Glowburn: Episode 17 Mutagenesis

Episode 17 Mutations of Terra AD Part II - Mutagenesis

Philosophy and genetics with a glass of milk...

James - Plantient Milk

From the rare Hops Plantient subtype, that’s not even on the list, I don’t think , right?
Plantient Milk is a wonderful beverage that brings levity to just about any post apocalyptic engagement
One pint of Plantient Milk, imbibed by any Pure Strain Human has the following effects

That’s pretty mild right? Nothing major?
Well Plantient Milk has a CRAZY effect on some manimals, to the point that most Hops Plantients have gone extinct due to Manimal overharvesting

+1d Strength checks and Fortitude Saves, for 1 hour
+1d to attack rolls, while actively drinking (can consume 1 pint in 1d3 rounds, max 1 pint/turn)
-2d Will saves
-1d Reflex saves

Marc - New Manimal Sub-type table!

Since there was a lot of discussion about manimals and the manimal feel in MCC vs TMNT & After the Bomb I decided to split the difference and stay somewhat true to MCCs old school roots but also leverage in some species/genus consistency. This table replaces table 1-7 on page 20 of the MCC core rules.

All Primates receive Heightened Intelligence instead of a random Mental mutation

All Felines receive Heightened Agility in place of their first Physical mutation

9-10 Ursine: Roll 1d4 (1) brown bear; (2) grizzly bear; (3) polar bear; (4) panda bear.

All Ursines receive Heightened Strength in place of their first Physical Mutation

All Suidaes receive Heightened Stamina in place of their first Physical Mutation

15-17 Rodentia: Roll 1d6 (1) mouse; (2) rat; (3) squirrel; (4) porcupine; (5) beaver; (6) rabbit.

20-22 Avian: Roll 1d6 (1) hawk; (2) eagle; (3) crow; (4) owl; (5) vulture; (6) seagull.

23-25 Insecta: Roll 1d6 (1) roach; (2) ant; (3) fly; (4) grasshopper; (5) beetle; (6) moth.

All Insectas receive either Wings or Carapace in place of their first Physical Mutation, appropriate to their species type. (i.e. Ants = Carapace, Moth = Wings)

26-27 Serpents: Roll 1d4 (1) king cobra; (2) python; (3) boa constrictor; (4) rattlesnake.

28-29 Lizards: Roll 1d6 (1) chameleon; (2) gecko; (3) komodo dragon; (4) gila monster; (5) iguana; (6) turtle or tortoise.

Chameleons receive Holographic Skin in place of their first Physical Mutation;
Turtles/tortoises receive Carapace in place of their first Physical Mutation;
All other Lizards receive Regeneration in place of their first Physical Mutation.

Forrest - The Skin(s) You're In

This isn’t a thing, or an item or a monster, it’s more of a . . . consideration. Or, really an op-ed piece. Maybe a public-service announcement, more than anything.
Ask yourself this question: “Self, what happens when you wear someone else’s skin?”:
Of course, any being in their right mind will want to wear armor of some type. You’d be dumb not to use all the resources at your disposal in the dangerous world of Terra A.D..
Now, said armor sometimes comes in the form of someone else’s skin: Wearing a fur cloak, for example, gives +2 to AC, An Antler Hood gives +1. There aren’t rules for plant fiber armor, like there was back in Gamma World 1st edition, but I’d surmise it probably gives a +2 or thereabouts to AC. That’s how I’d rule it, anyway.
But what happens when you run into Bambi’s mutated father while wearing an Antler Hood, or you run into Groot while wearing his cousin’s skin? I’ll present my thoughts in the form of rhetorical questions and maybe even some poorly thought-out answers:

Atomic Equinox is probably not going to let you into their green thumb club.
You probably won’t get attacked outright by The Chosen Zuu, but you will be shunned like a cloud of fleas.
Stupid elements within the Gene Police (don’t laugh, their ancestors are among us now) could mistake you for a mutant or, worse yet, some horrible crossbreed between man and plant or man and animal. “That boy ain’t right,” I can hear them saying.
How would this affect AI recognition? What if you’re wearing bark and you encounter a logging robot? Or what if you’re wearing fur and run into a veterinary robot? Even a Household Bot might force you to the kitty litter box!

Now, that Cactacea Rex over there wants to eat you anyway. But when it realizes you are wearing the husk of its dead cousin, do you think it’s going to think any better of you? Or is it just going to be that much more focused on eating you first? And what if those Devil Ant Men are descended from Carpenter Ants? They’re going to kill you, regardless, but Mmm, That slab of mahogany on your torso looks like mighty good eatiing! Guess who just became the appetizer?
What about patron AI interactions? Yes, Gaea looks to bring balance back to nature, but does that mean that wearing some cute little furry critter’s skin is a good idea or a bad idea? Should you have so much power in deciding what is and isn’t “in balance”? Are you willing to chance her disapproval?
So, sure, protect yourself. Wrap yourself up in ents and aardvarks. But think very carefully about the down-sides if you are planning on using “natural” armor. And, Judges, give ample opportunity for your players to use such armor - be generous! And let the inhabitants of Terra A.D. decide whether or not it’s such a good idea to dress yourself in someone else’s skin. We’re itching to see how it all works out. As the Ancient Ones used to say: Skin, skin, it keeps your guts in - but we’re all red on the inside. Except plantients. They’re green on the inside. And if you think about that too long, that’s just gross.

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