Editing Genius The Transgression/Chapter Four:Special Rules and Systems (section)

== Orphan Wonders: ==

''"I have brought to light a monstrous abnormality, but I did it for the sake of knowledge. Now for the sake of all life and Nature you must help me thrust it back into the dark again."''
''-H.P. Lovecraft, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"''

An orphan wonder is a wonder without an owner. There are five ways in which an orphan wonder can come about.

* First, a flaw during the design phase (a Dramatic Failure) can cause a wonder to activate as an orphan. Most geniuses hurriedly destroy such abnormalities before they can escape.

* Second, a genius can abandon a wonder. A genius abandons a wonder automatically after it has not been in contact with the genius for one month. Alternately, a genius can abandon a wonder automatically by touching a wonder, or, if touch is unavailable, by spending a point of Willpower to adjust her thoughts away from the wonder. Permanently abandoning a wonder in this way is an Obligation-7 transgression. When a wonder is abandoned, roll its rank. If it receives any successes, it becomes an orphan. If not, it is destroyed.

* Third, a genius may die. The Inspired are not immortal (well, not normally), and even those in selfregenerating god-bodies made of solid iridium can be laid low by a well-placed death ray. When a genius dies, every one of his wonders rolls its rank. Those that roll at least one success become orphans. Those that fail are destroyed. Killing a genius can trigger a catastrophe of exploding and suddenly liberated wonders.

* Fourth, many manes function like wonders of mad science. Inside their bardo, they are stable, but if withdrawn from their native home―if they survive―they become orphan wonders until returned. Animate manes that leave their bardos automatically become orphans, but they do not [[Genius_The_Transgression/Chapter_Four:Special_Rules_and_Systems#Orphan_Mutations:|mutate]] (see below). Inanimate manes removed from their environment roll their rank. Those without a rank (regular or slightly peculiar objects that happen to be manes) roll a chance die. Those that succeed become orphans. Those that fail are destroyed.

* Fifth and finally, an automaton may spontaneously become an orphan if severely threatened or abused, or threatened with destruction, if sufficiently intelligent and willful. This is rare, but has been known to occur.

When a wonder becomes an orphan, permanently or temporarily, any wonders integral to it are also orphaned. A wonder is not automatically orphaned if one of its integral wonders becomes orphaned.

=== Orphan Mutations: ===

When a wonder turns permanently into an orphan―not just temporarily―it twists and mutates, its form changing as maniacal energy washes over it, instilling a bestial urge to survive. Orphans become creatures, rather than just extraordinary things, with their own desires and motivations.

An orphan automaton retains its Attributes, Skills, and assorted special abilities.

An orphan of some other Axiom receives Attributes as follows:

Strength: Size÷5 (round down, minimum one dot)
Dexterity and Stamina: 2
Intelligence, Wits, Resolve, Presence, Manipulation, and Composure: 1
Species Movement: 0 (without other ways to move, an orphan can inch slowly along the ground, based on its combined Strength and Dexterity scores)
Limbs: Unless otherwise noted, no manipulators
Senses: Similar to a normal human's

A wonder that is temporarily orphaned by Havoc gains all the above benefits, but does not mutate.

For full orphans, roll a number of dice equal to the new orphan's Rank and consult the chart below to determines its mutations.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
|'''Roll'''
|'''First Roll'''
|'''Each Subsequent Roll'''
|-
|1
|Legs or Wheels. Base Speed = Size
|Wings. Base Speed = Size × Rank. Additional rolls here grant Hovering ability and increase Base Speed for walking and flying by 50%.
|-
|2
|Intelligence increases one step (from zombie to animal to person)
|Once "person-level" intelligence is reached, every roll here adds one dot to Intelligence.
|-
|3
|Melee attack that causes Lethal damage equal to Size÷5 (round down).
| +1 damage
|-
|4
|Grows one pair of fine manipulators (hands).
|Additional pair of manipulators. Extra manipulators do not grant additional regular actions, but they can perform additional reflexive actions (holding things, etc.). Each additional pair also grants a +2 dice bonus to grappling.
|-
|5
|Hardiness. Size increases by 50%. +1 Strength and Stamina.
|Same.
|-
|6
|Swiftness. +1 Dexterity and Wits.
|Same.
|-
|7
|Magnificence. +1 Presence and Manipulation.
|Same.
|-
|8
|Stability. +1 Resolve and Composure.
|Same.
|-
|9
|Splits into two identical creatures. Size halved (round down). -1 Intelligence. (If Intelligence is 1, reduce effective intelligence by one step, from person to animal to zombie.) Look under Elder Orphans for some exceptions.
|Same.
|-
|10
|Roll again twice.
|Same.
|}

=== Orphan Skills ===

Orphans (even temporarily orphaned wonders) possess all Physical Skills of, at minimum, a dot number equal to their rank. Automata and other intelligent orphans may have higher Skills.

