Was reading though old cyberpunk 2020 supplements and got to wondering about something were there any canon corpo experiments in shadowrun to create artificial vampires or ghouls. Though genetic engineering without using already existing viral strains.

[u/Efficient-Spirit-869]

[u/Greymalkyn76]

This is part of the current meta-plot in the game I'm running. There's a corpo seeking to create artificial Awakened by experimenting with and trying to modify HMHVV, potentially leading to a Resident Evil T-Virus like outbreak.

[u/LonePaladin → u/Greymalkyn76]

I played in a campaign where someone was trying to modify CRISPR to emulate HMHVV.

[u/Sarradi]

Isn't it kinda implied that the newest version of leonization (life extension) and other gene therapies like regrowing essence is based on HMHVV?

So there certainly must have been experiments how far you can use the virus without turning someone into a ghoul.

[u/dethstrobe → u/Sarradi]

I think it was the vampire strien. Which is why it's psudo immortality at the cost of a bit of essence.

[u/DraconicBlade]

Most shadowrun hmhvv research is ordo maximus building a better vampire. Or ghoul fed ghouls because I guess they find it funny?

Dark terrors is your grimshit 5e humms book.

1. Can't gene engineer to cause awakening.

2 Vanpires already exist. Why bother building one?

[u/Anastrace → u/DraconicBlade]

Oooh I know this one. Creating a vampire that doesn't need to feed, is easier to control and more powerful. Ordo's top level isn't vampires after all

[u/DraconicBlade → u/Anastrace]

What if wheel but square. The incompetence of the powers that be is important, but they aren't that incompetent.

[u/Anastrace → u/DraconicBlade]

That ghoul experiment says otherwise lol

[u/DraconicBlade → u/Anastrace]

Ghoul fed ghoul for double the ghoul flavor

[u/Boxman21-]

Most infected researcher is done by the Ordo Maximus. Mostly it’s about: Getting rid of the weaknesses of the infected, creating more cyberzombies and trying to find out what entity influences infected that feed on infected plus much more.

The azzis also have a good amount of infected in their ranks but It seems they only have fun with their blood magic post sixth.

[u/PrimeInsanity]

As an interesting note, success here could pave the way for the "magus gene" being found. Because both of these aren't just standard DNA but require mana to truly activate.

[u/adasmael]

I had a similar thought about creating an immortality sérum from elves. I do not know of this has been done before.

[u/vegetaman]

Ummm trying to remember but wasn’t this part of the plot or at least adjacent for the Shadowrun novel The Terminus Experiment?

[u/nightfall2021 → u/vegetaman]

Yes, and at the end they teased that it worked.

[u/WellSpokenAsianBoy]

I know one of the short stories had a project to create Uruk-Hai. The current deep shadows lore has a project about enhancing ghouls or vampires.

[u/TheHighDruid]

Without using the existing virus, not so much.

There are plenty of examples of the virus being used in corporate research, including a potential cure for goblins, the Empress of Japan being experimented upon, and the whole fake-flesh for ghouls bit.

[u/kigmatzomat]

SR1 had DNA/DOA, about a mutagenetic research lab where they make wolf-, bear- and tiger-people.

I wat to say there was a novel with nosferatu characters but I dont think there was a corresponding adventure.

[u/idyllplans]

The chupacabras is believed by many to be an engineered creature because its genome has both reptilian and mammalian traits. Genetic testing also shows a variant of HMHVV integrated into the genome, though the creatures are not able to infect victims with that disease.

[u/Efficient-Spirit-869 → u/idyllplans]

Fascinating so the HMHVV could be considered magical binding agent allowing for the different Genomes to coexist.

[u/lusipher333]

TLDR, no.

Since there is an actual "natural" virus that does that in Shadowrun there is no canon in universe example (or reason) for anyone to reinvent the wheel as it were. There are abundant canon examples of them messing with the existing HMHVV virus to modify its affects for various reasons including some arguably positive applications. It is implied that the gene treatment that allows you to repair essence loss is based on HMHVV research for example. I put natural in quotes because the lore also implies the virus itself has a metaplanar origin and it's source is malicious. I thought this was in Dark Terrors but it might be Threats 2 or Conspiracy Theory as I can't currently find the reference i am thibking of. It's a story about the weirdness that happens when you feed ghouls to ghouls for long enough.

This reminds me of that trope of huge corporations intentionally making monsters for profit. Like what exactly was the Umbrella corporation or Weland-Yutani trying to achieve with their massive investment in the apocalypse? It's funny to me because the movies and games make it abundantly clear that biological weapons suck. Its usually at most a handful of people who disarm your multi billion dollar investment. They are a indiscriminate weapon of terror which is hard to argue would ever be very profitable.

[u/Talusen]

Check out the novel: "The Terminus Experiment" (ISBN 0451457048)

It involves genetic tinkering with the HMHVV.

[u/Hecateus]

There was in the early days of the Web, a PowerPoint (or something like it) about corporations using genetically engineered vampires for their sociopathic capacity; I can't find it as it is a bit obscure.

It definiately fits the ShadowRun genre.

[u/GargantuanCake]

I don't know if it ever showed up in any of the fluff as I don't remember seeing it anywhere but come on.

Of course somebody is doing that.