After taking this strain the carrier would lose the ability to carry regular facehuggers, but instead transform them into infectors-huggers(or maybe carrier could grow the plasma-like bag on it’s back that contains sort of enzymes, viruses?) for a high cost for example 100% of plasma + x amount of the enzyme.
The key ability of this strain would be mutating/reviving a PERMA-ONLY body into the Infectoid xenomorph. Basically a xeno-zombie.
The Infectoids could be additional grunts/meatshields for the xenomorphs or maybe mutate into more complex creatures(can be discussed a lot of their possible abilities)
Once a body has been mutated into the Infectoid they would either instantly respawn if a player didn’t leave their body forever or can be played by join as a xeno/join as a freed mob/or maybe adding another button like the join as hugger - join as Infectoid.
Colonists bodies(some of them are not bursted) that spawn roundstart could be used to mutate into the Infectoids as well(though the cooldown on the ability should be like 1+ minute)
The unique enzyme that mutates huggers(or just exists in carrier) could be gathered passively, by slashing talls and maybe by new abilities, something like plague-spit that will be similar to the sentinel neurospit, but modified? Perhaps it could be stacked on a human(like 5 spits or more) to deal with some brute/burn/radiation/genetic/??? damage.
Possibly, necromancer/infestor could also support the living xenomorphs by somehow buffing them(maybe just Strong pheromones)
Pros:
It will allow people to keep participating in the round, so they don’t wait in the larva queue for hours(playing as the Infectoid won’t move you back into the queue like huggers I think).
That would look extremely terrifying seeing your dead real comrades marching towards you.
And marines would actually care to recover the dead bodies to prevent such things from happening.
Basic carrier is currently not really good xenomorph(in my opinion)
Cons:
Needs to be coded(tho the regular zombies code could be merged into this and a little bit changed)
Marines need to recover bodies(don’t think it’s trouble?)
While necromancers/summoners are my favorite class in most games because I’m a lazy jackass who can’t aim: I do see some issues with this right away.
A bad OB, failed murderball, or the classic “the round fizzeled-out and hour in and now people are dying in groups of 1-3 walking into caves alone” result in a lot of perma bodies. While I think the idea of an existential threat of 20-40 dead marines raising from the dead to join the Xeno horde . . . that is a bad fit for current balance.
Taking notes from existing balance and castes, I think the best interpretation of this would be
The Carrier is able to ‘possess’ bodies, enabling them to channel an ability on a perma corpse and switch their controls and camera to this body. No matter what happens: when it dies, the corpse’s head explodes.
The body is connected to the Necromancer with a cord similar to telephones and IV cables. This allows some counterplay, as otherwise you have a disposable set of eyes to scout, health to soak bullets, and claws to slash that came from who knows how far away. Boilers, ravagers, and Praetorians have similar “I am going to do the special move now and am over here” indicators. This further supports drones building defensive structures to hide the Necromancer, or a few Xenos defending the Necromancer.
You can only revive bodies with heads. A zombie’s head explodes when it dies. This prevents the obnoxious chore that will inevitably come from marines feeling the need to decapitate every one of their dead fellows to prevent resurrection, which isn’t exactly High Roleplay.
“Free spawns”, like huggers, serve a support purpose in the hive. While it’s a bummer to die 30 minutes into a round and to be blocked from playing humans for the rest of the round, it’s a part of the gameplay loop. My worry with zombies - not known for their restraint in tearing victims apart - is that you’ll have a bunch of murder-hungry dead marine players in a role that doesn’t lend well to the necessity of Capture Gameplay for Xenomorphs. Restricting it to the Carrier will ensure that they at least have the common interest of growing the hive, assisting her sisters, and is subject to the queen’s will.
With the larva nerf this sounds mega based for xenos to get meat shields as the round goes on, but it would definitely be a “lose more” scenario causer without making dead infectoids valuable for super drugs to compensate
