Mutate Me!

[Infinite Josh]

Hey everyone! Time to help me design the mutants. I have a lengthy list of mutations, but I can't help but feel like I'm forgetting another possible lengthy list worth. So fire them up for me, if you please. :-)

Let's see your 5 coolest beneficial mutation ideas.

Then let's see your 5 coolest detrimental mutation ideas.

Thanks! 

[Xabulba]

Beneficial:
1) 360 vision;  you have eyestalks, honeycombed eyes, extra eye on the back of your head, ect.
2) Prehensile tail; you have a tail that can act as an extra arm.
3) Natural weapons; you have horns, spikes, barbs, etc.
4) Gelatinous blood; your blood is very thick, you don't bleed you ooze and depending on whatever the gamerules are gives a bonus to healing, armor or damage reduction.
5) cartilage endo-skeleton, your lack of a ridged skeleton make you extremely flexible and able to squeeze through very small spaces.

Detrimental:
1) Non-Binocular vision; you have one eye, offset eyes, blind, etc. As a result you have no depth perception giving a penalty to ranged tasks
2) Useless extra limb/conjoined twin; causes social and dexterity penalties.
3) Thin skined; your skin is very thin and you take damage much more easier penalty to health or endurance maybe takes extra damage when hurt depending on what the rules are.
4) Synesthesia; your five senses crossfire causing disorientation and possibly minor hallucinations when under stress.
5) Crab-hands; you have very poor manaul dexterity and require specially designed equipment to use firearms.

[Shimy]

Beneficial:

Tentacles
Multiple limbs
Acid blood
Photosynthesizing body
Lightning synapses

Detrimental:
 
Rotting flesh
Barnacle body growth
Hermaphrodite
Missing limb
Hollow bones

[ginsusamurai]

Not sure how mutants work yet but what about paired beneficial/detrimental?

1)Right Side Dominant: Your body has over-developed on one side, under-developed on the other. You attack more powerfully with one handed melee weapons in your dominant hand, but have difficulty using 2-handed weapons and off-hand shields are less effective.
2) Spring-healed: your toes and feet have grown abnormally long forcing you to bounce forward rather then step (think kangaroo). Your land speed is increased while moving laterally, but jumping up/over things higher then half a meter is more difficult.
3)Prone-to-Migraines:  Your brain has developed in such a way that you are able to think more clearly longer, but when the stress mounts you develop crippling migraines that prevent even simple tasks. (start with more points in the stressed Prime Scale, less dots in Distracted/confused/agitated)
4) Split-Mind: The corpus callosum never fully developed in your brain, giving you a permanent case of "Phantom Hand Syndrome" your entire life. You have learned to adapt to this and use it to your advantage. Any 2 one-handed weapons wielded suffer no/less penalty for using together , but 2-handed weapons or work that requires both hands to cooperate is more difficult. (bonus to twin strike?)
5)Big-Boned: Your bones developed much thicker then normal due to excessive calcium buildup. You are less agile, but can take a lot more punishment. (increase to injured dots on wound scale, decease to mutilated/maimed?)

[Gosprey]

I've only got detrimentals, sorry.

Negative:
1. Unopposed thumbs
2. Shifted hearing range: You have the same breadth of hearing as a human, but completely below or above the normal range of human communication.
3. Face-blindness: You lack the cognitive aspect that lets you readily recognise the differences betweem human faces.
4. Rapid dehydration: You require three times the normal human consumption of water to avoid dehydration.
5. Cold-blooded: You need to regularly soak in Suria's warmth regularly or die.

[Shallis]

I'm in the midst of a class on human adaptation, so there is a mix of stuff that I could generate shortly.  All of these, I'm sure could be manipulated to be beneficial / detrimental in some way.  Changing one word could change any of these easily.  Here are some things I thought would be fun. 


Beneficial
1) Double/multi-jointed (joints can bend any direction, +to defense)
2) Second head (2 chances to resist enchantments/ mind effects/ being knocked out)
3) Mega-Hemoglobin (Can survive without oxygen for longer/at higher altitudes)
4) Expanded Thermal Neutral Zone (Can be comfortable in extreme temperatures)
5) Selective Vasoconstriction (Can close off blood to some portions of the body at will)
6) Natural Endogenous energy reserves (Can go twice as long/longer without food, must eat more)
7) Efficient Hydration (You hold much more water, must drink much more water)

Detrimental

1) Too many ribs! (Your body is misshapen/overly large)
2) Extreme Postprandial Thermogenesis (You get *really* hot after you eat)
3) Enlarged Pheromone glands (You have an unmistakable... aroma)
4) Continued Skeletal growth (You skeleton continues to grow after the rest of your body has stopped)
5) Unattainable Homeostasis (You are constantly hot/cold/hungry/thirsty etc)

[paper_and_plastic]

I like them weird!

Beneficial
1) Glowing fungi on the back
2) Ten opposable fingers
3) Nipples that sprout fresh water
4) Eyes on the back of the head
5) Extra long legs

Detrimental
1) Double sized tongue
2) Feets rotated by 180°
3) Both arms on the same side of the body
4) No primary sexual characteristics
5) Non functional wings

Hope this helps.

