Welcome to the P.H.E.N.O. System
The colonists aboard the Oracle have been added to a system that will help to quantify, classify, and grade colony personnel on their abilities, capacities, and resources. This will help all colonists find ways to improve themselves and provide a universal method for categorizing and ranking the resources available. This is a beta trial, that other colonies have found extremely useful.
The screen changed again to display a menu.
P.H.E.N.O. System - Quest Log - - Attributes - - P.H.E.N.O.type - - Skills - - Abilities -
While all colonists are now in the system, a threshold of irragen points must be reached to fully access the system. Currently, P.H.E.N.O. Type, Skills, and Abilities are unavailable. Explore the available selections on the menu to learn more.
You have received a new quest! (X4)
Mako was slightly taken aback at the abruptness of the messaging. If nothing, the last 15 years spent in trying situations had taught him to adapt to the current happenings. He jumped in and selected the quest log.
- Quest Log - Planet Quests 2 Colony Quests 1 Party Quests - Personal Quests 1
Mako selected Planet Quests.
Planet Quests
New Quest! Meet the Neighbors - Discover the nature of the alien ruins. (Chain Quest)
-Reconnoiter the alien ruins.
Part one - Make a visual inspection of the alien ruins located 15 kilometers northwest of the colony ship landing site.
-Completion will award Irragen Points.
New Quest! Survey Says - Determine the suitability of Argyra for Human colonization.
-Gather samples of local flora, fauna, and environmental elements to determine human compatibility.
-Completion will award Irragen Points. The number of points awarded depends on the party and/or individual contribution.
Mako returned to the Quest menu and selected Colony quests.
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Colony Quests
New Quest! STAKE YOUR CLAIM - Secure Landing area.
-Establish standard security measures at the landing site.
-Completion will award Irragen Points.
Note: The number of points awarded depends on the party and/or individual contribution.
Mako skipped the Party Quests since there weren’t any.
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Personal Quests
New Quest! Release The Kraken - Acquire sufficient experience to surpass the threshold to fully engage the PHENO system. (0% Complete)
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- Complete quests, gather irragenic materials, craft with irragenic materials, and explore the environment to gather sufficient irragenic points to unlock the P.H.E.N.O.system.
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Then, he went to the main menu and selected attributes. The following was displayed.
Name: Mako
Variant class: 3
Tier: not applicable (Unlock the PHENO SYSTEM)
Level: not applicable (Unlock the PHENO SYSTEM)
PHENOtype: not applicable (Unlock the PHENO SYSTEM)
Attributes
Stats Score Modified Durability: 6 32 Utility: 5 29 Vigor: 6 35 Control: 6 14 Power: N/A N/A
Power was grayed out. Mako assumed this was due to the fact that the system was not unlocked. Although, he had little idea as to what the numbers even meant without having more context. He focused on the individual attributes to see if he could get more information.
Durability – Durability is a measurement of an individual’s ability to absorb or resist damage. One might consider it a measured combination of health, physical defenses, and resistances. For example, a genetically enhanced human may have additional resistance to disease, cold, or plant toxins. A human enhanced with cybernetic arms will likely have additional durability due to the hardened nature of the implants.
Utility – Utility is a measurement of a body’s capacity to be utilized. For example, strength, speed, flexibility, and dexterity. The higher the number, the more capable a body is of being utilized. Some PHENOtypes may offer bonuses to certain characteristics. For example, while a system user might have a Utility score of 10. They will have a strength bonus of 50% to strength. While flexibility and dexterity along with other characteristics governed by Utility will have an effective score of 10, their strength will have an effective score of 15. Genetic and cybernetic enhancements will also increase utility due to added speed, strength, and other superhuman capacities.
Vigor – Vigor is the well of physical energy upon which an individual may draw. It is a measurement of stamina, endurance, and to some extent, pain tolerance. Genetic and cybernetic enhancements will also affect vigor. For example, a cybernetically enhanced individual with sufficient internal augmentation may have less need for oxygen, carbon dioxide extraction, and even sustenance. All of this will result in increased vigor.
Control – Control is a measurement of mental fortitude. Consider aspects like willpower, cognitive processing speed, and perception of reality. These may also be bolstered by genetic and cybernetic augmentation. For example, most colonists have some augmentation to mental processing for things like calculations and memory.
Power – Power is not currently being used. (Unlock the PHENOSYSTEM to access)
Mako mulled over what he had read about the PHENOsystem attributes. He wondered what PHENOsystem and PHENOtype meant. The answer popped up.
PHENO is an acronym for Perceived Human Evolutionary Numerical Optimization. All humans on the colony ship are already human variants due to genetic and cybernetic augmentation. The PHENOsystem is designed to help quantify and guide the evolutionary process as it is occurring at a rapid pace. Since humans have already significantly arrested the aging process, the speed at which evolution will accelerate will be noticeable within a single lifetime.
Mako thought, “What is a PHENOtype?”
PHENOtype is a play on the word phenotype. Phenotype refers to the observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, resulting from the interaction of its genetic makeup (genotype) with the environment. Phenotypes can include traits such as physical appearance, behavior, biochemical properties, and other observable features.
Humans will be given classifications based on the qualities that they express. This will become clearer once a PHENOtype is offered and accepted.
“Why am I considered a class 3 variant?”
A normal human would be class 0. A human with genetic augmentation would be class 1. This might be the most common type of human living now. A human with only cybernetic augmentation would be class 2. This is much more uncommon than class 1 or 3, but a class was assigned in case it becomes more useful in the future. Humans with both genetic and cybernetic augmentations are class 3. This is only important when considering how the augmentations will significantly increase attribute scores. Since non-variant humans exist and may exist in the future, they will remain the baseline for the PHENOsystem.
“How do we unlock the system?”
In this scrum, a substance called irragen is being introduced. This is merely a narrative device to help those participating in the scrum to quantify their exposure to the PHENOsystem. By interacting with the world, the creatures and plants on it, and some specific examples of concentrated irragen, humans will be exposed to and absorb irragen. Once a certain level of saturation is attained, the PHENOsystem will activate for the individual. Completing quests, harvesting irragenic plants and animals, studying and crafting with irragenic materials, and even exploring will grant Irragen Points which will indicate the Irragen Concentration within an Indvidual.
“So, the more we interact with the scrum, the faster we will unlock the PHENOsystem?”
Yes. Complete quests. Gather and use irragenic materials. Defeat threats to the colony. Exploring the territory around the colony will also provide more opportunities to acquire irragen.
"What is a modified score?"
This is a measure of human augmentations. Cybernetics and genetic enhancements offer significant advantages over baseline humans.
Examining the scores, this would mean he is more or less 5 times more durable, stronger, faster, and more enduring than his baseline self as it stands. That was probably more or less accurate. Wait. "That means that human colonists that do not have any or few augmentations will not have as high a modified score?"
Correct.
Mako looked over the screens one more time as he nodded to himself. He was looking forward to seeing how this worked.