Kal
Whispers
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
It has been said that change happens quickly through culture and slowly through biology - that is true enough where evolution is concerned, but it is rather difficult to file a patent on natural selection. Bioengineering is another matter entirely - and there are plenty of people unhappy with their current biology out there. Some have reasonable requests, others less so - all are likely to find someone willing to help for enough credits.
Globex's Genomorph Serums, more often referred to as Biomods, are an attempt at standardising the alteration of developed sentient beings. There is no need to wait for the next generation to get inventive with Biomods - they are designed to do their work on adults.
Some effects are mild (e.g., "I want blue skin and white hair." and "I just want a body I feel comfortable in."), whereas others are extreme enough to only rarely be undertaken willingly, notably GHUUL-16, which turned out nasty enough that even Vysh-Kolluri were 'mildly concerned'.
As is Globex's way, much of the technology is open-source.
- Intent: Bioengineering for the masses; anyone can use this as a basis for Species / Factory submissions.
- Image Source: Mr Gray by Samuel Eriksson, Genetic Pipe by Luke Aegis, Hybrid by Jeremy Hanna.
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: Bioengineering
- Name: Genomorph Serum | 'Biomods'
- Manufacturer: The Globex Corporation
- Vysh-Kolluri Incorporated is responsible for most of the unsafe variants - and they're not even sorry: "Immortal is a masterpiece and I will hear no slander - yes, the flesh beast was undesirable, but in the end it burned just fine." - Doctor Vassari.
- Affiliation: The Globex Corporation
- Market Status: Open-Market
- Some variants may be difficult to procure; everything's Open-Market, just be reasonable.
- Modularity: Extreme.
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Not all variants are available at this production level; the more esoteric the change, the rarer the biomod. Roughly divided into Class A, Class B, and Class C biomods, which are Mass-Produced, Mass-Produced or Minor, and Limited or below respectively.
- Material: Retroviruses and Misc. Chemicals
- Classification: Genetic Treatment
- Method of Consumption: Injection, preferably in a clinic with emergency personnel on standby.
- Average Life: Genomorph Serums relatively rapidly changes body and genome alike; the process itself usually takes hours or days and is permanent unless reversed through careful bioengineering. Changes wrought may or may not be inheritable, depending on the version.
- Nutritional Value/Allergies/Side Effects/Purpose: Genomorph Serums produce a variety of effects - and potential side effects.
- Simpler biomods exist and are frequently used; some provide inheritable properties, but most only affect the user. Common examples include permanent changes to hair colour and consistency, skin colour (ever wanted to be purple?), changes to ears (elongation a la Eldorai, animal ears, etc.), and growth of functional or more often cosmetic tails, horns, and other nonsense. These are all Class A biomods.
- NB! XYZ-13 is Class B due to major chromosomal changes; 'non-genetic' sex changes are squarely in Class A.
- A staggering variety of changes can be wrought with Genomorph Serums. These Serums are non-exhaustively listed below. As noted under Production, the more esoteric the change the rarer the biomod - those listed below are Class B and are thus available in large numbers.
- XYZ-13 - By 'reshaping' a genetic sequence, XYZ-13 changes the sex of the user over the course of a twenty-four-hour period. It has a failure rate of a staggering 11%, but failures are generally harmless - the Serum will self-terminate and the user will need to use a customised Serum instead. As these are more expensive, most clinics try the standard variant first. It is not uncommon for users to become sterile; due to Globex's desire to normalise the use of exowombs, they have not prioritised fixing this issue.
- Occulus - This series of Serums fix and improve eyesight, but have been known to cause hypersensitivity - users may struggle with sudden changes in light level. Some more drastic versions further enhance eyesight and often boost the user's reflexes, but give the user bird-like characteristics in the process. Such versions may suffer broader issues related to sensory hypersensitivity.
- Bulk-Up - Stimulating muscle growth, strength, and endurance, Bulk-Up is frequently used by gangsters and bodybuilders with poor judgement. Due to its tendency to cause aggression and reduced lifespans, most ethically-conscious organisations avoid it.
- Brainspark - Greatly enhances the cognition of the user, but with diminishing returns for species and individuals that are already far more intelligent than the baseline. Comparable to Borg Construct AJ^6, but with more variable results. Common side effects include headaches and hallucinations; like the AJ^6, Brainspark can deaden emotions - but it can also increase emotional volatility.
- RVR-8 - Best known as 'Reaver', this dubious Serum is comparable to Bulk-Up but with heightened effects - and worse side effects. Users often become somewhat 'beastly' - anger issues are common, hunger increases, and higher cognitive functions may suffer.
- Endros - A favourite among slavers and unscrupulous employers, Endros improves endurance while reducing the user's need for food and sleep. This comes at the expense of higher cognitive functions, but this deterioration 'generally does not hurt the bottom line'.
