Mutations from some sources should be more targeted

[Chicken]

The prevalence of monsters that malmutate you in annoying ways is balanced by a generous supply of cure mutation potions, but there is little richness of detail beyond that. I think that once you get into having beneficial/mal/neutral, you might as well open the gates and have more specific mutations.

For example, the innumerable and boring sun demons might get a chance to make you more sensitive to fire. Eating salamander meat might have a chance of making you more resistant to fire. Instead of having only generic mutagenic meat, you could actually seek out certain monsters to try to improve your profile of mutations.

I know that the latter part approaches a perennial proposal, but when it is taken in context of only mutations - and perhaps if the range of mutations is based on several attributes of the monster, giving more randomness to the results - then maybe it could be fun.

Speaking of fun: the range of effects it ought to have when you eat shapeshifter meat... no, no random degeneration or heat or cold or stat gain or loss for this one, we're talking carnal rearrangement.

[CanOfWorms]

From the Won't do page:

Beneficial effects from chunks.
◾ Would encourage tedious behaviour like stashing monsters.

Disregarding that, having sources of mutations that give smaller subsets of mutations (that aren't purely bad) only makes it easier to rig the mutation roulette. (Also, I'm not sure how you could make mutations more random by removing certain mutations from the outcome...)

To summarize, your mutation proposal sounds like "Make mutations easier to rig", which goes counter to the point of mutations.

As for the sun demon idea, it could work since Cerebov already does the rF- on hit effect? I don't know if they need the buff, and there are already monsters that have the "make player more vulnerable" gimmick (slimes, entropy weavers, naga ritualists, that MR- monster in Crypt whose name escapes me right now...)

[Sar]

Phantasmal warriors have the MR- melee.

[ontoclasm]

Eating salamander meat might have a chance of making you more resistant to fire. Instead of having only generic mutagenic meat, you could actually seek out certain monsters to try to improve your profile of mutations.

I know that the latter part approaches a perennial proposal, but when it is taken in context of only mutations - and perhaps if the range of mutations is based on several attributes of the monster, giving more randomness to the results - then maybe it could be fun.

Nethack does this. "Fun" is not the word I would use.

[Sprucery]

It's fun in Nethack but it would not be fun in Crawl.