Biologist

Drawing of a woman wearing a pith helmet using binoculars and a computer in the jungle.

Watching a biologist watch

Biologists are personas with a deep interest in the organic physical world’s workings. A biologist has broad interests in taxonomy, culture and research. Their interests range from creepy crawly bugs to complicated economic systems. The vocation is broad as the organic world. Biologists are more interested in studying the organic world than repairing the organic world. Biologists are more interested in organic systems than mechanical systems. Vets, mechanics and biologists work well on research teams together.

Biologists do not have degrees or diplomas or certificates from training programs. They are self-taught, and their knowledge base is haphazard. Their knowledge comes from keen observation, gardening books, environmental leaflets, nature shows, sagely advisors, and personal experience.

Biologist Abilities

The biologist’s abilities cover all aspects of the organic world. Anything to do with organic life, anthros and aliens, falls under her purvey. This includes the observation, discovery, and identification of aliens. Biology covers the knowledge spheres of sociology, ecology, culture studies, and more. A biologist’s abilities do not include robots (mechanic) or organic repairs (veterinarian). However a biologist could take skills from the mechanic or veterinarian vocation.

Biologist abilties are divided into knacks (gifts), interests, and skills.

Knacks

Biologist knacks (gifts) are the hard wired abilities that probably lead to the persona pursuing the biologist vocation. The biologist starts with the first knack and gets a new one every three EXPS levels. Knacks are not transferrable between vocations and a player cannot choose a knack.

**Biologist Knacks Table**
Unique biologist knacks acquired with experience
EXPS Level	Knack	Description
1	Danger	Brief binary assessment of immediate danger from organic life.
4	Disvenomation	Identify and arrest progress of poisons from organic life forms.
7	Symbolism	Simple one word communications with organic life forms.
EXPS Level	Knack	Description

Interests

Biologist interests are broad areas that cover a swath of the organic world. The interests are: Culture, Research and Taxonomy. Any task that falls under an interest gets the interest bonus on the task roll. The Culture interest could help with a linguistic task. The Research interest could help with a laboratory task. The Taxonomy interest could help with an alien identification task.

At startup, the persona gets one interest per three points of intelligence score. A persona with a 12 INT would get three rolls on the Biologist Interest Table. After startup the persona earns another interest with each new experience level. The player can choose to roll on the Biologist Interest Table, or choose a specific interest

*Biologist Interest Table *
Broad areas of interest and aptitude.
Die Roll	Interest
01-20	Culture
21-55	Research
56-89	Taxonomy
90-95	Choose
96-99	Extra Roll
00	Ref’s Own Table
Die Roll	Interest
1 per 4 INT at startup. 1 per additional level

Each interest has an associated group of skills. At startup the player gets one skill per interest. After startup the player may roll a new skill on the appropriate table or choose a specific skill.

Taxonomy Interest

Taxonomy is about identifying and categorizing organic species. The taxonomy interest is the classical biologist as a naturalist. Skills like identifying burrowers in toxic biomes or carnivores in the ocean fall under taxonomy. Mere categorization of finches on remote islands has changed society.

Research Interest

The research interest includes laboratory, invention and extension interests for the biologist. Skills like cloning, immunology, and antitoxin creation are found under the research interest

Culture Interest

The culture interest involves interaction of a population. Skills like languages, family structures, and political nuance are found under the culture interest.

Skills

Skills (previously called foci) appear as specific tasks, but have a wider impact on task rolls. A skill in aging could be used to assist a task roll for determining a persona’s, age or understand the implications of a chronovirus.

Biologist skills are grouped by interest. A taxonomy interest could come with skills like: burrowers, hivers or herbivores. A culture interest could come with skills like: language, religion or politics The interest and skill abilities are cumulative.

At startup the player gets one skill per interest. So a biologist with taxonomy 2 and culture 1 would get 2 rolls on the taxonomy skills and 1 roll on the culture skills. After start up the persona gets one new interest per new experience level. As described above the player can roll or choose the new interest. Each new interest includes a new skill. The player can choose or roll the new skill.

Culture Skills

Culture skills are about understanding the interactions of groups of organic life forms. These skills can be used to predict what a pack of aliens might do, or try and predict an election.

**Culture Skills**
Specific areas of study or aptitude for biologists.
Die Roll (1d100)	Cultural Skill
01-08	Community Systems
09-16	Economic Structure
17-24	Family Structures
25-32	Languages, Verbal
33-40	Languages, Written
41-48	Mass Information
49-57	Militarization
58-69	Politics
70-81	Religion/Folk Tales
82-91	Social Status/Structure
92-98	Tech Levels
99	Choose
00	Roll Extra
Die Roll (1d100)	Cultural Skill
One roll per biologist interest. ie, 1 per 3 INT at startup and 1 per new EXPS level

Research Skills

Research skills are about understanding the ways of studying the organic world. These skills can be used to make an antivenom, clone an alien, or enhance a mutation.

**Research Skills**
Areas of aptitude or training for biologists.
Die Roll (1d100)	Research Skill
01-06	Aging
07-12	Alien Theory
13-23	Cloning
24-29	Cryogenics
30-35	Cybernetics
36-41	Eugenics
42-47	Genetics
48-53	Immunology
54-59	Inorganic/Robotic
60-65	Mutation/Evolution
66-71	Paleontology
72-82	Physiology
83-88	Toxins/Poisons
89-94	Xenophysiology
95-99	Choose
00	Roll Extra
Die Roll (1d100)	Research Skill
One roll per biologist interest. ie, 1 per 3 INT at startup and 1 per new EXPS level

Taxonomy Skills

Taxonomy is about identifying and categorizing organic species. Each skill includes a skills and a biome type. A taxonomy skill could look like this: Taxonomy - Herbivore - Desert Biome.

