Grafting

Grafting

Fantasy (and not only fantasy) is full of wizards/mad scientists/necromancers/alchemists who replace their body parts with body parts of other, often very different creatures. D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder have a lot of such material to use, but it requires some combing, sorting, and tweaking. Let us get to it!

First, let us review existing rules for surgery, transplants, cybernetics, and biomods.

GURPS Basic Set describes some general rules regarding point totals change during the game due to body modifications (p. 294-295). Here we can read about pricing, Surgery rolls, and recovery periods. The most important thing is to decide how one can acquire such modifications – for free, for cash, or for points. Usually, I require body modifications to be purchased with points during character generation and with money and half the usual points during the actual game.

GURPS Ultra-Tech describes cybernetics and uploading, including social effects, statistics, availability, procedure, second-hand cybernetics, detecting and removing cybernetics, repairing and powering. The surgical procedure rules seem fine, even though there is no guideline on how one determines a procedure’s difficulty class, and given surgical procedure fees will not work for low TL games.

GURPS Bio-Tech, of course, describes a realistic treatment of surgery (p. 135-140), medical transplants (p. 141-143), preservation (p. 144-147). The biomod chapter (p. 168-191) lists a myriad of biomods and describes rules for acquisition and recovery. It lists recovery times and costs without difficulty classes introduces in the previous book and does not describe aftermaths of botched surgeries.

Pyramid #3-1 has the «Necromantic Tools» article written by Sean Punch. It describes the procedure of replacing one’s arm with an arm of an undead creature. The rules are quite simple, but are only for arms and magical campaigns.

I have conflicting feelings about the rules in GURPS Bio-Tech. They feel simultaneously excessively complex and detailed, if you use all the surgery rules, and not detailed enough if you simple use the biomods chapter. I prefer using a combination of rules from GURPS Ultra-Tech and GURPS Basic Set. Prices will be derived as 300 + (granted advantages point cost x 50) – (granted disadvantages point cost x 10). Multiply this by x1 if the procedure is simple, by x2 if minor, by x3 if major, by x4 if radical.

Flipping through D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder books for grafts and body modifications, I have found many types of materials to use. First, there is grafting – replacing your body part with another or adding a new one. Grafts can be of the following types: aboleth, beholder, construct, deathless, draconic, elemental, fiendish, illithid, maug, plant, silthilar, undead, yuan-ti, or more generic fleshgrafts from Pathfinder RPG Horror Adventures. In addition, I have found some more narrow body modification types – embedding, vile deformity, and technomagical implantation. Surgery as a skill does not require a specialization, but offers many optional specialties. GURPS Ultra-Tech lists Surgery (Cybernetics) as a common specialty in high TL settings. After some thinking, I have decided to collapse all listed body modification types into seven optional specialties for the Surgery skill:

1)      Vile Deformity: Intentional self-mutilation that grants some abilities.

2)      Embedding: Implanting magical gems, dragonshards, etc. into the body.

3)      Fleshgrafting: Grafting body parts of living creatures.

4)      Necrografting: Grafting undead or deathless body parts, even if insubstantial.

5)      Golemics: Grafting construct parts. Use Mechanic or other appropriate skills when grafting from one construct to another.

6)      Elemental Grafting: Grafting “body parts” of elementals.

7)      Phytografting: Grafting plant body parts.

Let's convert some generic fleshgrafts, using the ones from Pathfinder RPG Horror Adventures as a base.

Antennae

The subject’s eyes are replaced by antennae that sprout from its eye sockets. They allow the grafted creature to sense air vibrations, as if he had Vibration Sense (p. B96).

Statistics: Blindness [-50] + Vibration Sense (Air) [10]. -40 points.

Availability: Major procedure. $900. LC3.

Blinding Spittle Glands

The subject produces viscous black spittle that can temporarily blind creatures. He can spit at any target up to 10 yards away (without range or speed penalties). The spittle can be dodged or blocked, but not parried. If the spittle strikes the face, it causes no injury, but blinds the target for 3 seconds unless he makes a HT roll. Thick goggles, closed helmets, ultra-tech visors protect against this effect.

The glands prevent the grafted creature from making any vocal sounds. Thus, the grafted creature can growl or hiss, but not speak.

Statistics: Cannot Speak [-15] + Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Must hit unprotected face, -20%; Biological, -10%; Blockable, -5%; Disadvantage, Blindness, +50%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 2x, +5%; Jet, +0%; Reduced Duration, 1/60, -35%; Vision-Based, +150%) [24]. 9 points.

Availability: Major procedure. $4,050. LC3.

Burrowing Claws

The subject’s hands are replaced with hooked, clawed appendages. He can dig with his claws as if equipped with a shovel. See Digging (p. B350) for speed. Change the damage he inflicts with a punch from crushing to cutting. The subject gains Bad Grip 2 (p. B123).

Statistics: Bad Grip 2 [-10] + Burrower [1] + Sharp Claws [5]. -4 points.

Availability: Major procedure. $1,500. LC3.

Camouflage Flesh

A glaze of strange, malleable skin wraps around the subject, granting it the ability to adjust the skin’s color. This is equivalent to Chameleon 2 (p. B41).

Statistics: Chameleon 2 [10]. 10 points.

Availability: Radical procedure. $3,200. LC3.

Carapace

A chitinous carapace covers the subject’s body, attached by a collection of fibrous nerves. This grants DR 4, but prevents the grafted creature from wearing armor. Eyes are not protected. In addition, this graft makes the grafted creature clumsy – reduce his DX by 1.

Statistics: DR 4 (Cannot Wear Armor, -40%) [12] + DX-1 [-20]. -8 points.

Availability: Radical procedure. $3,200. LC3.

