Beast Wars RPG

The background of the predacons

Little is known of the origin of the Predacons, beyond their descent from the original Decepticon group of that name.[citation needed] In particular the Decepticon Predacon Divebomb is known to have taken an active role in recruiting several ex-Decepticons following the end of the Great War. They were in existence and at war with the Maximal Imperium prior to the signing of the Pax Cybertronia, at which time most laid down their arms, but a few went rogue.

Organization of predacons

The Predacons, although apparently governed by an organization known as the Predacon Alliance, appear to be a splintered faction. One of the major ruling bodies is the Tripredacus Council, but they may represent only one political voice within the Alliance. The Council keeps its followers pacified under the Pax Cybertronia with the promise of a slow, sly return to power, whispering of a long-term plan to overthrow the Maximals when the time is right. A number of Predacons have expressed dissatisfaction with this approach, leading renegades such as Megatron, Galvatron and Magmatron to recruit private armies of followers and, either covertly or overtly, strike out against the Maximals on their own. All known Beast Wars-era Predacons tend to fall within the arms of these renegade militias, with the exceptions of Tarantulas and Ravage, who were members of the Predacon Secret Police, and the Tripredacus Council itself. It is unknown whether the Predacons have any sort of official standing army or defense force other than this internal Secret Police.

Predacon Secret Police

The Predacon Secret Police is the elite secret police force of the Tripredacus Council. Tarantulas was a lieutenant in the organization, serving as a mole in Megatron's group. Ravage was a covert agent working for the organization, sent by the council to terminate Megatron (and possibly the Maximals).

Tripredacus Council

The Tripredacus Council is one of the many ruling bodies of the fractured Predacon Alliance. They meet in secret in undisclosed locations, and plot the return of the Predacons to glory, though under their terms. They choose to wait and grow strong before attacking, but many Predacons are impatient. This has led to some rogue behavior among the Predacon ranks. One of their agents, Tarantulas (who eventually joined Megatron's ranks) of the Predacon Secret Police, suggests that, like himself and unlike the rest of the Predacons, the Tripredacus Council are not descended from the Decepticons trapped on Earth. Instead, they may have extradimensional origins, being linked to the Cybertronian Empire, or may be, in fact, creations of Unicron himself. The three members of the Tripredacus Council are: General Ram Horn General Sea Clamp General Cicadacon

Pax Cybertronia

The Pax Cybertronia was the unilateral peace accord signed after the Autobots defeated the Decepticons in the Great War. Little is known about how it came into existence, but it is known that Optimus Prime played an incredibly significant role in making it happen.

Members of Megatron's gang

Megatron Terrorsaur Scorponok Tarantulas Waspinator Blackarachnia Dinobot(formerly)

Megatron personality

Megatron began with one goal: restoring glory and power to the Predacon race, with himself at the helm. What distinguishes Megatron from the countless others who share this goal is his chutzpah. He is willing to risk everything—time, space, himself—if need be. And there were times he would have made it happen were it not for Optimus Primal. Megatron is skillful at orchestrating vast schemes by manipulating others into doing them for him—an idle suggestion here, a conspicuously-planted object of interest there. He knows his enemies, and these include some minions, inside and out and exactly how to provoke them. He has no friends, only pawns, or occasionally, pawns that are too reliable to risk losing. Because of this attitude, this superiority complex, he despises working with the very troops he needs to carry out his plans. His hubris does not make him very popular, and so he must rely on power and fear to rule them. In fact, he prefers mindless drones. Megatron is a gambler and can sometimes be a ham. (His manner of saying "Yesss..." is practically vaudevillian.) He has a twisted sense of humor and an over-developed sense of drama which rule everything he conceives, both long and short term. When he destroys you, he wants you to know that it was he who did this, and just how badly you were had. This is his greatest weakness. Like a Bond villain, he'll gladly boast to the hero at length about how smart and clever he was, giving his victim time to formulate a counterattack (he admits the Predacons sometimes gloat too much). He often sabotages himself by neglecting the quick and easy solutions for the bigger, meaner, and more complex. Prior to the signing of the Pax Cybertronia, Megatron was a field commander in the Predacon army, where he learned much about strategy and tactics. Upon ratification of peace with the Maximal Imperium most Predacons laid down their arms. Megatron refused and went rogue.

