Alien Plagues!

[Grell]

The books mention them, but there is no further detail. I want to know what your ideas on the alien plagues are! Here is my contribution:

The Lazarus Syndrome

-Symptoms: reanimation of the recently deceased. Subjects return to a full state of life with no motor impairment or degredation in coordination. Brain damage is evident by exhibition of extreme aggression, feral behavior and lack of pain response. Symptoms of infection include apparent, extreme protein deficiency (seeks sources of protein constantly, especially meat), amplified speed, strength and reaction to stimuli (suspected impact on adrenal gland function) and compulsion to feed on human flesh (see canabalism).

-Method of transmission: fluid contact only. Terminated subjects all showed signs of bite wounds attributed to feral behavior of other infected persons (biting, scratching and spitting/slobbering) though transmission from fluid exposure is also suspected as bites could be inflicted post infection.

-Risk of infection: high. All persons should take precautions to protect from unwanted fluid exchange or exposure. Minimum protective measures should include eye protection, skin covering (bite resistant animal mesh preferred) and a face mask.

Noted Subject/Infection Abnormalities:

-Hyper healing response: all subjects heal from physical damage at an amazing rate, well beyond all medical and nano technological means. Visible signs of healing from gunshots are apparent within minutes; there has even been cases of brain regeneration.

-Subject body temperature (average): 110 degrees F. Additionally all previously dead subjects have registerable vital signs and other signs of life (skin color, bleeding, reaction to hot/cold, etc..).

-Fluid exchange to healthy persons without fatality: people exposed to the infection, but who are not killed by the encounter do not show any symptoms of the infection. Not enough data to determine effect on life span. It is presumed that live persons WILL show signs of infection after death.

What do you guys have?

[Captain Shiva]

The books mention them, but there is no further detail. I want to know what your ideas on the alien plagues are! Here is my contribution:

The Lazarus Syndrome

-Symptoms: reanimation of the recently deceased. Subjects return to a full state of life with no motor impairment or degredation in coordination. Brain damage is evident by exhibition of extreme aggression, feral behavior and lack of pain response. Symptoms of infection include apparent, extreme protein deficiency (seeks sources of protein constantly, especially meat), amplified speed, strength and reaction to stimuli (suspected impact on adrenal gland function) and compulsion to feed on human flesh (see canabalism).

-Method of transmission: fluid contact only. Terminated subjects all showed signs of bite wounds attributed to feral behavior of other infected persons (biting, scratching and spitting/slobbering) though transmission from fluid exposure is also suspected as bites could be inflicted post infection.

-Risk of infection: high. All persons should take precautions to protect from unwanted fluid exchange or exposure. Minimum protective measures should include eye protection, skin covering (bite resistant animal mesh preferred) and a face mask.

Noted Subject/Infection Abnormalities:

-Hyper healing response: all subjects heal from physical damage at an amazing rate, well beyond all medical and nano technological means. Visible signs of healing from gunshots are apparent within minutes; there has even been cases of brain regeneration.

-Subject body temperature (average): 110 degrees F. Additionally all previously dead subjects have registerable vital signs and other signs of life (skin color, bleeding, reaction to hot/cold, etc..).

-Fluid exchange to healthy persons without fatality: people exposed to the infection, but who are not killed by the encounter do not show any symptoms of the infection. Not enough data to determine effect on life span. It is presumed that live persons WILL show signs of infection after death.

What do you guys have?

Thanks for the idea, but this should not be a normal disease; it would be magical in nature.

[Grell]

No, it doesn't have to be magical in nature, but feel free to use it however you want. This isn't a thread for normal diseases. This is a thread for ideas as to the myriad of alien plagues that strike during the Great Cataclysm and the dark ages to follow. There is no restriction to how a plague originates. Just post your ideas no matter how strange or abnormal they are!

So I've put an idea out, now it's your turn Captain Shiva!

[Aramanthus]

I think it's a cool idea. Great start! I haven't worked on any myself. But after seeing a few I'll try my hand at it.

