By Peloquin (ka.vanadis@karlskrona.mail.telia.com)
He rechecked his weapon, making sure it wouldn't malfunction at a critical time. After all, the bosses had sent down two plain scouting teams before this one, none of which had come back. There was something down here. Something that knew how to splice in on their electricity, who had caused a big enough power drain to be noticed by the topside guards. Something that wasn't supposed to be here. Something that could wipe out two scouting teams without a trace. Something they'd been hired to inspect.
The bosses had more or less reserved these tunnels for those big dudes with black fur, the Dancers. And for some other Things. He hadn't asked any further. Twenty years as a mercenary had taught him not to ask employers too many questions.
As he went inside one of the old pneumatic rail tunnels, he stumbled against something. He bent down to pick it up, inspecting it closely. A human skull, crushed. Rats had gnawed it clean. "Buckle up, team. No more horsing around."
That last was aimed at Skuyler and Graves, two slightly loony new team members. He'd seen them fight, so they were okay, but they had trouble keeping their minds on the work. "Sniffer? See if you can get a trace on whoever was in here."
The tracker walked forward, his oversized nose, ears and eyes the far too visible signs of his enhancements. The benefits were good, but the downsides were the bad looks. No more women for Sniffer, at least none sane. But the tracker was a useful addition. He sure didn't want to be caught off guard. "Six...humans, Pentex...and...something else."
Johnson inspected the battle debris; some of this stuff had been smashed apart by something far stronger than humans. "Garou?"
"No. This is...different. Human and...reptile. Both. Not shifter. Weird. Unfamiliar."
Johnson gave the tracker a strange look, and then primed his assault rifle, removing the clips with silver bullets, replacing them with plain hollow points. This whole damn thing stinks to high heavens. Skuyler, Graves, cover the rear."
No reply. He turned around, only to find no Skuyler, no Graves. Just their weapons, tossed on the ground. Who the hell was silent enough to do this? He went forward, inspecting the remains of a Mac-10 and a Tec-9. Traces of blood. No guns, then. Claws? Blades? Garou weren't this quiet. They charged in, claws primed, roaring battlecries and shit. This was different. Someone had gotten to his rear guard, quietly, efficiently. Vanishing again when finished. Of course. He'd met this kind in Japan. "Ninja."
Carver, the martial arts nut, lit up, his face split by a big smile. God damn idiot. He'd watched too many Hong Kong movies. In reality, the ninja weren't strutting around in black or white pyjamas. Either would be too damn easy to spot. No, neutral grey camouflage and leather armor was their thing, as well as assassinations. No brawling in temple courtyards or stupid stuff like that. And this was assassination. Quiet murder. Quiet enough to escape Sniffer. "Get a grip Carver, we're supposed to come back and report, remember? No stunts."
He turned back, heading for the mouth of the tunnel, finding a well lit subway station, abandoned. But it was clean, repaired. Someone had taken a rail car and turned it into a place to sleep. Someone had repaired the floor mosaics. Someone had hung old christmas lights to illuminate the place, giving the place a weird blue red and green tint. Damn weird. He poked around in the old rail car, finding a small bundle of cloth tucked away in a corner. He unraveled it, and in spite of himself, raised his eyebrows sky high. "What the fuck?"
An old plexi-glass canister, no bigger than his upper arm. Marked "PENTEX INCORPORATED, 1977". It was definitely empty, and definitely broken. This was getting too weird. He gave the hand signal to spread out, the remaining six members of his team placing themselves at the tunnel entrances, and the old stairwells leading up. Johnson started checking every sewer grate and manhole in the area, all empty. He wasn't surprised. Ninja never allowed themselves to be seen before they were sure of winning. "Sniffer, check if you can see when they were last here? And if you can see where they went."
Sniffer nodded, all the while sniffing the air, still looking confused. Carver, the martial arts expert, pulled out twin katana's, smug self-confidence in his posture. Well, whatever works. Sniffer saw him first. Further down the tunnel, a squat, dark figure wearing an oversized trenchcoat and backpack, a floppy felt hat pulled down to cover his face. His posture was weird, to say the least.
"Hey dudes, you the pizza guys?"
The roar of gunfire filled the tunnels, as they blasted away at the lone figure. When the smoke cleared, the shape still stood, the trenchcoat riddled with bullet holes.
"Guess not." The figure turned slightly, shouting into the tunnel behind him. "Dudes! We got ourselves some totally non-rad visitors, tcha!"
