Gesundheit [flaws]

[Loren_and_Kivsith]

All three of these flaws relate to allergies (hence the title)

Airborne Allergy: Whenever you are within 30 feet of an allergen that releases some sort of material into the air (animal dander, plant spores, etc.), you develop a runny nose and/or begin to sneeze. This imposes a -1 penalty on attack rolls and skill checks as long as you remain within the affected area and 1d10 hours thereafter. This flaw may be taken multiple times, each time choosing a different substance to be allergic to. Creatures that do not breathe cannot take this flaw.

Contact Allergy: Whenever you touch a specific substance, you develop an intense rash. This rash itches intensely, imposing a -2 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and forcing a concentration check to cast spells. This rash remains for 1d6 days after touching the offending substance. This flaw may be taken multiple times, each time choosing a different substance to be allergic to. Creatures that are not composed of flesh cannot take this flaw.

Food Allergy: Whenever you eat even a very small amount of a certain food, after 2d4 rounds you are rendered unconscious for 1d4 days, and you must make a Fortitude save (DC 20) every day to avoid death. This save increases by one for every ounce of the offending food you have consumed. An ally can make a Heal check (DC 20) to lower the Fortitude save DC by 5. This Heal check may be made multiple times (until it is failed), but the DC increases by 5 each time a Heal check is made. This flaw may be taken multiple times, each time choosing a different substance to be allergic to. Creatures that do not need to eat cannot take this flaw.

Notice that each successive flaw has worse effects than the last; this is because each one is more easily avoided than the last: the first would be very difficult to avoid, where the last (provided the character was aware of his/her condition) could be much more easily avoided.

[Peregrine]

Quite nicely done. Airborne Allergy sucks, in a good way (it is a flaw after all). ;D *pops a hayfever tablet and goes on* The other two would have to be worked out with the DM to make sure they're actually flaws -- being allergic to latex rubber is not exactly a big hindrance in the average fantasy setting! I am a bit unsure about the food allergy... it's not likely to come up at all often, but if it does it's almost a sure death sentence to anyone without several levels giving them good Fort saves.

PS It's 'gesundheit'. ;)

[Loren_and_Kivsith]

Yes, of course, all these would have to be subject to DM approval. Otherwise you'd have stuff like allergies to arsenic, or cyanide gas, or other things in that category.

And I agree that I'm also a little unsure about the food allergy; once I got to thinking about it, I realized that it wouldn't really make sense for a character to know they are allergic to a certain food (this is a medieval setting, after all, so they couldn't do medical testing for that sort of thing). So, with that stipulation, all of a sudden it isn't so easy to avoid the allergenic food. But at the same time, I want to keep the possibility of death, to stay true to real-life food allergies. But, with those two factors, this flaw is suddenly very unbalaced. Any suggestions?

P.S. Thank you for the correction. The title has been changed.

[Pegasos989]

Yes, of course, all these would have to be subject to DM approval. Otherwise you'd have stuff like allergies to arsenic, or cyanide gas, or other things in that category.

And I agree that I'm also a little unsure about the food allergy; once I got to thinking about it, I realized that it wouldn't really make sense for a character to know they are allergic to a certain food (this is a medieval setting, after all, so they couldn't do medical testing for that sort of thing). So, with that stipulation, all of a sudden it isn't so easy to avoid the allergenic food. But at the same time, I want to keep the possibility of death, to stay true to real-life food allergies. But, with those two factors, this flaw is suddenly very unbalaced. Any suggestions?

P.S. Thank you for the correction. The title has been changed.

Well, if DM decides the allergy and not the player... :/

[MagFlare]

Well, if DM decides the allergy and not the player... :/

Heh heh.

DM: "The orcish ambassador sets the bowl of walnuts in front of you and tells you that, in his country, refusing hospitality is a killing insult. What do you do?"
Player: "Uh... eat one?"
DM: "Excellent."

[Winged One]

How would the Food Alergy flaw interact with the Heal skill?

[Treguard]

How DO people discover they have fatal food allergies? In real life no less? O_o

[Loren_and_Kivsith]

Hmm, that's an interesting question, Winged One. I'll add something about that (I'll probably have it lower the DC of the Fortitude saves). Thanks for bringing that up.

I think in real life, people can be tested when they're born. There are certain things that they screen all newborn babies for, and I'd assume allergies would be one of those things.

[martyboy74]

How DO people discover they have fatal food allergies? In real life no less? O_o

If you eat something, and it givs you hives and you can't breath, that's a pretty good way. Safe? No. But effective.

[fangthane]

I think if you put food allergies in you have to incorporate Epi pens too, though they should require a heal DC to use properly.

[Loren_and_Kivsith]

Epi pens? Aren't those those portable medical syringe thingys for allergies (yes, I know, what a specific description). If so, there could maybe be an Eberron-esque version thereof that's powered by elementals.

[fangthane]

Basically an Epi pen is an epinephrine needle, in a pen-sized holder, with a serious-as-anything spring on it. You jab 'em with it (not sure whether it has to be the heart or if anywhere will do) and press the firing stud to release the spring and fire the epinephrine into the allergy-sufferer (which counters the allergic reaction in some fashion, so I understand)

So in those terms, it'd be something probably requiring about a DC 10 heal check to use properly, costing a small fortune (in line with stuff like Alkie fire and other alchemical stuff, I'd think) and with a small magical firing mechanism... Or it could be a spell ;)

Wand of Epinephrine (50) CL1 (750 gold)

Epinephrine being a level 1 spell which takes 1d4 rounds to bring its target (touch) out of anaphylactic shock. ;)

[Loren_and_Kivsith]

I love it! The spell, I mean. I cracked up when I saw it. But yeah, it would make sense for there to be spells to ease the lives of allergy-sufferers. But of course, not cure the allergy entirely, because then you'd just get a free flaw.

