Brian Rogers (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
subplotkudzu) wrote2006-08-11 04:34 pm
subplotkudzu) wrote2006-08-11 04:34 pm
Entry tags:
Gamma World - Random Mutation Fun!
Since I've started down this road, I'll keep blathering. Those of you who recall my A&E discussion about possible doing Gamma World remember that I had a six sets of mutations arranged for the 'take one card, pass it around' style of on-the-spot PC design. Since I'm not going to post all of these in A&E, I thought I'd use them as an excuse to try that little 'read more' thingy in LJ.
Mutations
Dual Brain
You possess a second brain (but not necessarily a second head - where the second brain resides is up to you...OK, it has to be in your body somewhere, but otherwise, have fun) that gives you impressive psychic powers. Your intelligence score increases by 2, your Charisma increases by 4, and you have a direction sense that means you cannot get lost. That last ability is a by-product of your psychic ability to fold space, letting you teleport objects massing 13 kg (app. 30 lb.) from place to place within 60 meters of you - this is more difficult if someone is holding the object at the time of the transfer. Your dual brain is remarkably adaptable, and can mimic any one other mental power your experience in a 24 hour period (in other words, if someone hits you with a psychic blast, you can hit back). Your spatial awareness does have one drawback - movement faster than you can run produces extreme discomfort akin to fear - a mental strength check is required to keep from freaking out if exposed to high speed movement.
Game Speak: Dual Brain (Heightened Charisma), Direction Sense, Teleport Object, Thought Imitation, Phobia
Winged Telekinetic
Physically, your most distinctive mutation is a pair of large wings (yup, no missing those... get an extra -2 on Robots recognizing you as human) which let you fly at a speed of 12. These are unfortunately not very sturdy, and any called shots or critical hits against their bone structure do you double normal damage.
Of course, your mass ratios are all wrong for flight, which means that you have some telekinetic ability keeping you aloft as well. You can move things with your mind at a rage of 25 meters, using your Mental Strength rather than your Physical Strength to do so, and grabbing moving beings is difficult because they're so squirmy. You can also telekinetically heat things, similar to subjecting them to a microwave bombardment. Such microwave blasts have a range of 15 meters and do 3d6 hit points of damage per successful attack. You can also tune these to mess with sentient beings heads, causing fear in your target and making them run (or go berserk if cornered) for 6 rounds (1 minute) rather than do damage. As a side effect of this power, your body automatically cooks any diseases or biological agents attacking it, giving you immunity to such things.
Game Speak: Wings, Achilles Heel, Telekinesis, Hands of Power, Fear Generation, Immunity - Disease/biological
Radioactive Eyes and Instinctive Teleportation
Rather than simply absorbing light and converting it to neurological impulses to give you sight, your eyes also work in the other direction, converting your thoughts into radiation. It takes about a minute for the radiation to re-charge after each use, but you can use it every other round for lesser effects. This mutation has several side effects: your eyes glow violet, the skin around them is transparent and immune to radiation (pretty much your head & neck, giving you a -2 on robots recognizing you as human, but a +2 on tolls to resist radiation), and your sense of vision is twice as acute as normal for details and distance
Your brain has a second mutation, linking your adrenal gland to an ability to fold space. Whenever you subconsciously feel you're in life threatening danger (including having just been knocked out, or being suddenly surprised), you will teleport 50 meters back in the direction you came from. You landing zone will never be to somewhere visibly threatening. Unfortunately, not only is this only usable once an hour, it is also exhausting - whenever you blink to safety there's a 5% chance you might pass out once you get there. Worse, you might still pass out even if you don't have to blink at the start of every fight or other high stress/shock situation the gland might short circuit, giving you a 5% chance of passing out for up to a minute.
Game Speak: Radiating Eyes, Body Change, Heightened Sense - Vision, Displacement, Fadeout
Tailored Algae
Your whole body is suffused with a mutated algae that is perfectly tailored to you (and you to it). This does mean that you are bright green and have grown a crest along your back to better absorb light (-2 on chances a robot will think you're human), and that your sweat has a sweet floral odor that attracts animals, but it is not without its benefits. Your skin automatically absorbs light energy even in the form of lasers, meaning the first 14 points of damage from each such attack gives you hit points rather than takes them away. If an attack does more than 14 points, it will overload the algae, with any points past 14 doing double damage and shutting down the algae's energy absorption for 6 turns (1 minute). Your energy reserves give you greater speed and stamina, giving you +4 toughness and +7 movement. Once an hour you can hyper-charge that, giving you 1 minute of 150% speed and an extra attack per round. Finally, the algae is very sensitive to chemicals, meaning you can detect poisons & chemicals by just tasting a non-threatening drop with no hazardous effects. Mind you, the algae doesn't feed you - you still need to eat and drink normally.
