COORDINATORS
In the Cosmic Era (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED) Coordinators are genetically enhanced human beings, which can have a number of enhanced traits including faster learning, and stronger and faster bodies that are virtually immune to diseases. They closely resemble the Augments from Star Trek as they are physically and mentally superior to normal humans. Another similarity to the Augments that Coordinators share is the fact that they are feared and hated by Naturals, as the Augments were to humans.
It should be noted that in Star Trek, dislike for Augments was due to the fact that they were extremely aggressive and dangerous. In Gundam SEED, Coordinators were disliked because they were envied, as well as dislike of Genetic Engineering.
THE FIRST COORDINATOR
In Cosmic Era 15, the highly respected man named George Glenn announced the shocking news that he was the first Coordinator, being born following a genetic manipulation procedure, resulting in a human "engineered" to be better. He disclosed the entire process to create a Coordinator to the public.
The genetic modifications that create a Coordinator had to be performed in the earliest stages of embryonic development. The Coordinator embryo was then reinserted back into its mother for gestation. These genetic enhancements are then passed on to the Coordinator's children without the need for more enhancements. When Natural parents have their children turned into Coordinators, the children are described as first-generation Coordinators, whose own children will then be second-generation Coordinators, and so forth.
Those who were born naturally - that is, without this procedure - became known as "Naturals".
COORDINATORS AND NATURALS
For many years, after George Glenn's revelation, Coordinators remained illegal. When the ban was repealed, in the CE 30's, the Coordinator boom started and lasted until the CE 50's. Following the rapid and widespread diffusion of Coordinators, major social unrest followed, throwing the world into chaos. Many Naturals started to oppose the Coordinators out of jealousy for their abilities and ethics, stating that they were created unnaturally. Anti-Coordinator pressure groups, such as Blue Cosmos, began labeling Coordinators as unhuman and declaring they had to be wiped out "for a blue and pure world".
As the major political blocs began building the space colonies, known as PLANTs, these gradually became a new home for Coordinators. The Naturals intended to make the Earth their exclusive domain, although it was not uncommon to find Coordinators and Naturals living peacefully together in nations such as the Orb Union.
By the mid-50's, the situation had deteriorated to the point that Blue Cosmos people were in positions of power across the Atlantic Federation, and Coordinators had largely retreated to either neutral nations like the Orb Union or into space in the PLANTs, where they were more than welcome.
A derogative term among Naturals for Coordinators is "Patchworker", a reference to their "patchwork" DNA.
ISSUES
As of CE 71, Coordinators are becoming increasingly sterile because they don't have the genetic input which Naturals possess because they were meant to marry and breed with Naturals. Additionally, the sterile situation only happens on the 3rd-generation Coordinators. Though ZAFT scientists are busy working on a solution, there is no known cure as of the present date.
Another potential flaw to Coordinators is that there is a discrepancy between how a Coordinator fetus is intended to develop and how the child really turns out. In many cases unwanted genetic traits would appear in the baby, arguably due to the inability of the mother's womb to pose as an adequate environment to support the genetic modifications.
In the early 50's, a renowned scientist, Professor Ulen Hibiki, proposed the usage of an artificial womb to circumvent the natural womb's shortcomings. Many "prototypes" failed, including Canard Pars, the only known to have survived, before the last and successful Ultimate Coordinator, Hibiki's son Kirs Yamato, was born in May 18, CE 55. Kira has grown up completely unaware of his origins until later in the Bloody Valentine War.
TRUE PURPOSE
According to the "GG Unit", an artificial intelligence said to be derived from the memory engrams of George Glenn's brain, Coordinators have strayed from their intended purpose: to "coordinate" the next step of humanity's evolution, as the name indicates. George Glenn never intended for Coordinators to view themselves as a superior race, but in Glenn's eyes, anyone who works for the betterment of mankind is a true Coordinator, regardless of whether his genes have been enhanced or not. Unfortunately, this enlightened view is not shared by many on either side of the Earth/PLANT conflict. While some fans have suggested that the next stage of human evolution that Glenn refers to are Newtypes, he neither uses that term nor gives any details of how this next stage differs from current humans.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Physically, Coordinators do not often seem so different from Natural humans. They have similar body builds as many Naturals, even facial features, hair and eye color. Coordinators do not have many physical differences from Naturals, except that where Naturals sometimes have people who are exceptions to others in physical strength or beauty, Coordinators have these traits as the norm. Almost all Coordinators will have healthy if not very strong and reflexive builds, and attractive features. Many of them even have eye and hair colors not possible to Naturals; like red or pink irises or even more extreme shades of known colors; and hair ranging from pink, blue, green, white and again, extreme shades of normal colors not available to Naturals.
These different characteristics can often be mistaken as colored contacts and hair dyes, and sometimes they really are (even Coordinators aren't always happy with how they look and may want to try something different, just like Naturals!). But for those who really have these extremes in physical features, they are the result of genetic engineering to look this way, or are bred from others who were altered when they were made Coordinators. Some Coordinators may even be altered just for these physical features alone to be more beautiful than Naturals would usually be (probably have a higher Perception Attribute and use their looks to better interact with people).
When one looks at the majority of naturals and Coordinators side by side, Coordinators will look healthier, more physically fit and probably more appealing to the eye. Some Coordinators will even seem like anime characters brought to life (HAHAHA!). Otherwise, physically speaking, Coordinators and naturals look exactly alike, since they are both still human after all.
