Evolution in the Playground (Game II)

[GuesssWho]

A & B

Eyes again for a normal mutation.

Hallmark: Use the grey goo to steal spells

[Tentreto]

B and C
For regular, i will suggest an anti-mite field.
For hallmark, ley line building.
I guess the question​ is do we want to be land based or sea based.

[JbeJ275]

B & E

Earth Golems for regular

I got the last hallmark someone else can choose this one

[Patdragon]

Ok so we have a big choice before 2.7 million years... we either need to wipe out the Krysmites, become not magical dependent, or move to a different leyline. As wiping out the Krysmites seems difficult and we are nearly being of pure magic i guess moving is easiest.

So Votes C and E for me lets get to the surface.

Normal mutation: Spell immunity we are already beginning to reflect magic, perhaps now we simply absorb it and it has no effect.

Hallmark mutation: We shed our physical forms and become Beings of pure magical energy!


I see us heading and living oin coastal area with sea control and animate rock abilities.

[lukitux]

B and E, for our hallmark, I suggest life drain. be able to convert the life force of organic matter into magical energy. for our regular, I suggest legs for our reefs so we can move onto land instead of having to build entire new reefs there.

[Aegis J Hyena]

2.1 Billion Years

Eyes: 72
Earth Golems: 97 (Successful)
Spell Immunity: 2
Anti Mite Field: 54
Reef Legs: 91 (Successful -- while I said top rolled last post, this beats the 90+ you need normally rather than an 80+ so I'm running with it.)

Hallmarks:

Goo to steal spells: 70
Ley Line Building: 68
Pure Magic Energy: 12
Life Drain: 33

Survival Rate: 100 +4 (2 Mutations) +8 (Hallmark) +9 (Successful actions) -12 (Survival drop) = Still at 100
Ley Line Survival: 88% (Rolls at 2.5 and 2.7 Billion Years; extinction if both fail)

Next Super Mutation to come at 2.1 Billion Years.
Magic-Induced Mutation at 2.3 Billion Years.

Ley Line Roll: 4

B: Manipulate this clear grey goo into something useful for the Reefs?: 93 (Extremely Successful) [Survival drops by 3]
E: Put out all your power to surface as quick as possible, trying to get closer to land before anyone else does?: 72 (Very Successful) [Survival drops by 9]

You've taken this goo (a byproduct of just being around the PoCs, as they're magical and you're reflecting it back) and used it to construct something useful for the Reefs -- at the topmost point of the reefs the goo is set into a sort of crystalline "frequency tuner" that can be used to lure biological material to come look or explore the reef. Since you're inorganic you have no use in eating what comes to visit, but the attraction sets up a biological niche. You're literally creating ecosystems by having several different creatures come and live/hunt/etc among the reefs.

On the very bottom of the reefs are several "spikes" or stalactites of this grey goo, which I'll call Torvicium. The Torvicium "awakens" the ground beneath the reefs, and pulls it upward like a magnet. Huge clusters of earth and rock now cover the Torvicium spikes, and you use these to sculpt large hollow shells of earth that individual groups of Gemcrabs can "pilot" and control. The Earth Shells, as I'll call them, are probably about the size of a large fist. It'll even pull dirt and metallic elements off of fish swimming under the Reefs.

The Earth Shells serve two uses at the moment: To spread themselves out over the ley lines (suffocating the Krysmites since the reefs themselves can't break off the ley lines) or serve as defense against big predators that want to shatter the reefs.

You've also learned to use the Torvicium to take the material of the crystal reefs into yourself, constructing four "legs" under your bodies. These stick to the reefs magnetically (thanks to the PoC's influence) but you're also able to leave the reefs for a short time and use them to swim and explore your environment. Using these new legs you're able to swim further upward, finding untouched ley lines free of Krysmite interference.

