Help me EN World, you're my only hope...

[Wik]

Ran a pretty fun session today, and something unexpected happened to one of the PCs - they got rather severely "poisoned". Was hoping some of you fiends could come up with some ideas.

So, here's the basic plot - someone has been poisoning the drow in the feywild (long story). These poisonings turn those poor souls that are exposed into twisted abberations (Driders, scorpionfolk, and other bug-like beasties) - it takes a few days, but eventually, the drow change.

The PCs have found where the original poison is being made, and dealt with the poisoners. However, during this battle, one of the two drow-blooded in the group was seriously breathing in the poison, and (after three failed endurance checks) has passed out... and then was further exposed to the poison.

I don't want her fully exposed to the disease (she didn't drink it) but I think she should suffer some sort of "plot penalty". This is where you fine gents come from... how should this disease manifest?

Some points:

1. I don't want this lingering disease to kill the PC, or change her too much from her current form (no bug appendages). She is allowed to be socially feared, though.
2. I want her drow eyes to turn red as part of her "change", so that other drow pick up on her sickened status
3. I was kind of thinking dreams should play a part of it (maybe even some RP moments with the entity controlling the abominations?), but how far is too far with mind control on an PC?
4. I want some weird effects to happen to her, to signify that her body is mutating into something bad. What should they be? the idea from "The fly" of her pulling out her fingernails is a great idea... except, everyone in the group is familiar with it, so it wouldn't be dramatic... just a ripoff. But things like that would be cool.

And yes, there is a cure, and it's rather easily attainable at this point in the adventure (we're about halfway through, probably a bit more, depending on PC choices and actions).

Also, I'm not really being too mean a GM, here, as the PC had multiple chances to escape before keeling over... but I don't like killing a PC based on failed skill checks (lame!).

 

[Chrono22]

Well, first have them lose elf racial features. After a short time, they cease being able to trance- their frantic minds can't attain that level of concentration. And then make them susceptible to magical sleep effects.
From there, have them suffer nausea every once in a while (either due to the changes causing them to be unable to eat normal food, or perhaps due to their internal organs rearranging inside their body). Then, animals will refuse to approach them, and if forced will panic.
Eventually, if they let the disease proceed, they should lose the humanoid type and gain the aberration type. This could be a benefit or a loss depending on how you define it. On the one hand they will have better creature type traits, but on the other hand they'll be despised, feared, and possibly attacked because of their unnatural appearances.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Do something that will effect the character during game play, say that she transforms if fails a save during combat (role every time a foe is killed). You can also place a progression table to this, first time has the vision of a drider, next time; her skin starts to harden to the natural AC of a drider, next skin darkens, later her aligment starts to shift.

Make it take some time, as this can become a mental role for the player. It also becomes an adventure for your group to find the cure.

 

[Pseudopsyche]

Were I in your position and had the time, I would model the poison as an artifact. For each level of concordance, design some modifications to her visual appearance and some minor powers and effects that might arise during play. For example, initially her eyes appear red and once per encounter she can gain combat advantage when she charges an enemy, if she chooses to allow the poison's vicious nature to guide her behavior. Using these effects and powers will increase the concordance, unlocking more powers (minor action bite attack once per encounter?) but leading to more repugnant physical transformations, like chitinous skin.

Of course, the catch--beyond the social repercussions--is the poison's goals: to devour and to destroy. At higher levels of concordance, during the heat of battle, the minor-action bite attack might automatically occur as a free action against an adjacent ally. At some point, it should become apparent that the "artifact" can "move on" in one of two ways: by consuming her identity completely (maximum concordance) or by being cured (either by finding the antidote or through an arduous process of not using the special abilities and making endurance checks to decrease concordance).

Hmm, I guess in short what I'm trying to model here is something more like an addiction.

 

[Woas]

Give it a laxative effect. Can't go wrong with that, everyone likes poop jokes.

 

[Rechan]

Aww, why no bug appendages?

You could model the disease/poison after an actual 4e disease. So you have a concrete progression tract.

I like the suggestion of losing Elf traits.

Instead of Red eyes though, I'd say something like fever-yellow eyes, or her eyes are starting to harden with a reflective sheen. (Not a compound eye, but similar to a spider or shark).

One way to show her body is changing is to be very elaborate details with injuries she suffers. When she bleeds, it's not red, but a greenish goo. Her skin has grown hard, like an exoskeleton, so a wound literally CRACKS her arm. Or a wound that WOULD have hurt an organ that insects dont' need doesn't hurt her (for instance, a shot to the kidney or liver does nothing because those monsters don't filter water from blood). Losing teeth (or starting to get the signs of mandibles) is another route.

Don't forget the psychological. Have her wake up inside a cocoon of bedsheets, cloaks, and debris from the area she's staying in (moss, mud, etc). Without paying attention, she begins pouring water/spitting into the center of her food, mashing it up, and then sucking it out (so, trying to liquify the middle of a roast chicken/fish, or using bread to make an outer shell and the food on the inside). She wants to store her food for later, wrapping it up and tucking it against walls. She likes to curl up in holes and corners for sleep or security. A desire to stop walking upright, or a 'scuttling' behavior. An impulse to bite an enemy.

One possibility is to give quasi-benefits. Give the character a climb speed - letting her go all Spiderman. Or even a bite attack she can use in melee with CA.

 

[Wik]

snip

"You must spread some XP around before..."

Seriously, love this post.

Actually, I love all of the posts here. I've got a whole bunch of things to use! Awesome! As for the disease chart, that's sort of where I'm going with this naturally... and I'm loving all of the symptoms that are popping up!

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Improved initiative, a natural AC, a natural claw or bite attack are all things you could slowly give her. They're all benefits, but offset with the fear of others who see her: the improved initiative comes with
buggy red compound eyes that see in all directions; natural AC comes with chitinous patches on the skin and wiry bristles poking out in weird decidedly non-elven bodyparts; claw attack comes with twisted mis-shapen hands.

For behavioral quirks, you could use an escalating Will save if you don't want to intrude too much on the player's RPing. At each stage of the disease, increase the save to resist the odd behavior (attacking with bite instead of weapon, eating garbage, sucking food, or whatever is appropriate). Maybe even let the player determine the odd behaviors so they don't impinge upon the player's "dramatic license."

 

[Timeboxer]

One possibility, if you don't want to mangle the character too much and want to play up the social aspect, could be to give her only light changes (red eyes, weird dreams, less physical sensation) but make her an infectious carrier: The poison could have been so infused into her body that she can spread it with a touch.

 

[roguerouge]

Make her a carrier of the disease version of this poison, but unaffected statistically by it. Have her be the new Typhoid Mary: don't tell the player that she's communicating it to every fae that she meets until she figures it out.