=== Orphan Obligation and Motivation: ===

Orphans of Automata-2 or Automata-3, whether they start that way or receive it through their orphan status, lack a Morality or Obligation score and are treated as Illuminated. Orphans not of Automata are similar. They can be negotiated with―possibly―but most are atavistic and concerned only with feeding. If an automaton of rank 4 or 5 turns into an orphan, roll one die. If the result is equal to or lower than the creating genius' current Obligation (or final Obligation, in the event of the genius' death), that is its new Obligation. If the roll is higher than the wonder's Obligation, is loses all Obligation. Temporarily orphaned wonders are always treated as having no Obligation.

Orphans with person-level intelligence possess Willpower points, a Virtue, and a Vice.

=== Orphan Sustenance: ===

An orphan does not retain its bound Mania, which normally supplies it with some kind of machine-homeostasis. This means that regardless of how the orphan comes about, the result is the same: the orphan begins to break down unless it can somehow regain Mania.

Every day that passes, an orphan loses one point of Mania. Every day that goes by without any Mania in the orphan's system triggers a Havoc check.

If an orphan is full of Mania, every additional point of Mania consumed removes one extra fault.

Even if not full of Mania, an orphan can heal itself by spending Mania. Most orphans possess Structure instead of Health. Every point of Mania restores one point of lost Structure. For organic orphans, every point of Mania restores two levels of Bashing damage or one level of Lethal damage. Three points of Mania and a point of Willpower can remove one level of Aggravated damage. 

=== Orphans Spending Mania: ===

Unbound orphans need not spend Mania to activate their natural or integral abilities. An unbound orphan gun, for example, need not spend Mania to charge up and fire, while an orphan dirigible need not spend Mania to fly.

=== Orphans Storing Mania: ===

An orphan wonder can store a maximum amount of Mania equal to five times its rank.

=== Stasis: ===

An orphan wonder that wants to prolong its existence can enter a state of stasis. The wonder spends one point of Mania to enter this state. In this state, the wonder spends one point of Mania per year. It awakens automatically if touched by someone or something that contains Mania or if it suffers damage. Most orphans in ancient techo-ruins spend their time in this state.

=== Elder Orphans: ===

An orphan that survives can grow more dangerous and powerful. First, intelligent orphans often possess a broad selection of Skills and Merits gained over the years. Second, old orphans mutate and gain power. After long centuries, powerful orphans are ancient, alien creatures, covered in the crust and leavings of ages, their bodies laced with centuries of accumulated technology that they have devoured and assimilated.

{|
|+
|'''Age'''
|'''Power'''
|-
|1-10 Years
| As it was created
|-
|11-50 Years
| +1 Rank (maximum rank of 5). Roll three times on the mutation chart.
|-
|50-200 Years
| +1 Rank (maximum rank of 5). Roll three times on the mutation chart.
|-
|200-1,000 Years
| +1 Rank (maximum rank of 5). Roll three times on the mutation chart.
|-
|1,001+ Years
| +1 Rank (maximum rank of 5). Roll three times on the mutation chart.
|}

Old orphans do not split apart with age (if the roll is 9 on the mutation chart). Instead, they breed, producing a copy of themselves identical to their original form. This new creature inherits one mutation from its sire (choose randomly), then rolls a number of times on the mutation chart equal to its rank. A wonder of rank 5 that rolls a 9 on the mutation chart catalyzes instead of siring offspring. The wonder gains one dot of Inspiration, a catalyst, and three dots in Axioms, and can gain more power and knowledge just like any other genius.

Time spent in stasis does not add to a wonder's effective age. Only active existence does that.

=== Adopting an Orphan: ===

Some orphan wonders can be tamed. Though this is no easier or safer than taming any wild beast, skilled geniuses can pacify an orphan with promises of Mania. To adopt an orphan, a genius must first have the creature in a situation where it's fairly calm and not immediately dangerous. Then the genius offers one point of Mania per rank of the wonder and one point of Willpower, and rolls Presence + Animal Ken – the wonder's rank. Fully intelligent wonders substitute Persuasion for Animal Ken.

''Dramatic Failure:'' The orphan becomes hostile the the genius, who cannot attempt to adopt that wonder until
her Inspiration increases.

''Failure:'' The genius is unable to adopt the orphan wonder. The Mania and Willpower are lost, but she may try
again.

''Success:'' The genius can adopt the orphan if she chooses. The spent Mania points are bound into the wonder. If the genius has the Adopted Orphan Merit and enough "space" in that Merit to include the wonder, the orphan's mutations disappear and the effect is permanent. Otherwise the orphan's mutations remain and the effect lasts for one scene, after which time the wonder reverts.

''Exceptional Success'': The genius can specify any other genius nearby. If that genius then spends a point of Willpower and binds the required number of Mania points into the orphan, the orphan is loyal to that genius, not the genius who rolled the dice. As with a regular success, the effect is permanent if the genius has the Adopted Orphan Merit and enough "space" for the new orphan; otherwise the effect lasts for one scene. ("Wonder-Whisperers" who can perform this trick reliably are in high demand in some places, as some geniuses like to gift fledgling mad scientists with a loyal orphan.)

''Suggested Modifiers:'' Orphan has been mistreated by geniuses (-2), orphan is hungry (-1), orphan is sated (+1), quiet location (+1), large crowds (-1)

An adopted orphan does not possess any more Obligation than its masterless counterpart, though its nature means it is somewhat "leashed."