RE: A couple of things.

[Daniel Lawrence <dan@aquest.com>]

-----Original Message-----
From:	Wright Frazier [SMTP:khelek@ns1.cioe.com]
Sent:	Tuesday, October 13, 1998 1:33 PM
To:	gmlist@cioe.com
Subject:	A couple of things.


Hey guys, a couple of things.

b) This past weekend, a player some how became an air elemental.  Said
	character now wants to get mutated so they are poison gas.  What
	the character wants to be mutated to doesn't matter, what does
	matter is that should such a creature(one without DNA and no
	physical form) be mutateable.

	It has been ruled innumerable times by Dan and every other GM that
	mutate alters the DNA of the target.  The character asked practically
	every GM present at saturday's game, and every single time was
	told 'no'.  The most common reason is the above, mutate changes
	the subjects DNA, and elementals have no DNA.

	Is that correct?  Or did the 10 or so of us make a mistake?

Given what you heard... no. But understand this... up until now everything 
that has been mutated has been
A living creature with DNA. We have never applied this spell to a spirit 
which manifests itself as air molecules, or rather a mix of  gas molecules 
which are in the proportions of air.

I believe given this... there would be 2 possibilities. If the spell really 
modified DNA, it would not work at all on him. If we broaden our internal 
definition to something more akin to what the spell might have been 
intended as, it can re-adjust the relationship and proportions of the 
molecules making up its target..... he could concentrate all the oxegen at 
one spot, and the nitrogen at another. Now, since our adventures do not 
have this concept of gases, at least this specifically, we could say they 
could not control this.......

Given this one might be inclined to say he could simply change the 
proportion of existing gases that make up his"body", as those more coporeal 
mutatee's are having changed the proportion of bone, blood, skin and other 
tissues making up their bodies.

I understand this action is pretty out in left field,,, so I am interested 
in hearing your opinions on the subject. At the moment I have already 
brought up the .... If you are going to start using poisons a lot, so are 
the actors... which is a legitimate convern, so he is not likely to even 
try this.... But I would rather make a more firm determination in this 
case.

							Dan


Later,

Wright