They heard running footsteps. Heavy footsteps. Sniffer kept staring at the figure, and then spoke, not a little fear in his voice. "Johnson, he ain't human."
The figure shrugged. "Aw shucks, dudes, and I like, wanted that to be like, a surprise." Then he pulled off the trenchcoat.
Only Johnson had seen shapeshifters before, and this sure as hell wasn't one. A five foot bipedal turtle, wearing leather straps and a dark red bandana mask over his eyes? And then his friends arrived. Three more. All dressed the same. The only difference was in the weaponry. One held long, straight swords, asian style, another held a pair of sai, the third a thick oak staff, and the first one pulled out a pair of metal nunchaku.
Just a simple routine mission. Before he shouted the order to fall back, Johnson realized that whatever these guys was, Pentex had made them.
The Pentex corporation wasn't happy. For years, they had attempted to find a serum, drug or other form of mutagen that could transform any Pentex employee into the kind of super soldier they needed against the Garou, a super soldier that would not be as obvious to the public, a super soldier that could hide among the ordinary.
All they had succeeded in doing was make a few test animals glow in the dark. The OozeTM was a failure. Back to the drawing board. On the way to the local dump, to dump the annoyingly non-toxic substance, they almost ran over an old man. A few canisters dropped off. Nothing noticeable.
The rest was dumped.
Fifteen years later, the first reports of mutated, intelligent, bipedal animals reached the ears of the Pentex board of directors. Attempts were made to find the old records, any old remains of the OozeTM, but nothing was found. In a desperate attempt to regain this marvelous substance, an expedition was sent out to the old toxic dump where the canisters were disposed. But all they found was one empty canister, and a suspiciously over large vegetation.
The project was covered up, and any leaks about the failures were silenced.
But they keep cropping up. In New York. In Los Angeles. In the swamps of Louisiana. Someone was consciously dumping Ooze where it could mutate animals.
And there are rumors among the New York Nockers and Nosferatu, that deep beneath the city lies a cave, where something dark resides. Something from out of this world.
And the Yakuza and Triads in USA have gotten serious competition from the ancient and mysterious Foot ninja clan, whose involvement in the whole matter is yet to be determined.
Ooze wasn't a failure. It's just that it takes time to react.
Essentially, it is a powerful mutagen that uses human DNA to enhance whatever is immersed in it, increasing the subject's muscle mass, and potential size several hundred per cent. When brought to, for example, a small land tortoise, the mutagen creates a half-human, half-turtle hybrid, as intelligent as any human, as fast as any human, and as strong as any human.
But it also gives the subjects the advantages of their animal origins. Turtles become incredibly strong, and highly resilient towards external violence. Rabbits become immensely fast (and charming). Warthogs become strong, fast and, well, still slightly moronic. Wolves become.... You get the picture.
Ooze works. But not the way it was supposed to. The mutagen doesn't taint the subjects. It doesn't even make them slightly evil. All it does, is mutate them. And here's the secret: Pentex has been infiltrated.
No names will be named, and neither will we use any descriptions. Suffice to say, that several Kinfolk, Mages and plain human agents have managed to infiltrate the behemoth of pollution, secretly putting sticks in the spokes of the Wyrm-thralls wheels.
Such as the clever little Pooka changeling who dumped a few ounces of his fae blood in the Ooze before it went off to Research. And as usual with faery blood, the consequences were not only delayed, but also unpredictable.
Ooze works.
But not for the Wyrm.
Since the Mutants have only been around for less than twenty years or so, they have had little experience with the World of Darkness. But what little they've had has usually been wary, but peaceful. These are a few opinions of those who've met.
Kindred: We met these real ugly dudes, like, in the sewers. They're so ugly they make the rats turn and run, tcha! But they're like, cool dudes anyway. At least, the ones we met. Dude.
"Five foot turtles in full ninja gear and I thought I'd seen everything."
Garou: Okay, so they go from perfectly normal humans to becoming nine foot furry mountains of muscles, claws and violence. No prob. Seen weirder stuff.
"Weirdos, and to think Pentex accidentally made these. It's like the NRA supporting an anti-gun bill in the senate."
Mages: Say what? Never heard of'em.
"If there really are such beings, we should protect them before the Technocracy finds them."
Kithain: Uh, like, what the hell are you talking about?
"We have our moments of brilliance, yes."
Wraiths: Ghosts? Ooo, scary.
