TEXT:  
   
   
  MUTAGENIC 
   
  A thesis in body modifications by Drs. Dann Milar and Yancy T. Krakkar 
   
  “We live in a transhuman age,” the strange textbook began.  The following pages were absolutely 
  bizarre. It seemed like this author, even back in the 1980’s, had plans for advancing the human 
  body to absurd lengths, using technology and morality well beyond the pale… 
   
  >: RESEARCH DESIGN: 
  Needed: Pen and paper, 1 ten-sided die (1d10) for each player, counters such as glass beads, 
  poker chips, or coins. 
  Players: 2-6 and a Gamemaster (professor) 
  THE GOAL: You all have awoken in a…well…it’s not a cage, per se, but it’s certainly somewhere you 
  go put yourself.  Roll 1d10: 
  ROLLS OF 1-3 
  REVENGE 
  One or more players knows the 
  name of the scientist/group 
  who’s 
  done 
  this 
  to 
  you.  
  Finding 
  them 
  might 
  not 
  necessarily make you better, 
  but killing them/giving them a 
  dose of their own bad medicine 
  would sure feel good. 
  ROLLS of 4-7 
  ESCAPE 
  Well, we sure can’t stick 
  around here.  The party’s goal 
  is to work their way through 
  this place to the outside.  At 
  the Professor’s discretion, it 
  might be better to let these 
  folks out, a display of your 
  power 
  or 
  patients-zero 
  perhaps. 
  ROLLS OF 8-10 
  CURE 
  In a cure game, one of your 
  own is already either mutated 
  or otherwise altered (called 
  the Afflicted).  They’re sure 
  that there is a way to reverse 
  the effects of this experiment 
  and as a team you can find it 
  together. 
   
  >: TEST SUBJECTS 
  Designing your character: In REVENGE and ESCAPE scenarios, all 
  players start as a basic human type.  When playing a CURE 
  scenario, the Afflicted player begins by making one free 
  Mutation roll for each score.  Your Human form has the 
  following skill scores, with 5 points in each: Senses, Limbs, 
  and Mind, and Body.   
   
  MUTATIONS: Once per turn, you may spend a point to reroll that 
  score on a 10-sided die (called 1d10 from here forward).  This 
  is called Mutation.  Mutations also carry some…side effects.  
  You’ll need to make a note somewhere of how many times you 
  mutate.  If your roll is above the current score, this becomes 
  the new score.  If it is below, you are simply stuck with the 
  lower number.  You cannot have less than 2 points in a skill.  
  On any Mutation roll of 1, also take a point of Body damage.  
  BODY damage can reduce your score to 0.  See Death is Only 
  Temporary for more on 0-Body values.  Mutations for better 
  scores and that are NOT related to a Challenge can be done once 
  per turn.  You cannot attempt to mutate the same score on 
  successive turns, meaning that if you tried to make your Limbs 
  more…multifaceted last turn, you can’t do it again this turn. 
   
  Instablity: Too many changes to your basic scores can make your 
  DNA unstable and make it harder to accept new grafts from 
  Challenges or Mutate further.   
  After this many 
  mutations: 
  Mutation/Body Mod 
  Challenge Rolls at 
  Info Reveal 
  Challenge Rolls At 
  3 
  -1 
  +1 
  5 
  -2 
  +2 
  7 
  -3 
  +3 
  These penalties happen immediately after your roll.  Say you’re 
  hoping to mutate a 5 Mind; you’d normally need a 6 or above.  
  But if you’ve already mutated 5 times, you’d now need an 8 or 
  above on the roll. 
   
  In addition, if you ever have scores of 1 in more than a single 
  area, say 1 Limb/1 Mind, your rolls take an additional +/-1 in 
  addition to any penalties earned by too many mutations. 
   
   
  SENSES: How well you can 
  see, hear, smell, taste 
  (ew), or feel a threat. 
   
  LIMBS: How many arms and 
  legs you have, which can 
  make it easier or harder 
  to 
  move 
  around 
  and/or 
  carry stuff.   
   
  MIND: 
  How 
  smart 
  your 
  current form is.  A basic 
  human 
  is 
  smarter 
  than, 
  say, a basic lizard.   
   
  BODY: How tough you are, 
  both 
  in 
  being 
  able 
  to 
  withstand pain and change, 
  as well as how long before 
  your body simply quits on 
  you.   
   
  “HOW DO I LOOK?”  As you 
  go through and take on 
  various 
  mutations, 
  body 
  mods 
  from 
  the 
  various 
  challenges, etc., you’ll 
  be asked to describe your 
  current look.  Do this 
  well and you may end up 
  with bonuses to your next 
  roll.  Be creative and WOW 
  the 
  professor…it 
  can’t 
  possibly hurt you!  
   
  >: METHODS AND FINDINGS 
  Overseeing everything is the Professor.  He or she covers all reveals of information, rules 
  questions, etc.  They also set the Lab up with various areas that can maim, alter, pierce, or 
  attach stuff to you.  THEY ARE ALWAYS ALWAYS watching you.  The professor also describes what 
  absurd mutations come out of rerolling Skill scores.   
   
