The corrupting influence of evil is a concept explored in numerous books, films and games, including D&D which came out with taint rules in both 3.0 and 3.5, which provided penalties to players who were exposed to (or committed) overwhelming evil. While the rules for such taint provided considerable flavor, they were uneven in their implementation, with some providing penalties and others providing both penalties and bonuses and limited players to displaying 3 symptoms of taint for depravity and 3 for corruption. This system intends to capture the feel of taint rules for past editions while ironing out the mechanically wonky bits that have plagued such systems in the past.
Acquiring Taint:
Acquiring Taint
Characters can acquire taint in several different ways:
Committing acts of unspeakable evil: in cultures throughout the typical D&D setting certain acts earn universal condemnation amongst races and peoples with even the slightest moral code-murder, torture, genocide, and **** as well as fouler acts warp the mind of those committing them and result in the offending character gaining depravity. This does not represent external evil creeping into the character’s mind, but rather represents the wearing away of one’s moral compass as characters begin to treat others as pawns and toys rather than as individual creatures worthy of respect. Even characters that describe themselves as “hardened” or “jaded” are not immune to gaining depravity in this fashion-indeed, one could argue that being extremely hardened to or jaded about the suffering of others is a sign of one gaining depravity.
Exposure to areas warped by evil: whether due to the presence of demons, foul creatures from the far realms, or simply areas forever marred by evil of a less supernatural variety (such as the execution of an innocent man by a corrupt court, or the shack where a serial killer went to hide his “conquests”) can result in character’s gaining corruption through no fault of their own. Typically, there are only certain areas in the blighted zone that bestow corruption (the area around the altar where innocents were sacrificed to dread gods), but in the cases of extreme blights, every square foot of the area might potentially bestow corruption. This corruption is typically applied to a character after a certain length of time and is accompanied by a feeling of instinctive disgust that warn both the player and his or her character that it would be wise to spend as little time in the location as possible.
Certain sanity-rending locations that warp the minds of those who travel through them, like an area tainted by the energies of the far realm might very well bestow depravity instead as character’s minds break under the strain of sights alien to any sane man or woman.
Exposure to dread items: While tools and weapons both magical and mundane have no moral significance in and of themselves, the uses they are put to or the techniques used in their creation can sometimes result in them being a vessel of corruption or depravity. A blade carved from the bones of a whimpering slave carries with it an imprint of the suffering of the one who “donated” the material for the blade and might whisper words of condemnation and hatred to a character who chooses to carry it, slowly increasing his or her depravity. A weapon wielded by a demonic general or an unknowable far-realm entity might have acquired some of it’s master’s inhuman corruption, and might plague a wielder with disgusting growths. Then of course, there are weapons and other items specifically crafted by mad cultists or vindictive spell casters that slowly drive their wielders insane with lust for power, or that cause them to rot from the inside out.
Characters can acquire taint in several different ways:
Committing acts of unspeakable evil: in cultures throughout the typical D&D setting certain acts earn universal condemnation amongst races and peoples with even the slightest moral code-murder, torture, genocide, and **** as well as fouler acts warp the mind of those committing them and result in the offending character gaining depravity. This does not represent external evil creeping into the character’s mind, but rather represents the wearing away of one’s moral compass as characters begin to treat others as pawns and toys rather than as individual creatures worthy of respect. Even characters that describe themselves as “hardened” or “jaded” are not immune to gaining depravity in this fashion-indeed, one could argue that being extremely hardened to or jaded about the suffering of others is a sign of one gaining depravity.
Exposure to areas warped by evil: whether due to the presence of demons, foul creatures from the far realms, or simply areas forever marred by evil of a less supernatural variety (such as the execution of an innocent man by a corrupt court, or the shack where a serial killer went to hide his “conquests”) can result in character’s gaining corruption through no fault of their own. Typically, there are only certain areas in the blighted zone that bestow corruption (the area around the altar where innocents were sacrificed to dread gods), but in the cases of extreme blights, every square foot of the area might potentially bestow corruption. This corruption is typically applied to a character after a certain length of time and is accompanied by a feeling of instinctive disgust that warn both the player and his or her character that it would be wise to spend as little time in the location as possible.
Certain sanity-rending locations that warp the minds of those who travel through them, like an area tainted by the energies of the far realm might very well bestow depravity instead as character’s minds break under the strain of sights alien to any sane man or woman.
Exposure to dread items: While tools and weapons both magical and mundane have no moral significance in and of themselves, the uses they are put to or the techniques used in their creation can sometimes result in them being a vessel of corruption or depravity. A blade carved from the bones of a whimpering slave carries with it an imprint of the suffering of the one who “donated” the material for the blade and might whisper words of condemnation and hatred to a character who chooses to carry it, slowly increasing his or her depravity. A weapon wielded by a demonic general or an unknowable far-realm entity might have acquired some of it’s master’s inhuman corruption, and might plague a wielder with disgusting growths. Then of course, there are weapons and other items specifically crafted by mad cultists or vindictive spell casters that slowly drive their wielders insane with lust for power, or that cause them to rot from the inside out.
