Rowa Gelfighter Suit (World Guide, Biogel Body Mod) (Patreon)

Not wanting to be left out of the shiny black promotion machine that is the Biogel Games, the combined rowa hives decided to field three teams to represent the three rowa prefectures of the Fey’li Empire. These teams would fill their ranks from volunteers recruited from the Empire’s other prefectures. In order to ensure that the volunteers would never be able to escape their new roles as glossy representatives of the hives, the rowa commissioned Gelitech to craft special new team uniforms in the style of a rowa worker-drone’s body.

Rowa gelfighter suits look like headless, hollowed out rowa worker-drone bodies made of shiny biogel. The suit’s segmented, off-white body and upper legs are thick, with a firm, jelly-like consistency. The black arms and lower legs are a bit more flexible. The only obvious way to enter the suit is through the tight neck, which will only give way for someone who is quite insistent of pushing their legs into the opening.

Donning a rowa gelfighter suit is quite a chore, though the act, in and of itself, doesn’t make one a gelfighter. The suit will invade available body orifices just like any other biogel suit, dealing with body wastes and seeing to any other mandatory anatomical functions which a solid biogel coating might interfere with. Outside of this, however, the suit is actually almost completely inert. A rowa gelfighter suit can be activated, however, by either wearing it too long, or via deliberate action.

Taking a rowa gelfighter suit off is just as much a chore as putting it on, and often requires assistance to get the neck to relax and open up sufficiently for an exit. The temptation to leave the suit on for an extended period is significant, but if it’s worn for longer than 48 hours, there is a rapidly rising chance that it will activate. During the first 4 hours after the 48, there is a 1% chance of activation. This chance doubles after every successive 4 hour period. Activation is assured after 80 hours have passed beyond the first 48.

However activation occurs, the results are the same. The biogel of the suit subsumes the wearer’s entire body below the neck, permanently transforming it into its own substance in the fashion of a biogel body mod. This takes between 5 and 10 seconds to complete. Once done, the new gelfighter’s body, below the nape of their neck/jaw, is left as a genderless biogel insectoid. There are several detail variations of the final transformation that come in three ‘levels’ or tiers of relative power. These allow the gelfighters to fight in various ways without needing to resort to technological biogel projector weapons.

The high level ‘captain’ form is reserved exclusively for a Glitter Team’s current Captain. Glitter Team Captains are recruited exclusively from the veteran ranks of the other Biogel Games teams. Only those who have survived a match can volunteer. The form’s transformation leaves the subject’s head completely intact. The weapon formed during the transformation is a staff who’s glistening black biogel tip can transform a touched opposing team gelfighter into a new rowa gelfigther of any mid or low level type. In addition, during matches, the Captain grows four long insectoid ‘legs’ from her back, each of which can transform a touched opposing team gelfighter into a low-level ‘kisser’.

The high level ‘shaman’ form is reserved for only the most willing and enthusiastic volunteers. The resulting transformation is outwardly similar to that of the Captain type, minus the long legs that appear during matches. The shaman’s staff weapon works in a similar fashion, but can only transform opposing team gelfighters into low-level ‘kissers’. The transformation also includes a shield that, unlike the rest of the shaman’s body, is immune to the touch of non-rowa gel pellets.

The mid tier ‘blaster’ form is applied to those volunteers who are quite willing, but also equally nervous. The transformation includes a rowaform ‘mask’ and antennae. The mask reconfigures the subject’s brain, rendering them totally subservient to the shaman they’ve been assigned to by the team Captain. The ‘blaster’ is provided with a mid-range automatic pellet projector that extends from the right forearm. This can project between 5-8 pellets per second out to a range of 40 meters.

The mid-tier ‘long-shot’ form is provided to individuals who are enthusiastic but cautious. It is outwardly identical to the ‘blaster’ save for the very different form of pellet projector. This has a long right forearm protrusion connected to a large bulb attached to the upper arm. This bulb can be suddenly contracted to propel a single biogel pellet up to 100 meters, once every 3 seconds or so, with a very high degree of accuracy.

The mid-tier ‘masked shaman’ form is provided to enthusiastic and willing volunteers when the team’s quota of shamans is already full. The form is that of a shaman, but with a mask and antennae. They have the same staff, and the same sized shield. They are as subservient as any other mid or low tier Team Glitter gelfighter, but can be tasked to lead up to four other mid-tier gelfighters, or up to a dozen low-tier gelfighters with a reasonable level of competency.