You've created a new subspecies of Gemcrab, a drone whose specific and only duty is to refine the Torvicium into what I'll call Intense Torvicium. This stuff can absorb magic from the water, strengthening your Reefs in the absence of ley lines! On the minus side, the water that is drained of magic also turns corrupt and spreads like a disease. The corrupt water kills biologicals and petrifies Gemcrabs into little chunks of inert, dead black quartz.

Finally, your hallmark. You've adapted a little node on the top of your crystal shells into a rose quartz beacon for magical energy. So not only can you reflect trace amounts of it into the Torvicium, but you can absorb magic cast at you from a focused source. These rose quartz nodes are tuned differently from the PoC, so you don't destroy your own home that way.

Ley Line Survival drops from 2d5 to 1d5 now that the Krysmites have mostly been dealt with.

As I said mutations might endanger the species now because of the power of the magic, I'm taking the one that rolled lowest and putting it in as a flaw. So while you have the PoCs as a strong source of magic, outside magic sources directed against you will endanger the reef as a whole if they're not flat out absorbed by the Rose Quartz Beacons.

Will you...

A: Focus your power into the Earth Shells, now that the Krysmites are few and far between up in this higher layer of water?
B: Focus on creating ecosystems of biologicals, using the "corrupt water" to extract inorganics from dead and dying creatures?
C: Focus on the Torvicium, modulating it so it cleanses the "corrupt" water as well as awakens the earth?
D: Focus on building reefs in this higher layer of water so you have a beachhead to jump off on your quest for the surface?
E: Evolve a larger size, and with it larger reefs?

[JbeJ275]

A, and D if we're voting for two

Put gripping digits on the end of our legs

[Tentreto]

C and D
For mutation, let's try strength

[GuesssWho]

B and C.

Mutation: Speed Increase

[Patdragon]

Lets grow em bigger and taller and have our own island atoll.

I vote D and E with D being the main choice if we are only suppose to vote on one though all of these seem good options this time round.

Risky to vote on a mutation now in case of a defect so lets keep it relatively simple this time and go with the power cosmic... I mean lets see if we can just have Single gemcrab piloted Golems

[lukitux]

D and E, if we only get to choose one I choose D. For the mutation, I want the ability to use our queens mind control to turn creatures from our ecosystem into workers.

[aberratio ictus]

C and E. Also, Intelligence.

[Aegis J Hyena]

Fell asleep early last night, plus I forgot super mutation last turn. So here it is, even if it's a little belated.

2.2 Billion Years

Survival Rate: 100 +4 (Super Mutation) -9 (Survival Drop) -10 (Natural 1) = 85
Ley Line Survival: 86% (Rolls at 2.5 and 2.7 Billion Years; extinction if both fail)

Next Super Mutation to come at 2.7 Billion Years.
Magic-Induced Mutation at 2.3 Billion Years.

Ley Line Roll: 2

Roll off between C and E: 100 and 93

C: Focus on the Torvicium, modulating it so it cleanses the "corrupt" water as well as awakens the earth?: 80 (Very successful) [Survival drops by 4]
D: Focus on building reefs in this higher layer of water so you have a beachhead to jump off on your quest for the surface?: 11 (Unsuccessful) [Survival drops by 5]

Grippers at the end of legs: 36
Strength: 30
Speed Increase: 63
Single-Pilot Golems: Natural 1
Mind Control into Workers: 76
Intelligence: 31

First we begin with the super mutation I forgot from last turn/ Your Rose Quartz Beacons have become larger, more faceted, and leashed by a tendril on the top of your shells -- they've become an eye similar to a beholder's eye. To the eye, each PoC of each individual reef fluxxes with a variety of flashy colors and patterns, enabling you to identify which Gemcrabs hail from which reef. The tendril stretches maybe only about four inches or so, but the tendril itself is slowly being built up in both Torvicium (strengthening its makeup) and in crystal of the reefs.

