Small edit: If you don't support this thread, please consider commenting why so I can improve/learn for future ideas! I worked really hard on this and it's a bit discouraging to see a mass of "no support"s without any reason given.

Hey everyone! I’ve been sitting on this idea for a while and wanted to share it with the community. I realise not everyone will support this idea, but I’ve put a lot of thought into it, and would appreciate it if you took the time to read my post in full before choosing to not support. I appreciate any and all constructive feedback and hope you enjoy the read!

Introduction:
Mutated NCL’s have been a hotly-debated topic on Lioden for as long as I can remember. Many users have posted suggestions about mutie and submale claiming, with the most common suggestion being the option to chase lionesses without wiping their mutation (meaning players would be able to claim chased muties with their mutation intact). This idea has been met with reluctance by the majority of the community, and for good reasons. Being able to claim mutated lions would break the mutie market by making them easier to obtain. A chased piebald NCL is, in effect, a free heritageless mutie, and introducing them into explore would make them more common, and consequently, less valuable. This is a valid concern that I 100% agree with. However, I also see the appeal of being able to claim a mutated lioness; it’s exciting, adds flavour, and makes muties accessible to more users. Considering both these perspectives, I’d like to propose a solution: a brand new, NCL-exclusive mutation, that can ONLY be obtained through claiming.

Missing Limb:
"You encounter a lone lioness. You realise there’s something not quite right about her. She lurches when she walks, and as you move closer, you notice she seems to be holding one paw off the ground. No, not quite… her paw is missing!"

Missing Limb is an NCL-exclusive mutation where a lioness is missing one leg/paw. The mutation can be obtained in Explore, by claiming a lioness with the mutation. This Explore encounter would have special text, like the Lioness quest (i.e. a generic NCL encounter couldn’t give you a Missing Limb lioness), and the chances of this encounter appearing would be extremely low. I also think that this encounter would only be available to Dreamboat kings, much like chased lionesses. Lionesses with the Missing Limb mutation cannot hunt, and like other mutations that cause disabilities, they stand a chance of dying before they turn 14.

How do I obtain a lioness with the Missing Limb mutation?
Missing Limb is a unique mutation in that it can ONLY be obtained one of two ways:
1. By claiming a lioness in the special Missing Limb Lioness explore encounter.
2. By using a Lion Scrotum on a lioness with the Missing Limb mutation.
Without a Lion Scrotum, it is not heritable. It also cannot be randomly bred from two parents who do not have the mutation, even with items such as a GMO cow. My aim with this is to make it a truly NCL-exclusive mutation, and to make sure Missing Limb breeding stays focused on NCL’s and their direct descendents.

Can chased lionesses have this mutation?
No! While you could make the argument that a lioness could lose her limb in an accident after being chased, injuries and mutations are different things. To keep in line with existing Lioden mutations, I feel like it would be best to assume the lioness was born with it. Also, it feels a bit unfair for a lioness you chased to pop back into existence with a clean heritage and a mutation.

Art:
Like most mutations on Lioden, I would propose that Missing Limb has art for all cub and adolescent stages, including male and female lions (since male cubs could technically inherit the mutation from a female using a Lion Scrotum). To minimise the load on the artist team, I would suggest it just be a retexturing of the existing lineart (i.e. the standard adolescent pose with one paw removed).

Anticipating some issues:
(AKA the section where I address things I've seen on other suggestion threads)

Making a NCL mutation will break the mutie market.
Not necessarily if it’s a new mutation! Missing Limb might end up selling for slightly cheaper than other mutations because it’s claimable in Explore, but that won’t impact the sale rate of other first generation muties. In my mind, it would be comparable to NCL-exclusive special bases like Dhabhabi and Maziwa.

Mutations are meant to be worked for, not just handed over. Making a NCL mutation makes mutations in general less special.
This is a valid opinion to have! Personally, I don’t think that this will necessarily happen. We also have NCL-exclusive special bases, and I don’t feel that they have devalued special bases as a whole. Maziwa and Dhabhabi don’t sell as well as other special bases, but they haven’t made special bases themselves less valuable. I also think that making this mutation impossible to pass or breed randomly will keep it valuable and exciting.

What’s the point of a mutation existing if it’s hard to get and can barely pass?
It’s for fun! Having muties is awesome, and I think this would be a great starting point for new players and players who don’t have lots of currency. Also, plenty of non-passable mutations are loved and celebrated in Lioden: mane muts are my personal favourite, and the majority of them aren’t heritable! In terms of obtaining one, I thought making them very rare/hard to get would compensate for the fact that they can be obtained without currency. If anyone has a better idea, I’d love to hear it!

Why did you choose Missing Limb for this?
I couldn't find it in the approved mutations masterpost, and also, I thought it would be thematically fun to explore! A young lioness born with only three legs, thrown out of her birth pride after she failed to keep up with the other huntresses. Will she be welcomed into her new pride, or will your king show her the same unkindness the rest of the world has shown her?

Closing:
When you get down to it, this suggestion is pitching two concepts: missing limbs as a mutation, and a mechanic for NCL exclusive mutations. If you think this mechanic would work better for a different mutation - either one that’s been suggested/approved or a totally new one - I’d love to hear more! If nothing else, I thought it would be really fun to speculate what a NCL mutation might look like.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thread, and please share your thoughts and feedback.