Evolution In The Playground: Season 8

[GuesssWho]

Yeah, but your descriptions imply that we do have most of these powers, they're just not helping right now.

[MintyNinja]

For the record, I see the current method as fine, if a bit difficult.

If we were to attempt a compromise, perhaps the opposing cells only evolved countermeasures to rolls under 25. Would that seem fair?

[GuesssWho]

That works. Makes things a bit less crazy.

[Jon0113]

I would go for b.

if we can have a mutation as well I would have some kind of ability to neutralise the connection between fuk and the ley lines, possibly by sending signals through the ley lines

[Chek]

If FUK now infests ley lines as colonies then there's no way to counteract or prevent the acid from being released. We could try to survive it, but the ley lines would be a lost cause anyway.

I vote to suppress our affinity for ley lines (since we retain the genes, expressing this trait again should be much easier later should we need it) and let the FUKers starve. Stay away, and steer for clear waters (Option A for when we have the choice to leave).

I had hope we wouldn't have to abandon the ley lines for our survival, but I'm not seeing much of a choice here. Hopefully the other traits we've evolved allow us to compete independently of the ley lines.

An FYI for those who favour becoming a parasite to FUK: draw an energy diagram and you'll see both our species die off if we only feed on each other.

[Aegis J Hyena]

I like the countermeasures for rolls under 25 idea. Beats trying to think counters for -everything-. I'll start doing that. Post should be tonight. :)

I always assumed that things were tried but if the roll failed it would be a "does more harm than good and was dropped", instead of holding -all- the suggestions.

Don't rule out the Ley Lines just yet. Like I said, unless I start throwing 1s everywhere, things -should- be ok...

EDIT: I've made the rolls. A teaser. The cancer mutates (I rolled a second surge, applying it negatively). Rolled a Critical 100 on one mutation. One mutation got countermeasure'd.

[Rain Dragon]

I'm going to suggest a way to shoot our oxygen at Krinni

[Aegis J Hyena]

Spoiler: Mutations Attempted

Show

Cancer mutates (68+): 85 (Mutation!)

Manipulatory Tendrils w/ Oxygen Blasters: 34
Sonic Assault: 43
Oxygen Gland moved to the Tail: 11 (Countermeasures developed)
Vibration Sensitivity: 76
Oxygen Cannons: 75
Tail as Ovipositor: 91
Sight: Critical 100
Herding Predatory Cells (65+): 56

Next "Random Mutations" occur at 900M, 1.2B, 1.5B and 1.8 Billion years

THE TIME: 600,000,000 Million Years BBB
THE PLACE: The Deepest Ocean, with bone chilling temps
Lifeform Survival: 77% (rough estimation)

Spoiler: The Situation

Show

The Situation:

||| WILD SURGE! WOOPWOOPWOOP |||
||| Who the hell pushed THAT button? |||
||| Caster can identify gems and approximate their value on sight |||

||| CANCEROUS MUTATION! |||
||| Is the universe supposed to glow pink like that? |||
||| All coins carried by caster are turned to lead |||

(Rolled with http://www.padnd.com/random_surge.php?action=random)

I was expecting option A to win, so as to escape being FUK'd.

600,000,000 million years and X. Neutralis Thromalius has had enough of being FUK'd around with. Some of the first things it tries in order to deal with the infestation of FUK involve its own oxygen-containing organ. First, an attempt is made to move it to the edge of the tail for both offense and extra movement, but the gland seems like it's going to stay put. It's getting bigger, though, to compensate for the weight of the tail. This allows you to stay more balanced and thus able to move faster. The end result failed when FUK counteracted with a coating of hydrogen of all things, leading to somewhat explosive results when it combines THAT with its other metals and acids (hydrochloric acid + aluminum + oxygen = boom).

(I got the chemical idea from watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmTZcNVzp7A)

The resulting explosion destroys everything life-based where it goes off. It doesn't damage the "fabric" of the Ley Line, however. To continue the artery metaphor from earlier, this explosion is like a defibrillator jumpstarting things. You have lost a LOT of population from this explosion... BUT you learned from this and the net result was an overall gain when you started targeting the balloons instead of the Ley Line itself, thus cutting off its source of future progeny. After this some attempt at adding a manipulatory "finger" on one end (with an oxygen gland) was attempted, but the oxygen gland just doesn't seem to want to move.