Megatron appearance

The armor is purple-gray-green-black. The legs are purple-gray-green. On the right hand is a purple tyrannosaurus head that can shoot. The body is purple-black. The breastplate is black and the sides are purple. The helmet is grey, the eyes are red and the faceplate is purple. Transforms into a tyrannosaurus

Scorponok personality

Scorponok's personality seems to have two main features: He's dumb, and he's loyal to Megatron (surprisingly so, considering Megatron's other crew members), and of those two features, only the loyalty seems to be consistent. He tries to serve Megatron to the best of his abilities, but when Waspinator is able to outwit you, there's only so much you have to offer. He is like a classic henchman to a super or regular villain. Scorponok begins as Megatron's second-in-command on the Darksyde, though he is insecure about the title and constantly tries to assert himself among the other Predacons who, aware of his shortcomings, generally dismiss or ignore him. Scorponok's only other real contribution to Megatron's cause is in developing cyber-viruses that he delivers with his cyberbee drone. (This is impressive, actually, given his otherwise limited mentality.) However, these generally don't work out as he hoped, and so they've done little to increase his standing in the eyes of the other Predacons.

Scorpion appearance

The armor is gray and dark purple. The arms are gray and dark purple, and instead of the hands there are two dark purple claws in which there are rocket launchers. The legs are grey. The body is grey. The helmet is gray-yellow. The visor is red. Transforms into a scorpion

Waspinator personality

Waspinator is the universe's whipping boy. If something goes wrong, it happens to him. If something blows up, he's usually at the epicenter of the explosion. He has been blasted, burned, shot down, torn up, crushed, slashed, smashed, bashed, and otherwise reduced to his component parts times beyond counting. Waspinator's not the brightest 'bot in the Beast Wars. Megatron has classified the harebrained Predacon as expendable, much to Waspinator's dismay; he doesn't get much more respect from anyone else, either. His speech quirks don't help: he tends to refer to himself in the third person, and to most other people by nicknames like "cat-bot" and "two-head". He's also a bit too fond of the letter "Z" (those prone to witticisms might say he has a "lizzzzp"). Waspinator may be dumb, but he's not stupid. He has caught on to his lot in life, and tries to avoid his fate as often as possible... but fate always finds him. Thankfully, he's almost supernaturally durable, and has survived the most devastating and humiliating of defeats.

Waspinator appearance

The armor is green-yellow-black. The hands are green. The legs are green-yellow with black stripes. The body is green and white. The helmet is green. The faceted eyes are blue. It transforms into a wasp

Terrorsaur personality

Power-hungry and opportunistic, but distinctly lacking in the courage and intelligence department, Terrorsaur never misses a chance to improve his standing within the Predacons. From cutting deals with Maximals to finding and keeping new power sources for himself, Terrorsaur is always thinking two steps ahead. Unfortunately, the big guns of the Beast Wars are usually thinking at least four steps ahead, and Terrorsaur always ends up on the short end. Terrorsaur, like Starscream before him, had a tendency to defy Megatron's command.

Terrorsaur appearance

armor is gray-red. The hands are white and red. The legs are white and red. The helmet is red and it has a red horn on it. The front plate is white and the eyes are red.

Tarantulas personality

Tarantulas is the scheming mad scientist of the Predacon crew. The type of mad scientist who experiments on living beings, cackling in his trademarked laugh all the while, and then if things go wrong, happily eats what's left as his midday snack. (Considering his appetite, that must happen a lot.) He was one of the Predacons to join Megatron during his theft of the Golden Disc and the search for Earth. In addition to being an utterly psychotic, temperamental, and sadistic sociopath (even by Predacon standards, which is something he appears to wear with pride), Tarantulas has a record for treachery rivaled by few other Transformers. Tarantulas is actually an agent of the Tripredacus Council, which is trying to coax the Beast Wars toward an unspecified goal, where neither Autobot or Decepticon won the Great War. Tarantulas has a particularly notable hatred of the Vok aliens, a hatred strong enough to make him work to eliminate them by any means.

