Survival of the Fittest
Six people stir, reaching for their alarm clocks, or perhaps phones. Maybe even a computer, if they're the kind of person who opens one the moment they wake up. What they find is... nothing. Or more accurately, a concrete floor, give or take several layers of dirt and grime. Five others seem to be piled on of of them, in a similar state of grogginess and dishevelment.
The group seem to be in a parking garage, or at least the remains of one. The walls are barely visible under some sort of black fungus, and the whole place is covered in claw marks, somewhat similar to the gouges a bear might make in a tree. Of course, there is a bit of a difference in that that the animal- or, well, whatever it was- managed to produce hundreds of marks in solid concrete, but they hope that's irrelevant for the time being.
After properly waking up, their first thoughts are that they have no idea what is happening, or how they ended up here. In fact, there are numerous holes in their memory, mostly centered around the last twenty-four hours of their existence. However, poking at these gaps reveals a new memory. Something... different, somehow, a scene which is almost imperceptibly
other. It is of a hissing, crackling voice, speaking from an empty throne.
"The six of you have aw͠aķen̴ed́ ͏f͘r̡om se͜ve͟ral years of dormancy, as per our terms. You may notice that m͏em͢o̴r͢ies c̴ont̴ai̴n̢ing͏ sensitive information have been extracted. We assure you ͜t̡ha̡t͞ th̨is is for the best."
"On to more practi̧c̕al m͝a͞t̀ters. You will likely notice that the surface has been changed drastically during your absence. As you may have inferred, this is due to the introduction of f̶lor͝a and fauna gat̴h̛ȩred͏ within the Deep. As such, th͜e̶ wildlife has become exţr͡emel҉y ̛danǵe̸r҉o͢u̢s, ̨and human society has largely collapsed."
"Of course, we have not left you helpless, or w͏įt́hou̶t as͘śi̶s̢ta͞nc̢e. Firstly, there is a human enclave to your immediate north. It should be quite safe, although you may encounter lesser monstrosities before you are ţa̛ken within th͜e̶ walls."
"Secondly, and far more importantly, you are no longer quite human. The physical laws involved are, naturally, far beyond y̛óur͝ un̵dersta͞n̕d̷ing̢, but put simply, you are c̷apabl̴e ͞o͡f͟ ̢a͘b͡soŗbin̨g dead flesh and converting it into ene͠rgy w͡e ͝c̶all ̸'v͠i͏ta̧l̨i͏t̢y̢.̀' It may be used to mutate yourself, altering your own flesh in any way you desire. Additionally, we have provided you with reserves of vitality with which to make your first alterations."
"We will contact y͡ou̸ wh̢en ̡thér͞e̛ ̴i̧s ̕need. Best of luck."The results of actions will be determined via a D10, with modifiers where appropriate. That generally means general traits and attributes, including mutations, as well as injuries and the like.
Modifiers can't push a roll below two or above nine.
Vitality will be tracked as a percentage, and mutations will consume reasonable amounts on a case-by-case basis. Feel free to price-check things before you get them, if you're overly concerned about cost.
Name: Need I state the obvious?
Description: Pre-mutation physical appearance.
First Mutations: From a starting pool of 30% vitality. For reference, that's roughly enough to grow some basic bone armor or a few extra limbs.
Inventory: Limited to stuff that could feasibly be in your pockets. A swiss army knife is all right. A pistol is not.
The discord server is over
here. As the spoiler indicates, it's entirely optional, but real-time discussion is definitely a nice resource.
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Name: Nix Johnson
Description: A 20-something, rail thin man, his mop-like black hair is tied back in a ponytail.
First Mutations: Extra powerful, greek statue like legs that are nearly impossible to break due to how solidly built they are.
Inventory: Watch, Scotch tape
Name: Raul Eduardo
Description: A young Hispanic of the age of 23, slightly under the average height. His brown hair is rather messy from his sleep, and he has evidently not taken any time to fix it. His eyes are blue and appear rather bright, hinting to some degree of intelligence.
First Mutations: Large claws present on the hands.
Inventory: A crappy Zibbo™ lighter and a pack of cigarettes.
I am not down with this "discord" thing. feel free to excommunicate me on that basis.
Name: Ferdinand Timothy Jones
Description: Both small and separately a child of about 10. Black hair, blue eyes, fair complexion, perhaps a bit mousey... There is also something a bit odd about their legs, as though they do not entire match their body perfectly. They are thoughtful, studious, shy, and for some reason have absolutely no sense of ever having been involved in a sport that involved something other than sitting down...
First Mutations: Enhanced communication. They start attempting telepathy(limited to intentional send/receive after deliberately establishing a link with an individual, possibly requiring prolonged exposure at close range and possibly with a limited number of simultaneous links), but failing that they will work on emitting distinctive odours of both "sticky" and rapidly deteriorating/dispersing varieties or perhaps directed light-signals of varied colours, patterns, and intensities.
Telepathy doesn't seem to be possible, but odors certainly are, to the point where they act a bit like communication pheromones, giving those in range a clear (if somewhat removed) perception of basic emotions and sensations. More vitality could easily be used to enhance or diversify the effect.
Inventory: A clear notebook with several sketches and commentaries of pre-disaster flora and fauna, several pencils, a knife with a very short blade(suitable for whittling or sharpening pencils), and a small grindstone(suitable for sharpening a small blade).
Name: Will Taylor
Description: Very lanky and tall, hates watching things die, very stubborn, slightly annoying with his wit. Dark, dark brown hair with green eyes that seem to glow (but don't obviously).
First Mutations: Superhuman hearing and smell
Inventory: Phone that's long since lost it's battery, swiss army knife
EDIT: Added some details including last name and a few more physical descriptions.
Name: Trevor Miller
Description: Definitely not an average boy. Looks shy and conceited, with blond hair, and blue eyes. Deep down, though, he just wants to see everything burn.
First Mutations: Two extra limbs at his sides.
Inventory: Some cash (although it's probably worthless now), a small penknife, and some matches.
Name: Rachel Maude
Description: Tall, athletic, and pretty. Light brown hair and green eyes. Has it goin' on, ahem ahem.
First Mutations: Her forearms and hands are thicker, covered in coarse hair, and she has bearlike claws on every finger. They're also much stronger than a normal human's arms.
Inventory: Journal (marked "PROPERTY OF R. MAUDE"), fancy pen
Name: Mace ((No last name given))
Description: A tall and thin boy of about 15 (give or take a year) with a bad complexion, dark brown eyes, blonde hair with red streaks, and several moles on his face, including one on his nose. His arms are long and spindly, ending in long bony fingers. Legs are similar.
First Mutations: Slimy ((Sweat glands are replaced with mucus glands, giving the appearance of being wet. Covers whole body, except for hands.)) Back Plate ((Plate of bone on the back the extends halfway around the body.))
Inventory: Gameboy, A Magnifying Glass, and a .308 bullet casing.
It's time I entered this world...
Name: Manny Phi
Description: Light tan cargo shorts, short sleeved blue shirt. Moderate length hair, dyed ocean blue for reasons he can't remember. About 18, male. Average height and weight, barely tanner skin tone.
First Mutations: Parts of his brain advanced as to allow sympathy and understanding of most, if not all, monsters and animals. Additionally, subtle aromas in his swear, tears, and similar secretions. This allows for enhanced social roles, and makes him capable of taming and befriending monsters. (AKA, monster trainer/social interaction manager)
Inventory: A hair brush, a snack bag of cheese crackers, and a small backpack( Here, it could crinkle well into a pocket).
Author
Topic: Survival of the Fittest (waitlist open): A Game of Mutation and Wilddeath (Read 9100 times)