Rust and Redemption
A blighted creature or NPC is touched by a mutation and/or a contagion that makes them more dangerous than standard creatures of their type. It is scarred and twisted in some way, and possibly slightly bigger—or at least wirier—than average, which explains why it’s survived so long, even blighted. A blighted creature shows signs of degradation—such as a bacterial, viral, or even mycological infection—tracing disturbing sores, scars, or encrustations across its skin or hide. The specifics are up to you. Many blighted creatures and people are hungry and hurt, acting rabidly. But an NPC could just as easily retain human sentiment despite their deteriorated condition. Effect: Apply the following stat adjustments to a blighted creature. • Increase the creature’s level by 1 and increase all its related stats by the appropriate amount (1 more point of average damage, 3 more points of health, and so on). • The creature’s perception tasks are hindered by two steps; whatever blights the creature is slowly blinding it. • In bright light, the creature’s tasks are hindered. (A blighted human could wear shades to nullify this hindrance; other creatures might come up with similar tactics or stay in shadows when possible.) • The creature’s scratches, bites, spittle, or similar attacks contain a contagion known as “the blight.” The Blight: The creature is a contagion vector for the same agent that blights it, whether that’s radiation, bacteria, a virus, mycological spores, or something stranger. Treat the contagion as a disease with a level equal to the blighted creature’s level. The affected creature’s tasks are hindered by one additional step each day a Might defense roll is failed. For each two steps a target is hindered, it also moves one step down the damage track. When a target moves down the third step, either it dies (20% chance) or it survives but gains the Blighted template (80% chance). A blighted creature loses the hindrance described in this paragraph.