Liberi Gothica: Plaguebearer

Herein are the rules for the Plaguebearer class for Liberi Gothica. The primary attributes for the Plaguebearer are Toughness and Spirit. The Plaguebearer Liberi is a sickening, rotting creature that has sacrificed her humanity to turn into a ghoulish being that consumes her enemies in pestilence, and then devours them.

Plaguebearers are undead, her insides completely rotted through within the first week. However, they can maintain a human-like appearance if they have enough Vitality.

-At 10 Vitality or more, they look pretty normal.

-Between 9 and 7 Vitality, their bodies become slightly pale, and start smelling a bit, but it is not immediately noticeable from a distance. She feels a mild urge to eat human flesh.

-Between 6 and 5 Vitality, she smells clearly rotten. Anyone within 10 feet of her can tell make a Notice check to realize she is undead. If she is within 10 feet of a human, she must make a Willpower check or she'll attack him.

-Between 4 and 3 Vitality, her own body smells terribly bad, and her skin begins to peel. The early stages of any diseases she may have suppressed by Diseased Body begin to manifest, although the Plaguebearer still doesn't feel the effects of the diseases. It is impossible to hide her undead nature at this point. Whenever a human comes within 15 feet, she must make a Willpower roll at -4 or attack him immediately.

-At 2 and less Vitality, the plaguebearer's body starts to rot at an alarming rate. Any and all symptoms from diseases she may have from Diseased Body begin to manifest, and she begins to have a crippling cough. Whenever she tries to take 2 actions in a round, she must make an Endure check at a -2 penalty or she loses both actions coughing. She can avoid this penalty by taking one action a round. Whenever a human comes within 20 feet, she must make a Willpower roll at -8 or attack.

All Plaguebearers start with Cannibalize. They choose from Diseased Body, Hive, and Poisonous Vapors for their starting ability.

Cannibalize

Cannibalize: The Plaguebearer gains strength from her devoured opponents.

The Plaguebearer has a bite attack, but this attack is ineffective as a weapon. To bite an opponent, you need to succeed to Grapple them. If you are in control of a grapple, you may spend an action to bite them for 1d4 damage [you automatically hit]. If they are the same race as you, you gain Vitality equal to the damage dealt. This attack does not deal extra damage based on your Toughness, as most melee attacks do.

Plaguebearers also have a natural claw attack, that deals 1d4 damage on a hit. These claws count as weapons for the purposes of perks and abilities, such as Parry. You can dual-wield your two claw attacks for a -2 penalty, instead of a -4 penalty. This does not stack with the bonus from the Two Weapon Warrior perk.

The Plaguebearer can gain extra Life for only 10 Essence, rather than 15. As an action, you can spend up to 10 Vitality to gain Life equal to the amount of Vitality spent. You can also spend 3 actions and 6 Vitality to restore a lost limb. You effectively spend 2 Vitality per action.

If you devour a dead creature of the same race as you, you grow stronger for a period of time. Fully devouring such a creature takes 10 actions. The corpse must be fresh - if they died more than 24 hours ago, you do not gain the bonuses. It takes 15 actions if they are one size larger than you. For one hour after completely devouring the creature, you gain a +4 bonus to Athleticism and a +1 bonus on all damage rolls. This does not stack if you devour another creature in that time, but the duration does reset.

Cannibalize Progression:

--3 XP: Faster Recovery: The maximum Vitality you can spend per action to boost your Life improves by 5.

--2 XP: Faster: After Cannibalizing a corpse, your speed improves by 10 feet for each level of Faster you have. This lasts for 1 hour. Each time you take Faster, it costs 1 more XP.

--3 XP: Stronger: After Cannibalizing a corpse, you gain an additional +1 bonus to all damage rolls for each level of Stronger you have. Each time you take Stronger, it costs 1 more XP.

