GURPS Bio-Tech, by David Morgan-Mar and David Pulver, is a
GURPS supplement dedicated to all manner of organic technologies — mostly science-fictional, but with some coverage of historical and contemporary medicine and science too. Strictly speaking, there have been two books with this title; the first, by Pulver alone, was for
GURPS third edition, while the second was enlarged and expanded, and updated the material for
GURPS fourth edition.
Tropes notably engineered into this volume's genomic expression:
- Artificial Animal People: The Tek-Rat is a genetically engineered creature that resembles a 2' tall humanoid rodent with a prehensile tail and the intelligence and dexterity required to be a starship engineer.
- Bio-Augmentation: Bio-Tech provides lots of ways of invoking the trope.
- Exotic Equipment: "Exotic Genitalia" is a feature available, as is "Enhanced Male Primary Sexual Characteristics" (naturally).
- Fantastic Slurs: In one vignette, an uplifted gorilla refers to "napes" — naked apes. He apologizes when called on this.
- Genetic Abomination: In keeping with the game's assumption of a realistic baseline, most of the products of imagined future biotechnology in supplements such as Bio-Tech are relatively low-key, but a few are abominable, such as the scary "Chronos" (genetically engineered warriors) or the venomous neo-vampire bat.
- Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke: The supplement is dedicated to biotechnology, medicine, and genetic engineering. While, in keeping with the GURPS system's realism-based model, most of the products of genetic engineering described are relatively low-key, there are some radically advanced options, such as biological spaceships and "proteus viruses" that completely transform living things.
- Handy Feet: Prehensile Toes is an adaptation your character can have. It's standard for Spacer parahumans.
- Hermaphrodite: It's mentioned that 'Genetic engineering would allow the reliable creation of functional hermaphrodites. A "utopian" society might try to give everyone this trait to ensure sexual equality (no sexual discrimination if everyone is both sexes)'. This trait is a 0-point feature.
- Magic Genetics: The supplement has a section on magical genetic engineering. Along with replicating scientific possibilities, it allows genengineering ability to cast any spell into a not-yet-born child. It is cheaper than making an ordinary magical item, but risks making a Phlebotinum Rebel. Otherwise, it tries hard to avert this trope. For example, angel-like wings can be genengineered, but don't give the ability to fly in 1 G. They might be useful at lower gravity or in a space habitat, though.
- Organic Technology: Bio-Tech is all about this when discussing high tech levels. Aside from the various new pieces of tech presented in the book (including a sentient sponge-brain-tree-Neo Christian house), the writers also suggest that one can simply treat advanced technology from other sourcebooks as being organic in origin.
- People Jars: Bio-Tech has stats for this technology.
- Pheromones: Guardian parahumans have a combination of sex pheromones and dominance pheromones. They're specifically designed to be masters of normal humans.
- Power Perversion Potential: The supplement is very aware of this trope, with its "enhanced female secondary and male primary sexual characteristics", "Exotic Genitalia" and "Prehensile Tongue" all giving bonuses on Erotic Art rolls.
- Schizo Tech: The alternate historical timeline of "Alexander Athanatos" is mainly in the Iron Age, but it is capable of producing genetic hybrids thanks to Hippocrates triggering a revolution in medical science.
- Space People: There is a Spacer parahuman template. One of the recurring characters in the vignettes is a Spacer called Zeke Morrigan, captain of the Free Trader Anterides.
- Uterine Replicator: The "growth tank" is the most straightforward way to grow cloned or genetically engineered humans or animals, or simply to grow babies when a natural pregnancy is impossible. Depending on the setting, growth tanks may also accelerate the fetus' gestation, though it's not always the case.
- We Will Have Perfect Health in the Future: You can pick an advantage called Pan-immunity to make your character disease-resistant.
- Winged Humanoid: The Camazotz is a bat-winged biomorph designed for colonizing a world with low gravity but a thick atmosphere.
