How to make a Demon in 31 days.
Note: There are rumors about the contagion in the ruins. It is said that it is a strange, mind-crippling disease, but the player characters (and most new arrivals) never hear that it turns people into monsters.
The Contagion (also know as the Dwarven Curse) will affect all intelligent creatures except dragons, changelings, creatures of magic and supernatural beings, including angels, deevils, demons and elementals. There is no protection against it, so anyone passing through the room with the Circle of Contagion will be affected. Saving Throw: All life forms are vulnerable to the debilitating magic, but everybody gets a saving throw against it. Those who roll under their Physical Endurance (P.E.) on percentile dice save. Once someone has saved, they will NEVER be affected no matter how often they visit the Circle of Contagion. Those who roll above their P.E. number become infected. There is no known cure.
The Symptoms of the Contagion: transformation into a Pseudo-Demon: The disease defies all convention and is believed to be a magic illness created by the dwarves during the Great War, or during the Time of a Thousand Magicks. A few have suggested it is the creation of the Old Ones.
One of the symptoms is a constant hunger throughout the 31 day gestation period of the disease. The infected individual needs to consume at least three pounds (1.4 kg) of food every day. A character who eats less than two pounds (0,9 kg) will suffer one hit point of damage; less than one pound (0.45 kg) will cause three hit points of damage, and eating nothing at all will cause five hit points of damage (bypasses S.D.C. and goes direct to H.P.). Normal healing, bio-regeneration and healing touch will NOT cure or repair this damage. Each one of these hit points can be recovered by eating one pound of meat. Other symptoms and changes are as follows.
Day One: Victim contracts chills and fever.
Day Two: Headaches and nausea cause a -2 to any rolls to strike, parry or dodge.
Day Three: Headaches and nausea continue with -2 on initiative and -2 on strike, parry and dodge.
Day Four: The character feels tired, accompanied by muscle soreness which lasts two days and reduces speed by 40%.
Day Five: Muscle soreness continues. Speed stays reduced.
Day Six: Skin itches and burns all day.
Day Seven: Skin slowly changes color according to the following chart (roll percentile dice):
xxxxx* 01-15 Red
xxxxx* 16-36 Extremely Pale White
xxxxx* 37-53 Greenish Pallor
xxxxx* 54-74 Grey
xxxxx* 75-00 Jet Black
Day Eight: 01-60% chance that all the victim's head hair will fall out.
Day Nine: 01-60% chance that all the victim's body hair will fall out. Double natural P.P.E.
Day Ten: 01-80% chance that the victim will crave raw meat and blood (01-44% chance of becoming a cannibal).
Day Eleven: Vision blurs and the eyes bum. Sight reduced 40% and -1 on all rolls to strike, parry or dodge for 24 hours. Afterwards the character develops nightvision (60 ft/18.3 m range). If the victim already has nightvision, then add 60 feet (18.3 m) to their range. The eyes are now orange, yellow or red and glow in the dark.
Day Twelve: The skin starts to feel as if thousands of spiders were walking on it. By the end of the day the skin will change according to the following table:
xxxxx* 01-37 Lumpy with odd bumps and growths. A.R. 10, add 40 S.D.C. and 40 pounds (18 kg).
xxxxx* 38-59 Thick leathery skin. A.R. 12, adds 30 S.D.C.
xxxxx* 60-88 Fine scales, A.R. 12, adds 20 S.D.C. and 10 pounds.
xxxxx* 89-00 Roll for Insanity. Plate-like exoskeleton, A.R. 15, S.D.C. 75, and adds 60 pounds (27.2 kg). Note: All natural armor heals at a rate of 1D6 points a day, except the exoskeleton which heals at a rate of 2D6 per day.
Day Thirteen: The victim's teeth fall out. The replacements will start growing in immediately. All new teeth will grow in pointy (bite damage 1D4); 01-40% chance of growing a set of fangs (bite attack does 1D6 or 2D4 damage; 50/50 chance).
Day Fourteen: The victim must roll for phobia.
