RPing being Wraith'd to 1 CON

[TheCrazyMuffinMan]

How do I do that right. An NPC cleric (Devin) was aiding in a war effort our PCs were involved in, and the enemy leader's wraith managed to get him down from 12 to 1 constitution in two swipes. He was also at -2 before, though he's at 5/5 HP now. How is the best way to RP someone who has been supernaturally enfeebled so much? What DOES a wraith even do to wreck one's CON?

Currently, the battle is over and our CO has given us medical leave, to take him to the Temple where my GMPC (NG cleric of a CG homebrew deity) is a member. The highest level cleric in Devin's city-state is Clr6, and he leads some healers in curing soldier's wounds, but he isn't capable of Restoration. My temple's Superior is Lv15, and on very good terms with the whole party.

I have had Devin rendered pale, shriveled somewhat, shivering on occasion, and I can even have him vomit once. What else works? 1 Con can't be any good, and I need to know if I'm missing anything in expressing just HOW bad it is..

 

[Vorput]

Bad, very very bad. Nothing in the game has a con of 1- as opposed to the other stats, which can be quite low in creatures.

He should catch every disease, and your typical flu stands a very good chance of killing him.

Walking more than 1/2 a mile should leave him collapsed on the ground, barely able to move.

Why is the party going to a healer? it might be better to do some full day's rest for a few days, to at least start to recover it before setting out...

 

[JDJblatherings]

here's how i described a wraith levle draining somoen once-

'the wraiths ghostly hand plunges into your chest unimpeded by armor, clothing, flesh and bone, it's icy talons fold about your heart and squeeze robbing you of your health and life essence threatening to undo everything you are."


I got a pretty good reaction out of that one.

 

[Ambrus]

I wouldn't hold back anything in describing it myself, such a person is as close to death as the living can get without quite crossing over. Imagine your worst case scenario; someone on the edge of death, such as as an elderly person or sickly child on their death bed, someone who's been rushed into the emergency room after a life-threatening accident or a patient barely holding on in intensive care. Anything more than breathing would likely be exhausting to do for more than a few seconds; that'd include standing, walking, feeding oneself, talking, etc. Simply stumbling & falling, or enduring anything less than ideal temperatures could cause further injury and possibly death. Maintaining control of one's bowels would likely be nothing more than a wishful thought...

I'd describe the person as having clammy palid flesh, a decrepit body, watery eyes, slackened features and the inability to stand for long. The person might shiver and/or cough uncontrollably, vomit or lose bowel control occasionally and drift off to sleep whenever allowed to do so.

IMC, when someone is drained of levels, I describe it as having a part of their soul being torn free and consumed by the undead (usually described as an incorporeal undead reaching into a victim's body and trying to tear out and seperate a ghostly blue soul image of the victim from the character's physical shell). Dex damage is the result of an unnatural chill overwhelming a victim's motor control. Con damage is the deterioration of the body's natural processes, similar to the physical decline of old age.

 

[TheCrazyMuffinMan]

Bad, very very bad. Nothing in the game has a con of 1- as opposed to the other stats, which can be quite low in creatures.

He should catch every disease, and your typical flu stands a very good chance of killing him.

Walking more than 1/2 a mile should leave him collapsed on the ground, barely able to move.

Why is the party going to a healer? it might be better to do some full day's rest for a few days, to at least start to recover it before setting out...

I will, at the next segment, suggest that one of Superior's clerics who are 7+ should come to his aid instead, after Devin ends up having a problem related to his ailment.

The Clr6 of South Phonix: "Too risky mate. They're gonna have to come here. I'll send a messenger over to Sherbet to alert your more experienced healers. We're on good terms. He'll be able to come about."

Since Taras' domains include Travel, the higher cleric from Sherbet (the town of my temple) could even fly there. Even better if any 3rd level Divination spells can contact people 5 km away.

Edit: Crap. No dice (lolz). The highest of the order of Taras are probably monitoring their success through high-level divs (Scry?), and would likely get wise to someone being THAT poor in health.

 

[ruleslawyer]

I'd say your situation resembles that of a certain halfling:

"He is passing into the Shadow World. Soon he'll become a wraith like one of them."

I'd say that as your Con goes down, you become paler and more insubstantial, seeming to literally fade into nothingness. Perhaps you can see right through the character at this point, and he's light as a feather.

 

[Voadam]

Raistlin in the dragonlance books is a good low con descriptor. Painful wracking coughs, occasionally bringing up blood. Wheeze when you speak and speak softly, etc.

 

[takyris]

Note, though, that the Strength is the same. This is a guy who can climb, jump, and swing a mace just as well as he did before.

For that, I like the idea of a nearly skeletal figure, rickety but still feverishly strong for his frailty. He can swing a mace so hard that he breaks his own arm in the process. Small bones in his hands break as he pulls himself up rough walls -- he isn't quite as strong as he was before, but he weighs so much less that it works out evenly.

 

[Edgewood]

An analogy to explain this (although this is coming far from left field) would be when Superman was split into two (way back in the 80's). One version retained his strength and ability to fly but lacked superspeed and invulnerability. He still had the ability to lift a falling vehicle but when he caught it, he tore all of the muscles in his abdomen and collpased from the pain. This was one way in which Strength is retained but Constitution is nearly removed.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

I'd say your situation resembles that of a certain halfling:

"He is passing into the Shadow World. Soon he'll become a wraith like one of them."

I'd say that as your Con goes down, you become paler and more insubstantial, seeming to literally fade into nothingness. Perhaps you can see right through the character at this point, and he's light as a feather.

Exactly what I was gonna suggest....