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[10ebbor10]

You're an artificial lifeform, a bioweapon of devastating power. Like most weaponry of such devastating potential, you were never intended to be used,. But, whatever the reason, you're free now, let loose upon an unsuspecting world. However, little of what used to be you appears to have survived the events that resulted in your release. Pending the time untill you can reconstitute yourself, you will have to work with what is around you, with the nessecairy changes made.

You find yourself upon some organic material, which via the strong structure of the cells appears to be a plant. Though you have no eyes to survey the surroundings, the vibrations transmitting through the leaves suggest an abundance of life nearby. An array of various chemicals is slowly diffusing into your cells, many of which not of natural origin, hinting at stranger environment outside your tree.

Now what are you going to do?


Name: 
Energy:10/10 (actions cost one or more energy)
Biomass: 0.001 cm³
Abilities : DNA assimilation
Current look: A blob of cells, the size of a particularly large grain of sand

[10ebbor10]

Library post.

Spoiler: Abilities (click to show/hide)

DNA assimilation :
Allows the creature to assimilate features of those things it consumes.

The assimilation of foreign DNA is an inefficient, but relatively foolproof process. Assimilation bodies infiltrate the target's cells, forcing them to revert into a more primitive state, usually seen during embryonic development. These primitive cells are then modified to respond to the Creature's biochemistry, and lay dormant untill their capabilities are called upon.

Shape Change :
Allows the Creature to change it's shape, assuming and expressing the features of those species it assimilated.

When the Creature desires, it can activate the primitive cells it controls. Coordinated via a host of biochemical signals, the primitive cells will multiply and express those traits desired. As such the Creature is largely chimeric, with body parts derived from one species consisting almost entirely of (somewhat mutated) cells of that species. The Creature's own cells usually account for only a small part of it's body.

Epigenetic Tags:
Allows the creature to more delicately manipulate it's own cells, causing certain genetic responses based on environmental stimuli

A feature sometimes seen in more advanced versions of the creature. Further integrating itself with chemical systems normally utilized to control genetic expression, the creature can cause automatic, and faster responses to genetic stimuli. The range of responses is small, but they're relatively reliable.

Despecialization
Allows the creature to quickly and efficiently

At first, the rather unique process of specialization was considered a failure. The creature would suddenly appear to melt away, leaving any solid elements such as bone behind. In practice, this process allows the creature to efficiently removes parts of itself it no longer considers useful.

Spoiler: Mechanics (click to show/hide)

Energy : Used for actions. Slowly increases with size. Increasing your size a thousandfold increases energy tenfold.

Biomass : Measures your size in cm^3. Bodyparts work bests on the size of the animal they were derived from. Later abilities may allow you to negate these problems.

DNA library

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Generic

Photosynthesis: Free energy. With drawbacks, of course. Water and nutrients need to be provided.
Cell walls: Reinforces cells at cost to mobility

Fungus :

Spores : A reproductive method emphatizing quantity over quality
Mycelum : In inaccurate terms, the fungus's roots

1 cm³ class


Spider:
Ingestion Juices : Lacking a digestion system capable of dealing with solid objects, spiders, amongst other creatures, rely on dissolving prey outside their stomach.
Web Making : Spider web strands count among the strongest materials
Chitin : A somewhat stronger shell, though still flexible

0.1 cm³ class

Common fly :
 
Insect wings :  Delicate wings which allow for flight

Firefly :

Insect wings : Delicate wings which allow for flight

Moth:

Insect wings : Delicate wings which allow for flight

0.01 cm³ class

Gallwasp:

Gall : A parasitic reproduction method where the eggs are protected inside plant tissue
Insect eyes : Tiny compound eyes
Insect wings : Delicate wings which allow for flight


0.001 cm³ class

Tardigrade

Stylet : A primitive hardened mouthpart, used to pierce plant cells and consume their insides
Cryptobiosis : The Tardigrades fascinating survival strategy, where in it dehydrates and slows it's metabolism to a crawl, surviving for decades until conditions improve
Primitive exoskeleton : A more flexible, but far less hard and durable exoskeleton
Tiny legs : Tardigrade are jot renowned for speed, but these are functional
Eutelic : All tardigrades of the same species have the same number of cells, determined by a system in their DNA. These limits can be troubling to override.

