Bad mutations

Here is a list of all the bad mutations you can acquire. Although some may have valuable uses, they are at best mixed blessings. See good mutations for the other sort.

Offensive

Many of these mutations will prevent your character from wearing items in certain equipment slots. While this penalty may outweigh the gain your character receives, bear in mind that races which cannot use those slots (ogres, trolls, felids, etc.) anyway lose nothing.

Claws

Improves the damage of your Unarmed Combat fist attacks. Damage rises with rank. At rank 3, gloves are prohibited. Trolls start at rank 3, ghouls at rank 1. The felid mutation is technically separate but equivalent to rank 1. Any rank allows you to butcher corpses bare-handed.

1.You have sharp fingernails. 2. You have very sharp fingernails. 3. You have claws for hands.

Beak

Grants an auxiliary Unarmed Combat peck attack. Helmets are prohibited. Tengu start with this. Can be used to butcher corpses in combination with the Talons mutation.

You have a beak for a mouth.

Horns

Grants an auxiliary Unarmed Combat butt attack. Damage rises with rank. At any rank, helmets are prohibited. At rank 3, all headgear is prohibited. Minotaurs start at rank 2.

1.You have a pair of small horns on your head. 2. You have a pair of horns on your head. 3. You have a pair of large horns on your head.

Hooves

Grants an auxiliary Unarmed Combat kick attack. Damage rises with rank. At rank 3, boots are prohibited. Centaurs start at rank 3.

1. You have large cloven feet. 2. You have hoof-like feet. 3. You have hooves in place of feet.

Talons

Grants an auxiliary Unarmed Combat kick attack. Damage rises with rank. At rank 3, boots are prohibited. Tengu start at rank 3 with a unique description. Any rank combined with the Beak mutation allows you to butcher corpses bare-footed.

1. You have sharp toenails. 2. You have razor-sharp toenails. 3. You have claws for feet. Tengu. You have talons in place of feet.

Angry

Grants a chance of going berserk every time you attack. ("You feel a little pissed off.") Chance of berserking rises with rank (1%, 3%, 9%), while chance of passing out decreases. Clarity negates it.

1. You tend to lose your temper in combat. 2. You often lose your temper in combat. 3. You have an uncontrollable temper.

Defensive

Deformed Body

Reduces AC provided by your body armour by half its base AC. Does not affect AC from any other source, and bonus AC from your Armour skill is still calculated based on the armour's full base AC. Ranks 2 and 3 have no further effect, other than making the mutation harder to remove. Nagas and Centaurs start at rank 1.

1.Armour fits poorly on your unusually shaped body. 2. Armour fits poorly on your deformed body. 3. Armour fits poorly on your badly deformed body.

Scream

Causes you to shout periodically, as though you'd pressed the "!" key. Higher ranks mean more shouting and also makes your shouts louder.

1. You occasionally shout uncontrollably. 2. You sometimes yell uncontrollably. 3. You frequently scream uncontrollably.

Movement

Slowness

Slows your movement speed by multiplying your current speed score by 1.2 each rank. Does not affect your alternate forms. Nagas start at rank 2.

1. You cover ground slowly. 2. You cover ground very slowly. 3. You cover ground extremely slowly.

Teleportitis

Grants teleportitis, similar to a ring of teleportation. Higher ranks increase frequency. An amulet of stasis negates it and other teleportation, while teleport control allows it to be controlled at the cost of glow.

1. Space occasionally distorts in your vicinity. 2. Space sometimes distorts in your vicinity. 3. Space frequently distorts in your vicinity.

Perception

Blurry Vision

Grants a cumulative 20% chance to fail reading a book or scroll per rank. Any rank disables passive scanning for traps.

1. Your vision is a little blurry. 2. Your vision is quite blurry. 3. Your vision is extremely blurry.

Antennae

Lets you detect any monsters within a certain radius of you, even if invisible or through walls - usefully, this includes mimics. Prohibits use of helmets. Demonspawn may receive this upon leveling up. Rank 1: 3 tile radius (including the player). Rank 2: 5 tile radius. Rank 3: 7 tiles, plus gives see invisible.

1. You have a pair of small antennae on your head. 2. You have a pair of antennae on your head. 3. You have a pair of large antennae on your head.

Diet

Herbivorous

Each rank increases the nutrition gained from vegetation while reducing that of meat, including chunks. Rank 3 prohibits eating any meat. Centaurs start at rank 1, and Spriggans start at rank 3.

1. You digest meat inefficiently. 2. You digest meat very inefficiently. 3. You are a herbivore.

Fast Metabolism

Each rank increases the nutrition cost of all actions by 1. Trolls start at rank 3, while centaurs start at rank 2.

1. You have a fast metabolism. 2. You have a very fast metabolism. 3. Your metabolism is lightning-fast.

General

Deteriorating Body

Causes periodic, temporary stat loss. Higher rank increases frequency. A ring of sustain abilities will negate this. Natural recovery from stat loss tends to keep rank 1 in check. Ranks 2 and 3 will eventually kill you via stat death if allowed to progress unchecked.

1. Your body is slowly deteriorating. 2. Your body is deteriorating. 3. Your body is rapidly deteriorating.

Flexible Muscles

Each rank grants +1 DEX and -1 STR. This mutation is mutually exclusive with Stiff Muscles.

1. Your muscles are flexible, but weak. 2. Your muscles are very flexible, but weak. 3. Your muscles are extremely flexible, but weak.

Frail

Each rank reduces max HP by 10%. This mutation is mutually exclusive with Robust.

1. You are frail. 2. You are very frail. 3. You are extremely frail.

Low Magic

Each rank reduces max MP by 10%. This mutation is mutually exclusive with Energetic.

1. Your magical capacity is low. 2. Your magical capacity is very low. 3. Your magical capacity is extremely low.

Reduced Attributes

Gives you -1 to an attribute per rank, up to -14 for each. Each of these mutations is mutually exclusive with its Improved Attribute counterpart.

You are weak. You are dopey. You are clumsy.

Slow Healing

Each level of this mutation decreases your regeneration rate by one third. This effect also affects the recovery rate of stat loss. At level 3, you will be unable the recover HP or attributes naturally.

You heal slowly. You heal very slowly. You do not heal naturally.

Stiff Muscles

Each rank grants +1 STR and -1 DEX. ("Your muscles feel sore.") This mutation is mutually exclusive with Flexible Muscles.

1. Your muscles are strong, but stiff. 2. Your muscles are very strong, but stiff. 3. Your muscles are extremely strong, but stiff.

Jiyva

These mutations can only be acquired as gifts while worshiping Jiyva.

Pseudopods

Grants an auxiliary Unarmed Combat slap attack. Each rank increases damage by 4. Also reduces AC benefits of equipment like the Deformed Body mutation.

1. Armour fits poorly on your pseudopods. 2. Armour fits poorly on your large pseudopods. 3. Armour fits poorly on your massive pseudopods.

Spawn Jelly

Eating food may create a neutral jelly (hostile if you no longer worship Jiyva).

You occasionally spawn a jelly by eating.