Merzost
Immortal, destructive, and resilient. For the price of your humanity you can become godlike.
Many people love the idea to become an immortal; especially when the Drakain's have longer lives than the Imported.
50 years after the Jump; Vapos Pharmacy scientists were able to find a way to recreate Drakain genetic code into an Imported. This was easy said then done. People flocked to become immortal. Not realizing this it took what actually made them human.
First when a merzost is created they cannot breathe or smell. Once the feeling of not able to breathe passed they lack any feeling in their form; no pain or pleasure. They will then start to develop an alternate form they are able to freely switch; weapons and clothing included. After that they slowly realized they have no need to eat or drink, they also cannot reproduce.
The biology all ties into their "life threads" which hold memories and abilities. Injuring a merzost will immediately heal back the wound if there was a wound to begin with. Their entire body including the clothes are all made of life threads. They as well have no bones or organs of any kind. However there's a limit to these life threads depending on what type of Imported they were.
History
Created by Vapos Pharmacy by mistake and tried to create immortality through drakain genetic code.
Strengths
Compared to a stone drakain they are a lot stronger but faster as well as take a lot more punishment than them. Compared to a forest drakain they can heal a lot quickly without any limits. Finally, even though very few cannot fly they have the endurance to at last anything. One that may or may not make a difference is the ability to change to their true form. Every merzost has this form and it's integrated to everyone of them. However with every merzost being different they all have one thing in common. A glowing orb that acts as their main eye, it's not a weakness but rather a form of intimidation. They don't necessarily need to see with it but it acts as a main cone of vision as they can kinda see through 6th sense. Not in a way from bats could but will often notice something in their blind spots.
With the regards to weapons, it's their own life threads themselves that mold and shape to whatever they prefer. If they can imagine the weapon they will use it even if it's a range weapon. This acts differently though as there's a limit on how much they can fire. Every shot has some sort of cooldown and may act like it's saliva based. However there are no glands and it all comes from life threads themselves to provide the means of protection. Life threads will try and preserve itself even when the body is heavily damaged. The body will shut most of it and will throw one of it's pieces to the side to slowly grow back. If this piece is ever damaged before it can grow properly the merzost will be killed. There's so much life threads can do but can only do so much.
Weakness
Even for merzosts there are downsides of them. Sure they can take so much punishment but it's only a matter of time before they need to switch to their true form to recover. If they are close to being considered dead they will weaken and cannot use any of their abilities and will have a tough time moving. This is due to the life threads going overdrive and trying to preserve itself as much as it can. In addition, when in combat; merzosts tend to not use any cover. For whatever reason, unskilled merzosts won't bother with any strategy and tend to go all out on any opponent, even if it's another merzost. Those that have skill are the most dangerous and valuable.
Merzosts have no true freedom and are treated like slaves through an ethereal chain. This ethereal chain is link to a master that they cannot kill through any means. They will have a sense of self preservation when linked to the master and will even sacrifice themselves. However if this master dies the ethereal chain will link to the next person that takes control or someone nearby. It is unknown whether this link has a range or not but it is known that to this date; no merzost has turned on their masters.
Besides taking damage they are also effected by different types of environments.
Freezing temperatures including space will slow them down and potentially chip away at their life threads. This includes water since they will be slowed by it submerged in it. When a merzost is wet the water or any liquid does not stick and will fall off. Even with clothing that's apart of their lifethreads will not stick.
Hot temperature including lava will soften them up. Lava won't destroy a merzost outright but will be damaged by it.
Radiation will have a bizarre effect on their range weapons. It has many effects to either explode point blank when firing, extreme inaccuracy, and weak with short range shots. These effects are all randomized with each shot.
Acid won't so much as damage a merzost but will prevent them from healing. Though when submerged for awhile they will succumb due to the life threads eating itself and destroying the body.
High concentrations of plasma and energy is mostly the true way to kill a merzost. Sure ballistics will help but at that point you'll be shooting a thick hide animal with a small arms. Dragon round's will help stop and deal massive damage to them; will you be risking an expensive round to hit something that is constantly mobile?
Not immediately known, many merzosts go limp after nearing a century of their acquired form. The merzost won't react to anything unless harm comes to it. Any harm will have the body of the merzost move to another location to somewhere safe. It is safe to say the life threads need a resting period. All orders are to be ignored until the merzost is fully awaken a year later.
Gameplay
Players are able to pick a merzost they are ordered around by another character of the group or from the same player. In addition, it's considered rare to even fight one unless you are doing something you are not supposed to. Even then, a merzost will not fight you but tell you to leave.Merzost are harder to play than any other species and requires the DM to keep track of their hit points. If merzosts have less than 10 points left, they will revert to their true form, cannot use any weapons of theirs, and lose -10 to all stats above 8.
Vitality: 18
Brawn: 18
Finesse: 10
Zeal: 10
Insight: 10
Cleverness: 10
Standard racial traits
Size: Medium.
Base Speed: 40
Bonus: Gains the Uncanny Potential when showing it's true form.
Alternate racial traits
Sonar: +6 to Perception and able to be given a vague visual description of unseen areas and sometimes behind walls. Receive a buff to recognize traps and visualize someone's face.
Finite Healing: Every turn receive +8 to healing and +12 per minute to out of combat.
Toughness: +30 to hit points and 16 to armor class
Adapt: +8 to Wisdom and can be granted a free move if they are guaranteed death.
Zoom: +4 to perception and +4 initiative, able to see as far as a scope and can use weapons without scope to aim.
Scavenger: Immune to environmental effects.
Endurance: Won't be affected by low health effects.
Strength: +10 to strength.
Transmission & Vectors
Any Imported can become a merzost under contract.
Once the Book has been signed, whoever name they written in it will forever be a merzost. The steps as followed.
Step one, they take you to a machine and strip you down.
Step two, the person lays on a cold metal table with restraints.
Step three, they cut the person open and insert the genetic tissue to the heart.
Step four, the host will slowly become effected by the tissue.
Final step, the the tissue will warp and twist the insides to the outsides. The person will stop breathing and any fluids that would be excreted will leave the body. At this stage the body will slowly turn into it's true form based on the hosts preference. There will always a glowing orb of light somewhere on their person.
Symptoms
As stated, the body can switch to their true form or imported form. However there are many ways to tell the difference between a merzost and an imported.
The on key feature to finding out is they cannot breathe. On top of that they will have this robotic stare that would make even NEPs more human than them. A merzost, when contact with water cannot absorb it and will act like a form of glass or plastic. This will include hair from a merzosts imported form.
Another key feature is the lack of pain or pleasure. A merzost will feel when they touch or someone touches them. This would include any damage they receive even near death. They will not know if the damage they receive is fatal on the next hit or not.
The the lack of eating, sleeping, and reproducing will sooner or later make any merzost go crazy and will try and kill themselves only to be either stopped by the Master or find out it's going to take a lot to finish the job.
Treatment
The only real way to cure it is death.
Hosts & Carriers
Drakains can carry this kind of genetic tissue. However they are immune to any and possibly all genetic modifications with or with the tissue. The tissue will act like oil if applied to any drakain.
History
Vapos Pharmacy first discovered while experimenting with many imported and trying to find a way for them to become immortal.
Cultural Reception
While the Masters have complete control over the merzosts other people seem them as slaves. That's not all, many sapient creatures view them as uncanny even without showing their true form. Dragons would even think their more monster than the dragons themselves.
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