Gradual Transform into Template - Multiple Delivery Vectors

[Casanova Frankenstein]

Hey guys, I was hoping to crowdsource a power build; It's a complicated idea and I need to make sure the rules on it are formalized and closely model the intended effect. I'd rather have a long, complex (compound, whatever) power that works right at maximum resolution than an elegant shorthand with a boatload of DM fiat.

 

Here goes: The overall goal here is to create mindless minions of the Druid Apocalypse. I'm designing a sort of wood-zombie, where specialized plants grow into a living thing, rendering it effectively dead but adding Strength, DR.... possibly Automaton template once it's all said and done. The "Becoming" process needs to be gradual and (at least hypothetically) curable.

 

The biggest thing I want to make sure works properly here is the (12-24 hour) transformation from infected host to mindless plant horror. I'm sure I haven't gotten my ENTIRE idea out in my original post, but I'll clarify or edit as circumstances dictate.

 

The standard way I want to present the "affliction" is areas of the body becoming numb, stiff, and over time wood-like. Amputation of affected areas is a crude but effective method of preventing the spread, but barring intervention the affliction spreads, with plants sprouting roots through the body and into its brain and spine. Once the tendrils of wood enter the brain the host is killed by default and now the creature is just a dried husk interwoven with animated wood tendrils. Fully reanimated "zombies" will have an attack that carries the infection.

 

I've looked at Lucius' disease power idea here, and I think it's a great way to model a gradual Transform infection. I'm not married to this specific method, but I think it's brilliant and probably gives me enough tinkering space to make the Transform work however I, the Evil Heartless DM want it to.

 

Bonus Topic 1: If there is a way to make is link to hit locations in a way that makes "infected head" much worse than "infected foot" that'd be a huge plus... My first thought on this would be a Transform with some (custom?) advantage allowing hit locations to affect BODY results.

 

Bonus Topic 2: I'm thinking getting infected should cause victims to become sleepy and become unconscious before most of the Transformation takes place, but not fast enough for it to affect combat outcomes. In a fight you may know you're infected, but you're not going to become unconscious for an hour or so if you fight them off. Any general thoughts on what the process might look like narratively are welcome even if I wind up going a different way. I think the flavor on this leaves a bunch of possible paths to the end point... your thoughts?

 

Bonus Topic 3: I know I want there to be an airborne spore version of this affliction eventually, and getting smacked by a wood zombie will carry a chance of infection, but can anyone else think of other cool or insidious ways of infecting targets? Think like a plant

 

Thanks in advance,

C. F.

[Grailknight]

Okay, here is something I worked up for a Vampire Plague in a Supers setting. This will add a 500 point template to its target over the course of 72(no Power Defense, 8 BODY) to 85(any combination of Power Defense + BODYx2 <56) hours.Base power is a Transform with Damage over Time. Hero Designer will let you easily adjust  the charges and frequency to get what you want.

 

Severe Transform 1 point, Damage Over Time, Target's defenses only apply once (129-256 damage increments, damage occurs every 20 Minutes, +5) (30 Active Points)

 

There are 3 variables you need to consider:

 

1- Points added by the template. The formula for points works out to 1 BODY added to the target's effective BODY for every 5 points added and you need 2x that BODY in order to Transform the target For the 500 point example, I added 100 BODY in excess of the target's BODY to get 108 Body for a Normal needing 216 pips of Transform completely.

 

2- You need an onset time. This will allow you to determine the number of charges and the frequency of triggering.  I wanted the traditional 72 hours for vampires and divided that into the points needed to Transform and the math spat out 3 BODY/hr. The combinations of charges and increments closest to this were 1 point/20 minutes with 256 charges or 1d6 points/hr with 72 charges. Either works but the full 1d6 Transform is more expensive.

 

3-You need methods to stop the Transform in progress and to cure it. Transform cannot kill so the targets are still  "alive" somewhere inside in their new form. Curing them makes for a more heroic ending. Or you could go the horror route and say the infection kills them and Transforms their corpse to an Automaton. You'll have to link a Killing Attack/Body Drain of some sort to kill your victims.

 

Bonus topics 1 and 2 are easy if you go for the kill them/transform corpse option. Two can be worked in using partial Transform in either option.

 

Bonus topic 3: I'd use fruits and seeds here.

[Lucius]

Rather than Transform, you might consider a Killing Attack and linked Triggered Summon

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Linked Triggered palindromedary tagline

[Casanova Frankenstein]

Great ideas guys, I forgot to mention I'm restricted to 5ER (barring troubleshooting Hero Designer) at the moment but I found a good way to write the Transform (I needed a bit of hand wave to overcome the lack of damage over time but custom advantages always work as intended

 

As to the HKA (in this case) linked to a triggered summon... it's quick and easy but I want this to be a progressively worse condition that actually results in permanent unconsciousness, not death. This is basically simulated by a 0 END persistent 1d6 NND EB that fires once a minute until you get the plant infestation out of your body.

 

So the infection works like this in my current iteration:

 

Woodblight Catalepsis:  Energy Blast 1d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Penetrating (+1/2), Continuous (+1), Attack Versus Limited Defense (Power Defense; +1 1/2) (25 Active Points); Limited Power Transform Must Take Effect (-2), Gradual Effect (1 Minute; -1/2), No Range (-1/2), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Visible (-1/4)

 

If the Wood Blight transform takes effect on a target, they are subject to Woodblight Catalepsis. Every minute they take 1d6 AVLD stun until unconscious, then stay there until the automaton Transform is complete. Magic should be able to reverse the Transform if something appropriate is on hand (Cure disease, maybe remove curse, etc. sorts of powers. Power Defense seemed like the appropriate defense in this case. Most targets wind up unconscious forever, basically.

 

The Transform is currently written as:

Woodblight:  Major Transform 1 point (Living Creature into Wood Wierd, Curative Magic, Exorcism, Curse Cures), Damage Over Time, Target's Defenses Apply Only Once, (33-64 increments, damage occurs every 20 Minutes, +4 1/2) (+3) (20 Active Points); Activation Roll 8- (-2), Linked (Woodblight Catalepsis; Lesser Power can only be used when character uses greater Power at full value; -3/4), Restrainable (-1/2), No Range (-1/2)

 

So the Transform is slower but the AVLD stun will cause most normals to fall unconscious and then turn into a "Wood Weird" Automaton in 12-18 hours or so.

 

Thoughts?

[Grailknight]

To do the Transform in 5th, requires this construct:

 

Major Transform 1 point, Uncontrolled (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Penetrating (+1/2), Continuous (+1) (17 Active Points); Activation Roll 8- (-2), Gradual Effect (20 Minutes; -1), No Range (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) (3 Real Points).  Visible not legal on this power.

 

The 0 END means it lasts until a stop method is applied or the Transform takes effect. 

 

Woodblight Catalepsis also needs Uncontrolled unless the attacker  maintains the power by keeping LOS on the target.

 

I added Penetrating because otherwise a target with Power Defense is immune.

 

Hero Designer does have a 5th Edition mode. I copy pasted directly.

[Casanova Frankenstein]

Thanks for the 5th ED rewrite, but I managed to Kludge in the Damage Over Time using custom advantage and counting on my fingers, lol.

 

Edited from the notes vis-a-vis Uncontrolled and Visible, how does the new revised power look overall? Welcoming all input.