Delta Dust Genotypes

Genotype

Genotype are what you were born as or, less commonly, what you modified yourself to be and have little to do with pre-colonization 'racial identity', which is a social, not genetic construct. Pre-natal genetic modification has matured over centuries and few people born today have not had their or their ancestors' genomes sequenced before conception. It is a relatively inexpensive and mundane procedure, often subsidized by governments and while not 100% successful when dealing with something as complex as the entire genome of a human, still gives eminently acceptable results. Retroviral techniques to conduct systemic changes to adults are almost as old but are far more complex and difficult; consequently they are both much more expensive and rare.

Genotype bonuses modify the effective value of your stats; racial modifiers do not increase (or decrease) the cost of a given stat.

Human Templates

Baselines

Often seen as a derogatory term, 'baselines' are those who have had no meaningful genework done. They are completely unchanged from humans before the genetic era - bad teeth, glasses and all. At the twilight of the 22nd century baselines fall into one of three categories; those who come from oppressively poor nations where even simple health techniques are unavailable, those who refuse to engage in any form of genetic manipulation and those who departed Earth in the 21st century before such techniques became common even in the third world and ended up deep in the Rim or in other backwater localities.

Many baselines (particularly those with a religious opposition to genetic modifications) take a perverse pride in being 'normal'.

Baselines get 4 Pluck

Origin: Varies widely; from rare to ubiquitous

Classics

While many people reject transgenic modifications the barriers to 'upgrading' tends to blur at the edges when it comes to therapeutic 'fixes'. Starting in the late 20th century with screening for dangerous gene-linked diseases, the 21st century saw this expand to encompass more mundane ails and . Classics have undergone various low-level modifications to reduce or eliminate problems such as bad vision, allergies, wisdom teeth, obesity, etc. Many also have customized features, such as 'mother's red hair' or 'grandfather's height.' Despite this tinkering, Classics do not really add or subtract anything, merely refining out some of the less desired elements of the human genome. As such it is functionally impossible to tell the difference between a Classic and a particularly lucky baseline.

Classics get 4 Pluck

Origin: Common on planets across known space

Illicit Upgrade

The various stringent regulations surrounding human augmentation that have come about in the wake of the adoption of many Stauss-Kasserist philosophies has both regrettably and unsurprisingly created a black market for both prenatal and retroviral therapies in the 22nd century. Commonly attributed to the upwardly mobile who do not wish to emigrate to the more liberal colonies, illicit upgrades will typically alter an individual’s neurology to improve cognition and socialization. Subtle (and not-so-subtle) personality shifts and neuroses are a common side-effect of these grey market retrovirals.

Illicit prenatal upgrades are generally safer and, according to some metrics, substantially more common. Like illicit retrovirals they tend to shy clear of obvious physical changes or substantial cognitive upgrades. Reliable numbers for illicit upgrades are difficult to estimate, let along come by but it has been recognized as a social problem. Supporters of genetic freedoms cite them as reasons for loosening various over-strong regulations while opponents of genetic inequality decry those who cheat the system. Meanwhile, people from across the core continue to seek back-alley clinics or take medical vacations into the Verge to upgrade themselves.

Illicit Upgrades get a +1 to Intellect, +1 to Charisma and 3 Pluck

Origin: Core worlds (uncommon)

Alpha

Originally a popular genofixing template from the late 21st century, 'Alpha' has since became a broad term for a generalized blend of transhuman traits; 'Human-plus'. Alphas are considered transgenics mostly by default, as they engineer in favorable traits to produce someone who is colloquially 'peak human' as opposed to reengineering components of the human organism. This eased their adoption into mainstream society and Alphas (often in their fourth or fifth generation) now make up a substantial fraction of total population in the Verge.

Further improvements and cross-engineering have improved the Alpha, leading to the so-called 'Alpha-Plus'. These integrate traits from many of the different Alpha subtypes and improve essentially all aspects of the human body and mind. Some improvements come from other genetic templates, such as the tetrachromacy found in Ishtars and Omoikanes. This makes Alpha-Pluses true transgenics.

