Quote:

"Just 'cause I ain't that tall doesn't mean I ain't as tough as my cousins. I can still bite clean through your leg with these jaws and this tail ain't just to keep me upright."

Florida, 333 Gator, 901 SD.

Insight

Created by Karma, you are one of the first Gators to be trained as an Operative. Your first memory is being in a red liquid trying to get out of a confined place whilst pain filled every pore of your body. Thrashing out to try and find the cause of your pain you realise that you are strong enough to break out of the cage you are in, but before you can try the lid above you rises. Climbing out you find that you can balance as well on two legs as four. In front of you a human in power armour sprays you with cold water, washing the last remnants of the birthing tank off your skin. In the tank next to you, one of you brothers has broken out of the tank and is attacking one of the bio-engineers. You watch as the human is saved only by the last layer of his armour plating as your brothers teeth cut through the rest of the armour. As the armour discharges electricity into the attacking Gator, its attacks become weaker until it drops paralysed, or dead, onto the floor. Determined not to let your rage get to you as it had your brother you look at your body, noticing the '333' DNA code tattoed on your arm. You are the next step past the 330 Gators and Mr. Slayer has decided that you will be one of his Operatives. The pain that surrounds you is the penalty you must pay for your increased intelligence and it will be with you until you die or the rage fully overcomes you.

Background

With the increase in Stormer Variants following the introduction of the 714 Chagrin and the 711 Xeno, it was decided that trials would begin with the 330 Gator variants from Artery. Originally designed many centuries ago the Gator had not had the benefit of modern day knowledge of the Stormer gene-code and so it suffered in that the modifications from the 313 Malice range had caused a degradation of its cognitive abilities. Although numerous attempts were made to counteract this, no true solution was found. With the desire to test more Stormer variants for Operative training it was decided that one of the Gator variants would be re-tried to determine if a complete (and expensive) re-working of the 330 Gator gene-code was required. The variant that was chosen was the 333 Gator variant.

The 333 Gator, or Croc as it is constantly referred to as, is in appearance very similar to the original 330 Gator, but its temprement is very much different. Whereas the 330 Gator was renowned for its lack of common sense, or true intelligence, the 333 Gator exhibited a much better sense of intelligence and reasoning. However, one of the predominant problems with the 333 Gator is that its nerve endings are a blaze with pain at all times, even when it is trying to rest. This gives it the advantage of not being seriously affected by pain from injuries, instead registering the pain as merely an slight increase in a location. Those Gators that can ignore the pain have the potential to become effective Operatives. However, this pain is hard to ignore for any duration of time, forcing a build up of rage and frustration within the Gator that must eventually be released. If the variant is successful in the trials then it is likely that this rage will be eliminated when their gene-code is fully re-written, but until then all 333 Gators have to put up with the ceaseless fire throughout their systems.

Appearance

The 333 Gator is of a similar appearance to its cousin the 330 Gator, with its short, stocky body allowing it to move quicker than most other Stormers. It uses its tail as a counter balance when it needs to move quickly and can also attack with its tail. Its armoured skin is slightly abrasive to the touch although it does little to hide the muscles that it contains. Its jaws are powerfully built and have the same ability to lock as a 330. Just as sharp as it teeth are its claws which continuously grow, another side effect from the changes to the original gene-code.

Interaction

333s on;

Humans:

"They fear me. They fear me alot."

Frother:

"Annoying. Loud and annoying. I ignore them unless they annoy me too much. Then I eat them."

Ebon:

"Strange. I'm not sure about them at all. Try to keep away from them when I can."

Brain Waster:

"We both keep our distances. They know what it is like to suffer the Rage as well."

Shaktars:

"Not sure about their honour code but otherwise good fighters."

Wraith Raider:

"Very fast. Very deadly. Very solitary. They are quite like us."

Stormers:

"They were first, we were second. I'm not sure we're an improvement."

Game Stats

The Rage

Every day of the Gator's life is spent struggling with the pain of a million and one nerve endings sending pain to its brain. In the short time that Phantom Pregnancy had before the trial began many attempts were made to eliminate or prevent the Rage, but none have been successful. Everytime a genetic change was applied to prevent the Rage from occuring, the intellect of the 333 reverted back to that of the 330 Gator, even with the latest technology and ideas. The Rage is mostly triggered by stress and anxiety, causing the Gator to become uncontrollable attacking anything in his way until the Rage has subsided.

If a moment of anxiety affects the Gator then the player must roll a Negative CONC test. That is 2d10-CONC with the desired roll being under 11. This is the same way that the Fear test is done with the COOL stat. Added to the roll is a penalty of 1-10 depending on the situation as well as an additional one point for every day since the Gator last suffered the Rage. If the player rolls under 11, then the Gator has quelled the Rage and will not be affected by it again until at least 12 hours have passed. If the roll is between 11 and 20 then the Gator becomes Full of Rage for a number of Phases equal to the amount over ten. If the roll is between 21 and 25 then the Gator enters an Uncontrollable Frenzy for a number of Rounds equal to the amount over 10. If the roll is between 26 and 30 then the Gator enters a Psychotic Frenzy for a number of minutes equal to the amount over 10. If the roll is 31 or over than the Gator has been overwhelmed by the Rage and will never be the same again, never breaking out of the Psychotic Frenzy.

Whilst the Gator is Full of Rage, he gains +2 to his STR and is immune to pain and fear. When it ends he will have -1 to STR and PHYS for five minutes for each Phase the Rage lasted. During the Rage the Gator is still able to channel his thoughts so that he only attacks those who he perceived as an enemy before the Rage affected him.

If the Gator ends up in an Uncontrollable Frenzy, he again gains a +2 to his STR as well as an additional attack per round. The Gator will not use any projectile weapons, instead preferring to use his natural weapons or any close combat weapons. When in this state the Gator is very likely to damage friends and companions, attacking anything that is within range. When the Frenzy ends, the Gator will have -2 to STR and PHYS and his Total Hits will be reduced by five for an hour. If he is injured this could cause him to die as the Rage finishes.

A Gator in a Psychotic Frenzy is a frightening site to see. The Gator will go out of his way to attack everything that he sees, trying to destroy as many 'enemies' as he can. During the Psychotic Frenzy the Gator has +3 to STR and two additional attacks per round. The Gator will be unable to use any weapons or equipment, relying purely on his claws, teeth and tail. When the Rage has finished the Gator will be at -4 STR and PHYS and Total Hits will be reduced by 10 for an hour. As with the Uncontrollable Frenzy this could cause the Gator to die as the Rage ends.

The Rage will burn any drugs out of the Gator's system, including healing drugs yet to activate or combat drugs. Some Gators have turned to hallucinogenic and relaxation drugs to control their Rage although this is a temporary solution at best. Although the Gator will not suffer from the Rage whilst affected by the drug, when it wears off the Gator has to check for the Rage with an additional -2 penalty. The effects of staying continuously on relaxation drugs is currently unknown. Pain Away has no effect on a Gator, besides giving them a headache.