CELLQUEST: RIP in Piece [DEAD due to inactive host]

[kaleidoscope]

Whew! So many choices.

I'll go ahead and vote for ADGKQRVc, and second Aleisha's color suggestion.

[sonic3535]

A) Ocelli ----> Simple Eyes: Sense +2; ocelli become more complex sensory organs, increasing range and clarity of vision. (-10 Pts)
B) Auricles ----> Barbels: Sense +1; auricles elongate and grow more towards the mouth, upgrades chemical detection. (-8 Pts)
D) Develop Tympanum: Sense +3; gain flat external hearing structures on either side of your head for detecting low-frequency sounds. (-15 Pts)
H) Upgrade Mouth: Attack +1; improves Suction ability and overall mouth strength. (-12 Pts)
G) Develop Lobe-fins: Mobility +1.5; gain a pair of small fleshy limbs near the front of your body, slightly improves mobility both in and out of water. (-15 Pts)
Q) Upgrade Brain: Intelligence +2; brain becomes larger and more complex. (-15 Pts)
S) Grow in Size(2): Size +4, HP +10; body becomes much larger. (-24 Pts)

[Aleisha]

Once this next round goes through, I'm gonna draw an Eletus fanart again to see how different it is.

[Kingleo]

A) Ocelli ----> Simple Eyes: Sense +2; ocelli become more complex sensory organs, increasing range and clarity of vision. (-10 Pts)
B) Auricles ----> Barbels: Sense +1; auricles elongate and grow more towards the mouth, upgrades chemical detection. (-8 Pts)
C) Upgrade Nostrils: Sense +2; sense of smell is improved for longer range and better scent detection, even outside of water. (-10 Pts)
D) Develop Tympanum: Sense +3; gain flat external hearing structures on either side of your head for detecting low-frequency sounds. (-15 Pts)
G) Develop Lobe-fins: Mobility +1.5; gain a pair of small fleshy limbs near the front of your body, slightly improves mobility both in and out of water. (-15 Pts)
Q) Upgrade Brain: Intelligence +2; brain becomes larger and more complex. (-15 Pts)
R) Grow in Size(1): Size +2, HP +5; body becomes larger. (-12 Pts)
V) Lengthen intestines: No stat bonus; improves your ability to digest meat, changes diet to Omnivorous. Incompatible with W. (-10 Pts)
c) Change Pigmentation: Alter your body's coloration to better suit your environment, or to just look more fabulous. (-5 Pts) ***Follow Aabcehmu's suggestion***

I am going to have to agree with this set.

[Aabcehmu]

Hm. My prediction still seems to stand, by my count.

Also, if I might clarify, I agree with Aleisha's suggestion, so if you, Sam, could replace my mud-brown with Aleisha's gray, and my generic bright under-belly with their specific same color as our starbud, that would be good.

[kaleidoscope]

Actually, I've thought of another option for coloration - mottled or spotted grey or brown on top, with a pale belly. The mottled coloration would serve as a form of disruptive camouflage and make our outline harder to detect.

[Aabcehmu]

That could work, too...I feel sort of bad, flip flopping like this, but maybe change my suggestion, again, to a combination of the previously stated mottled gray-brown top, with bottom the same color as our starbud.

[Knight_of_Hide]

Well, might as well talk too.

As for colours, anything drab works, really. Keep in mind that camouflage is limited by our starbuds, so yeah. It might be best to spend those points on something else, a Stat-changing ??? perhaps?

[Sam B]

As I said in the spoiler under the last update, ALL pigmentation suggestions will be used. Simultaneously. I can make it work, yo.

Also, votes are now LOCKED for this sequence but the evolution results probably will not be posted for just a wee bit longer until tomorrow. This is because there is a SURPRISE coming along with the next update. (The SURPRISE will be very disappointing, but creating it is fun as hell so...)

[Aabcehmu]

Oh gosh, I need to get my hopes down, and get them down fast. Maybe our little pond is going to dry up, further climate change, new invading ocean species, larger and more powerful predators with greater defenses against our weapons, radical mutation causing genetic deformities to occur at a greater rate, and a major cataclysm, something like a super-volcano going off. Probably have some serious 'try and survive your world practically collapsing around you' feel, with several options that lead to immediate death, or maybe full-on extinction.

Alright, I don't think I'm going to be super disappointed now, after that.

[Sifright]

If we end up getting all of the sense upgrades our sense score will double, can't wait to see whats coming.

[Sypl]

If we end up getting all of the sense upgrades our sense score will double, can't wait to see whats coming.

We could see ALL wavelengths of light!

[Sam B]

Evolve:

Years in the past (but not many) a particularly adventurous Eletus slithered out of the ocean and eventually gave birth on land, being the first of its species to do so. This action set about a sequence of events and adaptations ultimately leading to the descendents of that individual becoming split off from the main Eletus population in the sea, creating a new and very different sub-species in the process. You are now a member of this sub-species.

A lot has changed for your kind over the last millennia, especially in land-dwellers like you. No longer do you resemble the vibrant blue sands of the coast, for you have taken on a darker color to better your new habitat, and most Eletus now also possess a bright underbelly that is as varied in color as Starbuds themselves. Not that you can actually see these colors though; even if your eyesight is vastly superior to your ancestor's, everything is still varying shades of gray to you.

The chitinous outer layer of ancient Eletus has evolved into a set of smooth [Bscales[/B] that make sliding across the ground a bit easier, and this new type of skin extends even to your recently developed limbs, which also go towards improving your terrestrial mobility. You're a bit bigger and smarter than previous generations of your kind of course, but the most notable change by far is the omnivorous diet you have adopted. Rocks in the flat wetlands are sparse and frequently too large to eat, while the muddy soil can be a major source of disease if one isn't careful, so naturally you have adapted to eating larger amounts of meat in addition to these mineral food sources.

