Specimen Physcology

When Horzine started its second wave of human cloning and genetic engineering programs, the intention was to create a fully grown male that would respond to imperatives and could recognize Horzine staff as its masters. Orders were to be given to these subjects through a neural implant which released controlled doses of serotonin upon successful completion of a mandate.

Vat Birth Shock
Almost every Specimen suffers this and almost none of them ever improves. Result of being grown to adult size and age in an Accelerated Growth Tanks (Vats). The shock causes learning impairments, mental handicaps and retarded IQ. Only extensive, long term and financially demanding conditioning and threapy before exiting vats (birth) can prevent the permenant damages of Vat Birth Shock.

Most of them have a childrens mind with murder all over it. That retarded dude with chainsaw pretty much fits most.

DNA Memory
Its later proven by theorists DNA memory also includes recent events up to a month or less. The base DNA for all specimen were donated by Kevin Clamley during his mental breakdown over his sons death and samples taken from his sons corpse. Thus Specimen are wracked by the guilt of Kevin Clamley and the death throes of his son. Neither which they can understand or know about, they suffer those feelings from birth to death. Their self mutilation is credited to Kevin Clamleys frustration of failure and constantly using new samples of his own while he was keeping the project, building up even more frustration in DNA memory.

so yeah...

Abused Upbringing
Despite mentally handicapped Specimen were able gather enough information to associate Kevin Clamley as their father. However Kevin rarely interracted with them personally, even with the ones inside the same compound he was working. They were handled by the staff which mostly either lacked any ethics or saw them as freaks of nature and things that should not exist. Without fully knowing that their father was the one that was disapointed in them and did not care about how they were treated.

They faced constant abuse, when in gameplay, go for abusive Insane Asylum caretakers from horror movies.

Conditioning
Several Military projects had partial mental conditioning while still in vats. Some projects relied on airdropping pyschopaths into enemy terriorty, give them a week or so then send regular army to shoot everything without discrimination, if they didn't return to their rally point. Even with neural implants those tend to agressive towards anything they decide is an enemy. And currently most of them decided anyone shooting at Patriach and his children is an enemy.

Though conditioning worked better for a select few, they are hiding among the hordes but they are biding their time for Queen and Country. Use these for extra special, near end game encounters if you made a plothole that just won't fill itself.

Clot
Kevin Clamely's first attempt at cloning his son. With little background from first cloning program, this project was almost sucessful. The Clots had physcological breakdowns, with already limited intelligence of a quick vatgrown clone they started self mutilation and physcotic behavour. They were used to explore the possibilites of organ farming from clones so almost every Horzine facility had at some point had grown Clots. Some of the facilities with even questionable ethics had Clots in cages within the operation room. That way they can quickily start cutting open next one in the line, making the clots in cages watch them during vivisection. After The Outbreak they were the most drawn towards Patriach. For some reason they are still being grown in masses despite their relative uselessness. Clots are basically stupid self-mutilating murderous children of Patriach.

Gorefast
Gorefasts are the result of the second militarized engineered clones project. The results were satisfactory to a certain degree however obession with pain, self mutilation and very limited intelligence doomed the project. They were the first group to receive neural implants, genetic engineers blame the implants, biologist blame the genes... you get the idea. They have no self preservation, most have inflicted more than enough pain to themselves so they are only interested in killing. They have little to no interaction with the rest of the specimen but rarely may attack each other and other specimen too (for dramatic effect, they will never berserk while there are survivors to kill).

Stalker
Stalkers were a parallel project to Crawler. Stalker project was under taken in Wyre facilities, located under Wyre Forest. They had accelerated growth unlike rest of the fully vatgrown specimen, taking several years to reach adulthood. It is most complete and succesful project, however due to problems within the facility and their own nature, each Stalker was insane. The only reason they keep company to other Specimen instead of randomly killing everything they find, is their unhealthy love of their Father who freed them from the locked down Wyre facility. Stalkers are perhaps the most intelligent specimen and frequently taunt players. They hate Fleshpounds, Scrakes and Bloats but will never become hostile towards them. They like Clots and will try to protect them from harm if possible but won't endanger herself to do so.

