Building the perfect disease

[Christopher R Taylor]

I'm working on a disease spell, which has these characteristics:

It is fast acting, affects a single target, but each time the disease affects them, it has a chance of infecting a nearby target with the same disease, and so on.  However, it has a finite duration, it cannot infect people forever, only a certain amount of time (it would not infect the whole world, just a group in an area for a short time).

 

The base power is a drain DOT of ½d6 to Stun, Body, and Endurance, recovering per day.  

The problem I'm running into is how to make the power infect other people that are nearby.  I considered the idea of an AE (only affects one target) so each time it goes off, it AE's and affects one other person but then does it need mobile, and would that actually work?  

[unclevlad]

Well, the first thought is Sticky.  That's anyone who touches a victim, for +1/2.  That's already nasty enough.  If you make it "anyone within 2 meters" you've got something super-infectious.  I'd consider adding extra time for activation and even 14- activation.  And of course there's the obvious Not Vs the right knds of life support.  

 

How nasty you want this to be, will impact those points...what's the range for it to spread from A to B?  What's the probability B will be infected?  How long does it take for B to become contagious?  How long after infection before the onset of the damage?  How long after infection before the infection starts showing?  How much contact is required for A to transmit to B...airborne might require, say, a full turn, casual contact like a handshake, soft tissues contact like a kiss (herpes), fluids.  I'm assuming airborne, but say A is infected and doesn't yet know it.  He's a jogger.  He passes by B, a biker in the bike lane next to the running path.  Total time they'd be within 4 meters of each other is maybe a second.  Does that do it?  

[unclevlad]

BTW, for tailoring this...the worst case scenario for a highly infectious disease is a major airport, IMO.  Target one TSA person at a central, multi-concourse security checkpoint...I know DIA and O'Hare put their security points to service multiple concourses like this.  OK, so now, why is it that it remains contained...because conditions for transfer are *wonderful*.  

 

Just a thought experiment you need to address.

[Christopher R Taylor]

I'm not sure sticky works, particularly as it requires contact.  Putting ranged on sticky might work as a rule-breaker, but I don't think that's really the right way to build it.

 

This is based on a World of Warcraft ability where you put a DOT on someone and it spreads to others nearby.  In other words, its a temporary spell, not an actual affliction.

[unclevlad]

Sure, but Sticky is the only thing we have that allows the spread.  You need a custom variant on it.

 

Ugh.  Translating from a computer game has special headaches.  There are implicit, underlying world assumptions that fail.  WoW, the battlefield is just you, maybe some allies, and whatever you're facing...no neutrals, no bystanders.  AFAIK.

 

Hm.  Exact translation is not likely.  I'm looking at Mobile under AoE.  They specifically cover Usable As Attack so you stick it on your target and now, it moves with him.

 

Of note, are your buddies immune to this?  Are you?  And I can still see where using this would darn near count, today, as unleashing a WMD.  If a hero did this?  If there's any authority evaluating his actions, this would, IMO, be a Major Problem.  If it's a villain...it's a Unabomber attack, or the anthrax-laced mail stuff.  We're definitely talking capital crime, assuming the worst-case is it can kill.  I would actually go so far as to say this would justify a Kill On Sight response level, potentially.

[eepjr24]

I would buy it as a 5d6 or 6d6 Transform, AOE, Limited Target: Human (-1/2), All or Nothing (-1/2). You decide on Minor or Major, personally I would go with Major since I would consider this to be a 20 point or so Physical Limitation (Infected and Infectious: Ebola, Frequently, Greatly). You could add some other limitations like Not versus those with self contained breathing or taking appropriate precautions (-1/2) and you might add some verbiage around how long they are infectious. If it is only a chance, you can throw an activation roll on it.

 

- E

[whitekeys]

One thing comes to mind would be Uncontrolled, No Conscious Control, Area of Effect, Trigger.

 

So whoever makes the disease sets up the specific amount of time it's transferable for, as per Uncontrolled, by paying the required amount of endurance. From there,  there's No Conscious Control of how it might be transferred via Trigger and Area of Effect.

 

But the questions unclevlad brings up need to be answered to have a specific build.

[g3taso]

Stretching could work. Stretching 2" is a 12' radius (give or take). Activation rolls for non-HtH interaction.

[unclevlad]

Something crossing my mind.

 

Who is this for?  Villain or PC?  If it's a villain, do you need an exact point value?  You're trying to match a set of special effects that don't fit well within the system, and were built in the original material for dramatic effect to at least some degree.  And is this intended to be a dramatic threat or a tactical action?

[Christopher R Taylor]

Here's the core of what I've come up with so far:

 

Drain ½d6 (Stun, Body, Endurance)

Three powers at once, Recovers once a minute, Area Effect 3m Radius (accurate selective, mobile), Damage Over Time (7 increments, each 4 segments apart, cannot stack, defenses only apply once); Can only affect one target per "increment of effect"

 

Which should, I believe, affect the main target, then each phase can infect one other person within 3m, but I'm not sure it will give them the DOT (infect them) or just damage some other target in the area once each time it goes off.  Accurate Selective is a +¾ advantage from the Advanced Player's Guide I which makes selective automatically hit everything in the area effect -- but only the targets you want to hit and no others.

[mallet]

Would having the proper amount of Life Support protect a character from this attack? For example Full Immunity? Or if it is airborne would self-contained breathing offer protection? If so then that should be another Limitation on this attack power. Maybe it should be a NND attack, with the correct Life Support being the only Defence? 

[mallet]

Would this be legal/correct? This would only be for the "Infectious" part of the build. It would need to be a Compound Power, with the first part being the normal Drain attack against the target, and this being the second part of the power.

 

Spread Disease:  Drain BODY, STUN & END 1/2d6, Persistent (+1/4), Inherent (+1/4), Constant (+1/2), Expanded Effect (x3 Characteristics or Powers simultaneously) (+1), Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Day; +2 1/4), Damage Over Time, Target's defences only apply once, Lock out (cannot be applied multiple times) (4 damage increments, damage occurs every four Segments, can be negated by Proper Level or Form of Life Support; +2 1/2) (40 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), 1 Continuing Charge lasting 1 Day which Never Recovers (-1 3/4), Always On (-1/2), Limited Range (-1/4), Usable By Other (-1/4), Grantor can only grant the power to others. (Actual Cost: 7)

 

Basically you are giving the Target the power Drain, which is always on, and that the Target can not control. 

[dsatow]

You could also use Transform to change the person into a plague carrier using the transform to grant power rules.

[Christopher R Taylor]

I'm actually thinking indirect might be the way to go; use the carrier as the source that hits other people in the area.