This is a line of threads which answers some basic question and/or assumption about Urban Planescape that Kal feels would be helpful to know for writing content. Each Quick Question thread is an individual question to be discussed/answered. All of the Quick Question are numbered, so please try to follow the sequence when posting your own Quick Question. A F.A.Q Quick Questions thread is here(it will be after we get an anwser to question no 1), which holds the answers to the question already answered. When posting your own Quick Question, please include this paragraph at the beginning before you pose your question.
Quick Qestion: Do Outsiders, Powers etc have DNA?
Simple eh? It makes a big diffenerce. It they do have DNA, then Genetic engineering technology would be of interest to some of them, but if they dont have DNA, they would probably not bother with it. This continues further into the realm of criminal invesitgations and 'bioscanner' technology. The scanner may or may not exist, but as any outsider which tried to use such a device to get into a seal research room for exmaple, wouldnt get very far without DNA...
I say, yes they do have DNA, as they are still a collection of biological cells. Their DNA merely evolves due to belief causing mutation, instead of natural selection. What do you guys think?
Kal
Though I could see them having genetic material, I dont know if Id go as far as to define it (ie, DNA).
Some things that make me question the whole idea of Mortal DNA (mDNA) being found in the Powers is the fact that they do not reproduce like we do, and thusly have no need for a chain of genetic codes designed to control their growth/evolution.
I could however see some of these beings, Outsiders especially, would have something like Immortal DNA (iDNA), which functions similarly to DNA (in terms of its functions) but on a much more complex level.
Perhaps, as you said, their iDNA is (in the Powers' case) is a constantly mutating/evolving 'code', its exact orientation being defined by the belief of its servants.
With outsiders, perhaps their iDNA is orientated via their Plane of origin; altering/evolving to allow the organism to adapt to the various Planes- this could explain how many creatures seem to have a racial alignment, as their very genetic material is infused with chaos (demons), evil (demons/devils), good (celestials), law (modrons/formians); whatever their plane was their point of origin.
Occasionally, the iDNA does not orient itself properly, resulting the rare 'good' demon, chaotic devil or evil celestial- these are basically genetic mutations which have managed to run rampant and have affected the being's evolutionary path.
I could see, if this were the case, something very similar to the Anti-Mutant movement from the X-Men storyline- perhaps a large number of these 'genetic mutations' occur, the results being a large number (far larger than normal) of some variant thats not normally seen- a large number of good demons/devils, or a mass amount of corrupted celestials.
These 'mutants' are in turn hunted by certain members of their own kind, fearful of that which they simply cannot understand (the reason for this being not only that they dont WANT to, but that THEY are, genetically, unable to accept such ideas).