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.