DISEASE

A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not due to any immediate external injury. A disease may be caused by external factors such as pathogens or by internal dysfunctions. In the context of the game, disease will refer to infectious physical diseases caused by external factors.

Disease requires particular conditions to exist in order to thrive: hot or warm temperatures and a catalyst for the disease (filth, vermin, parasites, etc.). Diseases can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic in nature.

Frequency of Disease Checks

The GM will check for disease contraction based upon circumstance:

• Normal Conditions: Once/month

• Optimal Conditions: Once/week

• Contact with Diseased Creature: Once/contact

Procedure for Disease Contraction

1. Roll Disease Checks. Roll two d% rolls. The first is to determine if a standard disease affects the individual and the second is to determine if a parasitic disease affects the individual.

2. Roll Disease Type. If a disease is indicated on either check, roll a d% to determine disease type (roll twice if 2 diseases are indicated).

3. Roll Disease Occurrence. Roll a d%—The disease will be 01-50: Acute (one-time occurrence) or 51-00: Chronic (usually less severe but one that worsens over time). Adjust the roll for disease type and circumstances (if under 0, the disease is not contracted).

4. Roll Disease Severity. Roll a d%—Severity will be Mild (01-50), Severe (51-88), or Terminal (89 or higher). Adjust the roll for disease type and circumstances (if under 0, the disease is not contracted).

5. Roll a Disease Saving Throw. After an onset time of 12 hours, the first saving throw should be made. If successful, disease effects are asymptomatic (i.e. no effect on the individual) until the next save must be made. If the save is failed, the disease effects are applied to the individual. See Disease Severity for saving throw schedule.

Disease Checks

Standard Disease Check. The base chance of contracting a standard disease is 2%.

Parasitic Disease Check. The base chance of contracting a parasitic disease is 3%.

These checks are modified by ±1d4% (each) based upon environment (there could multiple modifiers; cold reduces chances, heat plus humidity increases them), level of filth, level of interaction (crowded conditions), level of exposure (consuming food/liquid, number of open wounds [each wound gets its own modifier based on damage percentage], etc.), and target’s age (older age categories will have a easier chance of contraction).

Both checks should be made unless the GM rules out one type.

Disease Type

If a disease is indicated, roll a d% to determine type (using the appropriate column, standard or parasitic).

Disease Occurrence

The disease will be 01-50: Acute (one-time occurrence) or 51-00: Chronic (usually less severe but one that worsens over time). Adjust the roll for disease type and circumstances (if under 0, the disease is not contracted).

Acute Disease. The disease will last the stated period of time based on disease severity. Once the period ends, if the afflicted individual has not recovered, the disease increases in severity for another period (or if terminal, dies).

Chronic Disease. The disease is ongoing until the afflicted individual dies, is magically cured, or shakes off the disease due to successful disease saving throws.

Circumstantial Adjustments to Disease Occurrence (Standard Diseases Only)

• Constitution less than 10: +12%

• Individual is gravely wounded (Under 25% hit points): +12%

• Individual has a high Constitution: -5% per point of Constitution above 10

Disease Severity

The disease severity will be Mild (01-50), Severe (51-88), or Terminal (89 or higher). Adjust the roll for disease type and circumstances (if under 0, the disease is not contracted).

Mild Disease. (Acute Duration: 1d3 weeks; Save Period: Weekly) The afflicted individual is fatigued.

Severe Disease. (Acute Duration: 1st: 1d2 weeks plus a 2nd: 1d2 weeks; Save Period: Weekly) The afflicted individual is exhausted.

Terminal Disease. (Acute Duration: 1d12 days; Save Period: Weekly) The afflicted individual is exhausted and suffers the loss of 25% of their hit points from their maximum until the disease severity is reduced. At the end of the period, the afflicted individual must make a Disease save or die.

More than One Disease. For every disease beyond the first, all diseases increase in severity by one step (if this takes the afflicted individual beyond terminal, death will occur without a save).

Circumstantial Adjustments to Disease Severity (Standard Diseases Only)

• The disease is chronic: +12%

• Constitution less than 10: +12%

• Individual is gravely wounded (Under 25% hit points): +12%

• Individual has a high Constitution: -5% per point of Constitution above 10

Disease Saves

• All non-magical diseases will require an onset of 12 hours from exposure.

• Once the onset time is complete, the afflicted individual must make a disease save.

• A disease save is a save vs. Poison. The save is adjusted based on circumstances.

• Initial Successful Save. If successful, disease effects are asymptomatic (i.e. no effect on the individual) for one day. Each day thereafter, another save must be made until the individual recovers or a save is failed (see Failed Save below).

