Guide to Changeling
Being a changeling involves maintaining your biomass level, managing your chemicals and completing your objectives. Your objectives can be viewed by opening your character information panel, which is by default hotkeyed to C.
As a changeling, your primary focus should be completing your objectives. Going loud and attacking in the public will most certainly cause security to arm up instantly. You should hide in the shadows and consume your prey when the time is right.
Objectives
- Extract a number of compatible genomes.
- Escape on the evacuation shuttle as another crew member.
- Survive
Biomass
Watch your biomass! Biomass starts draining the second you start the shift. Once it drains to 0, you instantly die and it's gameover for you. You start with roughly an hour of biomass which is enough time to start absorbing others! Note that IPCs can not be absorbed as they do not have DNA as a robot. Murder and absorb your victim's DNA to restore biomass and gain evolution points. Your biomass will be on the right side of the screen, above your health.
Chemicals
Changeling has chemicals that charges slowly over time. It is used for activating abilities such as combative, stinging and utilities you may use from your body to stay alive. You can store up to 100 at the time.
Evolutions
You start with 16 evolution points at shift start. Absorbing another player will earn you two more points and consuming another changeling will provide you 10 points.
Starting Evolutions
| Abilities | Description | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Absorb DNA | Absorb the target's DNA, husking them in the process. | Cost 25 chemicals. |
| Extract DNA Sting | Silently steal your target's genetic information. | Costs 25 chemicals. |
| Cycle DNA | Cycle your available DNA. | Costs no chemicals. |
| Transform | Transform into another humanoid. Doesn't come with clones. | Cost 5 chemicals. |
| Enter Regenerative Stasis | Fake your death and start regenerating. | Drains all your remaining chemicals. Consumes biomass. |
| Exit Stasis | Rise from the dead with full health. | Cost 60 chemicals. |
Combat Evolutions
| Abilities | Description | Cost | Evolution Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resonant Shriek | You emit a tone beyond the range of human hearing, bursting lights and causing disorientation in an area around yourself. Good for escaping groups, or hindering people from fleeing. WARNING: Requires you to absorb at least 1 organic to use the ability. | Costs 30 chemicals. | 2 |
| Organic Shield | Reforms one of your arms into a large, fleshy shield. Blocks attacks automatically, but very brittle. WARNING: requires you to absorb at least 1 organic to use the ability. | Costs 20 chemicals. | 2 |
| Dissonant Shriek | You emit an EMP blast, which disables technology in the surrounding area, including radio headsets. Good for escaping cyborgs and security. WARNING: Requires you to absorb at least 1 organic to use the ability. | Costs 30 chemicals. | 2 |
| Strained Muscles | You reduce lactic acid buildup in your leg muscles, allowing you to move at extremely fast speeds. While active, you will take steadily increments of stamina damage and eventually pass out. | Cost-free. | 2 |
| Bone Shard | Break off shards of your bone and shape them into a throwing star which embeds into your foes. But a one timer opportinuty. | Costs 15 chemicals. | 3 |
| Arm Blade | Reform one of your arms into a grotesque blade, composed of bone and flesh, able to pry open airlocks and cut through your foes like butter. | Costs 15 chemicals. | 4 |
| Chitinous Armor | Inflate your body into an all-consuming chitinous mass of armor. Provides extensive protection against physical damage, but less against other types. It massively slows your movement, and maintaining its shape slows chemical generation. WARNING: Requires you to absorb at least 2 organics to use the ability. | Costs 25 chemicals. | 4 |
Stinging Evolutions
| Abilities | Description | Cost | Evolution Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mute Sting | Inject mute toxin into an organic target, completely silencing them for a while. May be used while under the effects of Lesser Form. | Cost 35 chemicals. | 4 |
| Blind Sting | Silently sting an organic target, completely blinding them for a short time, and rendering them near-sighted until oculine is applied. May be used while under the effects of Lesser Form. | Costs 35 chemicals. | 4 |
| Cryogenic Sting | Inject an organic target with a cocktail of chemicals that chills the blood. May be used while under the effects of Lesser Form. | Costs 35 chemicals. | 4 |
| Lethargic Sting | Inject an organic target with a cocktail of anesthetics, slowing the victim down for a decent amount of time. May be used while under the effects of Lesser Form. | Costs 35 chemicals. | 4 |
| Bone Shard | Break off shards of your bone and shape them into a throwing star which embeds into your foes. But a one timer opportinuty. | Costs 15 chemicals. | 4 |
| Fake Arm Blade Sting | Inject some of your genome into an organic target, forcing their arm to shapeshift itno a dull armblade. May be used while under the effects of Lesser Form. | Costs 50 chemicals. | 5 |
| Transformation Sting | Inject some of your genome into an organic target, forcing their body to shapeshift into whoever you've chosen using the Cycle DNA ability. May be used while under the effects of Lesser Form. | Costs 75 chemicals. | 6 |
Utility Evolutions
| Abilities | Description | Cost | Evolution Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lesser Form | Abandon your current form and turn into a sentient monkey. | Costs 20 chemicals. | 2 |
| Last Resort | Abandon your current body and escape in the form of a headslug. | Costs 20 chemicals. | 2 |
| Anatomic Panacea | Cure yourself of diseases, disabilities, radiation, toxins, drunkenness, and brain damage. Generally covers the things that fleshmend doesn't. | Costs 30 chemicals. | 2 |
| Biodegrade | Vomit a caustic substance onto any restraints you may be wearing, allowing yourself to break free. Using this ability while being grabbed will spit acid in your attackers face. | Costs 30 chemicals. | 4 |
| Hivemind Access | Tunes our chemical receptors for hivemind communication, allowing us to recognize and communicate with other changelings who have also evolved this ability. Default radio key is :g. | Cost-free | 4 |
| Chameleon Skin | After the pigment in your skin to match your surroundings, rendering you invisible. | Costs 20 chemicals. | 4 |
| Ephedrine Overdose | Inject a cocktail of stimulants into yourself, quickly removing any stuns and giving yourself a speed boost. Continuous injection is poisonous. | Costs 30 chemicals. | 4 |
| Space Adaptation | Get rid of useless tissue in order to facilitate space travel. A source of oxygen is still required for space walking. | Costs 20 chemicals. | 4 |
| Augmented Eyesight | Evolve additional features in your eyes, such as flash protection. | Cost-free. | 4 |
| Fleshmenda | Rapidly heal yourself of all bruises and burns. | Costs 35 chemicals. | 5 |
Strategy
Being a changeling provides a wonderful opportunity for creativity, but success always depends on the quality of planning and execution. Depending on how you want to navigate your way through the station as the monster, you can make the experience enjoyable and hellish for the crew on the station.
Assassination
"HELP MAINTS!"
-Common SS14 saying
Hiding inside maintenance and sneaking up to your targets to absorb is a great way for some easy kills. However absorbing your targets will leave a distinct blue substance on the floor and leave a hallowed body that shows that a changeling has consumed them. Hide the body and clean up the spillage if possible or leave the bodies in maintenance to spread fear!
Manipulation
Some changelings can take full advantage of their transformation ability and hide as new folks! If you are robust enough to assassinate another crew member, security officer or command member, you can easily use your new found authority to give misinformation, blame others for your actions, or even order underlings to do your bidding! A warning is that you will not have a mind shield of absorbed crew you transform into which gives you away to security or anyone with a security sunglasses.