off into the alien evening. Everything is quiet for a beat. Then an imp flies out of the glowing portal.
About the size of a monkey, the imp has purplish blue skin, red eyes, and a mouth with teeth like a piranha; it flits and hovers on leathery wings like a malevolent humming bird, growling and chittering to itself. As it hovers, a leaf falls behind it. It reacts to the movement like a cat, spinning with a snarl and shooting a small bolt of fire from its clawed hands, incinerating the falling leaf.
A creature somewhat like a large spider emerges from the rift next, with a squid-beak for a head and an inhuman eye the size of a beachball instead of an abdomen. A twig snaps beneath one of its eight legs, and the imp is on it in a flash, shredding and rending and stuffing random handfuls of the flailing thing into its continuously growling mouth.
.....
On the hilltop, the day’s light still warms a patch of alien forest. A creature like a wolf-sized newt with four eyes and a three-way mouth suns itself on a rock. Nearby, a sickly green mist rises in wisps from something green that just might be a pile of poop. A magnified view shows the mist to be made of microscopic spores that split and multiply as they float through the air. One of these spores floats and bobs before getting sucked into a giant damp vent that, from farther away, turns out to be the slit nostril of the alien newt-thing. It twitches and shudders and climbs down off the rock. Waddling a bit jerkily, it sneezes a few times as it moves through the underbrush to the edge of a meadow. As it goes, it sprouts a couple small patches of spore-mold along its neck and face. Crossing the clearing, it becomes obvious the creature is fighting against something forcing it toward an undesired destination, past a couple of out-of-focus background shapes that might be the bodies of other creatures covered in spore-mold.
Quivering, the newt-thing stops and looks up, its view sliding past stick-legs, over an abdomen caked in spore-mold like armor made of moss, up into the face of a crouching insectile alien like a giant praying mantis. The two large striking arms bear weapons, a backpack-fed plasma cannon on one side, a chrome warhammer on the other. The mantoid reaches out with a thin third arm and places a claw/hand gently on the newt-things head. Spores flow from mantis to newt. The body language of the newt thing turns from frightened wild animal, to that of a pet happy to see its owner. The mantis lifts its hand from the newt-things head and points.
At the far edge of the meadow is a signal beacon, like a basketball pole with a transceiver dish instead of a backboard, flashing a small orange light. When the Sporeborn Mantoid points at it, the newt thing springs over and tears it apart playfully, like a dog with a pillow. Satisfied, the Mantoid stands, jetting out several tiny puffs of spores. They convey the Mantoids orders, seeking out the other spore-covered beings in the clearing, a few antmen, some kind of four-winged miniature dragon creature, and a couple species that look related to the newt-thing. They move as a pack, following the mantoid down the hillside, toward the purple tinted storm brewing in the valley below.
.....
One valley over, music echoes quietly from a slightly beat up Mobile Command Base, perched creakily in the wind on a sheer hillside that shows obvious signs of mining and de-foresting. The MCB looks like somebody attached a clear-cutter combine to a small oil rig, decorated it with pieces of battleship, and stuck the whole thing on a pair of giant tank treads. This one looks as if it has at some point tumbled down a giant set of stairs; stenciled on its battered surface is the Cyberian trademark and model number, some graffiti-style letters and the icon of the Cybernaughts. Hand-painted under all that is the rig’s name: The Grabbyelle.
Inside, a screen provides an overhead sat-link view of the area, tactical information overlaid in glowing lines and numbers. The image clearly shows the local control zone, with the locations of the signal beacons marked. Suddenly, one of the signal beacon indicators turns to a flashing red ‘x’. The one next to it does the same. When a third signal beacon follows, the whole local control zone flickers and dies, shrinking to a small circle immediately around the MCB. The music shuts off.
“Commander Lin,” says a computer voice “there is a situation, please wake up, Commander Lin”
“Mmm?” a woman’s voice answers, “sorry, didn’t mean to fall asleep on you, Grabby.”
“There is plenty of room on my servers to store you for a nap, Commander.”
“Aw, that’s sweet, ‘Elle. Wanna give me a sit-rep?”