**Taxonomy Skill**
Area of specialization or interest of the biologist.
Die Roll (1d100)	Taxonomy Study
01-02	Burrowers
03-04	Camouflage
05-10	Carnivores
11-12	Cavers/Diggers
13-14	Chaser/Hunters
15-16	Dam Makers
17-21	Detritovores
22-24	Foliage/Tree Dwellers
25-29	Herbivores
30-31	Hivers
32-33	Hoarder/Storers
34-35	Infecting
36-37	Infesting
38-40	Large/Gigantic
41-42	Long Lived
43-46	Microbiologic
47-51	Mitotic Reproduction
52-53	Move in Air
54-55	Move in Water
56-57	Move on Land
58-59	Multiple Attacks
60	Mutated
61-70	Nomadic Biome
71-75	Omnivores
76-77	Oviparous
78-79	Parasitic
80-85	Photosynthetic
86-88	Poisonous
89	Powered Attacks (Type C)
90	Psionic
91	Ranged Attacks (Type B)
92	Robotic
93	Short Lived
94	Spores
95	Trappers
96-97	Viviparous
98	Web Makers
99	Choose
00	Roll Extra
Die Roll (1d100)	Taxonomy Study
One roll per biologist interest. ie, 1 per 3 INT at startup and 1 per new EXPS level
Each taxonomy skill includes a complete biome as well

**Biome Type Table**
Each biome has a characteristic.
Die Roll (1d100)	Biome Type
01-08	Coniferous
09-16	Deciduous
17-24	Desert
25-32	Farm
33-40	Grassland
41-48	Industrial
49-56	Megalopolis
57-64	Oceanic
65-72	Ruins
73-80	Tropic Forest
81-88	Tropic Grassland
89-99	Tundra
00	Ref’s Own Table
Die Roll	Biome Type

**Biome Characteristic**
Modifying characteristic of a biome.
Die Roll (1d100)	Biome Characteristic
01-10	Normal
11-20	Toxic
21-30	High Gravity
31-40	Low Gravity
41-50	Thin Atmosphere
51-60	Dense Atmosphere
61-70	Underground
71-80	Aboveground
81-90	Mountainous
91-99	Extraplanetary
00	Ref’s Own Table
Die Roll	Biome Characteristic

Skills help the biologist win a task roll. A skill is not required to attempt a task.

Optimizing the Abilities

A biologist can rack up a lot of abilities. What follows is a way to keep track of them.

Mystical connected semi-circles scratched into ground.

Footprint? Language? Bad Map?

Example Three Rolls At Startup

Taxonomy interest
- Herbivores, Desert Biome skill
Taxonomy interest
- Detritivores, Desert Biome skill
Culture interest
- Languages, Verbal skill

Interests and skills are cumulative and separated. The persona has two taxonomy interest, and the player can use them on any task related to taxonomy. Even if the persona has no chaser/hunter behaviour skills, she will use taxonomy 2 when working on a chaser/hunter behaviour. When figuring out something about herbivores, she will get a total bonus of 3 (taxonomy 2 and herbivore 1). When studying a herbivore in a desert biome, she will get a total bonus of 5 (taxonomy 2, herbivore 1 and desert biome 2).

Reorganized abilities

Taxonomy - 2
- Desert Biome - 2
- Herbivores - 1
- Detritivores - 1
Culture - 1
- Languages, Verbal - 1

Biologist Tasks

Biologist tasks involve anything organic that does not involve healing. Most biologist tasks are knowledge based unless an obvious physical intervention is involved. The minimal equipment required by a biologist is her notebooks. The referee may make a target roll more difficult if the biologist does not have her notebooks.

**Biologist Maneuvers and example DDs**
Degree of Difficulty of day to day maneuvers.
Maneuver	Degree of Difficulty (DD)
Alien ID, common	3
Alien ID, uncommon	6
Alien ID, rare	9
Alien ID, very rare	12
Cloning	35
Designing Genes	42
Determine Age	4-15 (1d12+3)
Determine Mutations	1d12
Estimate Armour Rating	Alien DD plus 1d6
Estimate Move Rate	1
Estimate HPS	Alien DD plus 1d4
Estimate Damage	1-8 (1d8)
Estimate INT	Alien ID plus 1d4
Feeding Habits	Alien ID plus 1d4
Identify Alien Etiquette	Alien ID plus 1d10
Identify Healer	Alien ID plus 1d4-2
Identify Leader	Alien ID plus 1d4-2
Maneuver	DD

the author has no idea why there are two separate tables

**Example Biologist Procedures**
Example procedures and degree of difficulty (DD)
Procedure	DD	Bonus
Alien ID	1d6	AWE
Alien AR	2d6	AWE
Alien Move	1d6	AWE
Alien HPS	1d12	AWE
Alien Language	1d4	AWE
Alien Energy Source	1d12	AWE
Cloning	42	Nil
Gene Alteration	32	Nil
ID Leader	1d8+5	AWE
Procedure	DD	Bonus

Biologist EXPS

The benefits of increasing experience levels are more skills, improved task success, and marginally better combat skills. Biologists earn experience points for completing procedures and role-playing within their vocation. Only 20% of combat experience can go towards a biologist’s experience point total.

**Biologist Experience Points**
EXPS required to advance in levels of expertise for biologists.
Experience Points	Experience Level
0-1250	1
1251-2500	2
2501-5000	3
5001-10000	4
10001-20000	5
20001-42500	6
42501-70000	7
70001-110000	8
110001-220000	9
220001-450000	10
230000	Per level beyond 10th
Experience Points	Experience Level