Tarantulas appearance

The armor is purple-green-gray. The legs are purple-green. The arms are green-purple and on the forearms there are four gray spider paws and instead of hands there are purple claws with yellow lines. The head is purple and the visor is yellow. Instead of a mouth, he has three green mandibles. Transforms into a tarantula spider

Blackarachnia personality

A sultry femme fatale, Blackarachnia is smart and dangerous. She's got eight legs, and she knows how to use them. Of the several rebellious Predacons under Megatron's command, she's one of the very few who can, on occasion, outguile him. Always looking out for Number One, Blackarachnia values her independence and freedom above all else. She would rather be deactivated than be a slave. Blackarachnia's greatest weakness, other than her overconfidence, is her feelings for the Maximal. Something about his heroic demeanor and the kindness he shows her makes her uneasy. She hasn't experienced unconditional love before, and it scares her, though she'll never admit it.

Blackarachnia appearance

The armor is black and gold. The hands are black and gold. Instead of brushes, there are black claws with golden lines. The legs are black and gold. The body is black and gold. The helmet is black and gold. The eyes are black. Transforms into a black widow spider.

The background of the maximals

The exact origin of the Maximals has never been fully explained, nor has the time of their emergence as a faction. Dreamwave's The War Within depicts a Maximal symbol in Cybertron's prehistory, and IDW's Beast Wars Sourcebook references Maximal and Predacon conflict before the Pax Cybertronia (thus before the end of the Great War). The Sourcebook also seems to place its versions of 'Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo in this pre-Pax Cybertronia era. Additionally it indicates that Predacons (specifically BB) were being "re-educated" in Maximal prisons during the Great War. At some point, possibly after the Pax Cybertronia had restored peace to Cybertron, the Maximal Upgrade program was introduced. The program emphasized fuel efficiency through downsizing. Many of the surviving Autobots eventually upgraded via bio-tech overhaul and cloistered themselves away, but some few stayed active in Cybertronian society to guide the emerging Maximal faction into the future. The Maximal Elders locked away much information about the Great War (and especially the location of Earth) from the young population, fearing it would re-ignite old grudges or inspire Predacon insurgents to rewrite history using transwarp technology. The theft of the Golden Disk by Megatron, which set in motion the "Beast Wars," occurred approximately 300 years after the end of the Great War.

Physiology of maximals

The Maximals retained many similarities to their Autobot ancestors, and many of the Autobots who underwent the Great Upgrade basically took on smaller, newer versions of their old bodies. The downsized Maximal body was apparently intended mainly for better fuel efficiency and greater durability. There has been some hinting that this was an offshoot of Micromaster technology, which had a similar goal. As was the case with the Autobots before them, Maximal robot modes frequently lack a robot-form flight option, unless a flight mechanism is specifically included or the Maximal has an airborne alternate mode. The greatest and most common innovation of the Maximal era is the development of pseudo-organic Beast Forms, which allow Maximal alternate modes to blend in seamlessly with the organic lifeforms found elsewhere in the universe. This technology, an offshoot of earlier Pretender tech, sheathes the Maximal's alternate form in an artificial organic "skin" and integrates the beast modes instincts into the Maximal's form. While still primarily using Energon for fuel, such Maximals have been shown to be able to eat food like organic creatures, though it is unknown if they require such food to survive or merely as an alternate energy source. The beast mode instincts are integrated to such a degree that they have been able to dominate—if not override—logic circuits on occasion. When Maximals take beast modes, they tend to favor mammals, birds, and fish, though this is not a hard-and-fast rule. At the time of the theft of the Golden Disk, the technology to adopt such forms was reliant on external mechanisms situated in stasis pods and CR chambers. They were mainly used for explorers and military personnel, while the general Maximal population retained classic mechanical body forms.

Organization of maximals

The Maximal Imperium was the state that the Maximals formed. The term "imperium" would imply an empire, though the Maximals have never displayed any militaristic-expansionist inclinations, something more in line with the Predacons. However, it might be speculated that their exploration programs, referenced in Beast Wars and Beast Machines, were a precursor to an expansion-minded colonization program. The Maximal Imperium appeared to invest both legislative and executive power in a bicameral legislature, the Maximal Elders and the High Council. It is unknown what the relationship and division of powers were between the two legislatures, although it appears the Elders were the more senior legislature. Like their Autobot ancestors, the Maximals had a strong belief in democracy, even going so far as to elect their military leaders when unable to communicate with the high command. This could cause problems when there was an even number of voters. Some evidence suggests that the Maximal Elders were more repressive and secretive than strictly necessary. Another powerful political body is the cross-factional Bi-Partate Committee for State Affairs, whose appointed members include both Maximals and Predacons. The Maximals are by nature peaceful, but the realities of the universe still compel them to have armed forces. An elite force of security enforcers, the Maximal Command Security Force, was also established to help keep the peace. Another special group were the Imperial Peace Marshals. Usually the highest rank is Supreme Commander, awarded to Maximals of Convoy status, who are given an Energon Matrix linked to the Vector Sigma supercomputer. The Supreme Commanders answer to the Maximal Elders, and there is some evidence to indicate that the Maximal Elders included former Supreme Commanders.

