Book:Science!

Creatures with mortal bodies face a great many dangers in this world. This chapter presents a host of circumstances that could make or break a character in Immortal Legacy.

Adventurers Beware

Lots of things can go wrong out there on the road to adventure. Some of the following plights will conk you out, others kill.

Bleeding Out

A creature can sustain a wound so grievous that blood will continue to pour from it after the initial injury. Left untreated, a bleeding creature will eventually die of blood loss.

Only certain types of attacks can deliver a bleeding wound. A creature subjected to such a wound takes Continual Damage [1 HP per round; draining]. Every subsequent bleeding wound the creature receives compounds the problem and increases the damage per round by 1.

Characters can make a Healing check to apply pressure to the wounds and stop the hemorrhage. See the Healing entry in Chapter 6: Skills for more details. In addition, natural remedies exist, and characters can leverage any item which restores HP to immediately treat a bleeding wound.

Catching Fire

Some like it hot, however most folks don't enjoy burning to death. All kinds of things can catch a creature on fire, for instance torches, chemicals, doctored-up weapons, or magic spells. When your body, hair, clothes, or equipment catch fire, you begin taking Continual Damage (4 HP per round). Every round you remain aflame, the fire spreads and increases the damage per round by 2. This is obviously considered burning damage.

Next comes the business of extinguishing oneself. Creatures who are partially aflame (i.e. taking 6 or less Continual Damage per round) can pour water over the affected area or cover it with heavy cloth and pat out the fire (which takes 3 AP). A creature who is completely engulfed in fire (i.e. taking 7 or more) must drop to the ground and roll around or leap into a body of water (Which takes 6 AP).

Exertion

You can knowingly push your body past its limits when the need is great and your will is strong. Characters can decide to power through any act of physical exertion longer than their body has any right to. Walking, jogging, sprinting, swimming, climbing, laboring, or even performing rituals. If you keep on doing whatever it is for too long, you fight Stamina Drain (and a whole bunch of lactic acid)..

Marching more than 8 hours causes Stamina Drain (DL 15; +1 every hour; tiring).
Jogging more than 4 hours (accounting for short rest periods and additional water intake) causes Stamina Drain (DL 18; +2 every hour; tiring). You'll be sore as hell the next day.
Sprinting more than 1 minute (see the Dash skill in Chapter 6: Skills) causes Stamina Drain (DL 15; +1 every round; tiring).
Performing a ritual longer than 8 hours (see Chapter 15: Rituals) causes Stamina Drain (DL 10; +1 every hour; tiring).
Carrying a great deal of weight more than 1 round (see the Might skill) causes Stamina Drain (DL 15; +1 every round; tiring).
If you're performing physical labor, the DL and frequency of increase varies depending on the job at hand.

Extreme Temperatures

The wilderness is a harsh mistress, and those who venture too far from civilization without sufficient protection from the elements assume the risk of dying before they reach their destination. Whether it's extreme heat or extreme cold, characters subject to the weather must fight lethal Stamina Drain.

The exposed condition (see below) causes Stamina Drain (DL 15; +1 every hour; lethal). Without the ability to regulate your body temperature, death comes quickly as hypothermia or heat stroke set in. Once you reach stage 5 on the Knockout Track, you fall comatose. If you remain unprotected from the extreme temperatures and you gain six Death Marks, you perish in the great outdoors.

If you seek shelter and heat up or cool down your body (as required), you lose the exposed condition and can remove a single Death Mark. If your experiments with temperature have imposed additional Death Marks, each can be released with one night of restful sleep.

Falling

Being high above the ground isn't bad for your health on its own, but falling over the ledge sure as hell is. If you drop from a great height, death may greet you at the bottom.

One of the most important factors in falling damage is how you land. Make a Gymnastics check. For every 5 points of the result, subtract 5 feet from the distance fallen.
Another factor is your body's ability to resist injury. Make a Guard check. For every 5 points of the result, subtract up to 10 feet from the remaining distance in exchange for one stage on the Knockout Track. You cannot subtract more than half of the remaining distance. Once you reach stage 5 on the Knockout Track, you cannot deduct additional distance, no matter the total of the Guard check.
Use the remaining distance to calculate the damage you take. For every 5 feet, you take 5 points of crushing damage.
Your own mass is a factor as well. For every 10 feet, you take damage equal to your Size.
The final factor is what you hit. If you land on a soft surface, you take half damage.

Falling Example
You fall 70 feet. You make a Gymnastics check of 22. You can subtract 20 feet. 50 feet remain. You make a Guard check of 17. You can subtract 25 feet in exchange for 3 stages down the Knockout Track. 25 feet remain, so you take 25 damage. If you're playing a human, your Size doesn't change the damage. A kulgeri would take a total of 27. A firna would take a total of 23. If you landed in freshly tilled earth, you would take half damage.

Hunger and Thirst

Characters can live the better part of a month without food, but you won't last a week without water. Starvation and dehydration are just as life-threatening as armed combat. You can survive a full day without any food or water and not accrue penalties. Anything past that amount of time and your life begins to ebb away. You fight lethal Stamina Drain so long as you go without sustenance.

