Magical Diseases are like common diseases in that they can be contracted from infected creatures or effects, but they are supernatural or magical in origin. Unlike common diseases, magical diseases are much harder to cure and can cause lasting or even permanent effects on the afflicted character.
The social reaction to magical diseases is often more extreme due to their unusual physical symptoms, which are beyond those of common physical illnesses.
Shared Effects of Magical Diseases
All Magical Diseases cause the following effects in their victims:
| Stage One | Stage Two | Stage Three |
|---|---|---|
| Diseased (+0) | Diseased (-15) | Diseased (-30) |
| Social Stigma (1) | Social Stigma (2) | Social Stigma (3) |
Magical Diseases can generally be cured by any effect (commonly, spells or potions) which specifies that it cures magical diseases, unless otherwise stated.
All magical diseases have a Disease Progression section which defines how the disease will progress through its stages.
Astral Vapors
Astral Vapors
Those who suffer from Astral Vapors find themselves weaker to the effects of magic and have their magicka reserves sapped. The Afflicted are often surrounded by magical fungal spores and may suffer from minor hallucinations and a general malaise.
Symptoms (all 3 stages):
Carriers: Dread Zombies
Disease Progression: The effects of each subsequent disease stage take hold after the character takes a long rest or at the next dawn; whichever comes first.
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Blight Diseases
Berela Andrano
“The greatest, and most obscure, threat is the Blight, a mysterious weather-like phenomenon emanating from the crater of Dagoth Ur, warping and poisoning creatures in its path, and creating diseased horrors that attack travelers and outlying settlements.”
Blight diseases are native to Morrowind and originate from Dagoth Ur and his Blight storms which he unleashed on Morrowind from deep within Red Mountain in the late second era.
These diseases come in two forms; those which cause the host to waste away, shutting down their internal biology, and those which result in grotesque growths on the subject’s body.
Each blight disease is presented with an entry for its gestation, which is a combination of a duration and a difficulty modifier. After the disease is contracted, the character makes an Endurance test after the duration has passed with the listed modifier. If they fail this test, the disease progresses to the next stage and the duration of the gestation period is reset. On a success, the disease does not progress and the character must retest at the start of the next day.
Ash Woe Blight
Ash Woe Blight
“Ash Woe Blight is an acute blight disease affecting the victim’s will and thought processes. It may be contracted from corprus beasts or other blighted creatures.”
Gestation: 4 days, -10
Stages:
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- Stage 1: Lose 10 Willpower and Intelligence
- Stage 2: Lose 15 Willpower and Intelligence
- Stage 3: Lose 20 Willpower and Intelligence
Ash Chancre
Ash Chancre
“Ash-Chancre is an acute blight disease affecting the victim’s behavior. It may be contracted from corprus beasts or other blighted creatures.”
Gestation: 4 days, -10
Stages:
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- Stage 1: Lose 10 Personality
- Stage 2: Lose 15 Personality
- Stage 3: Lose 20 Personality, Gain the Frenzied condition until cured
Black Heart Blight
Black Heart Blight
“Black-Heart Blight is an acute blight disease affecting the victim’s strength and endurance. It may be contracted from corprus beasts or other blighted monsters. The disease has also spread to zombies, allowing it to live on despite the ending of the Blight in 3E 427.”
Gestation: 3 days, -10
Stages:
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- Stage 1: Lose 10 Strength and 5 Endurance
- Stage 2: Lose 15 Strength and 10 Endurance
- Stage 3: Lose 20 Strength and 15 Endurance
Chanthrax Blight
Chanthrax Blight
“Chanthrax is an acute blight disease affecting the victim’s dexterity and mobility. It may be contracted from corprus beasts or other blighted monsters. The disease has also spread to boars and zombies, allowing it to live on despite the ending of the Blight in 3E 427.”
Gestation: 3 days, -15
Stages:
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- Stage 1: Lose 10 Agility and 1 Speed
- Stage 2: Lose 15 Agility and 3 Speed
- Stage 3: Lose 20 Agility and 5 Speed
Lycanthropic Diseases
Lycanthropic Diseases
Lycanthropic diseases are contracted from lycanthropes and cause the afflicted character to transform into a were-creature. Sanies Lupinus is the most common strain and the strain responsible for werewolves. There are other strains which result in other forms of lycanthropes, like werebears and wereboars.