--6 XP: Assume Form: After consuming a corpse, you can choose to take on its physical appearance. Your Size, appearance, and voice change to match those of the victim. Otherwise, none of your abilities change. You have a +4 bonus to Disguise checks to pretend to be that person. It costs 6 Vitality to use Assume Form. This effect lasts for [Spirit] hours, at which time you resume your normal appearance.

--3 XP: Extended 1 (Assume Form): You can maintain an assumed form for 1 day. Requires Assume Form.

--5 XP: Extended 2 (Assume Form): You can maintain an assumed form for [Spirit] days. Requires Extended 1 (Assume Form).

--7 XP: Extended 4 (Assume Form): You can maintain an assumed form for [Spirit] weeks. Requires Extended 3 (Assume Form).

--10 XP: Extended 5 (Assume Form): You can maintain an assumed form for [Spirit] months. Requires Extended 4 (Assume Form).

--6 XP: Rapid strike: When you first start a grapple, you get a free bite attack.

--2 XP: Puncture Jab: You can give your Claw attacks the Piercing weapon trait. You can not use both Reaver and Puncture Jab for the same attack.

--2 XP: Reaver: You can give your Claw attacks the Slashing weapon trait. You can not use both Reaver and Puncture Jab for the same attack.

--4 XP: Shattering Blow: You can give your Claw attacks the Crushing weapon trait.

--5 XP: Vorpal Claws: You can give your Claw attacks the Cleaving weapon trait.

Diseased Body

Diseased Body: You become immune to the effects of diseases, and can use them to your benefit.

You are immune to all diseases. In addition, you develop your own, internalized disease when you take this progression:

- Pick a TACKS attribute. Every time the victim fails their save to resist the disease, they take 1 damage to that attribute. TACKS damage dealt by a disease does not recover until the disease has been removed.

-The incubation period is 4 days. The disease does not spread during incubation.

-The Disease Strength is 0.

-Symptoms: Pick any two of the following: Fever, Chills, Sores, Sneezing, Headaches, vomiting. These symptoms have no mechanical game effect.

-Spread by touch.

-Dormant: You can spend 2 Vitality to stop yourself from spreading the disease for up to 1 day. You can end this effect at any time, for an additional 2 Vitality.

For the sake of simplicity, when the Disease is changed, everyone who is infected by it has the disease changed to match. When a plaguebearer is killed, everyone infected by her disease is cured.

When you take Diseased Body, you get 4 XP worth of Diseased Body progressions.

Diseased Body costs 8 XP to learn.

Diseased Body Progression:

--2 XP: Faster Development: The incubation period is reduced by 1 day. This progression can not reduce the incubation period below 1 day.

--2 XP: Slower Development: The incubation period is increased by 1 day.

--3 XP: Unbelievable Development: The incubation period is cut in half. Each time you take this progression, it costs 1 more XP.

--1 XP: Control: The cost to activate or deactive the dormant state of your disease is now only 1 Vitality.

--3 XP: Total Control: Activating and deactivating your disease's dormant state now costs no Vitality. Requires Control.

--10 XP: By Air: The disease can be spread through the airways. Anyone within 10 feet of someone with the disease makes a Fortitude check to resist contracting the disease once every ten minutes.

--10 XP: By Water: The disease can be spread by sharing drinks. If someone with the disease contacts any body of water, anyone who drinks from that body of water might contract the disease. The disease does not last in the water forever: After 2 weeks, the water is no longer considered to be infected. However, this duration resets each time someone with the disease touches the water.

--10 XP: By Vermin: Insects and/or rodents can catch, and spread, the disease, but are either immune to or not killed by its effects. Once such a creature gets the disease from you, the disease infects 1d6 random people each day. Only those with poor hygiene, or who spend a lot of time in filthy areas, will be infected this way.

--4 XP: Infectious: The Disease Strength increases by 1. Each time you take this progression, it costs 2 more XP.

--10 XP: Debilitating: Pick another TACKS attribute. Your disease also damages that attribute. This progression may only be taken 4 times. You can not take the same TACKS attribute multiple times.

