Post by Marcel Chevalier on Sept 7, 2012 5:02:56 GMT 1
Mutants
Mutants are humans (Homo Sapiens) that have been altered in some fashion that allows them a wide range of abilities due to a mutation in the DNA/RNA strands either naturally or artificially. There are several different types of mutants in the world and the different categories each have their own particular distinguishing characteristics.
- X Mutants
- Legend Mutants (also known as 'Fables')
- Morphed Mutants
- DNA Mutants
Homo Superior Superior are NOT mutants.
For artificially induced mutation see TECHAHUMANS.
Mutants are not banned from living in the City nor are they overtly harassed or persecuted. They are not rounded up and recycled, nor are they all abducted and transformed into Techas or sent to the Lab as guinea pigs. Their well-being however is not of particular concern to the vampires and they receive none of the staples provided to humans who donate blood.
They are welcome to stay in New Vegas as citizens if:
- they are able to perform some useful service for which they receive credit payment.
- they pose no inherent threat to the human community.
There are a number of programs specific to mutants running in the City:
Work Registration - Once a mutant has been registered and categorized they are free to seek employment from private individuals within the city. Most find work in heavy labor or the entertainment industries.
'Work-for-a-Day' - The Council employs registered mutants as a casual labour force paying 50 credits and providing food and a bed for the night. The jobs offered are hard, dirty and often dangerous, which is why the vampires do not want them performed by healthy, blood donating humans.
Invariably however, there is never enough work to go around and many mutants can quickly find themselves temporarily or permanently hungry and homeless.
The MPS - An independant organisation run by and for mutants and dedicated to mutant wellfare. (see 'Organisations of New Vegas' for a full description.)
Dangerous mutants such as a toxic bio-chem or uncontrolled pyrokinetic are not welcome and would be promptly exiled, incarcerated or eliminated at the VSF's discretion should they be discovered.
X Mutants (Homo Sapiens Superior)
These mutants existed before the apocalypse and their DNA/RNA mutation is an evolutionary step away from basic humans. Their children will be born with similar powers to their parents as they are evolved humans who’s mutations were naturally occurring.
Whilst their mutant status can be established by blood testing, the nature of their abilities frequently cannot be predicted.
X Mutants are unique and many cannot be classified by the VSF at all.
Appearance:
Superficially X Mutants appear to be simply excellent physical specimens of Homo Sapiens. Their abilities may result in some physical changes but these are very rarely obvious unless the mutant is actively using their mutant ability at the time.
Attitude:
Coming into their powers around the age of puberty, X Mutants rapidly come to realize that they are 'different' and 'better'. They are invariably powerful and generally have egos to match.
Basic Abilities:
There are no 'common' abilities shared by all X Mutants.
Supernatural Abilities:
These abilities vary hugely between individuals and may be as diverse as Energy Manipulation, Transubstantiation or Teleportation. If it can be imagined, somewhere there may well be an X Mutant who can do it.
Legend Mutants AKA Fables (Homo Sapiens Fabulae)
Legends are unique in that they are the children of humans who were exposed to a particular animal virus that unlocked long dormant DNA possibilities.
Thor Ericsson, Leader of the Magistracy, reveres the Fables as sacred to the Old Gods and has created the Sanctuary Park as a sacred refuge for them. Causing harm to a Fable in New Vegas would undoubtedly have truly terrifying consequences.
Appearance:
Legends have their own races amongst one another and if they mate, they produce a child of that 'race'.
Examples are: Centaur, Minotaur, Satyr, Fairies, etc.
The animal Virus the parents are exposed to must correlate with what the Legend becomes.
IE. Bovine=Minotaur, Equine=Centaur, Caprine=Satyr, Porcine=Orc, Piscine=Mermaid, Herpetile=Naga, etc.
Attitude:
Most Legends are shy and innocent individuals, often having little or no exposure to ordinary humans and their society. Some have previously been hunted or persecuted and fear humans.
Basic Abilities:
Legends have the option of being able to turn fully human two hours before the sunrise and two hours before the sunset. This is the only time they may transform and it is courtesy of the Vampires in The Lab who came up with a way to offer this ability.
(Don't ask me how, its magic!)
Supernatural Abilities:
Legends have the natural abilities that pertain to their changed forms. A Harpy can fly, a Mermaid can breathe underwater etc.
Some also have other abilities that are found in myth: a hypnotizing song, telepathy, mimicry etc.
Morphed Mutants & DNA Mutants (Homo Sapiens Diversus)
Morphed Mutants are humans who were exposed to some sort of radiation, environmental disaster, fallout, or virus during the apocalypse itself or afterward that caused a change to their DNA and forced a transformation to occur in their bodies.
Players must choose from the list of classifications for their character.
DNA Mutants are the children of Morphed Mutants whose DNA/RNA strain is shifted from a normal human's through no outside influence save the X/Y gene combination that occurs through conception. Children will share their parents mutation.
Players must choose from the list of classifications for their character.
Appearance:
These are the 'ordinary mutants' of the City of Sins. Unless they are categorized as Morphins, mutants look just like everybody else, at least on the outside.
Attitude:
Mutants are people too. They have the same attitudes, hopes and fears as everybody else. Of course a healthy dose of paranoia is not uncommon amongst certain categories of mutants and some abilities come with built in psychological drawbacks.
Basic Abilities:
The one thing that all mutants have in common is that they have detectable DNA differences from humans and each one is different. The DNA differences are detectable by blood test and the various abilities can be identified by the area of the DNA strand affected.
