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Leliel
2008-10-02, 05:22 PM
One of the ideas I have for a homebrew world is actually rather advanced in the field of biology-they know what a cell is.

Given that...

What kind of ideas would you have for magically influenced gene manipulation?

arguskos
2008-10-02, 05:26 PM
Someone needs to invent the Owlbear through genetics!! Same with the Ducksnake, Rabbitcrab, and the ferocious Pengiunlion. Just figured I'd toss those out there.

On a more realistic level, I can see a world with genetic knowledge and high magic having good explanations for some of the really screwed up monsters in the world.

Also, biological weaponry needs to be important, since that'd be pretty fun IMO.

-argus

Staven
2008-10-02, 05:31 PM
Retrofit Bioshock or Mass Effect to the middle ages and you'll have your answer.

Hal
2008-10-02, 05:33 PM
Are you prepared for the genocide of catgirls?

Never again, people. Never again.

Tengu_temp
2008-10-02, 05:46 PM
A society of incredibly intelligent, strong and attractive masterminds, whose servants are hulking, brutish, barely humanoid, able to work for days and incredibly loyal. Both of these races used to be human, of course. Evil by default, though not necessarily if you want to go against players' expectations.

Staven
2008-10-02, 06:00 PM
Ooh! I have a more original idea than my first one! Have aberrations be the result of years of genetic splicing. At first, they were small, controllable, things like ettercaps and possibly mimics. The ettercaps were created to spin strong webs used for various armors, and mimics were designed in the hopes that people could have household servants that accommodated whatever object that they needed at the time. These were fine, to start. But then, the first aboleth was bred. And that's when things got out of control. The aboleth became not just intelligent but aware, bred as a coast guard assistance unit. It wondered why it was taking orders...and made a will save that changed history. Its escape was not thought of very much. You can always make more. To assist with the breeding of these genetic experiments, these abonimations, these aberrations, mages (I assume arcane casters are the ones behind it. create a geneticist PrC to add flavor to a campaign that uses this) designed something they called a Mass Brain. That's what they called it. Inevitably, it became self aware and was contacted telepathically by the rogue aboleth, who told it to start some breeding of its own.

Chaos followed. Chaos that is up to the user of fluff like this to decide.

Pronounceable
2008-10-02, 10:16 PM
Build a world where everyone is smart, strong, fast and beautiful, OR let slip the mutated dogs of biological war... Not a hard choice at all.

Ravens_cry
2008-10-02, 10:30 PM
I wrote a short story where a scientist/mage creates a universal womb, to breed all manner of monstrosities, most importantly, an elf-orc. I don't think it killed too many cat-girls. But yeah, genetic manipulation , DnD? Catgirl Xenocide.

TheCountAlucard
2008-10-02, 10:43 PM
Give creatures an infusion of demon DNA to give 'em the Fiendish template, or a double dose for the Half-Fiend template.

playswithfire
2008-10-02, 10:45 PM
I thought creating a world determined by dnd-genetics where things like racial attribute modifiers and other racial abilities (immune to sleep, powerful build, etc) were treated as genetric traits that could be passed on completely, partially or not at all from each parent to the child. You'd then run a generational algorithm from a random starting pool to determine who lived in each region. You'd also have built in family histories

Personally, I'd like to see a small race with powerful build result from all of this

There're also the grafts from Libris Mortis and Savage Species (pectoral of maneuverability etc)

Zeful
2008-10-02, 10:48 PM
One of the ideas I have for a homebrew world is actually rather advanced in the field of biology-they know what a cell is.

Given that...

What kind of ideas would you have for magically influenced gene manipulation?

I'd do what was done with batman beyond, just with transmutation spells.

You'd have to homebrew something like:

Frankenstien's Alter Self
Transmutation
Level: Wiz/Sor 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch
Target: 1 willing creature
Duration: Instantanious (see text)

This spell imbues you the power to change others, with this you may give nearly any small cosmetic change to a willing creature, as well as several minor benefits. However the base creature remains mostly unchanged and you may not change into a creature of another race. You may give a +2 racial bonus per two caster levels (max +10) to one of the following skills: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Spot, Survival, Swim, and Tumble.
If you have bestowed wings then the subject gains a fly speed of 10ft (clumsy).
If you have bestowed webbed feet then the subject gains a Swim speed of 10ft.
The subject also recieves a +2 circumstance bonus to disguise checks for one week after the proceedure.
If this spell is cast a second time on the same target then the subject no longer recieves any benefit from the preivious castings.

Raging Gene Ray
2008-10-02, 10:57 PM
Someone needs to invent the Owlbear through genetics!! Same with the Ducksnake, Rabbitcrab, and the ferocious Pengiunlion. Just figured I'd toss those out there.