"What should we care? Of course, we've had some very, very odd newcomers here lately."
Others: Oh man, these sewers are more crowded than Madonna's bedroom! Like, zombie shapeshifters, dudes who chop each other's heads off, stuff like that.
"Mutated animals, living among us. Really. So, how much glue have you sniffed today?"
Beginning Willpower is 3. Backgrounds 5 (No Resources).
Oh, and then there are the advantages. I've made a list of Advantages for a mutant; feel free to make up your own. Any animal can be mutated; remember this.
A few examples on how to use this. For example, a turtle would most likely have Leathery Hide, Lizard Brawn and Shell, while a crocodile would most likely have Claws, Leathery Hide, Tail, Godzilla and Teeth. An iguana would have Claws, Plates, Resilience and Tail.
All mutated animals get five Advantages for free (you don't have to use all the Advantages), any more must be bought with Disadvantages. These traits do not count as Flaws, only for the purchase of further Advantages.
Shell: You have a bony shell covering your abdomen and back, giving you +4 soak dice against Brawl, Melee and Firearms damage. With a successful Dex roll diff: 4 you may pop arms, legs and head inside the shell, becoming an airtight coccoon. No Dexterity penalties inflicted; this is a natural part of your body, something you're used to.
Claws: You have sharp claws, giving you +2 dice on Brawl rolls; damage becomes Aggravated.
Teeth: Your teeth do +2 Aggravated damage.
Plates: Sharp plates of bone grow from your back, making any rear attack at a +2 difficulty (10 maximum). A backwards body slam gives the victim +3 damage.
Tail: You have a long, muscular tail, allowing you to use the maneuver Tail Lash (see Werewolf: Players Guide 2d edition).
Cold Blooded: Your mutation didn't stretch to your circulatory system, making you extremely hard to spot with infrared vision. Unfortunately you lose one dice on all rolls for each hour subject to below zero Celsius temperatures.
Godzilla: You have retained the size you held in animal form; this is Huge Size for mutated animals. Add three Health Levels and one dot each in Strength and Stamina, but also subtract one Dexterity, and live with the fact that you're the size of a VW bus.
Lizard Brawn: You gain +2 dots in Strength.
Resilience: You have a tad of the regenerative and resilience abilities from your animal origins left. You gain +3 dice on Stamina, and heal one HL per hour spent resting. You even regenerate aggravated damage, but that leaves Battle Scars. It I doesn't work on damage below Incapacitated.
Feral Senses: You gain +2 dots on Perception.
Breed Charm: Herbivore mammals are cute, and you get +2 dots in Charisma or Appearance.
Speedster: You were a fast animal and now you're a fast mutant: +3 Dexterity, running speed is double the standard.
Toothsome: You were a herbivore, so your teeth do Str+2 damage, but not Aggravated.
Toothful: You were a carnivore, so your teeth do Str+3, Aggravated.
Scary: Your animal form was a carnivore, so you get +2 dice on Intimidation and -1 Appearance (no matter how cute you were as a puppy, a full grown wolf is more intimidating).
Clawed: Your claws were made for attack. You get +3 Brawl damage, Aggravated.
Digger: Your claws were made to dig with, so you get +2 dice on any task that requires digging and +2 Brawl damage, not Aggravated.
Thumper: Your hind legs are far more powerful than your front legs, giving you +2 dice when kicking someone.
Clawed: Same as for mammals.
Climber: You were a tree-dwelling bird, +2 dice for climbing and +1 Brawl damage, Aggravated.
Meander: You were an albatross or migratory bird so you can stay awake and active for weeks on end without sleep. Roll Stamina; you may stay alert, active and awake for two weeks per success. This gives no penalties until the last week, where you lose one dice on all rolls per day. (First day one dice, second two, third three, not cumulative).
Wings: Your arms are in actuality a pair of wings large enough to carry you through the air, the feathers and extra limb can be hidden away, but this allows you to fly short distances. (Sta diff: 5, one turn of flight per success.
Hollow Bones: Your bones are as frail and hollow as a bird, you get -1 dice on all soak rolls against crushing damage, but you also become lighter, may subtract two damage levels on any fall, and in combination with Wings and Meander allows you to fly long distances. (Twenty miles per success on a Stamina roll).
Hawkeye: You get +4 dice on all sight-related Perception rolls.
