Daemon Hunter (2011), p99 — Diseases and Infections

The galaxy is filled with all manner of plague and pestilence. Diseases and infections are serious concerns for Acolytes operating in the Calixis Sector. Each disease is unique, and curing them is often of the utmost importance.

Disease and Infection Characteristics

Virulence Rating: This is the severity of the disease. Each level of Virulence past the first imposes a cumulative -10 modifier on any Toughness or Medicae Tests made to resist or cure the disease.

Incubation Period: This is the length of time it takes for the disease to go from one stage to the next.

Characteristic Damage: This is the Characteristic that suffers damage as a result of the disease.

Initial Infection

This is the initial point of contact between the disease and the character. The character makes his first Ordinary (+10) Toughness Test to see if the infection will be able to take hold. Whether the character knows he's been infected or not is at the GM's discretion, but it is rare that any symptoms will manifest at this stage.

Stage One

After the incubation period the character makes a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test. If successful the character has fought off the disease. If the character fails he will suffer the first symptoms of 1d10 Characterstic Damage. Any Characteristic Damage cannot be removed until the disease has been healed.

Stage Two

The character makes another Challenging (+0) Toughness Test. If successful the character has recovered, and may now begin to heal his Characteristic Damage. If the character fails he suffers a further 1d10 Characteristic Damage.

Stage Three

The character makes a final Challenging (+0) Toughness Test. If successful the character has fought off the disease and may begin to recover. If he fails he suffers a further 2d10 Characteristic Damage. The plague has now run its course. Assuming the character has survived, his Characteristic Damage is now permanent.

Medicae and Contagion

A character may attempt a Extended Care Medicae Test (see page 104 of the Dark Heresy Rulebook) to counter the effects of the infection once per stage. Any character that has prolonged exposure to an infected character should be required to make an Initial Contact Test (at the GM's discretion). A character that has been infected with a disease cannot contract the same disease again.

Sample Diseases

Name	Virulence Rating	Incubation Period	Characteristic Damage	Effect
Bone Ague	2	2 days	Strength or Weapon Skill	The victim's bones painfully twist and warp. Strenous exertion becomes increasingly difficult.
Creeping Buboes	3	4 days	Fellowship	This disease manifests as hideous and painful sores, bursting with black, foul-smelling bile.
Eye Rot	2	3 days	Perception or Ballistic Skill	The character's eyes fill with liquid, blurring and distorting vision.
Ochre Pox	3	5 hours	Toughness	This pox causes ochre brown spots and pulsating pimples.
Grey Fever	1	1 week	Intelligence or Willpower	There are no visible outward signs of this plague, but the unfortunate character's brain begins to waste away.
The Shakes	2	1 day	Agility	This disease causes uncontrollable shaking fits.