Wasters

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Wasters are a xenotype perfectly suited for post-apocalyptic pollution worlds. Their adaptation comes with several drawbacks, and their aggression and ugliness makes it hard for them to coexist with other xenotypes.

Lore

Wasters are gaunt-faced, grey-skinned, aggressive, immune to toxic pollution, almost impervious to disease, and can ingest as much psychite and wake-up drugs as they wish with no ill effects. Their toxin-adapted metabolism means they must consume some form of psychite to survive - usually flake or yayo.
Originally engineered to prevent resettlement of post-apocalyptic deathworlds, wasters are living area-denial weapons. Waster pirates armed with toxic weapons are the bane of many frontier peoples, both on the rimworlds and in the depths of the urbworld hyperstructures.
The faction of waster pirates are a diverse collection of violent xenohumans. They are mostly wasters, with a smattering of hussars, neanderthals, genies, dirtmoles, genies, yttakins, and pigskins. They have little interest in building, or farming, preferring to take their sustenance from others using violence. Their technology level depends mostly on who they've managed to steal from recently. Mostly they carry gunpowder weapons, though some prefer to stab victims at close range. They’ll always be a threat.
- In Game Description

Summary

Wasters can thrive in polluted areas but sacrifice talents in other areas to do so. They are genetically dependent on psychite, with major consequences if their need is not met: they will start feeling mood effects after 5 days without it, will fall into a coma after 30 days without, and will die after 60 days of deprivation. Wasters are very noticeable, with gasmask-like gaunt gray faces. Their genetic complexity is 13, and metabolic efficiency is 0, so it has no effect on their hunger rates.

Genes

Waster genes are germline, so all of their genes are inheritable:

  • Click to
    Name Description Metabolism Complexity Exclude
    Super immunity
    Gene SuperStrongImmunity.png
    Carriers of this gene gain immunity to diseases considerably faster than normal.
    −2 2 Immunity
    Total antitoxic lungs
    Gene TotalPollutionResistance.png
    Carriers of this gene are immune to environmental toxins, but not from direct toxic attacks. They get no toxic buildup from tox gas, polluted terrain, or toxic fallout, and they are not bothered by acidic smog. They are still vulnerable to direct attacks like venom and injected poison. Additionally, they are immune to rot stink exposure.
    −3 2 ToxicEnvironmentResistance
    Aggressive
    Gene Aggressive.png
    Carriers of this gene are quick to anger. They are twice as likely to start social fights. When they have mental breaks, they are twice as likely to choose an aggressive kind of break.
    • Effects:
      • Social fight chance factor ×200%
      • Chance mental break is violent ×200%
      • Prison break interval factor ×60%
    +2 1 Aggression
    Aggressive
    Unattractive
    Gene Ugly.png
    Carriers of this gene have exaggerated facial features and poor skin that are generally considered ugly.
    +1 1 Beauty
    Pollution stimulus
    Gene PollutionRush.png
    Carriers of this gene get a chemical rush from being exposed to pollution. This makes them move faster and helps them think clearer. A similar gene is found in combat-engineered mega-insects.
    • Gain stat bonuses when exposed to pollution.
    −1 1
    Psychite dependency
    ChemicalDependency Psychite.png
    Carriers of this gene need to ingest psychite on a regular basis to survive. After 5 days without Psychite, carriers will suffer from psychite deficiency. After 30 days, they will fall into a coma. After 60 days, they will die.

    ?

    • Teetotalers will take the required drug without penalties, but ideoligion can still block taking them.
    • After 5 days without the drug, pawn gets 70% max consciousness, 80% max moving, and 50% max manipulation, as well as -6 mood.
    • Grants immunity to the chance of instant major overdose upon consuming the drug in question. It does not prevent cumulative overdose from consuming multiple doses/drugs.
    • Specific drug addiction factor: x0%
    • Children under 13 do not get any of the ill effects from not using these drugs. The timer for penalties only starts on their 13th birthday.
    +4 1
    Wake-up impervious
    AddictionImmune Wake Up.png
    Carriers of this gene never get addicted to Wake-up.
    • Wake-up addiction factor: x0%
    • Overdose chance: ×50% [Only this drug?] [Random or All?]
    −5 2
    Gaunt head
    Gene GauntHead.png
    Carriers of this gene have a pinched, gaunt appearance in their face and head. 0 0
    Gray hair
    Gene HairStyleBaldOnly.png
    Carriers of this gene have a particular hair color. With multiple hair color genes, one is randomly selected.
    • Hair color override: (0.65, 0.65, 0.65)
    0 0 HairColor
    Slate gray skin
    FanGene SkinColor Gray.png
    Carriers of this gene produce a pigment that turns their skin slate gray.
    • Skin color override: (90, 90, 90)
    0 0 SkinColorOverride
    Poor Cooking
    Gene PoorCooking.png
    The carrier's aptitude in Cooking is reduced by 4. Aptitude acts like an offset on skill level.
    • Cooking: −4. Note: Experience gain and decay applies as if this offset did not exist.
    +1 1
    Poor Artistic
    Gene PoorArtistic.png
    The carrier's aptitude in Artistic is reduced by 4. Aptitude acts like an offset on skill level.
    • Artistic: −4. Note: Experience gain and decay applies as if this offset did not exist.
    +1 1
    Awful Animals
    Gene AwfulAnimals.png
    The carrier's aptitude in Animals is reduced by 8. Aptitude acts like an offset on skill level. Additionally, all passion is removed from Animals.
    • Animals: −8. Note: Experience gain and decay applies as if this offset did not exist.
    • Removes all passions for Animals
    +2 1
  • Origins

    Many wasters found homes in the Waster pirate bands of the Rim. If you have this band of pirates enabled you will be attacked by wasters sooner or later. There is also a slight chance for them to show up with other pirate gangs, or with scattered groups as parts of quests.

    Analysis

    Besides their immunity to toxicity and need for psychite, wasters are relatively plain. They don't get along with others, due to the combination of Unattractive and Aggressive. They work well in polluted environments, and decent outside of one.

    Psychite dependency is easily manageable, and can even be a positive, as covered below. For the gene extractor, it's well worth to take Psychite Dependency for +4 metabolic efficiency and its own positives. Other noteworthy genes to extract are the negative Cooking / Animals / Artistic genes, which are free metabolic efficiency for colonists who don't use those skills.

    Psychite dependency

    A waster's psychite dependency is very affordable. Even in Losing is Fun, just 10 psychoid plants as flake are enough to sustain a waster without deficiency for an entire year. In a year-round growing season, this is a field of 3 psychoid plants. If you have a grower with the required Plants 6 skill and the Psychite refining research, this is trivial. In exchange, you can (almost) freely ingest yayo, flake, and wake-up. Note that taking 2 hard drugs in a row has a chance to give a minor overdose.

    Flake in particular is a superior version of psychite tea. It restores more Rest and gives a higher mood, for the same amount of cost. You can take flake once every 2.7 days without a net tolerance increase. If necessary, you can take yayo, flake, and psychite tea at the same time for +82 mood. Too high of a psychite tolerance can cause chemical damage, but an adult can take flake/yayo 10 times in a row without reaching this threshold. If a pawn takes a drug every 5 days, they should not be addicted, even with a few emergency binges here and there.

    If you have other colonists with the chemical interest or chemical fascination traits, you should keep them away from any hard drugs produced. To counter these traits, set an allowed area to not include areas where drugs are produced or stored. With a gene extractor, you can give them psychite dependency yourself, allowing them to indulge in chemical need all they want.