You've remodulated the Torvicium to cleanse the corrupt water, leaving water as pure as if it came from the Elemental Plane of Water rather than the prime material plane. This is spreading to un-corrupt water naturally tainted by the usual plankton/bacterial waste/whatever as well. It's beginning to clean up the oceans something fierce, and is having an effect of driving away those creatures that dwell only in saltier waters (driving them deeper into the depths, leaving you with room to breathe).

The downside to the purity here is that the ley lines soak it up like sponges, rendering them as bright (to your new eye) as a lightbulb, and just as hot. It is VERY difficult to build a new reef up here because of it... on the other hand the purity has literally "fried" the Krysmites, extincting them (and locking your Ley Line survival at 86% for the rest of the stage).

The purity of the water has "changed" the nature of your awakened earth and has given the Earth Shells an actual sense of sentience or self-preservation. The Earth Shells don't flat out rebel against you, but when they're created they immediately sink into the depths rather than help out any further. It's not like you need their help now that the ley lines are "pure" and you'll have a lack of predators.

As you're continually headed for the surface, you do run into two larger critters in the incoming layer of water. The first looks like the Biting Pear of Salamanca (http://ursulav.deviantart.com/art/Th...manca-29677500) except it has tendrils, some hooks on the end of the tendrils, and has the mouth on its bottom, which it constantly barfs from. The other potential troublemaker is a very large proto-crocodilian with fingers already on its front webbed hands and a spine that's more stretchy and squishy than a cat's.

The pear-thing looks like it might be interested in eating your crystals with that big mouth it's got. The proto-crocodilians on the other hand are ripping chunks off of your reefs with their hands and using them to sharpen their claws and teeth.

Will You...

A) Focus on your new eye, charging it with the power of Torvicium and of the PoCs?
B) Adapt to the "psychic heat" of the ley lines, and build your reefs around it?
C) Become friendly or hostile to one of the two new critters (say which)
D) Use the frequency tuner of Torvicium to chase off the two newcomers?
E) Focus on strengthening what reefs you have, using what Torvicium you've got?

[Patdragon]

Vote A to evolve actual mutations while we still can as a voting option and if a second vote option i'll go for C - befriend Croc

As for a mutation lest just grow a bit larger with a size increase

[Tentreto]

I think we can still choose 2 from now on, right?

Anyway, lets go A and B, and lets try strength again.

[GuesssWho]

B and C--befriend the crocodilians.

Mutation: Shell Communication.

[Patdragon]

Mutation: Shell Communication.

We just need some string to connect them.

[JbeJ275]

A,B.

Adding a poison to our crystals

[neriractor]

B and D, and I suggest we evolve some sort of mind control power, to deal with annoying creatures while giving us a workforce.

[GuesssWho]

We just need some string to connect them.

LOL Not like that

[lukitux]

A and B. Since we are getting beholder-y I suggest eye rays.

[Aegis J Hyena]

It would really help if I'd remember to post. Guessswho -- poke me on Steam if you don't see a post late at night... I don't want you guys to fall TOO far behind the Psypers. They're two turns ahead of you.

2.3 Billion Years

Survival: Removed because of Mind Control defending the reefs
Ley Line Survival: 86% (Locked, rolls at 2.5 and 2.7 Billion Years; extinction if both fail)

Next Super Mutation to come at 2.7 Billion Years.
Magic-Induced Mutation this turn and at 2.8 Billion Years.

Size Increase: 97 (Critical!)
Strength: 16
Shell Communication: 12
Poison: 7 (Flaw)
Mind Control: 92 (Success!)
Eye Rays: 18

A) Focus on your new eye, charging it with the power of Torvicium and of the PoCs?: 16 (Unsuccessful) [Survival drops by 10)
B) Adapt to the "psychic heat" of the ley lines, and build your reefs around it?: 78 (Very Successful) [Survival drops by 2)

We begin with your magic-induced mutation. You've adapted to have tiny "spinnerets" on the bottoms of your new stilt-feet, and these can "spin" Torvicium. When you spin threads of the stuff in between the four legs it begins to resonate and form into a tiny ball of light that seems anchored to you. Using your electrical sensors you are able to control how this "anchor" moves, and you're able to use this as a "hook" to float literally upside down over the tops of your reefs as the ball of light is equidistant from all four of your feet. (the wild surge for the mutation was "caster now is levitating upside down permanently").

