Clerical Spell Specification

[6] Cause Disease

BTS: 60% (Co)

ULT: 8 hours (including some basic knowledge about symptoms of amusingly unpleasant Diseases)

Materials: something unclean and ideally infected with Disease-carrying Organisms.  It does not have to be infected with the Disease that is to be Caused (e.g. the Cleric's dirty handkerchief will suffice)

Actions: wave Materials at Target

Effect of Throw:    % Chance of Success = T%

Max. Disease Level ("DL") Caused:    -33DL%     (Cleric may specify the Disease he is attempting to Cause by name or symptoms, rather than attempt to guess the DL required, or may specify he is leaving the parameter open.  The God will set the necessary parameter based on the Disease most nearly described by Cleric, or at the highest DL that will give 100% Chance of Success if left open.  DM's Note: this is made a Variable Parameter to get round the 500% limit on T for really high-level Diseases.)

where the DLs of some common Diseases are as follows:

Cause Lycanthropy (Cultists of Were Cults only) has a "Max. DL Caused" Parameter of at least the mimimum ML of the appropriate form of Were for the Cleric's Cult and the Parameter should otherwise be left open, to maximise the DL Caused.

Cause Mummy Rotting Disease (SOROK Clerics and Clerics of certain Desert Cults only) has a "Max. DL Caused" Parameter of at least -99% (as Mummy Rotting Disease is at least DL3) and the Parameter should otherwise be left open, to maximise the DL Caused.  Note that Animate Mummy includes infection with the Rotting Disease in the creation of the Mummy, but Cause Disease could be used to make the Mummy the carrier of a higher DL Rotting Disease.

Range: 30d ft    -5d(d-1)/2 %

Cast on Object / Carrier:    -20%

Notes:

1. Cast on a single Target living Being, who gets a ST.  May also be Cast on an object or carrier Being (alive, dead or Undead) to infect them with the Disease-bearing organism.  Carriers get a ST if alive, and if they fail the ST and are vulnerable to contracting the Disease they get a further ST against contracting it.
2. If Target chooses not to or fails to save, roll d100 and if roll <= % Chance of Success, he is infected with the Disease selected by the Caster or God.  It may however take Target some time to suffer the symptoms of the Disease, which will then run its natural course.
3. If Target contracts the Disease, he will be as infectious as someone who has naturally contracted the Disease.  Also make STs for members of his party whom he may infect as applicable.  The Caster is not immune to being infected, so the Causing of particularly infectious Diseases needs to be considered carefully.
4. Target is not immune if he has had and survived the Disease before.  However, other Beings infected by him (or by an object or carrier) will have their natural immunity, which increases Saving Level.  Many Underworld populations (and Overworld ones where there are Evil Temples) have built up natural immunities as a result of over-enthusiastic use of this Spell in the past.  The people of Harrig in particular are noted for their immunity to plagues.
5. Diseases are caused by Organisms, which the Spell creates.  Cause Disease cannot cause mental diseases, which are classifed as Madness, or poisoning by Poison (as opposed to food poisoning by Organisms).