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>>5394100
>Sun Radiation
There are few species that can claim to have evolved without the light of a star and yours is not one of them. Almost more important than any other factor is how much radiation it’s outputting. How rough was your cradle?

>Harsh: The red sun is ancient and cruel, bathing your homeworld in constant radiation. Complex evolution will be difficult but in return, your species will have an extreme tolerance for radiation and later, much greater ease of adapting to hostile stellar and atmospheric conditions.
>Average: The yellow sun is bright and energetic, much akin to Sol. This is the default for life, with no upsides or downsides on its own.
>Gentle: The blue sun is pale and merciful, giving your homeworld a much welcome relief from the usual pain. Complex evolution will be much easier, at the cost of a lower tolerance for radiation and increased difficulty adapting to the predations of foreign stars.

>2/9

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>>5394101
>Planetary Size
One day your species will look back on its homeworld but whether those memories are fond or painful mean nothing to evolution. Far more relevant is the raw weight of its gravity well. How big is your planet?

>Tiny: Your homeworld is a fifth the size of Terra and has an extremely low gravity. This means initial spaceflight and adjusting to zero-G environments will be trivial for your species but they are certain to be weak and fragile without evolutionary effort.
>Small: Your homeworld is half the size of Terra and has somewhat low gravity. This is a middle-ground between the lighter side of the scale and statistically, most spacefaring species are likely to have evolved under similar circumstances.
>Middle: Your homeworld is roughly the size of Terra and has a gravity that would be tolerable for human life. This is near the upper limit for easy spaceflight and has no major drawbacks.
>Large: Your homeworld is twice the size of Terra and has strong gravity. This makes initial spaceflight vastly more difficult for your species but a higher strength and hardiness to carry their own weight can be expected.
>Huge: Your homeworld is five times the size of Terra and has crushing gravity. Conventional spaceflight is effectively impossible and the sheer pressure they’re used to will make the void a nightmare, and if they want to move with any efficiency, their evolution will have to be very stubborn or creative.

>3/9

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>>5394102
>Planetary Moons
It’s easy to mistake for an aesthetic detail, a motif of art or to hold at its surface value, a resource to exploit when spaceflight has been achieved, but the moons of a planet are a major contributor to the eventual shape its lifeforms may take. How many moons does your planet have?

>No Moons: Your homeworld has no moon. Only the stars lie above and nights will be dominated by abyssal darkness. If there’s water, the tides will be far calmer.
>One Moon: Your homeworld has one large moon. It goes through regular phases and night illumination is familiar to Terran life. If there’s water, the tides will be strong and stable.
>Two Moons: Your homeworld has two small moons. One is always in the sky and nights are in a regular twilight. If there’s water, the tides will be wild and unpredictable.
>Many Moons: Your homeworld has numerous tiny moons. Some are always in the sky and reflect the sun for constant, blinding brightness. If there’s water, the tides will be frenzied and chaotic.

>4/9

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>>5394103
>Planetary Heat
Another critical factor of the sun is how near your species’ homeworld is to its embrace. This has a profound effect on every part of its ecosystem and plays a part in what planets and colonial preparation your species will need in the future. How hot is your planet?

>Boiling: Your homeworld is extremely close to its sun and scorching hot. Moisture is always near the boiling point and evaporates quickly. Your species will need to evolve for very high temperatures.
>Reasonable: Your homeworld is in the goldilocks zone of its sun and has an average temperature. It may vary from era to era but your species won’t need to worry much about extreme temperatures.
>Frigid: Your homeworld is extremely far from its sun and freezing cold. Moisture is usually frozen and evaporates slowly. Your species will need to evolve for very low temperatures.

>5/9

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>>5394104
>Planetary Moisture
Almost every biological lifeform requires water in some capacity and yours is no different. Its rarity or abundance will play an enormous role in their evolution and in its priorities. How wet is your homeworld?

>Arid: Your homeworld has almost no water, with most of its reserves being underground or in scattered lakes. Most of its terrain is some variation of desert and your species will need to evolve to handle an extreme scarcity of water.
>Balanced: Your homeworld has a moderate amount of water, with several continents and a regular rain cycle. Its density may vary from region to region but overall it’s equivalent to Terra and won’t have an extreme effect on the evolution of your species.
>Aquatic: Your homeworld has an extreme amount of water, with its land consisting of rare, small islands. It can be classified as an ocean world and it’s likely your species will spend most, if not all of its evolutionary lifespan below the waves.

>6/9

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>>5394105
>Planetary Terrain
The tectonic activity of your homeworld has a significant effect on an evolutionary timescale but its most obvious impact is in the terrain it generates. This may vary over time but will always stay near to its baseline. How rough is your homeworld’s surface?

>Jagged: Your homeworld’s surface is rent with crags and caves, mountains far higher and gorges far deeper than can be found on Terra. Its elevation is inconsistent and your species will need to compensate.
>Balanced: Your homeworld’s surface is average, with some rugged lands and some flat lands, all within conventional expectations. Its elevation fluctuates within reason and your species won’t be overly pressured by it throughout its evolution.
>Flat: Your homeworld’s surface is smooth, with almost unnaturally calm tectonics and no significant mountains or shifts in altitude. Its elevation is constant and your species will need to capitalize on it.

>7/9

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>>5394107
>Warp Density
Behind the material reality is another, where physical law is meaningless and whim and will alone reigns supreme. Occasionally, they overlap and in some rare planets, the line between them is blurred. How much of the Warp is in your homeworld?

>Warp Isolated: Your homeworld is like most barren rocks, completely separate from the immaterium. Your species will evolve in a purely material existence and their Warp signature, their souls, will be dim and unable to produce psychic phenomena.
>Warp Exposure: Your homeworld is average among living planets, with a faint but constant pressure from the Warp. Your species will evolve in a predominately material context and psychic phenomena will likely be too rare to have a major effect on its evolution.
>Warp Saturation: Your homeworld is a rarity, where the Warp and realspace freely mingle and intermix. Your species will evolve under constant exposure to psychic phenomena and this will inevitably have an overwhelming effect on its evolution.

>8/9

>>5394108
Now that that’s out of the way, let me explain the premise of this quest. This is a multi-stage evolution and civ quest hybrid set in what will eventually become the 40k galaxy, where, instead of being a part of any major faction, (You) are one of the many, many footnote alien species in a pitched struggle to survive in a galaxy tailor-made to eradicate their race. Unlike them, however, you have the opportunity to guide your evolution from their most distant ancestors to sapience, and then to unify their species under a single culture from the neolithic to the space age by any means possible, and then take a precious window of time to spread, advance, and exploit neighboring star systems before the Great Crusade arrives. From then on, escalating waves of the worst the Imperium can bring to bear will attempt to destroy everything that you’ve built and slaughter your species so utterly that its name is unknown outside of classified Inquisition lore. If a stable population of your species can survive until the Great Crusade ends, you’ll win the quest. If you lose, you’ll lose everything.

Each stage will be using different mechanics, each building on the foundation you’ve made before and there is a massive amount of room for variety. You can evolve any species and instill in them any culture conceivable, but evolution is rarely predictable and unification will be a difficult undertaking at best. The “art” for this will be done in MS Paint, as per the classic Evo quests and I’m going to make a disclaimer now, my hands shake semi-constantly and I’m in no way trained or talented. This is for demonstrative purposes and later on I’ll be abstracting where I can. Each stage will take one thread, possibly two if things drag out. I hope you enjoy this as much as I plan to.

>9/9

>>5394110
>Harsh: The red sun is ancient and cruel, bathing your homeworld in constant radiation. Complex evolution will be difficult but in return, your species will have an extreme tolerance for radiation and later, much greater ease of adapting to hostile stellar and atmospheric conditions.
>Huge: Your homeworld is five times the size of Terra and has crushing gravity. Conventional spaceflight is effectively impossible and the sheer pressure they’re used to will make the void a nightmare, and if they want to move with any efficiency, their evolution will have to be very stubborn or creative.
>Many Moons: Your homeworld has numerous tiny moons. Some are always in the sky and reflect the sun for constant, blinding brightness. If there’s water, the tides will be frenzied and chaotic.
>Frigid: Your homeworld is extremely far from its sun and freezing cold. Moisture is usually frozen and evaporates slowly. Your species will need to evolve for very low temperatures.
>Aquatic: Your homeworld has an extreme amount of water, with its land consisting of rare, small islands. It can be classified as an ocean world and it’s likely your species will spend most, if not all of its evolutionary lifespan below the waves.
>Jagged: Your homeworld’s surface is rent with crags and caves, mountains far higher and gorges far deeper than can be found on Terra. Its elevation is inconsistent and your species will need to compensate.
>Warp Saturation: Your homeworld is a rarity, where the Warp and realspace freely mingle and intermix. Your species will evolve under constant exposure to psychic phenomena and this will inevitably have an overwhelming effect on its evolution.

The only overarching theme here is jacking up the planet’s inhospitality and complete unsuitability to any complex life whatsoever. Because our reaching the space age at minimum is guaranteed, I want to see whatever complete extremophile manages to defy miraculous odds and crawl out of this hellhole.

If we’re really lucky, the Great Crusade might even assume that no planet like this could ever be inhabited by anything more complex than algae and daemons, and leave us alone for a while.

>>5394101
>Harsh: The red sun is ancient and cruel, bathing your homeworld in constant radiation. Complex evolution will be difficult but in return, your species will have an extreme tolerance for radiation and later, much greater ease of adapting to hostile stellar and atmospheric conditions.
Born beneath a bleeding eye...
>Huge: Your homeworld is five times the size of Terra and has crushing gravity. Conventional spaceflight is effectively impossible and the sheer pressure they’re used to will make the void a nightmare, and if they want to move with any efficiency, their evolution will have to be very stubborn or creative.
>Many Moons: Your homeworld has numerous tiny moons. Some are always in the sky and reflect the sun for constant, blinding brightness. If there’s water, the tides will be frenzied and chaotic.

Torn by the furious gazes of its surviving kin...

>Reasonable: Your homeworld is in the goldilocks zone of its sun and has an average temperature. It may vary from era to era but your species won’t need to worry much about extreme temperatures.
>Balanced: Your homeworld has a moderate amount of water, with several continents and a regular rain cycle. Its density may vary from region to region but overall it’s equivalent to Terra and won’t have an extreme effect on the evolution of your species.
>Balanced: Your homeworld’s surface is average, with some rugged lands and some flat lands, all within conventional expectations. Its elevation fluctuates within reason and your species won’t be overly pressured by it throughout its evolution.

