Toxic Attack against microorganisms?

[Zemyla]

So I've come up with an idea for a genemod in GURPS Bio-Tech, one designed specifically for "frontier" medical work, and I had the idea that they might secrete a general-purpose antiseptic from their skin. I was thinking of modeling it as:

Innate Attack: 1 tox (Aura, +80%; Melee Attack C, -30%; Contact Agent, -30%; Accessibility: only on microorganisms, -20%) [1]

Any microbe that touched them would take 1 damage, and since I can't imagine many microbes have DR, or HP greater than 1, this would kill them, right? Would it provide bonuses against contracting diseases, or against transmitting diseases through First Aid and Surgery?

[Refplace]

Note that if that works it would also kill beneficial bacteria.
Simply adding Resistant or even Immunity would be an easier approach. You could still call it an effect of an Antiseptic Aura and it would seem reasonable.

[Zemyla]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Note that if that works it would also kill beneficial bacteria.
Simply adding Resistant or even Immunity would be an easier approach. You could still call it an effect of an Antiseptic Aura and it would seem reasonable.

Well, I already have Resistant (+8). I want, basically, an antiseptic aura.

And considering this is a genemod, I'm presuming the beneficial bacteria this would kill on my skin are replaced by some probably-native cell that carries out the same functions.

[PK]

A "microorganism-killing aura" isn't the kind of thing you model as an attack -- or even as a separate ability, really -- it sounds like the justification for you giving them Resistant to Disease +8. Really, trying to stack more of a bonus on top of that is unnecessary for even the worst diseases; at that point, just bump them up to Immunity.

What might make sense, though, is a perk that makes it equally hard for them to transfer disease and such:

Antiseptic Aura: If anyone must make a contagion (or similar resistance roll) to avoid catching something from you, you both roll against your respective modified HTs and use the best result.

That basically gives everyone your resistance bonuses only for the purpose of not catching stuff from you. The game mechanic here is potent, but since it's so limited (just contagion spreading from you personally), it's worth a perk.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Zemyla

So I've come up with an idea for a genemod in GURPS Bio-Tech, one designed specifically for "frontier" medical work, and I had the idea that they might secrete a general-purpose antiseptic from their skin. I was thinking of modeling it as:

Innate Attack: 1 tox (Aura, +80%; Melee Attack C, -30%; Contact Agent, -30%; Accessibility: only on microorganisms, -20%) [1]

Any microbe that touched them would take 1 damage, and since I can't imagine many microbes have DR, or HP greater than 1, this would kill them, right?

Sure, though it won't penetrate flesh or barriers so it's not very useful, all it does is kill surface contaminants and you can generally do the same thing with soap or alcohol.

[Anaraxes]

Or you could go with "Accessory: Antibiotic [1]"

[whswhs]

When you get down to SM -6, you are at length, HP, and ST, averaging 1. SM -8 is half of that, or HP/ST 0.5, which rounds up to 1. That's the smallest at which you can meaningfully describe anything approximating to combat. That's a length of about 3.6 inches and a weight that runs to around a quarter ounce. Bacteria run to .01 mm or less, which is 1/2500 of an inch.

In principle, you could describe bacteria as a "swarm." In practice it would be a cloud that floated on the air, and that had an "attack" that was only good as a Blood Agent or Respiratory Agent. And when you "attacked" it it would be Diffuse.

This isn't really serious, of course; it's just a way of saying how very far bacteria are from anything the normal rules can describe.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by PK

What might make sense, though, is a perk that makes it equally hard for them to transfer disease and such:

Antiseptic Aura: If anyone must make a contagion (or similar resistance roll) to avoid catching something from you, you both roll against your respective modified HTs and use the best result.

That basically gives everyone your resistance bonuses only for the purpose of not catching stuff from you. The game mechanic here is potent, but since it's so limited (just contagion spreading from you personally), it's worth a perk.

The Perk is probably very redundant, though: it assumes that the Resistant person failed a Resistance roll.

(Alternatively, one can buy Resistant/Immunity with a -50% Limitation to make it prevent symptoms but not eliminate contagiousness, but IMHO this should not be compatible with said Perk.)

[Nereidalbel]

If you want them to be immune to disease, Immunity to Disease [15] is the simplest way to go. So long as they was their hands, they should be able to avoid transmitting diseases, as well.

[Donny Brook]

How about Affliction (Perk: Sanitized Metabolism, Area Effect (whatever))?