[Saker]

I'm happy to see that nobody has posted death-ray-eye-beams.

Yet.

[Darkchylde72]

Beneficial

Two hearts
Aquatic features: webbed hands/feet, expanded lung capacity or gills
Sonar
Third eye that can see in a different spectrum (IR/UV)
Pheromones that can calm, attract, repel

Detrimental

Armored spine that won't allow the head to move side to side
Hairless with skin growths
Can only be sustained by a certain type of substance (blood, meat, etc)
Folds of skin (think Shar-pei) person could be skinny, but still have the folds of skin
Extremely long fingers (would possibly affect grip)

[dpfried]

Beneficial:

1. Redundant Organs:  Reduced chance to be crit with melee attacks
2. Overactive Pineal Gland:  Extra serotonin produced allowing mutant to ignore effects of some damage (also darker skin from extra melatonin production)
3. Efficient Kidneys:  Reduced effect from exposure to poisons
4. Efficient Leukocytes:  Reduced effect from exposure to diseases
5. Ampullae of Lorenzini:  Ability to detect nearby electromagnetic fields (including those generated by humanoids)

Detrimental:

1. No Cones:  Can only see in black & white
2. Defective Kidneys:  Increased effect from exposure to poisons, must have dialysis weekly
3. Malformed Inner Ear:  Poor balance, prone to motion sickness
4. Smooth Skin:  Items slip out of hands, reduced ability to climb
5. Inefficient Lungs:  Exertion leads to fatigue more quickly

[elberon]

Beneficial
Adapative system - remembering an old Twilight Zone program, when attacked the body develops a defence mechanism (hit with something blunt, armour plates, piercing a more gelatinous structure, drowning, grow gills etc.

animal like senses - eagle / vulture vision, echo location, smell receptors on stalks that allow you track scents by  picking up differences in strength between the stalks...

Back up organs - your organs can do more than one role making poisons less effective, better at absorbing oxygen etc

Pheromones

Photo synthesis

Detrimental ones
Part of me thinks these should be beneficial still but have a cost to using them like regeneration that requires eating of lots of raw meat other wise they run the risk of being flaws in other systems so with this in mind here's another four

Minor psionic ability to read what someone is about to do (say a second at most) usually a boon but if someone is aware of this they can think real hard about a false action and wrong foot you badly.
Reversed Knees – Like an ostrich, run a bit faster can’t climb so well

Toughened skin (even stone like) but limited manual dexterity / skills that require fine sensation

Barbed skin – The barbs are very short not for combat but allow climbing on any not glass surface, if strong enough even upside down, downside being you’ll wear through gear really, really fast and people will not like shaking hands etc.

Chris

[john_cooper3727]

BENEFICIAL

Photosynthetic Skin - Your skin processes carbon dioxide in to life sustaining nutrients using light as an energy source.  As a result you release oxygen as a natural byproduct but you must spend at least 8 hours out of every 24 hour period exposed to direct sunlight or suffer the effects of malnutrition.  Your skin pigment is also one of the following random colors;
 Roll 1D6:
    1. Orange
    2. Yellow
    3. Grey-brown
    4. Yellow-brown
    5. Blue-green
    6. Yellow-green

Chameleon - You are able to change the color of your skin to match your surroundings.  You receive a bonus to all hide or stealth rolls.

Wings - You have leathery or feather like wings of some type.  As a result you may move at your base movement rate through the air.

Hyperactive - You have an additional or over sized adrenal gland.  As a result your receive a bonus to all dice rolls based on reaction time.

Heightened Sense - One of your primary senses has become heightened due to a physical deformity.  As a result you receive a bonus to all skills that could benefit from this heightened sense.  Roll once on the following chart to determine which sense has been heightened;
 Roll 1D6:
     1. Sight - You have additional eyes or they are larger than average
     2. Smell - You have overly large or oddly shaped nose.
     3. Touch - You have tactile pads or whiskers. 
     4. Taste - You have an overly large mouth or snake like tongue. 
     5. Hearing - You have overly large or oddly shaped ears.
     6. Reroll

DETRIMENTAL

Allergy - You have an allergy to a common substance which will confer a negative modifier to all your dice rolls as long as you remain exposed to it.  Roll once on the following chart to determine which substance you are allergic to;
 Roll 1D6:
     1. Light
     2. Pollen
     3. Dust
     4. Mold
     5. Food
     6. Synthetics

Albinoid - Your skin lacks enough melanin to give it pigment. As a result you burn more easily from overexposure to sunlight and you are subject to photosensitivity.

Dwarfism - You are short in stature compared to others of your race.  As a result your maximum strength, endurance and movement are reduced.

