Sniping Xiticix

[Axelmania]

These guys are a big threat and the longest-range rifles I know of are 4000 feet like the JA-9 which the Xiticix are able to match. So unless you have flying titans with medium range missiles, the disposable 10 mile missile gun, glitter boys, tanks, aircraft, bots, artillery or similar, you can't out-range these guys, so you need to be able to disable them very quickly.

For that reason, what is the best way of doing it?

The only ways I know can disable the Xiticix from shooting at you are shooting off the arm holding the gun or killing it by depleting the main body. No MDC is given for the head or the hand so I don't know if they're even targetable.

Shooting off the arm is only a temporary fix since warriors have 3 others to pick it up with. 5 if a super-warrior.

Killing a Xiticix is also kind of temporary since if they're working in groups another one could pick up the gun and use it.

Are the TK rifles ever assigned MDC? I'm wondering if I should just use the guidelines in the conversion book for energy rifles... they look pretty sturdy though so I'm wondering if I should use the top amount for heavy energy. The WP skills the Xiticix have are "WP Energy" and it doesn't specify 'rifle' or 'heavy'. Even though it's technically a 'rifle' based on the size I want to say heavy, kind of like that 'uses a whole e-clip' gun in South America.

Blinding the Xiticix might also work. A good strategy if you had a low-damage gun, I guess. Shooting out the eyes doesn't prevent them from shooting, but would reduce their accuracy. It takes several shots but then so would shooting off their arms.

I get possibly ignoring hand shots (maybe the weapons are designed to guard the hand?) but it really seems like Xiticix should have MDC for the head to know how much it takes to kill them that way. It's pretty strange they get MDC for the eyes but not the head...

Is this maybe clarified somewhere outside of Xiticix Invasion in some Rifter errata? It seems pretty important for winning sniper exchanges with Xiticix using TK rifles.

[Alrik Vas]

A good guess for head MDC is a -3 called shot and about a third of their total.

[kaid]

If you snipe anything snipe the gun is probably the best bet. Otherwise you blow the arm off holding it another is simply going to pick it up and use it. Generally though xiticix are not super high on the MDC levels their big danger is quantity so area effect weapons and hard hitting weapons are the best bets rather than sniping. Sniping has problems in that when they are swarming there are so many cutting some limbs off is of minimal usefulness on critters with that many arms.

[Axelmania]

If they swarm I'd just run off, a high speed hovercycle would do the job.

I'm beginning to wonder if there might be some amplified higher-speed Xiticix out there to explain why people don't ruin them with guerilla tactics, like maybe the Gene Splicers making some sonic-speed rarities lurking in some hives for special occasions.

1/3 sounds reasonable. I'm sure there was probably % for parts general rules in SOME errata.

Would 50 MDC be reasonable for disabling the TK rifle? Maybe give it 100 MDC total but below 50 it fails to work?

I'm thinking a Digger's resin could enact minor repairs (maybe 10% MDC) but a Young Queen would be needed to do advanced repairs beyond simple patch jobs.

[Alrik Vas]

Most rifles have about 10-15 or so MDC

[kaid]

If they swarm I'd just run off, a high speed hovercycle would do the job.

I'm beginning to wonder if there might be some amplified higher-speed Xiticix out there to explain why people don't ruin them with guerilla tactics, like maybe the Gene Splicers making some sonic-speed rarities lurking in some hives for special occasions.

1/3 sounds reasonable. I'm sure there was probably % for parts general rules in SOME errata.

Would 50 MDC be reasonable for disabling the TK rifle? Maybe give it 100 MDC total but below 50 it fails to work?

I'm thinking a Digger's resin could enact minor repairs (maybe 10% MDC) but a Young Queen would be needed to do advanced repairs beyond simple patch jobs.

The problem with this is once you kill enough the xiticix start getting hyper aggressive and swarming. It is one reason the CS has been careful how they engage them because once you start going attacking them often enough they start swarming and eventually just start rampaging. The CS figures if they ever start it it could quickly turn into an all out war of annihilation either they exterminate the xiticix or they in turn get over run.

so while you can do a lot of damage to them using high speed or high altitude attacks you run the strong danger of not being able to do enough damage that way. And if you can't do enough damage that way eventually the swarms lashing out everywhere starts hitting places you control that cannot run away at high speed.

[Axelmania]

The way I figure, you fly high and bypass the hives closest to you and assault the hives further north. Then the northern hives swarm and attack the southern hives, who respond by moving their forces north, making you safer and depleting both hives.