Creating a Will effecting disease

[Ktulu]

Edit: ARrg, AFFECTING disease. not Effecting. stupid me.
I'm currently converting the Savage Worlds campaign setting Sundered Skies into 4th ed.

One of the major aspects in the world is a sickness known as glowmadness. It's a mind-affecting "disease", for lack of a better word, that can turn victims into savage monsters.

I was just going to quickly stat it as a disease when a couple things got me stuck:

It really should be a mind-affecting disease, so likely attacking will, instead of fort. However, should Endurance still be the skill used to get better?

Also, this is a disease that should exist throughout the heroic and paragon tiers as a danger for heroes. What would be the best way to handle that; multiple versions of disease, or just scale it along for a while?


Any help appreciated.

 

[Mesh Hong]

First things first is this a Disease or some sort of mental Illness? that is a key question, is it something that people are infected by or is it a reaction to their surroundings or events?

For my rules system for dealing with psychological disorders please see my "Book of Distant Stars" (link in my sig).

From your description it sounds like a disease affecting the brain (?) So I agree it sounds like it should attack Will rather than Fortitude. For fighting off the effects of the disease, endurance might still be an option but how about using something like insight? If it is making you act or react against your better nature then insight might help you realise this fact and fight the effects?

For treating the disease I would still probably start with the Heal skill.

As to the effects of the disease I will need to have more of an idea from yourself.

 

[Ktulu]

basically, there's a "madness god" that exists in the ever present glow in the world.

Those in the glow too long can succumb to the glowmadness. According to the Savage Worlds rules, there are four steps; irritable, angered, enraged, and finally glowmad.

Each step causes the creature to have less and less control over his anger until the madness takes him, transforming him into a mindless, freakish brute bent on destruction.


Specifically, I don't want this to be a very "deadly" disease, because it'd be a short campaign. I'd like it to be something that affects the players rarely, but prolonged exposure can increase the dangers.

 

[Henrix]

You could easily make a disease that used wisdom or charisma checks instead of Endurance checks, just lower the DCs appropriately.

From your description I'd say you should use Charisma, representing pure willpower, rather than Wisdom.

You could also use Will defence -10, or let them choose between making Charisma or Wisdom checks (essentially the same thing, but without the bonuses to Will defence).

On second thoughts I'd probably just use Will defence -10, so that those who have taken feats like Iron Will get a bonus.
In that case the DC should be the same as a suitable attack for the level of disease +10.

I think perhaps it'd be best if you just leveled the disease - if it's induced by monsters it can be the same level as the monster that gives it to them, or you could model it as a hazard.

 

[Ktulu]

Hadn't considered doing it as a hazard.. That would probably work substantially better.

Great idea!

 

[Henrix]

I was actually thinking perhaps a hazard to make them sick - the disease track is too good to leave out of the equation.

How does it work in SW? How does it infect?

 

[Mesh Hong]

basically, there's a "madness god" that exists in the ever present glow in the world.

Those in the glow too long can succumb to the glowmadness. According to the Savage Worlds rules, there are four steps; irritable, angered, enraged, and finally glowmad.

Each step causes the creature to have less and less control over his anger until the madness takes him, transforming him into a mindless, freakish brute bent on destruction.


Specifically, I don't want this to be a very "deadly" disease, because it'd be a short campaign. I'd like it to be something that affects the players rarely, but prolonged exposure can increase the dangers.

Its an interesting concept.

A psychological condition brought on by exposure to a specific trigger environment or substance.

Trigger: Contact with Glowmadness substance, whether that be walking in luminessant long grasses, breathing tiny funal spores, standing in the spray from a strange waterfall, examining a strange curling symbol painted on teh underside of a pepper pot etc.

An attack vs. Will of an appropriate DC would handle whether you contract Glowmadness or not.

You have already stated your stages:

(-2) Cured - no longer suferring from the effect
(-1) Recovering - well along the path towards making a full recovery
(initial) Irritable - initial state of the condition
(+1) Angered
(+2) Enraged
(+3) Glowmad

You just need to work out appropriate effects for each stage or at least Irritable, Angered, ENraged and Glowmad.

For treating the disease I would use Heal for someone else treating you or Insight if you are treating yourself. I would use a DC based off either the level of the effect or maybe just have dependant on the level of the PC?

Possible Effects:

Irritable
You are frequently on edge and easily annoyed. Take a -1 penalty to Will defence and all social skill checks.

Angered
You seem to be in a permanent bad mood. Take a -1 penalty to Will defence and a -2 penalty to all social skill checks, if you ever fail a repeatable skill check you take a cumulative additional -1 penalty to further attempts.

Enraged
Your attitude makes talking to you unpleasent even for your friends. Take a -2 penalty to Will defence and a -4 penalty to social skill checks, if you ever fail a skill check you become too angry to attempt the same thing again and usually resort to some sort of violent outburst.
While you are bloodied you become Enraged. While Enraged you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls and a +4 bonus to damage against any creature that attacked you last round, you instead take a -4 penalty to attack rolls and no bonus damage against targets that didn't attack you last round.
(sorry that could probably be worded better)

Glowmad
You take on an almost bestial expression and people naturally give you a very wide birth. Take a -4 penalty to Will defence and a -8 penalty to social skill checks, if you ever fail a skill check you become too angry to attempt the same thing again and usually resort to some sort of extreme violent outburst.
While you are bloodied you become Glowmad. While Glowmad you must attack the nearest creature (friend or foe) each round if 2 or more creatures are closest determine randomly, you gain a +4 bonus to attack rolls and deal +8 damage

Other considerations:
You could add the rules that if someone is already suffering Glowmadness and they come into contact with another trigger (once per encounter) then they automatically progress to the next stage on the condition track immediately.

You could also add a rare substance that can counteract Glowmadness, you could call it Glowcalm. One application automatically reduces the effect of Glowmadness and immediately moves the condition one step towards being cured.

Anyway this is teh starting point I would take for your idea. I hope it helps.