COORDINATORS
Attribute Dice: 18D/12D (NPCs)
DEXTERITY: 2D/5D
KNOWLEDGE: 2D/5D
MECHANICAL: 2D/5D
PERCEPTION: 2D/5D
STRENGTH: 2D/5D
TECHNICAL: 2D/5D
SPECAIL ABILITIES:
---Immunity: Coordinators are genetically engineered to be immune to all known diseases that affect Naturals (normal humans). When confronted with circumstances such as extreme environmental conditions, rely on the Coordinator Abilities below (Kira Yamato had to enter Earth's atmosphere in the Strike Gundam and endure extreme heat for a prolonged period of time. After the event, the doctor aboard the Archangel stated that he was lucky, explaining to the crew of the ship that any Natural would have died in the same situation).
---Coordinator Abilities: Coordinators have been created to be better in almost every way than Natural humans, being stronger, faster, and smarter. To show this, not only are their Attribute Dice able to have 5D in every Attribute (to show their greater potential and variety in making a Coordinator character, shown above), but challenges are also easier for them. When they must roll against a Difficulty Level, it will always be at LEAST one Level lower than Naturals faced with the same challenge. This also means all combat Difficulty Levels are one less Difficulty Level. For example, shooting at range, which is usually Easy, Moderate and Difficult for Short, Medium and Long ranges, now becomes Very Easy, Easy and Moderate. Also the same with Melee Combat and weapons that require Difficulty rolls to use them effectively (such as Lightsabers in Star Wars D6), now become one less Level in Difficulty to use.
---Technological Difference: Coordinators are usually much more intelligent than Natural humans, and this shows not only in their personal Attributes, but also in their creations. Most of their technological devices, such as mobile suits, will be more complex than those made by Naturals. While Coordinators may be able to use these easily and effectively, Naturals will have a more difficult time using these same devices. When a Natural uses a complicated machine of Coordinator origin, it is one Difficulty Level higher to use. Many of these machines could be modified for easier use by Naturals (Mobile Suits eventually had an Oerating System that made them useable by Naturals), but this requires time and both Engineering and Repair or Computer Program/Repair rolls of Very Difficult each (Engineering to reverse-engineer the equipment and understand how it was built and how it functions, Repair or Computer Program/Repair to make the necessary modifications for Natural use. Mobile Suits usually need just a proper OS to function for Naturals).
STORY FACTORS:
---Hatred of Naturals: Coordinators have been persecuted by purists like Blue Cosmos for decades, to the point of leaving entire nations of Earth to find refuge wherever they could and live peaceful lives. Because this persecution comes from Naturals, this leads to hatred against all other Naturals as a whole, and many Coordinators do not trust or even like Naturals, even going out of their way to persecute them on the spot. Such Coordinators usually show no mercy in war-time combat and will go out of their way to engage Naturals, even if not ordered to do so. In these times, even if the Naturals are soundly defeated and surrender, the Coordinators may execute them on the spot. Many Coordinators believe in the extermination of all naturals from Earth and space in their entirety.
---Arrogance: Because of their artificially superior nature to Naturals, Coordinators often act racist of themselves and their people, holding them as ultimately supreme in every way when compared to Naturals. This could also be caused by the hatred stirred by Natural's persecution of Coordinators, and also leads many Coordinators to believe in the extremist path of wiping out all Naturals.
MOVE: 10/15
SIZE: Human Normal
MODIFICATIONS in YOUR GAME:
These statistics were my estimated guesses of Coordinators from the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, but I did have other ideas on how to go about their stats.
---Attributes: The Attribute Dice at first may not seem to go very far when dividing them up among their Attributes. But, the increase in Attributes isn't intended to make a stat monster, but to allow more variety when making a Coordinator, especially if they decide to be first-generation. The parents may have wanted certain specific tarits to be better than all others and chosen these to get the best alterations. Or a second or thrid-generation Coordinator may simply have traits similar to their parents or grandparents when they were originally altered.
Also, when combined with the Coordinator Ability Special, Coordinators can become real nasty, real fast, when compared to a normal human. Still, some people may want more. I recommend increasing the Attribute Dice by 2D (Attribute Dice: 20D/14D). this could easily be added to what is already available, but may be somewhat unbalancing.
Also, one could allow Bonus Dice to a specific Attribute and/or to certain Skills to show their area of specialization and reflect how they were modified or the traits they attained when they were born from other Coordinators. This, however, should be considered more as an alternative to the Attributes and "Coordinator Abilities", not an addition. if these were all used together, it would allow for a monstrous character indeed!
---Special Abilities: These are made as they are to be easy to remember and simple, and also seem to work for Coordinators as they seemed in the anime series. However, one could use Bonus Dice to represent these abilities as well, such as extra dice for Resistance instead of an actual Immunity.
The "Coordinator Abilities" could be the same, which would make it directly related to the modifications of the Attributes as stated above.
The "Technological Difference" could be altered as a modification to availabe statistics of whatever machine a Natural tries to use. For instance, if a Natural tries to use a ZAFT Mobile Suit, by the rules above, it becomes one Difficulty Level higher to use (think of starships from Star Wars D6). If one does not achieve that Difficulty, then all the normal penalties apply as if using a starship (mecha) and not rolling that needed Difficulty Level. However, one could alternatively say that such things as Maneauverability are not available, or that Speed is reduced, or that weapons have no Fire Control or may not even be available at all.
(NOTE!: I am currently still considering mecha rules for mobile suits and the differences between Naturals and Coordinators piloting them, and as of this writing they are not set in stone. If there is not rule for this in the mecha's entry, either use the Special Abilities above for Technological Differences, OR simply say that Bonus Dice that would enhace Skill rolls are not available, such as Maneauverability and Fire Control for all weapons. Other Dice for these mecha, such as Hull and actual weapon's damage, would not be altered because they are built physically into the mecha, whereas the former stats are based more on understanding how the mecha works and functions, which as stated above is more complicated than Naturals can usually handle)
|