A gold star and a
for you.Now does anyone have any feedback on the mechanics of it?
A gold star and a
Why thank y-- hey wait... This cookie's filled with sarcasm!
But anyways... that giant conglomeration of text is too much trouble to read, much less even think about implementing. Too much. Just too much.
Hopefully someone can decipher it in it's current form, because I'm unable to edit it for some reason.
I read most of it, especially the effects of perineum, I think you've got the right idea with the penalties/bonuses, but I'm not sure if the numbers are all good.
Since you've read it, maybe you could give me a summary of how perineum affects a character's NADs?
Since you've read it, maybe you could give me a summary of how perineum affects a character's NADs?
Very little, some of the third tier mental symptoms give you a +1 to (so far) either reflex or will defences.
The others tend to provide more situational bonuses than constant ones, which I like, it's also rather easier to balance. +2 damage while having CA is a fair whack easier to balance than +2 to damage constantly.
Denial : The world is not real to you, the sky is not blue, it is all an illusion. You gain a +1 to your Will defence, but a -1 to your Reflex defence, you are convinced that anything coming your way can be disbelieved into nothingness, so perhaps you are a bit slower than you should be about getting out of the way of that dragon's breath.
Perhaps that crosses more into Delusional, or at least a form of it.
EDIT: Oooh just thought of another.
Perfect : You are convinced you are as perfect as you could ever need to be for this moment. You do not even have to try, whatever will occur is what will occur. Your conviction of perfection results in a -1 to Fortitude defence, but once per day you may reroll any skill check you just rolled, you must use the second result, even if it's lower. Sometimes, you really are just perfect for this moment.
Thanks for the idea-I should be adding corruption symptoms shortly. (ie. the sort of stuff that happens in the Warhammer universe when one touches chaos, the sort of physical symptoms effecting Saidan users in the Wheel of Time).
Thanks a bunch guys!
Please tell me what you guys think and inform me if you have any ideas for new symptoms!
Hehe, and Shriveled Flesh reminded me of Christian Bale's character from the Machinist, seriously, that's some creepy weight loss.
All in all I think it's good, Obsessive has a great flavour attached. But I'm not good at the number crunching for the balance side of things, I just think you're doing great
EDIT : Perhaps a rank 3 Shriveled Flesh could start exposing bone in the finger tips, granting a claw like attack or something.
I should be continuously adding more physical symptoms and will get around to adding Tainted feats that require certain symptoms or certain levels of taint.
Also, Extra Eyes needs to be a physical corruption. Maybe start with 1 granting a percep bonus and penalty on saves vs gazes or lower defences vs gazes or something. Then as it advances, more and more eyes erupt from all over the body, more perception, but maybe a higher chance to be crit? All those vulnerable spots can't be good for you, after all.
EDIT : And you're welcome, I love the taint mechanics
Perhaps a more severe physical corruption could be Gills, or other bizarre changes to ones breathing.
Oh! WINGS! Membranous wings, maybe not usable for flight, but glide/slow fall.
I'm trying to think of a way to do wings and gills that won't seem either lame or "AWESOME!" to those afflicted with them. I want taint to be, at the very least something that people say "you should get that checked out" and at high levels makes them say "oh my gods what is that thing?!! BURN IT!!" I guess it's all in the description, but I just can't shake the fact that most D&D players I know, when acquiring taint-based wings would see it as something completely awesome and not as a double edged sword.
Ideas thus far:
- Vomit up internal corruption, and control it as a summon
- Have other mind inside yours screw with your opponents mind
- Going into a bestial state of rage
- Channeling insanity into a bonus to the will defense+a penalty invoked when someone uses a psychic power on you
- being able to consume the flesh of a dead creature to boost your fighting ability
- having the wrigglers transform into full-blown tentacles which attack you enemies
- having your odor of decay become something akin to a trogs stench
- Your bones thickening to the point where they become like iron
- Enabling a person with the suspicion symptom to see through illusions automatically
- allowing a delusional person to delay damage "nope you didn't hit me"
- allowing the eyes covering your body to prevent creatures from gaining combat adv. against you
- giving the eyes covering your body a gaze attack
- excreting slime which creates difficult terrain
Just some ideas for powers-tell me if you guys have any more.
And I like Odor of Decay, it's like...something out of White Wolf.
Thank you for the compliment Zertatulcraft-it's high praise knowing that my taint symptoms have the same sort of tone as something coming from a White Wolf product.
Thought of another physical symptom by the way. We've got Extra Eyes and Bulbous Eyes, but what about no eyes?
Empty Sockets : Your eyes have shriveled away into nothing, you instead see through sinister glowing points of light.
Maybe a negative to Diplomacy and gain Low-Light Vision or something?