--6 XP: Faster Effectiveness: Once the disease finishes incubation, the victim rolls to resist the disease 2 times a day instead of once. Each time you take this progression, they must save an additional time each day. The saves take place evenly throughout the day: twice per day = once every 12 hours; 3 per day = once every 8 hours, and so on. Each time you take this progression, it costs 1 more XP.

--2 XP: Lesser Symptoms: Pick another symptom from the following list. You can not pick a symptom the disease already has: Fever, Chills, Sores, Sneezing, Headaches, Vomiting.

--6 XP: Major Symptoms: Pick a symptom from the following list. You can not pick a symptom the disease already has:

Fatigue [Requires 16 hours of sleep a day to prevent Fatigue]

Pain [-1 penalty to all rolls]

Terrible Cough [If they try to take 2 actions in a round, they must make a Fortitude check or lose both actions]

Boils [Grow all over the body; leave horrid scars when popped; anything touched by a boil is infected by the disease for a day, and can spread it]

Depression [Requires a Spirit roll to do anything that requires effort; only one roll per activity.]

Shakes [Unable to do anything that requires fine manipulation by themselves, like writing or eating]

Night Terrors [Unable to sleep for more than 1 hour without waking up screaming; can get medicines to help them sleep. If they don't, they are always Fatigued.]

Hallucinations [See and hear things that are not really there]

--10 XP: Lethal Symptoms: Pick a symptom from the following list. If you have multiple Lethal symptoms, you roll for each symptom separately. You can not pick a symptom the disease already has:

Liver Failure [Every time the victim fails a Fortitude check to resist the disease, they make another Fortitude check. If they fail that one, their liver gives out, and they die after 4d10 hours.]

Dementia [Everyone is an enemy, and the diseased person will attack them if he feels they are threatening him/too close.]

Heart Failure [Every time the victim fails a Fortitude check to resist the disease, they make another Fortitude check. If they fail that one, their heart gives out, and they die after 1d10 minutes.]

Coma [When the disease lowers a TACKS attribute to 0, the victim enters a coma. They only make a Fortitude check to resist the disease once per month, and they require 2 successful checks in a row to wake up from the coma, and recover from the disease entirely. If they fail 2 checks in a row while in a coma, they die.]

Paralysis [Every time the victim fails a Fortitude check to resist the disease, they make another Fortitude check. If they fail that one, they become paralyzed from the waist down for life.]

Blindness [Every time the victim fails a Fortitude check to resist the disease, they make another Fortitude check. If they fail that one, they become blind for life.]

Deafness [Every time the victim fails a Fortitude check to resist the disease, they make another Fortitude check. If they fail that one, they become deaf for life.]

--1 XP: Regression: Remove one of the symptoms from your disease. Your disease must always have at least 1 symptom.

Poisonous Vapors

Poisonous Vapors: Your body produces poisons, which you use to lethal effect. In addition, you are immune to poisons of all kinds.

The Poisonous Vapors progression comes in two parts: Ways to deliver the poisons, and the poisons you can deliver. If you have a poison, it is useless without a vector, and the vectors are useless without a poison to deliver.

When a plaguebearer is killed, anyone still infected with her poisons is suddenly cured.

When you take Poisonous Vapors, you get 10 XP worth of Poisonous Vapors progressions.

Poisonous Vapors costs 10 XP to learn.

Poisonous Vapors Progression:

--2 XP: Numbing Poison: This poison causes numbness to spread through the victim, causing a cumulative -1 penalty for each time they fail the check. This penalty goes to Attack, Defense, and all Athleticism rolls. Onset Time: 5 rounds.

--6 XP: Painful Poison: This poison causes the victim's body to wrack with pain. At the beginning of each round, they must make an Endure check. If they fail, they lose 1 of their actions for the round. Onset Time: 5 rounds.

--6 XP: Necrotic Poison: This poison degenerates the flesh. Instead of every 5 rounds, the target makes a Fortitude check to resist the poison every round. On a failure, they lose 1d4-1 Life. Onset Time: 5 rounds.