>Warp Saturation: Your homeworld is a rarity, where the Warp and realspace freely mingle and intermix. Your species will evolve under constant exposure to psychic phenomena and this will inevitably have an overwhelming effect on its evolution.

The cruel laughter of gods haunt our dreams

>>5394110
>Harsh: The red sun is ancient and cruel, bathing your homeworld in constant radiation. Complex evolution will be difficult but in return, your species will have an extreme tolerance for radiation and later, much greater ease of adapting to hostile stellar and atmospheric conditions.
>Huge: Your homeworld is five times the size of Terra and has crushing gravity. Conventional spaceflight is effectively impossible and the sheer pressure they’re used to will make the void a nightmare, and if they want to move with any efficiency, their evolution will have to be very stubborn or creative.
>Many Moons: Your homeworld has numerous tiny moons. Some are always in the sky and reflect the sun for constant, blinding brightness. If there’s water, the tides will be frenzied and chaotic.
>Frigid: Your homeworld is extremely far from its sun and freezing cold. Moisture is usually frozen and evaporates slowly. Your species will need to evolve for very low temperatures.
>Aquatic: Your homeworld has an extreme amount of water, with its land consisting of rare, small islands. It can be classified as an ocean world and it’s likely your species will spend most, if not all of its evolutionary lifespan below the waves.
>Jagged: Your homeworld’s surface is rent with crags and caves, mountains far higher and gorges far deeper than can be found on Terra. Its elevation is inconsistent and your species will need to compensate.
>Warp Saturation: Your homeworld is a rarity, where the Warp and realspace freely mingle and intermix. Your species will evolve under constant exposure to psychic phenomena and this will inevitably have an overwhelming effect on its evolution.

Rise and grind

>>5394119
>>5394132
Eh fuck it, I'll switch my vote to align completely with this choice

>>5394101
>Average: The yellow sun is bright and energetic, much akin to Sol. This is the default for life, with no upsides or downsides on its own.
>Large: Your homeworld is twice the size of Terra and has strong gravity. This makes initial spaceflight vastly more difficult for your species but a higher strength and hardiness to carry their own weight can be expected.
>No Moons: Your homeworld has no moon. Only the stars lie above and nights will be dominated by abyssal darkness. If there’s water, the tides will be far calmer.
>Boiling: Your homeworld is extremely close to its sun and scorching hot. Moisture is always near the boiling point and evaporates quickly. Your species will need to evolve for very high temperatures.
>Arid: Your homeworld has almost no water, with most of its reserves being underground or in scattered lakes. Most of its terrain is some variation of desert and your species will need to evolve to handle an extreme scarcity of water.
>Flat: Your homeworld’s surface is smooth, with almost unnaturally calm tectonics and no significant mountains or shifts in altitude. Its elevation is constant and your species will need to capitalize on it.
>Warp Saturation: Your homeworld is a rarity, where the Warp and realspace freely mingle and intermix. Your species will evolve under constant exposure to psychic phenomena and this will inevitably have an overwhelming effect on its evolution.

>>5394101
>Harsh
>Large
>Two Moons
>Reasonable
>Balanced
>Jagged
>Warp Isolated

>>5394132
+1

>>5394132
>+1
This remainds me of that quest where anons domesticly abused a moon

>>5394101
>Harsh: The red sun is ancient and cruel, bathing your homeworld in constant radiation. Complex evolution will be difficult but in return, your species will have an extreme tolerance for radiation and later, much greater ease of adapting to hostile stellar and atmospheric conditions.
>Middle: Your homeworld is roughly the size of Terra and has a gravity that would be tolerable for human life. This is near the upper limit for easy spaceflight and has no major drawbacks.
>Two Moons: Your homeworld has two small moons. One is always in the sky and nights are in a regular twilight. If there’s water, the tides will be wild and unpredictable.
>Reasonable: Your homeworld is in the goldilocks zone of its sun and has an average temperature. It may vary from era to era but your species won’t need to worry much about extreme temperatures.
>Arid: Your homeworld has almost no water, with most of its reserves being underground or in scattered lakes. Most of its terrain is some variation of desert and your species will need to evolve to handle an extreme scarcity of water.
>Balanced: Your homeworld’s surface is average, with some rugged lands and some flat lands, all within conventional expectations. Its elevation fluctuates within reason and your species won’t be overly pressured by it throughout its evolution.
>Warp Exposure: Your homeworld is average among living planets, with a faint but constant pressure from the Warp. Your species will evolve in a predominately material context and psychic phenomena will likely be too rare to have a major effect on its evolution.

Mostly balanced with a couple quirks, I don't want to evolve a orc tier rip off species but I didn't want to be very stale either.

>>5394119>>5394132
+1
It is time for us to make some space frost giants to defies all of the gods. Whether human man god or warp born soul eater gods. We will face them all. We will show them the might of the true Jotun. And we will build our thrones out of there divine bones so that we may rule the vary stars themselves.

And all it will take is us getting off our frigid bitch of a birth world. While defying our mad father of a murderous sun.

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>>5394132
+1

>>5394132
Support
Giant fuckoff ball of irradiated ice and rock, lets go!

>>5394242
>orc tier rip off
This planet is going to be way too inhospitable for an ork ripoff.

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>>5394256
I voted for that world thinking we will make a civilization of Evangelion angels, but the idea of lovecraftian jotuns(probably will have to call them Yothuns in a true 40k fashion) is wonderfull, have a singing giant for that.

>>5394391
We shall bring forth the twilight of the gods. As well as the twilight of anyone that trys to stop us as well. So the Eldar had better watch there asses.

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>>5394120
>+1
>>5394328
Tbh I was more worried about us being a Nid rip off, but seeing everyone's thoughts on it, it puts my mind at ease.
>>5394391
>

>>5394100
It’s tau ripoff build time
>>5394101
>Gentle sun
>Tiny planet, to get to space super quickly. The small land area is offset by low gravity making skyscrapers and apartments extremely easy to build
>No moons, this way we can go for flat terrain without flooding
>Reasonable temperature
>Balanced moisture
>Flat terrain. This makes it far easier to build a massive civilization
>Warp isolated. No religion and miracle shit to set progress back, only S-CI-E-N-C-E

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>>5394407
>>5394412
The two of you make me wonder, how would Chaos react to minds that are litteraly 2Deep4Them? The 4 dipshits and were created by the Eldars and the humans sustain them due to being similar, but what would happen if a race totally different psychologically speaking rose to prominance? How would Korne deal with a civillization who doens't have a concept of neither honor nor bloodshed? To this I say that to defeat Chaos we must become the apex of the galaxy by exterminating Chaos' source of food, manking and the Eldar, only then may the tides of the Warp calm into soothing ice.

>>5394110
>Average: The yellow sun is bright and energetic, much akin to Sol. This is the default for life, with no upsides or downsides on its own.
>Middle: Your homeworld is roughly the size of Terra and has a gravity that would be tolerable for human life. This is near the upper limit for easy spaceflight and has no major drawbacks.
>One Moon: Your homeworld has one large moon. It goes through regular phases and night illumination is familiar to Terran life. If there’s water, the tides will be strong and stable.
>Reasonable: Your homeworld is in the goldilocks zone of its sun and has an average temperature. It may vary from era to era but your species won’t need to worry much about extreme temperatures.
>Aquatic: Your homeworld has an extreme amount of water, with its land consisting of rare, small islands. It can be classified as an ocean world and it’s likely your species will spend most, if not all of its evolutionary lifespan below the waves.
>Flat: Your homeworld’s surface is smooth, with almost unnaturally calm tectonics and no significant mountains or shifts in altitude. Its elevation is constant and your species will need to capitalize on it.
>Warp Exposure: Your homeworld is average among living planets, with a faint but constant pressure from the Warp. Your species will evolve in a predominately material context and psychic phenomena will likely be too rare to have a major effect on its evolution.

balance lol
>>5394110
i like the idea

>>5394444
Pretty sure that unless we are basically animals, there'd be at least one god that is able to deal with us. Personally, i'd be happy to sip our ice and chill with a small empire.

>Average: The yellow sun is bright and energetic, much akin to Sol. This is the default for life, with no upsides or downsides on its own.
>Middle: Your homeworld is roughly the size of Terra and has a gravity that would be tolerable for human life. This is near the upper limit for easy spaceflight and has no major drawbacks.
>Many Moons: Your homeworld has numerous tiny moons. Some are always in the sky and reflect the sun for constant, blinding brightness. If there’s water, the tides will be frenzied and chaotic.
>Reasonable: Your homeworld is in the goldilocks zone of its sun and has an average temperature. It may vary from era to era but your species won’t need to worry much about extreme temperatures.
>Arid: Your homeworld has almost no water, with most of its reserves being underground or in scattered lakes. Most of its terrain is some variation of desert and your species will need to evolve to handle an extreme scarcity of water.
>Jagged: Your homeworld’s surface is rent with crags and caves, mountains far higher and gorges far deeper than can be found on Terra. Its elevation is inconsistent and your species will need to compensate.
>Warp Saturation: Your homeworld is a rarity, where the Warp and realspace freely mingle and intermix. Your species will evolve under constant exposure to psychic phenomena and this will inevitably have an overwhelming effect on its evolution.

The simple truth is that with STC tech, Space Marine Legions and Titans, there is functionally no feasible way we can hope to win a conventional ground war against the Imperium. Thus, the best course is to optimize for void combat, which will inevitably result in boarding actions, that's just the galaxy we inhabit. The closest terrestrial precursor to that is tunnel fighting, so create a planet that has most of its resources underground or in deep ravines.

And if it matters, I was envisioning this planet as having all the water in jungley canyon rivers, so from orbit the planet looks like a ball of rock with veins of plantlife all across it.

>>5394119
+1

>>5394444
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves; just keeping our grip of the solar system would be a feat worthy of Dagon by the end of this.

Great Crusade OP.

>>5394110

>Harsh: The red sun is ancient and cruel, bathing your homeworld in constant radiation. Complex evolution will be difficult but in return, your species will have an extreme tolerance for radiation and later, much greater ease of adapting to hostile stellar and atmospheric conditions.
>Huge: Your homeworld is five times the size of Terra and has crushing gravity. Conventional spaceflight is effectively impossible and the sheer pressure they’re used to will make the void a nightmare, and if they want to move with any efficiency, their evolution will have to be very stubborn or creative.
>Many Moons: Your homeworld has numerous tiny moons. Some are always in the sky and reflect the sun for constant, blinding brightness. If there’s water, the tides will be frenzied and chaotic.
>Frigid: Your homeworld is extremely far from its sun and freezing cold. Moisture is usually frozen and evaporates slowly. Your species will need to evolve for very low temperatures.
>Aquatic: Your homeworld has an extreme amount of water, with its land consisting of rare, small islands. It can be classified as an ocean world and it’s likely your species will spend most, if not all of its evolutionary lifespan below the waves.
>Jagged: Your homeworld’s surface is rent with crags and caves, mountains far higher and gorges far deeper than can be found on Terra. Its elevation is inconsistent and your species will need to compensate.
>Warp Saturation: Your homeworld is a rarity, where the Warp and realspace freely mingle and intermix. Your species will evolve under constant exposure to psychic phenomena and this will inevitably have an overwhelming effect on its evolution.

