Contagion

## Known Powers

### Aspirant Powers

**Sense Corruption [Requires atleast one Power of Contagion; *Free*]-** *Allows the Aspirant to sense plagues and parasites inside of a chosen target.*

Active: The Aspirant may choose any target and make a Perception + Investigation + Medicine Roll to determine what kind of *bacterial, viral, parasitic* and *supernatural* Infection they host.

**Virulent Uprising [5 points]-** *Allows the Aspirant to bring fourth the effects of a plague should their target be infected with one; turning weeks in the infection process into seconds. This requires eye- or physical contact.*

Active: This requires a successful Evocation Roll and physical contact. The chosen target instantly suffers the effects of a chosen disease they are infected with, ignoring the incubation period. Consult the References to determine possible effects for the chosen disease. This cant be chosen as a power when creating a disease.

**Host of Ninkilim [10 points]-** *The Aspirant may call upon Ninkilim, lord of Vermin, to summon his servants. No matter if they are fleshflies, rats, cockroaches or mosquitos; they will join to the Aspirant to do their biding.*

Active: The Aspirant must make a successful Evocation Roll to summon a Vermin Swarm. They will gather around the Aspirant from nearby sewers or piles of rubbish and can be commanded to perform a single task. They must make a Charisma + Confidence + Animal Handling Roll to determine how well they understand their command.

**Nergals Flesh [10 points]-** *The Aspirant gains full controll over any disease within its lifeless flesh. Any sickness (be it natural or unnatural) or parasite within the Aspirant can be greatly strengthened or weakened. With enough focus, natural parasites or plagues may even be extinguished entirely from their flesh and essence while unnatural ones may prove more of a challenge. This is also essential to avoid suffering from stronger plagues of their own creation.*

Passive: The Aspirant may choose to purge any viral/bacterial/parasitical infection from their bodies or encourge their growth. The former makes them immune against their effects, the later allows the Aspirant to conterminate anything they touch or breathe upon. Should they be infected with a supernatural plague they need to make a Strength + Willpower Roll on three seperate nights against a dfficulty given by the Storyteller. Each successful roll supresses the plagues effects for a single day and night, three consecutive successful rolls purge the infection for good.

**Attuned Symptoms [10 points]-** *Allows the Aspirant to apply conditions to plagues created by them.*

Active: When creating any kind of disease the Aspirant may add any condition regarding the activation of its symptoms.

### Master Powers

**Voice of Beelzebub [30 points]**- *Allows the Mediucs to take controll over vessels infected with a plague of their creation. Note that this may only be used on a single target at the same time and that mortals or other Undead may resist. Swarms of smaller infected animals may be controlled as one.*

Active: The Medicus may choose a target they are able to sense that is infected with a plague of their design that has atleast been active in them for three days (this might be shortened using **Virulent Uprising**). When taking controll over them they must make a contested Composure + Willpower Roll. In their new host they must still use their own Intellect, Charisma, Composure and Vigor Rating. However they may not cast any non-Contagion powers through their host. This requires Absolute Focus.

## Known Rituals

### Aspirant Rituals

**Cure the Taint [5 points]-** *The Aspirant may recite the Passage of Purification from the Book of Corruption while burning rot-incense and bone powder drenched in a specific blood, secretion or poison. The target breathing in the smoke is cured of the anything harmful in the burned substance should it be related to diseases.*

Duration: 15 minutes, 1-3 AP

Ritual Resources: Necrotic (1), Narrative Resource (optional)

Effects: In order for this ritual to work during sessions the Aspirant must make an Intellect + Medicine Roll against a difficult given by the Storyteller. Should they attempt to cure a supernatural plague they may have to spend 2-3 AP instead of one aswell as a narrative resource. Lesser plagues migth require less AP, so that a single point may be used to cure multiple victims at once.

**Parasitosis [5 points]-** *Allows the Aspirant to turn a prepared Caldron of Pestilence into a parasite of their own creation. To do so they must gather vermin and worms and drown them in Tainted Essence before drying and grinding them into dust seperatly. It must be added into the Caldron before reciting a passage from the Book of Corruption. Each dust must be added with together with a short text that details their purpose in the Aspirants creation refering to symptoms, incubation time, appereance or symptoms. Afterwards the Medicus may choose to grant them the ability to manifest the effects of a chosen power or ritual known to them.*

Duration: 1 AP

Resources: Necrotic (1)

Effect: Allows the Aspirant to create a necromantic parasites that is large enough to be seen by the bare eye and can not reproduce. After infecting its target the Aspirant can cast a ritual or power chosen beforehand through the parasite (without additional AP). The appereance and potential side effects of the parasitosis may be decided by the Aspirant at the Storytellers discretion. The Parasite may breed within their victim but can not find additional hosts.

