# Xeno Quest: Alien Factions
This is an outline for the enemy roster of Xeno Quest. It is meant to
include all 20 of Boom's map-placeable "monster" Things plus the Player.
## Spacer Mercenaries
Hired by warlords or working for themselves to plunder items of value,
these are soldiers for hire divided into strategic ranks of Grunt,
Commando, Gunner, and Sentry. Being on no particular side, they'll
often oppose each other on the battlefield and mistrust each other as
often as they work together. Spacers have a physiology that evolved to
protect vital organs from vacuum and other harsh environments.
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## Splicer Mutants
Genetically modified creatures designed to serve in an army or wait in
ambush.
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## Nek'raal Revenants
Former members and servants of the now-defunct Nek'raal empire, who
seeded the galaxy with their minions centuries ago.
The Summoner manufactures Deadflare swarms. It deploys a single
Deadflare at a time, intending to overwhelming its enemies over time.
Destroying it will release any Deadflare inside that were being
manufactured, but it will not be making any more after that.
A large swarm of Deadflare near a source of Thanatos may be able to
create a new Summoner, thereby ensuring their continued existence.
Descended from the ancient imperial Nek'raal race, the Necromancer is
revered by all species on the battlefield. Even war constructs will not
knowingly harm these creatures. A Necromancer will often fortify a
strategic location and raise an army, supporting their gathered warriors
by reviving them if they are felled. However, this proud magician will
not hesitate to destroy any creature that attacks it by casting a
devastating fire bomb.
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## Bru'al Warriors
Incredibly resilient warriors of the Bru'al species, the Painbringer is
biotechnically enhanced with armor, weapons, and dense musculature. They
often fight in pairs, and can even work together in large groups or
under the command of the stronger Pain Lords. They can fight in close
quarters using a scratch attack, but they favor their long-range comet
launchers. Pain Bringers and Pain Lords will not knowingly attack one
another, and they are immune to each other's projectiles.
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## Virtrex Constructs
Powerful cybernetic war machines created by Virtrex warmongers.
Simple programming causes the Walker and the Tripod to attack anything
identified as a threat, and advanced armor makes them immune to
indirect damage from explosives. The Walker is armed with a vulcan
cannon, while the Tripod attacks with a rocket launcher.
A smaller version of the large Walker is the Miniwalker, equipped with
an ion cannon and deployed in greater numbers.
The Flamethrower is large construct equipped with dual flamethrowers.
Esperpods are creatures kept in suspended animation and are used to
form a security network using ESP. Destroying all of them will unlock
the way forward.
A Battle Brain is a super-intelligent war coordinator. Destroying it is
a key objective in any battle where it is present.
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## Unafilliated
These units have no particular faction affiliation and can be found
alone or among the ranks of an army.
A Space Ranger travels the galaxy in search of contract work. Rather
than serving as a military contractor like Spacer Mercenaries, the
Space Ranger usually works alone, often taking on hordes of enemies
with skill and grit.
Not much is known about the Dark Ranger, who often waits in ambush
either alone or in groups. They roam the galaxy after their own
enigmatic purposes, and are capable combatants. They can fire guided
and unguided lava rockets, but will often switch tactics and close to
melee range striking with their fists, only to counterattack with a
devastating close-range rocket.