Using this you're able to float around and scout your environment, and when needs require you're able to "yank" yourself back to the PoC's general area as these balls of light are somehow connected to them by tiny strands of Torvicium reinforced by crystal reef. This has created a new class of Gemcrabs... the Lures. Send out a few scouts to watch the crocs or other interesting creatures, yank them back if something "interesting" happens. While you don't do this for food because you're inorganic now, you do enrich the local ecospheres with new creatures occasionally.

You've mutated twice this turn, and since both are above 90 you get to keep 'em. The first is a size increase to the size of five fists end to end. Larger size means larger reefs, including ones that specifically entrap explorers with crystalline traps -- causing the local ecosystems to explode in diversity. Your shells curl up and around in a "C" shape now, like a scorpion with its tail raised in attack mode. This new size increase is keeping several predators off of you now, including a kind of fish that shotguns sound from three holes in its face. The second mutation is mental control of the more simple minds around you, but you find that only the Queen has any skill in wielding such power.

Still, now you have control of the creatures around you to help defend the Reefs, all but securing your survival to at least the next stage; I'll remove the survival roll (though things are still dependent on if the ley lines survive up here).

The major downside is that you diverted so many resources towards building size and mental power, that you've become weak to organics... poison in particular. Fortunately nothing down here is poisonous and most things wouldn't think of attempting to use poison on something that's inorganic. You've developed a "toxin sac" at the base of your brains that contains wastes your bodies can't filter out. Introduction of organic poison causes this sac to rupture, causing the Gemcrab in question to swell up as the poisons interfere with its circulation. Then the Gemcrab audibly goes explodey into smithereens.

You're not really able to focus power into your eye-lens as all your power went into size increases. On the other hand you've adapted to the psychic heat of the ley lines and don't suffer as much -- you've created a heat-resistant variety of crystal (which only the Queens can spin from their feet) that coats the ley lines, protecting your tender footsies from damage. The heat does seem to influence how powerful your PoCs are (more heat = more power = less defense = too much and you go boom).

The "biting pear" creatures have ignored you and have headed toward the surface. The crocs are all but gone, having rushed the surface and will likely make it before anyone else does.

Will You...

A) Focus on your Queens to greater enhance them?
B) Try to focus the ley line heat into another "tower" of crystal so it can be bled off before it overwhelms your PoCs?
C) Focus on purifying the waters even more, turning the ocean to a place of "purity"?
D) Send out a few Lures to see what else is out there waiting?
E) Adapt your crystalline shells in some form of offense or defense (say which) in case something DOES come along you can't deal with?

(I don't have the time to go back and make a list of every mutation you've gotten -- if someone could put together a list starting from the beginning and PM it to me, it'd be much appreciated and it'd keep me consistent.)

[Tentreto]

Lets go B and D

We came very close to having a lot of flaws this round. Lets utterly ignore that and try another mutation.

I'll go for spinning new ley lines, and hope it doesn't bomb.

[aberratio ictus]

A, C and broken record: Intelligence. Maybe with more intelligence, other Gemcrabs can use our mind control, too.

[neriractor]

B and C I think the working castes should evolve some of the queen´s powers, if more gemcrabs can do it the loss of a queen shouldn´t be too painful and the overall strength of the hive should grow.

[JbeJ275]

B C

Move towards the surface

[lukitux]

A and B. Oxygen air breathing, for surface purposes.

[Patdragon]

Almost missed this one so votes for B and E-offense

As for a mutation lets try again with adapting our eye with the Torvicium and of the PoCs.