Technologies available only to the Vampires, are sufficient to identify a mutant and to narrow down the possible abilities that happen as a result of the specific genes affected.
Mutants can thus be categorized by identifying the affected genes.
Supernatural Abilities:
All weaknesses are dependent on over use of the abilities. The harder and more frequently a mutant pushes their limits the more severe the side-effects become.
Biochems - These mutants have biochemical differences from humans. For example, the mutant who Danviel fed on, subsequently allowing him to be out in the sun, had blood comprised of sunlight. Any mutant who’s blood or other bodily secretions differs from that of a human is classified as a Biochem. (See Ito Kiyoshi)
Cell Benders - Cell Benders are psychic surgeons, healers who quickly reconstruct cells to their previous or healthy state. They can also reverse the effects of healing by tearing open wounds or causing bones to snap. They cannot use their ability on themselves. Weaknesses are headaches, severe fatigue, and sympathetic wounding (taking on a percentage of the wound they healed onto themselves.)
Echos - Able to hear things from long distances and sort conversations out from other sounds. Headaches, tinnitus (loud ringing in the ears), sudden prolonged hearing loss.
Fakers - These individuals can temporarily shift patterns of light on any object to create illusions to the naked eye making them appear to be something else, bigger or smaller or invisible. It can be used on themselves. Headaches, tremors, poor eye sight over time leading to eventual blindness.
Hounds - Highly developed clairvoyants who can track the location of either people or objects over varying distances. Weaknesses are the inability to get off someones trail once they are on it, headaches, facial twitch and mild drooling (making them identifiable to other mutants).
Lifters - Those with unexplained super strength, often associated with the morphin mutation. Fatigue, muscle pain, lower intelligence.
Morphins - These mutants have physical attributes that make them stand out from humans. They could have skin of stone, tails, pointed ears, or be covered in hair et cetera. It is the players choice. Morphins may choose 1 other mutant category. There are no abilities or weaknesses associated with a pure morphin as they are harmless.
Movers - Can manipulate inanimate objects at varying distances, lifting and moving them. Advanced movers can work at a molecular level creating protective shields in the air around them. Weaknesses are extreme muscle fatigue, disabling migraine headaches, tremors.
Pushers - The most dangerous of all VSF or MPS agents, these individuals can "push" specific thoughts, memories and even emotions into their targets. Weaknesses are headaches, bleeding from the nose and ears, and blackouts. ((VERY RARE- Admin approval required))
Readers - Readers are those who can read the thoughts of others. Weaknesses are headaches, nose bleeds, sharing the trauma of traumatic events read in the memories of others.
Regens - Akin to cell benders but can only effect their own physiology. Weaknesses headaches, severe fatigue and voracious appetite.
Screamers - Quickly identified at birth and remanded to the custody of the VSF, Screamers are trained solely for assassination purposes. They can emit high-pitched sonic vibrations that cause ruptures in a targets blood vessels. Weaknesses include loss of normal vocalization (cannot speak), disabling migraine headaches, inability to deal with outside world or any social interaction(autism).
Seers - Receive visions of the future. Can be trained to self-induce visions of the future that include both images and sounds, like a prolonged sense of deja vu. Trained Seers visions can extend hours or days into the future. Stimulants help Seers obtain more control over their visions. Weaknesses are random visions appear as absence seizures, disabling migraine headaches, bleeding from the nose and ears when the vision is forced. Codeword: 'deltaX' ((The MPS keeps no records of these mutants even though they know who they are. Their existence is kept secret. An identified Seer would find themselves quickly remanded into 'protective custody' by the Magistracy.))
Shifters - Shifters can take on the appearance of any other live creature. Most choose a particular animal or person. They must have had contact with the creature or person in question. They can only turn into other people they have had prolonged physical contact with. Weaknesses are severe aches, fatigue and voracious hunger for protein.
Speeders - These mutants can run so fast that others cannot see them. They run faster than Vampires. Weaknesses are muscle soreness, fatigue and if the event that an object gets in their way or they turn a corner to sharply, they may be severely injured by the sudden stop. Gavin McMahon is the fastest Speeder ever recorded by the MPS.
Splitters - These mutants can split into two to three separate identical sentient beings. They cannot stay separated for more than an hour and may not be more than 10 meters away from each other at any given time. Another weakness is severe aches after prolonged separation.
Teleporters - These mutants can teleport from one place to the next if they know the location they are teleporting to and can picture it in their minds. Weaknesses are, headaches, fatigue and in there is a possibility of materializing inside and object or wall which is very painful. You can lose a limb or your life that way.Materializing into another person will result in immediate death of both parties.
Thinkers - Super-genius ability. These mutants absorb knowledge and possess the ability to use it constructively. They have audio-graphic and photographic memories. Please remember that there is no advanced technology for them to work with but if presented with steam-punk type equipment, they can make it do wondrous things. Weaknesses, migraines, fatigue and insomnia leading to eventual madness.
Wipers - Skilled at either temporary or permanent memory erasure, an invaluable asset in espionage. Weaknesses are migraines, nose bleeds and memory confusion as residuals of each victims memories linger.
Species Weaknesses:
- All mutants can be positively identified by the simple expedient of a blood test at the donation center.
- Vampires refuse to accept mutant blood donations therefor mutants cannot pay Blood Tax and thus receive no Credits from the City Council.
- Certain kinds of mutants are of particular 'interest' to the vampires. e.g. Seers.
- Some mutants are deemed 'unnaceptable' to live in the city at all. e.g. Toxic Biochems.