The mutation system might be my favorite part of Evergarde. It is quick to use, pairs seamlessly with any bestiary, and generates some truly incredible results that are sure to make for memorable encounters.
And it is also great fun to terrorize your players with!
Mutations are earned (gathered? collected?) on a escalating scale from minor to major, eventually resulting in complete corruption and the creation of a Blighter, an abomination of the Badlands that knows only hunger. And since mutations affect the body and the mind, the result is a creature with different abilities and mannerisms that changes how they might otherwise react in an encounter.
Consider:
- An Ogre with crumpled, stillborn wings and the withered skin of a corpse; who has gills on the sides of its neck allowing it to breath underwater; who has befriended a tiny horned worm it believes grants good fortune.
- A tribe of Goblins covered in sores that weep ichor, attended by giant cockroaches, who are plagued by whispers insisting they can fly.
- A human Guild Prospector, covered in tufts of thick black hair, who believes he can see spirits, and spends his days conversing with them.
These were all randomly created by rolling on the Mutation tables. And they suggest a narrative to the encounter. Perhaps the Ogre hides in a marsh and is scarcely recognizable as an Ogre at all; it has turned inward, focusing its diminishing intellect on the small worm it dotes upon. The Ogre cares not about the characters, unless they mess with the worm.
Or: The Goblin tribe is greatly diminished as many have heeded the whispers, to a predictably poor result. They lurk in the depths of a hovel suddenly too large for the tribe's scant remnants. They are insular and withdrawn, mumbling to themselves, eating cockroaches when they remember to eat at all, trying to resist the call to fly.
Or: The Prospector might welcome the presence of the party, bartering with them and offering them welcome succor and shelter in the Badlands. Or he might believe they are more spirits, come to harass him (piss off, ghost!). Or perhaps he bids the party to aid him in exorcising these lost souls. Or maybe he runs from the party, disgusted by his own appearance.
All these ideas were off the top of the dome. Probably you can come up with something better. The point is, the mutations suggest something distinct, perhaps even a little quirky.
Mutations apply to any and all life in the Badlands: wandering tribes of near-humans, lost Iron Shield patrols, packs of wolves. You can even use them to twist the landscape itself, producing some truly horrific creations, like trees that shed skin. All of which supports the idea that the Badlands are a messed up place.
You'll notice, I did say
all life. That includes the characters.
The Mutation check is handled by a Constitution Saving Throw, made when the character exits the Badlands. The check is more difficult the longer the character spends in the wasteland.
Mutations come in several varieties, and progressively worsen:
- Minor: mostly cosmetic, these include things like weeping sores, strange growths of bone, or the bastard amalgamation of beast and man. Minor Mutations bestow Disadvantage on some Social skill checks.
- Lesser: these are all behavioral, and reflect the corruption of the self from the inside. Needing to feed on certain kinds of grotesque "food". Stripping naked and covering oneself in mud every full moon. Most of these don't come with any mechanical side-effect, but should inform play, and suggest plot hooks.
- Greater: these are a distinct changing of the self, and they usually impart some sort of new ability. Skin with the texture and hardness of stone. Cuts that heal rapidly, and even regrows lost limbs. Long, thorny tentacles that can be wielded like an extra set of appendages.
- Corruption: the final mutation, which represents the complete loss of self and the birth of something new. The wolf's bones are liquefied, reducing it to a wailing puddle of flesh. The Dragonborn bursts open like overripe fruit, as hundreds of wriggling, carnivorous worms start crawling toward the nearest source of food.
Once earned, a mutation can't be undone. No known magic can undue the Badlands or its dark imprint.
Since the characters will spend much of their time in the Badlands, they will pick up several minor mutations before progressing on the scale. Evergarde will include guidelines for ramping up the corruption process or slowing it down, based on your group's preference.
For more information, check out the Kickstarter. Thanks for looking!