WHAT IS A XENO WITHOUT HIS TRIALS?

>>5394110
>Harsh: The red sun is ancient and cruel, bathing your homeworld in constant radiation. Complex evolution will be difficult but in return, your species will have an extreme tolerance for radiation and later, much greater ease of adapting to hostile stellar and atmospheric conditions.
>Huge: Your homeworld is five times the size of Terra and has crushing gravity. Conventional spaceflight is effectively impossible and the sheer pressure they’re used to will make the void a nightmare, and if they want to move with any efficiency, their evolution will have to be very stubborn or creative.
>Many Moons: Your homeworld has numerous tiny moons. Some are always in the sky and reflect the sun for constant, blinding brightness. If there’s water, the tides will be frenzied and chaotic.
>Frigid: Your homeworld is extremely far from its sun and freezing cold. Moisture is usually frozen and evaporates slowly. Your species will need to evolve for very low temperatures.
>Aquatic: Your homeworld has an extreme amount of water, with its land consisting of rare, small islands. It can be classified as an ocean world and it’s likely your species will spend most, if not all of its evolutionary lifespan below the waves.
>Jagged: Your homeworld’s surface is rent with crags and caves, mountains far higher and gorges far deeper than can be found on Terra. Its elevation is inconsistent and your species will need to compensate.
>Warp Saturation: Your homeworld is a rarity, where the Warp and realspace freely mingle and intermix. Your species will evolve under constant exposure to psychic phenomena and this will inevitably have an overwhelming effect on its evolution.

Every one of our species will have an ego and psykic power so large that they have convinced themselves that there is no line between God and Mortal. No worship except to one's self.

>>5394635
Why was it that the giants hated the Norse gods so much? Was it just because Thor fucked with them so much and Odin was a backstabbing prick?

>>5394635
I don't think that's how it works. I mean, our evolution is basically gonna be a death march, and it's very likely that 99% of things will die.

It also depends on how we'll "adapt" to those. Are we going to adapt by having a kajillion spawn, or are we going to adapt by having a few absurdly strong spawn?

If we go with 'ice giants', then i suppose it'll be the latter.

>>5394132
Supporting HellHole

imagine some elite-like aliens making a theocratic empire like the covenant, ngl that would be based.....

https://youtu.be/PCpi1sZEZ1U

>>5395029
Time to RagnaRockAnRoll.

>>5394119
>>5394132
>>5394139
>>5394140
>>5394166
>>5394172
>>5394237
>>5394242
>>5394256
>>5394303
>>5394309
>>5394412
>>5394443
>>5394456
>>5394464
>>5394581
>>5394625
>>5394635
>>5394956
>Sun Radiation

>Harsh
14 Votes
>Average
3 Votes
>Gentle
1 Vote

>Planetary Size

>Tiny
1 Vote
>Small
0 Votes
>Middle
3 Votes
>Large
2 Votes
>Huge
12 Votes

>Planetary Moons

>No Moons
2 Votes
>One Moon
1 Vote
>Two Moons
2 Votes
>Many Moons
13 Votes

>Planetary Heat

>Boiling
1 Votes
>Reasonable
6 Votes
>Frigid
11 Votes

>Planetary Moisture

>Arid
3 Votes
>Balanced
3 Votes
>Aquatic
12 Votes
>Planetary Terrain

>Jagged
13 Votes
>Balanced
2 Votes
>Flat
3 Votes

>Warp Density

>Warp Isolated
2 Votes
>Warp Exposure
2 Votes
>Warp Saturation
14 Votes

An intriguing set of choices, one that will have some enormous implications on your evolutionary path. I'm surprised that Warp Saturation was so popular. That'll be an interesting bag of hammers to juggle later on.

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>An eternity away from Sol, a bloodred star which has no name in earthly tongue lays, a swollen tumor on the cosmos, throbbing with malice. Caught in thrall of its orbit are five satellites, two near, three far, and not one in the goldilocks zone. The farthest is an eyesore: a gargantuan lump of ice broken by peaks high enough to scrape the upper edges of even its atmosphere. Rather than stay still, the sheets of ice are shifting, forever crashing and surging in a hateful rhythm, dancing to the noiseless tune of half a dozen and one petty moons. The surface is scoured with radiation and below, where the ice thins and droplets thicken, it reaches deep, scorches the stones and taints the ripples there. Though the immaterium is becalmed in an age without feeling, the boundaries between dream and reality are hazy here and an unmistakable nausea lingers.

>This planet is inimical to higher life as Terran scholars know it, by no right should it be any more than another dead rock in billions, and yet… Life has found a way. Deep beneath the ice, where the waters are just warmer than freezing, the radiation field is weak, and light is faint where it is at all, life endures. Epochs ago, a singular, impossible single-celled microorganism emerged from the murk, its primitive genome shredded and its remains decayed without a trace in the span of just under ten Terran minutes. Against the odds, it managed to reproduce just before dying without note and its offspring did the same, setting a pattern for millions of years to come. Now, numberless generations later, among the countless blind, pale, sickly and frozen wretches clinging to momentary existence, a species with true evolutionary potential has emerged.

>Your species.

Before you can evolve in earnest, you’ll need to determine which species is yours. To do that, you’ll make three more simple choices and in the doing, narrow infinite possibilities to a lone certainty. After roughly 12-24 hours, your gauntlet of evolutionary strife will begin.

>1/4

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>>5395153
>Species Motility
The sheer WEIGHT of your homeworld is a permanent shackle on the nonexistent neck of every one of its children. Quick, effortless movement is a novelty that won’t be seen for a very, very long time but there are a few that dare to squirm and flounder in the glacial tide. How much of its lifespan does your species spend on the move?

>Ambulatory: Your species never settles down and is always moving. This is a risky strategy that leaves them at the mercy of the waters and exposed to predators. At the same time, they are less likely to go hungry for lack of feeding opportunities.
>Sedentary: Your species is completely inert, latching onto the rock and waiting. This is a cautious strategy that grants them a large degree of mass and stability against the waters, though it comes at a cost. Most strategies of consumption require patience and creativity.
>Multi-Phasic: Your species is a rarity, with multiple phases of its lifespan, one nomadic, one rooted. This is the best of both worlds in the immediate scale but on an evolutionary timespan, there are multiple points of failure and developing each phase will split your focus.

>2/4

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>>5395154
>Species Reproduction
Self-propagation is so fundamental to life that many scholars, Terran or otherwise, don’t consider organisms that can’t reproduce on their own to be truly alive. Perhaps they are right. There are many, many methods but they can be sorted into three separate categories. Which does your species rely on?

>Sexual Reproduction: Your species reproduces by exchanging genetic material between two individuals to produce offspring that are a mix of their immediate ancestors. This is the tried and true gold-standard the galaxy over but it can be inefficient and vulnerable on a population-scale. In particular, it’s the method most prone to intraspecies divergence and overspecialization.
>Benign Asexual Reproduction: Your species reproduces by gestating their offspring and releasing them when they’re capable of surviving on their own. This is dependable but the gestation period can leave their parent vulnerable. Normally, these offspring are nigh-identical clones of their parent but the violent radiation causes slight drift with some meandering regularity.
>Fatal Asexual Reproduction: Your species reproduces by consuming a large amount of nutrients and dividing into several offspring, killing their parent in the process but having a much swifter period of weakness. This is the fastest method of reproduction and can rebuild populations very quickly, though it suffers from the same near-stagnancy as the above.

>3/4

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>>5395159
>Species Diet
For any organism to grow, it is a requirement that it takes in nutrients. Where those come from and how they’re taken is much more variable. How does your species eat?

>Autotroph: Your species is on the bottom of the food chain, in that it relies on its environment alone to survive. This strategy is extremely stable and inefficient for growth if unrefined.
>Herbivore: Your species consumes autotrophs to further process the nutrients they’ve already generated. This strategy is consistent but can be risky between adaptations in the food source and in predators.
>Carnivore: Your species consumes herbivores to further process the nutrients they’ve already processed. This strategy is dangerous but has a high-reward in intake and in selection pressure.
>Scavenger: Your species consumes the carcasses of dead organisms to subsist on what scraps remain before microorganisms can finish the job. This strategy is low-risk with some reward and a massive amount of competition.

>4/4

>>5395154

>Ambulatory: Your species never settles down and is always moving. This is a risky strategy that leaves them at the mercy of the waters and exposed to predators. At the same time, they are less likely to go hungry for lack of feeding opportunities.
With the chaos of the planet, it seems unwise to stay in one place
>Sexual Reproduction: Your species reproduces by exchanging genetic material between two individuals to produce offspring that are a mix of their immediate ancestors. This is the tried and true gold-standard the galaxy over but it can be inefficient and vulnerable on a population-scale. In particular, it’s the method most prone to intraspecies divergence and overspecialization.
We need to evolve a lot if we want to survive. We cannot stagnate
>Carnivore: Your species consumes herbivores to further process the nutrients they’ve already processed. This strategy is dangerous but has a high-reward in intake and in selection pressure
Meat is better for calory per gram.

>>5395153
>Sedentary
>Benign Asexual Reproduction
>Autotroph

A far cry from a galactic terror, but a stable build, with potential for stable growth of both population and larger, hopefully tougher individuals, parent cells birthing entire colonies around them as they themselves grow older, maybe mutating further from the radiation.
No need to rely on another organism to kickstart a colony, and the sheer amount of radiation will ensure some genetic diversity. Among the survivors, that is.
A single organism stranded somewhere could turn most parts of the habitable zones of this planet into a somewhat thriving colony with little outside help given time. And barring predation by the rest of the food chain. For now.