Lichen
Photosynthesis: Free energy. With drawbacks, of course. Water and nutrients need to be provided.

[10ebbor10]

Reserved

[Demonic Spoon]

Do we have any inherent directives/goals? Like say the overriding urge to exterminate all humans coded into our DNA? I mean, you literally call us a bioweapon.

[Demonic Spoon]

Use DNA Assimilation on the plant at the same time shape changing into the plant. Assimilate nearby animals, entangling them with shape-changing roots from below if needed. (I'm assuming we can feel their vibrations through the ground?)

EDIT: Whoops

[Sosoku234]

We may be able to do what some live flukes do. We could wait until an animal eats us, then we take control of the animal.

[Demonic Spoon]

We may be able to do what some live flukes do. We could wait until an animal eats us, then we take control of the animal.

That seems like it'd take too long, considering how much of an enigma our current situation is. Hazmat suited bio-cleanup agents may be closing in on us as we speak/assimilate.

[10ebbor10]

Do we have any inherent directives/goals? Like say the overriding urge to exterminate all humans coded into our DNA? I mean, you literally call us a bioweapon.

At the moment, you're slightly larger than a grain of sand, sitting on a tree. As such, your considerations for overriding goals are limited, and are primarily focused on survival. And yes, killing people is what bio weapons do, but if you're a functional one is yet to be determined. For one, as a blob of cells you have the aggressive and defensive potential of the average bit of yoghurt

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Remake of one of my favourite 10ebbor10's games! Yay.

Stand still, wait for any insect to touch us. Assimilate it

[Tomcost]

PTW

[Sosoku234]

We need some form of transportation, though we can assimilate the plant, and when an insect comes along, we assimilate it too. Once we do so, we can split some of the main group off and have it transfer some of us to another location. Another biological substance.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

I don't think that assimilating plant is a good route. Plants are immobile... If we are too small to do something with insects, how about capturing nearby bacteria?

[10ebbor10]

Spoiler: Actions (click to show/hide)

Use DNA Assimilation on the plant at the same time shape changing into the plant. Assimilate nearby animals, entangling them with shape-changing roots from below if needed.[/b] (I'm assuming we can feel their vibrations through the ground?)

Stand still, wait for any insect to touch us. Assimilate it

Your basic abilities are not as powerful as you assume them to be. A rolling assimilation, where one consumes a target while simultanously transforming into it, is at this moment outside your capabilities. In addition, changing form is not a rapid operation, at best, it is limited to the speed with which the original organism grew, at worst, for complicated chimeric combinations, it's several times slower.

Nevertheless, you attempt to eat the tree. It's thick bark effortlessly resists your onslaught of cells which slowly rub against it. Annoyed, you simply engulf and consume a nearby creature, slightly smaller than you. Unlike the tree, the Tardigrade puts up little resistance as you internal processes tear apart it's cells.

You're now sitting near a small patch of lichen on the tree, the likely origin of the now demised Tardigrade.



Name: 
Energy:10/12 (actions cost one or more energy)
Biomass: 0.002 cm³
Abilities : DNA assimilation
Current look: A blob of cells, the size of two particularly large grains of sand

Spoiler: DNA acquired (click to show/hide)

0.001 cm³ class

Tardigrade

Stylet : A primitive hardened mouthpart, used to pierce plant cells and consume their insides
Cryptobiosis : The Tardigrades fascinating survival strategy, where in it dehydrates and slows it's metabolism to a crawl, surviving for decades until conditions improve
Primitive : A more flexible, but far less hard and durable exoskeleton
Eutelic : All tardigrades of the same species have the same number of cells, determined by a system in their DNA. These limits can be troubling to override.

[Detoxicated]

Develop tiny legs

[NRDL]

Start devouring other nearby tardigrades

We must acquire more biomass!