Badger Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 Yes, I know it wouldnt be the first with animal based powers. But I doubt this creature has been used before. The animal is the waterbear. It is a microscopic little "critter" that is the ultimate survivalist. In fact on the Animal Channel on "the Most Extreme" it was #1 on extreme survivalist. some of its abilities - can take 1000 times the dose of radiation a human can.(our favorite the roach can only make a go at 200 times) - survive in temperatures between 151- (-)272 (celsius) - survive in a simulated vacuum of space - one case where a dried up piece of moss in a museum had water put on it and some hibernating waterbears sprung back to action (approx. 120 years later) Note: It is called a waterbear because it basically looks like an 8-legged bear under a microscope. Needless to say this badboy could survive just about anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomon Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 Survivability alone doesn't make a good hero. Does the waterbear have any useful offensive abilities? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 Looks like so far we're talking Life Support and Extra Limbs. What's it eat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted November 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 I dont think it does. But I wasnt going to use this as the complete character. What I was thinking was a character who had been gene spliced with waterbear and a real kind of bear (grizzly). And kind of give it a offensive type of ability grizzly with survivabilty of the waterbear combo. I just mentioned the waterbear because it isnt exactly a creature people would know about. ANd I was wondering what people thought of a character with similar abilities in a game. So I guess in essence my concept is more of a combo STR of a grizzly, some claws,fangs,etc, but with the survivabilty of the waterbear. Basically it is in the initial stages in my mind, obviously. So any input would be apprciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted November 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 As far as what it eats? It seems to feed on the fluids of animal or plant cells. It usually lives in moss. I found somewhere that it has piercing stylets to open up the cell to feed off it. The thing is microscopic after all. I might could use the stylets as some kind of idea for offensive capabilities if I dont go with some combo with the grizzly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pteryx Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 In addition to the Life Support, I wouldn't be all that surprised if your waterbear-based character also had high Energy Defense. Done any research beyond what you caught on The Most Extreme? -- Pteryx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger3k Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 What is it? Animal, plant, fungi, bacterium, etc? Being microscopic could mean it's one of those that aren't plant or animal (thus the bacterium above - I just can't remember the name off-hand). A lot of its survivability can come from what it is. Did the "hibernating" waterbears form a shell/spore/whatever? Ditto for the other extremes? Was it hibernating there (at -272 c for example), or was it just as active? If you know what it is, you can "reverse-engineer" some powers that way. If the waterbear is part plant, you can add some plant-type powers). The micro-org neither could include something like duplication/regeneration/other esoteric powers. You could even have his cellular system replaced with these organisms - you could disperse them as a form of shapeshift/desolid/stretching maybe. Or you could build a transform to allow his alien-type cellualr structure to infest other people (sorry, thinking Greg Bear's Blood Music now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomon Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 Are Badger and badger3k related? Just asking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangog Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 A waterbear the size of a kodiak would be a fearsome beast. If not for Champions then maybe an alien menace for Star Hero? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger3k Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 Originally posted by Solomon Are Badger and badger3k related? Just asking... No - my real nickname is badger, but it was taken already at yahoo, so I combined my name with mst3k, so I keep badger3k as my username for everything I can - makes it simple for those who know me. Whether he took his name from the comic character I don't know. It just fit me, though. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted November 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 Mangog hit it. My plans are more waterbear Kodiak or grizzly sized. Some kind of alien or genetic mutation. The most extreme I think were Top 10 Extreme Survivalist in the Animal World. It also had the roach and rat as well as a cricket in South America who could go into some kind of "cryogenic" freeze during the cold winter months in the Andes. And goes back to normal with the spring thaws (this cricket was #2). From I could figure the hibernation of waterbear from what they said was more of a suspended animation where they lost most of their water and formed into a ball until the enivroment got better. Then when water is added they seemingly come to life. From what I could find on the internet not a whole lot is known about the thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted November 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 mine was a nickname from a friend. Just kind of stuck as my "alter-ego":D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger3k Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 Originally posted by Badger Mangog hit it. My plans are more waterbear Kodiak or grizzly sized. Some kind of alien or genetic mutation. The most extreme I think were Top 10 Extreme Survivalist in the Animal World. It also had the roach and rat as well as a cricket in South America who could go into some kind of "cryogenic" freeze during the cold winter months in the Andes. And goes back to normal with the spring thaws (this cricket was #2). From I could figure the hibernation of waterbear from what they said was more of a suspended animation where they lost most of their water and formed into a ball until the enivroment got better. Then when water is added they seemingly come to life. From what I could find on the internet not a whole lot is known about the thing. Not surprised - there's little we know about a whole range of organisms - the so called "extremophiles" (extremophils, something like that) - the ones that live and thrive under extreme conditions like that. I'd heard of other organisms that hibernated in similar ways, some that involved actually surviving their body/cell/whatever it was freezing solid (IIRC, the water in the cells froze, but had something that limited crystal formation or something so they didn't rupture). Can't remember anything else about it, though - it's been a while. Given the appearance of some microscopic creatures, you may not need to throw in the kodiak bear - some of them (especially the worm-like creatures), are hideous to our eyes (but I'm sure some like them). Some 80's-era Dragons had some game info (for D&D or GW I think, maybe both), along with some pictures. [edit - oops, misread the post - that's what you intend. Hey, any pics online of this thing - scanning electron microscpes are kewl - IIR the scope C) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted November 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 I am not enough of a computer expert to post pics. People have explained to me before too. . I will try to find some websites with pics of waterbears and post them tomorrow, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangog Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 Here's one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted November 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 thanks Mangog, I would have never been able to post that pic. Computer illiterate that I am. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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