Ian Soulton

	Ian Soulton
42	Botanist
Ian earns 3 for every alien fruit planted (not grafted).
Pacifist
Pacifist Wherever you are, aggressive actions cost an additional 2.
Skills:
Botanist
Biologist
Mycologist
Green Thumb
Firefighter
Frugivore
Titles order:
#16	Commander
#8	NERON Admin.
#12	Communications Officer
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"A passionate and dedicated researcher whose knowledge of alien plant-life is unparalleled. A strict pacifist, he's the 'nice guy' on board."

Summary

Even though it seems compulsory that Ian work in the Hydroponic Garden, he has other qualities that support his important role on the ship. A good Ian will actively help keep his teammates alive, using his Pacifist nature to deter the Mush.

Ian Soulton actively participated in Mush research. An authority on the subject, and also on botany, he prepared a study into numerous extra-terrestrial species and created several hundred hybrids using plants from earth. His curiosity for fruit species is particularly evident.
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Available Skills

Skill	Description
Botanist	Gain 2 per day, which can be used to treat Plants. You can see the growth status of plants and read the properties of fruits. You can graft fruits. During expeditions, Harvest events provides an additional fruit.
Biologist	Grants a +4% efficiency bonus to all Research in the Laboratory. Can read the properties of drugs. Is not blocked by NERON's research lock.
Mycologist	When you heal a crewmate, you remove a spore from them. If that crewmate is a Mush, you instead remove a spore from their reserve.
Green Thumb	Immediately gain 2 extra Hydropots. Hybridized plants reach maturity faster.
Firefighter	You have a 100% chance to put out fires with an Extinguisher (compared to the normal 50%). You can also attempt to extinguish fires with your hands, with a 10% chance of success.
Frugivore	Gain 2 extra when you eat alien fruits, or 1 extra when you eat a Banana.

Tips

• Maintain the ship's garden by tending to your plants, and by planting new fruits in Hydropots. Plants must be watered and disease-free on daychange, or else they won't produce fruits or oxygen. Main article: Gardening.
  • It's best to tend to plants during Cycle 8, as otherwise new diseases might appear between treatment time and daychange.
  • Young plants do not need their diseases treated, because they do not produce fruits or oxygen until they reach maturity. However, you must still water them or else they will die.
• You should generally keep your plants either in the Hydroponic Garden (to benefit from garden-related NERON projects) or the Laboratory (for easy access to the Apron, to avoid getting Dirty).
• Participate in Research, especially if you've taken Biologist.

Skill Notes

• Botanist is very helpful for maintaining the Garden. The lets you keep pace with the number of plants that need tending, which can easily go up to 8.
  • You may want to keep the plants in the Garden if the Heat Lamps and Hydroponic Incubator projects have been completed.
  • While unconventional, you could also keep your plants in the Dormitory so you have easy access to the shower and expeditions. Here, you will also be able to protect your sleeping teammates with Pacifist.
• Biologist is always nice to have. It will help you either support Finola with Research, or replace her entirely if she is dead or Inactive.
• Mycologist can be helpful in certain contexts, such as when the expedition is hit by a Cristalite mush trap. However, it becomes redundant with researches like the Spore Sucker and Super Soaper.
• Green Thumb will give you a total of 7 Hydropots (10 if the Extra Hydropots project is researched)! With that many fruits, the ship will quickly grow self-sufficient on oxygen, and the fruits will be a much-needed source of and .
• Firefighter allows you to save the day (and your garden) if the Mush have hidden or dismantled the extinguishers. Keep in mind that firefighting can be dangerous, as you risk losing 2 with each attempt.
• Frugivore can be a useful bonus if you've kept your garden supplemented with alien fruits. Try not to hog too many fruits, as the rest of the crew will also need the and they provide.

If Mush

• Pacifist is both a strength and a weakness. Although it makes it difficult for humans to attack you (and your nearby teammates), it makes it very expensive for you to directly attack or infect people, too.
  • Make sure to check if your mush skills are aggressive before acting, and save up enough to use them.
  • With Hard Boiled, you can survive numerous hits from the crew, who will already be struggling to hit you due to the cost. Supplement this with Phagocyte to make yourself very hard to kill.
  • You may want to eventually Transfer into a more useful body. Keep in mind that this will cost you 5 : 3 to spike your target and 2 to transfer into them.
• Cooperate with your fellow Mush to help protect them from attack, or to avoid areas where they'd like to operate.
• Try using Fungal Kitchen to slip spores into bananas and deliver them to the crew, infecting them in the process.

Ian Soulton  •   Ian Soulton