Mutant Animal problem

[Snowtiger]

I started thinking about really creating a Tiger Mutant Animal character, if I drop his size level down to 7 or 8, I'd have enough BIO-E to make the needed adjustments(that comes to about 35-40 BIO-E in total before these adjustments).

The problem is, if I pick up Full Hands, Full Biped Stance and Full Speech(30 BIO-E added together) and None Looks(0 BIO-E), along with retractable claws(2d6 damage, 10 BIO-E), I run out of BIO-E, because I would like to add teeth (2d4 damage, 5 BIO-E), Advanced Hearing and Night Vision(10 BIO-E added together) as well but I don't have the points to spend.

I'd rather not drop him back a few size levels to gain the 15 BIO-E, I could perhaps save 5 BIO-E by picking up the retractable claws that do 1d6 damage from the domestic cat entry, but that still leaves me 10 BIO-E short, and I have doubts on using it, because it's from an another animal data entry.

What should I do?

Note: I still don't have After the Bomb, so I cannot use the vestigial options in it(which would indeed provide one solution to the problem).

[Gazirra]

If you have Mutant Undeground, use the mutant animal tables in it with the tiger as your base animal. Simply pick out features that would give him tiger-like abilities. Same with vestigial traits

[znbrtn]

my group has always doubled the bio-e that mutant animals get, because they just suck without it. they really don't have a place in any play-style as written, because they're too "weird" for the low power special training games, and they're way too weak for inclusion in a higher-end "powered" game. run it by your gm and see what he thinks.

[Snowtiger]

If you have Mutant Undeground, use the mutant animal tables in it with the tiger as your base animal. Simply pick out features that would give him tiger-like abilities. Same with vestigial traits

I don't have MU either, and I doubt if I can get it anymore. My primary RPG supplier sold them out in a sale(the same sale I managed to get both PU1 and PU2, and the sale ended a few days after I ordered them), and it was removed from their product listings(due to being deemed both obsolete and out of print).

I'll have to ask if they could still get them from their suppliers abroad, but that could take several months, and I'd probably end up still not having them.

my group has always doubled the bio-e that mutant animals get, because they just suck without it. they really don't have a place in any play-style as written, because they're too "weird" for the low power special training games, and they're way too weak for inclusion in a higher-end "powered" game. run it by your gm and see what he thinks.

That sounds good. However, we don't have a current HU2 campaign, so the point of asking my GM about it is clearly moot. Thanks for the input though.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Youhave two options, fudge the numbers or don't fudge the numbers.

[Ronin Shinobi]

Kinthalis Silverbow Created a few convertions for the missing animals that were not provided in ATB2 they even sticked it in the TMNT/ATB forum. One of the converted animal is a tiger.
viewtopic.php?t=16795

FELINES(wild)TIGER
Original Animal Characterisics
Description:
Size level: 15
Length: 6-9.5ft
Weight: up to 500 pounds.
Build: Medium.
Mutant Changes & Costs
Total BIO-E: 15
Attribute Bonuses: +2 I.Q., Brute Strength, +10 to P.S.,+2 to P.P.,+4 to Spd.
Human Features
Hands: 5 BIO-E for partial or 10 BIO-E for full.
Biped: 5 BIO-E for partial or 10 BIO-E for full.
Speech: 5 BIO-E for partial or 10 BIO-E for full.
Looks: None. A large, wide head, massive jaws, broad nose,wide set eyes and ears on top. Thick fur with black and orange stripes. The body is long and lean, with a powerful build, and a long tail.
5 BIO-E for partial. Humanoid with a cat's head or strong feline features: muzzled face, whiskers, striped fur, long, flexible body, tail,powerful arms and legs.
10 BIO-E for full. Human shape with a lean, muscular build, large hands and feet, with dark stripes all over bronze skin. The face has sharp features, strong jaw and cheek bones, wide flat nose, almond shaped eyes, small slightly pointed ears,and short thick hair on head: light hair on the body, mainly the arms, legs and chest.
Natural Weapons
5 BIO-E for 2D6 damage Retractable Climbing Claws.
10 BIO-E for 3D6 damage Retractable Climbing Claws.
5 BIO-E for 2D6 damage teeth.
10 BIO-E for 3D6 damage teeth.
Mutant Animal Powers:
Automatically gets Righting Reflex and Advanced Vision.
5 BIO-E for Extra Intelligence Quotient.
10 BIO-E for Beastly Strength.
15 BIO-E for Crushing Strength.
5 BIO-E for Extra Physical Endurance.
5 BIO-E for Extra Physical Prowess.
10 BIO-E for Extraordinary Speed.
5 BIO-E for Leaping: Feline.
10 BIO-E for Predatory Burst.
5 BIO-E for Advanced Hearing.
5 BIO-E for Advanced Smell.
5 BIO-E for Night vision.
5 BIO-E for Swimming +15%(must still take the skill)
Vestigial Disadvantages:
-5 BIO-E for Vestigial Tail.
-5 BIO-E for Musk Glands
-10 BIO-E for Reptile Brain: Predator.
-10 BIO-E for taking Diet: Carnivore