Of course, the Eletus are not the only things that have changed on Aros. In recent years, a large number of large reptiles have started showing up in the few areas featuring vegetation, especially the equatorial rainforests. These beasts are typically very dangerous, and they have quickly replaced amphibians as the planet's most common type of creature. Flora is becoming more and more common as well, as atmospheric conditions improve, though the majority of the planet's surface is still remains dominated by apparently lifeless stretches of tall rocky mountains.

But that's enough of current events for now; you are far more interested in your own problems, anyway. You may be very young, but you have recently matured into adolescence, so it is high time you got yourself a Starbud. Useful little things, those plants. They keep the big ones away and that is something you definitely can't afford to pass up around here, considering how many of those monsters prey on small species like yours. It'd probably be a good idea to partner up with another Eletus while you're at it, and if you find one with their own symbiote you can take care of all your problems at once! Groups of your kind tend to flock to areas with open water when looking for mates, but simply finding a Starbud should be much easier since they've spread to other indigenous species.

You have 2 DNA Pt(s)

What do you do?

A) Examine your immediate surroundings.
B) Search for the nearest body of water.
C) Travel towards the coast and look around there.
D) Wait and do nothing. Maybe a Starbud will come to you?
E) Other: ___________________

Stats:

Homeworld: Aros.
Name: Eletus.
Traits: Chordate, Diurnal.
Appearance/Physiology: Dull greyish-brown color with bright underside similar to Starbuds in color; Scaly snake-like body with thick, fleshy fins near the front, pair of fin-shaped keratin blades on back; long tail with barbs and caudal fin at the tip; slightly enlarged head with dark red eyes and a pair of flat frog-like ears on either side, and a circular mouth with tiny teeth.
Environment: Northern wetlands.
Behavior: Defensive, curious, cunning; will actively seek out Starbuds if not infected; travels in pairs.
Symbiosis: Starbud Flower [M]
Diet: Omnivorous, can eat both meat and mineral matter.
Belly: 50%
Size: 10; Average length of 14-16 cm.
SNS: 13; Slightly blurry light-based vision (colorless); Can detect low-frequency sounds; Able to sense chemicals from a distance; Basic sense of smell.
MOB: 10.5; You crawl at a somewhat slow pace on land, and can swim well; Very flexible.
INT: 12; Sentient; Capable of basic social interaction with your own kind.
ATK: 7.5; You have a strong mouth with teeth, sharp barbs on your tail and dangerous Dorsal-Blades on your back.
DEF: 5; You have durable scales and a pair of Dorsal-Blades, deterring weaker predators.
HP: 56/56

Abilities:

--Active--
-Bud Off: Split your body into multiple organisms. Divides Belly by number of organisms. Temporarily reduces stats to a fraction of what they really are.
-Disgorge: Vomit some of the contents of your belly with mild force. Effectiveness increases with a larger Belly %. (Divides current Belly by half)
-Charge: A short burst of speed in any direction, can be used offensively. (-30% Belly)
-Suction: Pull small objects into your mouth from a short distance or affix yourself to larger surfaces. (-10% Belly when used on non-food objects)

--Passive--
-Cephalize: Evolve sensory organs at reduced cost on your "head".
-Geophagy: Gain extra DNA from soil and similar materials.
-Regen: Recover HP at a constant rate. Belly drops faster than normal when more than a third of your HP is gone.

SURPRISE HERE:

show spoiler

hide spoiler

The contents of the update is not the surprise. The surprise is that I spent way too much time trying to perfect an Eletus in the buggy pile of garbage that this adventure is based on. That is, I made a half-assed attempt at designing a creature in the PC game "SPORE" that might vaguely resemble an Eletus if it wasn't held back by the limitations of the game's creature creator and also my general lack of talent.

(I would like to request that any aspiring fanartists not view the following image, because I'd really like to see your interpretations before they have been soiled by this monstrosity)

BEHOLD YOUR UNBELIEVABLY SHITTY PROTAGONIST:

show spoiler

hide spoiler

[Latewave]

B For now I guess.

[Aabcehmu]

It's not too shabby. I imagined the under-belly's scales as being sort of see through, not to mention I imagine the whole thing would a lot smaller, but like you said, limitations were in place. Maybe I'll try sketching something, though.

As for action, I'll go with B. Don't forget to keep yourself as flat on the ground as can, keeping only your top visible.


Sheesh! I'm changing my vote to A. Maybe that'll take care of this tie.

[Kíeros]

show spoiler

hide spoiler

OH GOD THAT'S HORRIBLY HILARIOUS

> Coastal trekking seems like a good idea.

[Sifright]

C after we've attained our starbud we should find a partner to explore with.

[Knight_of_Hide]

A

Maybe we should look around where we are right now.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

My god.

[kaleidoscope]

A.

Shouldn't our HP have increased +5? Currently it's the same as before we evolved.

[Sifright]

oh come on. Three way tie for A,b and C.

[Wessolf27]

Coast to Coast!

[Shrump]

Voting for B.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Made what I perceived the Eletus to look like. Apparently my views don't match up with Sam B's!

I imagined the mouth to be more like a sucker on the bottom of the head, so no real way for me to stick it in the picture.

[sonic3535]

A partner or a Starbud may be very nearby!

[Sypl]

Look Around!

[Aleisha]

pff that thing is hilarious

anyways no vote but have Eletus fanart.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

My image of it is a bit more graceful than what I'm seeing from others here. I didn't draw or place scales on it directly, I just used scaley shading texture. I also used a less round type of exposed reptile/amphibian ear because it looked nicer.