Alphas have +1 to any four stats save Aleph and 2 Pluck

Origin: Verge (common), Rim (rare)

Alpha-Plus

Alpha-Plus stat bonuses are +1 to all values and 1 Pluck

Alpha-Plus skill bonuses are +1 to any two skills

Alpha-Pluses have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 in all stats

Origin: Verge (uncommon)

Ishtar

The Ishtar upgrade was intended to result in an individuals with exceptional warms and personality, in which it succeeded admirably. One of the second generation of transgenic upgrades from the early 22nd century, the Ishtar template substantially improves on the basic human ability for empathy and socialization, as well as short-term memory and perception. Standard upgrade techniques also improve their bodies, with Ishtars universally having leggy, perfectly-proportioned recruiting-poster builds and faces that merely start at 'attractive'. Consequently Ishtars have spread throughout the Verge and often form the social glue of groups and organizations. Ishtars also tend to have vivid, unnatural hair colors which contributes to their stereotype as flighty pop stars, no matter what their occupation or personality.

Fourth revision Ishtars further improve the neurology of the basic Ishtar template, increasing the innate Ishtaran social abilities as well as their learning and problem-solving abilities. While not capable of matching Omoikanes in the mental arena, they are decisively superior on on average to Classics and their intellect combined with their looks and social aptitude makes them an extremely popular choice for future children.

Ishtars get +1 Physique, +1 Wits, +1 Intellect, +1 Perception, +2 Charisma and 1 Pluck

Ishtars have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Charisma

Ishtars have the Graceful trait

Origin: Verge (common)

Ishtar (4th Revision)

Ishtar rev4 stat bonuses are +2 Charisma, +1 to all other stats but 0 Plucl

Ishtar rev4 skill bonuses are +1 to all social skills

Ishtar rev4s have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Charisma

Ishtar rev4s have the Graceful trait

Origin: Verge (uncommon)

Omoikane

Like Ishtars, Omoikanes are second-generation upgrades, with a focus instead on intellectual abilitie. In this, they are supremely gifted. Capable of effortlessly grasping complex concepts and recalling vast amounts of information they find ready employment in any technical or intellectual field. Thanks to the advances in cognitive science by the 22nd century they are not socially crippled robots either, and while not as capable of demonstrating bottomless well of effortless social acumen as Ishtars they are still quite socially adept. One unique feature about Omoikanes is their neural processes are optimized for machine reading and neural interfaces work particularly well for them. Most Omoikanes have light silver or stark white hair, which is actually pigmented white (as opposed to the progressive loss of hair pigmentation over normal human aging) and is something of a visible trademark.

Post-breakdown standards revisions pioneered on Erebus have substantially improved the peak mental processing ability of Omoikanes as well as adding a neurochemical trigger allowing them to 'overclock' their mental processes. Many of those 7th revisions Omoikanes have further modified themselves with some form of enhanced thermoregulation system to dissipate the heat generated by this cranial overactivity, often in the form of headwings or other fanciful changes.

Omoikanes get +2 Clarity, +2 Intellect, +1 Perception, +1 Charisma and 1 Pluck

Omoikanes have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Intellect

Omoikanes automatically have the Level-Headed trait

Origin: Verge (common)

Omoikane (7th Revision)

Omoikane rev7 stat bonuses are +2 to Intellect, +2 Wits, +1 Perception and +1 to Charisma

Omoikane rev7 skill bonuses are +1 Neural Interfacing, +1 Awareness and +1 to any two Intellect skills

Omoikane rev7s have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Intellect

Omoikane rev7s have the Level-Headed' and Overclock traits

Origin: Verge (uncommon)

Atlas

A popular (and some might say necessary) upgrade for heavy-gravity worlds, the Atlas template substantially upgrades the human body's musculature, skeleton and cardiovascular system. This greatly improves both instantaneous and sustained strength, near-necessities for worlds with gravities 50% higher than Earth's. Of course the Atlas upgrade lends itself well to soldierly pursuits and it is common to see them on the frontiers, clearing out nests of feral drones or local predators - or more human predators. Atlases are not unattractive by any means but look stocky and solid next to the supermodel looks of Ishtars and the willowy grace of Omoikanes.

