# Cancer trait

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915>\
**Category:** The Drawing Board\
**Created:** [September 2, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915 "2013-09-02T21:54:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 12\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![TheGrifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@TheGrifter](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/TheGrifter)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/1 "2013-09-02T21:54:37Z")

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What if we had cancer as a negative trait? Give you like, a bunch of negative points, but you have to stave it off with drugs or you’ll die.  
Give you like, a couple months to live if untreated, but you feel fatigued, pained, etcetera.

Cooking meth up as a cancer ridden survivor with the teacher profession could be fun.

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**Author:** ![Iosyn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/iosyn/32/35_2.png) [@Iosyn](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Iosyn)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/2 "2013-09-02T22:37:03Z")

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I think there’s been something like this suggested before.  
Bugger me if I can find the actual thread though.  
Off the top of my head consensus for a timed mission was a no, I think it was going to be implemented as a different game mode from standard with some sort of scoring system involved.

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**Author:** ![post-itman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecae2f/32.png) [@post-itman](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/post-itman)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/3 "2013-09-02T23:51:18Z")

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Walter White was just your average meth-making chemistry teacher until…zombies. The Walking Bad? Breaking Dead?

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**Author:** ![Silvercore](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/silvercore/32/855_2.png) [@Silvercore](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Silvercore)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/4 "2013-09-04T00:11:28Z")

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could just add it as a negative mutation, for that boring yet realistic approach to wading through the radioactive crater.

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**Author:** ![KA101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@KA101](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/KA101)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/5 "2013-09-04T00:32:44Z")

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> [@Silvercore](#):
>
> could just add it as a negative mutation, for that boring yet realistic approach to wading through the radioactive crater.

Yeah, especially if you hit the option to turn off comic-book mutations from radiation.

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**Author:** ![youtoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/779978/32.png) [@youtoo](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/youtoo)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/6 "2013-09-04T16:02:54Z")

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this sounds like fun, but… it could really bug someone who might have cancer or know someone who does. how about a negative trait that makes mutations more likely to be bad? this should give a whole ton of points… though people may use it to scum. its on them.

dont want to sound politically correct, but i have seen people die of cancer. I can see someone sick looking for something fun to do. i have played games with people who are really ill. they can’t go anywhere so they go online. A minor name change isn’t much to ask.

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**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/7 "2013-09-04T18:10:38Z")

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Really cancer doesn’t fit in the game all that well, basically it’s too slow, and more or less impossible to diagnose in the cataclysm.

If you want a mechanic that requires periodic medicine use to survive, how about “Black Goo Intolerance Syndrome” or something.

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**Author:** ![KA101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@KA101](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/KA101)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/8 "2013-09-04T22:37:04Z")

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[quote=“youtoo, post:6, topic:2915”]this sounds like fun, but… it could really bug someone who might have cancer or know someone who does. how about a negative trait that makes mutations more likely to be bad? this should give a whole ton of points… though people may use it to scum. its on them.

dont want to sound politically correct, but i have seen people die of cancer. I can see someone sick looking for something fun to do. i have played games with people who are really ill. they can’t go anywhere so they go online. A minor name change isn’t much to ask.[/quote]

Shit. I hate it when I thoughtlessly step on people. Sorry about that. ☹

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**Author:** ![Leper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecd19e/32.png) [@Leper](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Leper)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/9 "2013-09-08T04:03:10Z")

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[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:7, topic:2915”]Really cancer doesn’t fit in the game all that well, basically it’s too slow, and more or less impossible to diagnose in the cataclysm.

If you want a mechanic that requires periodic medicine use to survive, how about “Black Goo Intolerance Syndrome” or something.[/quote]

Even something like heart arrhythmia could be cool as a starting trait. High stress situations make you slow (just use pain for this maybe), and perhaps dizzy or faint. Really high stress situations could kill you. You could use medication to stop it.

… I’ve basically just described asthma. Whoops. The only difference would be that heart arrhythmia could be permanently cured with a pacemaker if the player has enough electronics or first aid. Or an auto-doc.

Pacemaker could be an interesting trait actually. EMP becomes deadly. I’m not sure if there are enough sources of it in the game to make it relevant though.

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**Author:** ![Jimbo\_Jamerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@Jimbo\_Jamerson](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Jimbo_Jamerson)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 9:28am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/10 "2013-09-08T09:28:40Z")

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Open heart surgery on yourself? geez

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**Author:** ![Leper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecd19e/32.png) [@Leper](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Leper)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 12:44pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/11 "2013-09-08T12:44:04Z")

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> [@Jimbo\_Jamerson](#):
>
> Open heart surgery on yourself? geez

Well, you can give yourself diamond cornea, along with a whole lot of other stuff. I don’t see a huge difference if there’s sufficient levels of technology involved to be honest.

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**Author:** ![KA101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@KA101](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/KA101)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cancer-trait/2915/12 "2013-09-08T16:27:04Z")

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Yeah, you can do eye surgery, gastrointestinal surgery (Expanded Digestive Tract), brain surgery (Alarm System, the memory aug, etc), throat surgery (filter), potentially heart surgery (Blood Analysis/Filter), joint surgery (Torsion Ratchet), and gross muscular surgery (Hydraulics).

And those are just what I’ve got off top/head. I kinda like the Nanites Did It excuse, but given the need for First Aid, there’s some level of personal involvement.