Undaunted, X. Neutralis Thromalius attempts to use its "Twerps" as a sonic weapon (doesn't seem to help) and tries to evolve to become more vibration sensitive so it can both hear its own kind and communicate better, especially when it's trying to herd cats the other predatory cells against FUK, which doesn't seem to work. FUK seems to be using the "fabric" of the Ley Line as an insulator (think thick jacket) to prevent the other predators from getting in before it blows itself up. What DOES happen are two things; the first being an advance in size and complexity. The multicelluar situation has advanced to specific "organs", complex muscles and a bigger shape; at 1 Billion Years we're getting into "fish" territory. The other is that while you couldn't put the oxygen gland on the tail, you COULD put manage to put reproductive organs there.

When you start to learn to use the tail's stinger as an injector, the X. Neutralis Thromalius that are birthed from the dying FUK balloons both infect the FUK infesting the Ley Lines, and come with the motion-sensitive knowledge thanks to your ability to assimilate other microbes. On top of this, the sight gained from this is completely overhauled and enhanced. You now have a single colorless motion-sensitive eye at the "front" of X. Neutralis Thromalius which can see through stealth and mimicry, neutralizing FUK's primary habit of sneaking up on you. You can also "see" the health of Ley Lines and know where FUK is still infecting. You don't see color, though. Just black and white.

You're now far bigger and more advanced than FUK, eventually to the point of out-resisting it at the cost of population. But you WILL resist it (unless I seriously start throwing 1s everywhere). All it depends on is how much you want to get involved with it interfering with the Ley Lines.

Finally, the two wild surges. The first is the beneficial one. Your "all-seeing-eye" is now able to sense the size and shape of "large thick stationary objects" (stone) as well as highlight a new source of plankton and microbes that live on such stone. This brings an increase towards herbivorism. The molecules you harvest from said stone enable your outer cell wall to become thicker, stronger, and resistant to the grappling tendrils of FUK. While you're not immune to the poisons and acids and explosions FUK is doing, your "shell" is very resistant to physical damage and will get stronger with time.

The second one is a result of your cancer finally mutating. The rear end where your tail is, is now a sickly gray instead of dark bluish. It's developed a hyper-allergy to lead. FUK has not let this gone unnoticed, and will be focusing its toxic metal generation towards lead next turn.

The Cancerous part of you may mutate uncontrollably next post (80+).

Onward to 700,000,000 Million Years... and the discovery of a new type of Ley Line! You can thank the Critical 100 for that.

Spoiler: Cells

Show

Basic Enemy Predator Cells:

* Have extremely effective Filtration Systems (+++RPois)
* Cell walls are extremely thick but getting thinner (-Speed)
* Swarms like killer bees if attacked (++Berserk)
* Water Jets for speed bursts (+Speed)
* Very Resistant to Electricity (++RElec)
* 16% Magic Resistance
* Produces Heavy Grease (+Escape Artistry)
Danger Level: 3.5/10

Q. Zozo Kefii

* Advanced Mimicry and near-Invisibility (+Stealth)
* Dead Cell weight (+Armor, -Speed)
* Three Attacks per round
* Actively hunts X. Neutralis Thromalius
Danger Level: 1/10, goes extinct next turn, to be replaced with something else the turn after

[b[F. Ugli Krinni[/b]

* Very very fast, but slowing (++Speed)
* Mimicry of Ley Lines (+++Stealth) {You ignore this}
* Releases toxic metals (++Poison)
* Explosive on contact with Oxygen {Will lose this shortly as it focuses on lead instead of a mess of elements seemingly at random}
* Metallic Texture (+Defense, +Armor)
* Forms "Balloons" that are hiveminds with immature F.U.K. in them {The Balloons are undefended}
* Immune to Acid
* 20% Magic Resistance
* Sticky Outer Cell Wall (+Hold Pers... er, Cell)
* Grappling Tendrils; once it grabs it never lets go {You are able to escape being grappled 50%}
* Can Interrupt a Ley Line, with disasterous results
* Actively hunts X. Neutralis Thromalius
* Actively hunts almost all other cells
Evolving focus on lead next turn
Danger Level: 5/10