Atlas Upgrade get +3 Physique, +1 Intellect, +1 Wits, +1 Perception and 1 Pluck

Atlas Upgrades have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Physique

Atlases have the Gravity Tolerant trait

Origin: Verge (common)

Floaters

Floaters have lived out in space on orbiting platforms, asteroid cities and the like for generations. Some are the descendants of colonists who chose a life in space away from the heavily-controlled colony worlds. Others are ship or station crews from less well-off parts of explored space where sophisticated zero-gravity gene adaptations were unavailable. No matter the origin, Floaters tend to be physically weak and with poor eyesight (correctable with eyewear), though with an almost instinctive feel for three-dimensional movement; these are the result of long-term and poorly mitigated microgravity upon the human body.

Floater suffer a stat penalty of -1 Physique and -1 Perception

Floaters skill bonuses are +2 Zero-G skill and +1 Engineering

Origin: Core (Rare), Verge (uncommon), Rim (common)

Icarus

Icarus upgrades are a 22nd century response to the needs of the expanding deep-space presence in the Verge. Applying increased understanding of long-term low and microgravity effects on the human body to common transhuman templates, the Icarus became popular among those who settled on the high frontier. In fact the introduction of the Icarus template is seen as one of the root causes of the spread of the Outbacker movement.

Icarus Upgrades have +1 Intellect, +1 Clarity and 2 Pluck

Icarus Upgrade skill bonuses are +2 Zero-G skill

Icarus Upgrades have the Dextrous trait

Origin: Core (Uncommon), Verge (common), Rim (Rare)

Bioroids

The term 'bioroid' is a portmanteau of 'biological' and 'android'; the term is used for biological machines designed to mimic humans. The term is also heir to a muddy legal and moral heritage dating back to the middle of the 21st century when advances in genetics and cognition led to the ability to start 'programming' artificial brains with ingrained instincts. While this led to various further neuro-science developments and some minor commercial successes in the designer pet field, it remained a fairly obscure branch of neurology until the mid-60s when the world was turned upside-down by the introduction of interstellar travel and the promise of new, distant worlds. This led to a veritable overnight explosion of innovation surrounding anything remotely related to interstellar colonization. One such idea scooped out of scientific papers and specialist veterinary clinics was the bioroid.

For a completely self-sufficient colony that would have to manage limited labour assets as well as a limited industrial base, bioroids appeared to be an ideal solution. They could be force-grown and programmed with useful social instincts and thus provide a reservoir of unskilled labour for tasks such as child-rearing, cleaning, fetching and other simple domestic activities. Their meek personalities and submissive natures made then inoffensive to be around even in close quarters. Furthermore, unlike the domestic robots that were common on Earth by the middle of the 21st century, bioroids had the advantages of essentially being human from an engineering standpoint; they ate the same food, healed if hurt and were self-maintaining. Many could even reproduce.

While there were moral qualms over creating what was commonly characterized as a lobomized slave race, the fact that almost all bioroids were out of sight and out of mind on the far end of an Alcubierre transit kept the issue from landing-page headlines. It wasn't until the media picked up on stories of illegal bioroid bloodsports on Earth that the first stirrings of an abolishment movement began to coalesce. This was just one facet of the growing anti-transhuman movement of the middle and late 21st century and by the end of the 21st century international agreements, pressure tactics and social awareness brought in tough new regulations that essentially terminated the industry on Earth.

Tirol

A common bioroid design from the outer Verge.

Series VII Replicant

Standard-issue Magnate combat replicant.

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Outlier Superiors

Over the past century, the intermixing of bloodlines, technological improvements, quest for perfection and simple luck of the draw has resulted in the occasional birth of individuals who have truly exceptional genes. At the leading edge of the curve these superhuman individuals easily gravitate towards the peaks of power and responsibility. Attempts have been made to replicate the full range of their abilities but as so much relied upon the vaguarities of chance, these have had mixed results. Baroque breeding programs among the upper classes have become common, some ending up indistinguishable from dynastic marriages to seal agreements. In the Solar Federation these individuals recieve the coveted S-Type classification.