>>5395154
>Multi-Phasic: Your species is a rarity, with multiple phases of its lifespan, one nomadic, one rooted. This is the best of both worlds in the immediate scale but on an evolutionary timespan, there are multiple points of failure and developing each phase will split your focus.
Fuck you Tzeentch and Nurgle
>Benign Asexual Reproduction: Your species reproduces by gestating their offspring and releasing them when they’re capable of surviving on their own. This is dependable but the gestation period can leave their parent vulnerable. Normally, these offspring are nigh-identical clones of their parent but the violent radiation causes slight drift with some meandering regularity.
Fuck you Slaanesh
>Carnivore: Your species consumes herbivores to further process the nutrients they’ve already processed. This strategy is dangerous but has a high-reward in intake and in selection pressure.
Fuck yo-Actually... you win this one Khorne
Seriously though, my idea is to have our specie work on 2 modes, hunting mode, whej the organism is mobile and in search of food, and Division mode, when the organism, after devouring enough, becomes rooted and reproduces before going into Hunt mode again and the cycle repeats.

>>5395171
+1.
We will face our home, and seize every moment, instead of simply pray for opportunity to fall into our laps. If you cannot learn, you cannot live; if you cannot change, you are a corpse.

>>5395171
+1

>>5395153
>Species Motility
Ambulatory
>Species Reproduction
Sexual Reproduction
>Species Diet
Carnivore

On the side, fatal asexual reproduction means that parents cannot directly teach their children; they’d need to rely on a community to do so. That isn’t necessarily bad, but will raise issues if we develop intelligence and wisdom before social bonds.

I dislike all of the asexual reproductions, because on Earth the warp means our environment can change blisteringly fast without rhyme or reason. There is no mortal species alive that can survive that without change and adaptation.

>>5395154

>Ambulatory
>Sexual Reproduction:
>Carnivore:


Fuck the Predators! We're the Predators now.

>>5395171
support
let's go weird meat eating marine creature !

>>5394100
https://www.genome.gov/12511476/2004-advisory-dog-genome-assembled

vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2)

Adam Mitchell Lambert

January 29, 1982 (age 40 years), Indianapolis, IN

Zoo food

>>5395154
>>Multi-Phasic
>Sexual Reproduction
>Carnivore

>>5395171
Support

>>5395154
>Ambulatory: Your species never settles down and is always moving. This is a risky strategy that leaves them at the mercy of the waters and exposed to predators. At the same time, they are less likely to go hungry for lack of feeding opportunities.
Fatal Asexual Reproduction: Your species reproduces by consuming a large amount of nutrients and dividing into several offspring, killing their parent in the process but having a much swifter period of weakness. This is the fastest method of reproduction and can rebuild populations very quickly, though it suffers from the same near-stagnancy as the above.
Scavenger: Your species consumes the carcasses of dead organisms to subsist on what scraps remain before microorganisms can finish the job. This strategy is low-risk with some reward and a massive amount of competition.

>>5395154
>Ambulatory: Your species never settles down and is always moving. This is a risky strategy that leaves them at the mercy of the waters and exposed to predators. At the same time, they are less likely to go hungry for lack of feeding opportunities.
>Sexual Reproduction: Your species reproduces by exchanging genetic material between two individuals to produce offspring that are a mix of their immediate ancestors. This is the tried and true gold-standard the galaxy over but it can be inefficient and vulnerable on a population-scale. In particular, it’s the method most prone to intraspecies divergence and overspecialization.
>Carnivore: Your species consumes herbivores to further process the nutrients they’ve already processed. This strategy is dangerous but has a high-reward in intake and in selection pressure.

>>5395171
>+1
As much as I like the sound of Multi-Phasic, I just don’t know what it will I tell in the long run.

>>5395160
>Ambulatory
>Sexual Reproduction
>Autotroph

little bit of reading comprehension : any other pick doom the quest. A fluke created our organism; I'm pretty sure the preys are inexistant

>>5395482
You seem to misunderstand, speciation has already occured and now we are choosing which of the species will eventually achieve dominance. Or rather, what traits the species that will eventually achieve dominance has.

>>5395171
+1
Hopefully we can evolve into true omnivores with time so as to diversify our diets and not fall into a dead end. But in this type of world and at this point in our evolutionary lifecycle this may well be the gold-standard of both survival and evolution.

surely there should be some warp-based options, e.g. gaining sustenance from the warp itself?

>>5395652
That is unlikely all things considered. What with the warp being so fucked up of a dimension and how its laws do not mesh well with our laws of reality. But i do have hope that when we reach sentience we will be able to use the warp to communicate with each other. And maybe even communicate with other species off world one day.

>>5395652
That would require some manner of lifeform smart enough to be able to even feel something psychic. Right now we basically have bacteria and cambrian-era creatures.

>>5395160
>Carnivore: Your species consumes herbivores to further process the nutrients they’ve already processed. This strategy is dangerous but has a high-reward in intake and in selection pressure.
>Benign Asexual Reproduction: Your species reproduces by gestating their offspring and releasing them when they’re capable of surviving on their own. This is dependable but the gestation period can leave their parent vulnerable. Normally, these offspring are nigh-identical clones of their parent but the violent radiation causes slight drift with some meandering regularity.
>Multi-Phasic: Your species is a rarity, with multiple phases of its lifespan, one nomadic, one rooted. This is the best of both worlds in the immediate scale but on an evolutionary timespan, there are multiple points of failure and developing each phase will split your focus.

>>5395171
support
psyker ice sharks let's go

>>5395171
+1, cool ideas!

>Species Motility

>Ambulatory
13 Votes
>Sedentary
1 Votes
>Multi-Phasic
3 Votes

>Species Reproduction

>Sexual Reproduction
13 Votes
>Benign Asexual Reproduction
3 Votes
>Fatal Asexual Reproduction
1 Votes

>Species Diet

>Autotroph
2 Votes
>Herbivore
0 Votes
>Carnivore
14 Votes
>Scavenger
1 Votes

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Your species is the Flounder Feeder. Of the current food chain, it is the least effective of the major predators, small, clumsy, and fragile by the standards of an already small, clumsy, and fragile ecosystem but that is precisely why it has true evolutionary potential. If the Flounder Feeder doesn’t evolve and reach efficiency in its niche, its population will decline and eventually go extinct. The Flounder Feeders must take great strides to improve because the Flounder Feeders have no choice. Of course, the Flounder Feeder can’t choose to start with, it doesn’t even have a brain. That’s where (You) come in, to guide the Flounder Feeder’s evolution to excel, dominate its ecosystem, and eventually… reach for the stars. But first, you have to look at the waves beneath the ice.

The Flounder Feeder is a pale, boneless blob the size of a Terran tennis ball with three major body parts. It has a mouth, a tail, and a stomach. The mouth is toothless, the tail is feeble, and the stomach is inefficient. The Flounder Feeder spends its days flapping its tail against the waves to propel itself aimlessly. The front of the Flounder Feeder, that is, the opposite of the tail, has several sensitive nerve endings that can detect vibrations up to a yardstick away. On sensing vibrations, a Flounder Feeder will attempt to flop in its direction, its mouth will latch on to the first solid it bumps into, and will then force it into its stomach, where it can be dissolved into nutrients to sustain the Flounder Feeder.

>1/5

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>>5396076
The Flounder Feeder has no means of identifying what is and is not food, only to vomit stones when they are ingested. The Flounder Feeder’s primary source of food is the lowly Lump Grazer. The Lump Grazer is half the size of the Flounder Feeder and is slightly more complex. A Lump Grazer has a mouth, a stomach, and unlike the Flounder Feeder, doesn’t dare to swim with the tide. Instead, it uses a very weak muscle to grip the stone below and push itself forward, trembling until it can find its source of food. The humble Growth Lump, a tiny wad of unicellular life that have clumped into a single mass to more efficiently photosynthesize the very, very little sunlight that gets through the ice. Luckily for the Lump Grazer, these Growth Lumps are abundant and tend to cluster together.

Unluckily for the Lump Grazer, its trembling means of movement alert the sensitive nerves of the Flounder Feeder, leading to its consumption. The Flounder Feeder isn’t always able to flop in the right direction and very frequently has false alarms but occasionally, the Flounder Feeder is able to catch a Lump Grazer and digest it. One Lump Grazer can sustain a Flounder Feeder for almost half of a local day, or three Terran days. The Flounder Feeder has no way to store surplus nutrients or recognize regular feeding grounds. It is blind, mindless, and driven completely by impulse. For now, this is enough to hunt its prey.

>2/5

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>>5396080
The Flounder Feeder’s primary competition are two predators, the Double Mouther and the Shuffler. The Double Mouther is mobile above the rocks, much like the Flounder Feeder, but is twice the size and has taken a bold strategy. It has two tails and two separate mouths for twice as much movement and twice the chance of latching onto food. Even more dangerously, each of the Double Mouther’s mouths has a slim, weak tongue that can grasp onto prey to ease the consumption process. The Double Mouther is the current apex predator. It consumes the Lump Grazers, Flounder Feeders, and Shufflers without discrimination, and it is a menace. Once one of its mouths has sensed the vibrations of a Flounder Feeder, if the tide isn’t at its tail there is no escape.

The Shuffler is much simpler. It resembles a longer, wider Lump Grazer but is in fact a predator which uses a similar grip muscle to move on the rocks. Its muscle is stronger and makes a different kind of vibration, and its mouth is deadly, with a weak muscle that can clamp down onto a Lump Grazer and pull it inside instead of swallowing and hoping for the best. Occasionally, a Flounder Feeder mistakes a Shuffler for a Lump Grazer and attempts to swallow it, resulting in a dangerous struggle that the Shuffler wins more often than it loses. Both the Double Mouther and the Shuffler are more efficient than the Flounder Feeder and could become a terrible danger in the future.

>3/5

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>>5396081
Besides the Flounder Feeder’s prey and its competitors, the environment itself poses an extreme challenge to its survival. The overwhelming majority of multicellular life on this planet exists in a narrow band where the radiation above is dampened and the pressure below isn’t too crushing to move. This narrow band consists of many mountain ranges and slopes that regularly suffer earthquakes and mudflows, both lethal to life. Worse, these generate large amounts of vibrations, which cause Flounder Feeders to flop towards them when they aren’t directly slammed into the rock by the flow. Even deadlier is the inescapable radiation that causes inevitable, lethal cancer in every Flounder Feeder that lives longer than two local weeks, or roughly eighty-four Terran days. The Flounder Feeder’s slow metabolism tends to cause very gradual growth but in most circumstances, this only delays death long enough to reproduce once or twice and fast growing cancers are common. The cold and gravity also cause regular deaths by frostbite and compression when a Flounder Feeder ventures too high or too low but luckily, neither are major problems in most of the ecosystem’s narrow band.

