Also, one could make a case for metatype and metavariant to be changed by HMHVV.
Human becomes Ghoul. Not Human anymore. Elves become Banshee, not Elf anymore.

Well, if your complete DNA was replaced by mine (very big "if", but let's just assume it is possible) that would be a major rewrite and you would look quite different, even though only a tiny fraction of the base pairs would actually be different and you would still be completely human. So after HMHVV is done "recoding the body’s DNA in its own image" (Running Wild, p. 59), from a genetic POV a vampire is probably no less human than anybody with SURGE or a few transgenetic treatments.


PS:

PMS is an infected quality? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif)

Yes, one of the infected goes stark raving mad for 3 days a month, killing anything in it's path, not even feeding or sleeping in that time i think.
after that, it crashes, sleeps and then has to feed. and then it happens again, 4 weeks later.

I know HMHVV can trigger SURGE, but SURGE and a complete re-writing of the genetic code are two vastly different things. SURGE is simply the activation of a dormant gene sequence.

Good point Sengir, but I'd still agrue that doing so would cost me Essence even if the end result was still "human". After all, plastic surgery result in less of a change and it costs Essence.

Loup-Garou.
Weaknesses: Allergy (Aconite, Moderate), Allergy (Horseradish, Moderate), Allergy (Sunlight, Moderate), and dietary requirement (Metahuman Flesh). During the 4–6 day peak of its 28-day cycle, a Loup-Garou will become savage and go berserk as a Bear shaman and is treated as if it had a rating 2 adrenaline pump. Fun stuff.


Some HMHVV variants change your eye colour specifically; I'd wager that a few cause it with the vision change. Some metavariants grow more armour plates, the fomoraig have defensive secretions. Bandersnatchii need an urgent visit to a dentist and their pelt goes funny. Some gain vulnerabilities. They tend to, you know, bleed essence. Some become allergic to things - well, most of them - like sunlight. Some are rewired so much that they no longer need oxygen. You see what I mean? I'm pretty sure that most of those are not, infact, written in my gene code. WEll, the allergies might be, but I don't have enough of a grasp on genetics to tell you wether allergies are an abnormality or someone flicking the wrong switch during pregnancy.

I don't know if anyone's addressed this or not, but Running Wild has scaled back the infectivity of HMHVV III (the virus strain that makes ghouls) quite a bit with this paragraph on p. 61

"HMHVV III is the most virulent form of the virus and it can be spread with a bite, a scratch, even a mere touch if you're unlucky enough to have an open wound...The virus exists in the ghoul's saliva and other bodily fluids; given the typical sanitary conditions most ghouls live in, they're walking biohazards."

So the reason HMHVV III is contact vector is because of the general condition a ghoul tends to live in, namely, covered in his own filth. If a ghoul showered regularly, then his virus would become injection vector. Even if he doesn't, there's no way a ghoul spitting on doorknobs is going to infect anybody without an obvious hand wound. So yeah, zombie apocalypse averted.

Well as someone who works in outdoor condictions I can honestly say that "hand wounds" are really common, especially in cold and wet weather, and I imagine that with the acid rain common in cyberpunk setting only the shetlered rich wouldn't have "open wounds" or one kind of another...

Furthermore, that's just fluff.
The rules state it's touch vector, no matter what.
If it really had to get into your blood to infect you, the rules would say injection vector.

Thats why I hope that it's gonna be Errattaed. I Think AH also strongly votes for a Change.
Thumb-Up for a change to the better
(We allready changed it (Me& my 3 Rounds) to Injection Vektor ,Power 6 and AP-4 )

with Dance for a Change
Medicineman

Yeah, you think that SARS or Swine Flu is bad, you would have a complete worldwide epidemic of Ghouls in transition in a very short order using Touch as a vector...

Here's for hoping it is erratted as Injection Vector

Keep the Faith