[acreRake]

One change we made a long time ago was to give a blanket +20BioE to all mutant animals. We arrived at that number by figuring out how much the TMNT used compared to what "turtle" in the book was given. Because, wasn't the whole point to make characters like the Turtles?

Officially, in TMNT Adventures there is a section on animals-with-superpowers. It states that in a mixed TMNT/HU game you can simply add the Experiment tables to a mutant animal (by inserting a "source of subject" table A.5: Animal or Human). It also says in a straight-up TMNT game there is an 18% chance that any mutant animal created by deliberate experimentation getting a bonus of 50 BioE, provided they spend at least some of it on a superpower.

[Iczer]

I would use one or two of the following options.

Firstly, add another 20-30 Bio-E. The bio-E as written is supposed to make a near human character. Near human?!?. If I wanted a near human I'd play a stage magician. as with anything, consult with your GM.

Second: In the ATB book, they introduce the concept of Flaws which grant extra bio-e. colour blind, strict diet: carnavore, vestigial tail andothers could grant an extra 15-30 Bio-E on thier own (that said, they ARE disadvantages, so your milage may vary)

I find mutant animals tend to have excellent statistics but poor everything else. the mutant powers are cool, but nothing spectacular consdiering your team mates may include a mega immortal brick, a mega psychic and a mutant/alien with 3 majors 2 minors and a host of alien extras

Batts

[Kalinda]

I'm fully alongside the idea of adding 20-30 Bio-E to mutant animals in HU. the Bio-E system as written was set up to allow you to have a humanoid animal of about human size and not much else. In HU they're fairly weak compared to some of the other power categories.

20-30 extra Bio-E would allow them to buy a couple of enhanced senses as powers and retain some natural weaponry while still being about human sized.

[KillWatch]

1-Ignore the starting size level
2-Give them 75 BE no matter what they are
3-Start them at nothing SL 0 and build up

[RockJock]

I am not really infavor of uping the Bio-E. If you have AtB the negative characterists work well to give you extra Bio-E, but other then that I wouldn't allow it. However I do allow mutant animals to take skill based power catagories like Stage Magacian, or Hunter/Vigilante if they are coming from some organization that trained them. This is because I view the mutant animals more like Dog Boys in Rifts.

[Marrowlight]

I don't have MU either, and I doubt if I can get it anymore. My primary RPG supplier sold them out in a sale(the same sale I managed to get both PU1 and PU2, and the sale ended a few days after I ordered them), and it was removed from their product listings(due to being deemed both obsolete and out of print).

I'll have to ask if they could still get them from their suppliers abroad, but that could take several months, and I'd probably end up still not having them.

Out of curiosity, why not just order them from Palladium directly if your local store is not reliable?

[Snowtiger]

I'm a bit wary of ordering anything from abroads via the Internet, however safe it may be. I'm just scared that my account info gets snagged by some hacker and I start getting bills for things I didn't order, or end up losing all my money.

[RockJock]

If it helps I believe that Palladium will allow you to call in your credit card information instead of usingthe internet.

[TechnoGothic]

Palladium uses :
direct sales...internet
Phone Call in your order, need credit card...
Mail In an Order...Check or Money Order

If you gotta use Mail...use Money Orders
Trust mem money orders are safe and insured...

[Snowtiger]

Thanks for the helpful info on Palladium's supply policies.

I thought up a little set of house rules, based on the ideas you provided. You may use them if you want, but if you post them on your websites, please be sure to credit me in the process.

Additional BIO-E points at character generation(optional): If the player can provide a plausible reason for his mutant animal having more BIO-E than listed in their description, the GM can allow an additional sum of 20-30 BIO-E to be spent during character generation. This sum can be used in part or in full, and unspent points are lost after character generation. Note: This rule shouldn't be used in addition to the below rules, in order to thwart munchkinism.