>4/5

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>>5396083
One advantage the Flounder Feeder has is its method of reproduction. Unlike many species, Flounder Feeders have two distinct sexes, the releaser and the vomitor. The releaser constantly releases small clouds of genetic material into the water which the tide moves quickly. Sometimes, a vomitor has its mouth open in the right direction, catches it, and processes the genetic material to create from one to three new Flounder Feeders that are a mix of both. These offspring are held in a crude pouch at the roof of the vomitor’s mouth for three local days, or roughly three Terran weeks, until they grow enough that the crude pouch bursts and the vomitor instinctively vomits them into the tide. These newborn Flounder Feeders are a fourth the size of their parent and most don’t survive the Terran month it takes to grow and reproduce on their own.

A handful do, and this continues the species. There are several problems with the Flounder Feeder’s method of reproduction. A releaser has no way of ensuring that its cloud reaches a vomitor and isn’t dispersed to nothing by the tide, a vomitor has no way of sensing a cloud outside of its vibration or detecting where a cloud may be, and due to the crude pouch’s location at the roof of the vomitor’s mouth, it is occasionally ruptured too early by a Lump Grazer’s muscle as it is consuming its prey. Even with its problems, the Flounder Feeder’s method of reproduction works and isn’t an urgent issue. All in all, the Flounder Feeder suffers a miserable existence but is not burdened with a consciousness that can understand it.

>How should the Flounder Feeder evolve?

Remember, the simpler it is, the less likely it is to go wrong! The harsh sun punishes extreme innovation. Once enough of you have weighed in after roughly 8-12 hours, I’ll explain how the system for this works by showing you firsthand and we’ll roll some dice. I would’ve done it in this update but one infodump per post seems like a reasonable benchmark. The Flounder Feeder is a very simple organism and there are millions of directions you can try to take them.

>5/5

>>5396084
Better senses. Specifically smell.

>>5396084
Some kind of armor that can hopefully help against predators and has at least some radiation resistance.

>>5396084
>form light sensitive near the mouth. (the start of primitive eyes)

>some bones/spine so they can more easily move.

>chemical receptors on the females sides so they can more easily detect the males genetic material.

>>5396084
>>5396093 +1

>>5396084
there should be a way for releasers and vomitors to find eachother and "kiss" in a way, perhaps by believing the other is food, and releasing the big cummo straight into the burst pouch.
I can't think of an idea of how this could be feasible, so im dropping this for anyone imaginative.

>>5396087
this

>>5396087
>>5396111
That can evolve from smell.
>Create smell
>Create pheromons poach.
Smell can detect preys and differentiate eatable blobs from murder blobs. Smell can detect two-mouther and create a motionless defensive reflex. Pheromons can improve sexual transmissions by creating a grouping reflex. A school of our species can regroup in hunt spots, and maybe take down the dreaded two-mouther by swarming them.

>>5396128
but these creatures work by vibration, which they could easily capitalize upon rather than evolve two entirely new different things, aka I got my method now ty.
>>5396111
they manage it by vomitors "evolving" dampened recognition for vibrations, which causes them to go after releasers of releasers as potential prey, causing mouth showdowns that facilize the sharing of genetic materials between the two sexes.

>>5396147
*after releasers
I don't know why I typed "releasers of releasers"

>>5396084
Better senses is vital, so we can identify threats and opportunities. We can’t really learn anything without information.

Once we are more conscious, with animalistic survival instincts and the ability to plan ahead to find food, mates or defend kin, I’d like to start our psionic journey by improving our keen senses even more until we can hear echoes of the warp, to gain a sense for living things and a premonition of threatening warp phenomena.

But that’s a long ways off.

>>5396087
This

>>5396084
Support >>5396087

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I have an idea that might work well with the Jotun themed spiecies some anons want to go for. We might be able to create something similar to Gen'dai from star wars. None of those pussy bones, just pure muscle mass, super regeneration and hate.

>>5396087
+1
Hopefully with the better senses we get better vibration nerve endings so that we can better understand the dangers around us and work to protect our selves more. Being able to protect our selves from earthquakes and mudslides alone will really make our lives easier right now.

>>5396202
worm warriors, elites, jotuns ...interesting ideas

>>5396202
isnt that a Quirk of older Gen'dai that they go full psycho?

The Idea itself though sounds pretty great. capable of enveloping prey and quickly regenerating from nearly any damage will be needed anyway to survive on this piece of junk Rock.

>>5396235
It was something like that.

And yes, spiecies like that could have a great potential to survive or even thrive in this hellhole. There are no bones to break. Very few vulnerable organs that could be targeted by deadly predators and much later, by space marines or Admech cyborgs.
Plus Imperial Army might not be a problem because normal humans can't even hope to be able to fight on our homeworld.

>>5396257
Pretty sure invading our Homewolrd would evolve into another Murder Situation for the Space Marines involved. If they make Planetfall next to none will make it back i am sure. And we would not have to do most of the fighting.

So yeah. If i were an imperial Commander seeing this shit i would just bomb it to the ground and Crack the Planet. Then Virus Bomb it before cracking whats left into pieces smaller than Nostramo after the Nightlords were through with it.

>>5396257
I'm still afraid of Exterminatus

>>5396260
That's why you gotta find a way to spread like crazy. I mean, we're gonna be able to survive basically anywhere, right?

So as long as we're able to spread, we might not die out.

>>5396262
anywhere else will be fucking paradise in comparison to this Hellhole of a Planet. Food everywhere much less risk of getting cancer and shit like that.

So yeah. as soon as we have Faster Than Light Speed Travel we can just shoot for the next stars and start going nuts with expansion.

>>5396266
What about... Doing that but not really?
We are able to survive anywhere. So let's build bases in the more inhospitable place possible of target planets. Volcano rift, under the polar ice sheets, whatever to try to stay as low profile as possible.
Also, my "smell and pheromones" proposal would orient us toward a grouping, collaborating species since a young development. The plan is to start grouping and communicating as soon as possible. This benefits our sexual reproduction, and lay ground for advanced communication to start a real civilization.

>>5396269
oh sure that is good. We still need food though.

So maybe those habitable Worlds become our Agri Worlds and we just continue to colonize systems, crack apart Planets for Ressources and barely hospitable worlds become our Equivalent to Hives.

>>5396271
When we get to the point of Faster Than Light Speed Travel we are going to have tons of cultural splits going on all the time. The two big factions i see arising are the Heaven faction and the Hell faction. The Heaven faction will believe that they have grown as strong as they can from hardship and brutality. And that to grow stronger at this point in time will rely on finding heaven worlds to colonize for the sake of there people. The Hell faction will believe that to grow even stronger they will need to suffer and struggle even more for the right to live. And that there race should be colonizing worlds that will give them new struggles and burdens to overcome.

I really like the idea of better senses + pheromone segregation. The one species I can think of are the ants that use chemicals to communicate and coordinate, if we develop this so early and drop it once we are inteligent enough we already have a species with social skills and unionship between them.

>>5396335
Thanks, but why dropping it? We can develop some smell-encoding-by-radiowave! a first in the grim dark universe, plundered by adeptus mechanicus to fart on knights they don't like!

>>5396343
I mean... Either we spend so much time into evolving our pheromone senses to be over the top, maybe even using something from the Warp if we are smart enough to control it, but... Idk, from the Ants, if you brush your finger to their trail they don't no what to do next and start to walk aimlessly until they make the pheromone trail again.

That mixed with some really nasty Nurgle farts and other things, maybe the enemy could fuck with our pheromone system and get the upper hand. An alternative could be maybe some fear-inducing pheromones, but that could only work on Guardsmen or any unit that doesn't wear mask or is inside some mechsuit or special armor like the space marines.

>>5396327
You could also call them the ice giants and the fire giants, you know, like the Norse Jotunn? (Was there ice and fire giants??? Or was that just made up?)

>>5396084
>Evolve the sense of smell
>Improve on our vibration sense by making it so that the Flounders can differentiate between different types of vibrations, developing a sort of instinctual genetic memory that lets the flounder know that this particular vibration is a Lump Grazer and that vibration is a rock slide or a Double Mouther and so on.

We should improve on what we got for now, and not go too crazy with developing brand new senses and abilities.

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Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>5396087
>>5396113
>>5396128
>>5396187
>>5396193
>>5396211
>>5396418
You choose to evolve the Flounder Feeder’s sense of smell, to improve their success at hunting Lump Grazers and catching genetic material before it disperses.

To explain the mechanics of evolution, it is done in two phases. The consequence phase, where I explain how your latest evolution has fared and the shorter development phase, where I ask for rolls for your newest evolution. When you attempt to evolve a new trait or improve an already present evolution, you roll three 1d100. The first 1d100 is to determine the success of your evolution, lower is better, on a sliding scale: a 1 is game-changing, 2-11 is overwhelmingly positive, 12-40 is moderately positive, 41-80 is a partial development, 81-90 is moderately negative, and 91-99 is overwhelmingly negative, and 100 is crippling. The scale is tilted toward positive outcomes because failures usually fail to reproduce and this applies to your species as a whole. If you attempt to evolve too much too quickly, this scale will temporarily shift toward the negative as the harsh sun punishes you for innovation.

The second 1d100 is to determine your species’ genetic drift from radiation, again, lower is better, on a sliding scale: 1-20 is negligible, 21-40 is mild, 41-60 is an unplanned mutation, 61-80 is a new, offshoot competitor species, and 81-100 is an overall population decline. If your species grows more resilient toward radiation or finds a method of preserving its genome, this scale will change, and high results aren’t always negative in certain contexts. The third, final 1d100 is to determine the success of your deadliest competitors in their own evolution. Unlike your species, you want to roll high here, and the same scale is applied, though you won’t be aware of what their attempted evolution is until you see it in action.

In addition to the 1d100s you will be rolling, for every development phase, I will be rolling a 1d100 for the environment. This is a much narrower scale and lower is better for (You). 1 is an extreme positive change that leaves your species in a highly advantageous position, 2-11 is a positive change for the better, 12-89 means no change, 90-99 is a negative change that harms your species, and 100 is a mass extinction event. This will continue until your species has evolved to sapience or has fallen to extinction. As a predator, you will need to be cunning and ruthless to not only survive, but thrive.

Now… Let us begin. Give me three 1d100s.

>>5396084

I really think we should focus on a better tail with finer motor control. Smell let's us detect problems better, but not do anything about them. A tail with fine motor skills will:

1. Greatly enhance our ability to catch prey
2. Greatly enhance our ability to escape predators, thus starving them, thus making more prey.
3. Set us up for escaping environmental hazards when we can detect them better.

Better senses are great, once we can do something with the knowledge.

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>>5396430

Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>5396430

Rolled 12 (1d100)

>>5396430
LIMP WRISTED, INNEFECTUAL, WRONG HEADED AND PITIFUL.