--3 XP: Necrotic Poison [Stronger]: Your necrotic poison deals an extra 1 damage per round. Each time you take this progression, it costs 1 more XP. Requires Necrotic Poison.

--8 XP: Lethal Poison: This poison causes death. Instead of every 5 rounds, the target makes a Fortitude check to resist the poison every round. Each failure deals 1 damage to Toughness. Onset Time: 10 rounds.

--6 XP: Crippling Poison: This poison slows the victim. Each time they fail a Fortitude check to resist, their Speed is reduced by 5 feet. If their speed is reduced to 0 feet per round by this poison, they are permanently unable to use their legs. If they successfully shrug off the poison, their speed increases by 5 feet every 10 minutes, until they are once again at their normal speed. Onset Time: 5 rounds.

--8 XP: Paralytic Poison: This poison render the target unconscious. After their first failed Fortitude check, they feel weak, and take a -2 penalty to all checks. After the second failed check, they fall unconscious. They wake up after succeeding on two consecutive Fortitude rolls. They awaken feeling weak, and take a -2 penalty to all rolls for 5 rounds. Onset Time: 10 rounds.

--2 XP: Poisonous Glob: You can spend 1 Vitality to create a glob of any of the poisons you can work with. You can throw this glob as far as 30 feet. This attack ignores passive bonuses to defense, but not active bonuses.

--4 XP: Poisonous Touch: Your touch delivers any of the poisons you can work with. You have to make contact with the target's bare flesh in order to deliver a poison, and you can only deliver one type of poison at a time.

It takes 3 actions to switch your poison type for this vector, during which time your touch delivers no poison. You may also choose to spend 3 actions to make your touch non-poisonous.

--6 XP: Poisonous Breath: You can create a cloud of poison. As an action that costs 2 Vitality, you can breath out a cloud of any one poison you have. This poison fills a 5 foot radius circle centered on you, and lingers for 3 rounds. Unlike Poisonous Aura [below], this cloud stays in place, and does not go with you if you move out of it. Anyone who enters the cloud makes a Fortitude check. If they fail, they are afflicted with the cloud's poison.

--4 XP: Cloud of Poison: The cloud of poison created by Poisonous Breath limits visibility. Anyone can only see 5 feet into the cloud. Requires Poisonous Breath.

--4 XP: Line of Poison: You can instead create a 20 foot long line of poison with your Poisonous Breath instead of a circular cloud. This cloud-line lasts as long as your poisonous cloud would normally last. Requires Poisonous Breath.

--2 XP: Expanded Cloud: The radius of the cloud created by Poisonous Breath increases by 5 feet. In addition, Line of Poison increases in length by 10 feet. Each time you take this progression, it costs 1 more XP. Requires Poisonous Breath.

--2 XP: Lingering Cloud: The Cloud of Poison lingers for 1 round longer. Each time you take this progression, it costs 2 more XP.

--8 XP: Poisonous Blood: Your poison flows through what is left of your circulatory system. Whenever you take damage from a melee attack, your blood spurts out in that direction. The one who attacked you must make a Reflexes check or be affected by the poison. If it was a bite attack, the attacker does not get a save, and takes a -4 penalty to the first two Fortitude checks to resist the poison.

It takes 3 actions to change the type of poison in your blood, during which time your blood contains no poison. You may also choose to spend 3 actions to make your blood non-poisonous.

Once outside of your body, your blood remains poisonous for [spirit] minutes. If stored in an air tight container, it can last as long as [spirit] hours.

--10 XP: Poisonous Aura: You can spend an action to cause everyone within 5 feet of you to be effected by one of your poisons. This costs 2 Vitality to activate, and you can spend 2 Vitality per round to keep the aura up, without spending further actions. Everyone in the area at the beginning of your turn is afflicted with the poison. Each time you activate the poisonous aura, you choose which poison to emanate.

