HMHVV Options

[Outrunner]

I had my group take on a couple of Ghouls tonight, and one of the characters ended up getting clawed pretty badly.

I personally will not bother doing anything with the HMHVV on the player, since it was only a scratch. If the character had been bitten, that would have been another story.

So, fellow GM's. How would you handle it? Would you have the scratched character suffer a chance of coming down with the virus? Would you only do it if the character got bit?

And, how would you have handled the character either contracting the virus or fighting it off, rule wise?

Outrunner

[Ancient History]

Considering the typical ghoul's level of cleanliness and living conditions, I'd suggest making the character feel sick for a few days and let 'em sweat it out.

[eralston]

I think a claw-induced contraction is highly likely; however, it probably should not be pursued as a requirement. Just ask:

Would the person's concept be ruined if they were a ghoul?

Would the person mind? (ask them if you don't know)

[fistandantilus4....]

[Kanada Ten]

Well, they can use karma pool to buy a success or a reroll. But they can always take the bullet, too. This isn't something every group can handle, either. If your players squirm when someone dies, then infection is probably beyond their grasp as a fun part of Shadowrun.

[xizor]

personaly, i think that the risk of contracting HMHVV from scratches would be lowish.
the risk of non HMHVV infection + desease would be fairly moderate.

in short, if they don't get good medical attention, they should get really damn sick.

[hyzmarca]

Acording to Shadowrun Companion scratches and bites from a ghoul can pass on the disease. It is generally passed on through contact with bodily fluids such as blood with open wounds. It can be passed on through sex, as well.

It should be easy to transmit through scratches because there would probably be microscopic tears around the ghoul's nails due to all that forceful clawing.

fistandantilus3.0 is correct about the test. The TN is the essence of the ghoul. Even if the character fights off the infection be a carrier forever and can pass it to any other character.

Remember that HMVVV-K is a three stage disease. It shows no symptoms in the first stage, which last 30 days, During this time it can be treated and cured. If the PC fails the body test he can still go to any street doc to get an antiviral treatment. this should be standard operating procedure any time anyone has any dealings with ghouls.

There is no excuse for anyone to unwillingly become a ghoul (except for being held prisioner for a month)

[Fire Hawk]

If blood is the primary vector for HMHVV, then I don't think scratching would be too much of a problem (as you'd need more than a "small wound around the nail" to transmit the virus.

As it is worded in SRC, however, that means that there's something sinister (pardon the pun) about the effects of HMHVV on the skin of a ghoul - is it more porous, perhaps?

[Backgammon]

I'm pretty sure you can get a shot/pills to cure HMHVV in it's infant stage, before you turn into a ghoul and such.

I had this one campaign, where the players went up against a bunch of loup-garous. The team leader, one of the players, had been given a bunch of syringes that clear that stuff right up, but didn't tell the other players, who were all under the impression 1 bite was the end of the world. He had quite a laugh.

[hyzmarca]

[ShadowDragon8685]

I, umm, thought that HIV was transmitted through semenal/vaginal fluid, for lack of a less gross word?

Microscopic tears is what does it?

[Kanada Ten]

Semenal fluid carried into the body trough tares in the anal cavity. Blood can also act as a carrier if it doens't make contact with the air for too long or lose heat.

[hyzmarca]

Semen and vaginal fluid does contain the HIV virus but contact with them during sex is not necessary for transmission. It is quite easy to transmit the virus through anal intercourse, both ways, even without ejaculation.

[fistandantilus4....]

thanks for double checking me hyzmarca. I thought I was pretty read up on it.

Had to be really. I was running a game my wife was playing in (she has a voodoun character that walks the fine line) and she slaughtered a bunch of ghouls. About 25 actually, while channeling Ghede.

She only took damage for three hits, but since she was using a sword, and channeling a force 13 spirit/loa ( :eek: !) she had a lot of blood on her. incidentally, she took the damage before she channeled. THey couldn't touch her after that.

Any opinions on how many tests she should have to make? Also, she hasn't thought to get her self checked for infection, and I'm sure as hell not going to tell her ( :vegm: ), any opinions on what kind of test she should make to know better? Doesn't have the common sense edge, or any particular skill or previous dealings w/ HMHVV.

[hyzmarca]

I'd say 1 test against whaichever ghoul had the highest essence score. If she gets the success she becomes immune but is a carrier and will be able to infect others, intentionally and unwittingly.

As for which tests she should have to make to know better, Sixth World knowledge skill, medicine knowledge skill, biotech active skill, virology knowledge skill, ghouls (anything) knowledge skill, and ect. I find it hard to believe that anyone could go through life without at least seeing an HMHVV-K PSA on the trideo.

If she makes the body tests and gets treatment I'm not sue. Part of me wants to say that a person can avoid becomming a carrier with luck and treatment together but pat of me doesn't.

[fistandantilus4....]

[hyzmarca]

The text is quite explicit, unaugmented body.

If she can handle it being an unaltered carrier is a hell of a lot better than being a ghoul. It is a dark secret and a biological weapon wraped together in one package.

[fistandantilus4....]

I was just asking because I reasoned 'unaugmented' to not factor in things such as bone lacing and dermal plating, things that surely wouldn't apply. But if you've got something like Resistance to Pathogens Edge, that should apply, so I figured a magical bonus directly to the body, as opposed to a damage resistant augmentation would make sense. Or am I skewing the evidence to fit with my wants?

[hyzmarca]

Augmentations that count as "natural" are limited by a racial maximum in SR3. That is the guideline I use.

It is your game and it could go either way, really.

[fistandantilus4....]

ok , thanks for the advice. At least it gives me a better advice of what I'll be working with depending on which way I decide to take it. Would be pretty interesting having a voodoun tip toeing over the Petro line occassionally that's a HMHVV carrier.

[eidolon]

[Dawnshadow]

Magical "augmentations" always count as natural. Adepts and so on as the basis for that belief.

I would say one test, highest essence, using the body when exposure took place. Yes, the odds are she's going to get every success required and then some.

I would think that successes beyond 3 would be enough to prevent becoming a carrier -- 4 successes, for a month or so you could "possibly" infect someone, 5 successes, you are not a carrier.

I would think that the Krieger strain would be "common" knowledge, so a straight intelligence check -- or at least target 4 roll (defaulted to target 8 ). Wouldn't have all the little tidbits, but the general infection means, and the treatment..

[mmu1]

[Dog]

Contracting HMHVV would be a major plot-point. It could be the basis of a campaign, and I would suggest giving that consideration before even having the characters face the infected in combat.
The other side of that is if it's going to train-wreck your campaign, you might wanna make them sweat, "roll in secret," then tell them they lucked out...this time. (...as has already been suggested.) The point is try not to give the impression to the players that they've nothing to worry about because GM fiat is going to protect them. Even if it is.

A related anecdote: One of the scariest times of my life was when I was in a scrap and got bit by a guy who had Hepatitis C. What they drill into us at that job is that Hep C is easier to catch, more common and more deadly than HIV. I don't have any numbers to back that up, but that's what they tell us. I was fortunate in that case, but will never forget the feeling when I was at the emergency room, waiting to find out what was going to happen to me.

[Snow_Fox]