[GuesssWho]

A and B. Oxygen breathing, for surface purposes.

You mean air breathing, right? Fish still use oxygen.

B and D. Mutation: temporal acceleration, to catch up with the other side.

Also, are the crocodile things from the goblins forum?

[Patdragon]

Mutations in Chronological Order:
Absorbing Water: Evolved to gather energy from the very waters, relying on a jet of water both to confuse its enemies as well as serve as an escape route.

Electrozapping Water: You've created a crystalline lattice from absorption of the crystals, and this lattice is beginning to generate electricity. This in turn produces oxygen, allowing you to expand population that much faster. You are also able to poison enemies who are allergic to oxygen or overload others by generating too much for them to handle.

Burrowing: Two "burrowing" tendrils that dig into the crystals they feed on, enabling them to become one with the crystal. Their limpet shape shifts to be a teardrop shape, with both "burrowing" tendrils close to the point of the teardrop. This burrowing has enabled them to feed on the strongest point of the crystal, "drying" the crystal out and turning it as dark as the waters around them. When other bacteria come up to the burrow "opening", they are are ZAPPED by electrocution (from the first tendril) and injection of stored oxygen (from the second), killing the target.

Bait Pieces: Bait and decoy tactics. By coloring the blackish points of your crystal homes, you're able to break brittle pieces off and make it seem like they're loose outside the "shell" and unprotected. Anywhere from six to twelve decoys are on any one crystal at a time, and it's having a noticable effect.

Toxin Resistance: The first is resistance to the LSD that U. Klixstem Faltoni seems to be spewing everywhere; when U. Klixstem Faltoni comes along, you turtle up into your crystals and hide.

Concealment (Chameleon colorshifting): Color our crystals to match the environment. This latter color-shifting makes it seem like the crystals are empty.

Web Withdrawl:Has learned to withdraw its salt webs, deconstructing the atoms in the blink of an eye and "suctioning" them into the crystal... along with anything that happens to be dried and dessicated / attached to it. The salt provides protection and a slight bit of regained material costs, but it takes forever to rebuild the webs on your own

Crystalizing Defense: Have strengthened your crystalline homes. When X. Klixstem Faltoni blinks into their crystals to strike, D. Shloopi Dorfis releases a chemical that triggers the crystals themselves to react and grow bits of themselves in all directions to fill the empty space. These crystalline spikes "pop" the heat pockets, and spray superheated water against the crystals and away from the bacteria. While it kills X. Klixstem Faltoni in the process, the superheated water dissolves the crystals, exposing openings.

Invisibility: You've learned to "fade from the senses of other bacteria", however this cannot be accomplished in tandem with your crystal-building enzymes (the crystals plus your radiation aura give you away). You might need to pick one or the other at the billion year mark. In other news the amount of natural crystals in this higher layer is woefully tiny.

Natural Armor: ???The last thing that is happening is the radiation aura you've evolved is starting to harden and deaden you -- you're gradually becoming an *inorganic* bacteria, meaning that you will not be considered prey by meat or plant eaters. By 1.5 Billion Years however, the radiation aura will be evolved out. ???

Crystal Photosynthesis: You've learned to extract power from the glow of the crystals themselves. The more that connect to each other, the more glow is generated, which makes you more powerful, which allows more crystals to grow, etc. However other species are starting to either gnaw at the crystals or try to ingest inorganic material... including you.
-------------------------------- End of 1,Billion years ------------------------

Rock Nets: ??You've riddled your reefs (mostly on the undersides where the mites are) with rock traps just as sharp as the crystal traps you've been setting up. Your electrical tendrils have grown sharper as they've been used in tandem with the claw to "sharpen" the rocks, allowing your electrical tendrils to function as spears. When the Hammerlancers assault from the underside's shadow, they're knocked off course (and often times senseless) by the rocks... and predators looking for them start to gather under your reefs, looking for food.???