**Pestilent Poison [5 points]-** *Allows the Aspirant to create a highly infectious poison capable of rotting their target alive. To do so they must fill a small brass caldron with swamp water, grave earth and rotten fruits. Afterwards they must drown several vermin like rats, cockroaches or maggots in the brew while adding drops of stale Essence. The mixture must be stired while reciting passages from the Book of Corruption. After a few hours a thin layer of black poison will emerge on top.*

Duration: 2 AP

Ritual Resources: Necrotic (1)

Effects: The Aspirant may create a pestilent poison that causes instant infections that can be used once. For every point in their Intellect + Manipulation they may add a *Light Symptom* or a *Heavy Symptom* for every second point or a *Lethal Symptom* for every fourth. Should it make its way in a targets bloodstream/bowels they must make a Strength Roll. For every success they suffer one Symptom less (from the weakest to the strongest). Afflicted and Gravespawn may add 2 dice to their Strength pool when targeted.

**Plague of Flesh [10 points]-** *The Aspirant may choose a prepared Caldron of Pestilence and add the blood of a diseased into it before reciting a passage from the Book of Corruption. After a few days of care the caldrons insides will liquify and reproduce the plague within the induced blood. Alternativly the Aspirant may add secretions infected with other plagues and combine them in the caldron. This can be used to grant their creation chosen symptoms and means of infection using passages from the Book of Corruption to determine the required purpose of each added plague.*

Duration: 3 AP,

Resources: Necrotic (1), Exotic (1) for stronger effects

Effect: The Aspirant may create an infectious disease of their own design. They must make an Intellect + Investigation + Medicine Roll and spend the results on the following table:

They may add any amount of vectors and symptoms. Some Storytellers might ask the Aspirant to gather infected blood from any disease whose properties they whish to add, which is treated as a narrative resource. Should they be a *Medicus* they double the amount of points they can spend on this table.

### Master Rituals

**Plague of Necromancy [20 points]-** *The Medicus may choose a prepared Caldron of Pestilence and add some of their essence into it while reciting a passage from the Book of Corruption. The caldrons insides will liquifiy and produce plague that transfers the effects of a single necromantic power or ritual known to the Medicus to the infected. The Medicus may instead add the essence of a different Afflicted into the caldron to transfer a power known to the chosen target. In addition the Aspirant may add secretions infected with other plagues and combine them in the caldron to grant their creation chosen symptoms and means of infection using passages from the Book of Corruption to determine the required purpose of each added plague.*

Duration: 5 AP

Resources: Necrotic (3), Caldron of Pestilence

Effect: Allows the Medicus to create an artifical disease with necromantic properties. hey may spend a number of points that equals their Intellect + Composure + Umbral Knowledge rating on the following table:

When chosing a power, all upgrades known to the Medicus can directly be applied.

## References

*Note that should multiple debuffs through plague affect a target, only the highest will apply.*

**Light Symptoms**

* *Exzessive Coffing*: Reduce the dicepool for any physical roll by 2.
* *Purulent Pustules*: Reduce the dicepool for any social roll by 2.
* *Burning Headache*: Reduce the dicepool for any mental roll by 2.
* *Insomnia*: Permanently reduces the characters Vigor rating by 2.
* *Hypersensitivity:* Increases all Mental Damage recieved by 1.
* *Itchy Rash*: Not scratching requires *Faint Focus* outside of combat.
* *Nausea:* Only a single point of Vigor can be spend per round.

**Heavy Symptoms**

* *Seizures:* Causes up to 8 points of *Mental Damage* per session. The Storyteller may split it as they wish.
* *Heavy Fever:* Reduces all dicepools by 2.
* *Swollen Limbs:* Reduce the dicepool for any physical roll by 4.
* *Vomiting Blood:* Up to three times per session the Storyteller may demand a Composure Roll with difficulty 4. Should they fail they will vomit for a full round which requires *Absolute Focus*, and causes D3 points of *Mental Damage*.
* *Immune Supression:* Reduces the resistance against any other disease, possibly unlocking more severe symptoms.
* *Necrosis:* Cause a multiation to a random limb or part of a limb.
* *Haemophilia:* Cut will not stop to bleed, reducing the targets Health by 1 per turn after recieving one of an approopriate size.
* *Overgrown Cysts:* Physical contact will cause D3+1 points of *Mental Damage*.
* *Tainted Flesh:* The target will be unable to regenerate Health while infected, as their wounds swell and fester.

**Lethal Symptoms**

* If untreated the disease will cause death by any means the player desires. Even after the incubation time this may take a few hours.