According to this book we stole from the philosopher's club, anything taken to an extreme becomes its opposite. I'm not sure I totally understand what they're getting at here but it's given me an intriguing idea for a new way to make things dead.
The Healer archetype wields life with the aim of repairing and preserving it. The Fecundite, however, wields life in a much more weaponized fashion- the kind of life that consumes itself rapidly until it burns out entirely. This generally means that even the most moral and good-intentioned Fecundite turns the game into body horror, which might not be something that everybody's into. Be cool and ask if you're not sure.
Note that synthetic creatures like robots, skeletons, golems and so forth have no special protection from being Overloaded (this archetype's special condition) despite not being properly “alive”. In their case, the condition can be described as causing them to be overgrown with living material clinging to their surfaces or in their cracks such as plants, fungi, or even masses of bacteria. Life, uh, finds a way.
| Fecundite | Wield life energy. | |
|---|---|---|
| caret-right | Biofeedback | Immunity to Overloaded and limited self-heal. |
| caret-right | Generation | Spawn monstrosities from your enemies. |
| caret-right | Grafter | Upgrade yourself with stolen parts. |
| caret-right | Modular | Take yourself apart. |
| caret-right | Mutagenesis | Mutate on demand. |
| Offense | plus-circleVerdant Wave: As an action, you may inflict the Overloaded condition on any subject within throwing range (0-10 meters). minus-circleWeaponized: This ability suffers failure chances from cover, concealment, and size differences between yourself and your target just like weapon attacks do. minus-circleProvisions: Roll a trigger die when inflicting the Overloaded condition this way. If the result is 1-3, then doing so costs 1 Provisions. You cannot use this ability if you have no Provisions remaining. |
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| Offense | plus-circleInfection Vectors: You know how to enhance your weapons with hungry life. Whenever you make any weapon attack and the trigger die is 10+, you inflict the Overloaded condition to your target in addition to all of that attack's normal effects (damage, conditions, etc). minus-circleMonoelemental: Your weapon attacks can only inflict a single elemental condition on a 10+ at a time. If you have levels in multiple elemental archetypes, you pick which condition your 10+ trigger die attacks inflict each time. |
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| Condition | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|
| apple | Overloaded | minus-circle If Energy is equal to Flesh at the end of the round, lose 1 Flesh. If Energy is less than Flesh, no effect. Successfully throwing off the condition prevents its effects for that round. |
| Protection | plus-circleOverload This: You are completely immune to the Overloaded condition. | |
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| Protection | plus-circleClose Wounds: Sometimes even your serious wounds can simply be healed by holding them shut for a moment. You can attempt to heal one lost point of Flesh as an action. Roll a trigger die when you do: if the result is 7+, you succeed and the Flesh is returned to you with no further costs or requirements needed. minus-circleShutout: If your trigger die result was 1-6, then the wound in question simply refuses to close easily. The action taken to heal it is wasted and you cannot retry for that particular point of lost Flesh, although you can still heal it via any normal means. |
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| Protection | plus-circleChestburster: When you inflict the Overloaded condition to a subject and that subject dies for any reason before recovering from the condition, a new creature (called a “spawn”) is immediately born from their corpse. plus-circleSpawn Stats: Spawn are always two size categories smaller than whatever birthed them. All spawn have the same basic game statistics regardless of origin. For every five levels possessed by the parent, a spawn gains one random trait that increases its level and gives it access to a new ability. Parent creatures of less than level 5 do not grant any additional traits to their spawn. See the Spawn sidebar below for more details. minus-circleWild Bastards: Spawn are not friendly to you or anybody else and always attack whatever creature is nearest to them. This can include other spawn. minus-circleBio-Supply: Spawn have no resources (Provisions, Supplies, Mojo) of their own. Every time they use an ability or effect that would cost them a point of any resource, they lose 1 Flesh instead. minus-circleSelf-Aborting: Spawn die at the end of the current exploration turn. |