Crawler
Who was the original designer is not yet known but Crawlers started along side Stalkers but abandoned shortly. The idea of implementing arachnid genes into test subjects proved to provide curious and hilarous results, yet eahc subject lived a few short agonizing days. Later, revised project added similar functions to human genes which was largely sucessful. A hairy short athletic fellow that could follow simple orders that went on all four. Project was mostly abandoned after a few tests where the stealthy Crawlers preformed way below expectations. Now freed they follow Patriach without question or doubt. They lay ambushes and wait patiently untill someone walks in. They don't go about in open unless they feel rest of their kin is in grave danger.

Siren
Sirens are a very short lived project. Initially created as a clone of Kevin's wife, the Siren had a thing for singing. Many disliked her singing and after various events, Kevin had her eyes gorged and her voice created into a sonic emitter. Whenever she would sing, a terrifying shreak would causes people's eardrums to bust. Most of the Horzine weren't even aware when or why it started. Sirens feel affection towards all Specimen and they like her back. Their purpose is obscure to everyone.

Bloat
Bloats are a further engineered versions of Clots. Not much of an improvement achieved on Clone organ harvesting. Post Outbreak they became obsessed with eating human and specimen alike. They are a little smarter then Clots but otherwise equally hostile and insane.

Husk
Husks were part of an indepent project from all other Specimen and for intents and purposes was a sucess. Deep within the Foundry genetic engineer taken to a leve of insanity. Result was a 2 meter tall muscle bound nightmare with a devastating anti infantry gun. Husks backpack maintain a constant stream of molten metal towards. Although in very little amounts when projected from his arm cannon results are devastating. Husk himself, if left alone, he might have been a nice fellow however metal lattices worked into his skin left a burn victim and a chip in his brain makes him a sinister murderer. Husks hate their creator and rest of the humanity. If Kevin Clamley showed up, they would have torn him to pieces. However they follow Patriach without question. Since retaining most of their intelligence and thanks to their communication devices embended into their face Husks can talk to each other over vast distances and ask each other for help.

Brute
The result of early tests to see posibilities of Engineered Military Clones. Too much muscle, too little brain and abandoned just as fast. They have a neural implant and subdermal plates, though they with stand damage they are under constant pain because of them. They have extreme muscle growth with little control, ocassional spams they have made them loners as accidental fists that blow the brains of other specimen, which is not a way to make friends. Since they try not to swing fists and kill his kin, they developed a different offensive tactic. They will swing their arms so they will send Survivors flying. Remeber its not the flight, its the landing that kills you.

Scrake
Designed to perform field operations and medical assistance while underfire and carry heavily wounded away from firefights. Scrakes are the Thrid Engineered Military Clones. If not for the common self mutilation and retardation seen in rest of the clones, they were a sucess. The most disturbing part is that they are capable of learning complex procedures and human biology, however unable apply unless they perform it on themselves as well as a habit of wounding others and then preform the surgeries they were taught. Up untill Outbreak Project, leaders were too busy scratching their heads to figure out what to do with them. Later they took up Chainsaws and started killing people, inflicting the wound they knew was hardest to patch up. Scrakes will go wherever there is hurting and killing and don't share the love of Patriach with rest of the Specimen.

Fleshpound
They are the First Engineered Military Clones. The basic idea was to create an expandable frontline troop that wouldn't question orders and was physically capable of anything. The first results were steroid fed gaints with remarkable intelligence and agility, however they had problematic adrenaline glands and had a short murderous temper. Coupled with their intelligence and outbursts, they were deemed too dangrous and unpredictable and locked up, scheduled for termination at a later date. They were examined for what was wrong with them for a second attempt. Second line was just as short tempered and a lot less intelligent. They were fitted with automatic drug administors that would induce sedatives to control the episodes or even more adrenaline as a preservation measure. Regardless they were deemed a failure and locked up with the rest of the first line.