Game Speak: Body Change, Attraction Odor, Energy Metamorphosis, Heightened Toughness, Heightened Speed, Heightened Sense - Taste
Biokinetic
While you are physically unchanged, your mental mutations let you change others. By manipulating perceptions you can make all living things in 50 meters unwilling to notice you (though it doesn't always catch everyone). You can sense the emotions of people around you by reading their hormones and brain chemistry, and with concentration you can override those with other emotions. If you focus your power inward you are able to cure yourself of poisons, disease, radiation sickness and even wounds. By focusing that same power outward you can damage other living being of moderate size, doing 6 hit points of damage per round to everyone within 10 meters for up to 6 rounds (1 minute). This is awfully indiscriminate, and will affect your allies, but you have learned to focus it on just 1 target, though that requires continued concentration. Unfortunately, your sensitivity to other's mental states leaves you vulnerable, and your Mental strength is reduced to a 3 (not by 3, but to a 3) for all uses except activating your mental mutations.
Game Speak: Mental Invisibility, Empathy, Total Healing, Life Leech, Mentally Defenseless.
Symbiote
Physically you're unchanged, but you veins, arteries and nerves on part of your body (likely your manipulative appendages, if you have them) that can link up with other living beings for several effects. Once linked, you can accelerate their healing by drawing away toxins, blocking pain and providing them energy (they heal 12 HP, but you take 1d4). You can read their thoughts clearly and project thoughts to them. You can boost their mental strength for their own mental mutations (giving them a +7 MS). And in the ultimate creepiness, you can override their actions with your own will, giving them direct commands that don't require any decision making on their part. This lasts as long as you're touching them, and it takes up all your concentration to maintain - Once you take them over, all you can do is control them, heal them or boost their MS with your own.
One problem in using this ability is you're bigger than other animals of your type - 20% larger. This gives you a +2 Strength, but prevents you from easily doing the mind controlling slug thing. The other is a lack of ways to kill your mount before you get off, meaning that they might be right ticked at you. On the plus side, you don't actually have to be touching someone to use your telepathy - you can actually read & project thoughts at a range of 100 m (200m if the person is trying to project them to you), and scan an area of up to 5 km for intelligent minds, though this doesn't include contact, just awareness.
Game Speak: Transfusion, Size Change, Telepathy, Mass Mind, Symbiotic Attachment.
These were duly rolled up off the 4E charts, and then merged into these more coherent forms by years of V&V experience. The only one that I had to modify was the Symbiote, where I swapped a couple of powers to get the effect. Still, 5 out of 6 ain't a bad score for the Random Tables.
Mutations
Dual Brain
You possess a second brain (but not necessarily a second head - where the second brain resides is up to you...OK, it has to be in your body somewhere, but otherwise, have fun) that gives you impressive psychic powers. Your intelligence score increases by 2, your Charisma increases by 4, and you have a direction sense that means you cannot get lost. That last ability is a by-product of your psychic ability to fold space, letting you teleport objects massing 13 kg (app. 30 lb.) from place to place within 60 meters of you - this is more difficult if someone is holding the object at the time of the transfer. Your dual brain is remarkably adaptable, and can mimic any one other mental power your experience in a 24 hour period (in other words, if someone hits you with a psychic blast, you can hit back). Your spatial awareness does have one drawback - movement faster than you can run produces extreme discomfort akin to fear - a mental strength check is required to keep from freaking out if exposed to high speed movement.
Game Speak: Dual Brain (Heightened Charisma), Direction Sense, Teleport Object, Thought Imitation, Phobia
Winged Telekinetic
Physically, your most distinctive mutation is a pair of large wings (yup, no missing those... get an extra -2 on Robots recognizing you as human) which let you fly at a speed of 12. These are unfortunately not very sturdy, and any called shots or critical hits against their bone structure do you double normal damage.
Of course, your mass ratios are all wrong for flight, which means that you have some telekinetic ability keeping you aloft as well. You can move things with your mind at a rage of 25 meters, using your Mental Strength rather than your Physical Strength to do so, and grabbing moving beings is difficult because they're so squirmy. You can also telekinetically heat things, similar to subjecting them to a microwave bombardment. Such microwave blasts have a range of 15 meters and do 3d6 hit points of damage per successful attack. You can also tune these to mess with sentient beings heads, causing fear in your target and making them run (or go berserk if cornered) for 6 rounds (1 minute) rather than do damage. As a side effect of this power, your body automatically cooks any diseases or biological agents attacking it, giving you immunity to such things.
