(brainstorming) Wild Mutations

[Rali]

I see a lot of people posting and requesting new animal templates for playable mutants, but not much in the way of mutated creatures that players might bump into in the wild.

I'd like to start a discussion that where we can brainstorm on the kind of wild mutants that might players might stumble upon in the wilderness, or even in urban settings.

OmegaGirl did a great job in her article on the City of Philly with some of the interesting things that can be found in the Philly like the Razor Rats, Phage, Glow Bugs and Fire Thorn Vines.

Please share some of the wild things you've tossed into your games or share an idea of something you might like to see.

One of the wild creatures I've tossed into my games is a large insect that has the ability of Mind Trapping a sleeping victim and them plant its eggs in their body. Very nasty, but also entertaining.

[Rali]

Oh dear. I didn't think Earth would hit full on Mutagen Planet stage until hundreds of years later.

I'm not thinking on that level. Though I'm sure that there would be a number of "interesting"creatures that were created during the "golden age" that made it into the wild and survived or evolved or changed after the Crash.

There are sure to be some animals that were mutated by the virus, or other means, into new beastly species that roam the wilderness. These would be creatures that retained their 'animal intelligence', or might be considered 'alien intelligence' in the case of some insects or hive mentalities.

Here's a link to some of the creatures I've posted in my blog: LINK.

[Fubarius]

The absence of a large human population will leave some big holes for both natural evolution, and virus enhanced evolution to fill. Us wacky humans are by and large the top predator in our environment, so without us something else will have to take up the slack since the sentient mutant animal population isn't high enough yet. I imagine a lot of new predators, and improved versions of existing predators.

For example the mutant Tiger Muskie I posted a while back. A tiger muskie is a natural occuring fish crossbreed between a muskie and a northern pike. It's easier to breed in captivity than a full muskie, so they're often stocked as gamefish in lakes and rivers. I imagine these mutating to basically take on the roll of a waters edge ambush predator, similar to an aligator.

Tiger Muskie
Size Level: 19 (long)
Height: 2.5ft at the middle of body
Length: 13ft+ mouth to tail
Weight: 1000 - 1800 pounds
Hit Points: 2d6+20
SDC: 2D6x10
Horror Factor: 12 if spotted, 17 when you're being ambushed
Psionics: None
Partial Quadruped: -3 to strike, dodge, and initiative when on land
Attacks Per Melee: 3 (plus see predator burst)
Damage: Bite does 3d6+10 and doesn't let go, needing a combined strength of 20 (15 crushing) to pry apart, thrash/head butt/tail swipe (imagine a thrashing fish) does 2d6+5.
Bonuses: +5 initiative when ambushing (in addition to predator burst), +3 to strike for first round in ambush, +2 while in water (yes, that's +5 if ambushing while target is in water), +3 dodge while in water. Tiger muskies will not stop attacking until either they or their prey is unconscious or dead.
Natural Abilities: Predator burst, Leaping similar to feline leaping from water, Advanced Smell while in water, Advanced Hearing while in water
Average Life Span: unknown, possibly quite long lived
Value: $100 worth of meat (some consider it a delicacy). $500 for a stuffed trophy mount.
Habitat: Large lakes and rivers in the Midwest. A constant fear on the upper Mississippi river, St. Croix river, and Great Lakes. Sailors on the Great Lakes trade stories of even larger specimens over 30 feet long. Whether this is truth or tall tail is debatable (and potential campaign material)
Notes: Tiger muskies, while sterile, are more common than expected. Large numbers were stocked in lakes and rivers in the midwest as sport fish before the crash, and some believe that most mutant tiger muskies are infact these same stocked fish, now mutated and now extremely long lived.


I also see domesticated pets and livestock taking taking over niches filled by native wild animals. Large herds of cattle grazing accross the plains, wild sheep and pigs foraging in the forests, and so on.

Here's a wacky idea. Right now there are tons of housecats who have never eaten real meat, that haven't hunted. Infact, a housecat with out the natural hunting instincts could be seen as desireable. So a altered herbavorus cat could be engineered. After the crash they could continue to be altered by the mutation virus and natural selection, leading to a large sheep sized cat roaming the forest eating plants. But if it's threatened, or maybe if you're caught cutting down it's favorite food, those long dormant predator instincts could kick in again.

[Rali]

If you like mutant fishies, take a look at these guys and consider what they might mutate into...

http://icantseeyou.typepad.com/my_weblo ... es-of.html

[glitterboy2098]

Oh dear. I didn't think Earth would hit full on Mutagen Planet stage until hundreds of years later.
Hmm.

the "crash" virus had a full copy of the human genome (presumably in RNA form). a lot of huamn DNA is "junk" DNA related to bits of biology left over from our evolutionary anscestors.

as we know from experiments, placing bits of DNA into different parts of the genome can get some wierd results.

with most humans dead or otherwise immune (lets assume that it was coded to only infect once and leave a "tag" to prevent it from reinfecting), the period in which the virus could spread is limited to how long uninfected remain. thus why the crash isn't an ongoing thing in ATB.

still leaves plenty of time for lots of odd creatures combining human and animal DNA in ways other than the anthromorphic mutants. combine this with "experiments" done by kids with gene sequencers, "designer pets", and all the radioactive fallout, you have a setting primeed for some odd animals.


(i figure the "mutagen planet" is probably the result of the EoH or other such group trying out dr. Wilbur vincent's "Virus cocktail" solution to the "animal mutation problem". a flawed set of virii end up creating a constant set of mutations rather than just effecting the already mutated...)