Original species guide
Further information

Creating a Hypsos

Hypsos, commonly known as Space Slugs, are a fun and colorful species that provide lots of options for custom fair in their designs. They are an open species, meaning anyone is free to design one.

Core rules for the Hypsos are as follows:
*They do not have visible eyes (except via cybernetics)
*They are smooth, squishy, and do not have fur, hair, or scales (some have large snail-like shells though)
*They are not slimy, like slugs are. They sweat when hot, though. The only slime they produce comes from the ovipositor at the tip of their tail which aids in egg-laying.

Here are some softer guidelines:
*They are hermaphroditic by default and do not possess breasts, udders, or any mammary glands (but mutations may allow these, especially if yours is a converted Hypsos who was once another creature).
*Hypsos culture and grammar has no concept of gender, but they sometimes pick gender identities/pronouns when introduced to the idea by other species (so any pronoun goes really).
*Unless a mutation states otherwise, Hypsos have two forms as seen in their visual guides. There is meant to be a large size difference between these two forms and a shift in behavior.

Creation Process
Done in any order, create your Hypsos by:
*Designing the visuals of the creature
*Picking ONE special mutation or ability
*Picking a disadvantage allows for an extra mutation or ability
*Name your Hypsos!

Visual Guide
The Hypsos designs are typically based on sea slugs, aka the nudibranch order of mollusks. An easy start to designing a space slug is to look up images of sea slugs, pick on you like, and base the design off that. There are no real limits to the colors and patterns a Hypsos can have, although geometric or clearly artificial designs should be avoided (unless you're making a... synthetic Hypsos...??)

Many sea slugs have colorful, sometimes elaborately complex fins, crests, and other growths. On the Hypsos, these are usually sensory organs which can detect air movement and electromagnetic waves - they are also often a form of gill. These organs can sometimes superficially resemble wings or specific hair styles. Cutting and styling these organs is very uncommon due to their high sensitivity and role in spacial awareness, although it is not unheard of and their quick healing means quick recovery from such things. Piercings have been observed on these organs.

Many physical mutations exist (and more have yet to be discovered or developed); you may choose one mutation OR an ability (seen below).
*Snail-like shell
*Extra pair of limbs
*Unusually large or small size in either form
*Barbs, spines, blades, or other forms of defense - some may be projectiles that carry chemicals
*Adhesive hands/paws that allow for wall climbing in smaller form
*Glowing patterns or appendages
(Feel free to invent your own!)

Choosing more than one mutation/ability without compensating with disadvantages would require sufficient lore justification (or just do it, I won't call the cops on you).

Abilities Guide
By default, the Hypsos can quickly heal from injuries and can survive what would be fatal to other creatures. Their size grants them impressive strength, and some are known for great speed in smaller form. Their stomachs allow them to digest many things not considered "food" to other species. They breed easily and rapidly and are capable of converting others into Hypsos via a special internal organ into which victims are dragged via tongue. Most Hypsos are not known to have intrinsic psychic powers.

Many Hypsos have one mutation or one of the following special abilities:
*Powerful scent or pheromones which can (at will or constantly) induce certain emotions or urges in others.
*Especially "contagious" genetic material that allows faster and more easily conversion of others into Hypsos (via contact, bodily fluid, or egg)
*A "budding" ability which means any body part cut off or removed may grow into a separate individual.
*Psychic abilities, as observed in other species
*Rapid breeding, either through the quick production of eggs or the production of an unusually large clutch
(Feel free to invent your own!)

Disadvantage Guide
Hypsos are especially prone to sickness due to them absorbing oxygen and moisture through their skin and external gills. Although their lack of external eyes is compensated by a heightened sense of heat and space, they still possess poor visual eyesight which makes it difficult to read or manipulate controls and touch screens. The Hypsos are somewhat helpless to powerful instinct and urges related to hunger and breeding; these urges are not insurmountable, but non-Hypsos find them to be incredibly disruptive. The abilities, large size, and constant changes in body weight of the Hypsos make their caloric need much higher than other species their size.

A Hypsos character may have one mutation or ability; to have a second, please choose a special flaw:
*Missing limbs (no arms, no legs, aka "naga")
*Does not shift between forms, thus is permanently small/fertile, large/maternal, or somewhere between.
*Cannot convert others into Hypsos
*Quadrupedal, and cannot stand on hind legs without assistance (this is common with the shelled variety)
*Unstable or unpredictable lifecycle
(Feel free to invent your own!)

Personality Guide
Hypsos are more ruled by instinct than most sentient creatures. If you play a Hypsos, you should play them as very often horny or hungry - sometimes both. Hypsos often value hedonism and a sense of community - the idea that everyone should fairly and easily have as good a time as they can. This varies widely by individual, of course, as to the core philosophies of the many clans that make up Hypsos society as a whole.

Converted Hypsos often struggle with their new, overwhelming urges and instinct and usually take a long time to adjust and overcome the desires to eat and breed - desires natural Hypsos are more than eager to encourage.

Conversion Guide
The end result of a converted Hypsos varies greatly. Some maintain the colors and patterns of their old self, and many maintain some of the anatomy they originally had (wings, horns, etc). Others are completely unrecognizable when compared to their old self. This choice is a matter of personal taste. Most converted Hypsos keep their original names, pronouns, and general sense of identity; others decided on an entirely new identity.