[Grell]

very cool let me have a look at making a Rifts disease tract - something that could work as a flow chart and be somewhat of a disease lifetime/rolls made by a patient.

That would be pretty cool! Hell, you could just draw up the template and explain how it works and all of us could take a crack at filling it in!

[Aramanthus]

That sounds cool. Hopefully we can get more diseases!

[Rahmota]

Well crud. I had a long dissertation about some plagues/bioweapons from my gameverse all typed up then when i went to post it i got knocked offline (dang dialup) and the matrix ate the dang thign. So we will start over with asomewhat shorter post.

In the phase world verse there is a planet that had a biowar. In the past there was a matriarchy at war with a male-dominated society. one year the matriarchs developed a bioweapon that was intended to emasculate the males and make them more docile and controllable so that the matriarchs could take over the world. Well the bio weapon worked a bit too well and it feminized all the amles. Unfortunately as bio weapons are wont to do (especially in apocalyptic fiction) it worked too well. ALL male living beings on the planet became feminized. Realizing that that would be rather bad the matriarch scientists began to develop a selective masculation virus. Unfortunately it worked rather wonky and while restoring somewhat the maleness of many it did so without deleting the femaleness. SO the entire population and biosphere of the planet is intersexual. It is in the genetic code of the beings. In the food, air and water. So anyone who comes to the planet can get infected and have the change occur. So the intergalactic tourism council recommends an encounter suit at all times for those not wishing to undergo the transformation.
All percentages to become infected are additive and cumulative. Breathign the air gives a 5% chance per day of being infected, eating the native food gives a 10% per day chance, drinking the water straight gives a 10% per day chance, filtering the water or otherwise treating it reduces the chance to 3% per day. So one who is running around on the planet eating, drinking and breathign the air like a native has a 25% chance per day of becoming infected.
Once infected within 2d4 hours the character undergos the appropriate physical and genetic changes.

Then there is the burning. Which basically makes the iron in the blood combine with the calcium in the bones and oxygen in the blood and burn.
Stage 1: The subject begins to feel feverish, itchy and unpleasantly hot even if standing in the middle of a freezer. At this stage normal medical technology and means can cure the disease. This stage lasts 2d8 hours.
Stage 2: The subject begins to have a painful burning sensation within themselves as their blood and bones quite litterally begin to burn. They take 3d4 damage direct to hit points per round for 2d8 rounds. Only magical healign can prevent this damage without killing the patient. Normal medical technology is helpless at this juncture. Should the patient survive the damage they progress to stage 3
Stage 3: The subject receives a -2d3 to their PE from scarring and internal damage. Only a compleate clone body can restore this PE. The subject will only have a 3% chance of ever becoming reinfected by this in their life again. Unless they have a compleate vatjob body cloned which resets them to normal chances.

Then there is the Maniquen disease.
Stage 1: The character begins to feel cold and stiff. They also loose some sensation of touch. At this point normal medical technology can prevent any further progression of the disease. This stage lasts 1d4 days.
Stage 2: The character's skin begins to stiffen and turn into a thick stiff plastic. For each hour at this stage the character's PP and Spd are reduced by 4. If either is reduced to 0 the character is effectively dead and a maniqen. Magic may restore the character at this point or slow the progress of the disease before terminal freezing. Extreme medical procedures may help.

[Aramanthus]

Looks interesting. What is the name of the first one?

[Rahmota]

yeah bioweapons are definately one of those thigns that come back to bite someone in the butt. Sometimes literally.

If you're asking me what the name of the first one I posted is. It was called project Wongfoo in the native dialect but most space jocks call it "ahhh keep it away from me!"

[Aramanthus]

Cool disease! Very scary! I wouldn't want it!

[Oberoth]

Parallax Syndrome

Method of transmission: Through open wounds or direct fluid contact.

Symptoms: The first symptoms don't present themselves for several months.

1. Infected people develop a high fever that lasts 1D6 days.

2. After the fever, victims undergo an alignment reversal.

3. Victims develop an unusually high intelligence. +15 to I.Q.

1D6 weeks after the fist signs of infection, victims die from cardiac arrest.