Don't forget the SpiderHorse! (http://www.headinjurytheater.com/article95.htm)

Seriously, though, how widely available is the Genetic Manipulation? Is it fashionable for anyone who can afford it to have some sort of ability enhancement or other? Do High-level Adventurers routinely get permanent stat boosts out of the deal? Is there some sort of regulatory body that makes sure whatever happened at the end of Akira doesn't happen?

Ascension
2008-10-02, 11:36 PM
Personally, I'd like to see a small race with powerful build result from all of this

I've heard suggestions that Dwarves should be rebuilt as Small-with-Powerful-Build rather than a short Medium.

bosssmiley
2008-10-03, 04:40 AM
A society of incredibly intelligent, strong and attractive masterminds, whose servants are hulking, brutish, barely humanoid, able to work for days and incredibly loyal. Both of these races used to be human, of course. Evil by default, though not necessarily if you want to go against players' expectations.

So, a sexified version of the Neogi (and their Umber Hulk servitors) then? :smallconfused:

Satyr
2008-10-03, 04:51 AM
One of the premisses of at least two homebrewed campaign settings was that all creatures which look as if they were an amalgam of two animals, humanoids and so on where the product of Transmogrifying Magic, Chimeromany.
Back in the old days when magic was stronger, the world was ruled by wizards. Wizards who were de facto immortal and hated each other. So it became a valid hobby for these Magocrats to construct new creatures as shock troops against their rivals or as pleasure pets or as beasts of burden... and so on. For these wizards, the world was something like a crossover of Spore and Pokémon - create your own creatures and send them into death matches against other wizards, and creating the most effective - or most beautiful or most disgusting - creature was a source of great prestige.

Later on many of these experimental creatures died, others were freed or run away. The tide of magic ebbed and the magocracies crumbled, but dozens of fertile and often extremely aggressive chimera breeds survived and spread all over the world.
This was not used to introduce new creatures but to explain old ones like the Owlbear, Gnolls, Kobolds (which were a Goblin/Rat crossbreed with no connections what so ever to dragons) or Orks (a very succesful shock trooper chimera created from humans and Carnage Demons).
Coincidentally most Catgirls were in fact nearly wiped out, when the Gnolls decided that they were the most delicious thing that ever was. The remaining Catfolks are kept as cattle by Gnolls.

Torque
2008-10-03, 05:09 AM
One of the ideas I have for a homebrew world is actually rather advanced in the field of biology-they know what a cell is.

Given that...

What kind of ideas would you have for magically influenced gene manipulation?
Genetic manipulation is the standard explanation for the owlbear in most games I've played in. The thing is, with magic is there much point in genetic manipulation?

My oldest campaign is based on a world 30000 years after Gamma World, so the mutations caused have settled down to just the viable ones - gnolls, dwarves, orcs etc. are all originally mutants (elves are something special, which is why they don't have souls), so in that sense genetics is at the heart of the campaign even though it is never mentioned.

AstralFire
2008-10-03, 08:20 AM
...Why would magical genetic manipulation be any different from sci-fi genetic manip?

Leliel
2008-10-03, 08:22 AM
Don't forget the SpiderHorse! (http://www.headinjurytheater.com/article95.htm)

Seriously, though, how widely available is the Genetic Manipulation? Is it fashionable for anyone who can afford it to have some sort of ability enhancement or other? Do High-level Adventurers routinely get permanent stat boosts out of the deal? Is there some sort of regulatory body that makes sure whatever happened at the end of Akira doesn't happen?

I was thinking along the lines of the Tales series, in that the MacGuffin of a particular world-here, genetic manipulation-has a huge effect on society, and is a part of daily life.

Yeah, everyone gets temporary boosts from it-the cells used to do so decay over time-and adventurers are treated to stat boosts.

As for a regulatory body, yeah, but they aren't very powerful-there's a lot more ideas that can be drawn from that particular way.

Person_Man
2008-10-03, 09:25 AM
You could just create a graft related homebrew class. There are probably a few dozen of them in the various splat books, and you could always custom make more with DM approval. Full BAB, Good Fort and Ref Saves, 4 Skill points per level from an appropriate list, d8 hit die, medium armor and simple weapons. Each level you get your standard WBL in grafts for free. You can mix and match grafts of any type.

By 10th level you'll probably have a flying, fire breathing, multi-tentacled something or the other which is a monster in melee combat, but feared in basic social interaction.

AslanCross
2008-10-03, 10:03 AM
Magical genetic manipulation was what gave birth to a legion of hobgoblins in my campaign who have the Spellwarped template. They're basically the equivalent of Space Marine hobgoblins. They're the size of bugbears, smarter, stronger, faster, and boosted by magical attacks.