>>5396438
>>5396439
Great jobs, both of you
>>5396445
At least you hit one tier lower...

Well, at least we'll have a very clear idea of how the apex predators are killing us.

>>5396451
It's fine, now we can detect them and flop away.

kek
nice

>>5396260
Dw, is not going to be a problem for a long time. Some choices might change things for the better to. Say being a species with larger population, more war like, creative, industrial, with a more suited government to them, integrating other aliens in their state and so on.
There might be things or other aliens that slow down, the inevitable contact too. Say a system goes super nova and the imperium fleet we will get in contact needs to travel 100 more systems or something.
But, it's possible an harsher type of planet will need more time for us to see the beginning of a basic civilization.

>>5396450
>>5396445
I will have to make more dark invocations and sacrifices to the dice gods, for though they are fickle, their hearts palpitate at the highs and lows of rolling.

Well, now we have better senses, better locomotion would be some pretty good synergy.

Then we might even be able to move on to object permanence and short term memory, be the coolest kid on the block.

What to do next. Possibilities I'm thinking of are:

1. A better tail. Speed, agility, accuracy, all things we could use.
2. Pheromone production. Not sure if we get this with our enhanced senses, but if not we could use it for rudimentary communication, which could start us as pack creatures.
3. Horns, poisons, and other predator deterrents. I'm thinking horns, we can also use them offensively to assault other predators and make them prey.

>>5396478
Maybe taste buds to go with our new noses to help us stop eating rocks all the time.

>>5396480
No, digest the rocks and use the minerals from them to create radiation resistant armor.

>>5396483
but not right now, right now fins would be better.

File: #1 Flounder Feeder Nose Flap.png (28 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5396430
>>5396438
>>5396439
>>5396445
>Deep beneath the ice sheets, a small Lump Grazer lies in a vegetative state, this underdeveloped ecosystem’s equivalent of sleep. Above, a Flounder Feeder flops with the tide. Under normal circumstances, the Lump Grazer’s lack of vibration would see it survive but the Flounder Feeder has a new adaption: the nose flap. As it passes, the Flounder Feeder catches the faint smell of its prey and just like that, the Lump Grazer’s fate is sealed. The Flounder Feeder’s stomach won’t be empty tonight.

The Flounder Feeder has successfully developed a basic sense of smell and a new organ to support it, a narrow hole just over its mouth, protected from rocks by a small, semi-permeable flap that permits the passage of scent. Usually. Occasionally, chunks of meat get stuck in the hole and cause the Flounder Feeder to flop in circles trying to catch nonexistent prey but this doesn’t wipe out a significant percentage of the population. Almost more important than more easily catching prey is smelling predators, which the Flounder Feeder starts to recognize as not-prey and tries to flop away from. This isn’t infallible and mistakes are made but many less Flounder Feeders are diving into rockslides and picking fights with Double Mouthers than their ancestors. This in combination with sensing clouds of genetic material as “prey” have caused their population to grow significantly. Now, they are a major contender with the Shuffler in terms of efficiency.

>1/2

File: #2 Double Mouther Tail Fin.png (34 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5396487
Luckily, the environment hasn’t changed and the ambient, searing radiation hasn’t yet caused enough divergence to make a new species. The Flounder Feeder is in a much better spot than before. Unluckily, the Flounder Feeder isn’t the only species that’s been improving. The Double Mouther has started to grow a tail fin and sturdier core muscles, allowing it to swim with the tide much swifter. This hasn’t improved its survivability but in terms of catching Lump Grazers and Flounder Feeders, it has become much deadlier. This is a significant problem that could worsen over time if a countermeasure isn’t made. For now, the Double Mouther isn’t devouring every Flounder Feeder that isn’t killed by the rocks and many more manage to age enough to die of cancer, which is a major improvement. Overall, the Flounder Feeder is in a much more stable position than they were several hundred thousand generations ago.

>How should the Flounder Feeder evolve?

>2/2

I'm tied between mobility and radiation resistance.
Sell me your favorite option.

>>5396489
Rudimentary tail and pelvic fins

>>5396489
we must improve our digestive system and our tail

>>5396494
rad resistance would help some of us live longer
A tail would help avoid predators and make us faster.
Both are good because we're probably going to be doing both at some point soon.
>>5396489
but I vote for speed and mobility with a tail and stronger muscles to use the tail because it synergizes best with smell

>>5396489

I really want fins, but I'm going to put my vote as

> Defensive horns that badly wound or kill predators that try to eat us.

Ideally this would deter the double mouth, and the shuffler both, and double as a weapon down the road.

I kinda wanna say radiation resistance is the way to go right now cause those unplanned mutations are gonna be getting in our way in the long run as we arnt always gonna get low rolls. Also perhaps to help our species live longer since they are currently dying of cancer as old age.

>>5396489
two spiky pincers form at the start of our mouth, for cut and grab preys

>>5396494
4 small fins along our body
primitive ears
primitive eyes
better reproduction system (make more offsprings, keep them inside a sack ecc)
communication for act together instead of alone
two horns form on the top of our head, for attack and defend
our tail becomes more stronger and longer, for better movement

I think we should get mroe mobility

>>5396489
Cartilaginous bones located around the body to provide greater stability.

You guys, we won't be able to have proper fins if we don't have bones. If we don't have bones they'll just be meatflaps.

>>5396531
nah, we should eventually get an exoskeleton that also protects against radiation

>>5396489
>Develop a poison sack within the Flounders bodies, warding off any potential predators that would eat a Flounder by poisoning whatever eats it.
>Develop a stronger tail with a design that is better suited to swimming in the crushing depths.

I don't think growing horns is going to help much when we don't have the strong muscles necessary to really gore our predators, although I would be supportive of just growing general bony spikes all over our bodies, I feel like that would be a better alternative for now.

also things like becoming bigger, longer. Or gaining resistance against temperatures or resistance against pressure, would allow us to move farther away really.

>>5396538
>>5396503

Brittle but nasty sharp spines/spikes seems like a good defense, I'll switch to that from horns. Probably won't help individual survival, but taking out one predator saves many lives.

>>5396489
Improve mobility/agility overall by flattening tail and increasing Core Strength.

Allows us to avoid predators better and kill prey easier.

>>5396489
We have so many things we need right now but can only get one a a time. So what we need is something vital. I say what we need is true sexual organs so we can breed properly at this point. It may come to a point where we need to out number our enemy's to out last them.

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>5396496
>>5396501
>>5396502
>>5396522
>>5396535
>>5396576
You choose to evolve the Flounder Feeder’s tail, to improve its mobility and increase its chances of survival. Despite being one of the Flounder Feeder’s most vital body parts, it is weak and delicate, barely able to adjust the direction that the waves are throwing a Flounder Feeder. The status quo cannot continue if the Flounder Feeders are to survive.

>Roll 3 1d100s

File: #3 Flounder Feeder Tail.png (21 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5396614
Forgot the photorealistic anatomic diagram. Although, it looks like you're in luck.

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>5396614

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>5396614

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>5396614

Agh those rolls

>>5396625
well our competitors will not be too succesful.

But our own Mutation is not too great either......

But the Enviroment favors us for the moment and only slight genetic drift as well.

>>5396628
At least that. Time for more evolution

File: #1 Flounder Feeder Crooke(...).png (22 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5396614
>>5396617
>>5396618
>>5396619
>Alone in the darkness, a Flounder Feeder catches the scent of a potential Growth Lump. Driven by the prospect of food, it turns and starts to swim in its direction but between the curve of its tail and the strength of the water, it is unable to resist being spun end over end and flung far away from sustenance.

The Flounder Feeder’s tail has changed, arguably for the worse. The emergence of a dominant curving motion has warped its body, to go from a straight line supporting a wide mouth into a top-heavy oaf, even clumsier than its predecessor! It’s become difficult for a Flounder Feeder to catch Growth Lumps by swimming directly as its own tail shape fights it. Some have found success by flipping their tails upward and their front downward at the same time, to tumble at prey, but this is inefficient and disorients their sense of vibration to make it a gamble. Occasionally suicidal, as the increased movement attracts Double Mouthers who are quick to take advantage of their decreased agility. If there is one upside, it’s that sheer natural selection has increased muscle mass in the tail.

>1/3

File: #2 Shuffler Grows In Size.png (26 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5396644
Due to the Double Mouther’s success, the Shufflers have started to undergo a change. With those too small to resist the Double Mouthers being eaten easily, only larger Shufflers survive to reproduce. On average, this means that their size has increased, making them much more dangerous prey but also changing their vibrations, making mistakes much rarer from the Flounder Feeders. The Double Mouther predation of the Shufflers hasn’t slowed and only fate knows what the future may hold.

>2/3

File: #3 Growth Lump Flow.png (35 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5396645
Environmentally, there has been a significant change. Rather than sit and accumulate over time, some Growth Lumps have taken a major step to develop buoyancy and flow with the waves to hopefully bounce into brighter reaches! This has caused an explosion in the Growth Lump population and consequently, the number of Lump Grazers has grown tremendously! This means there is more food in more places, offsetting the inefficiency of the Flounder Feeder’s movement. Of course, the Flounder Feeder’s rivals are benefitting just as well. The radiation hasn’t dimmed but apart from an increase in tumors, nothing too notable on that front has happened.

>How should the Flounder Feeder evolve?

>3/3

>>5396646
Hmm, increased muscle mass? Might be wise to evolve it in a way so as to be able to...you know, get an more even out body?

>>5396646
>Grow stabilizers to assit with movement and make it smoother by taking more advatage of the currents.
>Generally BULK UP

>>5396651
+1

>>5396646
The more senses we have the better. So taste, increased touch, hearing, or even eye balls will help a lot.

>>5396646

Oh god, we're tumbleweed monsters. Anything to enhance our stability and become proficient swimmers.

>>5396646
>>5396651 +2

>>5396651
+1 to this but also grow bony spikes all over our bodies to dissuade predators from taking a bite.

>>5396531
Bones are for pussies

>>5396646
We are on a warpy planet and we haven't used any of that yet, so how about some kind of warp sense, to sense other living creatures through the warp.

>>5396680
We're too stupid for warp stuff

>>5396685
You don't need a brain to use the warp, just a soul.

>>5396651
+1

>>5396691
Are you suggesting our wiggling meat sock has an immortal soul?

>>5396700
We're on a planet so terrible it shouldn't have any life on it, but it does. The only thing that would cause that is the warp, so yes.

>>5396651
Support though the other ideas are cool

>>5396651
Support. We need to fix the last turn's fuck upped roll

>>5396651
+1
Proper mobility of some sort is kind of a must. Especially as a predator.