There is no known cure or treatment.

[Aramanthus]

That is a cool illiness. Too bad it kills you at the end. Be nice if you could cure it and keep the intelligence.

[Aramanthus]

That is a pretty nasty one. Hopefully it was limited in it's initial area of effects. And that it died out forever!

[Arnie100]

What!? No Rage Virus?? Just kidding...some very cool, err...nasty ideas!

[Aramanthus]

Those both work to modify diseases.

[Cybermancer]

An genetic virus that attacks mutations in humans.

It takes away psionics, super powers or any extraordinay ability (ambidextrous,etc). Psi Stalkers would become normal people as would Bursters, Mind Melters and anyone else with unusual gifts.

The virus can jump to Mutant animals as well, turning Dog Boys into Dogs.

The virus is spread through contact with bodily fluids. While normal humans are unaffected, they can all be carriers.

The virus is contagious within 24 hours of contraction but symptoms do not start to appear until 4 months later. Within 16 months of constracting the virus, the victems genetic code is rewritten so that they no longer have any powers (Powers are lost gradually between 4 and 16 months).

The virus may jump to humanoid D-Bee's. If the D-Bee is human like enough, like an Ogre, then they are genetically remade into a human. If they're more seperated than that, then they die.

One in a hundred people are naturally immune to the virus. A vaccine can be made for it.

This is based on a virus a character of mine once created.

[Aramanthus]

I think I'll pass on allowing this one in my megaverse. It's too much of a spoiler. I'd only use it on a player that really ticked my off and was not a friend.

[Cybermancer]

I think I'll pass on allowing this one in my megaverse. It's too much of a spoiler. I'd only use it on a player that really ticked my off and was not a friend.

Even the rumor of the CS, Empire of Humanity or similar group having or working on such an engineered virus could be the basis of an entire campaign.

[Aramanthus]

You are right there. It's an especially nasty one! Everyone would be either trying to capture it or destroy it!

[keir451]

Oddly enough most humans would be immune to an Alien disease by the very fact that it's not terran in nature, those that did succumb to an alien virus would either die right quick thus acting as a natural quarantine or we would adapt to it and gain immunity to it, thus making humans even stronger than before.
Survival of The Sickest by DR. Sharon Moalem describes how our diseases work and how some of them are possible evolutionary traits for survival in times past. I use it as a reference for handling diseases and plagues esp. if I'm playing a M.D.(Body fixer) chara.

[Aramanthus]

The only bad thing would be if it could jump species. In those aliens are mammals there would be a slight chance of a mutation which would allow it to jump to humans.

[Overlord Rikonius]

Would humans be more resistant to alien viruses than alien bacteria? It seems to me that a virus, needing to co-opt the cell's DNA to reproduce, might be akin to someone with a mac or linus machine downloading a windows bug; whereas bacteria make you sick either by attacking cells (ie, trying to eat them) or by producing toxins.

[keir451]

The only bad thing would be if it could jump species. In those aliens are mammals there would be a slight chance of a mutation which would allow it to jump to humans.

Entirely plausible, thus we would either die or develop a resistance to it. The species would have to be pretty close to human though, I'd think. Y'know what kind of diseases do the Atlanteans have? They've mucking around the Megaverse so long who knows what kinda cooties they've picked up.

[keir451]

Would humans be more resistant to alien viruses than alien bacteria? It seems to me that a virus, needing to co-opt the cell's DNA to reproduce, might be akin to someone with a mac or linus machine downloading a windows bug; whereas bacteria make you sick either by attacking cells (ie, trying to eat them) or by producing toxins.

Depends on the bacteria's "food " most of our bacteria are Ferrovores (eat iron), if you want to go so far as to say by what means they process their air i.e.; iron, copper, tin, etc., then you could open up a whole new ball of wax for your PCs to deal with.

[Aramanthus]

They dealt with a similiar situation in Babylon 5. A virus there jumped species in the series.