--4 XP: Poisonous Aura [Extended]: The area affected by your aura improves by 5 feet. Requires Poisonous Aura. Each time you take this progression, it costs 1 more XP.

--1 XP: Rapid Venom: 1 of your poisons has its incubation time reduced by 2 rounds [minimum 0 rounds]. Each time you take this progression for a poison, it costs 1 more XP.

--6 XP: Tenacious Venom: One of your poisons requires an additional Fortitude check to throw off. Each time you take this progression for a poison, it costs 2 more XP.

Hive

Hive: You become the home of several different kinds of insects.

When you take this ability, a hive of bugs unique to you takes up residence inside of you. They are impossible to notice while hiding like this. The swarm heals 1 Life per day. The swarm is initially large enough to attack one person per round. You can spend 1 action to direct a swarm, and it will follow the orders it is given until you give it new ones. You can not give directions to a swarm that is farther than 60 feet away.

The hives feed off of your life force. For each Hive you have, you must pay 1 Vitality each day. If you don't pay for the Vitality of a particularly hive, it takes 6 damage. When a Hive is destroyed, you need to pay 2 Vitality every day for 7 days to regenerate it.

If a Plaguebearer is killed, her swarms immediately shrivel up and die.

They start with the following statistics, and can be improved via progressions:

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Swarm Life: 12 Vitality: 9 Attack: - Dodge: 9 T: 3 A: 4 C: 0 K: 0 S: 1 Speed: 20 feet Attack: 1 damage per round. Size: 0

Swarm traits: Immune to damage from ordinary weapons. Mindless. Unable to be affected by by effects that target one creature. Attacks anyone who they end their turn on. Ignore shield and armor damage resistances. Can move through gaps as small as 1 inch without slowing down. Attacks by moving on top of other creatures.

Nausea: Anyone who starts their turn with a swarm on them makes a Willpower check or they lose one action.

---

You start with one swarm of bugs. Any further swarms you obtain initially have the above statistics.

Hive costs 8 XP to learn.

Hive Progressions:

--4 XP: Extra Hive: You have another swarm inside of you. Each swarm you have gets improved separately. Each time you take this progression, it costs 1 more XP.

--3 XP: Flight: One of your swarms can fly.

--3 XP: Faster: Improve one of your swarm's speed by 10 feet. Each time you take this progression for a swarm, it costs 2 more XP.

--? XP: Poisonous Bite: Pick one poison from the Poisonous Vapors progression list. One of your swarms delivers that poison every time it deals damage. This progression costs 4 XP + the XP cost of the poison. The maintenance cost of that swarm increases by 1. Each swarm can only deliver one type of poison.

--4 XP: Powerful Bite: One of your swarms deals more damage. The first time you take this progression, the swarm's damage increases to 1d4. Each time you take this progression, the damage improves by one size: 1d4 > 1d6 > 1d8 > 1d10 > 2d6 > 3d6 > 4d6, etc. The maintenance cost of that swarm increases by 1. Each time you take this progression, it costs 4 more XP.

--3 XP: Tough: A swarm gains +4 Life. Each time you take this progression for a swarm, it costs +1 XP.

--3 XP: Maintenance: One of your swarms costs 1 less Vitality to maintain, to a minimum of 1 Vitality per day.

--4 XP: Larger: The swarm's size increases by 1, and the number of people it can attack simultaneously doubles. The maintenance cost of that swarm increases by 1. Each time you take this progression for a swarm, it costs 2 more XP.

--6 XP: Termite: One of your swarms gains the ability to chew through wood. The swarm ignores damage resistance when attacking Wood. The maintenance cost of that swarm increases by 1.

--10 XP: Metal Eaters: One of your swarms gains the ability to chew through metal. The swarm ignores the damage resistance of iron, steel, or any weaker metal they attack. The maintenance cost of that swarm increases by 1. Requires Termite.

--3 XP: Ranged command: You can command your swarm from an additional 30 feet away.