 Disease in the Modern World, VITAS and HMHVV |
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 Jan 15 2006, 05:54 PM
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#1
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The back-up plan  Group: Retired Admins Posts: 8,423 Joined: 15-January 03 From: San Diego Member No.: 3,910  |
Hey folks--
I've been reading through the book and noticed several ways to improve your chances against disease (Pathogenic Defense, Natural Resistance, Spells...) Now where are the diseases themselves? I can find toxins of all flavors, but nothing in for diseases ranging from the common cold to the bubonic plague. Also I noticed that Devil Rats and Ghouls no longer have the infection power and are incapable of spreading disease...what happened? Is HMHVV no longer catching? Was there a common vaccine for VITAS administered to everyone in the known world, SINned and SINless? Are those rules coming out in the next few sourcebooks? |
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| Guest_MK Ultra_* |
Jan 15 2006, 06:17 PM
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#2
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Guests |
Wait for Augmentation, I´m sure, this will feature all the nice germs and virii we lurv :love:
In SR3 you´ll find references in M&M and T:WL Whats up with Vitas and HMHVV, I dont know :( |
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Jan 15 2006, 06:21 PM
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#3
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Prime Runner Group: Banned Posts: 3,732 Joined: 1-September 05 From: Prague, Czech Republic Member No.: 7,665 |
Ghouls were only ever infectious in Bug City, Critters, and the SR3 Companion. Every other write-up of Ghouls does not have the Pestilence power. Devil Rats and Ghouls never had the Infection power (which allows you to transform characters you kill with Essence Drain into vampiric critters). Devil Rats didn't even have the Pestilence power, there was a note that a percentage of devil rats was infected with VITAS and had the pestilence power as a result. So going by the original works, Pestilence is not even an appropriate power for Ghouls or Devil Rats.
That being said, no the disease rules aren't even in the basic book. If you'd like, we could make some up. I figure they will make an appearance in Arsenal, Augmentation, or Running Wild. -Frank |
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Jan 15 2006, 06:37 PM
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#4
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The back-up plan Group: Retired Admins Posts: 8,423 Joined: 15-January 03 From: San Diego Member No.: 3,910 |
This may sound foolish, but what other write-ups were there? As for making Disease rules, I will just wait for them to be published. I was unsure if they were indexed in a different section than I was looking. |
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Jan 15 2006, 06:42 PM
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#5
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Prime Runner Group: Banned Posts: 3,732 Joined: 1-September 05 From: Prague, Czech Republic Member No.: 7,665 |
Ghouls are shown in the main book for Shadowrun's first, second, and fourth edition and are not given Pestilence power in any of those writeups. They do not appear in the 3rd edition main book. They do appear over and over again in supplemental material for the first and second edition (being everyone's favorite horde monster), of which only Bug City credits them with infectiousness. They have yet to appear in any SR4 supplemental material, because there is no supplemental material for SR4. I wouldn't bet a dollar against Ghouls making an appearance in any SR4 adventure or rules book, they are everyone's favorite horde monster.
-Frank |
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Jan 15 2006, 07:03 PM
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#6
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
ghouls are a nice way to point out both the mystical and the despair in a situation. here we have something straight out of fantasy, in a modern metropolis, and it lives on human flesh. that they roam in packs just shows how bad the situation have gotten in some places.
they are a bit like shadowruns take on packs of wild dogs... |
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Jan 15 2006, 09:46 PM
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#7
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,283 Joined: 17-May 05 Member No.: 7,398 |
FrankTrollman, the canon has changed since then. Ghouls are infectous. Live with it.
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Jan 15 2006, 09:51 PM
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#8
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Hoppelhäschen 5000 Group: Members Posts: 5,807 Joined: 3-January 04 Member No.: 5,951 |
Are they?
In SR4, there is no Pestilence Power listed for them anymore... |
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Jan 16 2006, 12:45 AM
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#9
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Target Group: Members Posts: 7 Joined: 8-January 04 From: Bellingham, Salish-Sidhe Council Member No.: 5,966 |
In light of the fact that there isn't a Pestilence power anymore...I'm not surprised. ;)
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Jan 16 2006, 07:42 PM
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#10
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,032 Joined: 6-August 04 Member No.: 6,543 |
And becuase it has changed it can change again. So is one way better than the other? To me the old way is better. I mean if ghouls were a strand of HMHVV, why are there so few of them? |
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Jan 16 2006, 07:59 PM
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#11
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Karma Police Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,358 Joined: 22-July 04 From: Gothenburg, SE Member No.: 6,505 |
Gouls are nolonger goblinized. They are products of the Krieger HMHVV strain. It´s been that way in all sourcebooks and fiction I´ve read for a very long time. It says so in their description in SR4. It is implied in the bonus fiction of the LE SR4 book. I wouldn´t have protested if they had changed it back to goblinization, but they didn´t.
The only rules I´ve got for goul infection are in my Target:UCAS book and take up a good two pages. My guess is we´ll see a SR4 version of those rules in a future sourcebook. I don´t think a generic desease power for all infectious critters would be a good idea. |
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Jan 16 2006, 08:18 PM
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#12
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,651 Joined: 23-September 05 From: Marietta, GA Member No.: 7,773 |
There are multiple ghoul communities throughout the world, and even one "official" ghoul nation (in Africa, IIRC). Heck, during the whole Bug City thing, trapped Chicago denizens were given a friendly, open invitation to get infected by a particular ghoul cloister so they'd have an edge against the dormant insect spirits terrorizing them. While their diet is icky and administratively difficult to support, their existence doesn't require the direct harm of other living sentients like the vampire variants do, so they're more "socially acceptable" than the Essence-eaters. Also, even as the most coldhearted ghoul I'd personally hesitate to "turn" someone due to the simple fact of additional competition for food. |
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Jan 16 2006, 08:45 PM
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#13
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,032 Joined: 6-August 04 Member No.: 6,543 |
That doesn't take into account that ghouls aren't very sane. |
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Jan 16 2006, 09:16 PM
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#14
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
Many ghouls aren't very sane. Some are actually more sane than they were, although it does take a great deal of luck and willpower to get that bonus point.
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Jan 16 2006, 09:21 PM
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#15
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,651 Joined: 23-September 05 From: Marietta, GA Member No.: 7,773 |
"The transformation destroys the victim’s intellect in some cases, but many ghouls remain quite intelligent."
Ghouls don't need to be feral beasts. In fact there have been some that are surprisingly diplomatic. |
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