Fungoid (mushroom people) Species Doc

src/en/space-station-14/character-species/proposals/Fungoid.md

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+# Fungoid Species
+
+| Designers | Implemented | GitHub Links |
+|---|---|---|
+| Tao7891, Spy2266 | :x: No | No |
+
+## Overview
+
+Fungoids are a slow and purposeful humanoid mushroom that fruited from a long lost _space_ mycelium network. 
+Being a fungus they aim to bring: decomposition and regrowth, spores and mycelium, psychedelics and toxin, and that strange mushroom hardiness where they don't care that they're half eaten by a slug.
+
+## Background
+
+Fungoid have no history inside the game, but do have ancestry elsewhere.
+Mushroom people have had many past interpretations that players may try to draw character inspiration from, such as fae-like mushroom gnomes, corpse host cordyceps, or hiveminded flood. While not wanting to force any particular roleplay, the most adaptable interpretation is the DnD [Myconid](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Myconid) for roleplay and visual design reasons.
+
+The name fungoid has some connection to stellaris, but I understand it to be used in a categorising way rather than a brand/IP way.
+
+Spacestation 14 explores a several conceptual bases for its alien species, six animal, one plant, and one bacteria. Adding the first fungus species is inlign with the background of species previously explored.
+
+## Design
+
+### Appearance
+
+The fungoid appears as a humanoid shaped mushroom or fungus. Their 'skin' is leathery and mottled, sometimes being covered with overlapping layers and their head ends in a great fungal crown, both impressive and intimidating like the antlers on a stag.
+
+The fungoid have no sexual dimorphism (or different sexes as we understand them), so have identical male and female sprites.
+Also they have no mammal-like reproductive/sexual organs, so it will __not__ be appear like its inappropriate whilst they are nude.
+
+Mushrooms come in many varying shapes and have just as many variations of smaller defining textures and decals. 
+As there is too much to represent for an initial build of the species, the body, the legs and the arms will vary minimally from the humanoid shape, but have some unsymmetrical vertical mottling. Later on, bodypart variants could show layered/frilled surfaces, stem skirting, thinner areas, and several variant surface texturings. 
+The feet will be like small and stump-like.
+The head is where the fungoid is really able to show its unique appearance due to not needing to conform to any shape/design requirements bar their "eyes" being supportive of glasses. Typical mushroom heads like flat, conical or rounded heads will come initially, then the more diverse designs follow: frilled, layered, veiled, brackets, puffballs, stars, comb, bleeding, clustered, ect. This is going to be the defining feature of the fungoid, as it relates to their ability to create spores, inability to wear helmets, and it's the largest element of visual expression that the species has.
+
+Colours should have lower saturation, and go from mid blues through purples, reds, oranges and yellows. Cyans and greens are both less common mushroom colours and also help reduce Diona likeness, however if in practice they look good there will be no initial sprite colour bias.
+
+Fungoid could potentially see a greater shape differentiation if variant clothing sprites were made to facilitate the change later on.
+
+### Naming
+
+Myconid (mycology with nid suffix) is both an already known name and immediately gives you the idea what they are. This name seemed perfect, but its place within dnd intellectual property is hard for me to understand. So unless someone who understands this better knows that its safe to use, it might be wise to avoid.
+
+Mycellians (mycelium with ian suffix) is a strong contender as it sounds like a people, and gives an idea what they will be. The name also appears to have no obvious associated brands or companies.
+
+Fungoids (fungus with oid suffix) are another strong contender as they sounds like a grouping of species, and give an idea what they will be. Fungoid being also an adjective, then sounds like a classification of similar species rather than just a single species, therefore promoting more player freedom for their characters background. Fungoids appears to be used in various media as a non-IP name.
+
+I am using Fungoid/Fungoids for this doc as thats what I am currently leaning towards. Other name suggestions are absolutely welcome, the most popular (legally available) name should ultimately be used.
+
+### Audio
+
+Speaking, laughing and screaming sounds could be similar to what you hear when you turn mushroom electrical signals to sound. This could potentially infer an implanted speech device, or be made more organic sounding to be a natural voice. Both seem promising paths to try.
+[example](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efSXd56gMCg) (skip around the video as the sounds vary a lot) I don't know how "raw" the signals are, but compared to other examples ive found, this sounds to be minimally altered.
+
+### Speech
+
+Without being sure of the current speech systems limits, double spacing and separating random syllables once every few words with a hyphen would convey a slowness and unfamiliarity with spoken language.
+
+If similar to the above sounds are used, words such as droned, crackled, pulsed, shivered and reverberated would work as the speech prefacing flavour text.
+
+### Abilities Stats and Restrictions
+
+Disabled Helmets
+- Their head is too big to fit inside a helmet, this fungus already comes sporting the most trendy and magical hat there is.
+The blacklist should cover everything that covers sides or comes down far like hoods. The headwear slot will be visually different to make it intuitive that something is different about it.
+Hats could be considered 'poorly attached' and fall off when slipped, stunned or crit. - (FairlySadPanda)
+
+Pressure resistance
+- While not preferable conditions, nothing about a vacuum outright kills such a simple fungal organism... provided its not freezing or suffocating.
+This should not make space a non-threat, both oxygen and strong insulation are needed for space, making it so helmetless hardsuits are still required for their superior insulation.
+
+Spread spores
+- A mushroom is the fruiting body of the mycelium, it produces spores to seed new fungus. 
+If past a certain food and water level, or on death, the fungoid can release spores on its current tile to infest it with mycelium (see below). 
+This is intended to put you into the low food and water slowdown state as to deter painting the stations floor with little mushrooms.
+Spreading like weeds in RMC but across a smaller area would be very fun, but really depends on how abusable it is in practice.
