Star*Drive Saturday: Mutations

Last week I covered new and extended rules for psionics, this week is another fun character option:

MUTATIONS

Although normal mutations are common in all species, such as varying eye and hair colors, there is a special category for those that are way off from the standard genotype. Still, what most of the galaxy refers to as mutants are essentially human. Even the ones with the most extreme of mutations will find their genetic make-up is 99.9% normal to a standard human. These special mutants number in at 49 billion, or less than 0.005% of the galaxies total human population. You will find most of them in the Thuldan Empire, as it is accepted as common practice to engineer its population for whatever their needs are. Most commonly it is for the environment they are born in and roles in the military, but others pop up around the rest of the galaxy. Spacers and colonists being bombarded with constant cosmic radiation have natural wild mutations appear sporadically.

According to popular opinion, mutants are dangerous and violent beings, whether they be accidental or engineered. These perceptions stem from coverage of the Mutant Uprisings of Tau Ceti which started the second galactic war, and other Thuldan extremes like their Warlion troops. Most stellar nations are getting mutant rights movements to slowly gain popularity, but they are still ostracized as second class citizens and generally distrusted. A few nations like Union of Sol and Hatire Community require that they live together in isolated communities, away from everyone and out of trouble. Individuals with dangerous mutations like Acidic Touch or Electric Aura find themselves kept in quarantine structures for the rest of their lives. In the Verge, mutants find much more freedom, although many still choose to live away from suspicion and prejudice.

Rogue Space Character Options
A player may choose to be a mutant character during character creation only. This is generally for human characters. Alien mutants are almost unheard of. There are 2 types of mutations, advantageous and drawbacks. Advantageous are the good mutations that provide some sort of benefit to the players. Drawbacks are defects and flaws that result from the genetic tampering and different environments. Whenever you choose an advantageous mutation, you must also choose a drawback. Human characters from the Thuldan Empire have a different benefit, in that if they choose 2 or more advantageous mutations, they get 1 less drawback. For example if a Thuldan hero gets 3 advantageous mutations, he can choose 2 drawbacks. Consult with your storyteller on how many advantageous mutations you can choose. Usually it is around 1 to 3.

Both types of mutations can be doubled, counting as 2. The description for doubling a mutation is listed under each entry. For example you can choose 1 advantageous mutation and double it, and get 2 drawbacks, or 2 advantageous mutations and get 1 drawback doubled, etc.

Advantageous Mutations

Acid Secretion/Spit
Produces an acidic liquid that eats through metals and causes L damage. You are immune to the effects of your own acids, but not others.
Doubled: Projecting glands allow you to squirt the acid at short range.

Chameleon Flesh
While naked, your body takes on the colors of your surroundings, granting you improved stealth. +2 to stealth checks.
Doubled: You duplicate colors as well as details in your flesh, making you harder to spot. +4 to stealth checks.

Dermal Reinforcement
Your natural skin is scaly or calloused. It has a L armor rating.
Doubled: Your skin has a M armor rating.

Electric Aura
Your body can generate electric charges through touch. Mostly to fry electronics. Little control of it. Causes L damage when concentrating a zap through touch.
Doubled: Causes M damage and can arc the electricity directed at something at short range.

Enhanced Healing
Can spend a round to concentrate and heal 1 HP damage.
Doubled: Heals 2 HP damage.

Enhanced Initiative/Health/Movement
Choose your Initiative, your Health, or your Movement. You gain a +2 bonus to it.
Doubled: May choose another to get a +2 bonus, or get a +4 bonus to the one already chosen.

Environmental Adaptation
Choose an environment type: hot climate, cold climate, arid climate, thin atmosphere, thick atmosphere, low-gravity, and high gravity. You gain no penalties to operating in the chosen environment (+2 bonus to surviving).
Doubled: May choose another environment to get a +2 bonus, or get a +4 bonus for the one already chosen.

