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MUTANTS
a.k.a. "How many of those things ya got?"

The Sixth World is a highly polluted place. Its inhabitants are constantly bombarded by radiation, noxious gases, toxic air and water, and every other kind of physical, psychological, and spiritual filth. At best, the body (and/or mind and/or spirit) learns to adapt and develops an immunity to these things. Otherwise, it is effected drastically by these harmful external stimuli. The results of these various pollutants are extremely variable. A person may be born with a weakened immune system (this being one of the more common mutations) or extra fingers (a bit more rare, but not unheard of) or even radical mutations, such as extra eye-sets, prehensile tails, or psychokinetic conductive organs (extremely rare). And, just as all things, some places are more saturated with these pollutants than others and therefore are more likely to produce such mutations than other places.

In "my" gaming universe, encounters with mutants are somewhat common. Every other person on the street isn't born with extra fingers, but no one is surprised when horns are sprouting from the contact's skull. Mutations make the characters in the adventure more interesting to deal with. Perhaps, in a perfect world, everyone would be born with attractive features and a rivetting personality to match, but that's not even how it works in the pre-Awakening world. Besides, it's much more interesting when the gang leader's eyes are offset by two inches, his nose runs at a sharp diagonal, he twitches violently, and he's the only one who knows the rear entrance to the corporate facility.

The mutations are caused by a wide range of external stimuli. Pollutants are some of the most common; after all, they've been building up since the late 18th century. The air the characters and their ancestors breathe, the water they drink, the food they eat, it's (almost) all been contaminated somewhere at sometime by something. Perhaps that pollutant does nothing, perhaps it so drastically warps the genetic structure that that person's children are all born looking -- well, something other than human. Radiation is another good example. It bombards us constantly from all angles. Small doses of radiation pour out of the sky at all times (sunlight, cosmic waves, etc.). We've created our own risidual radiation from nuclear and fusion power and the fallout of the nuclear weapons we've used. Then there are the radio waves, the pulses of cellular communication, satellite transmissions, TV, computers, telephones, pagers, and EVERYTHING else! Radiation splits atoms, it breaks down cells, it warps gametes. And then there are those who speak of our psychological and spiritual pollution. The media spoon feeds us tasty mouthfuls of "easy outs" and sensations. Its easy to pass that kind of warped mentality onto our children. Did your parents send money to a TV preacher who promised a better life through Jes-us? No one knows for sure how much of our predispositions and mental characteristics are shaped by our gene code. Assuming that 50% of our "potential" personality is genetic, how is that segment of the gene code determined? Good questions. Finally, there is a segment of the Sixth World that believes in astral pollution. Will a mana surge cause you to suddenly be goblinized? Will an astral storm charge you with negative energy, warping you into an indeterminate creature of pure physical, mental, and spiritual dementia? Mutations can come from anywhere and turn you into anything.

As I said earlier, the mutations vary from subtle to radical, with the more radical ones being the most rare. The most common mutations are almost unnoticeable. Chemical imbalances in the brain, weakened immune systems, increased susceptibility to cancer; those are just a couple examples of the subtle genetic changes which can qualify as mutations. But they can become more external. Useless extra digits, distorted features, motled hair / skin tone / etc. Increasingly more rare are the "functional" mutations. Those born with prehensile tails, fangs, extra hearts, extra lungs, meta-melanin, and other such mutations, though very uncommon, present interesting dilemmas. Some individuals so mutated are snatched by scientists for study. Others manage to elude the scientific community to become valuable entertainers or shadowrunners. Still others somehow manage to conceal or control their mutation to an extent that permits them to live a mostly normal life.

Game Information

Should you, as a GM want to incorporate mutants into your campaign, here is some information you may find useful...

Mutagen Counts
An area has a rating that determines the level of mutagens present in the environment. The higher the mutagen count, the higher the chances are of a mutant being born into that region, and the high the chances are of one of the more "overt" mutations occurring.

1. A level 1 region has a relatively low count of mutagens. Perhaps it is on the outskirts of a city, catching only the last, weak particles of air pollution from the industrial plants or it is hundreds of miles downstream from a nuclear reactor and suffers only the occassional, minor mutation in its fish population.
2. A level 2 region has a reasonably low count. The birth rate for mutants is about 1 in 10,000, external mutations are about 1 in 50,000, but drastic mutations are still relatively unheard of. Snohomish and the S-S Council borderlands around Seattle average a level 2.
3. A level 3 region is still a reasonably low count, but mutations are definitely accepted as a semi-common event. About 1 in 1,000 births has a mutation, though external mutations are still around 1 in 5,000, and drastic mutations are still quite rare. Most of the Seattle area has at least a level 3.
4. A level 4 region is approaching dangerous levels of mutagens. Anywhere from 1 to 2 percent of the births have mutations, about 1 in 500 births is born with something externally "wrong" with it, and there are usually about two stories per year of the child with the tail or the extra eyes or something to that effect. Most of Puyallup, regions surrounding nuclear or fusion generators, and other highly polluted areas have mutagen counts of 4.
5. An area with a mutagen count of level 5 or above is practically unfit for human life in any case. Living person begin to suffer mutations in the midst of their life. Children with extra digits and contorted faces are commonplace, and people are hardly surprised to hear about the kid with the colorshift skin or the luciferace pigment under their skin. Usually governments try to quarantine these regions, but not always.

Mutations as Edges & Flaws
A good way to incorporate mutations into a game is to use them as Edges & Flaws. Since a system is already in place for using Edges & Flaws, it removes the complicated element of having to implement a whole new set of rules for giving characters mutations.

As Edges, simply assign a value to the "enhancing mutation" the character takes. Obviously, the more potential it has to benefit the character, the higher the point value should be. So, if the character simply wants to place a pair of eyes in the back of their head, give it a 2. If they want a fully functional, barbed, prehensile tail, complete with fingers and a poison gland, go more in the range of 6.

As Flaws, follow the same procedure. If the player wants to give their character a heightened sensitivity to sunlight, -2 (c'mon, who goes around naked anyway?). If they are subject to frequent, spontaneous seizure activity from a plethora of unknown external stimuli, -6.

Sample Mutations
Here are a few sample mutations, and their suggested Edge/Flaw values. Bear in mind that some of these are low-, some mid-, and some high-level mutations. However, I am not listing every mutation under the TV-gray sky. Extra digits, a somewhat common mutation in the Sixth World, are definitely not functional, and can actually be removed through elective surgery, so why list them here? These are just the ones players are most likely to come up with and use voluntarily.