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Author Topic: Night Creature Idea - Mutants  (Read 1214 times)

Sky-Streamer

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Night Creature Idea - Mutants
« on: February 07, 2020, 09:45:57 am »

   This is an idea for a new species of Night Creature; Mutants.
   Mutants, unlike other night creatures, are not made in world generation. Rather, they can be created by certain megabeasts that have a new type of attack, a bite that will cause those afflicted to be mutated. The ability will be described as "Beware its mutating toxin!"
   The ability acts in the same way as a poisonous bite, only afflicting things bitten by it.
When something is affected by the toxin, they will not feel any negative affects at first, but they will slowly mutate over the span of a few months (2-3 at the least), but that's only if the body puts up a fight. Depending on how strong the dwarf or person is to resisting diseases and illnesses, the mutation can take less than a month, or even can be fought off entirely. Nevertheless, You will be able to see the extent of the mutation's affects in the injuries tab, and these affects will also foreshadow what mutations will eventually overcome whatever is taken over. These mutations are generated randomly by the game, and can affect even livestock.
   Mutants can naturally approach and attack your fortress once you reach a population of 65, 40,000 created wealth, and 4,000 exported wealth. They will randomly be chosen by one of the mutation affects present in the world.
   Here are some examples of mutations that can overtake your dwarves.

 - Massive swelling will overtake the body, leading to the body to be covered by large warts and blobs of flesh.
 - Black sludge replaces their veins, small maggots and other hostile creatures periodically crawling out of any open wounds or severed limbs.
 - Their body is merged with some form of large object, like a cabinet, bed, chest, siege ammo or even a loaded ballista.
 - Their limbs and body parts can be formed into what amounts to maces or whips.
 - Their body will form around their armor, turning it into essentially a metal ribcage.

   Please share your opinions on my ideas!
« Last Edit: February 07, 2020, 04:14:52 pm by Sky-Streamer »
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FantasticDorf

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Re: Night Creature Idea - Mutants
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2020, 12:23:46 pm »

I think there will be great agency for this, similar to the ways that diseased thralls can instantly thrall other people and undead lieutenants can also turn others formally into more of themselves. It sounds a lot like the mechanic of thralling in general to be honest.

When i hear the word 'mutant' i usually think of mutation like you said as a Forgotten beast or evil rain extract than a disease that will overcome them, though im sure that someone can probably make a extreme polymorphing syndrome in the future to emulate it. In my mind a much more unique angle would be to make mutants not strictly a night beast, but a unnatural creature of circumstance, by having them be left in the wild when they're babies to fend for themselves unless they find a purpose or are snatched/'rescued' by babysnatcher civs.
  • With the goblin notion of 'tolerance' in their society, they already do not persecute same entity members who worship other religions which i've seen as there's always never any historical events like it at their sites, so mutants may be accepted in their society and not left to fend for themselves
  • Mutants could happen occasionally amongst extreme sphere related biomes less so than direct contact with mutation reagents? This would localise sources of mutants, and the occasional mutated infertile offspring in fortress mode as punishment for settling extreme areas.
Im quite certain that from being alone for so long, one of the reasons if they don't re-enter society and turn to night-creaturism & villiany can justify them being [OPPOSED_TO_LIFE] if they dont just become a outcast or find somewhere they belong.
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Pillbo

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Re: Night Creature Idea - Mutants
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2020, 03:15:32 pm »

I think there are lots of ways 'mutants' could be a cool addition and making use of procgen systems would be great.  It fits well with the original DF concept, Mutant Miner- where miners would find mutagenic ooze that would change their bodies and their physical abilities.

I like all the ideas so far but I'd add dwarves digging up hellish radioactive materials that mutated them against their will.  Effects could be procgen, so maybe a layer of ooze in rock causes extra body parts to grow, or in their offspring. While mutagens inside adamantine spires could turn them into full blown night creatures.

This could be tied into magical sphere influence too. Making a fort in a sphere of Deformity seems like a logical place to see these effects.  Societies reactions to them depending on the religious values of the civ/individual also makes sense.  If half your fort worships a god of Deformity and you get mutant citizens they could be revered, cared for, promoted, or worshiped as chosen by the god.
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Beag

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Re: Night Creature Idea - Mutants
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2020, 07:24:32 pm »

How do you think the game would handle a player adventurer getting a mutating syndrome?
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Shonai_Dweller

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Re: Night Creature Idea - Mutants
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2020, 07:26:01 pm »

How do you think the game would handle a player adventurer getting a mutating syndrome?
See Caves of Qud for how this can work nicely.
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Dorfthefort123

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Re: Night Creature Idea - Mutants
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2020, 10:14:47 am »

I like the idea of miners just stumbling upon minerals that mutate them. Perhaps we can do this:
  • First looking at mutants should effect Dwarves mood, and maybe if the Dwarves seeing the mutant are especially faint hearted it effects them more?
  • Second Sometimes while mining Dwarves will find pockets of very valuable ore, that when found will show a message like "My my this metal has never been seen before! What secrets does it contain? (maybe add a description of said metal) The metal can also be found above ground in the form of meteors for adventure mode. will have a 60% chance of being mutated this means that this metal if mutated will mutate everyone who touches it (for forging spears etc.) will mutate them in 14 days (to make quarantine hard but not impossible). This metal might even be stronger than Adamantine. To make players risk forging that stuff.
So yeah those are my two ideas.
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