Improved Attribute
Choose any one FASER attribute. You get +1 to that attribute.
Doubled: May choose another attribute to get a +1 bonus, or get a +2 bonus to in the one already chosen.

Improved Senses
Gains a +2 bonus to perception and notice checks.
Doubled: Gains a +4 bonus.

Natural Weapon
Whether retractable claws, spikes, fangs, or horns, you are considered to always have a M weapon for unarmed attacks.
Doubled: Razor sharp. V rated attacks.

Night/Thermal Vision
No penalties for notice or perception checks at night.
Doubled: Grants a +2 bonus to notice or perception checks at night. You work best at night.

Psionic Power
Can choose a psionic power regardless of your Empathy score. You can use that power, but always suffer a -1 penalty in its use.
Doubled: Can choose another power with the same penalty, or use the one already chosen with no penalty.

Psi-resistance
Your brain’s makeup is unique in that it becomes difficult for psionics that target the mind to work against you. Enemies suffer a -2 penalty in using psionics against you.
Doubled: Your mind appears to be non-existent to psykers. Enemies suffer a -4 penalty in using psionics against you..

Psi-sensitivity
Can detect nearby psionics use. User gets a ‘tingling’ sensation to know it is nearby, or when actively looking for it.
Doubled: Increased range of senses and can pinpoint its location.

Radiation Tolerance
Gains a +2 bonus to surviving the effects of radiation.
Doubled: Grants a +4 bonus.

Toxin Tolerance
Grants a +2 bonus to resisting the effects of harmful toxins or drugs.
Doubled: Grants a +4 bonus.

Wings
You have feathered or membrous wings sprouting from your well muscled back. Allows you to glide or fall safely, and even get a few extra meters from jumping. The wings must be able to move unhindered and cannot be overburdened to use.
Doubled: Can fly short distances in normal gravity.

Drawback Mutations

Environmental Sensitivity
Choose an environment type: hot climate, cold climate, arid climate, thin atmosphere, thick atmosphere, low-gravity, or high gravity. You suffer penalties to operating in the chosen environment (-2 penalty to surviving).
Doubled: May choose another environment to get a -2 penalty, or get a -4 penalty to surviving the one already chosen.

Light Sensitivity
Must wear special goggles in well lit areas or suffer -2 penalty to all checks.
Doubled: Dim light causes debilitating pain. Suffers a -4 penalty to all checks when not goggled.

Physical Change
Some form of your mutation has manifested on you in an obvious way to where you can be easily identified as a mutant, unless you took care to cover it up. These changes are permanent and vital to your mutation’s function; therefore they cannot be removed or altered through cosmetic surgery. Talk with your storyteller to discuss the details of what your mutation looks like.
Doubled: The manifestation is more extreme and cannot be easily hidden.

Reduced Initiative/Health/Movement
Choose your Initiative, your Health, or your Movement. You suffer a -2 penalty to it.
Doubled: May choose another to get a -2 penalty, or get a -4 penalty to the one already chosen.

Reduced Attribute
Choose any one FASER attribute. You get a -1 to that attribute.
Doubled: May choose another attribute to get a -1 penalty, or get a -2 penalty to the one already chosen.
 
Sound Sensitivity
Must wear a dampening earpiece or suffer a -2 penalty to all checks.
Doubled: Even a pin drop is excruciatingly painful. Suffers a -4 penalty to all checks when not wearing the earpiece.

Temporary Weakness
Choose one of your advantageous mutations that has to be actively used or turned on. After using it, you temporarily suffer a weakness (-2 penalty) to one of your FASER attributes (chosen by your storyteller) for 2 rounds.
Doubled: Your storyteller may choose another attribute that the -2 penalty applies to.
  
Toxin Intolerance
Suffers a -2 penalty to resisting the effects of harmful toxins or drugs.
Doubled: Suffers a -4 penalty.

Weak Immunity
Suffers a -2 penalty to resisting diseases or pathogens.
Doubled: Suffers a -4 penalty.