• Failed Save. If the save is failed, the afflicted individual will become diseased and gains the effects of the disease based on severity (fatigue exhaustion, hit point loss) for one week (or perhaps less if terminal).

• If any weekly save is failed, in addition to effects based on severity (fatigue, etc.), any ability loss or other effects will occur. See Disease Type above.

• Each week thereafter another disease save must be made.

Successful disease saves will reduce the severity of the disease up to and including recovery from the disease and failed saves will extend or worsen the disease:

• • Acute Diseases. A failed save for an acute disease at the end of the duration based on severity means the disease will extend for another period (usually 1 week), unless the disease was terminal (a failed save means the afflicted individual will die). A failed save at the end of the 1st duration of a severe disease means the disease will extend for another 1d2 weeks.

  • A successful save at the end of a period means further effects of the disease do not occur (although existing effects continue).

  • 2 consecutive failed saving throws will increase the severity of the disease by one step.

  • 2 consecutive successful saving throws will reduce the severity of the disease by one step.

    • Based on rest, this will allow the effects of the disease to be reduced.

    • Terminal to Severe: Full bed rest of 48 hours will allow the afflicted individual to be restored to their original maximum hit points.

    • Severe to Mild: Full bed rest of 24 hours will allow the afflicted individual to go from exhausted to fatigued. Each additional 24 hours of rest will restore 1 point to each ability score if non-permanent loss occurred.

    • Recovery. Any individual with a mild disease that makes 2 consecutive successful saving throws will recover (become disease free). All non-permanent conditions due to the disease are removed. Each 24 hours of bed rest will restore 1 point to each ability score if non-permanent loss occurred (and ability loss still exists).

Adjustments to the Disease Save

• All disease saves are modified by the afflicted individual's (current) Constitution score.

• All disease saves are adjusted based on the afflicted individual's conditions (fatigue, exhaustion).

• If the afflicted individual is currently suffering from a severe or terminal disease all disease saves suffer a -2 penalty.

• If the afflicted individual is not receiving care from a trained healer all disease saves suffer a -2 penalty. A trained healer is someone with a priest character class or those who have an acolyte or herbalist background—possibly these others based on GM approval: borderman, nomad, prostitute, rover, squire.

• Environmental conditions adjust by ±1d4%. e.g. Extreme humidity and/or heat, level of filth, etc.

LYCANTHROPY

Lycanthropy is also a curse not specifically a disease. The curse is either passed from parent to child or contracted by interaction with an afflicted creature. Typically affliction occurs by taking 50% of a creature’s normal maximum hit points in damage from an afflicted creature (via a natural weapon). There is no saving throw against this effect (and no disease saves are applicable after the affliction occurs).

Creatures immune to disease are immune to contracting lycanthropy.

If the player eats any belladonna within an hour after being bitten, there is a 25% chance the disease will not manifest itself, and thus the character will not be afflicted by it (d%; 01-25 means the character shakes off the curse).

Once afflicted, the curse may be cured within 3 days of contraction by the application of a cure disease spell or remove curse spell cast by a 12th level priest.

If three days have past since contracting the disease, the 12th level caster must cast remove curse, touching the afflicted creature while in were-form. A successful saving throw by the target means the remove curse was unsuccessful and a longer process must be performed to remove the curse.

This process will take not less than a month with the afflicted spending the entire time in a holy place tended by Good clerics. This process is expensive costing not less than 10,000 g.p. if the afflicted is a worshiper and part of the congregation. Otherwise, the expense could be much greater.

Afflicted creatures cannot control when they change for at least 2 years. After 2 years, they will gain a +25% chance to control the change at will, per year until 100% is reached. Each night, the afflicted has a chance to uncontrollably change into one of its animal forms. The chance is full moon (100%), half moon (75%), quarter moon (50%), and new moon (25%) modified by the control percentage as per the description above. This change will also occur in times of great stress (per the GM, but combat is certainly a cause of such stress). The chance is 50% modified by the control percentage. A change will last for the night (if caused by the moon) or 1d2 hours if caused by stress.

Any uncontrolled change in form will cause memory loss. The changed creature acts according to its normal lycanthropic alignment and causes great hunger encouraging the creature to hunt.

For the process of changing forms and effects, see the entry under Lycanthrope in Vile Monsters.

Alignment. Alignment will change to the normal alignment of the were-creature after 2d6 months. See Alignment, for effects of alignment change.

Experience. No character class experience is granted for actions/encounters while in were-form. Actions while in an uncontrolled change could cause severe performance rating impacts.