Dirtmoles

Dirtmoles are a xenotype, genetically engineered to live underground.

Lore

After the first tunnel colonies failed due to the stress of confinement, colonization agencies began genetically altering colonists to live without open space or sunlight. This xenotype are known colloquially as dirtmoles.^[sic] Today, dirtmoles have expanded out of their original tunnel homes and rule many confined spaces in the anthrosphere. They can be found in deep mines, cramped low-tech spacecraft, and teeming by the billions in the dark underlayers of countless urbworlds.

With gray skin adapted to artificial light, they thrive in cramped and dark spaces where combat and travel happen over short distances. They are extremely capable at digging, mining tasks, and navigating complex tunnel structures. In the open, however, they suffer from a sensitivity to light, slow speed and poor eyesight at distance.

Occurrence

The table below describes the chance for a given pawn from each faction being a dirtmole. Note that this value does not account for chances in xenotype chance from ideoligion or from pawn kind, it only shows the base value before those factors.

Genes

This table has been collapsed due to length. Click to expand Click to collapse

Name	Description			Exclude
Fast wound healing	Carriers of this gene heal from wounds twice as fast as normal. Injury healing factor ×200%	−2	1	WoundHealingRate
Slow runner	Carriers of this gene move more slowly than normal. Move Speed: −0.2 c/s	+3	1	MoveSpeed
Intense UV sensitivity	Carriers of this gene have biological compounds in their skin that react dangerously to UV radiation. They are intensely sensitive to sunlight. When in sunlight (when on an unroofed tile while light levels from natural sunlight are 11% or more): Move Speed ×80% Mood: Sunlight Sensitivity: −12 Does not cause pain.	+4	2	UVSensitivity
Strong melee damage	Carriers of this gene do more damage in close-quarters combat. Extra-strong fast-twitch muscle fibers make their strikes accurate and powerful. Melee damage factor ×150% This also affects melee AP when calculated from damage. It does not affect weapons whose AP has been set independently of damage. Examples include: Spears, Monoswords, Persona monoswords, Knee spikes, Hand talons, and Venom talons.	−2	1	MeleeDamage
Nearsighted	Carriers of this gene have difficulty seeing at a distance. Their shooting accuracy at long ranges is reduced. Accuracy factor (long) ×25% Accuracy factor (medium) ×50%	+2	1	ShootingAccuracy
Dark vision	Carriers of this gene see well in low light and are unaffected by mood penalties related to darkness. They have a reflective layer behind the retina that amplifies their ability to see in the dark. Work speed is unaffected by darkness. Movement speed is also unaffected by darkness (not mentioned by the in-game description). Removes mood: Darkness: -5	−1	1	-
Gray eyes	Carriers of this gene have pale white-gray eyes.	0	0	EyeColor
Light gray skin	Carriers of this produce a light-gray pigment in their skin. Skin color override: (200, 200, 200)	0	0	SkinColorOverride
Great Mining	The carrier's aptitude in Mining is increased by 8. Aptitude acts like an offset on skill level. Additionally, one level of passion is added to Mining. Mining: +8. Note: Experience gain and decay applies as if this offset did not exist. Adds one additional passion for Mining	−2	1	-

Analysis

Dirtmoles are a simple xenotype, with well-defined strengths and weaknesses suited for mountain life. A combination of great mining, dark vision, and intense UV sensitivity all support this fact. A compact mountain base can mitigate the impact of nearsighted and slow runner. Strong melee is useful when fighting against infestations.

However, dirtmoles are not limited to the mountains. They can do any indoors task reasonably well, in any type of colony. Beyond slowpoke and UV sensitivity, dirtmoles have no real work-related weaknesses. ​In combat, they can serve a melee role quite well. If so desired, you can place some roof outdoors to keep the sun out.

Dirtmoles synergize well with the tunneler meme, for rather obvious reasons. Tunneler allows dirtmoles to ignore cramped spaces and grow nutrifungus in a cave, while dirtmoles are great at mining and melee combat.

Note that, as dirtmoles have no faction dedicated to them, opportunities to recruit dirtmoles are somewhat uncommon.

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Biotech (DLC)

Families

Relationships (Reproduction • Children)
Life stages (Babies • Children • Adults)
Furniture (Crib • Baby sleeping spot • Growth vat • Toy box • Baby decoration • School desk • Blackboard)

Mechanoids

Laborers (Agrihand • Cleansweeper • Constructoid • Fabricor • Lifter • Paramedic • Tunneler)
Combatants (Centurion • Legionary • Militor • Scorcher • Tesseron)
Commanders (Apocriton • Diabolus • War queen • War urchin)

Mechanitors

Control (Mechlink • Band node • Mech boosters • Mech signallers • Control pack • Airwire headset)
Mechanoid creation (Basic subcore • Standard subcore • High subcore • Subcore encoder • Subcore softscanner • Subcore ripscanner • Mech gestator)
Maintenance (Mech recharger)

Genetics

Xenohumans (Dirtmoles • Genies • Highmates • Hussars • Impids • Neanderthals • Pigskins • Sanguophages • Wasters • Yttakin)
Genes Germline • Xenogene • Metabolic efficiency
Genetic Modification Genepack • Gene extractor • Gene bank • Gene assembler • Gene processor • Xenogerm • Archite capsules
Deathrest (Deathrest accelerator • Deathrest capacity serum • Deathrest casket • Glucosoid pump • Hemogen amplifier • Hemopump • Psychofluid pump)

Pollution

Nature (Toxalope • Toxipotato plant • Waste rat • Gray pine tree • Pebble cactus • Rat palm tree • Witchwood tree • Stasis cocoon)
Mitigation (Wastepacks • Atomizers • Pollution pumps • Polux trees)
Adaptation Face mask • Gas mask • Tox grenades • Tox pack • Tox shell • Toxic needle gun • Toxbomb launcher • Detoxifier kidney • Detoxifier lung
Nonchalance Toxifier generator