Making a virus

[Drifter99]

I am looking to make a virus that mutants would carry that could possibly infect other mutants, the virus would begin to scramble the infected mutants powers to become unstable. Possibly failing at times and even causing damage over time. Whats the best way to design a virus or a disease in the heros system ?

[SirViss]

I don't know how helpful you will find this but here is how I see things:

 

Generating the stats of the effects of a virus and how it spreads is hard and perhaps overly complicated if trying to stick to HERO rules. The first thing that comes to my mind when making something contagious is the "Sticky" advantage. Without looking it up, I think that "Sticky" advantage can only spread an effect once, meaning the character that gets hit with said power can affect any one who comes into contact with the first subject. So to have something that spreads continuously you have to come up with what would probably be a complex construct.

 

Depending if this supposed to be a power that a PC has or not, and from what you stated I think that it is more likely something a villain would have, I would go for something simpler. The effect of the of the disease on the subject itself might be easily stat-ed but concidering the effects you put forth in the OP even that will be complicated.

 

The disease's spread can be just a Transform (probably Major) healthy person to person with "sickness A". Just keep in mind the ease with which you want to portray the it's spread.

 

So, the easiest way in my estimation of making a disease would be two linked powers: the diseases effect linked to a Transform.

 

I will other people who are probably better than me actually tackle the stat-ing out of the diseases effect.

[lou_tennant]

I have done this in my current campaign, and decided that 'special effect' was the important part and replicating that was more important that constructing it as a set of powers. So I worked on creating a set of 'rules' by which the virus operated, rather than building individual powers. One of the reasons that I decided a set of rules was important was the fact that a good medical professional could (with enough victims/carriers) be able to breakdown the timeframes involved and then extended this into developing one (or more) cures to slow/reverse/eradicate the virus.

 

I shall dig out the exact rules I put together and post them up.

[Vanguard]

Sounds like what you're describing is a "Plot Device" and not something that needs to have an actual write up.

 

You can just write out what the virus does, how it's transmitted, any cures/resistances/immunities (if any) that exist and then go from there.

 

And it sounds like Lou_tennant said pretty much the exact thing.

[Lucius]

I could have sworn I already answered this...

 

I don't know about the "best" way but this is "a" way.

 

Mutant Stability/Control Undermining Malaise (Airborne Variant): (Total: 60 Active Cost, 10 Real Cost) Severe Transform 1d6-1 (Mutant into Mutant with Uncontrollable Powers, Highly Specialized Medical Treatment), Area Of Effect (16m Radius Explosion; +1/4), Persistent (+1/4), Difficult To Dispel (x2 Active Points; +1/4), Sticky (+1/2), Partial Transform (+1/2), Constant (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Does BODY (+1), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible, effects of Power are Inobvious to target; +1 1/4) (60 Active Points); Attack Versus Alternate Defense (CON; -1 1/2), Damage Over Time, Target's defenses only apply once, Lock out (cannot be applied multiple times) (17-32 damage increments, damage occurs every 1 Day, -1), Requires A Roll (11- roll; Must be made each Phase/use; -1), Always On (-1/2), No Range (-1/2), Limited Target ([Limited]; Mutants only; -1/2), Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles; -1/4) (Real Cost: 10)

 

How it works:

A mutant risks exposure by physical contact with an exposed mutant or by being within 16 meters of a mutant in the highly Infectious stage (see below.) The 11 or less roll to be infected should be modified by circumstance; intimate contact should raise it to 14 or better (per phase!) but a mutant who happens to have Life Support vs Viral Infections and never gets within arm's length shouldn't roll at all.

 

Note that once exposed, one cannot be exposed again until the exposure runs its course (up to 30 to 36 days - at least about 16)

 

Once exposed, roll 1d6-1 each day. As the cumulative total rises, the disease takes hold.

 

Persistant Infection Phase: once the total exceeds CON, further points become cumulative with later exposures. At this point the victim can pass on exposure via physical contact.

 

Detectable Phase: at CON + 1/4 BOD, medical tests (if medical science has developed a test) can detect the virus.

 

Infectious Phase: at CON + 1/2 BOD, the victim is considered to have acquired the "Power" that the disease is written up as, and can expose others within 16m. WORSE, note that there is no Personal Immunity; once the exposure runs its course, if it has reached this stage, the mutant is likely to re-expose himself.

 

Symptomatic Phase: at CON + 3/4 BOD, the rolls start doing BOD damage (treat as Normal Attack for BOD calculation) and Mutant Powers start acquiring random Limitations.

 

Terminal Phase: at CON + BOD, the character is subject to a Severe Transform which justifies re-writing it entirely. Almost all Mutant Powers will have both an Activation Roll and Side Effects that always take effect when the Power is used, whether it Activates or not, or will be No Conscious Control and with Side Effects.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary wonders about that name