Gene-Hound (Genetic Chimera)

[Rali]

Gene-Hound (Genetic Chimera)
http://is.gd/kRWi
[Revised March 2, 2009]

The Gene-Hound is a transgenic chimera blend of Wolf, Blood Hound, and Rottweiler with a specially designed extra-sensory organ, a sort of bio-computer, tied into several of the gene-hound's other senses and organs (sinuses, lungs, taste buds, and skin) that it uses to sense and track transgenic mutants.

Before the Crash, scientists and law enforcement agencies utilized these hounds to track down genetically modified plants, animals, and humans that had escaped into the wild. A few other animals were gengeneered with the gene-hound's extra-sensory organ, but only the Gene-Hounds were known to survive the Big Death.

The Empire of Humanity military will often bring a gene-hound along on raids to pick out any mutant animals that may be trying to hide themselves as wild animals, or use them to track down any escaped military and/or political prisoners.

Size Level: 6
Build: Medium

Mutant Changes & Costs
Total BIO-E: 20, for Animal Psionics and Powers only.
Attribute Bonuses: +4 I.Q., +3 P.S., Brute Strength +3 M.E. and +5 Spd.

Human Features
Hands: Partial.
Biped: Partial.
Speech: Partial.
Looks: None. Appears to be a very thick and solid hound, with a large short snouted skull that is a cross between Rottweiler a Bloodhound, without the jowls, and with the erect ears and yellow eyes of a wolf. Their coat is medium length and consists of a waterproof undercoat and a coarse top coat. The fur is normally black with mahogany patches, but some variations have been know; light gray or a dark brown, or the very rare red.

Natural Weapons:
Automatically gets 1D6 Damage Canine Teeth
Automatically gets 1D4 Damage Running Claws
5 BIO-E for 1D6+1 Running Claws
5 BIO-E for 1D8+d Damage Canine Teeth
10 BIO-E for 2D6+4 Damage Canine Teeth

Unique Mutant Animal Powers:
Mutation Sense (Special!). This ability is automatic and constant, the gene-hound can sense the presence of mutant animals in close proximity.
Range: 15 feet, +5 feet per level of experience.
Base Skill: 60%, +3% per level of experience.

In addition, much like the Cell Reader, the hound can sense the genetic structure of an animal, human, or plant by coming in contact with some fragment of the subject (tissue, blood, seeds, etc.). The character can identify the type of animal from which it has evolved, as well as any genetic modifications or mutations and added genes from other species. The gene-hound can even identify a Shifter Mouse in disguise.

Gene-Track (Special!). Like a souped-up Bloodhound, by sampling some fragment of the target (tissue, blood, pollen, etc.) the hound can track and identify specific mutants over great distances.
Base Skill: 60%, +5% per level of experience. Roll once per hour to stay on track.

Mutant Animal Powers:
Automatically gets Advanced Smell.
5 BIO-E for Advanced Hearing
10 BIO-E for Advanced Taste
10 BIO-E for Leaping Standard
15 BIO-E for Beastly Strength
5 BIO-E for Extra Intelligence Quotient
10 BIO-E for Extra Mental Endurance
5 BIO-E for Extra Physical Endurance
5 BIO-E for Extra Physical Prowess
10 BIO-E for Extraordinary Speed
10 BIO-E for Predator Burst
10 BIO-E for Internal Compass

Animal Psionics:
Most Gene-Hounds tend to have few, if any, psionics.

Vestigial Disadvantages:
Automatically gets Domestication
-5 BIO-E for taking Color Blind
-5 BIO-E for taking Vestigial Tail
-5 BIO-E for taking Vestigial Ears
-10 BIO-E for taking Diet: Carnivore

[Rali]

This Chimera was inspired by this recent news story: http://is.gd/k1ua

"It's official: genes from genetically modified corn have escaped into wild varieties in rural Mexico. A new study resolves a long-running controversy over the spread of GM genes and suggests that detecting such escapes may be tougher than previously thought."

When I read the article, I had this idea of genetically augmented bloodhounds that could track down GMO plants and animals.

[Rathorc Lemenger]

Would you be so kind as to write down the looks (other than have None) so we could know what it'd look like, it'd be greatly apprecaitive.

Signed,
Rathorc Lemenger.

[glitterboy2098]

so how does it manage to "smell" the target's DNA?

blood hounds have sensitive noses capable of picking up faint scents, which are caused by oils, chemicals, etc from the living body. (if you wanted ot make a super smeller, bloodhounds aren't the best place to start. the turkey vulture on the otherhand...)


DNA is made of 4 base chemicals, attached to a 'sugar' molecule. call it five base chemicals adding in RNA. you might be able to engineer something to smell these chemicals, but identifying the genetical modified vs. the natural isn't possible with that, since the chemicals are the same, but the sequence changes, and as i doubt i have to tell you, that sequence is the thing you'd be looking for.

and engineering some tracer into the GM organisms wouldn't work either, because in natural vs. GM crossbreeds, there is always the chance the tracer would carry over, but the other traits won't, or the traits will and the tracer won't.

the psionic ability to read DNA might explain this tracking ability, but should be mentioned as being related ot the animal psionic power if so...(and ideally, mention of how it baffled geneticst's could be worked in..)