??Poison Resistance??:

Lightning Gun: You've evolved your "inorganic sniffer" to function as both sniffer and as a battery. The tendrils next to the sniffer are gathering electricity via kinetic energy from the current, and when the sniffer brushes against predators or a threat, ZZZAP. You can also blow apart reefs where needed or blast a particularly heavy cluster of Krysmites this way.

Symbiosis with Krysmites: Then, one of you geniuses manages to coat themselves completely in the liquid crystal given off by the Krysmites as a quick disguise. As long as there's that liquid crystal layer on you, the Krysmites can't sense beyond it and see you as just another mite. You're able to adapt it so that you are now in symbiosis with the mites, and can harvest their liquid crystal as needed without being attacked. This gives you a desperately-needed population increase in the wake of all the severed crystal reefs.

??Speed up Inorganic-osity??:
-------------------------------------------End off 2,billion years ------------------
Earth Golems:
Reef Legs:
Size Increase:
Mind Control:


POC mutations:
Powers based on Leyline Flavor
Better Chance of Positive Mutations
Superheat Immunity
Sea Control
Mind Control Magic


Flaws - Earth shells gain sentience and left. Toxic sack an base of brain

Super mutations

Grasping Limb: Designed a two-pronged "grasping pincer" appendage. They alter the crystals to have three holes instead of two for their appendages; one for the webs when they're formed (and which will be used for catching larger prey), one for the pincer, and one for its electrocution tendril. All the while it's giving off oxygen in the background as waste, bubbling up from the back from a waste-hole unless they draw it back in for their frontal bubble shield.

??Pincer??: The pincer you've had that changed to a tiny lobster-like claw has now become a seven-tendril manipulator on a main stem. The middle tendril is the sniffer; the rest are electrical sensors that literally have electricity arcing between them, giving off a faint hum. You still have the "antennae" too in order to sense your environment.

Eye??: First we begin with the super mutation I forgot from last turn/ Your Rose Quartz Beacons have become larger, more faceted, and leashed by a tendril on the top of your shells -- they've become an eye similar to a beholder's eye. To the eye, each PoC of each individual reef fluxxes with a variety of flashy colors and patterns, enabling you to identify which Gemcrabs hail from which reef. The tendril stretches maybe only about four inches or so, but the tendril itself is slowly being built up in both Torvicium (strengthening its makeup) and in crystal of the reefs.

Hallmarks-

1.1B -Earth Animation: The longer your species thrives, the greater your ability to manipulate the earth -- and this includes your crystal homes. Now you just need a source of earth, as nothing currently uses earth in its makeup. Perhaps it's time to weave the ley lines into the ocean mountains?

Magic induced mutation?

This is what i've scanned through at very late o'clock and some bits weren't as clear as I first thought, Tried to find the descriptive part at the beginning and more recent stuff we should be able to remember. They may be things we evolved that were votig options as well but these (I think) are all our mutation rolls, super mutations, Hallmarks and flaws. Some mutations we evolved out of already though and i'm too tired to work that part out. Hope this helps Aegis.

TLDR

Mutations- (Absorbing Water), (Electrozapping Water), (Burrowing), (Bait Pieces), (Toxin Resistance)(Concealment (Chameleon colorshifting)), (Web Withdrawl), (Crystalizing Defense), (Invisibility), (Natural Armor), (Crystal Photosynthesis), (Rock Nets), (Poison Resistance), (Lightning Gun), (Symbiosis with Krysmites), (Speed up Inorganic-osity), (Powers based on Leyline Flavor*), (Better Chance of Positive Mutations*), (Superheat Immunity*), (Sea Control*), (Mind Control Magic*), (Earth Golems), (Reef Legs), (Size Increase), (Mind Control).

Super mutations - (Grasping Limb), (Pincer?), (Eye?)
Hallmarks - (Earth Animation), (Magic induced mutation)

*= POC mutations: