Virus II

This strain hardens its host into stone, and survivors swear they stayed aware even once fully petrified. It starts exactly where contact occurred, usually the hands, and causes no fever. Within minutes that skin stiffens; within half an hour it is rigid and turning pearly gray like marble. The patch then spreads over 10% more of the body each day. Every day the victim also grows 10% heavier, loses 2 Dexterity and improves base AC by 1. When base AC reaches 0, the victim is stone.

A marbled victim lives on with no detectable sign of life short of magic or psionics, finally dying 2d6 months later as the virus goes dormant. Stone to flesh clears the marbling, but the virus is still active and begins spreading again at once. Cure disease cures it fully if cast quickly.

The statue left behind is packed with dormant virus, so the lightest touch can be fatal. At least one twisted collector has turned infected enemies into a ghastly sculpture garden.

Unique among these magical plagues, the phobia virus need not kill. It attacks the mind, implanting a severe phobia, which may get a hero killed at the worst moment but is not deadly itself.

Within 12 hours the victim turns jittery, then sweats heavily and burns with fever for several days, plagued by vague recurring nightmares. The fever fades but the fear grows. By the seventh night the victim is exhausted, the dreams sharpen, and the dread settles on one object or situation that never bothered them before, possibly something they used to enjoy. Facing it, they react as if they had failed a fear check.

Remove fear and similar spells help only while they last. True seeing plus cure disease removes the phobia for good. The psionic power psychic surgery repairs the damage, but unless a cure disease or similar spell follows, the virus attacks again and the phobia returns.

Sufferers are especially vulnerable to fear effects such as id insinuation or cloak of fear: any magical or psionic fear attack forces an immediate madness check.