Now that I think about it, the easiest way for us to get off this rock is teleportation, instead of rockets.

>>5396750
Or gravity manipulation tech.

>>5396750
Telerocketation.

File: #1 Flounder Feeder Flexin(...).png (24 KB, 2000x2000)

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Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>5396651
>>5396654
>>5396666
>>5396667
>>5396694
>>5396711
>>5396723
>>5396736
You choose to evolve assisting stabilizers and increase muscle mass to improve the Flounder Feeder’s mobility. The abundance of Lump Grazers from the buoyant Growth Lumps can’t be counted on to keep the Flounder Feeder population stable forever.

>Roll 3 1d100s

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>5396757

>>5396757

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>5396757

Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>5396757

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>5396757

>>5396761
I fucked that one up.

>>5396766
And there goes a random mutation

More grazers floating means less food for shufflers, who already need more calories to support their large size. I'm guessing double mouthers will develop mouths or tongues with more surface area to catch more grazers. With any luck, it could prey on them exclusively, or at least stop hunting us actively.

File: #2 Flounder Feeder Bulked.png (26 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5396759
>>5396766
>>5396767
>A Flounder Feeder catches the scent of a Lump Grazer on the tide. It turns against the flow, angling itself toward the smell. The wave buffets it further but stiff, fleshy protrusions disperse the impact and a powerful, relatively speaking, muscle in a much thicker tail pushes, slowly but surely flopping the Flounder Feeder toward what will be its survival.

Rather than try to backpedal, the Flounder Feeder has doubled down on the curve in its tail to grow critical muscle mass and three small, inert but vital stabilizers to ease its motion. This has improved the Flounder Feeder’s movement considerably. It may not be as swift as its ancestors were when the tide was in its favour but unlike them, it is capable of defying it to move sideways if it smells prey. The Flounder Feeder’s stamina can’t keep up energetic movement for long and it’s still prone to tumbling but it is a major improvement.

>1/4

File: #3 Skinny Flipper.png (24 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5396826
However, due to constant radioactivity all is not well. A major population has broken away from the Flounder Feeders to take the opposite approach to preserving its mobility: to slim down and reduce the little weight it has. These Skinny Flippers are nimbler than Flounder Feeders, can match the speed of their pre-curve ancestors, and are able to reliably tumble in the direction of where a Lump Grazer can be smelled. Now, the Flounder Feeders, Skinny Flippers, and Shufflers are all competing for the same Lump Grazer population. If not for the increased number of Growth Lumps for them to subsist on, it’s likely the Lump Grazer population would drop and encourage fierce natural selection among its predators. For now, things are at an equilibrium.

>2/4

File: #4 Double Mouther Tongue (...).png (30 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5396828
The improved strength, agility, and size of its lesser predators have caused selection pressure to escalate for the Double Mouther population. Luckily for them, their large size, dual mouths, and tail fin are powerful adaptions and its status as apex predator is still unchallenged. Unluckily for their prey, their tongues have grown in length and flexibility, which makes escape an even narrower possibility for those they’ve caught. If the Flounder Feeders were capable of thought, it’s likely they would be frightened of the Double Mouthers’ sheer reach and speed.

>3/4

File: #5 Flounder Feeder Riddle(...).png (32 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5396829
Far, far away in the void, the planet’s star has begun to undergo a (astronomically-speaking) brief period of turbulence. This means the radiation that’s already been killing the most successful Flounder Feeders has intensified and is giving them cancer in half of the time on average. Their lifespan has dropped massively and the Flounder Feeder population is struggling to reproduce enough to outpace the lethality. This is an even greater problem when it’s considered that it’s affecting everything, from the lowly Lump Grazer to the proud Double Mouther. The only population left largely unscathed are the Growth Lumps themselves, already resilient to the risk of tumors due to their unicellular nature. Life beneath the ice needs to adapt fast or risk being left behind.

>How should the Flounder Feeders evolve?

>4/4

>>5396830
We need to get radiation resistance NOW

>>5396830
Radiation resistance is a must now to adapt to these changes

>>5396830
Radiation resistant exoskeleton. Not only will it act as armor and protection from the sun, but also a solid structure to better utilize future muscular growth.

>>5396830
Rad resistance and or teeth

>>5396830
Rad resistance armor
and
two spiky pincers form at the start of our mouth, for cut and grab preys

>>5396830
Rad resistance

Can’t help the dice, but good choices so far.

>>5396830
Rad resistant exoskeleton, made of the minerals from all the rocks and silt we ingest.

>>5396830
Cellular stability may be the only way to survive this in any way shape or form.

>>5396830
Rad res. Rad res NOW.
>Inb4 we turn into crons.

File: #1 Decisions, Decisions....png (34 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5396833
>>5396835
>>5396836
>>5396842
>>5396845
>>5396871
>>5396880
>>5396884
>>5396903
You choose to evolve radiation resistance but there are many ways to increase resistance to radiation.

>Which do you want to evolve for your species?

>Slower Metabolism: Slower cell division makes cancer less likely to occur and less dangerous when it does. This decreases the amount of food necessary to sustain the Flounder Feeders and means they spend less time in a vegetative state but their overall activity is reduced. They also heal more slowly but at this point almost any injury is already fatal.
>Genome Fortification: Making the genome sturdier makes lethal changes from radiation less likely to occur. This is the most direct and immediately effective option if all goes well but can very slightly reduce the speed of evolution due to a static gene sequence.
>Anti-Radiation Shielding: A sturdy layer of cartilage encasing the fleshy bodies of the Flounder Feeders, it stops ambient radiation from penetrating deeper than the very slow dividing surface. This still causes cancer, only slower, requires increased nutrients to sustain, and increases the weight that the Flounder Feeders need to move but has the added bonus of higher resilience to more direct trauma.

If you have a fourth or fifth suggestion, you can also go down that route. These are just the most obvious.

>>5396912
>>Genome Fortification: Making the genome sturdier makes lethal changes from radiation less likely to occur. This is the most direct and immediately effective option if all goes well but can very slightly reduce the speed of evolution due to a static gene sequence
Of the provided options this is the least bad.

>>5396912
>Anti-Radiation Shielding: A sturdy layer of cartilage encasing the fleshy bodies of the Flounder Feeders, it stops ambient radiation from penetrating deeper than the very slow dividing surface. This still causes cancer, only slower, requires increased nutrients to sustain, and increases the weight that the Flounder Feeders need to move but has the added bonus of higher resilience to more direct trauma
Want this cause i saw people suggesting exo skeleton and this is a step in that direction

>>5396912
>Anti-Radiation Shielding

>>5396912
>>Anti-Radiation Shielding: A sturdy layer of cartilage encasing the fleshy bodies of the Flounder Feeders, it stops ambient radiation from penetrating deeper than the very slow dividing surface. This still causes cancer, only slower, requires increased nutrients to sustain, and increases the weight that the Flounder Feeders need to move but has the added bonus of higher resilience to more direct trauma

We have lots of food (the lump growths are fine), especially if our competitors die out to radiation, so we can survive being slower.

>>5396912
>Anti-Radiation Shielding: A sturdy layer of cartilage encasing the fleshy bodies of the Flounder Feeders, it stops ambient radiation from penetrating deeper than the very slow dividing surface. This still causes cancer, only slower, requires increased nutrients to sustain, and increases the weight that the Flounder Feeders need to move but has the added bonus of higher resilience to more direct trauma.

>>5396912
>Genome Fortification: Making the genome sturdier makes lethal changes from radiation less likely to occur. This is the most direct and immediately effective option if all goes well but can very slightly reduce the speed of evolution due to a static gene sequence.
Can we attempt two innovations? Fortification and Shielding would both be beneficial.

>>5396912
>>Anti-Radiation Shielding: A sturdy layer of cartilage encasing the fleshy bodies of the Flounder Feeders, it stops ambient radiation from penetrating deeper than the very slow dividing surface. This still causes cancer, only slower, requires increased nutrients to sustain, and increases the weight that the Flounder Feeders need to move but has the added bonus of higher resilience to more direct trauma
Gooo

How about an aggressive immune response where we physically eject tumors from the body? We can co-op it later for expelling poisons too.

>>5396912
>Genome Fortification: Making the genome sturdier makes lethal changes from radiation less likely to occur. This is the most direct and immediately effective option if all goes well but can very slightly reduce the speed of evolution due to a static gene sequence.
Anti-Radiation Shielding doesn't actually cure the cancer, it just makes it slower. Anti-Genome means you get to have way less chance of cancer.

>>5396938
Doesn’t that also just make the cancer slower, then, through a different mechanism? Neither cures cancer, they’re preventative measures.

>>5396948
Yes it does. Same time, are we going with Exoskeleton or endoskeleton? cuz if we are going exoskeleton the anti-rad armor is better, if endoskeleton genome fortification is better.

>>5396948
Genome Fortification reduces the chances of cancer, anti-radiation shielding reduces the effects of cancer by making it so it starts on the slow-changing armor.

>>5396912
>Anti-Radiation Shielding: A sturdy layer of cartilage encasing the fleshy bodies of the Flounder Feeders, it stops ambient radiation from penetrating deeper than the very slow dividing surface. This still causes cancer, only slower, requires increased nutrients to sustain, and increases the weight that the Flounder Feeders need to move but has the added bonus of higher resilience to more direct trauma.

Time for shellfish

>>5396912
>>Anti-Radiation Shielding: A sturdy layer of cartilage encasing the fleshy bodies of the Flounder Feeders, it stops ambient radiation from penetrating deeper than the very slow dividing surface. This still causes cancer, only slower, requires increased nutrients to sustain, and increases the weight that the Flounder Feeders need to move but has the added bonus of higher resilience to more direct trauma.

>>5396912
>Anti-Radiation Shielding: A sturdy layer of cartilage encasing the fleshy bodies of the Flounder Feeders, it stops ambient radiation from penetrating deeper than the very slow dividing surface. This still causes cancer, only slower, requires increased nutrients to sustain, and increases the weight that the Flounder F

>>5396912
>Anti-Radiation Shielding: A sturdy layer of cartilage encasing the fleshy bodies of the Flounder Feeders, it stops ambient radiation from penetrating deeper than the very slow dividing surface. This still causes cancer, only slower, requires increased nutrients to sustain, and increases the weight that the Flounder Feeders need to move but has the added bonus of higher resilience to more direct trauma.
Just too cool to pass up.

