Species/taur/minor/genetics powers ideas and discussion!

[somekindofpony]

Like I said, it wasn't a good idea.

[antsnap2]

Health cost phase shift

I agree with Nightwing. Can be a little abuseable. Might be a good genetics power though.

If a slime person can edit their size and shape at will, why can't they become anything at all?

They take damage because balance. Although I usually lean towards ease-of-RP/immersion for features, I conceed that we shouldn't let players play a race that takes no brute damage.

RP wise people could pretend they turned into something beyond what we specifically code, but we can't code every possible phase of matter as a special transformation. It's possible to have a middle ground of things supported (taur bodies, hair etc.), while leaving others out. It shouldn't be all or nothing.

Yes, but think about the sheer amount of code we'd have to write for this, just to have the tiny, barely-noticeable cosmetic effect of having the eyes cycle through a rainbow of colours when you can just literally emote "me stares into their prey's eyes, the colours shifting and changing!"

There's no "we'd have to". Only work on features if you want them (or are getting paid, if you are. I'm not nor would I want :3). I was thinking just cycling through black and white like in cartoons. It's non-trivial code, probably, but it shouldn't be that bad. The issue is if updating the eye color block causes server lag or something. That can be tested during development, and I don't think it will.

As per what was said in Skype, it's completely immersion-breaking to suggest that stepping on shards of broken glass doesn't hurt. Or stun. Further...

I will concede that you can walk around glass and pick up the shards. However, I argued that large sizes should be immune cause they are huge (huge enough to step over, immersionly I guess). Arbon also pointed out that smaller critters could just carefully step on it cause force and weight and whatever. I've revised my position to make big, normal, and small sized humans take damage unless they have a spider or naga taur body (chitin and hard scales, as the reasons). However, this wasn't fully agreed upon so whatever.

However, even Ace stated that he'd be ok with removing the stun for all. Also, another consensus reached was naga's would be immune to glass, but couldn't wear shoes. I think that's a fair balance. If I step on glass, I don't immediately fall onto the ground for X seconds, I would just lift my foot and complain of the pain.~

Nagas can wrap people with their tails while they are barefoot, so nagas have good reason to be barefoot a lot. This also works with footed creatures so there's that.

Anyway we can bring the glass discussion to another thread. My apologies for bringing it up. I only brought it up as an aside. There are good arguments on both sides imo.

Again, it's a hell of a lot of effort for an incredibly niche area of the station. And how does it fit into lore?

I already addressed the whole 'effort' argument thing with talk of hypnosis. Lore wise, we have succubi who feed off sexual energies, Space Worms, Wizards, black holes out of no-where etc. Heck, we already have Telekinesis and Hulk-powers as a consequence of research. I don't think telepathy is that much of a stretch. Lore wise Greys have telepathy on many servers already, so there's that too.

I'm not sure I understand. How can something glow without casting light? How can something APPEAR to glow if you don't cause light to appear around it?

Well the OOC reason is it's a balance between fun, immersion, and balance. Your point about it being abuse-able in maintenance is valid (if we made it actually add light to surrounding tiles). However, it also makes sense ICly. The glow--as in emission of light--is enough to make the color and light up around the person in that tile. It doesn't extend outwards at all. The glows would be more symbolic of demon/angle/whatever energy than a light source, when it came to the lore of glows for minor power-ism. As such I'd make some sense that they aren't a virtual lightbulb when they glow.

[Scree]

A venomous bite genetic power that acts like a less-stealthy version of one of the milder changeling stings would be interesting. Nothing as ludicrous as death sting but maybe a weaker chemical like soporific or something. Target has to be grabbed and then you activate it to give 'em some chemicals on a cooldown.

[Vorrarkul]

A venomous bite genetic power that acts like a less-stealthy version of one of the milder changeling stings would be interesting. Nothing as ludicrous as death sting but maybe a weaker chemical like soporific or something. Target has to be grabbed and then you activate it to give 'em some chemicals on a cooldown.

I can see vampire characters liking that.

And on the topic of glow: Why not just make it like the thermal genetic power? They just get a big glowy aura on demand? Completely cosmetic, no light involved.

[antsnap2]

@Scree
Yes that's a good one. We have a few vampire chars as far as I remember.

@Vorrarkul
Yeah that's the plan. One could just recolor the thermal glow in Photoshop or something for different colors.

[Aces]

Venomous bite that injects neurotoxin would be awesome.