Mutations

Distracted for a moment, I place both hands on the floor and breathe through the distracting tingling that still plays across my right arm. I stare at the four claws where my fingers used to be, and at the matted fur riding up towards my elbow. Tentatively, I wave my claws, feeling the motion in each one. Using the longest, what used to be my index finger, I fish out the aim of this entire venture, and deftly parcel the meat for carrying with my left hand.

Part of a series about Citadel Rules

• Combat
  • Safety
• Calls
• Skills
• Psionics
• Techgnosis
• Mutations
  • Basic Mutations
• Downtime
• Equipment
• Resources and Income
• Wounds

Rules

See also the list of Basic Mutations

• It is not possible to possess the same mutation more than once.
• Dead-strains may not mutate.
• Players may choose to replace a mutation rather than gain a new one.

Active Mutations are caused by the MUTATE call. This call may be issued as fallout, or caused by communions and monsters. Mutations inflicted by monsters may be predetermined or random. Mutations caused by communions will likely be more controllable.

Downsides

• Each mutation reduces body hits by 1
• Characters have a base limit of two mutations
• Toughness skills that increase base hits also increase the limit of mutations
• Armour, Potions, Items, AI, Mutations and other means of acquiring more body hits do NOT increase the limit of mutations

If your character exceeds the limit of the number of mutations they can sustain, they devolve. This makes the character unplayable. Please see a ref if you choose for this to happen to you.

Phys-rep

Basic mutations will often require a sort of physrep. As the physrep is a structure that follows on from a function, mutants may keep their old physreps even after gaining new mutations, and if it is temporarily impossible to physrep a mutation, the gene-strain can still benefit from it (e.g. growing horns mid-linear). Mutation physreps may be hidden.

If you gain a new mutation, you do not need to physrep it until the next week, as it is just appearing. If, for whatever reason, you do not want the mutation, or the physrep, you are always able to have the mutation removed during your Downtime, please inform the refs of this.

Advanced Mutations

• Require a unique impressive phys-rep
• Must in some way define your character and not be incidental
• The World and Plot will notice your advanced mutation
• Individual mutations may progress or change during the campaign
• Interaction with this part of the game requires a power source more than a single PC on their own- be that more people, resources, or both. It also has more danger of going wrong.

Advanced mutations happen rarely and have potent effects. They are almost always unique. Having advanced mutations will result in the world taking more notice in you, you are by definition no common hero. Advanced mutations will always require a phys-rep, it should look much more impressive than Basic Mutations and hopefully be unique in some way. Challenge yourself.

Appropriately, there is no list of advanced mutations, by design they are open ended. Please consult with the refs in advance. Mechanically, advanced mutations are more than twice as powerful as Basic Mutations and are capable of breaking rules that Basic Mutations obey. They also may require upkeep, depending on circumstances.

Here are some sample ideas of possible things:

Mutation	Phys-rep inspiration	Effect
Antenna Crown	A crown made of polyp like antennae	Immune to WOULD YOU KINDLY and may RESIST a single BASIC EFFECT per day
Shimmering Scales	A skin of rainbow reflective scales on neck and arms	Gain four body hits
Unicorn Horn	Long shimmering forehead horn	May call WIDE REPEL once per encounterand may charge to call CRUSH with a melee strike once per encounter
Triple Tail	A tail that splits into three tails, with wire core	Gain the benefits of Dodge skill twice per encounter