The dehydrated condition (see below) causes Stamina Drain (DL 20; +1 every 12 hours; lethal). When you begin dying of thirst, all sorts of bodily processes begin breaking down. Once you reach stage 5 on the Knockout Track, you fall comatose. If no one comes to your aid and you gain six Death Marks, you succumb to dehydration and die, leaving behind a withered husk.

The starving condition (see below) causes Stamina Drain (DL 10; +1 every day; lethal). Without sufficient caloric intake, you begin to waste away, staring from sunken eyes and scratching the tight skin stretched over your protruding bones. Once you reach stage 5 on the Knockout Track, you fall comatose. If no one comes to your aid and you gain six Death Marks, you die of starvation.

If you locate food or water (as needed), you lose the dehydrated or starving condition and release a single Death Mark. Any remaining Death Marks imposed by either condition may be released one at a time per night of restful sleep.

Illness

Illness is an acute condition — it comes on suddenly and puts a strain on your body. Whether you're combating the flu, shock, motion sickness, or a hangover, illness can make even the simplest of tasks difficult thanks to symptoms like pain, fever, nausea, and fatigue. In this game, illness quantifies the burden imposed by afflictions, regardless of their causes, impacts, or cures. For instance, influenza is infectious, radiation sickness is environmental, and scurvy is dietary — wildly different pathologies, but they all take a toll on fragile mortal creatures.

The debilitating effects of an illness are represented by its severity, a number from 1–5. When a creature is subjected to an illness, it must make a Vitality check (see Chapter 6: Skills). If it fails the check, the illness imposes one Death Mark for each level of severity. In addition, an illness can impose other effects on the unhealthy creature, like conditions, Continual Damage, or penalties to specific skills.

Any illness in this game will list the initial DL to resist, and could list one or more of the following properties:

Progressive – Increases in severity over time if left untreated. A progressive illness in this game will list the frequency of increase (e.g. progressive every week).
Fightable – Creatures can eventually overpower the illness after successive Vitality checks (see Resisting Illness in the "Vitality" entry of Chapter 6: Skills). A fightable illness in this game will list the frequency a character can make an attempt to fend it off (e.g. fightable every 6 hours).
Limited – A creature may be able to ride out the illness and fully recover without any assistance. A limited illness in this game will list the duration (e.g. limited to 10 days).
Curable – An environmental, dietary, or medicinal cure exists that can eradicate the illness. A character can ascertain the cure with a successful Lore check and Craft medicine from raw ingredients. Each curable illness will list these DLs.
Treatable – There is an environmental, dietary, or medicinal remedy that treats the symptoms of the illness and lifts the penalties imposed by some or all of the Death Marks for a brief time. As with cures, a Lore check formulates the remedy and a Craft check assembles the goods. Each treatable illness will list these DLs.
Operable – A specific medical procedure, like surgery, can correct the illness. A character can operate with a successful Healing check (see Chapter 6: Skills). Each operable illness will list this DL.

The illness remains in place until it's fought off, cured, past its limit, or surgically corrected. Upon eradication of the illness, you release one Death Mark. Any remaining Death Marks forced upon you by the illness can be removed with one night of restful sleep for each.

A creature can suffer from multiple distinct illnesses simultaneously, for instance, you could be seasick with bronchitis. However, you cannot receive more than five Death Marks from illness, no matter how sick you may feel. That said, you're a sitting duck if anything else hands you a Death Mark.

Suffocation

When a creature’s body is deprived of oxygen, its brain starts shutting off. That’s generally considered bad. If you can’t breathe, you can hold your breath one minute for each point of Endurance you possess (thirty seconds per point if performing strenuous activity such as swimming or underwater combat). After this length of time, you quickly black out and asphyxiate. You gain the suffocating condition so long as you go without air.

The suffocating condition (see below) causes Stamina Drain (DL 15; +1 every round; lethal). The lack of oxygen to the brain pulls a creature into a permanent slumber. If you can't take in a breath and you receive a sixth Death Mark, you turn an odd shade of blue and die, grasping at your throat, probably.

If you regain the ability to breathe, you lose the suffocating condition and release a single Death Mark. Any remaining Death Marks imposed by that pesky hypoxia can be released one a time per restful night of sleep.

Wakefulness

When the sandman pays you a visit, you can tell him to come back later. We've probably all had to pull an all-nighter to get some vital task completed before a deadline. You can resist sleep one full day without any penalties. Afterwards, your body and will are at odds as you battle the urge to rest.

You fight Stamina Drain so long as you forsake sleep. However, the longer you stay awake, the more difficult it is to do much of anything.

Wakefulness causes Stamina Drain (DL 10; +1 every 12 hours; tiring). In addition to the physical and cognitive strain this puts on you, staying awake prevents you from regaining HP, MP, and SP as you normally would when you rest.

Contaminants

In the words of the great Socrates: “I just drank what?” Be careful of that goblet of wine, friend, it may have worse things in it than cheap merlot.

Pathogens, parasites, poisons, and pharmaceuticals are all invaders of the body responsible for a diverse array of what is mostly considered suffering. A Vitality check (see Chapter 6: Skills) is necessary to keep these forces from harming you. Some of these bodily guests do the polite thing and provide benefits to their hosts. Contaminants occur naturally or can be assembled by hand.