Maximal society

Not much is known about the Maximal-led, post-Great War Cybertron. There does appear to have been commerce (holo-chips), entertainment (Six Lasers Over Cybertron), and industry. The planetary capital is located in Cybertropolis, a city built over the ruins of old Iacon. The planet is shared with the remainder of the defeated Predacon faction. Many Predacons feel they are living as second-class citizens under a repressive rule. There is some evidence to suggest that Predacon presence on the planet was minimal but this is not confirmed. Regardless, a relative "Cold War" style peace prevailed, with much distrust simmering on either side. Maximals enforced the peace by means of groups such as the Imperial Peace Marshals and the Maximal Command Security Force. We know that the Maximals focused heavily on exploration. Exploration vessels, filled with stasis pods containing newborn protoforms, would search out new planets and seed them with those protoforms, which would assume modes based on the native lifeforms and collect data. Post-war Cybertron experienced a visible boom in scientific and technological curiosity. Some of this curiosity, however, resulted in monsters such as the seemingly immortal and murderous Protoform X.

Members of the Optimus Primal Squad

Optimus Primal Rhinox Cheetor Rattrap Airazor Dinobot

Optimus Primal personality

Young and untested, Optimus Primal was a mere captain of an exploration ship when he and his crew were diverted off-course to pursue a stolen Predacon ship under the leadership of some crook named Megatron. The rest, they say, is (literally) history. Though he does have a penchant for stuffy speeches, Optimus Primal is much more down-to-Cybertron than his legendary namesake. He is committed to the Maximal codes of honor and moral judgment, but he does view them with some irreverence, and is not above finding loopholes or administering unorthodox solutions if necessary. ("Sometimes, crazy works," he says.) He is eternally loyal to his friends and respectful to his enemies. He is brave and selfless in battle. However, he is so committed to helping others that he can withdraw into a deep depression when he feels he has let them down. This is the only time he is self-absorbed.

Optimus Primal appearance

The armor is black-gray-red-blue. The hands are black and gray. The legs are gray-black-red. The body is black-red-gray. The helmet is blue and the eyes are red. There is fur on the arms, torso and legs. Transforms into a gorilla

Rhinox personality

Cheetor was on the mark when he said that Rhinox was the best of them. He's a Renaissance Bot. Intelligent, massive, strong, and stalwart, there are few Maximals one could depend on more. Rhinox is of a rare breed -- he's incredibly tech savvy, but mystically-inclined... without coming off as a burnt-out technohippie. He's quick and decisive in a crisis, with spectacular results, but is slow and steady. He loves to sniff the flowers. A behind-the-scenes charismatic and an on-his-feet strategist, he could lead the Maximals if he wanted to, but he doesn't. If he sounds too good to be true, it's because he just might be. At times he can be borderline obsessive and single-minded. The Maximals are glad that he is on their side, because if he ever had a change of heart, woe be to them. No, woe be to the galaxy. Still, you can't help but love a bot who can fight Megatron to a standstill without breaking a sweat yet would rather take a nap in a patch of daisies. Rhinox considers Rattrap to be his best friend, though he also has a close friendship with Optimus Primal. He appears to have some "older sibling/parental" emotions toward Airazor due to his role in bringing her online.

Rhinox appearance

The armor is gray-green. The hands are gray-green. The legs are gray-green. The body is gray-gold. The helmet is green and gold. The eyes are red and the faceplate is green. Transforms into a rhino

Cheetor personality

Full of youthful overconfidence. Cheetor is also the fastest Maximal on four legs, so he gets into way too much trouble. Thankfully, Optimus Primal keeps a steady eye on him. In return, Cheetor has grown to idolize Primal, whom he calls "Big Bot." Optimus Primal knows the young and inexperienced Cheetor needs a good role model, so he doesn't mind too much.

