Fantasy "biotechnology" and other alterations

[DMH]

One of the things I am most interested in is fantastic biotechnology. Here are the sources I know of:

To self:
Racial levels, prestige races, bloodlines [Oathbound, Shaping the Self, Arcana Evolved, 5th Element's Bloodlines]
Alchemical changes [The Fantastic Science, Alchemy and Herbalists]
Implants [Factory, Wildwood, FF, Lords of Madness, Eberron' grafts, Dragonstar]
Other [Chaositech, Ronin Art's 13 Gene Therapy Templates, Frughtlupe's Lifeshapers for Center Space]

To other:
Living magical items [Complete Guide to Treants]
Hybridization [Morningstar, Amalgam in Advanced Bestiary, Mega-feat: New Paths to Victory, Crossbreeds, Bastards and Bloodlines, Half-template from Book of Templates: Deluxe Edition 3.5]
Transmutation [Merlane in Dragon 237, Complete Guide to Dragonkin, Eberron's magebred]
Creation [Quint Guide to Wizards, Create Wonderous Creature feat, Dark Sun (Windriders of the Jagged Cliffs, Psionic Artifacts of Athas, Dragon 255)]
Implants [Mike Chaping's Fleshcrafter]

What else is out there?

 

[Slife]

Sarrusk [but only to scalykind native to Toril]

 

[Richards]

Mongoose Publishing's Encyclopaedia Arcane: Crossbreeding has rules for magical hybridization of two (or more) creatures, including rules for using yourself as one of the "parent" creatures.

Johnathan

 

[DMH]

And doesn't Green Ronin have a similar book?

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

The new edition of GURPS Bio-Tech does cover all sorts of genetic engineering - including the fantasy variety, and it has even a few spells which should be convertible to D&D without too many problems.

I also wrote a relevant essay called Elves: A Case Study of Transhumanism in Fantasy Worlds which has a few things to say on the subject. You need a Pyramid subscription to read the entire thing, however...

 

[DMH]

As much as I really enjoy Biotech for its sci-fi aspects, I have to admit the fantasy section was meh. It is all genetic engineering with spells (ie there wasn't anything about magical mutations).

I updated the OP with Bastards and Bloodlines and Crossbreeding. Serpent Kingdoms, IIRC, didn't have much in how (mechanics and descriptive text) the reptiles could be altered beyond a few punishments.

 

[DMH]

I added another- the half template from the BOT 3.5. As much as it is a pain and rather time consuming, I think it is the best bet for hybrids. Just apply it to both parents so the resulting offspring is a whole vs a half and a whole (that most templates produce).

Reading over the reviews, I have to say that I find Richard's ideas in Crossbreeding on reasons why doing it useful vs straight transmutation or creation.

 

[diaglo]

how genetic are you going?

you could try "taint" as found in Heroes of Horror and other sources.

or magical tattoos.

 

[diaglo]

there is always the Book of Erotic Fantasy too from the Valar Project

 

[BiggusGeekus]

One of the things I am most interested in is fantastic genetic engineering.

It's a subtopic I like as well.

One of the things I enjoy daydreaming about is where the line between sufficently powerful magic runs aground on the cold hard shores of natural science.

For example, a wizard decides to create a minotaur. He's got the magic down solid and can certainly toss on a bull's head to human body, but he's still got a mideval level of understanding of biology. He doesn't understand germ theory, he doesn't know what a cell is much less DNA, and he's not going to get that the human spinal column has hard-wired instinctive reactions that are not going to play nice with a bovine brain.

Most of this is handwaved aside, of course. I just think it's a neat place to start with the "what ifs".