GENE PATRON
Engineer living weapons from the biology of the desperate
LEVEL 1
Command
Free Action"Obedience is not given. It is grown, conditioned, and — when necessary — reminded."
Neural conditioning and pheromonal dependency bind the Homunculus to its creator's will. Instinct is never fully suppressed — only redirected, one command at a time.
Issue a command to your Homunculus.
Simple or instinct-aligned commands require no check.
Dangerous, complex, emotionally conflicting, or unnatural commands require the Homunculus to pass Willpower (TN 13).
Success: the Homunculus carries out the command. Failure: the Homunculus follows its Instinct Behaviour instead.
Each failed Command grants a cumulative +2 bonus to future Command checks. This bonus resets after a successful command.
Flesh Reconstruction
Passive"Nothing living truly leaves you."
The Homunculus cannot be permanently destroyed while its creator lives. Given time, biological material, and a steady hand, what died can be rebuilt — though it never returns quite the same as it left.
If your Homunculus dies, you may reconstruct it during a Long Rest using recovered biomass, preserved neural tissue, and biological catalysts.
Requirements
A portion of the original organism (bone, tissue, organ matter, neural mass, or similar).
Basic medical or bioengineering equipment.
Biological material suitable for regrowth and stabilisation.
On Reconstruction
The Homunculus returns with full Health.
It retains all Serums, mutations, learned behaviours, and Instincts.
It gains 1 Reconstruction Scar — roll on the Reconstruction Scar Table.
Homunculus Origin
Passive"The first question is never what you want it to become. The first question is what you have to work with."
Every Homunculus begins somewhere. Origin determines base biology, starting instincts, and what — if anything — the creature remembers of a life before.
As a Gene Patron you gain a Homunculus. You must choose its Origin and Core Instinct during character creation.
Origins
Vat-Grown — Distribute 2 stat points freely (not Foresight). Gain: Programmed Obedience.
Reclaimed — +1 Willpower, +1 Foresight or Intelligence. Gain: Echo Memory.
Void-Recovered — +2 Foresight, +1 random stat. Starts with 1 Unknown Syum. Gain: Rift Scarred.
Symbiotic — +1 Willpower, +1 Physique. Gain: Resonance State.
Core Instincts
Select one: Protector, Predator, Scavenger, Companion, Territorial, Curious, Parasitic, Fearful.
Governs how the Homunculus behaves when Command checks fail.
LEVEL 2
Syum
Passive"The first injection is always the most honest. After that, you both know what this is."
Serums — Syums, in the language of the labs and black markets — are the engine of the Gene Patron's craft. Each one triggers a cascade of biological rewriting in the Homunculus, locking in permanent changes that no amount of training or conditioning can replicate.
When you gain this ability, select one Syum and inject it into your Homunculus. The injection requires basic medical equipment and 10 minutes. The effect is permanent and cannot be reversed.
Additional Syum injections are gained at higher levels. Each Syum type may only be injected once apart from the Unknown Syum.
Available Syums
Apex Strain — +1 Strength; Natural Weapon damage 4+STR; once per encounter make two attacks.
Ironflesh Strain — +1 Physique; +10 Max Health; +2 Defence; -5ft Movement.
Ghostskin Strain — +1 Dexterity; Advantage Stealth; once per encounter free-action invisibility; -5 Max Health.
Neurobind Strain — +1 Willpower; +1 to Command checks; complex commands without a check if instinct-aligned.
Voidvein Strain — +1 Foresight; Natural Weapon attacks deal Void damage; spend 5 VE to add +3 Void damage.
Unknown Syum — Roll on the Unknown Syum Table. Permanent. Effect unknown until after injection.