S-Type stat bonuses are +3 Physique and +1 to all other stats, as well as two +1s that can be assigned to any two non-Physique stats.

S-Type skill bonuses are +1 Endurance and +1 to any five other skills

S-Types have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 in all stats

S-Types have the Graceful and Gravity Tolerant traits

S-Types may be Alephs, with no cap

Origin: Solar Federation (rare)

Seraph

One of the Seraphim Organization's purported goals and major successes has been the stabilization of a reproducible S-grade genetic template. First developed in the late 22nd century they were introduced to the public in 2210 where they have became extremely popular among those wealthy enough to afford the complex upgrade. A quirk of the specific genetic modifications makes them much easier apply to XX individuals as opposed to XY; consequently male Seraphs are much less common, making up less than 5% of the population of Seraphs. The flood of young standardized S-class transhumans and their gender disparity is already causing ripples in the Solar Federation.

Seraph stat bonuses are +3 Aleph, +2 Physique, +1 Intellect, +1 Wits and +1 Charisma

Seraph skill bonuses are +1 to any four Academic or Social skills

Seraphs have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Physique, 3 Intellect and 3 Charisma.

Seraphs have the Graceful trait

All Seraphs are Alephs, with no cap

Origin: Solar Federation (rare), Seraphim Organization (common)

Grounders (Baselines)

Most of the human population of known space inhabit planets and have minimal if any genetic alteration. Classed as E-Types in the Solar Federation, these baseline humans are often known as Grounder due to the fact that most unaugmented humans live (and stay) on planets. While at the dawn of the colonization era these were mostly those who were too poor or too disadvantaged to get genetic counselling, in modern times it has become something of a badge of perverse pride or religious devotion to call oneself a Baseline, Flat, Grounder or other previously-derogatory term. Some jurisdictions actually treat having baseline children as child abuse, though this remains difficult to enforce, not to mention politically charged.

Grounders have 4 Pluck

Origin: Uncommon inside the Solar Federation, otherwise common on planets across known space

Icarus

Icarus upgrades are a 22nd century response to the needs of the expanding deep-space presence in what would become the Solar Federation. Applying increased understanding of long-term low and microgravity effects on the human body to common transhuman templates, the Icarus became popular among those who settled on the high frontier. In fact the introduction of the Icarus template is seen as one of the root causes of the spread of the Outbacker movement, to the point at which there are more Icarus upgrades in the Verge than in SolFed space. The Solar Federation classes these individuals as O-types.

Icarus Upgrades have +1 Intellect, +1 Clarity and 3 Pluck

Origin: Solar Federation (uncommon), Verge (common), Rim (uncommon)

Alpha

Originally a popular genofixing template from the late 21st century, 'Alpha' has since became a broad term for a generalized blend of transhuman traits. They are considered better than C-Type transhumans, though Solar Federation genetic techniques are superior to those of the outer worlds and consequently Alphas lack the highly upgraded immune and healing abilities of SolFed High Transhumans. Many citizens of the League of Outer stars are Alphas where there has been a government push via socialized genofixing to bring all children to this level.

Alphas have +1 to any four stats save Aleph and 2 Pluck

Origin: Verge (common), Rim (rare)

Atlas

A popular (and some might say necessary) upgrade for heavy-gravity worlds, the Atlas template substantially upgrades the human body's musculature, skeleton and cardiovascular system. This greatly improves both instantaneous and sustained strength, near-necessities for worlds with gravities 50% higher than Earth's. Of course the Atlas upgrade lends itself well to soldierly pursuits and it is common to see them on the frontiers, clearing out nests of feral drones or local predators - or more human predators. Atlases are not unattractive by any means but look stocky and solid next to the supermodel looks of Ishtars and the willowy grace of Omoikanes.