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| caret-right | Alternative | plus-circleCOME TO DADDY: You can choose to make a newly-created spawn recognize you as its creator and treat you as friendly. Friendly spawn are under your direct control and will do whatever you tell them (even suicidally dangerous things) instead of blindly attacking whoever's nearest. minus-circleImpression Window: You must chose to make a new spawn friendly at the instant of its birth. If you leave a spawn to be feral, then it will be feral forever. minus-circleProvisions: Making a new spawn friendly costs 1 Provisions. |
| Sidebar: Spawn | ||
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| Spawn | Level: 1 MRW: 1/0/0 Lacerator |
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| Roll once on the table below for each bonus trait a spawn is entitled to (once per five levels possessed by the parent). Each new trait grants an additional level, increases a given combat statistic by +1, and grants a new archetype. If you roll a single trait more than once, do not reroll; the chance for an additional trait is wasted and the spawn gains nothing from that roll. | ||
| 1 | Digestive | +1 Remote, +Mordant |
| 2 | Finned | +1 Whelm, +Mariner |
| 3 | Furious | +1 Melee, +Berserker |
| 4 | Gangly | +1 Remote, +Sprinter |
| 5 | Hardened | +1 Melee, +Tank |
| 6 | Hulking | +1 Whelm, +Powerhouse |
| 7 | Mad | +1 Whelm, +Steadfast |
| 8 | Psychic | +1 Whelm, +Mesmer |
| 9 | Sublimating | +1 Remote, +Smoker |
| 10 | Suckered | +1 Melee, +Wrestler |
| 11 | Vile | +1 Melee, +Poisoner |
| 12 | Webbing | +1 Remote, +Captor |
| Utility | plus-circleMr. Potato: As a procedure, you can tear parts off a fresh corpse and graft them to yourself to gain new abilities. Doing so immediately grants you an ability of your choice known by the creature whose corpse you stole your new graft from. For example, you could graft on a claw from a dead giant crab and gain access to that crab's Lacerator archetype, or graft a dead angel's wings to your own back to gain access to its Flyer archetype. Only one ability is granted per graft, and only abilities known by the target corpse can be granted to you in this way. plus-circlePermanency: If you level up while you've got an active graft, you can use that graft in place of a keystone to learn the ability it grants permanently. This also makes the graft a permanent part of your body/appearance. minus-circleGotta Be Fresh: Only the absolute freshest of corpses will do. You can only graft parts from corpses that died during the current or previous exploration turn; anything that's been dead longer has experienced too much cellular death to be grafted. minus-circlePhysicality: You can only gain abilities by grafting parts from creatures of a very different species than your own. Your own or similar species give no benefit from grafting their parts to yourself. For example, you can graft the tentacle of a giant octopus to yourself to gain access to the Wrestler archetype, but you can't graft the severed arm of another human to get the same result even if the donor was a heavyweight champion. minus-circleNerve Connections: You cannot graft anything from a donor that has the Synthetic weakness; your expertise is biological systems. minus-circleMaterials Cost: Grafting a new ability to yourself costs 1 Provisions. minus-circleBiomiscibility: You can have a maximum of one graft at any given time. If you want to add a new graft when you already have one, you must remove your old one first. Permanent grafts from leveling up do not count against you for this. minus-circleTissue Rejection: Grafts rot and fall off at the end of the current session. doubledGhoul Synergy: If you have one or more levels in the Ghoul archetype, you can benefit from grafts that come from your own or a similar species. doubledAdamant Synergy: If you have one or more levels in the Adamant archetype, you can benefit from grafts that come from donors that have the Synthetic weakness. |
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| Utility | plus-circleFall To Pieces: As an action, you can cut off a chunk of your body of your choice- this is most often a limb but could conceivably be anything, even your head. You can control all your parts separately. If a part could conceivably make an attack or use an ability by itself (an arm shooting a gun, a head negotiating a trade deal, etc) then you can use that ability from the part's location instead of your own. plus-circleTiny: Chopped-off bits are three size categories smaller than you are, allowing them to get into places you can't. If you chop off two parts at once, you drop one size category. Chop off three, and you drop two size categories. Chop off four (making yourself into five equal parts) and you are three sizes smaller. plus-circleReattach: You can re-attach a severed part of your body by getting into physical contact with it and spending an action. plus-circleCoordinated Movement: When you spend an action to move, all your parts get to move independently. Chopped-off parts suck at independent movement and sort of flop