Advancing mutant animals(optional): The GM can award the player by granting additional BIO-E points, every time his character gains a new level. At levels 1-5 the character gains 5 BIO-E points per level, At levels 6-10 add +5 BIO-E, and at levels 11-15 add +10 BIO-E. This is a kind of continuous mutation, but the character doesn't gain any other benefits than the additional BIO-E points, nor does he actually have the Continuous Mutation trait.

The BIO-E pool(optional): The BIO-E pool is a stat that represents the amount of free BIO-E points the Mutant Animal character has accumulated after character generation. These free BIO-E points that can either be used to purchase new animal abilities or powers, upgrade old ones(such as using 5 BIO-E points to upgrade from Partial Hands to Full hands), or can be added to the character's BIO-E pool for later use. Note: The new and upgraded abilites and powers are to be added during normal level-up procedures, and are permanent after the addition. A character cannot simply adapt a new ability or power in a tight spot and later revert back to the original form, in order to regain the lost BIO-E points.

[Spectre]

I usually keep the Bio-E the same, ignore the power and Psionics option, and then class them. It works really well. For example, I have a Fox mutant that i rolled up using the experiment side effects and powers tables since i was some wako's science project.
In essence i treat it as a modifiable RCC. It seems to work pretty well and hasn't been overpowering.

Getting mistaken for a Fox Spirit was kinda fun.

[RockJock]

Here is a character built using AtB2. The character is a Leopard instead of a tiger, but you will get the idea.
Starts with 30 Bio-E and a size of 13.

Hands: full
Biped: full
Speech: partial
costing 25 Bio-E

Looks:None

Natural Weapons:
Small Retractable Climbing Claws
Small Teeth
costing 10 Bio-E

Mutant Powers:
Right Reflexes and Advanced Vision for free
Extra PP
Beastly Strength
Extra Speed
Leaping Feline
Advanced Smell
Advanced Hearing

costing 50 Bio-E

Vestigial Disadvantages:
Vestigial Tail
Nocturnal
Reptile Brain: Predator
Diet: Carnivore
Vestigial Ears
giving back 40 Bio-E

I allow the Vestigial Ears disadvantage since it seemed to fit, especially with the Advanced Healing.

Plus I made then a Guerrilla Warrior so they get a bonus of 10 Bio-E and some attribute bonuses. Also drop the size to 12 which still makes the character 300lbs and 7 feet tall, plus gives another 5 Bio-E evening out the Bio-E.

Starting skills would look like: Wilderness Survival, Prowl, Demolition, Demolition Disposal, Land Navigation, Camoflage, Intelligence, Surveilence Systems, Boxing, Gymnastics, Acrobatics, WP: Pistol, WP: Knife, WP: Rifle, Pilot: Motorcycle, Pilot: Automobile(switch out for say Jetpack or Hover in HU). Secondary skills: HtH: Expert, Climbing, Running.


These are quick averages and would still need to add in the normal 3d6 role for attributes.

11 PE
35 Spd
18 PS
7 PP

62 Sdc And 2 extra attacks per melee.

I would also allow the Advanced Vision to be switched to ColorBlind and Night Vision if it is wanted.

[Cardiac]

Personally, I give mutant animal characters a choice;

A) An additional 50 Bio-E points to spend on size, animal abilities or powers (I divide the cost of "thematically appropriate" powers by half - for instance - large tough animals find it easier to get super strength or Increased Durability for instance).

B) A class (usually appropriate to the character's history/background - usually a Special Training character).

[Kalinda]

Personally, I give mutant animal characters a choice;

A) An additional 50 Bio-E points to spend on size, animal abilities or powers (I divide the cost of "thematically appropriate" powers by half - for instance - large tough animals find it easier to get super strength or Increased Durability for instance).

B) A class (usually appropriate to the character's history/background - usually a Special Training character).

[Snowtiger]

I have an update on the book order I made using my local RPG supplier, there's a copy of Mutant Underground waiting for me at the local RPG supplier, I'll have to pick it up next week, and I expect that After the Bomb RPG is going to take about a month to arrive there, but at the moment it looks like I'm gonna have them both supplied as ordered.

I hope AtB actually arrives this time, but at least I'll have Mutant Underground if that doesn't happen.