From: Chet Allen Erez To: vampire@nerix.nerdc.ufl.edu Date: Wed, 4 Dec 91 03:43:48 -0800 Subject: Vampire Diseases Archive: #189 I had a little extra time, so I decided to make some new diseases. I hope someone can use them. Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. ==>Chet chet@neon.stanford.edu ------- These are all diseases a Vampire can catch if he gets blood from the wrong place. Most are carried by humans who don't notice they have the disease. Human physicians may notice a strange bacteria, but they won't be able to figure out its purpose. A few Tremere who are experts with the Path of Blood may be able to cure some of these diseases, but such Kindred are few and far between and will ask a high price. Subtle but dangerous games can be played by putting a known carrier into the feeding path of another Kindred. The Sweats Under emotional stress (Frenzy, arguments, nightmare, etc), the infected Kindred will 'sweat' blood. 1 point is typically lost this way. This is a minor infection, running its course in a week or two, but it can make it hard to maintain the Masquerade while under its effect. Measles Although seldom fatal any more to humans, Measles are quite destructive to Kindred. There is a 10% chance per day that the 'fever will break' and they will begin to heal. Otherwise, the Kindred takes two aggravated wounds every day. They can heal one each day if they have the energy. It is very hard to regain Willpower while ill. Once they are damaged enough, the victim will go into Torpor. When over, the Kindred will be cured, though two attribute points will have been lost instead of one. Black Plague Although catching the Black Plague will not harm a Kindred, it is passed on to every Vessel that he feeds from. In the modern world, it is not fatal, but it will put a health care scare into a city. The Kindred will get large blisters and have -1 to Manipulation. A Kindred who is transmitting the disease will often be slain by other Kindred for the sake of the Masquerade. Bad Blood There is something strange about this disease. Many suspect that it was an attempt by the Magi to starve the Kindred to death, but that it got out of hand. All of the blood in a Bad Blood human carrier will be infected and it is not known how that infection happens. Although it is drunk like normal Blood (and tastes normal), Bad Blood can't be used by Kindred for anything (not for healing, surviving each day, etc.). It is hard to detect because it will always be the last Blood in the Blood Pool used. For all purposes, the victim's Blood Pool has shrunk. For example, Hollis has 4 points of Bad Blood. He has been busy and lets his pool drop to 4. A day passes and he wakes to find himself still with 4 in his pool and with 1 injury, as if he spent the night with no Blood in his system. A Kindred who drank 10 points of Bad Blood would be in dire straights, since he could not use any of the Blood, and also not feed on any more. The only way to get rid of it is to empty the body of all Blood by opening wounds and squeezing the Blood out, usually causing a Frenzy (in which the Kindred may lick up the Bad Blood without being about to stop). It is said that the Bad Blood is slightly sentient and that a careful aura check of an infected Kindred will reveal thin black lines running through his vains. A Vessel with Bad Blood will notice nothing different, though some report strange dreams. It is said that a Kindred that goes into Torpor while he has Bad Blood in him will be possessed in some way when he awakes, though this is just a rumor. Nosfruatu's Curse When infected with this rare disease, the Kindred will become more and more awful looking, in extreme cases looking like a Nosfruatu himself. One or more points of Appearance will be lost at the rate of one per week. It is believed that the only way it can be caught is by committing Diablerie on a member of Clan Nosfruatu. Blood Fever While under the effects of the Fever, all Frenzy rolls are at -2. Humans with Blood Fever tend to very emotional, whether aggressive or frightened. To cure the Fever, all Blood must be gone from the Kindred. For every damage level the Kindred takes from starvation, there is a cumulative 20% chance that the Fever will be gone. If the Kindred goes into Torpor, then the Fever is guaranteed to be gone. It is very hard for a Kindred to starve himself, especially with the extra Frenzy penalty, so the best method is to be staked or far away from a source of food. The Doom or Heart-burn This is one of the most awful diseases know to Vampires. Basically, the Blood begins turning to acid. The first day, one normal wound it taken. The second day, two wounds. This progresses for up to two weeks. The only way to survive is to take in huge amounts of blood every day and use it for healing. The wounds happen evenly through the day and night, so a Kindred will typically wake at dusk being wounded. As the wounds get worse, the Vampire's body begins to get shrivelled and grotesque. If the Kindred runs out of wound levels, then its body dissolves into a noxious puddle. The disease runs its course in a few weeks, tapering off like it started. Unless the victim has many Vessels or many friends, the Doom is fatal. Many set fire to themselves or walk out in sunlight to avoid a lingering death, since even Torpor offers no protection. The Fasting The Kindred cannot digest human blood. Only the Blood of another Kindred will suffice. This infection can last days, weeks, or even years. Some say that it is why so many older Kindred commit Diablerie, since it seems to last longer the older the Kindred becomes. Kindred cannot catch it from each other, only from a human carrier. The Great Fasting or The Starving This worse form of The Fasting causes the Kindred to not be able to digest ANY Blood, Kindred or otherwise. It always results in Torpor unless the victim's Blood Pools is large enough to wait it out. The final stages can be unpleasant, with the victim Frenzying from hunger, but unable to eat. It is considered kind to stake the victim and let her wait it out in peace.