fatal

Chapter 2: Body
Muscular Dystrophy
This is a crippling disease characterized by
gradual wasting of skeletal muscle. Muscle mass diminishes
and weakness increases until they are unable
to walk, even with the aid of a walking cane.
No one recovers naturally from this hereditary disease.
Rabies
This is an acute, contagious infection that
enters the body through the bite of an animal. All
warm-blooded animals are susceptible. The incubation
takes (20 + 1d100) days, though (1d4 + 2)
weeks is most common. Rabies is virtually always
fatal (99%). At the end of the incubation period
the site of the now healed wound becomes irritated
and painful, and the local tissues may become numb.
Depression (see Chap. 5: Mind) and anxiety are common.
This initial stage lasts for about 2 days. In the
next stage, the period of excitation, the infected creature
becomes irritable and hypersensitive; the general
attitude is one of terror, intensified by the onset
of difficult breathing and swallowing and a feeling
of strangulation, caused by spasmodic contractions
of the diaphragm and larynx. The infected
creature is extremely thirsty but experiences spasms
of the larynx when water is presented or even mentioned.
Vomiting and fever are common during this
stage. A thick secretion of mucus collects in the
mouth and throat, and the individual expectorates
frequently or attempts to cough. This stage lasts 3-
5 days and usually terminates in death from a convulsive
seizure or from cardiac or respiratory failure.
When infected animals are in the excitation
stage, they usually run amok, biting and snapping at
any living thing in their path.
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Smallpox
This is an acute, highly contagious viral disease
that is often fatal (90%). This virus is transmitted
through droplets discharged from the mouth
and nose from an infected character that are inhaled
by another character. Onset of the first phase of
smallpox infection occurs after a 12-day incubation
period following infection. This phase is marked by
high fever, prostration, back and muscle pain, and
sometimes vomiting. A characteristic rash develops
2-5 days later on the face, palms, and soles of the
feet. During the next 6-10 days, the rash develops
into pus-filled pimples. In extreme cases, the pimples
run together, usually indicating a lethal infection of
the virus. The return of fever and other symptoms
initiates the second stage of the disease, during which
the pimples may or may not become infected. As
recovery begins, the pimples become crusted, often
leaving scars, and the fever and symptoms subside.
Death is caused by infection of the lungs, heart, or
brain. Blindness (01-05%) and male infertility (06-
10%) are possible side-effects of survivors of smallpox.
A character with smallpox is infectious from
the 3 rd day through the erupting phase. Survivors
usually enjoy lifetime immunity to smallpox.
Tourette’s Syndrome
This is a disorder characterized by involuntary
muscular movements and obscene vocal expressions.
At the Aedile’s whim, an individual may be
compelled to voice obscenities. The affected character
is aware of their outburst, but is unable to prevent
it. The outburst is always honest. The more
that the outburst is deemed forbidden socially, the
higher the likelihood of the outburst occuring.