I'm still thinking about the problem with the Food Allergy, about characters having no way to know they have it. I'm thinking there should be some sort of 'first-time warning,' to let them know they have this allergy without killing them, but I don't know what it should be.

Or, as another idea, we could introduce a new use of the Heal skill; testing people for allergies.

[Shazzbaa]

If you eat something, and it givs you hives and you can't breath, that's a pretty good way. Safe? No. But effective.

Heck, that's how my parents found out I was allergic to milk.

No, not lactose-intolerant. Allergic.

As an infant I apparently stopped breathing upon ingesting the stuff and was rushed to the hospital. This is why I drink rice milk now. ^^;

Anyway, back ON topic...

I like the first two; this is a great idea. :3 But yeah, it would have to be something common enough to come up....
Unfortunately, I just have to think that Food Allergy would be so rare that it wouldn't be worth it as a flaw. It would be a big deal ONCE when you discovered your allergy, and then possibly once more time as you have to find a way around eating something that you're supposed to eat (like the above walnut example... which made me giggle, btw)... but if the DM milked it any more it seems as though it might get silly.

Come to that, though, a player with that flaw (if the DM picked the allergy) would get paranoid every time the DM tried to feed him something. X3 It might be a bigger metagame flaw than in-game!

[Behold_the_Void]

Or it could make for a good roleplay component. Make it so the allergy is to something commonly used in plenty of food. The character becomes extremely paranoid.

Of course it could easily get old rather fast.

[Loren_and_Kivsith]

That's a good point about it being a big deal once and not again, but flaws aren't really supposed to be totally crippling, after all. And this one is bad enough that it being a big deal once would almost be enough.

But it would be interesting to give a character an allergy to a common food and see how he/she finds ways around it.

I know a guy who's essentially allergic to meat. He can't eat any meat at all. Yet he orders hamburgers, and then just doesn't eat the patty.

[fangthane]

I think if it were properly handled by a competent DM (i.e. this can't be something used by just anyone who's just picked up their first DMG) the food allergy could be an absolutely huge add to a campaign; I think I'd probably judge it as follows:

Nuts: Any mix of nuts may or may not include the variety to which the character is sensitive (50% chance of a reaction any time mixed nuts, or nut-related dishes are served, regardless of nut type involved because contact is often enough for nut allergies)

Spices: Same as nuts; anything spiced has a 25% (mild), 40% (medium) or 60% (spicy) chance of triggering a reaction; remember that in primitive societies, spicing doubles for preservation and odds are good that unless it's gruel from a Spoon, it's spiced at least medium.

Vegetables: Any mixed vegetable platter, or almost any composite entree (with several components) is liable (50%) to trigger a reaction.

Fruits: Any mixed fruit platter or dessert is liable (50%) to trigger a reaction.

Gluten: Any baked good is liable (50%) to trigger a reaction.

Food allergy may be taken multiple times but its effects apply to a different type of food; characters without a metabolism or who do not need to eat for whatever reason (sustenance, etc) may not take advantage of feats gained in trade for so long as they are not required to eat (in order to avoid free feats for not eating)

[Loren_and_Kivsith]

I like the idea, but I think the chance should vary depending on the type of nut/fruit/spice you're talking about. Ideally, it really ought to be decided on a case-by-case basis by the DM, because if the character is allergic to strawberries, for instance, the player will want to be able to avoid strawberries without having to look out for every single kind of fruit, worrying that there might be strawberries in a banana-creme pie.

Those are good points about taking the flaw multiple times, and not allowing it for characters without metabolisms. I shall add those points.

[fangthane]

Heh, that I can definitely see; I was thinking more in terms of a middle-ground distinction for DMs who might be interested in allowing allergies as flaws, but who wouldn't want to necessarily get into the minutiae of things. I was also more or less working on the pretext that generally most 'local' food would be liable to have a somewhat similar blend of ingredients... Ideally you want the food allergy to be something the character can usually avoid, so long as they know about it ("No nuts for me, had some nuts years back and almost died!") but which, in some cases, would also be nigh-unavoidable (hence the percentiles) without exceedingly close inspection. Basically, it's just some notions of mine which would need to be rule-0'ed around depending on the degree to which the DM integrated things. :)

[Lord Iames Osari]

Allergy (General)
You are allergic to something.
Disadvantage: Choose a common substance that you are allergic to. Whenever the DM determines that you come into contact with your allergen, you must make a Fort save against DC 15 or become sickened for as long as contact persists, plus 1d6 days.

Already on it. Yours are more specific and more severe, though.

[lsfreak]

I'd think that, just for DnD, you'd have to pick either a general category (as Fangthane posted) to be allergic to, or something very common in the campaign's location. Using your example, it's for too easy to get around a strawberry allergy, while having a more general allergy (probably with lessened problems when coming in contact, for the sake of fun) such as glutin, or nuts, is much more difficult to overcome, and the opportunity for role-play comes up much more often. Imagine the surprise of someone with a nut allergy when that wonderful loaf of fresh-baked bread used acorn flour!