Disease: Abyssal Virus
- Thread starter Rechan
- Start date
LostSoul
Adventurer
My idea:
Those infected continually mumble nonsense. Creepy, annoying, but not dangerous. It's little more than a nuisance.
Except to those who know the truth. Those "nonsense" words are key power words in a ritual to summon demons to this world. The more control the tumor has over the host, the clearer the words become and the more likely they are to pull off the ritual.
If someone had the chance to listen to all the infected speak at once, he'd be able to hear the tumor's real purpose: one grand ritual to summon [something bad].
With that, I'd change the final stage. I'd get rid of the posession entirely, and just use the mumbling as an encounter generator. Each time the host goes to sleep, the tumor summons a demon. (Are there rules for not sleeping for extended periods of time? Not getting the benefit of an Extended Rest might be bad enough.)
You could sew your mouth shut to keep from babbling in your sleep. That's pretty cool.
Those infected continually mumble nonsense. Creepy, annoying, but not dangerous. It's little more than a nuisance.
Except to those who know the truth. Those "nonsense" words are key power words in a ritual to summon demons to this world. The more control the tumor has over the host, the clearer the words become and the more likely they are to pull off the ritual.
If someone had the chance to listen to all the infected speak at once, he'd be able to hear the tumor's real purpose: one grand ritual to summon [something bad].
With that, I'd change the final stage. I'd get rid of the posession entirely, and just use the mumbling as an encounter generator. Each time the host goes to sleep, the tumor summons a demon. (Are there rules for not sleeping for extended periods of time? Not getting the benefit of an Extended Rest might be bad enough.)
You could sew your mouth shut to keep from babbling in your sleep. That's pretty cool.
Nifft
Penguin Herder
Some very cool ideas here. One impracticality, though: if people are forced to speak a language that they won't understand, society will break down almost immediately. Also, the disease won't get a chance to take root if the infected are so easy to spot.
Suggested changes (includes some editing):
Abyssal Utterance
Level 3 Disease
Fortitude Attack: +6
Endurance Improve DC: 16
Maintain DC: 11
Worsen: 10 or lower
Stages of the Virus
0: Target is cured.
1: Initial Effect Target can understand Abyssal as though it were his native tongue; target suffers -2 to Will defense.
2: Abyssal Tumor grows on the host's body. This growth has sentience, and begins to affect the host's mind. Lose 1 healing surge. Whenever the host becomes stressed, he will subconsciously begin using some Abyssal words. This happens automatically when the host attacks or makes an Intimidate check.
3: More, powerful tumors spread. The host takes -2 to Fort. The Tumors begin influencing the host more, subconsciously encouraging the host to spread the virus to as many uninfected individuals as possible. Host will engage in fights and seek occasion to make Intimidate checks. Host will also refuse to partake in any Cure Disease or Remove Affliction ritual.
4: Final Stage The Tumors' control of the Host's will has become complete; an entity that can possess targets does not need to succeed in an attack to possess the Host. Furthermore, the Tumors have gained enough power to connect to the Abyss; the Host has a 15% chance per day of being possessed by a demon from the Abyss.
Contraction
Abyssal Utterance is an utterly wicked plague, not only due to what it does to a victim, but how it is spread. The first external symptom of the virus is that the host speaks Abyssal. Anyone who hears the infected host speak Abyssal is exposed to the virus.
- - -
Why this is better than your version: it's much more insidious. Consider the following interview:
Jamie: Oh yeah, Eddard was actin' suspicious three days ago. He was pickin' fights and talkin' funny. But he ain't said no more 'o them funny words since Monday.
What happened here? Did Eddard get better (which is possible), or is Jamie now in Stage 1?
Mua-ha-ha, -- N
Suggested changes (includes some editing):
Abyssal Utterance
Level 3 Disease
Fortitude Attack: +6
Endurance Improve DC: 16
Maintain DC: 11
Worsen: 10 or lower
Stages of the Virus
0: Target is cured.
1: Initial Effect Target can understand Abyssal as though it were his native tongue; target suffers -2 to Will defense.
2: Abyssal Tumor grows on the host's body. This growth has sentience, and begins to affect the host's mind. Lose 1 healing surge. Whenever the host becomes stressed, he will subconsciously begin using some Abyssal words. This happens automatically when the host attacks or makes an Intimidate check.
3: More, powerful tumors spread. The host takes -2 to Fort. The Tumors begin influencing the host more, subconsciously encouraging the host to spread the virus to as many uninfected individuals as possible. Host will engage in fights and seek occasion to make Intimidate checks. Host will also refuse to partake in any Cure Disease or Remove Affliction ritual.
4: Final Stage The Tumors' control of the Host's will has become complete; an entity that can possess targets does not need to succeed in an attack to possess the Host. Furthermore, the Tumors have gained enough power to connect to the Abyss; the Host has a 15% chance per day of being possessed by a demon from the Abyss.
Contraction
Abyssal Utterance is an utterly wicked plague, not only due to what it does to a victim, but how it is spread. The first external symptom of the virus is that the host speaks Abyssal. Anyone who hears the infected host speak Abyssal is exposed to the virus.
- - -
Why this is better than your version: it's much more insidious. Consider the following interview:
Jamie: Oh yeah, Eddard was actin' suspicious three days ago. He was pickin' fights and talkin' funny. But he ain't said no more 'o them funny words since Monday.
What happened here? Did Eddard get better (which is possible), or is Jamie now in Stage 1?
Mua-ha-ha, -- N
I know it would - that's the intention. It becomes widespread fast, and immediately causes mass confusion, and an inability to regroup. It's supposed to spread like wildfire, and scare the ever-living bejeezus out of the PCs.
The colony's "society" really doesn't matter, because eventually everyone was either possessed, fled, or died.
I would not like it to be insidious and subtle. Pcs get to see who's infected, and get to feel the tension ratchet up when they start seeing the tumors, knowing what the End Result was. It also forces them to act on it now.
That, and I really like the RP potential of PCs not being able to talk to eachother in character until their pocket translator can process it. And even then, they're still repeatedly exposing their friends to the virus by talking at all.
Nifft
Penguin Herder
Ah, well in that case, it looks like it'll work... well, except I think people would figure out they're speaking gibberish and just stop talking really quickly. But maybe magic prevents that or something.
Cheers, -- N
That's why the second stage is that the tumors compel them to talk.
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