Cerebral Husk

A cerebral husk forms on the back of the subject’s head, burrowing synaptic fibers into the base of the skull. When the grafted creature fails to resist a mind-affecting ability, it can shunt the effect into the cerebral husk. This causes the husk to spasm, making the grafted creature lose 2 FP. In effect, the graft is a separate mind compartment. If one compartment is under external influence, roll a Quick Contest of Will to see whether it gains control of the body. The compartment currently in control of the body rolls at +1. Battling compartments may attempt to use mental powers on each other. Treat them as completely separate minds for this purpose, each with your IQ, Will, and mental abilities (such as Mind Shield).

The graft negatively affects the grafted creature’s ability to concentrate as per Absent-Mindedness (p. B122).

Statistics: Absent-Mindedness [-15] + Compartmentalized Mind 1 (Biological (Passive), -5%; Costs 2 FP, -10%; Mental Separation Only, -80%) [10]. -5 points.

Availability: Major procedure. $1,950. LC3.

Clawed Gauntlet

The subject’s hands are replaced with clawed appendages that can be used as natural weapons. Change the damage he inflicts with a punch from crushing to cutting. The subject gains Ham-Fisted 1 (p. B138).

Statistics: Ham-Fisted 1 [-5] + Sharp Claws [5]. 0 points.

Availability: Major procedure. $1,500. LC3.

Darksight Eyes

Bulging eyes cover the subject’s own, augmenting the existing organs. Fibrous nerve tissue grafts to the eyes, fusing them in place and linking the subject’s vision to these new, bulbous appendages. The grafted creature can see normally at night (illumination penalty of -5), but is at -1 to Vision rolls and visually guided tasks for each level by which its environment is either dimmer or brighter. It still cannot see in total darkness.

Statistics: Night Vision 5 [0]. 0 points.

Availability: Major procedure. $900. LC3.

Grasping Tendril

A grasping tendril typically replaces an arm or forelimb on the grafted creature, though sometimes it is attached just above a forelimb or below an arm. This is treated as an Extra-Flexible Arm (p. B53).

Statistics: Extra Arm 1 (Extra-Flexible, +50%) [15]. If replacing an arm, replace Extra Arm 1 (Extra Flexible, +50%) [15] with Extra-Flexible Arm [5]. 15 points, 5 points if replacing an arm.

Availability: Major procedure. $3,150 or $1,650 if replacing an arm. LC3.

Poison Fangs

The subject’s teeth are replaced by strange, crooked fangs. The grafted creature’s bite inflicts thrust-1 cutting damage. The grafted creature can administer poison through the fangs by spending 1 FP. If it hits another creature with his poison fangs, it deals additional 1d-2 follow-up toxic damage immediately and again each minute for 10 more cycles. Each instance of damage can be resisted by HT. After losing 1/2 HP to this poison, the victim gets a -4 penalty to ST until he heals above this threshold.

Statistics: Sharp Teeth [1] + Toxic Attack 1d-2 (Biological, -10%; Follow-Up, Sharp Teeth, +0%; Cyclic, 1 minute, 10 cycles, Resistible, +200%; Resistible, HT, -30%; Symptoms, ½ HP, -4 ST, +40%) [5]. 6 points.

Availability: Major procedure. $1,800. LC2.

Retractable Spines

Serrated, reptilian spines run along portions of the subject’s arms. These spines can be extended and retracted with a Ready maneuver. Change the damage the grafted creature inflicts with a punch from crushing to its choice of cutting or impaling (choose before it rolls to hit). The subject gains Ham-Fisted 2 (p. B138) when the spines are extended.

Statistics: Talons (Switchable, +10%; Temporary Disadvantage, Ham-Fisted 2, -10%) [8]. 8 points.

Availability: Major procedure. $2,100. LC3.

Shark Gills

The gills and some of the glands of a shark are grafted to the subject’s neck and into its lungs, changing the way its respiratory system works. The grafted creature gains the ability to breathe water, but loses the ability to breathe air.

Statistics: Doesn’t Breathe (Gills) [0]. 0 points.

Availability: Major procedure. $900. LC3.

Stinging Tail

The subject gains a large scorpion-like tail that sprouts from its lower back. The singer has reach C-1, inflicts thrust piercing damage at +1 per die, and cannot be used to parry. The grafted creature can administer poison through the stinger by spending 1 FP. If it hits another creature with his poison fangs, it deals additional 1d-2 follow-up toxic damage immediately and again each minute for 10 more cycles. Each instance of damage can be resisted by HT. After losing 1/2 HP to this poison, the victim gets a -4 penalty to DX until he heals above this threshold.

The tail makes the grafted creature more unbalanced – reduce its Basic Move by 1.

Statistics: Basic Move-1 [-5] + Striker (Piercing; Cannot Parry, -40%; Long 1, +100%) [8] + Toxic Attack 1d-2 (Biological, -10%; Follow-Up, Stinger, +0%; Cyclic, 1 minute, 10 cycles, Resistible, +200%; Resistible, HT, -30%; Symptoms, ½ HP, -2 DX, +40%) [5]. 8 points.

Availability: Major procedure. $2,700. LC2.

Wings of Darkness

The subject gains leathery, batlike wings on its back. The flight Move is Basic Speed x 2 (drop all fractions). Wingspan is at least twice the grafted creature’s height. In order to take off, land, or maneuver, it must have an open area with a radius equal to its wingspan in all directions. If its wings are bound, or if a wing is crippled, it cannot fly. Treat wings as arms for the purpose of targeting and crippling.

Statistics: Flight (Winged, -25%) [30]. 30 points.

Availability: Radical procedure. $7,200. LC3.