X. Neutralis Thromalius

Very Sensitive to Ley Lines (++Magic)
Immune to Mimicry
Distinct Chemical Signal (-Stealth)
Can pick the battlefield (+Elemental Resistance)
Starting to edge into "fish" territory (fish-shaped life will explode at one billion years, making way for the next stage)
Can Phase Out of "normal space" (usually to connect to a Ley Line)
Tail is now an ovipositor
Has an organ for the storage of Oxygen
Has an "All Seeing Eye": Detects Stealth
DNA Resequencing ("Wild Surge" Mutations every 300,000,000 years until 2 Billion, will always be beneficial, if a little weird)
On Digestion, enemies spawn X. Neutralis Thromalius with DNA improvements
Can Assimilate other Microbes (+Health)
83% to "Herbivorism"

Hallmarks assist in Survival (+8%)
Cancerous, Vampiric, "dead cell shell" may go necrotic (-16%)
The FUK Virus is making life difficult (-15%)

Offensive Hallmark: A Long Spike on the end of the Prehensile Tail allows for a fatal piercing sting. (Increases length or damage at 700 Million Years)
Defensive Hallmark: The bacteria can Camoflage its chemical scent trail, replacing it with slow-acting toxins that trap bacteria who follow it for too long (increases to an Envenomed Ink Cloud at 800 Million Years)
Utility Hallmark: The bacteria extrudes a slime that repairs Ley Lines. (Increases in potency at 1 Billion Years)
Vanity Hallmark: A deep, almost hypnotic Deep Blue Coloration which shifts with the ocean waves. (This will likely become an octopus's color change much, much later)
Wild Surge Mutation: Stone-eating microbes you've assimilated allow the creation of a heavy, defensive shell. (Improves to carbon-based shell at 1.5 Billion Years)
Corruption: You are hyper-allergic to lead.

[Aegis J Hyena]

In case people don't "get" the mutations, I went "Gems = stone, and you have immense boosted sight, able to identify value on it" It's a stretch, but it works. The other one I just took "lead" and ran with it.

[GuesssWho]

Nice.

Hmm . . . lead is poisonous, and these things aren't very poison-resistant. Can we do something with that? Oh, wait, sensitive to lead. Damn.

Okay, then. How about we try to get another eye? We can have all-around vision!

[Ramsus]

So now we're some kind of magic sight enhanced wasp-fish. That eats plants. We need to be more omnivorous. Not sure how to suggest we do that outside of a... "is there any reason we're not doing eating other creatures now?" Surely there must be other things trying to eat plants that are less scary than we are.

I like the second eye idea, but might as well suggest something of my own. How about expanding our phase out to be a reaction to danger. So for example that explosion triggers and we just phase out avoiding the blast then phase back in and eat all the leftover chunks of meatyness/goo.

[Jon0113]

I think we should go more omnivore as well, so I will suggest our slime can also paralyse other creatures, letting us feed on them

[MintyNinja]

I too like the idea of going more Omnivorous, however I have other ideas.

I want to vote for a Longer Tail. This might be a turn early, I apologize if so.
I want to form Social Groupings.

[Fion MacCumhail]

and again, i suggest sensitivity to vibrations/keen hearing, which will alllow us to distinguish between conspecifics, prey and predators in the dark and - while in the water - at a much longer distance than sight. it should also do wonders for communication.

by the way, shouldn't "Distinct Chemical Signal (-Stealth)" be marked as "cancelled out" or something due to our defensive hallmark?

[GuesssWho]

By the way, shouldn't "Distinct Chemical Signal (-Stealth)" be marked as "cancelled out" or something due to our defensive hallmark?

Probably, yeah.

[Bobbybobby99]

I vote for a hard non-reactive coating on our tail and lower 'body', concealing the fleshy and lead sensitive part, while also boosting damage.

