Physical Deterioration

Ability Score Loss

Loss of ability scores only affects the character so much as their modifiers and bonuses will change. A character dropping from Strength 13 to Strength 12 will no longer have any Strength bonus, for example. This is most striking with Toughness, as any change in Toughness bonus is applied immediately to both current and maximum Wounds.

A character who falls to zero in any ability score dies.

Aging

Characters who grow old will lose their faculties and eventually die. The chart below gives the starting age that characters must make a saving throw versus Paralyzation, at what ages there are penalties to the modifier, and how often the saving throw must be made. A failed saving throw means that one randomly determined ability score will permanently decrease by one point.

If a character is aged by magical means, then all saving throws that would have needed to be made if the aging occurred naturally must be made immediately, with any ability score penalties also being applied immediately.

Disease

Characters exploring in godforsaken ruins, ancient tombs, and trackless wilderness can become exposed to all sorts of plagues and illnesses. Natural, chronic illnesses will not normally be a part of the game as far as player characters are concerned. That said, the Referee is free to introduce an NPC stricken by cancer or some other illness.

Diseases are individual in nature, but all have the following characteristics: incubation period, infection time, interval, and effect.

When exposed to a disease, the Referee will make a save versus Poison on behalf of the character. If the save fails, then the character has contracted the disease. The incubation period describes the length of time before the character is affected, and at that point the character must make another save, and then another save at every interval point for the duration of the infection time, or else suffer the effect for each failed save. Each save after the disease is contracted is made with a –2 penalty if the character is not at rest for the duration of the infection.

For example, the Green River Fever has an incubation period of one week, an interval of four hours, an infection time of three days, and the effect of lowering Intelligence. So beginning one week after a character has been infected, that character must make a saving throw versus Poison every four hours for three days (a total of 18 saving throws), or lose a point of Intelligence for each failed save.

Starvation

A character must eat at least one full meal a day and drink water every day or suffer ill effects. For every 24 hours that a character goes without food, the character must make a save versus Poison or one Constitution point is lost. For every 24 hours that a character goes without water, his Constitution drops by half unless he makes a save versus Poison. After three such failed saves against Poison due to a lack of water, the character will be dead. Constitution losses due to dehydration or starvation recover at twice the usual rate with rest and proper nourishment.

Sleep Deprivation

A character must sleep at least four hours per twenty-four hour period in order to function properly. If this is not the case, the character suffers a –1 penalty to all rolls (10% penalty for 1d00% rolls) until the situation is corrected. If the character continues on further without taking adequate sleep, there is a cumulative –1/10% penalty for each additional day that passes without proper rest being taken.