# Mutation category expansion: experimenting on NPCs derail

**URL:** https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/mutation-category-expansion-experimenting-on-npcs-derail/8641
**Category:** The Drawing Board
**Created:** [January 15, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/mutation-category-expansion-experimenting-on-npcs-derail/8641 "2015-01-15T19:09:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 11

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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: [January 16, 2015, 2:25am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/mutation-category-expansion-experimenting-on-npcs-derail/8641/11 "2015-01-16T02:25:16Z")

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> [@nickspaceman](#):
>
> [quote=“Stretop, post:1, topic:8641”][quote=“Closet Pankin, post:481, topic:3755”]Why not make it that with a high enough cooking and other relevant skill, you could design tier two mutagens? Discover and develop them yourselves after your character has become familiar with mutagens. I don’t mean the character design them yourselves, but have a wide range of premade ‘hidden’ mutations that your character can design based on the new world, with more specific and ‘exotic’ mutagens such as salamander, wasp, snake, etc.

I suppose that mutagen design requires extensive experimentation. Where would you gather test-subjects for this?

> [@Mutation category expansion](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/mutation-category-expansion/3755/482):
>
> Also, how do shock zombies do mad zaps? Never understood that.

Via implanted CBMs.[/quote]

maybe use npcs?[/quote]

XEDRA conducted unethical and body-impinging research. I feel no need to let the player do the same.

(There already are non-purifiable mutations. I don’t advertise them as such in-game, but they exist.)

The current crafting system kinda requires folks to know what they’re making, so the closest we can currently get to a PC-driven research program would be making Obfuscated Mutagen\_Foo and letting the player take notes…which only works until the info finds its way onto the wiki and forums.

So yeah, currently not feasible.

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