Plague Challenge!

[L. Marcus]

Roight! A challenge for youse peoples!

 

In my Undermount Reaches campaign, I have a pretty standard huge-empire-obliviated-by-scary-ass-demon-induced-plague background (well, standard for me, at least . . . )

 

The thing is, I've planned on letting the plague itself -- the Maddening -- be a pure plot device, but I just felt the need to see how it could be statted out.

 

Now, the disease. It starts as a really nasty Ebola-esque bleeding disease, followed by a transformation of some of the survivors into Man-beast hybrids. I'm thinking of something like a Drain Body, with a Major Transform somehow linked to it . . . ?

 

Any takers?

 

BTW, I didn't see disease covered in FREd, Fantasy or Space. Any ideas why? Or am I just not looking that hard?

[Killer Shrike]

Sounds like 28 days to me

 

Major Transform based IMO

[Greatwyrm]

I'd go with a damaging effect, like RKA (cumulative, NND) to get your bleeding and dying part. If you go with a body drain, anybody who survives is almost guaranteed to be Transformed by the second stage, since their Body will be pretty low. Since you say "some" of the survivors are transformed, I'd assume you want "some" not to be transformed as well.

[L. Marcus]

True. But as I read the Transform rules, it doesn't matter if you're half dead or as perky as ever; you roll the dice and compare with your base BODY.

 

What I'm wondering now is how do you mimic a disease in general in rules terms? Independent? Sticky? Extra time (but that may be a given . . .)

[Old Man]

Make it a critter with Duplication, BODY Transfer to Duplication.

[Markdoc]

How about:

=================================

Blood madness plague

 

Power: 2d6 BODY Drain (Plague)

Specific Modifiers: Recover 1 per hour (+1), 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Continuous (stops if victim makes 8- Recovery roll after each BODY Drain, +1), Uncontrolled (+1/2), 14- Activation Roll (-1/2), Recovery roll makes target immune to this spell thereafter (-1/4), Drain only effects specific target species (-1/2).

 

PLUS:

 

Power: 6d6 major Transform (into blood crazed man-beast)

Specific Modifiers: linked to plague (-1/2), triggered by successful recovery roll (+1/4)

 

Combined specific Modifiers:

Sticky (Can be carried by host species and a single species of vermin) (+1/2), Costs END to cast (-1/4), No Range (-1/2), OAF Major Sacrifice on Altar, immobile (-2-1/2), Gradual Effect (every hour) (-1), Extra Time: 1 hour (-2 1/2).

 

 

Active Cost = 322 points, real cost = 40 real points. END Cost: 32; Magic Roll: -32; Casting Time: 1 hour

 

================================

 

here's how it would work: you come in contact with a plague victim or the requisite species of vermin - the GM makes the activation roll. If it fails you're not infected. So you are OK - for now. If you are infected, you lose 2d6 worth of Body each hour - but you recover 2.5 Bod as well - so on average you'll lose about 1 BOD per hour. This will kill most people in a day, tough or lucky people in less than two, but with healing magic they might linger on for a while.

 

If you make the 8- recovery roll, you'll recover in a few hours, but you also get the transform attack - so you could turn into a bloodthirsty monster. If you survive all of that, you'll be immune. Lucky you!

 

Alternatives are:

 

Dump the vermin carrier and sticky and increase to a megascale area effect instead. That means the plague is restricted to a closely defined area rather than a general area, but means anyone entering the zone will be affected. It will increase the active cost and real cost a bit.

 

I didn't define how you recover from madness - you could either heal naturally - in which case it's a temporary stage (brain fever) or it could require some kind of holy intervention in which case it's more curse-like.

 

Finally, I put the immunity thing in because a) it reduces the cost and I'm an immunologist: I like that kind of thing and c) I like the idea of plague-ravaged survivors who could be wiling to act as guides into the wasted area. You could even have desperate surviving villages, who expose their youths to plague infected rats. With the attentions of a healer they have a decent chance of surving the plague and if they are are tied, and get the brain fever, well....

 

Hope that helps,

 

cheers, Mark

[Sociotard]

Re: Plague Challenge!

 

If it's diseases you want, take a look-see at the bestiary, which covers rabies and bubonic plague. There were a few posted on these boards as well (I saw one that was spread by telepathic contact, and I made one that was fatal, but still contracted intentionally for its attractive side effects.)

 

I wouldn't write this as a transform. Why? If it's a transform, they can come back. I say, depending on how long you want it to take, start of with a drain CON, then STR, STUN, and finally a whopping drain 5d6 BODY. Few will survive. Then pop in a summon demonic beastie with a ONLY IF CHARACTER DIES limitation and an activation roll (not everyone gets turned)

 

I like the "grants immunity" bit.

 

I love these new boards

[L. Marcus]

Re: Plague Challenge!

 

Thanks Marcdoc, Sociotard, everyone! You've helped heaps! Can't believe I didn't look in the Bestiary . . .

 

Incidentally, I saw a documentary that stated that the Black Death probably wasn't carried by the fleas and the black rat, and probably was something entirely else than the modern bubonic plague . . .