+
+Mycelium
+- This fungal carpet sustains the fruiting body (the fungoid), and produces a psychedelic effect to ward off predators.
+Fungoid organs allow very slow split type healing when on a tile with mycelium, if left dead on the fungal carpet or dragged dead onto one, the fungoid will slowly revive and de-crit given a long enough time. This pairs well with the on death spore release.
+This is intended to not compete even remotely with the medical department, and instead be an emergency backup for when medical is just not an option. 
+This is also not intended to be an obstacle for antagonists as mycelium can be pried, slashed, or the fungoid can be dragged off of the tile to prevent revival.
+Non fungoid organs slowly accumulate a psychedelic chemical with a mild toxin overdose effect.
+
+Decomposer diet
+- The fungoid can eat rotten and bloated foods with no repercussion.
+A faster digestion or increased nutrition for rot is desirable, but not needed.
+
+Slow speed
+- The fungoid is slow and purposeful in its movements.
+Ideally should be within the range where it does not invalidate chases, only create a disadvantage.
+
+Weak slash resistance
+- With no bones, blades cut too deep.
+Value to be determined.
+
+Strong pierce resistance
+- Mushroom vitals are not particularly vital.
+Value to be determined.
+
+When limbs and organs are fully introduced, there should be a second look at how the 'easily damaged but unbothered' idea can be explored, as it has potential for excellent characterisation.
+
+### Game Design Rationale
+
+There are a couple of incidental gameplay implications that look quite tolerable, so will remain as is for now; fungoid are hard to disguise and they are slightly less visually distinguished when a wizard (depending if there is a head blacklist).
+
+Balancing
+- For the purpose of balancing, the mycelium healing should be considered in the context that there is almost always significantly better and faster healing available in medical.
+- Utility. The inability to wear helmets is partially overcompensated by the pressure resistance, so the small slowdown should bring this in line.
+- Combat. Even though their resistance and weakness are equally offset, pierce is more valuable than slash due to gunfights typically being more deciding than blade fights, however slowdown significantly effects melee combat making it even more vulnerable to slash than the weakness suggests. Overall appears balanced with this considered.
+- Traitor. The slowdown puts you on par with a duffelbag user, making slipping away from sec harder. Since big mushrooms are hard to disguise, alternative methods of evading arrest should be used. While they may be weak in this regard, they're far from redundant so its not worth giving up their characterising traits over.
+
+Why these mechanics?
+- Helmets are disabled as clothing heavily restricts use of creative species design unless its humanoid. Disabling the helmets is a compromise between having a truly alien looking alien and fitting the technical limits of clothing in the game. Headware was the right piece to compromise on as the head of a mushroom is its their most defining part.
+- Pressure resistance answers the inability to pressurize without helmets, while being a great way of representing the hardiness fungus can exhibit. It would be fun if they could survive the other space threats, cold and airloss, but this would likely sentence the species to required changes hell.
+- Spores and mycelium are a core characterising component that cant go without being represented in a mushroom species. Spores come from a mushrooms gills giving more reason to disable helmets. The ability works as stated above in order to provide unique utility, to display their regrowth and enduring nature, and to provide a gimmick to roleplay around for both fungoids and other species in separate ways.
+- Decomposers diet clearly portrays the main ecological niche of fungi. It would be preferable to display this in a more interesting way like corpse consuming, but the ideas that come to mind seem more antag suited. Despite this, it gives a reason to not throw out rotten food, every species NT employs is there to save money or make more.
+- Slow movement can be very characterising, but it is only a small slowdown as it has to weigh against the ballance implications and frustration it can bring the player.
+- Strong pierce resistance is there as mushrooms always have many small holes and missing bits, but by design it does little to stop them fulfilling their purpose. In just the same way, a handful of clean bullet holes is hardly a nuisance to a big mushroom.
+- Weak slash resistance is there to represent how blades cut through the mushroom like its... mushroom. After all, fungus doesn't have bones that would otherwise stop a limb from being easily severed.
+
+Overall, this species in theory should be fun for players to play and play alongside. They have useful unique mechanics and their weaknesses look like they wont be frustrating. For players interacting with them, they gain both a new feature to interact with, and shouldn't find them oppressive to face in conflict.
+
+## Roundflow & Player interaction
+
+Presuming that the species will exist in every high pop round, the average round outcome or pacing seem unlikely to change. 
+
+Players for the most part will treat them like every other species onboard. The expected interaction changes are the results of their unique mechanics, e.g. a dead fungoid being dragged onto a mycelium patch in an emergency where treatment is unavailable, or a tider begging them for mycelium to get high with. Players wishing to harm a fungoid will be biassed towards choosing slashing melee attacks much like how people use fire to face moffs or diona.
+
+Atmos, salvage and security could potentially use them slightly differently from other species. Atmos fungoid might prefer the firesuit option due to having pressure resistance, security fungoid might reach for the disabler first due to being slower and salvagers might reduce medical visits as its easier to leave the fungoid on the reclaimer for a couple minutes rather than go all the way back to the station.
+
+## Administrative & Server Rule Impact (if applicable)
+
+N/A
+
+# Technical Considerations
+
+Speech effects could possibly be limited by pending chatcode refactor.
+
+# So why add the Fungoid?
+
+- They introduce new interactable features for the non-fungoid crew to gain rp and gameplay from.
+- They thematically compliment the run-down, abandoned areas that NT have on every station.
+- They explore an alternative and very alien taxonomic kingdom, bringing both new ideas and characterisation with that.
+- They offer the fungoid player unique options to interact with the game.
+- They draw inspiration from several popular settings, giving players lots of inspiration to make their character.
+- They offer alternative combat strengths and weaknesses for players to use with or against them, making them an enjoyable threat or ally.