“Yes, Commander: signal beacons 13, 14, and 15 are down, terminating our connection to the nearest gridplex- the local supply field is down, we’re under our own power”
“Again? I think there must be a Queen Bug over that direction. Grabby, what’s my crew doing?”
The screen switches from map to a crew list, a silhouette of each of the nine player character classes next to stats and resource meters.
“Currently, I am remote commanding your full roster; all nine of them were deployed, but when the supply field failed I walked them back in so they wouldn’t drain their on-board power supply systems. Currently the whole crew is docked in their bunk-lockers, on stand-by for deployment. Would you like to select one to inhabit?”
“Yeah, I gotta go out there. Let’s see, put me in my Sword-walker and give me a dog pack, a full 7 dogs with their custom presets”
“Yes, Commander, initiating download and link now”
.....
Back in the gloomy valley, the tip of a gigantic tentacle pokes out from the center of the portal. It extends further, waving around in an exploratory way, like the trunk of a blind elephant, then stretches straight down at an angle, touching the ground, and stays there.
From the rift, using the tentacle as a sort of ramp, dancing two steps forward one step back to unheard music, emerges what could be a man. He is dressed in what could be a cloak or duster, wearing a brimmed hat with small horns, like a little viking’s cowboy hat. It is shadowy and he does a little twirl. It is hard to tell, his skin might be some kind of muted fuchsia. He dismounts the tentacle with a flourish, landing in a frozen position with his arm out while the tentacle withdraws back into the portal, which closes. The imp flits down and lands on the man’s outstretched arm. He dances off into the deepening gloom.
.....
The Sporeborn Fighter commands its spore-supports to take up flanking positions on either side and hold while it charges forward into the next clearing, engaging Commander Lin and her support dogbots. She is a cyborg knight/samurai hybrid - wielding a sword in one hand and a submachine gun in the other. She charges forward with all 7 dogbots, and the Sporeborn Mantoid falls back. And back. When it commands its spore-supports to engage, Commander Lin and her dogbots are caught between them. Two of her dogs die, and she is forced to retreat. The Sporeborn press their attack. Commander Lin continues to retreat over a ridge and down the slope on the other side
Meanwhile, the dancing man is making his way through the area. He sees the two dead dogbots and claps his hands in glee. Dancing along, he comes across a dead spore-support, which makes him similarly gleeful. He sees Commander Lin and the Sporeborn Mantoid fighting, and his dance now incorporates very sudden flowing movements from shadow to shadow, almost teleportation, which he uses to cover ground while remaining un-noticed, working his way around the Sporeborn and Cyberian combatants. He stops and mutters to himself, pointing at the Sporeborn Mantoid. The Mantoid's plasma cannon stops working suddenly, and the Sporeborn warrior shakes it frustratedly, looking around with suspicion. The dancing man laughs silently, and continues on his way, unseen, his demonic imp flitting along malevolently behind him.
It is obvious that battles have been fought here before - all around are piles of bones and armor, shattered carapaces covered in brown and oozing dead spore-mold, heaps of ash with charred body parts poking out...
"Grabyelle!" Commander Lin yells, while slaying the spore-caked newt-thing.
"Yes, Commander?"
"Call me down a Drop Base!"
"Commander, this will cost more than half your remaining credits."
"I DON'T CARE," Commander Lin uses a shoulder mounted mini-cannon to blast apart a spore-support that has just killed another of her dogbots, tosses a grenade, and sprints backwards. "Grabby, I'm DYING out here! Order a Drop Base to my location RIGHT NOW!"
"Yes, Commander"
Commander Lin is clearly wounded. A pair of her dogbots are almost done finishing off the largest of the spore-support and she orders them to stop and attack the Sporeborn Mantoid. Moving in on the big spore-support, Lin holsters her gun and takes out a device like a robot lobster with a large syringe for a tail, full of a thick liquid that sparkles with nano-bots; it looks like glitter suspended in gel. Blocking a blow with her sword, she leaps forward, plunging the syringe into the base of the large spore-support's skull; the device wraps its legs around the back of the spore-support's head, leg tips sliding under its skin while its tail pumps in the syringe payload. An antenna extends upward from the device, and a light activates. The spore-support twitches and shudders and then turns and begins attacking the other spore-supports.