>>5395652
Like some of you said, intentionally using the Warp to do something requires one of two things: a conscious mind capable of sensing the immaterium or emotions, the stronger the better, to channel it instinctively. At the moment there are no life forms with a higher consciousness. Everything is operating on the unconscious instinct to reproduce, consume, and avoid danger. Some only have the urge of consumption and have no sense for danger. In the beginning the Flounder Feeders didn't have a sense of danger but you lucked out on the nose flap and gained the instinct to use your new sense of smell to the maximum. To unintentionally use the Warp only requires that the Warp exists in your species' proximity. This is very unstable and extremely dangerous, to put it lightly, but evolving some kind of organ to get a headstart is very doable. Physical solutions are reliable and efficient but with maximum Warp Saturation they aren't the only option.

>>5396921
You can attempt both at the same time but it increases the complexity, which is dangerous. The safest way to evolve is to do it incrementally but that's also the least dynamic way to evolve, which can be risky if the environment changes unexpectedly. There's also nothing stopping you from evolving different forms of radiation resistance and stacking them later or doubling down on one method to improve it.

>>5396933
You can try to evolve an aggressive immune response to preemptively target tumors. There might be some complications but it might turn out fine. There's no way to be sure.

File: #2 Flounder Feeder Dead b(...).png (29 KB, 2000x2000)

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Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>5396914
>>5396916
>>5396917
>>5396918
>>5396923
>>5396956
>>5396962
>>5396968
>>5396987
You choose to evolve Anti-Radiation Shielding, to have a thick protective layer between the tender flesh of the Flounder Feeders and the hateful glare of your planet’s harsh sun. If successful, this will make the Flounder Feeders less swift and require them to take in more food but will also reduce early deaths by cancer and serve as an early foundation for future improvements.

>Roll 3 1d100s.

Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>5397013

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>5397013
lets hope for a good roll.

Rolled 84 (1d100)

>>5397013

File: #3 Flounder Feeder Anti-R(...).png (30 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5397013
>>5397014
>>5397018
>>5397020
>Beneath the searing radiation from above, the Flounder Feeder tumbles forward almost unharmed. Its latest adaption, a layer of cartilage the width of a human finger, shields it from the consequences of immediate exposure. While many species are wracked with cancer, its damage is limited to two flecks in its hide. They will kill it, eventually, but by then it will have spread its genetic material and kept its species from extinction.

The Flounder Feeder has managed to develop rudimentary anti-radiation shielding. This is a stopgap measure but it is something where many more species have nothing. The handful of local days its layer buys are more than worth its weight in nutrients. It is weak, delicate, easily broken by stones. It is also far less critical to the Flounder Feeder’s continued survival than its even softer tail and fragile stomach. Thanks to it, the Flounder Feeder population has stayed stable despite the increased radiation.

>1/3

File: #4 Flounder Feeder Slows (...).png (42 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5397063
Extreme natural selection tends to cause population divergence quickly. One example of this is the Lazy Feeder, a wide range of Flounder Feeders that opted to dramatically slow their metabolism instead of investing nutrients into a protective layer. They barely swim any more, bobbing in the water without reaction to their surroundings. This makes them less likely to catch prey but they don’t need to catch as much as their evolutionary brothers. They simply take what they can get and are largely harmless. In time, they might even transition into an omnivorous or scavenger species. Their cousin, the Skinny Flippers, are faring no better than most.

>2/3

File: #5 Double Mouther Suffers(...).png (50 KB, 2000x2000)

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>>5397064
The most immediate impact of the increased radioactivity is in the Double Mouthers. With their reproduction strategy of budding, they’ve been dangerously slow to adapt to the threat of cancer and their population has started to plummet. Where they were once a constant threat to the Flounder Feeders they are now an uncommon, if deadly encounter. This has left a small gap in the food chain. The Double Mouthers might recover but this might present an opportunity worth taking. At the same time, there's no risk in exclusively feeding on Lump Grazers. Far away, the red sun burns without a care for its children.

>How should the Flounder Feeder evolve?

>3/3

>>5397067
>A more efficient digestive system.

>>5397067
>Genome Fortification: Making the genome sturdier makes lethal changes from radiation less likely to occur. This is the most direct and immediately effective option if all goes well but can very slightly reduce the speed of evolution due to a static gene sequence.
Rads are lasting WAAAAAAY long. Lets go for double or nothing and (probably( never fear rads again. Dont really want to become crons.

>>5397067
Im going to say try to improve our tail or movement overall since we suffered a bit of a penalty due to our sheilding

>>5397067
Chelicerae (mouth pincers) to be used offensively and to tear food up so we can eat things too large to fully fit in our mouth.

>>5397088
This.

>>5397067
Improve Our manuverability

>>5397067
>>5397085
I'll change to improved movement.

>>5397067
Improved movement, take advantage of the sudden dearth of competition.

>>5397067
>that one anon's cancer ejecting immune system idea
Maybe we could eject and then eat our own tumors for maximum nutrients

>>5397067
>Mouth Pincers+Pack mentality. The idea being that with the Double Mouths now weakened and their population dwindling, the Flounders will begin to add them to their prey, by way of naturally being inclined to group together into hunting packs and along with their new mouth pincers, can overwhelm the solitary Doubles they find with sheer numbers and tear them to shreds with their pincers.

More important than the pincers is the pack mentality I think, if we roll well it will not only let us gang up and easily defeat the naturally solitary Doubles but also protect against more deadly and numerous predators, as well as getting us started on the absolutely necessary species trait of sociability, a must if we are to advance and form strong communities and societies later down the line.

Once we’ve taken advantage of the chaos to establish ourselves as the most successful predators, I think pheromone communication- to find mates, avoid over hunting or warn others of danger- would be good.

After that, maybe the beginnings of intelligence, or organisms protecting their children?

>>5397113
Just don't have cancer.

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>>5397090
>>5397096
>>5397100
>>5397111
You choose to evolve the Flounder Feeder's mobility, to improve its survivability and make the most of the Double Mouthers' population decline.

>Roll 3 1d100s.

Rolled 49 (1d100)

>>5397166

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>5397166
THE SMELL OF BLOOD, THE TASTE OF GASOLINE, MILLIONS OF YEARS OF LIFE REDUCED TO FUEL

Rolled 37 (1d100)

>>5397166

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>5397166

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>5397166
I forgot the environmental roll. I'll be posting the update in roughly 8-10 hours. I won't be able to update as frequently as this for most of the week as I'm off on wednesdays but I'll be updating at least once per day. Twice if I can.

These rolls... oh no...

>>5397224
np thanks
man those rolls lmao

God we cannot roll to save our life.

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>>5397167
>>5397168
>>5397171
>The moons make the ice crash and shatter on itself, just as they turn the waters below turbulent and violent. A Flounder Feeder struggles against the tide to avoid being dashed on the rocks. It turns and pushes its tail, normally a doomed effort, but the long, thin spokes jutting from its cartilage make it possible. They catch the water, slowing its momentum just enough to flop forward. It misses a ridge by half its body length and will never know how close to death it came.

The Flounder Feeder’s stabilizers have grown longer and noticeably more effective, letting them turn more efficiently. At the same time, they’re prone to catching on passing objects and their thin width and soft material makes them brittle. It isn’t uncommon for a Flounder Feeder to have one of its stabilizers snapped and missing but it’s uncommon for them to die from this alone. It is possibly the quickest turning predator in the narrow band ecosystem, though this isn’t by an enormous margin.

>1/2

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>>5397457
The merciless radioactivity has exterminated vast swathes of the Skinny Flipper population. It has even been brought to the brink of extinction but sheer natural selection has held death at bay. Because so many of the Skinny Flippers are dying earlier than they can reproduce more than once, they’ve adapted to make the most of the one chance they have. Now, instead of only two or three offspring, a Skinny Flipper’s burst pouch releases an average of three or four. This has a major impact and allows its population to crawl back from the abyss. It isn’t yet dominant by weight of numbers but that is a dangerous possibility. The Double Mouther is undeniably the apex predator but with its low population, there is no one dominant species for now.

>How should the Flounder Feeders evolve?

>2/2

>>5397460
>Mouth Pincers to shred larger potential food sources
>increased muscle Strength to deal with the extreme tides.

>>5397463
+1
I would vote for developing group behaviour, as it would probably be the best way of ensuring we stay ahead of the competition, but if we can only swallow prey there is little room for cooperative hunting. Once we have pincers multiple Flounders could shred prey apart together.
And mobility is always good

>>5397460
No emergency for now... Let's progress toward a smart species
>Grouping instinct. Stay around lump grazer population, better reproduction, less wandering of the band.

>Op promised 8 hours update. Op delivered. Op is a good Op

>>5397460
>Eyes, to properly start hunting prey
>Teeth and a more efficient digestive system
Next we should should focus on regeneration, potentially just cellular regeneration.

>>5397468
Support

>>5397469
Supporting

Lump Grazers are easy enough, but we’ll need to work as a group to take down other predators

>>5397481
+1
This struggling to stay alive thing is for the dogs. Its time we tried to fix that so our lives will be easier at some distant point in time.

>>5397460
Mouth parts to bite things

>>5397460
>Turbo anti-cancer immune system
It'll pay off the most in the long run

>>5397463
support, cut and grab time

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>>5397463
>>5397468
>>5397482
>>5397497
>>5397502
You choose to evolve mouth pincers to make the consumption of prey too large to fit into a Flounder Feeder’s mouth possible. Combined with their sense of smell, this could make them a truly dangerous predator.

>Roll 3 1d100s

Rolled 14 (1d100)

Maybe I'll put up a post-it note to remind me.

am >>5397469, ID might have changed

Alright, I've done a bit of thinking :
What is necessary for our long-term survival? colonising planets. So we need our species to navigate space. I'd love it to be intelligent technology-developping species. Based on what we have on earth, we need :
>Dexterous movement : Hands for humans, tentacles of octopi, elephant's trump...
>Cultural transmission : what octopi lacks imo to create a civilisation
>Advanced intelligence.

The mouth-pincers that seems to win can evolve into tentacle-shaped face horrors, that would grind towards our goal. I think each turn, we should either solve an immediate crisis (movement, radiation...) or grind toward sentient civilization.

What's your thoughts, anons?

>>5397463
Supporting rip and tear. We need some way to eat things bigger than our mouth. If we're lucky this will push the double mouth right into extinction.

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>5397507

Rolled 30 (1d100)

>>5397507

>>5397507
did you forget enviorment again?

>>5397510
>>5397514
Alright, dice have spoken. I am forbidden to make plans now.

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>5397514
>>5397515
>>5397521
Well, at least our competition is failing even harder then us and the environment isn't fucking us over.
We can probably just try again

Well atleast someone else has it worse than us with this round of evolution

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>>5397521
What have you brought upon this accused land?