[GuesssWho]

Spoiler: Art of our critter so far

Show

[HalfTangible]

I'm going to suggest (again) that we gain the ability to create new ley lines.

This just seems too important to leave undone.

[Aegis J Hyena]

That's some pretty nice art.

I've already got a general idea of how the bacteria is going to evolve to a "fish" stage when we hit 1 Billion Years (another advance at 2 Billion, and the beginnings of potential intelligence at 3 Billion), so it's going to look a lot different from the "worm-like bacteria" it looks like now.

[GuesssWho]

I used a monster maker

[Aegis J Hyena]

Made the rolls up to now. 3 counters. 1 Critical 100. I think the RNG is trying to tell us something with which critical was rolled. I'll post in the afternoon to give others time to suggest.

[Aegis J Hyena]

Spoiler: Mutations

Show

Cancer mutates (80+): 41

Another Eye: Critical 100 (Really, RNG? Wow.)
Reflexive Phase Shift: 7 (Countered)
Paralytic Slime: 13 (Countered)
Social Groupings: 79
Vibration Sensitivity: 22
Hardened Butt: 12 (Countered)
Creating New Ley Lines: 33

Next "Random Mutations" occur at 900M, 1.2B, 1.5B and 1.8 Billion years

THE TIME: 700,000,000 Million Years BBB
THE PLACE: The Deepest Ocean, with bone chilling temps
Lifeform Survival: 78% (rough estimation)

Spoiler: The Situation

Show

The Situation:

We're now at 700,000,000 years and counting, and the first and major thing discovered is a new type of Ley Line. Where regular Ley Lines look like thick "threads" woven throughout the planet and are a light blue-purple in color (kind of like a neon sign), the new flavor of Ley Line is a distinct bronze with silver motes of light swirling around it in loops and twists. It seems Mother Nature is raging back at FUK and making new types of Ley Lines to counteract all the heart attacks She is suffering from these little FUKers. FUK cannot hold on to this new type of Ley Line at -all-, where you don't have much of a problem using them the same way you did regular Ley Lines. On top of THAT, in the physical realm, microbes and plankton gather and amass on where the Ley Lines would "be", resulting in a literal "tunnel" made of potential food. Good, right?

Everything has a down side. The catch here is that these new Ley Lines lead up, into higher, warmer waters. Using them as your source of travel and power will bring you out of the depths for good and expose you to new, very tough enemies earlier than planned (at least four varieties of predator, compared to two or three if you ascend at 1 Billion Years instead of now).

To make sure you had a back up plan, you attempted to continue along with social grouping, vibration sensations and even weaving or creating new ley lines None of those worked for various reasons (stone shell too thick to sense vibrations, the chemical trail just won't bond properly and bigger groups means bigger predators to find those groups).

Among the bad news... you managed to evolve a reflexive Phase Shift right to the nearest Ley Line. Unfortunately this happened so often as almost anything (including the shadow of a predator when it goes over your eye) triggered it that FUK now phases right alongside you... and is empowered as it's usually festering inside the Ley Lines absorbing what was supposed to be your own power as you traveled them! To slow them down or stop them you evolved paralytic slime... but unfortunately basic predator cells simply countered this by building resistance. You attempted to harden your "ass end" that was unshielded, but both the predator cells -and- FUK have evolved armor piercing (the former in their jaws, the latter in their tendrils) to deal with that. Combined with the new jets that squirt lead molecules at you if you get close, it's pretty much time to throw in the towel, I think.

The FUK are now a superpredator of the deeps, starting to branch out and eat anything within range, not just you. They've learned not to clog up the Ley Lines (they're losing their stickiness), and have become a "nest based" critter. The FUK Balloons have doubled in size, mostly to offshoot your parasitism. When you release so many young at once, -something- has to survive. You're not going to outfight them at this point. Fortunately, they're specialized to you, and you have the new Bronzilver Ley Lines so deprived of their food source they should die out right?

Your body is beginning to spread out into an octogon shape, as having a large surface area makes it unlikely that you'll be swallowed by basic predator cells. It hasn't changed much, but that's the shape it seems to be favoring as you're beginning to emerge into "fish" territory. If you let it shape itself and don't suggest a basic shape, you will likely end up shaped like a turtle or crab with a faceted shell thanks to the stone microbes you've assimilated. At 1.1 Billion years you'll have things like fins/basic fish stuff.

