Pathfinder 1E Thinking Outside the Box with the Awaken Spell

While working on a homebrew setting, the following idea rose to the surface:

What if... an Awaken spell was somehow cast on a Disease? Could it create an intelligent disease, driven to spread and reproduce? Could it be given/programmed with specific instructions?

The homebrew setting centers around a deadly plague that has nearly wiped out civilization. It could not be cured by magic, and those who were normally immune to disease had no defense against it. There is one race, a descendant of Giants, that is strangely immune. What could make someone immune to this?

Presumption: If the plague were a disease that had been affected by Awaken, it would no longer be a disease but a creature, with a Type and perhaps Sub-type. This would explain the lack of spells like Remove Disease from curing it. However, turning it into a creature would make it vulnerable to physical damage, especially fire, and to mind-affecting spells. Spells like Fireball and Charm Monster can affect a colony of the virus.

The question is how best to combine Awaken with a disease? Assume that the disease is a genetically engineered custom bug, designed to affect all intelligent creatures except one, Fey. Assume that the disease is fatal most of the time. Also, it would be released in stages. Stage 1 would be a test run, Stage 2 would be getting its ability to spread world-wide, and Stage 3 would be the end of all life except Fey creatures.

Why would someone create this super-bug?

The Fey of this world have a prophecy that a child would be born who would lead them back to their “rightful” place as rulers of the Universe. Or at least some part of it. Some Fey even believe that the child has already been born, but was stolen as an infant and was hidden away somewhere on the world of the campaign setting. Due to the strange way that Fey age, the infant has remained ageless. The Fey have tried all "normal" means to track down the child and have failed.

An alien race/godlike being learned of the Fey and their prophecy, and the fanaticism with which certain Fey believe in it (Fey are very passionate in their beliefs). This alien race/godlike being had been banished from the multi-verse eons ago and wanted very badly to return, but needed the help of someone on the “other side” to open a door. The alien race/godlike being contacted these Fey, and reached an agreement. They would help the Fey find their lost child, and the Fey would help in opening their “door.”

The solution? A process of elimination using a deadly, intelligent virus...

Of course, the alien race/godlike creature has a special surprise in store for the Fey at the end. But that is a different story.

To get things started, here is a possible example of the spell, Awaken Disease:

New Spell – Awaken Disease
School: Transmutation Level: Cleric 6
Casting Time: 24 hours
Components: V, S, M (herbs and oils worth 4,000 GP), DF
Range: Touch
Target: Diseased area, creature, or container
Duration: instantaneous
Saving Throw: No Spell Resistance: Yes (Special, see description)


You awaken a disease to human-like sentience. To succeed, you must make a Will save (DC 10 + Base DC of the Disease). Further, if the target is within an area protected by any sort of Spell Resistance, you must also overcome that resistance. The awakened disease will ignore you as long as there are other creatures in the area. You have no special empathy or connection with a disease you awaken, although it will serve you in specific tasks or endeavors if you communicate your desires to it. Further castings of Awaken Disease on the same creature have no effect.


An awakened disease gains the Aberration (Swarm) type and it has vision and hearing senses similar to a human's. An awakened disease communicates telepathically. An awakened disease has 3d6 Intelligence, 1d3 Charisma, and cannot serve as a companion, familiar, or special mount.


.

Welcome to another exciting episode of Phill and Dixie's Science and Pathfinder.

Awaken seems to target a single critter so would apply to one single bacteria. The spell description doesn't mention if the awakened abilities apply to offspring. Which is important since a disease bug works due to rapid multiplication. If the fission process destroys the Awaken ability, then your plan won't work. A single bug, no matter how smart, can't do what you are trying to do. Eventually, someone will figure out what is going on and just blast the latest victim and the bug into dust. Now an Awaken spell followed by a properly worded Wish spell might be different. ("May all of this bacteria's offspring be identical to the parent." or some such). This assumes the caster in question even knows about bacteria and how they work. Awaken also mentions having to touch the critter in question. Can the caster see the specific bug in question? Might need an over achieving Enlarge spell just to make the target big enough to touch without killing it or targeting the wrong one.

Might have to create several special bugs since most are rather species specific. One that kills Dwarves likely won't harm Orcs and such.

OK, all good points, let's try this again...