  Taking Turns: The players take turns in order based on their birthdays (ties resolved by first 
  letter of their name).  “What are you doing?” is the central question of your team’s attempt to 
  complete the scenario.  The team may ask as many questions as they like about what is around 
  them.  The Professor then sets a challenge (see below) to determine how much information the team 
  receives. 
   
  
   
   
   
  >: METHODS AND FINDINGS, continued 
   
  Challenges: The Professor isn’t just going to let you accomplish your goal.  At several times, a 
  check vs. your skills, called a Challenge, is presented to one or more of the team.  These can be 
  simple reveals of information, new abilities, modifications to the body you’re inhabiting…the sky 
  is the limit.  The Professor describes the challenge and gives it a skill score (Mind, Body, 
  Limbs or Senses) to check against.    
   
  INFORMATION REVEAL CHALLENGES 
  Roll high; a success on this challenge where 
  players are seeking information is any d10 
  roll ABOVE the player’s skill score in the 
  Professor’s skill assignment. 
   
  AUTOMATIC FAIL: 10. Take 1 Body damage. 
   
  BODY MODIFCATION CHALLENGES 
  Roll low; a success on any Challenge that will 
  alter a player’s skill score by changing how 
  their body looks is any d10 roll UNDER the 
  Professor’s skill assignment. 
   
  AUTOMATIC FAIL: 1. Take 1 Body damage. 
   
  Success on a Body Modification check does not count as a mutation for the turn.  Also, any tie—a 
  roll equals the skill score—is a success. 
   
  If you fail a challenge roll, another member of the team can assist you once per challenge.  
  Failing a challenge usually doesn’t matter other than you missing out on some particularly cool 
  piece of new body, or leading your team perhaps down a blind alley. 
   
  Body Modifications gained during a challenge don’t cost a Skill point and add +1d10 to your score 
  in that stat. For instance: You see that this is a place to re-arm.  Literally.  There are tiger 
  legs with steel claws, something that looks like a gun-leg, and even a set of spider legs.  Jill 
  spent a point to reroll her Limbs and failed, so she’s at 4.  Faced with the chance to augment 
  herself, she rolls a 4 and succeeds, taking the Gun Leg.  KABOOM!  She then rolls 1d0 and gets 4; 
  the new value for Limbs is 8.   
   
  Traps: Sometimes there are bad things that happen.  The Professor has the ability to drop any 
  fair trap he or she feels will enrich the team’s trial.  Treat these as a challenge of the 
  appropriate type, though successes on a trap do not allow you to gain a modification/new 
  information from them. 
   
  Death is only Temporary: If a failed challenge or Mutation reduces you to 0 Body Points, you are 
  unconscious.  You cannot aide another player’s failed challenge roll or attempt any challenge 
  roll.  Your fellow players can assist your healing by forgoing their Mutation roll for a Healing 
  roll: 1d10 vs. their current body score; a roll above that body score is a success!  Heal 2 
  Points if an Even result and 1 point if an odd.  If all players take a turn without healing you, 
  you are dead.  In CURE scenarios, the Afflicted player MUST get a heal check on the next player’s 
  turn or the team fails their mission. 
   
  >: SUMMARY OF STUDY 
  When the team has made sufficient progress through the Professor’s maze of challenges, traps, and 
  modifications, OR 30 minutes have passed, proceed (when reasonable) to the Endgame.  This is the 
  goal of the game determined at the start of play.  
   
  REVENGE 
  Before revealing who has been 
  pulling the team’s strings, 
  the 
  team 
  must 
  reach 
  a 
  consensus: are you killing or 
  mutating this person? 
   
  With 
  this 
  decision, 
  the 
  Professor starts with all four 
  scores 
  at 
  5, 
  like 
  he 
  is 
  drawing up a new player.  He 
  makes secret 2d10 rolls adding 
  to each skill, taking the 
  highest as his Body score.  
  The players then roll 2d10 for 
  initiative 
  order, 
  and 
  the 
  Professor takes 1 initiative 
  pass per 2 team members. 
   
  Attacks in this stage are 
  opposed 
  rolls: 
  highest 
  d10+Skill deals 1d10 damage to 
  the loser. 
  ESCAPE 
  The exit is near. 
   
  Each player must take their 
  lowest Skill score and succeed 
  on three Information Reveal 
  Challenges.  The first is at 
  no bonus.  The second is at +1 
  to the die roll as you’ve 
  gotten some confidence.  The 
  second requires a trap roll 
  first.  On ODDS, -2 to the 
  roll.  On EVENS, +2. 
   
  The team escapes if ½ Rounded 
  Up of the team succeeds.   
   
  Assist rolls are permitted. 
  CURE 
  Didn’t we tell you?!  In this 
  lab is the answer to your 
  horrific disfigurement. 
   
  The Afflicted must pass an 
  Escape endgame challenge with 
  a different assistant on each 
  roll AND must use all other 
  team members to assist at 
  least one time. 
   
  Success on ½+1 of attempts 
  nets you the cure! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Other (Unique) Systems/Top Secret Games Two Page Tabletops/Mutagenic.pdf