Chrysalis

Attack

A chrysalis attacks by directing a blast of psionic energy that can temporarily paralyse a soldier.

Range: 35 metres
Damage: 120
Damage type: paralyse

Defence

Soft: 15%
Universal: 35%
Hard: 60%
Burn: 0%
Laser: 45%
Plasma: 0%
Warp: 75%
Paralyse: 75%

Health: 1,500 hit points

Distribution

This species can be found in any terrain that has not been swallowed up by the Biomass, and it first appears when the Area-51 mission appears on the map. It is too big to be encountered in the second stage of an establish base mission.

Tactical notes

This is a jelly like species that uses its psionic ability to float through the air. If you look carefully, you can see that the nucleus of a chrysalis is a mummified human.

A chrysalis attacks by directing a blast of psionic energy towards a soldier. If it is successful, that soldier will be temporarily paralysed, but otherwise unharmed. How long a soldier remains paralysed depends on his psionic ability – the higher the ability, the less time it takes to shrug off the effects. Given time, the soldier will shrug off the effects and will be able to take part in the rest of the mission.

This will probably be the first time in the game that you experience the paralyse attack. The only thing you can do is to protect a soldier until he recovers – he will not respond to medikits or psi-projectors.

Although a chrysalis cannot actually harm a soldier, it is highly dangerous when it works with other transgenant species. A paralysed soldier cannot fight or retreat, and is therefore vulnerable to other forms of attack. Also, the rest of the squad will be less able to fight off other transgenants.

Hard rounds are ineffectual against the tissue of a chrysalis, but most other weapons work well. Hybrid plasma rifles in particular will give one shot kills.

A chrysalis can be captured alive, but it is too big to be carried. A chrysalis will become unconscious when its health is reduced to 500 hit points or below, 33% of the starting total.