The Reich has spent generations attempting to control human genetics through eugenics, selective breeding, and genetic manipulation. The Über classes are carefully maintained genetic lines, and relationships outside those lines are strictly prohibited. An Über is not permitted to breed with an Ünter, nor are members of different Über classes permitted to breed with one another. The punishment for violating these laws is severe and often extends to both parents and their offspring.
Despite the Reich’s efforts, people do not always obey.
Forbidden relationships, secret affairs, resistance activity, falsified breeding records, escaped experimental subjects, and simple human nature have resulted in children whose ancestry crosses the carefully maintained genetic boundaries of Reich society. These individuals are collectively considered to have Mixed Ancestry.
Mixed Ancestry is divided into two broad types: Mischblut and Kreuzblut. These are Reich classifications and are often used derogatorily. Monolith and other resistance organizations generally refer to such individuals simply as having Mixed Ancestry.
Mischblut
Ünter/Über Mixed Ancestry
Mischblut is the Reich classification for someone born from the union of an Ünter and an Über. Such relationships are strictly forbidden. If discovered, both parents are normally executed and the child is either killed, imprisoned, or taken into state custody for genetic study.
A Mischblut is genetically closer to an Ünter than a deliberately engineered Über. However, the engineered traits of the Über parent can survive in the child. These traits are often incomplete, weaker, or expressed in unexpected ways because they exist outside the carefully controlled genetic lineage for which they were designed.
A Mischblut Hero chooses the Über ancestry of one parent: Brutal, Gehirn, Schönheit, or another Über ancestry with the GM’s permission.
Ancestral Edges & Abilities
- Über Heritage: Choose one Ancestral Ability from the Über parent’s Base Ancestry. The ability is inherited in a diminished form called a Diluted Expression. See the appropriate Über ancestry for the effects of its Diluted Expressions.
- Ünter Heritage: The Hero is otherwise considered an Ünter for purposes of Base Ancestry, Social Backgrounds, and other requirements.
Ancestral Hindrances & Drawbacks
- Unstable Inheritance: Über genetic modifications were created through controlled breeding and manipulation. Outside their intended lineage, these traits do not always function as designed. The Hero’s inherited Über Ability uses its Diluted Expression rather than the normal version.
- Forbidden Blood: Reich authorities consider a known Mischblut evidence of an illegal coupling and genetic contamination. Discovery of the Hero’s true ancestry can have severe consequences. The exact mechanical effects depend upon how easily the Hero’s ancestry can be detected and are left to the GM.
Diluted Expressions
A Diluted Expression represents an Über genetic trait inherited by a Mischblut without the complete genetic package necessary for the trait to function normally.
Diluted Expressions should not simply reduce every numerical bonus by half. Instead, each represents a partial manifestation of the original ability. An ability might provide a smaller bonus, function only under certain circumstances, require a Trait roll to activate, have fewer uses, or carry an additional complication.
For example, a Mischblut descended from a Brutal Über might possess unusual strength without the Brutal’s full Enhanced Musculature, while a Gehirn descendant might demonstrate extraordinary memory without possessing the complete Expanded Working Memory of a true Gehirn.
The individual Diluted Expressions for each Über Ancestral Ability are described with their respective ancestry.
Kreuzblut
Über/Über Mixed Ancestry
Kreuzblut is the Reich classification for someone descended from two different Über classes. The Reich’s selective breeding laws strictly prohibit such unions. Brutals are bred with Brutals, Gehirns with Gehirns, Schönheits with Schönheits, and so forth. Crossing these carefully maintained lines is considered genetic contamination regardless of the quality of the resulting offspring.
Ironically, Kreuzblut individuals are not necessarily genetically inferior. Some inherit desirable traits from both parents, creating combinations that Reich geneticists themselves might find fascinating. This does not make them acceptable. Their very existence demonstrates that the boundaries between the Über classes are not as absolute as Reich ideology claims.
A Kreuzblut Hero chooses two different Über Base Ancestries representing their parents.
Ancestral Edges & Abilities
- Dual Über Heritage: Choose one Ancestral Ability from each parental Über ancestry. Unlike Mischblut abilities, these are full Ancestral Abilities and are not Diluted Expressions.
- Über Ancestry: The Hero is considered an Über for purposes of Edges, Hindrances, and other requirements.
- Primary Lineage: Choose one of the two parental ancestries as the Hero’s Primary Lineage. When a rule requires a specific Über Base Ancestry, such as the Additional Über Ability Edge, use the Primary Lineage unless otherwise specified.
Ancestral Hindrances & Drawbacks
- Mixed Drawbacks: The Hero inherits one appropriate Ancestral Hindrance or Drawback from each parental Über ancestry. Where an ancestry provides a choice of Hindrances or Drawbacks, the player chooses normally.
- Forbidden Blood: Kreuzblut are illegal under Reich genetic law. If their ancestry is discovered, they face imprisonment, experimentation, or execution. As with Mischblut, the exact consequences and difficulty of concealing the Hero’s ancestry are determined by the GM.
Edel Heritage
Edel Übers are normally NPC-only Wild Cards. A Mixed Ancestry Hero with Edel heritage therefore requires GM permission.
Such a character is not considered a true Edel by Reich society simply because they inherited some Edel genetics. Their existence may actually be more dangerous to the Reich than other Mixed Ancestries, particularly if they are related to a prominent Edel bloodline. An illegitimate descendant could become evidence of forbidden relationships, threaten carefully maintained genealogical records, or become a political embarrassment to a powerful family.
Mixed Ancestry Summary
| Ancestry | Parents | Über Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Ünter | Ünter lineage | None |
| Standard Über | Same Über lineage | Choose two from that Über type |
| Mischblut | Ünter + Über | One Diluted Expression from the Über parent |
| Kreuzblut | Über + different Über | One full ability from each Über parent |
Mixed Ancestry does not replace the normal rules for Ancestral Backgrounds. A Mixed Ancestry Human may still choose up to one Planetary and one Genetic Ancestral Background when they meet the normal requirements. However, the GM should consider whether a particular Genetic Ancestral Background is compatible with the Hero’s already complicated ancestry.
Mixed Ancestry Heroes also provide particularly appropriate backgrounds for Monolith agents. Their very existence can be a crime under the Regimes they were born into, and they are living evidence that generations of state-controlled breeding have failed to eliminate humanity’s capacity to choose whom they love.