Bloody End

This disease causes the body to produce blood filled with sanguine humours and adrenaline, making the victim incredibly violent and savage. It is spread by contact with the tainted blood—so while it is safe to touch creatures in the early stages of the disease, coming into contact with even the smallest amount of a diseased creature’s blood allows the disease to spread.

Type disease, contact; Save Fortitude DC 20, see text; Frequency 1/hour; Effect –2 penalty to AC and on Reflex saves and Will saves for 1 hour; Cure 2 consecutive saves

STAGES

Carrier

The affected creature becomes more irritable and aggressive than normal, but otherwise there are no symptoms of the disease at this stage.

Early

The affected creature’s skin darkens, and the creature’s attitude worsens, making it prone to violent outbursts. The affected creature gains a +1 alchemical bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls, and takes a –2 penalty to its Armor Class. Its tainted blood is unable to clot, and rushes out of even minor wounds. Whenever the affected creature takes at least 5 points of piercing or slashing damage, it also takes 2 points of bleed damage. This bleed damage stacks with other bleed damage, including itself. Whenever the affected creature takes bleed damage in this way, a thin but far-reaching spray of blood erupts from the wound, exposing all creatures in a 15-foot cone (pointing toward the source of the attack) to the disease unless they succeed at Reflex saving throws at the disease’s DC.

Moderate

Blood begins to ooze through the affected creature’s pores, coating its skin in a thin, red sheen. The alchemical bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls increases to +2, and the penalty to the creature’s Armor Class becomes –4. Whenever the affected creature takes damage, it must succeed at a Will save at the disease’s DC or fly into a berserk rage, in which it is compelled to attack the nearest creature each round for 1 minute, regardless of whether it’s a friend or foe. The amount of bleed damage the affected creature takes after being dealt 5 or more points of piercing or slashing damage increases to 5.

Severe

The affected creature is constantly staggered.

Additionally, the berserker rage caused by the disease clouds the mind of the affected creature, which is constantly compelled to attack the nearest creature. The affected creature can attempt a Will save at the disease’s DC as a free action to suppress this effect for 1 minute, but if it fails this save, it can’t try again for 1 hour; even if it succeeds, it must continue to attempt a save whenever it takes damage to avoid flying back into a berserk state.

Terminal

The affected creature can no longer attempt a saving throw to suppress its rage. If it fails a saving throw against the disease’s progress at this stage, it dies. Even on a successful saving throw, the affected creature takes 10d10 points of damage and 2 points of Constitution drain. If the affected creature dies at this stage, its body explodes in a shower of gore, exposing all creatures within 20 feet to the disease unless they succeed at Reflex saves at the disease’s DC.