MUMMY ROT
- Allows for normal healing but at ½ the normal rate. Any Healing spell, potion, or aid has only a 50% chance of working.
- At the outset of the disease, the character will permanently lose d4 Constitution and d4 Charisma points. These cannot be restored through resting, healing, spells (including a Remove Curse spell), etc.
- Every day the character must make a Save vs Death/Poison or suffer permanent 1hp loss to their maximum hit point total and permanently lose 1 point of CON or CHA (50% chance to either). These cannot be restored through resting, healing, spells (including a Remove Curse spell), etc. Any reduction in CON or CHA is accompanied by a visible wasting of their flesh (sunken eyes, graying of the skin, etc.)
- Only a Remove Curse can stop the cycle and remove the supernatural disease.
If Hit Points, CON, or CHA reaches zero, the character dies. In d6 turns the character will rise and become a mummy.
I like the half heal, I don't like the 50% chance of working on the potion/spell. Half heal there would work. The permanent lose of ability scores makes players hate their characters and inevitably want to not play them/quit/complain endlessly, so it doesn't work. Goes the same for permanent HP lose, so the DM needs to be sure one of the players has a remove curse spell handy before they attack the party with "your" Mummy. I'm not a soft DM, I'm one who measures the hassle of player disgust/constant complaints vs let's just finish this shit
ReplyDeleteI love mummies; they're the B/X lich, in my opinion. And I agree that their Rot needs an upgrade...not necessarily in effect (no magic healing and 10x natural is pretty darn beefy), but in the ease at which it's cured. After all, cure disease is available to ALL B/X clerics at 6th level...the same as remove curse. Requiring remove curse to cure the Rot isn't making things more difficult on a party; au contraire, it makes things easier (as even magic-users can cast remove curse).
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm inclined to leave the Mummy Rot "as is," but remove the ability to cure it AT ALL. After all, there's no cure for level drain (an ability available to lesser undead than the mummy...wights and wraiths); the only defense against drain attacks is clerical turning or a good AC (no saving throw allowed either). If you feel THAT is too harsh, then you might require cure disease to be cast by a cleric of at least 10th level (double the hit dice of a mummy), or possibly limit the healing to a wish (or restoration spell if using other, high level supplements for B/X).
By the way: not a fan of mummy rot creating more mummies; I prefer them to be manufactured through high level ritual magic. But that's just me.
; )
"there's no cure for level drain"
DeleteSure there is. You just have to gain enough experience points to regain the levels that were drained.