Grounded: Your origins were as a landliving fowl, like a Kiwi, an ostrich, a road runner, or an emu, giving you a running speed of your Dex x 25 mph. (4 Dex means 100 mph. if you can get the running start).
Scaly: You have a thick, scaly hide, that can quickly become hot and uncomfortable in the wrong climate, and also makes you look. ugly. -1 on Social rolls.
Feral: You can't quite get your two natures to agree, the animal side in you takes over far too often. Whenever in the proper circumstances, roll Willpower not to start acting like an animal (sniffing people's butts, peeing all over the place, such things). Also, you must take the Nature Deviant.
Short: You were a runt of an animal, and so you are now; treat this as the Short Flaw from the main books.
Ugly: Your animal counterpart wasn't very pretty to begin with; you have a 0 Appearance.
Dumb: Duuuh, like, me no smart. Me was wild boar, me stupid. You cannot begin with more than 1 Intelligence, and raising it costs three times the regular Experience cost.
Kindred: Only the Camarilla Nosferatu treat the Mutants with courtesy. All other vampires will a.) use you b.) abuse you c.) perform scary experiments on you. Take your pick.
Garou: The Bone Gnawers are safe allies. So are the Native tribes. With most of the others, well, you're damn lucky the Ooze makes you smell of the Wyld, not the Wyrm.
Kithain: Safe enough. Keep away from the Shadow Court.
Mages: Try not to upset the Technocracy. And try to get allies among the Tradition mages, but avoid the Sons of Ether; they're a little too interested in how you were created.
Wraiths: Most likely you will never get to see one.
Others: Good luck trying to find them.
And remember, if you do meet any of these. well, don't expect them to know what you are, or your character to know what they are.
Numina is not a good idea. True Faith requires some reason. And I seriously doubt the Inquisition would take them in.
They have no Rage, no Blood Pool, no Quickening (oh yeah, I almost forgot, they can't become Immortals, of any sort), no inherent Glamour, no Power pool, or anything like that. And they sure as heck don't start out with any Arete.
If you want to make a hybrid Mutant, like an Awakened one, go ahead, but you'd better expect the Great ST from Above to punish you with evil ST's and evil co-players for the next ten years.
I really have no patience with anyone who wants to turn them into vampires. They're Mutants, the results should be very unpredictable. (Like, suddenly you're holding a tiny little rabbit, embraced. No more Mutant, just a rabbit).
Later on, braindead syndicate executives changed the look ("Hey, what if they have different colored masks! And their initials on the belt buckles!"), changed the name ("Ninja has such a bad ring to it."), and changed the world view ("Why does it have to be so violent? Our consumer target groups don't like violence!" The target groups being bedridden senior citizens, I presume).
And sure, it made money.
Sure, kids loved it.
But it wasn't the same comic that had gotten people's attention. The reason for its existence had vanished. The adult readers dumped the new comics in the trash. This little addition to the WoD goes right back to that early, independent, cheaply made comic book. It ignores what came after.
The Foot clan is made up of highly trained ninja, mostly from Japan. The Shredder is a man whose everyday life must've been dealing with Shen on an every day basis. The fact that he's survived says a lot.
So what we have here, are player character that looks weird, but acts human. No news there, right? But these ones aren't able to look normal. They have no Obfuscate to hide their appearance. They have no Homid form. No human Seeming. They're great big damn mutated animals, and they look like it. The only way they can interact with humans is by heavy disguise, and perhaps through trusted allies. It can get damn lonely after a while.
The Mutants are lonely beings, in more ways than what we might think. They're a mixture of two worlds, with a little bit of both, and. well, they don't know where they fit in. On the one hand, they're as smart and resourceful as a human. They can talk, they're our size, and. humans would see them as freaks. Monsters. Animals wouldn't want to hang around them, after all. You don't need much cognitive thinking when all you need to do is run, eat, sleep, crap and make more animals. So when that weird five foot wolf who's been running with you the past ten miles tries discussing the weather, most wolves just stare at him, because. well, they're animals.
They don't have any tribal structure like the Shape Shifters. Usually, they don't have anyone like themselves to teach them about what they are. No one gave them a tribe or clan or kith or Tradition to go to when everything goes wrong.
The best of two worlds, the worst of two worlds. That pretty much sums it all up. They can't live among the humans, for fear of human bigotry, Technocratic pogroms, Wyrmthrall manipulations and all the other dangers. And they can't live among the animals, because the animals don't recognize them any longer. It's not easy, being green, as Kermit the frog said.