Cheetor appearance

The armor is yellow and blue, and there are black spots on the yellow areas. His hands are yellow and blue. The legs are blue-yellow. The helmet is yellow and the face plate is blue. The eyes are green. On the body is the head of a cheetah. Transforms into a cheetah

Rattrap personality

It's not so much that Rattrap is a coward... he just doesn't want to die. He's seen enough battles to know the score, so he's not afraid to tell his commanding officer to shove it if he's not fond of the odds. He prefers to sneak around unseen, in gutters or trenches or trash barges or what have you—whatever keeps him out of harm's way. He shouldn't be so worried. When he does encounter conflict, he deals with it masterfully with the arsenal of guns and bombs he keeps on himself at all times. He feels naked without them. It's hard to like Rattrap, especially if you're his commanding officer. He's sarcastic, irreverent, and rude. Plus he smells (why he smells is a mystery). He's also not the most trusting or forgiving sort, so he's not the best choice to take on a diplomatic run. He'd sooner shoot a Predacon or Decepticon than talk to him. Rattrap would rather be exploring space than blasting Predacons.

Rattrap appearance

The armor is gray-brown. The hands are brown. The legs are grey-brown. The body is brown and the head of a rat is on the chest. The helmet is brown and the eyes are red. Transforms into a rat. The smallest of the maximals team

Airazor personality

Primarily used for recon and surveillance due to her aerial alternate mode, Airazor's talents are a great asset to the Maximal cause. She's calm and confident, but also adventurous and brave, with a healthy supply of dry humor. Her aerial skill in either mode, incredibly sharp eyesight and steady aim make her a dangerous opponent. Due to the circumstances of her "birth," she sees Rhinox as something of an uncle-figure and Cheetor as the sibling she never had.

Airazor appearance

Armor is gray-brown-black. The arms are black and brown. The legs are gray-brown-black. The body is black. The helmet is brown-black. The eyes are green. The face plate is gray. Transforms into a falcon. The only woman in the maximal team.

Dinobot personality

Dinobot is a Predacon turned Maximal ruled by honor. He lives to die gloriously in battle. When he aided Megatron in the theft of the Golden Disk under the order of Cryotek, Dinobot believed he was in the pursuit of endless glory. But when he and his Predacon peers of the Darksyde crashed on what seemed to be the wrong planet alongside a Maximal exploration vessel, the Axalon, he rebelled against Megatron and joined the Maximal team, giving them a tactical advantage against his former side. As such, he is the only Maximal with a dinosaur for an animal form. It would be an uneasy alliance (especially from Rattrap), fraught with turns of loyalty and turns of Shakespearean phrase. But it also led to strong friendships and even the salvation of all humanity.

Dinobot appearance

The armor is brown-blue-gray. The legs are brown. The hands are brown-beige. The body is brown-beige. The front plate is blue, and the helmet is beige-yellow. Transforms into a Velociraptor

Darksyde

The Darksyde (sometimes Darkside) is the name of the Predacon vessel that Megatron's troops "borrowed" to get to Earth after he stole the Golden Disk. Terrorsaur named her, though Waspinator wanted to call her the "Buzzerbot". Megatron didn't care either way. After it crashed on prehistoric Earth.

Axalon

The Axalon is a Maximal exploration vessel whose mission was to explore and survey uninhabited worlds, seeding them with stasis pods so that those Transformers within could adopt the appearance of local lifeforms and conduct research undisturbed. However, she was called upon to intercept and pursue a stolen Predacon starship, and was subsequently never heard from again by her superiors.

Golden Disk

The Golden Disk from the Voyager probe is a recurring object throughout the Beast Wars. It plays a major role in the escalation of the conflict between the Maximals and the Predacons and leads to the death of Dinobot. It is eventually destroyed, but the Predacon leader, Megatron, recovers one of the shards and uses it to escape capture at the hands of a Cybertronian government agent.

Beast Wars

The Beast Wars are the melodramatically-named battles between Optimus Primal's Maximals and Megatron's Predacons on prehistoric Earth. Originally an isolated conflict between the stranded Maximals and Predacons over territory and energon, the conflict gradually became an event that would affect not only the future of the Transformers, but also the very fabric of space and time.