So I've seen a few suggestions for 'mutations' or other mechanics that add a random chance to breed a rare/special characteristic.
As with a lot of suggestions there are those who are for and against.
@DragonSage
I hope you don't mind me quoting you here:
All great and valid stuff. I bolded the 'mutagen' part because that's what I'm suggesting (I'm not sure if this is what DragonSage meant by this, but here goes.)
Baldwin's brew or gem items that would be applied to a nest similar to a boon of fertility (mutagen button next to the incubate button that is greyed out unless you have one in your inventory.)
I think this idea would work best where the mutation is something unique that cannot occur outside of the use of this item.
These items don not guarantee a mutation in the offspring but introduces a small chance for the eggs to hatch with a mutation.
I imagine it would work so that each egg in the nest receives x% chance for mutation, so a 5 egg nest will have a higher chance that one of the eggs will be a mutation than a 1 or 2 egg nest.
Perhaps the effect could be stackable? (using more mutagen items on a nest increases the chance of mutations?)
There could be different types of mutagens to introduce different mutations (breed, gene or colour etc. There are many great mutation suggestions out there that could be implemented this way, though I would personally prefer that breed mutations be implemented slightly differently as I will elaborate below.)
For breed/mutation suggestions like @foff 's Random Mutation Dragon Breed, where a breed is only rarely available exclusively through random breeding chance.
Similar to the mutagen idea, an item (I think a gem item would be appropriate here) would be used on a nest that would introduce a chance to hatch the mutation breed. What they end up being called could be breed related, or something generic like 'Blessed fertility statue'.
Lore wise, the breed in question would behave like cuckoos and lay their eggs in favorable nests they come across.
"Oooooh, a 'Blessed fertility statue'! This is a great place to leave an egg."
They could be pests like cuckoos with a negative impact on their adoptive families.
Or they could be positive, blessings left behind, bestowed on worthy nests by a mysterious/ near-mythical breed that brings good fortune etc.
I'm not sure if the cuckoo's egg/s should replace eggs in the nest or add more eggs to the nest.
If a 4 egg nest is laid then the item used would all 4 have the chance to hatch the breed, similar to mutagens? Or could foreign eggs be laid in empty nest spaces, leaving 5 egg nests unable to use the item and 1 egg nests with potential to receive 4 foreign eggs? Just adding to the already existing nest could end up with 6 egg nests (or more, depending on if the item would allow the chance for more than one egg).
If they replace already existing eggs the lore could state that the removed eggs are the unhatched ones found by scavenging or in the coli, or are taken by the cuckoo to the region's deity or something. They don't need to 'die' or anything horrible.
There could also be a visual cue to show the player that an egg will give a cuckoo before they hatch. One of the eggs starts glowing after an incubation or use of the item?
Great for creating hype before hatching and will probably result in lots of "Look at my nest! Can't wait till it hatches" threads.
Below I'll add any posters additional suggestions/changes etc. so if you'd like to add to this or disagree with something please discuss!
As with a lot of suggestions there are those who are for and against.
@DragonSage
I hope you don't mind me quoting you here:
MUTATIONS wrote:
Personally I would not like to see random mutations. There are many players who are breeding for particular aesthetics, and a random mutated dragon is not what they want-- the 'rareness' (and thus potential profit) may not make up for the fact that dragon just ruined that round of breeding for a particular breeding project they may have spent months breeding for.
I'd love to see the possibility of mutations occurring in offspring if you expose dragons to a mutagen. If mutations became a thing I personally think they shouldn't be art intensive mutations (such as wingless dragons or double-headed dragons both of which would essentially end up work wise the equivalent of a new breed and as such I'd rather the time be spent on creating a new breed rather than a variation on an existing breed), but should be relatively simple things like albinoism, melanistic and leucistic (essentially a black or white translucent layer that darkens or lightens the existing colors) or things that don't require artwork (such as size mutations). Dragons affected by a mutagen should have some kind of identification marker.
