- Maggie Finson wrote the original version of this article as part of Questions and Answers: Power Categories
These are similar abilities. Regeneration is limited to the mutants themselves, and is usually an unconscious action. Healing is the ability to cause others to heal or regenerate, and is usually under conscious control. Most healers are able to apply that ability to themselves. Note that some healers and regenerators are limited to affecting either wounds or infection/disease only.
| Level 1 | Close (clot) and sterilize wounds, disinfect, promote healing at double or triple speed. Ease fevers, hasten (x2 or x3 speed) recovery from illness. |
| Level 2 | As above. Healing at the top speed of the healthiest normal human ever seen. Near-miraculous, without quite edging into unbelievable. |
| Level 3 | True (slow) regeneration. Cuts close almost instantly, no trace in minutes. Major wounds stop bleeding, scab over very quickly. Limb regeneration in days (taking a few weeks for a major limb). Almost never sick. No allergies. |
| Level 4 | Cuts close in seconds. Knife wounds (and low-caliber bullet wounds) are gone in minutes. Limb regeneration in a day. Aging may be halted. |
| Level 5 | Faster than level 4. Knife wounds take 10-30 seconds to heal. There is modest protection even from critical wounds such as brain and heart injuries, although these may take longer and/or leave side effects (such as memory gaps). |
| Level 6 | Knife and bullet wounds heal in seconds. Brain and heart wounds are almost never critical, though they may slow the healer down. Almost anything can be cured short of actual death itself (and even that may not be final until advanced decomposition has set in). |
| Level 7+ | Harming such a being would be like trying to shoot or cut the ocean. An instant later, it has flowed back into place, and no damage remains. |
High level healers will usually require huge amounts of energy to achieve the higher levels of healing. Healing at a lower level is much less draining. Regenerator blood above about level 3 is considered a biohazard. Regenerator milk can have healing properties for those who ingest it, but as its use as a treatment is still experimental and it sometimes has unusual side effects (e.g., the effect of Jade's milk on Phesclangorenthal[1] ), it's considered a biohazard as well.[2]
Note: Exemplars (the physical package at least) usually have a regenerator rating two steps below their exemplar rating. Usually is not anywhere close to always, however.
Blood Transfusions[]
High level regenerator blood transfers can result in regen cloning, regen cancer, and/or brain damage as the blood attempts to rewrite the receivers body.[3]
Psychoactive Substances[]
Regenerators can have very idiosyncratic reactions to drugs and alcohol, especially at the higher levels of the power. The majority of low to medium level regenerators tend to have a muted reaction to drugs; they have the usual effects, but for a shorter time and sometimes requiring a higher effective dose. They also tend to develop an insensitivity to the drug faster than normal as well. Most high-level regenerators burn through them at an even faster rate, are typically only affected by a drug the first time they ingest it. Some devisor drugs work better for such regenerators than normal drugs[4], but they have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis due to the unpredictable reactions.
However, some regenerators have other reactions. The effect is common enough that Lifeline was surprised when Loophole allowed Murphy to have some beer during a simulation, and upbraided Elaine for being careless.[5] In Murphy's instance, the effects of the alcohol were magnified and sped up; Joanne passed out, but she quickly recovered albeit with a terrible hangover for about half an hour. Other reactions include an ordinary period and degree of drunkenness from alcohol, followed by an intense but brief hangover the following morning, as experienced by both Jobe and Belphoebe [6]; the latter had gotten drunk on an earlier occasion, but during an altercation the majority of the alcohol seemed to be burned out of her system by the adrenaline reaction, though she remained tipsy when the fight was over.[7]
An extreme case of this is Circuit Breaker, who shows unpredictable reactions to the majority of ordinary drugs, usually resulting in severe intoxication and frequently causing hallucinations.[8] However, this is probably due to the interaction of several of her powers influencing her metabolism, rather than just from regeneration.
Prevalence[]
- With a sigh of pure delight, Tanaka made a big note on his clip board, “Possible Regen 6. REGEN 6. Do you have any idea how rare a 6 is in any stable mutant? I can count the number of known 6 ratings on my fingers and toes. If this is true, and considering some of the details of your transformation it just might be, you’re going to live a very, very long time, Sara.”[9]