Day Fifteen: Fingernails loosen and fall out of hands. Over the next 24 hours they are replaced by claws (1D6 damage).
Day Sixteen: Muscles feel extremely heavy and ache continuously. The character is -1 attack per melee, -2 to damage, -2 on parry and dodge for 24 hours. The next day, victims will have a physical strength (P.S.) of 18 with +3 to damage. Those with P.S. of 17 or greater will get +3 to their P.S.
Day Seventeen: From this point on, there is a +2 on all saving throws; not applicable to the contagion itself.
Day Eighteen: A spurt of growth. Roll on Table:
xxxxx* 01-05 Add 150 pounds (67.5 kg) to weight and +2 to P.E.
xxxxx* 06-10 Add 3 inches (0.07 m) and 10 pounds (4.5 kg).
xxxxx* 11-15 Add 6 inches (0.15 m) and 20 pounds (9 kg).
xxxxx* 16-20 Add 8 inches (0.2 m) and 30 pounds (13.6 kg).
xxxxx* 21-25 Add 10 inches (0.27 m) and 40 pounds (18 kg).
xxxxx* 26-35 Add a foot (0.3 m) to height and 50 pounds (22.6 kg).
xxxxx* 36-45 Add 1 foot, 3 inches (0.33 m) and 60 pounds (27.2 kg).
xxxxx* 46-60 Add 1 foot, 6 inches (0.45 m) and 75 pounds (33.7 kg).
xxxxx* 61-70 Add 1 foot, 9 inches (0.57 m) and 90 pounds (40.8 kg).
xxxxx* 71-75 Add 2 feet (0.6 m) and 100 pounds (45.3 kg); +1 to P.S.
xxxxx* 76-80 Add 2 feet, 6 inches (0.75 m) and 120 pounds (54 kg) and +1 to P.S. and +1 to P.E.
xxxxx* 81-85 Add 3 feet and 150 pounds. Add 2 to P.S. and 1 to P.E.
xxxxx* 86-90 Add 4 feet and 200 pounds. Add 3 to P.S. and 1 to P.E.
xxxxx* 91-95 Add 5 feet and 250 pounds. Add 4 to P.S. and 2 to P.E.
xxxxx* 96-00 Add 6 feet and 300 pounds. Add 6 to P.S. and 3 to P.E.
Note: All armor and clothing will have to be modified or replaced. Characters with three feet (0.9 m) or more added to their height will not be able to use normal sized bows or weapons with standard hand grips.
Day Nineteen: Victim becomes resistant to fire. Fire attacks will do only half damage.
Day Twenty: Victim becomes resistant to cold. Cold attacks do only half damage.
Day Twenty-One: Roll insanity as follows:
xxxxx* 01-26 None
xxxxx* 27-50 Roll a phobia.
xxxxx* 51-60 Roll an obsession.
xxxxx* 61-70 Roll for a neurosis.
xxxxx* 71-80 Roll for a psychosis.
xxxxx* 81-90 -1D4 on M.E. and -1 on I.Q.
xxxxx* 91-00 Roll for an affective disorder.
Day Twenty-Two: Increase speed by 4 points.
Day Twenty-Three: Roll on additional abilities table.
Day Twenty-Four: Develop repulsion to all religious symbols representing the gods of Light or Goodness. Can't approach symbols and takes one hit point every time hit or touched by it, even through clothes, leather or armor. Physical beauty (P.B.) changes: 1-79 reduce P.B. by two points, 80-00 means add two points to physical beauty.
Day Twenty-Five: Roll under M.E. on twenty-sided. Failure results in -1 on I.Q. and reroll for disposition; Palladium RPG, Second Edition, page 32.
