Individuals infected with power from various primordial beings, enough to mutate their very body into a weapon in its own right. This turns them into monsters, both literal and figurative…
10 Hit Points | 2 Skill Ranks | 2 Soak
Class Abilities
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Infected Hosts gain proficiency with simple weapons. They’re not proficient with armor, and cannot gain proficiency with armor through any means.
The bonuses from Unarmed on the table apply to damage.
Tainted Soul
Infected Hosts are afflicted with a taint upon their very soul, giving them unnatural abilities and changing them physically, mentally, and spiritually. These take many forms, but are usually broken up into a variety of specializations that the Infected Host receives at 1st level. Once chosen this cannot be changed. The Tainted Soul chosen determines which Infected Powers and Infected Defense the Infected Host receives.
All powers and abilities granted by Tainted Soul, and some other abilities that the Infected Host receives are modified by what is known as their “Infection Level”. The Infected Host’s Infection Level starts at a base equal to their level plus Endurance, and can be increased by 15% + Endurance by spending a full-round action forcibly mutating your body.
Infection Level ranges from 1% to 300%, with anything above 40% growing steadily more risky for the Infected Host. The chart details Infection Level bonuses and negatives at various levels of infection. After 24 hours of rest the Infected Host’s Infection Level goes back down to its starting level.
Each of the bonuses and penalties gained stack with those granted by the previous levels.
Artificial
Your state of being was induced by your fellow man, infecting you with a virus that slowly takes over your every being despite your attempts to resist it.
Infected Defense: You receive a 5% chance to negate critical hits per level of Infected Host you have (maximum of 100% or critical hit immunity at 20th level).
4th Level: Your unarmed strike can sacrifice -1k0 to-hit for 1 Penetration. This can be done up to a -4k0 for a 4 Penetration.
8th Level: Your unarmed strike gains the Reach property.
12th Level: If you’re hit by an attack, you can choose where it hits you.
16th Level: Spend a Dodge check to heal yourself before an attack would hit you. This uses Endurance as the roll, and uses the Dodge’s keep dice. The result is divided by your Soak before being applied to heal you.
20th Level: You are immune to penalties to attack or damage.
Celestial
Though often associated with “goodness”, celestial blood doesn’t always mean it is good and it ‘infects’ its host just like the rest.
Infected Defense: You receive a +1 HP per even level of Infected Host you have (maximum of +10 HP at 20th level).
4th Level: You can spend a standard action to heal an adjacent ally for a number of HP equal to 2 + your Infected Host level. This can be done once per encounter.
8th Level: Against undead and demons deal +2k2 more damage.
12th Level: You receive Natural Deflection to your arms equal to 1 + Endurance. This doesn’t stack with armor and instead supersedes it like normal.
16th Level: All enemies within a 3 square radius of you take a -5 on all attacks against you.
20th Level: You can make a single attack once per day against an adjacent enemy. On a successful hit, you reduce that enemy to 1 HP unless their level is equal to yours, in which you instead deal damage as normal and gain a +2k0 to damage.
Demonic
Tainted by the fiery pits of hell, Demons have granted you unnatural powers the likes of which you would never have dreamed of…or ever wanted.
Infected Defense: You receive a +1 to Soak. At every 5th level starting at level 5 you gain a +2 to HP.
4th Level: Against foes of equal or lesser level than you, you gain a +1k0 to attack and damage.
8th Level: Against undead and demons deal +2k2 more damage.
12th Level: Once per encounter upon dealing damage to an enemy with your unarmed strike you can cause them to be knocked prone.
16th Level: You are immune to fire damage. If you’re already immune to fire damage or have Fire Resistance, this becomes Fire Absorption.
20th Level: When dealing damage with your unarmed strike, you ignore 2 points of Soak (to a minimum of treating the enemies’ Soak as 1).
Draconic
The brutal strength of the dragons flows within you, and allows you to take advantage of their arcane might.
Infected Defense: You receive a 1 Natural Deflection to all body parts. At every even level thereafter you receive another 1 to ND (max of 10 Natural Deflection at 20th).
4th Level: Your unarmed strikes receive the Savage property.
8th Level: As a standard action you can breathe a 4 square cone of arcane energy. This energy type is chosen when you gain this ability and cannot be changed later. The arcane energy cannot be sonic, arcane, or corruption. It uses Endurance to hit Avoid, and deals 2k2 damage and adds your Endurance to damage.
12th Level: You can deal half elemental damage (as chosen at 8th level) with your unarmed strikes. Alternatively, full elemental damage can be done instead.
16th Level: Gain 30 resistance to the element chosen for the 8th level ability.
20th Level: When attacking with your unarmed strikes, treat your Strength as 2 higher.
Vampiric
Infected with the blood of the undead, you have the power of vampires flowing through you. Those who are undead have this infection more often than not, strengthening their already present power.
Infected Defense: You receive a +1 to Bodily Defense. This increases by +1 for each even level (to a maximum of +10 at 20th level).
4th Level: When dealing damage with your unarmed strikes, you heal ½ the amount of damage you end up dealing to the opponent (0 if you only deal 1 damage).