Finally, your eye mutated and split. You've got a choice of three possibilities. The first is have your eyes on flexible tendons, able to roll up and down the body (much like a pulley system). This allows the ability to almost look in any direction you need. The second is that the single eye splits into two, but they remain at a fixed chosen position somewhere on the body. The last is to enhance the eyeball you already have, being able to see further as well as see in color. (you'd see through Invisibility, ignore Displacement effects, and so on but you'd have a Hypnotoad eye).

Now the question remains... stay in the deeps and mess with or just avoid FUK, trying to knock it off its perch as a superpredator... or ascend into higher waters early (and all but guarantee herbivorism because of all the plankton attracted to their position in the physical world) using the new Bronzilver Ley Lines. (yes, this is a vote choice... stay down, or ascend?)

The Cancerous part of you may mutate uncontrollably next post (76+).

Onward to 800,000,000 Million Years... two rounds to go before we hit the first major milestone! now go find more players. Maybe PM your friends or get people off-site onto the site and show 'em what's up... :)

Spoiler: Cells

Show

Basic Enemy Predator Cells:

* Have extremely effective Filtration Systems (+++RPois)
* Resistance to Paralysis
* Cell walls are extremely thick but getting thinner (-Speed)
* Swarms like killer bees if attacked (++Berserk)
* Water Jets for speed bursts (+Speed)
* Very Resistant to Electricity (++RElec)
* 16% Magic Resistance
* Produces Heavy Grease (+Escape Artistry)
Danger Level: 3.5/10

Q. Zozo Kefii: EXTINCT: Something replaces it next turn (though we're late in the first stage, I may ignore this)

[b[F. Ugli Krinni[/b]

* Very very fast, but slowing (++Speed)
* Mimicry of Ley Lines (+++Stealth) {You ignore this}
* Releases toxic metals, focusing on squirting jets of Lead (+++Poison)
* Explosive on contact with Oxygen {Will lose this shortly as it focuses on lead instead of a mess of elements seemingly at random}
* Metallic Texture (+Defense, +Armor)
* Forms very large "Balloons" that are hiveminds with immature F.U.K. in them (a defended nest-based bacteria)
* Immune to Acid
* 30% Magic Resistance
* Resistant to Paralysis
* Sticky Outer Cell Wall (+Hold Pers... er, Cell, but is losing this next turn)
* Grappling Tendrils; once it grabs it never lets go {You are able to escape being grappled 60%}
* Can Interrupt a Ley Line, with disasterous results (will be losing this at 900 million years)
* Actively hunts X. Neutralis Thromalius
* Actively hunts almost all other cells

Danger Level: 6/10

X. Neutralis Thromalius

Very Sensitive to Ley Lines (++Magic)
Immune to Mimicry
Distinct Chemical Signal, now a warning to get out of your way
Can pick the battlefield (+Elemental Resistance)
Bronzilver Ley Lines are a new source of travel around the globe; these attract plankton (+Magic)
Can Phase Out of "normal space" (usually to connect to a Ley Line)
Tail is now a specialized ovipositor
Has an organ for the storage of Oxygen
Has an "All Seeing Eye": Detects Stealth
DNA Resequencing ("Wild Surge" Mutations every 300,000,000 years until 2 Billion, will always be beneficial, if a little weird)
On Digestion, enemies spawn X. Neutralis Thromalius with DNA improvements
Can Assimilate other Microbes (+Health)
85% to "Herbivorism"

Hallmarks assist in Survival (+4%)
Cancerous half may go necrotic (-16%)
The FUK Virus is making life difficult (-10%)