Phocomelia - You have an underdeveloped limb.  As a result that limb is only partially functional.  Roll once on the following chart to determine which limb has is underdeveloped;
 Roll 1D6:
     1. Arm - negative modifier to melee attacks from this arm
     2. Hand - may not use two handed weapons or equipment
     3. Head - negative modifier to all social interactions
     5. Foot - negative modifier to all balance or dexterity rolls
     6. Leg - reduced base movement

Senseless - One of your primary senses is nonexistent or hampered due to a physical deformity.  As a result you receive a negative modifier to all skills related to this sense.  Roll once on the following chart to determine which sense has been underdeveloped;
 Roll 1D6:
     1. Sight
     2. Smell
     3. Touch
     4. Taste 
     5. Hearing
     6. Reroll

Disfigured - You were born with a physical deformity that causes other to be uncomfortable around you.  As a result you receive a negative modifier to all social interactions.

[azjones]

I am interpreting "coolest" as "ones I haven't thought of yet," so am skipping some of the more normal ones and trying to think outside the box:

Beneficial:

Bacteria Whisperer - The human body contains far more bacteria cells than human cells ... and you have a subconscious, instinctive bond with the bacterial flora that populate your body. Because of this, certain biological systems are optimized, specifically:
1. Enhanced digestion - require 50% of the food of a normal human
2. Enhanced immunity - benefits to resisting disease and infection
3. Enhanced anti-toxicity - benefits to resisting poison
4. Self-awareness - because the entire body contains bacteria, the Bacteria Whisperer gains a Perception check to sense any unusual entity within their body, ranging from a microscopic tracking device to a miniscule tumor, or a physical change that they wouldn't normally be able to detect. A woman, for example, may well be able to use this ability to instantly sense if she has become pregnant.

Marsupial pouch - Natural storage pocket. Items hidden here raise the difficulty of a Search/Perception/Whatever check to find here.

Skunk attack/Putrescine discharge (controlled) - You discharge a foul-smelling toxin that debilitates anyone with functioning olfactory senses. Causes intense pain to those with acute olfactory senses. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putrescine

Emotionless - Your mind is not capable of feeling a specific emotion. Attempts to manipulate, deceive, or affect you in any way that calls upon that emotion automatically fail. However, your complete inexperience with that emotion earns you a penalty on any attempt to understand or deal with a situation where understanding of that emotional state would be helpful, such as calming an angry person or attempting to distract someone through seduction. (Another mutation could be "No Emotion," which cuts off all emotions, instead of just one.)

Detachable Hand - One of your hands is detachable. It may walk on its fingers or "stand" on its stump, and has full manual dexterity to perform tasks at your command. You receive full touch (and pain) sensory input from the hand and, if you cannot see, then you are able to use touch as needed (and possible) to interpret what it is examining. This mobile hand has a range of 200 feet, and you always instinctively know the direction and distance toward the hand (even if it's over 200 feet away). You gain a bonus to any touch-based perception check using this hand (even when it's still attached to you).

Detrimental:

Putrescine discharge (uncontrolled) - The discharge of putrescine is not under your control as an attack strategy. It means you are generally unwelcome in polite society ... and most impolite society, for that matter.

System 1 Mental Failure - Your mind does not automate certain cognitive processes. When you see a word in a language you know, it takes a conscious decision by your brain to read it. You must think about the answer to 2 + 2. The worst functional effect is that you are not unconsciously looking around at your surroundings. Without pre-declared conscious effort to watch for it, you do not get a perception check to detect a surprise.

Waddle - Your legs are fused together, so you essentially have one thick leg with two feet branching off it. You have an incredibly slow movement speed. This also looks awkward and can result in various social penalties as appropriate.

Slap Happy - Due to a neurochemical imbalance in the brain, you are continuously locked in a euphoric emotional state. You constantly smile and are prone to giggling uncontrollably. You gain the benefits and drawbacks of the "Emotionless: Anger" and "Emotionless: Fear" mutations. In addition, any attempt to be taken seriously by others suffers severe penalties.

Soft Bones/Brittle Bones - Soft Bones means that your bones are prone to bending. Attempts to assault others with brawl or melee weapons suffer a penalty, because your bones aren't hard enough to reinforce the blows. Brittle Bones means that your bones are prone to breaking. Attempts to harm you suffer a damage bonus and healing times from physical attacks are 20% longer. (Recovery from diseases, poison, and other forms of damage are normal.)

[kairam]

The difference between "good" and "bad" mutations is the fact that the good ones are under control, controlled by the subject.

[falstep]

Beneficial:

1) Frog skin: ability to breathe through your skin (in air and/or underwater).
2) Absorb: sub-categories: physical appearance, mutation, pheromones/aroma.  This could be a copy or a swap (if such a thing were allowed).
3) Heightened taste: Taste so advanced that you can recognize people by taste, even by the oils left after someone handles an item (seems like I saw this in a movie/tv show).

Mixed:

1) Forced absorb: same as beneficial, only happens automatically with skin-skin contact.
2) Tough skin.  Damage resistance but with lowered sensitivity (breaks fragile things or drops them, problems with *ahem* adult relations)
3) Heightened sense(s) - senses heightened, but without dampening.  Full light hurts the eyes, even moderate noise hurts the eardrums, etc)
4) Animal head: heightened senses, no speech.