Swarm Mother
Surge Factor
Surge Factor is about Mass rather than numbers.
Think of the earthquake scale for the Hive.
The Surge Impulse will always have numbers, else there won't be an impulse to surge, and instead, the Swarm Will remains at work. These can be tiny insects, to leviathans if the Surge is given enough mass and momentum. The numbers themselves are variable given the size or the area of the surge, allowing for it to work in more RP scenarios.
Surge Factor Trivial/Minor
Trivial or Minor surges tend to be artificially created. If the Hive activity is cut off in the early stages of an area, forced out, or loses its food supply suddenly. It can cause a trivial surge to another area. This surge impulse tends to be made up of mostly small insects, maybe hand sized. Minor is much the same, you might see a dog creature, maybe a Hive Node somewhere buried beneath it all giving signals.
Surge Factor #1
The first real Surge, coming about when enough of the ecosystem has been integrated into usually, though they can be artificially created. If created artificially then they are not as dangerous to the overall biosphere.
Here you will see man-sized drones, creatures a bit larger than a man backing them up, maybe some flying man-sized creatures. It's not huge, there are numbers, but the mass behind it is not large. There are certainly one or two Hive Structures in place somewhere at this point, mostly that will be somewhere out of sight, underground or hidden well.
Surge Factor #2
About 50% more mass than a factor #1. There are a few larger creatures, plenty of numbers still. It's the density rather than individual mass for the second surge factor. You might see some burrowers, maybe a few dozen soldiers. There are probably larger breeding chambers or a very successful seeding and infection for this to come about.
Surge Factor #3
Now we are in more dangerous territory. At this factor, the mass behind the surge will definitely be notable. Large creatures are not as rare. There will Flyers, Burrowers, Predators, you can expect to see a wider ranger of Hive Creatures. The scale increase exponentially.
Surge Factor #4
At this factor, the mass behind the surge will certainly cause a small tremor in the immediate area. Large creatures are common. Almost the entire range of integrated species could show up, including the often gigantic Firstspawn. The hive structures needed to create this terrestrially would be significant. Though it can show up from an asteroid, moon or another biosphere nearby. Most surges are from already existing hive populations.
Surge Factor #5
There has never been a factor 5 or higher surge. The sheer mass of such a thing would likely cause a large area to shake. It would be a very densely packed set of creatures. There would need to be an extensive Hive network to create it or a very large hive biosphere nearby.
Surge Factor #6
A mythical, theoretical surge factor 6 might occur, but this would need to be over a huge area. Maybe a Hive World, if it was threatened, could churn out a Surge Factor 6 to a neighboring moon or planet. It would be as if someone stepped onto a world that was a hive, and the world gnashed its teeth all at once.
Surge Factor is about Mass rather than numbers.
Think of the earthquake scale for the Hive.
The Surge Impulse will always have numbers, else there won't be an impulse to surge, and instead, the Swarm Will remains at work. These can be tiny insects, to leviathans if the Surge is given enough mass and momentum. The numbers themselves are variable given the size or the area of the surge, allowing for it to work in more RP scenarios.
Surge Factor Trivial/Minor
Trivial or Minor surges tend to be artificially created. If the Hive activity is cut off in the early stages of an area, forced out, or loses its food supply suddenly. It can cause a trivial surge to another area. This surge impulse tends to be made up of mostly small insects, maybe hand sized. Minor is much the same, you might see a dog creature, maybe a Hive Node somewhere buried beneath it all giving signals.
Surge Factor #1
The first real Surge, coming about when enough of the ecosystem has been integrated into usually, though they can be artificially created. If created artificially then they are not as dangerous to the overall biosphere.
Here you will see man-sized drones, creatures a bit larger than a man backing them up, maybe some flying man-sized creatures. It's not huge, there are numbers, but the mass behind it is not large. There are certainly one or two Hive Structures in place somewhere at this point, mostly that will be somewhere out of sight, underground or hidden well.
Surge Factor #2
About 50% more mass than a factor #1. There are a few larger creatures, plenty of numbers still. It's the density rather than individual mass for the second surge factor. You might see some burrowers, maybe a few dozen soldiers. There are probably larger breeding chambers or a very successful seeding and infection for this to come about.
Surge Factor #3
Now we are in more dangerous territory. At this factor, the mass behind the surge will definitely be notable. Large creatures are not as rare. There will Flyers, Burrowers, Predators, you can expect to see a wider ranger of Hive Creatures. The scale increase exponentially.
Surge Factor #4
At this factor, the mass behind the surge will certainly cause a small tremor in the immediate area. Large creatures are common. Almost the entire range of integrated species could show up, including the often gigantic Firstspawn. The hive structures needed to create this terrestrially would be significant. Though it can show up from an asteroid, moon or another biosphere nearby. Most surges are from already existing hive populations.
Surge Factor #5
There has never been a factor 5 or higher surge. The sheer mass of such a thing would likely cause a large area to shake. It would be a very densely packed set of creatures. There would need to be an extensive Hive network to create it or a very large hive biosphere nearby.
Surge Factor #6
A mythical, theoretical surge factor 6 might occur, but this would need to be over a huge area. Maybe a Hive World, if it was threatened, could churn out a Surge Factor 6 to a neighboring moon or planet. It would be as if someone stepped onto a world that was a hive, and the world gnashed its teeth all at once.