along, gaining two impairments to movement speed. minus-circleLimited Actions: No matter how many parts you've chopped yourself into, you can still only take two actions per round. Coordinating all those different bits is hard enough when they're all together; why would it be any easier when they're scattered all over the place? minus-circleGift of Flesh: Each severed part has 1 Flesh. Severing a part causes you to lose 1 point of both current and maximum Flesh, which cannot be regained until you re-attach the missing part. Re-attaching a part immediately returns the Flesh you gave it back to you. minus-circleSelf-Crippling: If you've chopped off two or more parts, you take an impairment to movement; if you've chopped yourself into five different pieces then you take two impairments to movement. minus-circleWandering Heart: If a portion of your body is destroyed while separate from you, you cannot restore the lost part or the Flesh you used to create it until the end of the session. If all your parts are destroyed, you're dead. |
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| Utility | plus-circleTransmute Genome to Jello: As a procedure, you may mutate yourself or an adjacent target. When determining the exact mutation gained from Mutagenesis, you may roll twice and pick whichever result you like better. minus-circleSlow Application: Since Mutagenesis requires a full procedure to use, all subjects must be willing, restrained, or unconscious. |
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| Sidebar: Mutations | |
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| Mutation chart entries are meant as general guidance for the referee, who can go into as much detail as they please in describing the new mutation's exact appearance and nature. Roll a die when you mutate to see what happens to you. You will probably need to roll more after for more information. Mutation rolls are not trigger dice and thus cannot be affected via abilities that affect trigger die results such as Luckster. |
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| Roll | Mutation |
| 1 | Non-Viable. Something's changed in the mutant's biology that makes them non-viable for the adventuring life. Roll again: 1-4. Messy Death. Flesh sloughs off bone, blood vessels seal themselves off, major organs atrophy, or similar. The mutant dies. 5-8. Abomination. The mutant becomes a shrieking, unnatural mass of eyes/teeth/tentacles/whatever, no longer recognizable as themselves or even their original species. The process drives them mad and they slither off to dwell in darkness. Maybe they'll be a problem later if you let them get away! 9-12. Immediate Retirement. Bones turn rubbery, limbs fall off, or similar mutations that don't kill the subject but do prevent them from pursuing an adventuring lifestyle due to a non-functional body or needing constant medical treatments to stay alive. If a player character, the mutant may immediately retire and grant all the benefits of retirement. |
| 2 | Crippled. The mutant's body has been crippled and weakened by a wholly non-beneficial mutation. Roll up a random injury from the Injuries chart; the mutant now has that injury permanently. Injuries from mutation cannot be healed like normal injuries, but maybe they could be reversed via questing for a cure if the referee allows it. 1. Butterfingers 2. Concussion 3. Dizziness 4. Exhaustion 5. Eye Trauma 6. Hallucinations 7. Lameness 8. Noisy 9. Numbness 10. Parasites 11. Shakes 12. Vulnerability |
| 3 | Weakness. The new mutation has drawbacks but also carries certain benefits. Roll again to gain a new weakness (and gain new associated bonus abilities that you and the referee agree make sense) from the Weaknesses list. The mutant's physical appearance changes in some way to clearly show their new nature. If you randomly roll up a weakness you already have, you lose it (and its associated bonus abilities) instead. |
| 4 | Coloration. The mutant's coloration changes. This is a purely cosmetic mutation with no effect on game mechanics. Roll twice more: once for location and again for coloration. 1-4. Whole/Most of body 5-8. Hair/Fur/Feathers/Scales Only 9-10. Eyes 11-12. Single limb or body part of referee's choice 1. White 2. Black 3. Brown 4. Red 5. Orange 6. Yellow 7. Green 8. Blue 9. Purple 10. Grey 11. Transparent 12. Roll twice and combine |
| 5 | New Feature. The mutant grows a new body feature they didn't have before. This is a purely cosmetic mutation with no effect on game mechanics. Roll again to see what grows in. If the mutant already had the part in question, they grow an extra one or lose what they had (referee's choice). 1. Antennae (1-8 insectoid, 9-10 fleshy, 11-12 telescopic) 2. Beak (1-4 long and thin, 6-8 short and stubby, 9-12 wide and flat) 3. Beard 4. Horns (1-3 goatlike, 4-6 bisonlike, 7-9 antlers, 10-12 single unicornlike) 5. Crest on spine/head (1-4 fluffy, 5-8 leathery, 9-12 bony) 6. Hump (1-6 on back, 7-9 on stomach, 10-12 on random limb) 7. Fangs (1-6 generic, 7-9 sabre-tooth/walruslike, 10-12 boar/elephant tusks) 8. Fin (1-8 dorsal, 9-12 limbs) 9. Breasts 10. Pouch (1-8 on stomach, 9-12 on back) 11. Tail (1-2 stubby, 3-4 long/thin, 5-6 bushy, 7-8 prehensile, 9-10 mace tail, 11-12 scorpionesque) 12. Vestigial Wings (1-4 batlike, 5-8 feathered, 9-12 insectoid) |