During the three-stage incubation period of the disease, infected characters commonly experience fatigue, muscle and bone pains, and vivid nightmares. Additionally, the wound that caused the contraction will fester and cannot be treated through normal or magical means unless the disease is cured, or the character completes their transition into Lycanthropy.
Shared Effects:
Stage One Stage Two Stage Three Source wound cannot be treated Source wound cannot be treated / Gain 1 lvl of Fatigue Source wound cannot be treated and its passive effects are doubled / Gain 2 lvls of Fatigue Carriers: Werewolves, Werebears, Wereboars, and any other Were-creatures
Disease Progression: The effects of stage one take hold immediately upon contraction. Then, each dawn following contraction, the character must succeed an Endurance test +0 or the disease progresses to Stage Two. After each success, the next endurance test increases its penalty by 5 as the pain of the wound increases and the wound begins to fester.
Once they have progressed to Stage Two, the character continues making increasingly difficult Endurance tests, but now starting at +0 and increasing in penalty by 10 per success as the festering of the wound grows.
During Stage Three, resisting the disease’s progression becomes nearly impossible. The character continues to test Endurance each dawn, starting at no penalty, but each successful Endurance test now increases in penalty by 15 until the test is failed or the disease is cured.
Once an Endurance test to resist progression is failed during stage three, the character has completed their transition into becoming a lycanthrope. They also immediately and painfully transform into their beast form, which counts as a use of their transformation ability.
Once the character has completed their transition into Lycanthropy, the effects of the disease are negated and the wound becomes treatable. After this point, the lycanthropy cannot be cured by any commonly known mundane or magical means.
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Vampiric Diseases
Vampiric Diseases
Vampiric diseases come in many forms, Porphyric Hemophilia and Sanguinare Vampiris being the most common. Rarer strains of the vampiric disease include Chaotica Vampiris and Noxiphilic Sanguivoria.
No matter the origin, however, these diseases are related in one primary aspect in that they progress until the victim transforms entirely into a vampire. As they progress, they also share the same effects on their victims: starting with fatigue and a sensitivity to sunlight and progressing to a full-on sunlight aversion and an inability to satiate their hunger through normal means. As the transition into Vampirism progresses, the victim is often plagued by vivid dreams of consuming blood.
Shared Effects:
Stage One Stage Two Stage Three Weakness (Fire, 3) / Sun-Scarred (3) / Gain 1 level of Fatigue Weakness (Fire, 4) / Sun-Scarred (5) / Gain 2 levels of Fatigue Weakness (Fire, 6) / Sun-Scarred (10) / Eating does not satiate hunger Carriers: Vampires
Disease Progression: The effects of Stage One take hold after the character takes a long rest or at the next dawn; whichever comes first. After Stage One takes effect, the character must test Endurance -10 each dawn. If they fail, then the disease progresses to stage two.
Similarly, the character must test Endurance each dawn after Stage Two takes effect, but this time at a -20 penalty. On a failure, the disease progresses to Stage Three.
At Stage Three, the character must continue to test Endurance each dawn, but now at a -30 penalty. On a failure, the character dies painfully as their body succumbs to the illness. Then, after 1d4 days, they arise again, fully transformed into a vampire.
At any time during Stage Three, the afflicted active character can choose to succumb to the transformation by consuming the blood of any creature with a Black Soul (generally, sentient races) that does not have the undead or undying trait.
Once the character has completed their transformation, the effects of this disease are no longer active. After this point, the character’s vampirism cannot be cured by any commonly known mundane or magical means.
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Curses
Characters whose lycanthropic or vampiric diseases are brought to full-term become cursed by their affliction. Sometimes those affected by these curses see them as a blessing rather than a curse. This, as with many things, is a matter of perspective considering that both Vampirism and Lycanthropy offer those afflicted with great boons alongside their considerable drawbacks.
Lycanthropy
lycanthropy
Vampirism
vampirism