The mid-tier ‘popper’ form is provided to individuals judged to be sufficiently enthusiastic and aggressive. It is identical to the ‘blaster’ suit, save for the very different form of pellet projector. The right forearm is surrounded by an irregular set of between 8 and 12 projectors, with tubes leading to a large upper arm bulb like that of the ‘long shot’. This bulb can be suddenly contracted to propel a full salvo of pellets in a narrow cone, out to 20 meters, once every second or so.

The mid-tier ‘sprayer’ form is provided to individuals who are judged to be enthusiastic and possessed of a sufficiently well endowed chest for maximum tactical potential. It is more or less identical to the ‘blaster’ suit, but has biogel spray nozzles on both lower arms. Both upper arms have large bulbs like the ‘long-shot’. When the bulbs contract, the nozzles spray gobs of biogel in a wide cone out to a range of 10 meters, once every 2 seconds or so.

The low-tier ‘artillerist’ form is provided to a portion of the average volunteers. This form is a basic body with mask and antennae. It is capable of entering into a state of rapport with Team Glitter heavy weapons installations, allowing them to fire them with the same level of accuracy as normal gelfighters with normal Biogel Games heavy weapons. Beyond this ability, the only attacks an ‘artillerist’ can make are the kiss and spit attacks provided by its masked face.

The low-tier ‘kisser’ form is the form that nearly all Glitter Team weapons impose on opposing team gelfighters when hit. It is also the form provided to individuals selected to join a Glitter Team during mid-game events. It looks identical to an ‘artillerist’, but lacks it’s heavy weapons affinity. It’s only attacks are to kiss or spit at an opposing gelfighter.

The low-tier ‘phalanx’ form is provided to average volunteers who’ve been selected to form special melee/shield wall squads. They appear identical to ‘masked shamans’, with larger shields and much longer staves.

The low-tier ‘pocker’ form is the ‘normal’ transformation applied to most volunteers. They appear identical to a ‘kisser’ with small pellet projectors on each forearm. These can fire 6-10 pellets per second out to a range of 25 meters.

The low-tier ‘slopper’ form is provided to those who’s willingness to join a Glitter Team is judged to be motivated by suspect causes. They appear identical to a ‘kisser’ with small nozzle like protrusions on each forearm. These can slop biogel onto nearby opposing team members, out to a range of 2 meters, once every 2 seconds or so.

In addition to their type based weapons, all ‘masked’ rowa gelfighters can spit a gob of biogel at a nearby opposing gelfighter. The range of this attack is 1 meter, and can be made once every 3 seconds or so. Masked gelfighters can also attempt to attach a target by kissing them on the mouth.

Glitter Team gelfighters that have biogel firing weapons have a limited ammunition capacity. This comprises the volume of biogel contained in each gelfighter’s breasts. Ammunition can be refilled at home base stations provided during Biogel Game matches involving the Glitter Teams, and from sucking on ammunition canisters found throughout the arena.

When a rowa gelfighter is hit by an opposing team’s biogel pellets, they transform into a buggy-gummy rather than a normal gummy. They are the rough size of an average humanoid, but their heads are completely transformed into glistening biogel versions of the rowa worker.

Wearing a rowa gelfighter suit, pre or post activation, has a few limited benefits beyond the Biogel Games. Wearers are immune to the transformation effect of rowa ‘bug juice’, and will generally be treated as rowa by other rowa. Wearers are also permitted to visit a rowa world without being required to join the local hive. This has made the suits useful to diplomats and explorers who might be willing to exchange the majority of their flesh and blood in exchange to explore rowa worlds and stay intact enough to leave and tell the tale.

There is no set price for rowa gelfighter suits. They can be found for anywhere between free and a thousand credits depending on the circumstances. There is no way to control the end result of any given suit’s transformation. It’s entirely down to how much the wearer actually likes the idea of joining a Glitter Team. Rowa hives are aware of the location of every new gelfighters, and will ensure that they eventually make their way into one of the Glitter Teams, or use them for recruiting or other purposes. Shamans are given more freedom, so long as they use at least some of it to help advance rowa interests.