If mutations become a thing there should probably be a scroll to remove the mutation and/or the effects of the mutagen. However a removal scroll should not be used as an excuse to make the occurrence of mutations random--a player should not have to pay to remove a mutation they did not want in the first place. An item to prevent mutations from occurring is also not a good excuse to make mutations random--a player should always have say on if they want the possibility of a mutation to occur and should not have to pay to prevent it.
I'd love to see the possibility of mutations occurring in offspring if you expose dragons to a mutagen. If mutations became a thing I personally think they shouldn't be art intensive mutations (such as wingless dragons or double-headed dragons both of which would essentially end up work wise the equivalent of a new breed and as such I'd rather the time be spent on creating a new breed rather than a variation on an existing breed), but should be relatively simple things like albinoism, melanistic and leucistic (essentially a black or white translucent layer that darkens or lightens the existing colors) or things that don't require artwork (such as size mutations). Dragons affected by a mutagen should have some kind of identification marker.
If mutations become a thing there should probably be a scroll to remove the mutation and/or the effects of the mutagen. However a removal scroll should not be used as an excuse to make the occurrence of mutations random--a player should not have to pay to remove a mutation they did not want in the first place. An item to prevent mutations from occurring is also not a good excuse to make mutations random--a player should always have say on if they want the possibility of a mutation to occur and should not have to pay to prevent it.
All great and valid stuff. I bolded the 'mutagen' part because that's what I'm suggesting (I'm not sure if this is what DragonSage meant by this, but here goes.)
"Mutagens"
Baldwin's brew or gem items that would be applied to a nest similar to a boon of fertility (mutagen button next to the incubate button that is greyed out unless you have one in your inventory.)
I think this idea would work best where the mutation is something unique that cannot occur outside of the use of this item.
These items don not guarantee a mutation in the offspring but introduces a small chance for the eggs to hatch with a mutation.
I imagine it would work so that each egg in the nest receives x% chance for mutation, so a 5 egg nest will have a higher chance that one of the eggs will be a mutation than a 1 or 2 egg nest.
Perhaps the effect could be stackable? (using more mutagen items on a nest increases the chance of mutations?)
There could be different types of mutagens to introduce different mutations (breed, gene or colour etc. There are many great mutation suggestions out there that could be implemented this way, though I would personally prefer that breed mutations be implemented slightly differently as I will elaborate below.)
'Cuckoos' (rare breeding exclusive breed/s)
I'm not proposing a breed named 'Cuckoo', just using the term to explain the mechanic.
For breed/mutation suggestions like @foff 's Random Mutation Dragon Breed, where a breed is only rarely available exclusively through random breeding chance.
Similar to the mutagen idea, an item (I think a gem item would be appropriate here) would be used on a nest that would introduce a chance to hatch the mutation breed. What they end up being called could be breed related, or something generic like 'Blessed fertility statue'.
Lore wise, the breed in question would behave like cuckoos and lay their eggs in favorable nests they come across.
"Oooooh, a 'Blessed fertility statue'! This is a great place to leave an egg."
They could be pests like cuckoos with a negative impact on their adoptive families.
Or they could be positive, blessings left behind, bestowed on worthy nests by a mysterious/ near-mythical breed that brings good fortune etc.
I'm not sure if the cuckoo's egg/s should replace eggs in the nest or add more eggs to the nest.
If a 4 egg nest is laid then the item used would all 4 have the chance to hatch the breed, similar to mutagens? Or could foreign eggs be laid in empty nest spaces, leaving 5 egg nests unable to use the item and 1 egg nests with potential to receive 4 foreign eggs? Just adding to the already existing nest could end up with 6 egg nests (or more, depending on if the item would allow the chance for more than one egg).
If they replace already existing eggs the lore could state that the removed eggs are the unhatched ones found by scavenging or in the coli, or are taken by the cuckoo to the region's deity or something. They don't need to 'die' or anything horrible.
There could also be a visual cue to show the player that an egg will give a cuckoo before they hatch. One of the eggs starts glowing after an incubation or use of the item?
Great for creating hype before hatching and will probably result in lots of "Look at my nest! Can't wait till it hatches" threads.
Below I'll add any posters additional suggestions/changes etc. so if you'd like to add to this or disagree with something please discuss!