Template:Featured Articles/48-2007

Powers Mutant powers come in a variety of forms. However, most can be grouped under the following categories: Energy Projection: is a term used to describe mutant powers that allow a mutant to generate a form of non- psionic energy and emit it for various effects. This energy is often, but not always, electromagnetic in nature. Most energy projectors emit energy along the electromagnetic spectrum, which includes visible light, varying forms of radiation, and electromagnetic energy characterized by lightning-like discharges. Still others emit an unclassified form of energy that actually converts matter into highly energized plasma that they can direct. Note: Plasma is a form of matter, not energy, and as such, a mutant whose powers express themselves as a plasma discharge would find them inoperable in a vacuum. Enhanced Physical Traits: are mutants who possess physical abilities far greater than even the most talented or trained human. One of the most common types of mutation, enhanced physical abilities also have one of the widest varieties in how they manifest. There are three standard types of enhanced traits that go beyond the human norm: Super Strength, Super Agility and Super Endurance. While there are other physical traits that can be exceptional, these represent the main catagories of ability. While super physical traits often are associated with other powers, there is no specifically constant or certain combination. Super traits do not rely on either the size or bulk of the muscle to generate their enhanced effects. While mutants will often display signs of their traits, this is not universal. Mutants with enhanced traits, especially strength and agility, tend to consume large amounts of food to sustain the energy their body burns off maintaining it. Feral: Feral mutations are primarily physical mutations, often encompassing enhanced senses, some forms of healing factor and often atavistic physical traits. Mutants with feral mutations are usually referred to as ferals, although the term is often used as a blanket reference to any mutant with atavistic mutations. a feral mutation is one that results in the mutant resembling a more 'wild' form of homo sapiens, although not necessarily a devolved or atavistic form. Most ferals exhibit greater survival instincts, which often are accompanied by physical mutations or adaptations for survival outside of modern civilization. This often expresses itself in such manners as: A simpler digestive tract, to garner nourishment from raw and unprocessed foods. Many ferals exhibit food allergies to certain processed foods. Enhanced senses, often to the level where the feral is not consciously aware of their brain processing information. This subconscious processing of sensory information is often assumed to be a "sixth sense", although it is not psionic in nature. A healing factor that allows the feral to recover from physical damage at an accelerated rate. Atavistic ("throwback") mutations such as pronounced canine teeth, vertical "catlike" irises, claws, increased body hair, or a tail. Healing factor: A healing factor is defined as the presence of a series of enzymes and hormones in a mutant's physiology that increase the speed of cellular regeneration. It is theorized that in individuals with a properly functioning healing factor, each cell 'remembers' a default state that the body will attempt to return to. This prevents cells from over-regenerating and becoming potentially cancerous tumors. In addition to cellular regeneration, the presence of a healing factor has also aided in prevention of heavy metal poisoning (from Logan's adamantium skeleton), and possible age-suppression. Many mutants with a healing factor look younger than their actual age, though this is not always the case. Metamorph: Metamorphs are mutants who can change their physical shape, in matters ranging from increasing or decreasing in size and mass, to altering facial features, to transforming into another substance entirely. The word metamorph comes from the Latin; meta- meaning "beyond" and -morph meaning "form". There are two standard types of metamorphs: biological and molecular. Biological metamorphs change the form of their body, in ways both subtle and major, while keeping the basic same organic composition. Biological metamorphs are often referred to as shapeshifters. In most cases, biological metamorphs retain mass when changing shape, but in certain cases, mass is not constant. Molecular metamorphs actually change the properties of the atoms in their body, often maintaining a consistent form but changing in mass by altering their carbon-based molecular structure into another elemental form or in some cases, an energy-based form. Psionics: (also psionic energy) is the application of a specific frequency of energy analogous to, but not part of, the electromagnetic spectrum. This energy has a unique characteristic in that it is generated and controlled by mental impulses from a living organism, and cannot be replicated mechanically. Psionic energy can be harnessed for a number of uses, most notably through mutant power manifestations. Mutants who exhibit psionic powers are referred to generally as psis, or according to their specific manifestation. The four primary manifestations are telepathy, telekinesis, empathy and precognition, although there have been other types of psionic powers: Artie Maddicks uses such psychic abilities to generate images to communicate, while Danielle Moonstar uses a form of empathy to make a subject's worst fear visible. Marie-Ange Colbert, in addition to her precognitive powers, can create solid ectoplasmic forms based off two-dimensional images. Jamie Madrox manifests duplicates of himself, composed of ectoplasm and semi-autonomous, even though he displays no other psionic abilities. Jonothon Starsmore has a unique mutation where his entire body is composed of psionic energy, contained in an approximation of a biological form. Teleportation: Teleportation is the ability to move an object from one location to another without traversing the physical distance in between. There are a number of methods to accomplish this, however most can be divided into two groups: extradimensional teleportation, and 'gating'. There are, of course, characters in X-Project whose powers do not fall into one of these categories - within such a diverse group as mutants, there are bound to be exceptions to the rules.