---

New Spell – Awaken Disease
School: Transmutation Level: Cleric 6
Casting Time: 24 hours
Components: V, S, M (herbs and oils worth 4,000 GP), DF
Range: Touch
Target: Diseased square, creature, or container (max. 5x5x5)
Duration: instantaneous
Saving Throw: No Spell Resistance: Yes (Special, see description)

You awaken a disease to human-like sentience. To succeed, you must make a Will save (DC 10 + Base DC of the Disease). Further, if the target is within an area protected by any sort of Spell Resistance, you must also overcome that resistance. The awakened disease will ignore you as long as there are other creatures in the area. You have no special empathy or connection with a disease you awaken, although it may serve you in specific tasks or endeavors if you communicate your desires to it. Further castings of Awaken Disease on the same creature have no effect.

An Awakened Disease gains the Ooze and Swarm types, has Blindsight out to 60 feet, and communicates telepathically. An Awakened Disease has 3d6 Intelligence, 1d3 Charisma, +2 HD and cannot serve as a companion, familiar, or special mount. Its Skills are Fly and Stealth.

---

Awakened Disease
An Awakened Disease is created when the spell, Awaken Disease, is cast on an infected area, creature or container.

XP ???
N Fine ooze (swarm) (augmented)
Init –5; Senses blindsight 60 ft.; Perception +1

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 17 (–5 Dex, +12 size)
hp 18 (4d8)
Saves: Fort +0, Ref –5, Will –5
Defensive Abilities ooze and swarm traits; Immune weapon damage, see text
Weaknesses vulnerability to fire, swarm traits

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., climb 10 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)
Melee swarm (except distraction)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks infect (Save, Onset, etc. are same as the base disease)

STATISTICS
Str 1 (-5), Dex 1 (-5), Con 10, Int 12 (+1), Wis 1 (-5), Cha 2 (-4)
Base Atk +1; CMB —; CMD —
Skills Fly +13, Stealth + 23; Racial Modifiers +8 Fly, +8 Stealth, +6 Perception
Languages telepathy 100 ft.
SQ amorphous

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Infinitesimal (Ex)
An Awakened Disease consists of a microscopic cloud of viruses, and as such is undetectable by normal means much of the time. Detect spells will work on it, and some magic items as well. An Awakened Disease leaves no tracks, no scent, and makes no sound. As such, it does not have the Distraction ability that is common to most swarms.

Immunity (Ex)
Immunity (Ex)
As a creature, and no longer a true disease, spells such as Remove Disease and even Heal have no effect on either an Awakened Disease or an infected creature. Defenses and remedies for afflictions such as Mummy Rot do not work, since no curse is involved. Physical defenses that normally work against a Swarm, such as Damage Reduction, are ineffective. However, an Awakened Disease is vulnerable to fire and to spells that affect swarms.

Infect (Ex)
An Awakened Disease is an intelligent form of a normally more common or mundane disease, and being sentient it can choose where it goes and who it tries to infect. It ignores incorporeal creatures. When it infects a corporeal creature, it deposits a small amount of itself and moves on to the next target, and can cause a widespread outbreak in a short amount of time. If a creature dies from its effects, the Awakened Disease leaves that creature to seek out a new host. Any creature that is normally unaffected by disease can become a carrier, and the Awakened Disease will infect any other creature that comes into contact with it. The specifics of the disease, such as Save, Onset and Effect remain the same for the base disease that was Awakened.

ECOLOGY

Environment any land or underground
Organization solitary or colony (2–5)
Treasure none

An Awakened Disease is a small quantity of a normal disease that has been given sentience through the power of the spell Awaken Disease. Composed of a cloud of viruses, they are very difficult to detect visually, sometimes appearing as sheen on a solid surface or as a faint, misty cloud. Awakened Diseases reproduce by infecting a host creature and attaching to its cells, increasing in number as the host’s cells normally grow and reproduce over time. In this way, only a tiny amount of the Awakened Disease needs to infect a host in order to keep the disease spreading. Since it is intelligent, it can choose courses of action and make decisions based on what it perceives around it.

I think the 3.5 Cancer Mage prestige class could become an intelligent disease. It's been a while since I read it and I can't remember which book it's in, but it's gotta be out there somewhere. You can see how that one behaved.

OK, yep, I just found it: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Cancer_mage

Looks interesting. I'll check it out. Thanks!