Mutant Future: The Other Colors and Wandering Organs

Yesterday I posted some ideas on plant colors but I didn't define color. Oddly enough this does have some potential for designing an alien biosphere for both Mutant Future and science fiction games set on alien worlds. I am defining color as any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. That means there can be plants with the color of radio or X-ray.That does not mean the plants are emitting those frequences of light, but they reflect them. Plants with the color of radio is extremely viisble to radar and should not have any mutations that allow them to pick up radio transmissions. Those the color of infrared would be colder than their surroundings but still could absorb heat from other sources, such as the ground. And they would glow brightly to mutants and machines that can detect IR heat.

 

Mutants with the Unique Senses mutation could pick these additional colors, from gamma rays to radio. If that is possible, all the wavelengths of the spectrum could be used for communication and coloration throughout the mutant biosphere.

 

 

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In Creatures of the Wastelands I introduced the idea of the parasite mutation and further developed it in issue 12 of Wisdom from the Wastelands. With those I came up with species of animals, plants and fungi that inhabit other creatures and give them additional powers at a price. Something I didn't consider is the idea of wandering organs. These biotech creations of the Ancients were mutated during the Cataclysm into fully functional organisms. They are mostly human but some can be from other species, esp dog and cat considering how much is spent on pets now. Most of these wandering organs are non-sapient and simply act like animals until a possible host is sensed. They then try to implant themselves, which may not work very well as they have no skill in surgery. They can be captured and an actual surgeon can implant them so they do have some value beyond being a low level predator of pests and tools of assassination. Those that are sapient are a different story. Once they find themselves in a host they may provide advice, act and talk with or without sense, or start a transformation (same issue of Wisdom from the Wastelands) where they become the primary mind and the current brain a secondary as per the Dual Cerebellum mutation.

 

So keep an eye out for critters that look like livers or hearts, they may be out to get your character.