Game Speak: Wings, Achilles Heel, Telekinesis, Hands of Power, Fear Generation, Immunity - Disease/biological
Radioactive Eyes and Instinctive Teleportation
Rather than simply absorbing light and converting it to neurological impulses to give you sight, your eyes also work in the other direction, converting your thoughts into radiation. It takes about a minute for the radiation to re-charge after each use, but you can use it every other round for lesser effects. This mutation has several side effects: your eyes glow violet, the skin around them is transparent and immune to radiation (pretty much your head & neck, giving you a -2 on robots recognizing you as human, but a +2 on tolls to resist radiation), and your sense of vision is twice as acute as normal for details and distance
Your brain has a second mutation, linking your adrenal gland to an ability to fold space. Whenever you subconsciously feel you're in life threatening danger (including having just been knocked out, or being suddenly surprised), you will teleport 50 meters back in the direction you came from. You landing zone will never be to somewhere visibly threatening. Unfortunately, not only is this only usable once an hour, it is also exhausting - whenever you blink to safety there's a 5% chance you might pass out once you get there. Worse, you might still pass out even if you don't have to blink at the start of every fight or other high stress/shock situation the gland might short circuit, giving you a 5% chance of passing out for up to a minute.
Game Speak: Radiating Eyes, Body Change, Heightened Sense - Vision, Displacement, Fadeout
Tailored Algae
Your whole body is suffused with a mutated algae that is perfectly tailored to you (and you to it). This does mean that you are bright green and have grown a crest along your back to better absorb light (-2 on chances a robot will think you're human), and that your sweat has a sweet floral odor that attracts animals, but it is not without its benefits. Your skin automatically absorbs light energy even in the form of lasers, meaning the first 14 points of damage from each such attack gives you hit points rather than takes them away. If an attack does more than 14 points, it will overload the algae, with any points past 14 doing double damage and shutting down the algae's energy absorption for 6 turns (1 minute). Your energy reserves give you greater speed and stamina, giving you +4 toughness and +7 movement. Once an hour you can hyper-charge that, giving you 1 minute of 150% speed and an extra attack per round. Finally, the algae is very sensitive to chemicals, meaning you can detect poisons & chemicals by just tasting a non-threatening drop with no hazardous effects. Mind you, the algae doesn't feed you - you still need to eat and drink normally.
Game Speak: Body Change, Attraction Odor, Energy Metamorphosis, Heightened Toughness, Heightened Speed, Heightened Sense - Taste
Biokinetic
While you are physically unchanged, your mental mutations let you change others. By manipulating perceptions you can make all living things in 50 meters unwilling to notice you (though it doesn't always catch everyone). You can sense the emotions of people around you by reading their hormones and brain chemistry, and with concentration you can override those with other emotions. If you focus your power inward you are able to cure yourself of poisons, disease, radiation sickness and even wounds. By focusing that same power outward you can damage other living being of moderate size, doing 6 hit points of damage per round to everyone within 10 meters for up to 6 rounds (1 minute). This is awfully indiscriminate, and will affect your allies, but you have learned to focus it on just 1 target, though that requires continued concentration. Unfortunately, your sensitivity to other's mental states leaves you vulnerable, and your Mental strength is reduced to a 3 (not by 3, but to a 3) for all uses except activating your mental mutations.
Game Speak: Mental Invisibility, Empathy, Total Healing, Life Leech, Mentally Defenseless.
Symbiote
Physically you're unchanged, but you veins, arteries and nerves on part of your body (likely your manipulative appendages, if you have them) that can link up with other living beings for several effects. Once linked, you can accelerate their healing by drawing away toxins, blocking pain and providing them energy (they heal 12 HP, but you take 1d4). You can read their thoughts clearly and project thoughts to them. You can boost their mental strength for their own mental mutations (giving them a +7 MS). And in the ultimate creepiness, you can override their actions with your own will, giving them direct commands that don't require any decision making on their part. This lasts as long as you're touching them, and it takes up all your concentration to maintain - Once you take them over, all you can do is control them, heal them or boost their MS with your own.
One problem in using this ability is you're bigger than other animals of your type - 20% larger. This gives you a +2 Strength, but prevents you from easily doing the mind controlling slug thing. The other is a lack of ways to kill your mount before you get off, meaning that they might be right ticked at you. On the plus side, you don't actually have to be touching someone to use your telepathy - you can actually read & project thoughts at a range of 100 m (200m if the person is trying to project them to you), and scan an area of up to 5 km for intelligent minds, though this doesn't include contact, just awareness.
Game Speak: Transfusion, Size Change, Telepathy, Mass Mind, Symbiotic Attachment.
These were duly rolled up off the 4E charts, and then merged into these more coherent forms by years of V&V experience. The only one that I had to modify was the Symbiote, where I swapped a couple of powers to get the effect. Still, 5 out of 6 ain't a bad score for the Random Tables.