8th Level: Your unarmed strikes receive a +2 to Penetration.
12th Level: You gain a 6 square fly speed, and a 4 square climb speed.
16th Level: If you are under your maximum HP you receive ½ your level as a bonus to Defense. If you are under half HP, you receive your full level instead to Defense.
20th Level: You are immune to bleed damage, poisons, diseases, and nonlethal damage.
Techno Fiend
Flesh and machinery stitched together in a perverse amalgamation, those infected with this virus are horrifically malformed, taken over by technology.
Infected Defense: You receive a bonus equal to half level (max +10) to Bodily Defense against disease, poison, fatigue, exhaustion, and paralysis.
4th Level: As a standard action, make a single unarmed attack. If this hits, the opponent is pushed back 1d5+1 squares.
8th Level: You double your Deflection bonus against nonlethal damage.
12th Level: As a swift action you can absorb a technological item within you. You can summon this technological item as a swift action. The item cannot be larger than you.
16th Level: You have Electricity Absorption, but cannot heal from Holy/Unholy healing anymore.
20th Level: You are immune to critical hits.
Poltergeist
Those infected by spirits and ghosts have a strange predicament, various body parts shifting into and out of being corporeal and none of them in-sync with one another.
Infected Defense: Receive a 2% chance to negate non-magical attacks. This increases by 2% for every even level (to a maximum of 40% at level 20).
4th Level: You can pass through walls and solid objects as part of a move action, however you cannot end your turn in a solid object.
8th Level: Your attacks are able to hit incorporeal enemies as if they are corporeal.
12th Level: You can fly at a speed of 6 squares, and are unable to be tripped or affected by ground-based effects (such as difficult terrain).
16th Level: As a standard action you can attack an enemy with your unarmed strike. On a successful hit the opponent is forced to become incorporeal for 1d5+(END) rounds. While incorporeal the opponent’s attacks do not affect corporeal enemies, even if their gear is magical or if they have effects that would normally work while incorporeal.
20th Level: You are immune to ability damage to either Endurance or Resistance.
Spell-Scarred
Pure arcane magic has infected your blood, turning you into something of a magically radioactive being, exuding magic from your very being.
Infected Defense: Receive Spell Resistance 8. This increases by 2 for every 2 levels, to a maximum of 28 at 20th level.
4th Level: Your unarmed strikes are counted as having the Æther property. In addition to this, gain a bonus to Penetration with your unarmed equal to Magic.
8th Level: You're able to parry both ranged and melee spells with your unarmed strikes.
12th Level: Choose an arcane spell you would normally be able to cast as a Mage of your level. You can spend a number of HP equal to the Spell Level to cast the spell instead of using the spell's MP cost. You receive additional spells known at every even level thereafter (maximum of 5 spells at 20th level).
16th Level: Your unarmed strikes can deal arcane damage in place of its normal damage, and can be used as a 6 square ranged weapon.
20th Level: You receive Energy Resistance 20 in all arcane elements except Sonic and Arcane.
Penetrating Strike
Infected Hosts can increase the armor piercing power of their unarmed strikes. The Infected Host’s unarmed strikes receive a bonus to their Penetration equal to the rank of Penetrating Strike (maximum of 6 Penetration at 18th level).
Ignite Arm
As a move action the Infected Host can set their unarmed strikes aflame to deal bonus damage. This damage is equal to ½ their level, and this effect lasts for 1 round per level. This ability can be used a number of times per day equal to Endurance.
Bulk Up
As a full-round action the Infected Host can increase their effective Size for space and reach by 1 for 1 minute. This increases Soak as well for the temporary amount of time.
Natural Healing
Every round the Infected Host recovers 1 HP. This occurs even while the Infected Host is unconscious, and automatically stabilizes them from bleeding.
Destructive Force
When dealing damage, treat the enemies’ Soak as 1 less when dealing damage (minimum of 1). In addition to this, deal +1k1 damage with unarmed damage.
Inhuman
On a Persuasion check made to intimidate, the Infected Host’s dice explode and reroll 1s on the check. In addition to this, enemies lose 1 point of Sanity when engaging in combat with the Infected Host. Those who gain a mental disorder from this automatically receive Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder rather than rolling.
Undying Hatred
Against any enemies who have attacked you within the past minute, the Infected Host receives +2k2 to attack and damage. This only is active against one enemy at a time.
First Awakening
Any time the Infected Host’s arms would be cut off, they instead suffer 1 damage (ignoring Soak) and their limb remains intact.
Heroic Awakening
When making a Parry attempt using the Infected Host’s unarmed strikes, increase the roll by +1k1.
Unchained Awakening
When an enemy is killed by the Infected Host’s unarmed strikes, the Infected Host recovers 1d5 + Endurance HP.
True Awakening
The Infected Host embodies their virus, and becomes completely absorbed by it. Choose a physical damage type (bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing) and the Infected Host becomes immune to that damage type. In addition to this the Infected Host increases their Soak by 1 permanently.