Short-Lived
An accelerated metabolic clock: the line burns bright and fast, and ages out early.
A metabolism set to run hot -- the mirror of the longevity lines, deliberately or by batch failure. The bearer is vital and quick in their prime, but the prime is short: aging-category decline arrives a full stage early, and the body winds down on an accelerated schedule. It is not sickness; it is speed. The line lives hard and finishes sooner, and most bearers know the count.
Rules Reference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Category | drawback |
| Conflicts | GENE-TELOMERE-LOCK |
| Engineering Lineage | echo-lot and unstable batch lines (Vatspire past-shelf reuse); short-service military stock |
| Point Cost | -3 |
| Point Direction | grant |
Notes
Effect Text: Lifespan halved; aging-category ability penalties arrive one category early; -1 to saves vs. aging and accelerated-metabolism effects. Grants build points.
Lore Note: Two sources feed this drawback: echo-lot reuses from samples past their shelf life, and military stock engineered for short-term output rather than a full lifespan. It is the kind of result the Salon of Last Chances finds in a screening and the bearer did not ask to know. Helix does not advertise the count.
Trait Id: Short-Lived
Mechanical Effects
condition: always
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
condition | always |
modifier | x0.5 |
target | lifespan |
condition: always
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
condition | always |
modifier | one category early |
target | aging penalty onset |
condition: always
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
condition | always |
modifier | -1 |
target | saves vs aging/accelerated metabolism |