Ghouls, Infection question whats your suggestion Options

[tisoz]

I seem to recall there being a cure for ghoul infection if applied within a certain time. Anyone remember where the information is?

Also, the companion says someone may become a carrier without even knowing it. Any information on detecting the condition? Would a high success assensing test reveal the condition?

[Herald of Verjig...]

All such goulish details are in Companion, starting at page 32.

The thing about the cure is on p. 33, and it just states that if the virus is detected in the first ~30 days it can be treated. (actual definition used is the first third of a ~90 day process)

It should qualify as a disease, 3 successes to determine that the person has something wrong that looks like potential vampirism, 5 to know it's ghoul. Also, the right blood tests in a lab should pick up the virus.

[ronin3338]

Remember though, it's your game.

In my game, there is a "cure" that was experimental. It slowed the process, and allowed the victim to still retain his mental faculties, but he still has a ghoul's appearance. He can also eat normally, but prefers carrion.

Do what's best for your story...

[FrankTrollman]

The material on Ghoul Transformation is contradictory and unfortunate.

Sorry, that's really all there is. There's no "rules" for the treatment, but apparently there is a live-virus vaccine, since if you get infected once you never get infected again and if the virus is detected in the first month it can be treated.

So as put forward, you can just line up school children and inject them with Ghul Transformation Virus and then treat them right away and then they'll never turn into Ghouls ever in the future and the only ghouls left in the world will be the children of the Ghouls currently in existence.

---

Personally, I find that the revertment of that sort of thing to something as mundane as a detectable, treatable virus to really take all the horror out of the condition. It's like "Oh noes! They didn't get their Rubella shots and now they are coughing on our children!"

Sure, it could kill babies and stuff, but it's not really horror, you know what I mean?

-Frank

[Kagetenshi]

[FrankTrollman]

[Kagetenshi]

My copy says "may become carriers", which is an altogether different thing. Moreover, that only applies to successfully fighting off the infection without treatment.

~J

[tisoz]

Situation: playing in a game GMed by Kagetenshi where another PC has been infected about 2 weeks ago. My PC just met the group and assensed all of them to get to know them better and discovered the infection (6 successes on assensing roll). A bit later in an argument/discussion with another PC over just who everyone was and what their abilities/capabilities were and just how trustworthy they were, it came out that the infected PC had been in a fight with ghouls about 2 weeks before and my PC pointed out that he was in fact infected.

My PC had assensed him shortly upon meeting and had discussed the situation with the current Johnson who is my PCs buddy. Maybe arranging for an accident to occur to the infected PC during the job. It was decided to let things play out and see what happened. The problem is the infected PC is an adept melee expert, or at least has the killing hands power, so has the potential to infect everyone and everything he comes across. My PC has so far tried to have the group avoid combat when it looks like the adept is heading for hand to hand. Both instances so far have involved awakened wildlife, as my PC is kind of aware that not just metahumans can become infected, ala sasquatch/bandersnatch, but is not sure just what can't be infected. And doesn't want an outbreak in his buddies lands.

It was after interrupting the second wildlife encounter by levitating the critter into the woods that my PC got busted and spilled the news.

I don't want my PC infected, I don't think my PC wants himself infected, and I don't want every future NPC to run the risk of infection because of typhoid Guy. Being a melee guy just amplifies the probability of him infecting others if he becomes a ghoul, which the player seems to be thinking could be an advantage or at least not much of a liability, or just a carrier. Another problem is my character is new to the group (so am I as a player), so there are some trust and loyalty issues.

I guess it would just be nice and easy if we get the Guy back to civilization, to a street doc, get him cured and make sure he's not a carrier. But I can see the fun of not having that happen, and in the absence of rules/rolls to determine the outcome I am guessing fun will ensue. Unless the GM is trying to avoid interplayer conflict.

Hence my questions about any actual rules to resolve the situation.

[Kagetenshi]

FWIW, I'd argue that unless he loses the power he's dramatically less likely to infect someone than your average ghoul (assuming, of course, he becomes one)—infection happens when you get wounded and survive, not when you drop dead from a D Physical killing hands blow.

~J

[tisoz]

True, but more likely than a gun adept that isn't bodily touching the victim at all.

[FrankTrollman]

How is he getting bodily fluid contact with his killing hands in the first place?

I mean, we aren't talking about someone using "killing bite" or "killing money shot" - it's a magical destructive force that comes off his fists.

-Frank

[fistandantilus4....]

Well there is the fluff piece from SOTA 64 where the adepts hands become claw like when he's "becoming wolf".

But I do agree that as an adept, there's really little difference in being able to infect more people. Unless he goes out of his way to attack people and leave them alive.

If he was trying for something like that, instead of worrying about killing hands, he could take something like sprint, great leap, andor Improved Unarmed combat, and specialize in claws. That way he could come in quickly, infect, and get away. But that of course would be some thing more like a twisted path than this guy is.

Could get interesting if he rolled badly on the resistance test against the infection and started going feral though.

[tisoz]

[fistandantilus4....]

He's been infected for a few weeks? The book is pretty vague on treatment details, but I'd think a few weeks is past the means of a medkit. I'm thinking he'd need to go in to a clinic.

(shhh... maybe put a kink bomb in while he's in there jsut in case the treatment doesn't go so well ;) )

[bibliophile20]

[Grinder]

Have a look on the games he runs here. ;)

[hyzmarca]

Really, the book is rather vague on the treatment. If you the GM wants a medkit to work then it will work. If the GM wants major surgery to cut out pre-ghoul tissues, then that is what will happen.