Atlas Upgrade get +3 Physique, +1 Intellect, +1 Wits, +1 Perception and 1 Pluck

Atlas Upgrades have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Physique

Origin: Verge (uncommon)

Low Transhumans

Earlier or less drastic modifications to human genomes resulted in people that were only mildly changed from their parents. These changes are generally preventative in focus, removing various biological inefficiencies and 'evolutionary baggage'. Few actually have underground 'upgrades' in the conventional sense, the improvements these individuals see stems from broadly improved health and metabolism along with the (near-)elimination of genetic ailments like poor vision, etc. In the 23rd century, these are 'normal humans' to most people, the archaic label of 'low transhuman' slowly falling out of common use. In the Solar Federation these are typically ranked as D- or C-Type; Ds are simply 'fixed' humans, whereas Cs tend to have mild upgrades. In general, Low Transhumans straddle the line between what is a 'Baseline' human and what isn't.

Low Transhumans have +1 Physique, +1 Perception and 3 Pluck

Origin: Common across known space

High Transhumans

The cautious early steps in human augmenation soon gave way to more drastic and significant upgrades to the human condition. The concept of 'Human-plus' became a reality as deliberately recoded DNA brought forth the possibility of everyone achieving abilities substantially beyond the human norm and 'transhuman' became synonymous with 'transgenic'. Cognitive upgrades were also part of the package, and 'high transhumans' were not just more physically fit but also more intelligent and more sociable. Furthermore at this point inherent biological immortality (or at least exceptionally long lifespans) became the norm. In the Solar Federation these are ranked B- or A-Types.

High Transhumans have +2 Physique, +1 to all other Core Attributes and 1 Pluck

High Transhumans have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 in all Core Attributes

Origin: Solar Federation (uncommon), Verge (rare)

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Outlier Superiors

Over the past century, the intermixing of bloodlines, technological improvements, quest for perfection and simple luck of the draw has resulted in the occasional birth of individuals who have truly exceptional genes. At the leading edge of the curve these superhuman individuals easily gravitate towards the peaks of power and responsibility. Attempts have been made to replicate the full range of their abilities but as so much relied upon the vaguarities of chance, these have had mixed results. Baroque breeding programs among the upper classes have become common, some ending up indistinguishable from dynastic marriages to seal agreements. In the Solar Federation these individuals recieve the coveted S-Type classification.

Outlier Superiors have +3 Physique, +1 to all other Core Attributes and two +1s that can be assigned to any two non-Physique attributes including Aleph, but a Pluck of 0

Outlier Superiors have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 in all Core Attributes

Origin: Solar Federation (rare)

Engo

The Engo were the fruits of the first successful process to generate a true Homo Superior, resulting in a transgenic human with vastly improved physical traits - reinforced bones, superior cardiovascular and muscular system, improved twitch reflexes, keener senses. Engos also had massively increased lifespans for the era when they were developed, with conservative estimates at circa the turn of the 22nd century that they'd live an average of 50% longer than most other transhumans. Which was fortunate, as Engos unfortunately do not breed true (or often, at all) and the process to bring a new Engo zygote to term is difficult and uncertain.

Engo have +4 Physique, +2 Wits, +2 Perception, +1 Intellect, +1 Charisma, but a Pluck of 0

Engo have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 in all Core Attributes

Origin: Solar Federation (rare)

Seraph

One of the Seraphim Organization's purported goals and major successes has been the stabilization of a reproducible S-grade genetic template. First developed in the late 22nd century they were introduced to the public in 2210 where they have became extremely popular among those wealthy enough to afford the complex upgrade. A quirk of the specific genetic modifications makes them much easier apply to XX individuals as opposed to XY; consequently male Seraphs are much less common, making up less than 5% of the population of Seraphs. The flood of young standardized S-class transhumans and their gender disparity is already causing ripples in the Solar Federation.

Seraph stat bonuses have +2 Physique, +2 Aleph, +2 Wits, +1 Intellect, +1 Perception and +1 Charisma, but have a Pluck of 0

Seraphs have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 in all Core Attributes

Origin: Solar Federation (rare), Seraphim Organization (common)