A terrible whistling sound grows louder and a shape like a giant bullet slams butt-first into the ground Three hooked ground supports unfold from its sides, thudding out into the dirt and anchoring it in place. Commander Lin commands her remaining dogbots into a protective formation, and they guard her while she programs the Drop Base. First she brings the turret at the top online, then she enters a string of digits that begins 3D printing a large mech inside the main chamber of the Drop Base. She turns back to the battle just in time to see the last of her dogs go down.
The dancing man has entered a small clearing in the shape of a suspiciously perfect circle, and he moves toward the middle, imp hovering over his shoulder. At the center is an altar with a candle on it. He dances up to it, and shoots a spark out of one finger, igniting the candle's wick. He takes out a knife, and strikes a pose. His arm shoots out and snatches the imp. In one smooth motion, he brings the imp down to the altar and plunges the knife through its heart, leaving it impaled next to the burning candle. Its blood ignites the runes carved all over the altar's surface. Around the altar, a glowing ball of energy appears, and begins charging, growing larger.
The mech inside the Drop Base is almost done printing. Inside the mech is a small and basic human-sized cyborg. As the double nozzle of the 3D printer finishes finishes, we see it is Commander Lin's face. Outside, Commander Lin is almost dead. All of the spore-supports are dead, but the Mantoid's plasma cannon is working again, and she dodges around struggling to stay alive. A chime like an over timer sounds, and a horizontal rectangle slides open along her forehead. She turns and runs. Her last dogbot sacrifices itself, throwing its body between her and a plasma blast as she sprints for the Drop Base. A large data port folds down from it next to the double doors. Her SwordWalker body is larger than a human's and she slides to her knees, slams her head into the data port, which plugs in like a giant USB. The SwordWalker slumps lifeless and falls away from the Drop Base. Inside, Commander Lin's eye's open, housed in the Battle Mech. The double doors slide open, and she steps the mech out. One side has a large battle axe affixed to an arm that is a gatling gun. The other arm is an RPG launcher with an enormous shield mounted on it. Lin enters an order and the mech hatch opens. The mech raises its shield to protect her while the other arm lays down cover fire. Lin hops out and hastily enters a command on the Drop Base keypad - doors slide shut and it begins printing again. She jumps back in her mech and charges the Sporeborn.
Back by the alter, the glowing ball of energy has grown until it fills the circle. The dancing man takes off the viking cowboy hat, but the horns stay on his head. He tosses the hat, two holes in its brim, to the side. Behind him darkness unfurls as his cloak turns out to be claw-knuckled bat wings. His skin is fuchsia with black fur, his eyes are brightly glowing red embers. He stretches one arm out in front of him, palm down, sharp-nailed fingers spread. His other arm quirks above his head, middle digit pressed to thumb. He smiles with a mouthful of sharp teeth and snaps his fingers.
Purple lightning strikes the altar and unleashes the energy contained in the circle - it bursts outward like a balloon popping. As it explodes over the battlefield it knocks over Lin's Battle Mech as well as the Sporeborn Mantoid. When they recover, they aren't the only ones climbing to their feet. All around them the dead are rising, glowing purple. The zombies shuffle together into a mass of maliciousness, then turn as one and face Lin and the Sporeborn.
Lin swivels the Battle Mech, grabs the Sporeborn warrior, and flings it bodily into the crowd of undead. The Mantoid slams its massive warhammer into the ground, knocking the zombies over. While they stand back up, it crouches and concentrates. Spores rapidly multiply on its skin, bubbling into existence like green popcorn. To one side, the Drop Base dings, and 7 freshly printed dogbots pour out of the doors. On the Mantoid a thick layer of spores rapidly builds up, and then puffs suddenly outward in a cloud. Several of the surrounding undead sprout spore mold and form up around the Mantoid warrior, who screams an alien war cry, facing the rest of the zombies. Their fuchsia-skinned master glides down to the battlefield on lazily flapping wings, purple lightning arcing from the fingers of one hand, summoned fire-sword in the other. The zombies attack, the Sporeborn and its new spore-support crew execute a coordinated defense maneuver, Commander Lin's Battle Mech fires from both arms as her dog bots bound into the fray.
Fade to black...