| From: | Ereskanti@***.com Ereskanti@***.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | the Revenge of Poison Ivy (Shadowrunner Chia-Pets) |
| Date: | Thu, 16 Sep 1999 15:28:33 EDT |
Wildfire@*************.com writes:
> > Well, remember that in the interests of believability through
> > versimilitude, the plant needs to have a reason to latch on to things.
> > Burdocks, those hooky little balls hat get into your socks, are seed
> > pods, I think. The awakened version needs a reason to grab stuff
> > too...maybe its deposting seeds in the fur/clothing/hair of its target,
> > and it lets go after a while? Or maybe the target has to rip the
> > tendrils loose, and thus spreads the seeds. Something along those
> > lines.
> >
> > -Boondocker
>
> Yeah, I know, couldn't really think of anything nifty. Since its primary
> goal was to be a real pain in the ass, I really didn't want it to grab onto
> things for essence, so maybe breaking the vine releases seeds or spores, or
> whatever it grows from, and since its dual natured, the vines can be broken
> in the astral or physical world.
Hmm...here's a thought. And a VERY wicked one at that. I'm slightly
cheating here on one account, but here goes anyway.
What if the "seeds" were just as you say, but removing them is truly
"painful". As in, you resist damage due to thorns or somesuch. What is
happening is the seeds, which are actually VERY tiny are being released into
the person itself while they are struggling. The seeds are hemo-reactive,
meaning they actually feed on the nutrients in living critter's
bloodstreams'. After the person breaks free, IF they were wounded, a test of
some kind is made. Or, it could simply be automatic. The seeds are loosened
into the new carrier, which would probably try and leave.
As the new "carrier" is going about his/her business (whatever that may be),
they are actually beginning to become a "Shadowrunner Chia-Pet". The seeds
growth begins as symptoms, like a disease or something of which disease
treatments have no effect. Ever "x" hours, the seeds continue to grow,
incurring a Body resistance test, say ever 12 or 24 hours. What is worse, is
the damage isn't healable, because the body is being directly invaded and the
plants themselves are building tendrils and root structures throughout the
new host. At a certain point, Biotech or Astral Perception can *finally* get
an idea of what is going on, say at a Moderate wound or stuff, because
outward signs are really beginning to be involved. Actually, Biotech *might*
be able to figure it out easier IMO, say with a base target number of 10,
reducing the target number appropriately for every box of damage the
character has suffered.
Treatment would be intense to say the least, along the line of Gene-Cleansing
or Shadowtech's Nanite-level cleansing. The plants are parasitic in nature,
and hence "Cure Pathogens" or "Cure Disease" do nothing. You can't
manabolt
the damn things because of the parasitic/symbiotic nature of the plants with
their host. You wind up killing the host *AND* the plant. Specific spells
would have to be used or very specific treatments (special types of toxins
encoded for the plants for example).
Okay, now *THIS* is Evil, with a HUGELY CAPITAL "E".
-K
