good aliens for alien invasion enemy faction

[petermcleod117]

Hello!
I'm running a sci-fi super-hero campaign right now, and I could use some help with one of the three main factions of enemies. There are supposed to be three factions: the Technogenus (sentient machines rebelling against humanity), the Pack (a mutant-supremacist organization in a similar vein to the Brotherhood from the x-men franchise), and the Imperium. The Imperium is supposed to be an empire of a vast variety of alien species who have been ordered to take over the planet for an unknown reason. They in particular are supposed to be the primary antagonists.

The issue is, I just realized that I don't have as many resources for the kinds of aliens I wanted to use as I thought I did. My idea was to have a faction distinctly alien, but at the same time organized and militaristic in a similar way to the US military. So far, I have introduced the Kroath from the Menace Manual, who fit the bill perfectly. I might also use the Spanthi from the Apocalypse sourcebook. Besides that, though, I have realized I don't actually have very much.

So far I have done my best to make it so that there is no "magic" in the campaign, only very advanced science. To that end I have been deliberately excluding things with psionic or supernatural powers unless I can explain them away as a form of science. If possible, please suggest monsters that fill these requirements.

Thank you.

[Draconi Redfir]

are you looking for just creatures that exist in monster manuals already? or things like the xenomorphs from the "Aliens" franchise that you could stat yourself?


if the former, Orcs could always be a good place to start. just re-flavor them to come from another planet and have a different history, one that's loyal to their current cause, and they could make for some good shock troops or generals.

[daremetoidareyo]

Trolls. They’re terrifying.

[loky1109]

Look at Kythons from BoVD. They'll be good for the Pack.

[CIDE]

You beat me to the Kython. I was going to post it yesterday but couldn't remember the name and had to look back through my notes. I used them as the basis for aliens in my own homebrew setting. The only problem here is that they fill something of the same niche as the Kroath the OP's already using as biotech monsters that grow their own equipment. Probably works better if the Kython and Kroath are merged, thematically speaking.

Since the OP's using D20 modern material as well the D20 Future - Core rulebook has the Klicks (pg 49) in the campaign section as another hostile alien race. They fit a "Bug" aesthetic as per Starship Troopers. I'm assuming you already looked at the Etoile and the Sand Servants as well. Or the Fraal,N'sss, Alearin, and all the other obvious alien races in the d20 modern supplements?

[hamishspence]

The Kroath's schtick is that they need bio-suits to protect them from the normal environment - they are extremely alien humanoids. They are the D&D D20 Modern versions of the Kaorti from Fiend Folio. And like them, are humanoid.

Kythons don't wear bio-suits - they just carry bio-weapons. And are much less humanoid.

[CIDE]

The Kroath's schtick is that they need bio-suits to protect them from the normal environment - they are extremely alien humanoids. They are the D&D versions of the Kaorti from Fiend Folio. And like them, are humanoid.

Kythons don't wear bio-suits - they just carry bio-weapons. And are much less humanoid.

Kroath are largely an unknown in their own lore with no idea how their society works or any of that. Also, the biotech schtick is something that's rare enough in sci-fi that you probably aren't going to include two separate races that do the same thing; even if they use it in different ways (the Kroath weapons are also biological, IIRC). It's not a perfect fit but redundant to add both and not have them tied together somehow.

[petermcleod117]

The Kroath's schtick is that they need bio-suits to protect them from the normal environment - they are extremely alien humanoids. They are the D&D versions of the Kaorti from Fiend Folio. And like them, are humanoid.

Kythons don't wear bio-suits - they just carry bio-weapons. And are much less humanoid.

Interesting.

I'll look into all of these ideas. I particularly am interested in the Kythons. Thank you!

[Phhase]

What about Kaorti and thier bio-weapons the Rukanyr and Skybleeder?

[Doctor Despair]

You could use Puppeteers and just flavor it as Invasion of the Body Snatchers

[CIDE]

In the same vein as the Puppeteers there's also the Tsochar from Lords of Madness.

[Troacctid]

They are the D&D versions of the Kaorti from Fiend Folio.
Aren't Kaorti the D&D versions of the Kaorti from Fiend Folio?

[hamishspence]

D20 Modern versions.

[Arutema]

You could also mine the Starfinder SRD (https://www.aonsrd.com/Races.aspx?ItemName=All) for races. The given fluff for the Vesk sounds much like what you're looking for.

[Rilem]

Ethergaunts from Fiend Folio are basically written as alien invaders (though they would argue that they’re the natives and the Prime Material species are the trespassers.)They’re pretty scary

[aglondier]

Do the Vorlin schtick, and put actual celestial beings in "encounter suits". They want to subjugate the universe in a Lawful good, we're-doing-this-for-your-own-good, we-know-better-than-you desire for good and order.

[Malphegor]

You could also mine the Starfinder SRD (https://www.aonsrd.com/Races.aspx?ItemName=All) for races. The given fluff for the Vesk sounds much like what you're looking for.

Skittermanders are also good. Imagine Stitch from Lilo and Stitch except with the personality of an easy going halfling, who are such great bureaucrats and administrators that nobody likes to point out they probably now pretty muchcontrol the Vesk empire that, on paper, enslaved most of em to do their paperwork. The Vesk are largely unaware that the tables got flipped on them at some point and do what they do.