Offensive Hallmark: A Long Spike on the end of the Prehensile Tail allows for a fatal piercing sting. (Adds tail segments or splits in two at 1.3 Billion Years)
Defensive Hallmark: The bacteria can Camoflage its chemical scent trail, replacing it with slow-acting toxins that trap bacteria who follow it for too long. (increases to an Envenomed Ink Cloud at 800 Million Years)
Utility Hallmark: The bacteria extrudes a slime that repairs Ley Lines. (Increases in potency at 1 Billion Years)
Vanity Hallmark: A deep, almost hypnotic Deep Blue Coloration which shifts with the ocean waves. (This will likely become an octopus's color change much, much later)
Wild Surge Mutation: Stone-eating microbes you've assimilated allow the creation of a heavy, defensive shell. (Improves to carbon-based shell at 1.5 Billion Years)
Corruption: [/b]You are deathly-allergic to lead.[/b]

[Bobbybobby99]

First, I vote we ascend to warmer waters on the bronze Ley lines. That FUK virus is just too much for us. Second, I vote for the pully system; 360 vision should give us a significant advantage against those new predators in warmer waters. Third, I say that we develop the ability to shoot clouds of greasy, black oxygenated proteins; if we're going to be herbivores, we're going to avoid predation, and that's comprised of knowing when you're about to be eaten, and forcefully preventing it with poisonous clouds of proteins.

[Fion MacCumhail]

1. hmm, i'm not quite sure whether we should stay or leave at this point...
2. i vote for two fixed eyes. that way we can guard more of our body with our shell.
3. again, i suggest sensitivity to vibrations/keen hearing, which will alllow us to distinguish between conspecifics, prey and predators in the dark and - while in the water - at a much longer distance than sight. it should also do wonders for communication.

also, what happened to the enhanced regeneration we got here? is it subsumed under some other property?

Cancer mutates (76+): 23

Fins for Speed: 49
Necromancy: 48
Ice Control: 21
Detection of F. U. K.: 17
Electricity Attacks: 28
Eat the Dead Shell: 53
Sensing Movement: 32
Enhanced Regeneration: 57

No rolls over 90, applying best roll (Enhanced Regeneration).

[Ramsus]

I'll also have to vote for warmer waters as staying down here seems just unrealistic not to, despite the fact that I want us to still try and find meats to eats.

Also voting for eye pulley system. (Though mostly just super happy we have two eyes as this now gives us depth perception which should be a pretty big advantage this early on.... unless we've been behind the curve on eyes for a long time or something.)

If shape is a free thing to suggest, I'll vote for being octahedron shaped. (That's the shape of a d8 in case anyone doesn't know.)

As for a regular mutation, I'll suggest another tail since this would increase our speed, control of movement, AND our offensive capability.

[Aegis J Hyena]

also, what happened to the enhanced regeneration we got here? is it subsumed under some other property?

Written off and assumed, because things are going to get infinitely more complex in just a couple of turns when a "cambrian explosion" happens at 1 Billion Years. It'll still come into play, and I'll try to work it in with the Bronzilver Ley Lines somehow. If it doesn't get mentioned, don't worry too much about it.

And yeah, it's pretty heavy handed writing, weighted toward ascending the waters, but that's just what fell out of my fingers while I was typing. I write where the dice go and fingers take me.

But really RNG? Two critical Eyes? If this keeps up, we'll have an aquatic armored Beholder before they reach land...

[Jon0113]

I vote we stay down here, I really want to beat this fuk virus

I vote for the hypnotoad eye

I vote for alkaline blood - opposite of acid blood, but just as damaging to enemies (without us the fuk virus would starve, so we just need something to keep it off)

[Aegis J Hyena]

For giggles I just rolled the other four wild surge mutations and wrote 'em down. (yes, they're all beneficial, and yes, they're a bit weird.)

First one:
Second one:
Third one:
Last one:

[MintyNinja]

I vote we Ascend to Warmer waters.
Normal mutation: A mouth / maw. Directly below the eyes.
In an attempt to force feed us meat, I'll say we should try to eat other herbivores that might be circling our food-tubes.
The eye should split in two and remain at the forefront of the body for depth perception (and hunting).

[GuesssWho]

Can we spread out? Some of us go above while some stay below as a kind of backup in case the upper waters are too hard?

I agree, we should eat anything that tries to eat our tubes. The moving eye sounds useful, especially if we can move it near the other eye when we need depth perception.

As for a regular mutation, how about spikes all over? That should make a good defense.