I think as long as it does not take up too much game time, it would be an improvment from the old Insanity/Taint system, those always slowed down the game whenever they came up.
Can I haz cooky now?
looks interesting
awesome
awesome awesomeawesomeNo one else gives out fresh-baked cookies filled with chunks of pure awesome, I guarantee it.
Any of the newcomers to this thread have any ideas for further taint feats or symptoms? I want to provide a large amount of material for Tainted PC's to work with.
P.S-I know Mc Nancy that the document is rather intimidating, and as you said "big", but I feel like the rules themselves for taint are rather streamlined, while still allowing for a lot of customization. I can only hope that it gets as "big" (on a metaphorical level) as incarnum. As a matter of fact, after I get some playtesting done, along with some more material and some polishing I'd like to submit it to Dragon magazine.
Prerequisites: Mild Corruption, Claws Symptom
Benefits: The Tainted Talons tainted power replaces one of your encounter attack powers. This power must be 3rd level or higher. If you do not have a power of the appropriate level, you may replace the power when you gain it. In addition, your claws gain Brutal 1.
Tainted Talons Tainted Attack
Your claws drip with disgusting pus and unknowable fluids as you rake them across your opponents body
Encounter, Tainted
Standard Action, Melee 1
Requirements:You must have nothing in either hand.
Target:One creature
Attack: Strength, Dexterity or Constitution Vs. AC 2 Attacks
Hit: 1d4+Strength modifier damage (if Claws was taken once) or 1d6+Strength modifier damage. (if Claws was taken twice). Plus 5 ongoing poison damage (save ends).
Special: When you gain this power, choose Strength, Dexterity or Constitution. This choice determines which ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power. This choice remains throughout your character's life and does not change the power's other effects.
Symptom: If you possess the second level of the claws symptom, you inflict 5+ the lower of your strength or constitution modifiers ongoing poison damage (save ends).
Delusional Fortitude (Heroic, Tainted)
Prerequisites:Mild Depravity, Delusional Symptom
Benefits:The Deny the Waking Dream tainted utility power replaces one of your utility powers. This power must be 6th level or higher. If you do not have a power of the appropriate level, you may replace the power when you gain it. In addition the first time during an encounter that you fail a wisdom-based skill check or ability check, you gain 5 temporary hit points. The amount of temporary hit points you gain increases to 10 at 11th level and to 15 at 21st level.
Deny The Waking Dream Tainted Utility
When faced with an arrow in your shoulder, or a deadly poison coursing through your veins, you simply refuse to believe it is real, and reality is forced to play catch up with your deluded perceptions.
Daily, Tainted
Immediate Reaction, Personal
Trigger:You are hit by an attack
Effect:You delay the effects of the attack (which include damage and any conditions that the attack would impose) for one round, with the attack affecting you at the end of your next turn.
Symptom:For every level of the Delusional symptom you possess beyond the first, you may delay the effects of the attack for an additional turn. Sustaining this effect takes a minor action.
Devourer (Heroic, Tainted)
Prerequisites:Mild Corruption, Ravenous symptom
Benefits: The Unnatural Feast tainted Utility power replaces one of your Utility powers. This power must be 10th level or higher. If you do not have a power of the appropriate level, you may replace it when you gain it. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus to saves against poison.
Unnatural Feast Tainted Utility
In an orgy of frenzied consumption, you devour your foes fallen corpse in moments , and the corruption within is pleased.
Daily, Tainted
Standard Action, Melee 1
Target:One non-construct dead creature of medium size or smaller
Effect:Your mouth distends far beyond what is normal for any natural creature, and you quickly strip all flesh from the creature's body. You regain HP as if you spend a healing surge plus 1/2 your level. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to all damage with tainted powers for the remainder of the encounter.
Degenerate (Heroic, Tainted)
Prerequisites: Mild Depravity, Bestial Symptom
Benefits: The Descend Into Savagery daily power replaces one of your utility powers. This power must be 10th level or higher. If you do not have a power of the appropriate level, you may replace it when you gain it. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus to insight checks to see through illusions.
Descend into Savagery Tainted Daily
When you first scent blood, your facade of civilized normalcy drops, and you become as a ravening beast.
Daily, Tainted
Immediate Reaction, Personal
Trigger: You bloody an enemy
Effect: You gain a +4 power bonus to melee damage rolls, athletics checks and perception checks until the end of the encounter or until, at the end of your turn, you are not within 5 squares of a bloodied creature (whichever comes first).
Symptom: For every level you possess of the Bestial Mental symptom beyond the first, you gain an additional +1 power bonus to melee damage rolls.
Thank you all for your commentary, please tell me if you see anything unbalanced or potentially unfun!by the way
awesome
awesomeHere's the link. Please note that it's a docx file; if you're not running word 2007 you won't be able to work it.
Do you happen to have any additional ideas for taint symptoms? I've always been pretty terrible at homebrewing, much as I've tried not to be.I've changed the file to a .doc now, so it should open in all Word versions.