[Rali]

Would you be so kind as to write down the looks (other than have None) so we could know what it'd look like, it'd be greatly apprecaitive.

It looks liek a cross between a Wolf, Rotweiller, and Blood Hound. Haha. I'll work on a description when I have some more free time.

so how does it manage to "smell" the target's DNA?

You've probably heard how some dogs are able to smell cancer in people. Well, this is taking it a step further. Gengeneers were probably able to create a sensory organ that added a Gene Reader like ability to the blood hounds acute sense of smell. I can't really debate the scientific plausibility of such a mutation or feat of transgenic engineering, but I'm sure they would be able to come up with something like this in a world where pigs fly.

[Rathorc Lemenger]

Thanks, Rali. It'll help me out alot.

Signed,
Rathorc Lemenger.

[Rali]

Would you be so kind as to write down the looks (other than have None) so we could know what it'd look like, it'd be greatly apprecaitive.

I've added the following to the Gene-Hound's appearance:

Appears to be a very thick and solid hound, with a large short snouted skull that is a cross between Rottweiler a Bloodhound, without the jowls, and with the erect ears and yellow eyes of a wolf. Their coat is medium length and consists of a waterproof undercoat and a coarse top coat. The fur is normally black with mahogany patches, but some variations have been know; light gray or a dark brown, or the very rare red.

[Rathorc Lemenger]

Thanks Rali.

Signed,
Rathorc Lemenger.

[glitterboy2098]

so how does it manage to "smell" the target's DNA?

You've probably heard how some dogs are able to smell cancer in people. Well, this is taking it a step further. Gengeneers were probably able to create a sensory organ that added a Gene Reader like ability to the blood hounds acute sense of smell. I can't really debate the scientific plausibility of such a mutation or feat of transgenic engineering, but I'm sure they would be able to come up with something like this in a world where pigs fly.

sadly, that still wouldn't help them pick up mutations. Dogs detect cancer via smelling alterations in a persons scent, and in any case, cancer is the result of a mutation that results in damaged biology. cancer changes the biology of the person, releasing chemicals, stopping others, etc. Genemodifications result in functional mutations, things that don't result in screwed up biology.
a dog might be able to tell that one creature is different from another, but they can do that already to a degree, not does it tell which is the modified lifeform. to detect the GM lifeform, you need to compare DNA.

[Rali]

Y'know, we could just agree that it works and now worry about the how and why. It is a game after all.

Pixie-Bobs can teleport, Shiftermice can clone themselves after others, and lots of other mutant animals in the game have other improbable powers. That the gene-hound can track and sense mutated organisms really that much of a stretch?

I did, however, notice last night that I failed to include an entry for the character for sensing general mutations (a short range Cell Reader type ability). I'll need to go back and revise the original post later today.

[glitterboy2098]

Pixie-Bobs can teleport, Shiftermice can clone themselves after others, and lots of other mutant animals in the game have other improbable powers. That the gene-hound can track and sense mutated organisms really that much of a stretch?

if explained the same way as the pixiebob's teleport or the shifter mice's shapeshifitng... "darned if i know, but it's prety neat, eh?"
as i said, explaining it as an unexplained ability is preferable to trying to explain it in a way that can be refuted. making it a unique animal psionic would work for me.

[Rali]

as i said, explaining it as an unexplained ability is preferable to trying to explain it in a way that can be refuted.

Sure, but you can only refute it by what you know by modern day real life standards. This character was designed by science fiction gengeneers from the future. Who's to say that they couldn't find a way of making it work? If you really want to help, try coming up with a way to explain how something like this might work.

making it a unique animal psionic would work for me.

My initial sketch of the gene-hound did have the abilities mostly psionic based, but I thought it would be even better if they were based on some sort of genetically engineered extra-sensory organ(s).



If you look back at the original AtB (and TMNT), mutations were usually caused by exposure to a mutagen or a mad scientist.

In second edition, it was altered to accept the fact that we are now able to create genetically modified organisms from the ground up--without alien goo. We are able to modify organisms from before conception to create goats that produce spider silk or medical proteins in their milk, pigs that glow, fish with transparent and fluorescent bodies, plants that produce their own insect repellents, etc...; and that's just in today's world. At the rate at which our curiosity and understanding are increasing, what you say is refutable may itself be refuted some day.

[Rali]

so how does it manage to "smell" the target's DNA?

It just hit me, as I that I never wrote that gene-hounds "smell" DNA. LOL!

However, I have been revising the template to fill in a few holes. The hound's abilities will remain biological, not psionic, and, after doing some reading, I've decided to note that the hound's extra-sensory organ is more of a bio-computer tied into several of the characters organs and senses.

[Rali]

Maybe the bio-computer was a bit much. Any thoughts?