Day Twenty-Six: Roll for personal hatred. Victim will be disgusted with that kind of being and will suddenly believe that he is the victim of a great conspiracy responsible for all the victim's problems.
xxxxx* 01-20 Dwarves
xxxxx* 21-30 Old Ones
xxxxx* 31-35 Children
xxxxx* 36-40 Palladins
xxxxx* 41-50 Practitioners of Magic
xxxxx* 51-55 Opposite Sex
xxxxx* 56-60 Wolfen
xxxxx* 61-70 Demons
xxxxx* 71-75 Alchemists
xxxxx* 76-80 Clergy
xxxxx* 81-85 Merchants
xxxxx* 86-90 Changelings
xxxxx* 91-95 Minotaurs
xxxxx* 96-00 The Supernatural (gods, ghosts, demons, etc.)
Day Twenty-Seven: Roll on additional abilities table.
Day Twenty-Eight: Roll on the following table:
xxxxx* 01-30 Grows small horns on forehead. Do 1D6 damage from head butts, 2D4 from ramming.
xxxxx* 31-60 Grows an eight foot (2.4 m) long tail. Provides an extra attack per melee round, inflicting 2D4 damage.
xxxxx* 61-80 Grows extra large claws (6 inches); do 2D6 damage.
xxxxx* 81-00 Grows pointed ears; keen hearing, +1D4 on initiative.
Day Twenty-Nine: 30% chance of growing cloven hoofed feet. Speed will be one half normal for 3 days, but afterwards speed increases +2D6 points.
Day Thirty: Roll once on random insanity table.
Day Thirty-One: Life span of victim is now 1,000 years without aging, but still vulnerable to normal death from injury or disease. 01-50% chance for a third additional ability.
Additional Abilities: Rolled on day 23,27, and possibly 31.
xxxxx* 01-05 Dimensional Teleport 50%. Can try once per hour.
xxxxx* 06-13 Can Metamorph into insect at will. Will change into a large insect (6 inches long). Will always be the same type (roll on the following table).
xxxxxxxxxxAll are non-poisonous.
xxxxxxxxxx01-25 Spider
xxxxxxxxxx26-40 Centipede
xxxxxxxxxx41-60 Scorpion
xxxxxxxxxx61-75 Beetle
xxxxxxxxxx76-90 Cockroach
xxxxxxxxxx91-00 Housefly
xxxxx* 14-19 Metamorph into rodent at will. Can choose to change into either a rat (16") or mouse (4").
xxxxx* 20-25 See the invisible.
xxxxx* 26-35 Turn invisible at will.
xxxxx* 36-45 Impervious to fire.
xxxxx* 46-50 Spit Flame. 4D6 damage, Range 25 feet, normal roll to strike.
xxxxx* 51-54 Animate and control dead. Up to 12 bodies can be controlled, 01-60% chance of animating each body.
xxxxx* 55-60 Turn Undead, 01-60% chance of turning each individual creature.
xxxxx* 61-65 Prowl 76%
xxxxx* 66-72 Identify Tracks 80%
xxxxx* 73-81 Control up to 6 animals (must be non-intelligent), 80% chance each.
xxxxx* 82-89 Bio-regeneration, can heal 2D6 hit points every other melee round.
xxxxx* 90-95 Flying ability. Can fly at up to 30 miles (48 km) per hour.
xxxxx* 96-00 Healing Touch, can heal others: 1D6 hit points every other melee round.
Vulnerabilities: Silver and holy weapons inflict double damage. Holy symbols of Light and Good will hold the creature at bay and cause pain. Drinking holy water is like drinking acid.
Notes: All changes/abilities are permanent. There is no known cure for the curse of the pseudo-demon. In the outside world, people will flee, scream, throw stones, pray and/or attack or call a priest to drive this strange demon away. Few will accept any explanation or accept these beings as friends or allies. They will believe that the demon is simply trying to lure them into some hell-spawned treachery.People treat the victims as evil demons, the pawn of a witch or Summoner, and will accuse them of everything from sprained ankles and spoiled milk to bad crops, pestilence and death. Captured pseudo-demons are likely to be subjected to torture and a painful, slow death with the executioner "making sure" that the demon is exterminated.
All this is copyright Palladium, but damn if I don't wanna use it sometime.