- Sleepless - This rarer variant of Endros completely eliminates the need for sleep without any intellectual decline; instead of reducing the need for nutrition, it increases it. Users may suffer from emotional volatility, hallucinations, and headaches.
- GHUUL-16 - A horrific lesson in bioengineering taken too far, GHUUL-16 is an even more potent variant of RVR-8 that also bolsters the agility and natural healing of the user. The side effects are far worse, however - typical consequences include insanity, sallow skin, hair loss, cannibalistic urges, and the growth of claws, sharp teeth, jagged spines, and similar mutations. No one in their right mind takes GHUUL-16 voluntarily, but certain unscrupulous organisations use it to create soldiers controlled by inhibitor chips.
- Adonis - A much more palatable biomod is Adonis, which enhances the beauty of the user. Pure skin and facial/bodily symmetry are common, as is soft, pure skin. Variants exist to cover various beauty norms, from glistening muscles to sleek elegance. Furthermore, Adonis users tend to smell wonderful - in fact, they emit Zeltronesque pheromones. The most common side effect is vanity.
- Rockhide - Initially designed for use by Vysh-Kolluri security officers, Rockhide makes users far more durable, greatly enhances their strength, and often contains 'a little something extra' to make them predispositioned towards unthinking loyalty. Downsides include a minor to moderate loss of tactile sensitivity, uncomfortably 'hard' skin, and a minor to moderate reduction in agility.
- Truly exotic biomods fall into Class C and are typically both pricy and rare - they range from the sensible to the bizarre.
- Mindsense - This wondrous (and quite rare) biomod bestows telepathy upon the user, allowing them to hear the surface thoughts of nearby organics and potentially learn to pry deeper with practice. This is immensely useful to negotiators and scam artists alike, but it is not without its disadvantages - headaches are common and users usually cannot 'tune out' the ability. Crowds can be difficult.
- Chameleon - This aptly named biomod drastically alters a user's skin to allow them to turn (mostly) invisible! Neat, huh? Side effects have been known to include paranoia, a fear of crowds, and a tendency to favour hiding over 'fight or flight', even when inadvisable.
- Warborn - Ever wanted to throw an airspeeder at your enemies? Warborn lets you do just that and confers extreme endurance as an added benefit, but has been known to impair judgement, increase violent tendencies, and reduce lifespans. Sometimes drastically.
- Immortal - Dead soldiers are a hassle. Inspired by this thought, Vysh-Kolluri spliced Gen'dai genetic materials into humanoids - the end result is extreme (and extremely painful) regeneration. Users that have to regenerate parts of their brains are likely to suffer from all manner of side effects including but not limited to amnesia, violent insanity, and discomfort. Discomfort doesn't sound so bad, right? Despite the name, users are most assuredly not immortal - they are not even as resilient as the Gen'dai. It is possible for bodies to, ah, reanimate on occasion - transformations into nonsentient (hopefully?) masses of homicidal flesh are fairly rare, however! No refunds!
- Ysalakin - This extraordinarily rare variant splices Ysalamiri tissue into the user, allowing them to semi-reliably interfere with nearby Force Use. Their 'bubbles' tend to fluctuate wildly and there have been a few cases of their heads exploding when pushed too hard.
- Biomodularity: Biomods afford customers a near-unprecedented degree of control over their own bodies; similarly, companies can adapt consenting (eagerly or not) employees to fit valuable niches like "radiation-resistant serf" and "hyper-intelligent paper-pusher".
- Metamorphosis: All but the most minor of biomods reduce the subject to a catatonic state while the body transforms.
- Genetic Instability: Biomods, especially mass-produced variants, may lead to undesirable mutations or genetic anomalies. XYZ-13 virtually never leads to anything worse than sterility, whereas GHUUL-16 does horrific things to body and cognition alike.
It has been said that change happens quickly through culture and slowly through biology - that is true enough where evolution is concerned, but it is rather difficult to file a patent on natural selection. Bioengineering is another matter entirely - and there are plenty of people unhappy with their current biology out there. Some have reasonable requests, others less so - all are likely to find someone willing to help for enough credits.
Globex's Genomorph Serums, more often referred to as Biomods, are an attempt at standardising the alteration of developed sentient beings. There is no need to wait for the next generation to get inventive with Biomods - they are designed to do their work on adults.
Some effects are mild (e.g., "I want blue skin and white hair." and "I just want a body I feel comfortable in."), whereas others are extreme enough to only rarely be undertaken willingly, notably GHUUL-16, which turned out nasty enough that even Vysh-Kolluri were 'mildly concerned'.
As is Globex's way, much of the technology is open-source.