| 6 | Texture. The mutant's skin or outer surfaces are changed in some way. This is a purely cosmetic mutation with no effect on game mechanics. Roll again to see how the skin is altered. 1-6. Whole body 7-12. Clumps/partial coverage 1. Fur 2. Bark 3. Scales 4. Feathers 5. Crystalline growths 6. Loose, wrinkled skin 7. Slimy/oozing skin 8. Barbs/quills 9. Leaves 10. Chitinous plates 11. Undulating cilia 12. Patterned coloration (referee's choice of spotted, striped, blotchy, etc) |
| 7 | Altered Head. One of the mutant's head/face parts is changed to a new form. This is a purely cosmetic mutation with no effect on game mechanics. Roll again to see what changes. If the mutant rolls something they already have, they lose it or gain another one (referee's choice). 1. Eyestalks (1-8 crustacean, 9-12 fleshy) 2. Pupil alteration (1-3 catlike, 4-6 goatlike, 7-9 cephalopodlike, 10-12 something really weird) 3. Compound eyes (1-8 normal size, 9-12 huge) 4. One eye (cyclops style) 5. Extra eye(s) (1-4 +1, 5-8 +2, 9-10 +4, 11-12 +6) 6. Tongue (1-4 normal but elongated, 5-8 snakelike/forked, 9-12 froglike/sticky) 7. Complex mouth (1-6 insectoid mandibles, 7-12 secondary mouth inside normal one) 8. Nose (1-3 insectoid proboscis, 4-6 bestial, 7-9 trunk, 10-12 noseless) 9. Hair (1-3 hairless, 4-6 leaves, 7-9 feathers, 10-12 tentacles) 10. Ears (1-6 perky animal ears, 7-9 floppy animal ears, 10-12 earless) 11. Neck (1-6 no neck, 7-12 elongated) 12. Picasso face (rearrange everything, referee's choice how) |
| 8 | Altered Limb. One of the mutant's appendages is changed to a new form. This is a purely cosmetic mutation with no effect on game mechanics. Roll again to see what changes. If the mutant rolls something they already have, they lose it or gain another one (referee's choice). 1-2. Single arm/hand (1-2 scaly talon, 3-4 crab claw, 5-6 tentacle, 7-8 mantis arm, 9-10 plant, 11-12 pawlike) 3-5. Both arms/hands (1-3 talons, 4-6 crab claws, 7-9 tentacles, 10-12 webbed digits) 6-7. Single leg/foot (1-4 hoof, 5-8 paw, 9-12 insectoid) 8-10. Both legs/feet (1-2 hooves, 3-4 paws, 5-6 replaced with snakelike tail, 7-8 fused into single powerful hopper, 9-10 bunch of crablike legs, 11-12 mass of tentacles) 11-12. Genitals (1-4 switch sex, 5-8 hermaphroditic, 9-10 neuter/sexless, 11-12 replaced with something both horrifying and confusing to behold) |
| 9 | Altered Size. The mutant is partially or completely changed in size. This is a purely cosmetic mutation with no effect on game mechanics except for results that change the mutant's overall size category. Roll again to see what changes. 1-4. Mutant grows 1 size category 5-8. Mutant shrinks 1 size category 9-10. Single part of body shrinks (1 single foot/leg, 2 both feet/legs, 3 single arm/hand, 4 both arms/hands, 5 stomach, 6 head, 7 eyes, 8 nose, 9 ears, 10 mouth, 11 one full side, 12 sex characteristics) 11-12. Single part of body grows (1 single foot/leg, 2 both feet/legs, 3 single arm/hand, 4 both arms/hands, 5 stomach, 6 head, 7 eyes, 8 nose, 9 ears, 10 mouth, 11 one full side, 12 sex characteristics) |
| 10 | Alteration. The mutant's body layout or function is radically altered in some way. This is a purely cosmetic mutation with no effect on game mechanics. Roll again to see what changes. 1. Mouths in appendages 2. Eyes in appendages 3. Headless (brain/facial features in torso) 4. Knuckle Walker (feet act as hands and vice versa) 5. Physically young/immature 6. Physically old 7. Reverse Pedalism (bipedal→ quadrupedal and vice versa, legless grow legs, many legs lose all and slither) 8. Walking Head (no torso, only big head with limbs directly attached) 9. Tremendously fat 10. Skeletal thin 11. Bioluminescence (shed no actual light but partial/whole body glows in the dark) 12. Sheds skin regularly |
| 11 | Beneficial Mutation. The mutation has some sort of beneficial effect for the mutant, giving them natural proficiency in a random archetype. Roll up/randomly select a archetype from those available in your campaign world, then come up with some sort of visually obvious mutation that would help the mutant use it. For example, the Lacerator archetype would be aided through growing sturdy claws and the Firebug archetype might be greatly aided through the excretion of flammable oil. The mutant can now permanently take levels in the specified archetype without having to use a keystone. |
| 12 | Perfect Mutation. As Beneficial Mutation (result of 11) but the mutant immediately and instantly levels up after mutating, gaining one new level in the archetype that their mutation benefits. This has no cost of time, XP, or keystone. |