Concoctions

Apothecaries, physicians, herbalists, and kitchen witches can all forge remarkable substances from household ingredients. Nature itself produces material with medical uses from the very ground. Even beasts carry within them compounds known to heal or harm.

Creatures who ingest, inject, inhale, or imbibe these concoctions may experience physiological reactions. A creature subjected to a harmful concoction must make a Vitality check. If the result meets or exceeds the associated DL, the creature evades the negative effects.

The following categories represent a few types of concoctions. Each of these delivers a different kind of effect in dosed targets.

Remedy

A remedy is a substance that treats the symptoms of an illness. Using ingredients from the natural world, you can craft remedies in many forms including salves, tablets, and herbal blends.

Antidote

Antidotes are solutions that neutralize poisons, toxins, or venoms. An antidote administered to a poisoned creature counteracts the harmful substance or removes it from the body — the associated Continual Damage ceases. Poisons are treated with chemical countering agents, so one antidote may apply to several poisons, whereas antitoxins or antivenoms are typically derived from the original toxin itself, so they combat toxins from a specific organism or category of organisms. Some antidotes have negative side effects. Worse still, some poisons have no antidote.

Medication

In this game, medications eradicate curable disease. Many compounds, from vegetables to mold, are known to fight infections, acting as all-natural antivirals, antibiotics, or antifungals. If a disease can be cured through medication, completing a course will rid a creature of the infection, whether that's a single dose or several administered regularly (depending on the disease).

Stimulant

A stimulant incites vigor, focus, and motivation. Depending on the dose, a stimulant user can ignore one or more stages of temporary Knockout Track penalties (i.e. those effects remedied by rest). Stimulants can also boost physical and mental performance, granting increased AP.

Sedative

A sedative reduces anxiety and encourages sleep. Sedated creatures move one or more stages down the Knockout Track and stay there as long as the dose is active. Sedatives are known to sap the body's energy, imposing decreased AP.

Paralytic

A paralytic agent attacks the nervous system and renders parts of the body inoperative. These compounds typically last minutes to hours, and can impose any of the following conditions: blinded, deafened, hampered, muted, prone, paralyzed, suffocating.

Psychoactive

A psychoactive substance affects the mind. The wilds are absolutely teeming with mind-altering fungus and plant life, but if foraging isn't for you, the right combination of chemicals can also do the trick. Psychoactive substances can impose any of the following conditions: confused, distracted, mindless, rattled, unfeeling.

Infectious Disease

In addition to the physical dangers of the world, characters are often accosted by the sniffles and other common ailments. When it comes to sickness and plague, running out of tissues is the least of your worries.

Infectious disease is just one type of illness. Creatures exposed to an invading pathogen must make a Vitality check to avoid infection. The more virulent the pathogen, the higher the DL. Many infectious diseases are contagious. That is, a healthy creature might contract the illness just by hanging around someone infected with it: breathing the same air, eating the same food, or touching the same objects. Some pathogens require more specific transmission methods, like an exchange of blood or saliva.

Creatures who overpower a fightable disease, or outlast a limited disease may gain immunity once the initial infection is eradicated. This immunity could last for months, years, or indefinitely, depending on the disease in question.

Poison

Poison is a common weapon in the political world of kings and pawns. Then there are the exotic animals and monsters of the world with their natural venoms. Honestly, any substance in sufficient quantity is toxic. Some poisons enter the bloodstream through injury, some must be imbibed or inhaled, and some can be absorbed through contact with the skin. Poisons cause the body to break down from within.

Any creature dosed with poison must make a Vitality check. If the Vitality check is a failure, the poison causes Continual Damage for its duration. You can make one subsequent Vitality check each round for the duration of the poison to resist its detrimental effects for that round.

The effects of a poison depend on its level.

Level One – 1 damage/round
Level Two – 2 damage/round
Level Three – 4 damage/round
Level Four – 8 damage/round
Level Five – 16 damage/round

Symbiotes

A symbiote is a creature that "visits" another creature's body (and if it likes the place, it just might move in). Some are commensalistic, causing beneficial effects, offering boosted strength, speed, sanity, durability, influence, or immunity. Others are parasitic, invading their host and thriving at its expense. A parasite could inject venom, impose illness, drain some vital resource (e.g. oxygen, blood, food, water, MP), lay eggs, or even take complete bodily control. There are also symbiotes which both assist and harm their hosts.

Most symbiotes by far are tiny. Many are invisible to the naked eye. Others are large enough to fight in combat. Regardless of its physical dimensions, when a symbiote bonds with or intrudes upon a potential host, the creature must make a Vitality check. Those who pass the check render their own bodies inhospitable and repulse, eject, or destroy the invading organism. Creatures who fail the check become easy prey and face the side effects, whether beneficial, detrimental, or some combination of the two. Most symbiotes remain until resources dry up. Some live for mere hours, but others endure for a lifetime. Some badass symbiotes can even outlive their host and seek a fresh one. A creature can serve as host to multiple symbiotes at a time — whether the tenants decide to share is a different story.