Athasian Mutations Part Two

In part one of the athasian mutation exploration articles, I created a list of one-hundred appearance mutations. Those mutations had no influence on game statistics or rolls. In part two, I will be writing about beneficial mutations. These mutations will impact the human in a game-related beneficial way. Abilities are not changed, but ability checks may be. Also, it is important to note that the benefit must make sense. For example: A character that has lizard eyes loses all benefits from this mutation when blindfolded. Often, these beneficial mutations will be accompanied by a change in appearance.

It is important that dungeon masters strongly consider the impact granting a player character these beneficial mutations will have on their game. Some of these mutations could make a human player character far more powerful than anticipated. You have been warned.

DM's should feel free to roll 5d10 to determine the beneficial mutations of a human, or human group. Fell free to roll as many times as you wish and alter any mutations as you see fit. Combined with wild talents, this is a good way to surprise a group of player characters with an enemy possessing unexpected abilities.

Roll	Mutation
005	Third eye, usually in middle of forehead. +1 bonus to all slight related ability and non-weapon proficiency tests.
006	Cat's eyes. Low-light vision. Human can see twice as far in low-light conditions.
007	Extra eyelid. Protects eyes from dust and silt. All penalties from silt and sand blindness are reduced by one.
008	Dwarf eyes, generally dark in color. Infravision 60'.
009	Lizard eyes. Eyes can focus in two different directions.
010	Insect-eyes. Eyes are multifaceted. +1 bonus to resist surprise, if sight can counteract the surprise. Only usable if the attacker is not invisible, if the victim is not asleep, etc.
011	Enhanced intellect. Head is slightly larger, but is not usually noticeable. +1 bonus to all intelligence related ability and non-weapon proficiency tests.
012	Scaled hide. Scales cover the body, providing a natural armor class of 8.
013	Vomeronasal organ. The tongue is forked and is able to taste chemicals in the air to track prey or foes. +1 bonus to all ability and non-weapon proficiency tests where this mutation may come in handy, such as tracking.
014	Chitinous, one arm. One arm is covered in chitin and is always treated as having a small shield.
015	Chitinous, back. A chitinous shell covers the back, providing an armor class of 6 on the back only.
016	Chitinous, body. Chtin covers most of the body, providing a natural armor class of 5. This armor bonus does not stack with any armor worn.
017	Elf legs. The character is 1d12 inches taller than normal and adds 2 to their base movement.
018	Non-prehensile tail. Human has a three foot long tail that assists with balance. +2 bonus to all ability and non-weapon proficiency checks where balance is required. Climbing checks are granted a +5% modifier.
019	Prehensile tail. Human has a four to five foot tail that can be used as an extra limb. +2 bonus to any ability, or non-weapon proficiency checks where a tail would be beneficial. Climbing checks are granted a +5% modifier. A prehensile tail may hold a weapon, but a character is still limited to two attacks a round.
020	Antennae. Decrease all low-light and darkness conditional modifiers by 1.
021	Two hearts. +10% to system shocks rolls from massive damage and +5% to survive resurrection.
022	Spinnerets. Human has three spinnerets in the small of the back, which are housed in a volleyball sized protrusion. The human may spin a web large enough to catch a tiny creature in 30 minutes, small in 60 minutes, medium in 120 minutes, and large in 240 minutes. The web is identical to that of a large spider. A single strand of web can act as a 50' rope for the mutated human only.
023	Fat Brain. Human has a large head. +1d4+4 PSPs.
024	Bird eyes. Range penalties for medium and longer ranges are reduced by 1.
025	Horns. Large ram-like horns allow the human to attack for 1d6 bludgeoning damage. This attack may be used as a secondary attack with all of the appropriate penalties.
026	Fangs. Sharp fangs allow the human to attack for 1d4 piercing damage. This attack may be used as a secondary attack with all of the appropriate penalties.
027	Venom sacks. The human may coat weapons with a venom that acts as Type A poison, but with an onset time of 1d12 rounds.
028	Snout. The human has a dog-like snout that increases olfactory senses. +2 bonus to all ability and non-weapon proficiency checks where smell is a factor.
029	Wings. Wings are large and leathery. They allow flight with a rating of 15E.
030	Quills. Cover the back and head. Any creature grappling the quilled human takes 1d4+1 points of damage per round.
031	Clawed hands. 1D4 slashing damage.
032	Large ears. The human's ears are noticeably larger than normal and can detect sound at a greater distance than normal. +1 to all ability and non-weapon proficiency checks where hearing is a factor. +5% to detect noise.
033	Quadrupedal. Arms are much longer than normal and the human may move on all fours, increasing base movement by 4. Hands must be empty to benefit from this increased speed.
034	Air blessed. The human has lighter skin than usual. -2 to all initiative rolls.
035	Earth blessed. The human has darker skin than usual. +10 pounds to weight allowance.
036	Fire blessed. The human's skin is slightly red in appearance. -1 damage per die to all ice or cold-based damage.
037	Water blessed. The human's skin is slightly blue in appearance. -1 damage per die to all heat, or fire-based damage.
038	Color changing skin. Skin naturally changes color to match its environment, granting a bonus of +5% to hide in shadows.
039	Bioluminesant. The human's skin naturally illuminates, lighting all areas around them for ten feet. -5% to all hide in shadows tests.
040	Controlled Biolumenesense. The human's skin can light up at a mental command, lighting all areas around them for ten feet. When in use, the human has a -5% to all hide in shadow tests.
041	Double Jointed. Human appears gangly and gains +5% to all escape bond tests.
042	Electrogenic. Human can build up an electric charge that can shock others with a touch. Building up a shock takes 1d6 hours and does 1d6 damage.
043	Triple jointed. Human has four joints on their fingers. +5% pick pockets.
044	Four thumbs. Human has an extra thumb on each hand, instead of pinkies. +5% climb walls and +2 bonus to resist being disarmed.
045	Wakeful. Human has a large forehead. Human only requires five hours of sleep per night to be fully rested.
046	Blood squirt. Eyes are always bloodshot. Human can shoot blood from their tear ducts at a range of 10 ft. It does no damage, but may blind an opponent with a called shot.
047	Photosynthesis, Minor. Skin is somewhat green. A quarter of the character's food needs are provided by six hours of sunlight.
048	Photosynthesis, Major. Skin is green. Half of the character's food needs are provided by six hours of sunlight.
049	Digging claws. Clawed humans can burrow at a speed of 2 through soft earth or sand and 1 through packed earth. A clawed human cannot burrow through harder earth than packed earth, such as stone.
050	Silt Gills. Gilled humans can breath while submersed in silt. This does not protect against any other negative effects from submersion in silt.

My ten year old son assisted me with this mutation list.