User blog:UniWitchDoctor/MGE Pathfinder - House Rules for Corruption

Foreword
I saw that another user on this site was making an attempt to adapt the MGE universe to Pathfinder, D&D 3.5, or any other roleplaying system using Open Gaming License. Unfortunately, I took issue with this author's interpretation of demonic energy corruption, which was applied as damage to Wisdom. In general, damage to stats can make a particularly mundane encounter into something way above challenge rating. In addition, the frequency by which it applied this damage meant that players would not last more than a round or two of combat against a single monster. It becomes clear that the person who wrote these rules may not have an understanding of how to balance such an addition to an existing roleplaying system. Monsterization is something that should be avoided, as it can completely mess up a character. A player will not attempt to continue with a corrupted character, they will just roll up a new one, to the expense of time and the main plot of the campaign. In order to avoid intimidating players new to tabletop RPGs and to keep veteran roleplayers satisfied, this system must be balanced and fair to player characters.

What I'm doing puts me in a unique position to fix this problem. I'm currently running a Pathfinder campaign set in the MGE universe, and we've already had our first real session. Of course, we had to write up rules to mechanically describe corruption's effect on gameplay, while still remaining faithful to the setting. Being a new GM, I wanted to work out a system that was agreeable to my players. After about two weeks of back-and-forth discussion with my players, here are the rules we all agreed would be fair.

Even though we tried to cover as many use cases as possible, we could not possibly cover every possible occurrence that could come about through game play. In addition, we may make changes as balance issues come about through playtesting. As such, this document is open to revision and suggestion. If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, etc., please leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

What is Demonic Energy?
''Demonic Energy is a sort of "life force" possessed by monsters. This strange energy is the dark counterpart to spirit energy (or mana) possessed by human and other mortal creatures. It corrupts creatures, environments, and even gods that have been exposed to it in sufficient amounts into demonic perversions of their former selves. While monsters naturally produce this energy within their bodies, they require a fuel source in the form of spirit energy, which monsters extract from human men and women.''

''In concentrated amounts, demonic energy can take a physical form: a black, tarry goo-like substance that spontaneously forms into ominous, tendril-trailing spheres. In this form, unless it is being manipulated by a monster or other entity capable of controlling it, demonic energy can act with a will of its own, lashing out at nearby creatures with slick, black tentacles in an attempt to restrain uncorrupted organisms and infuse them with its dark energies.''

''The corrupting influence of demonic energy causes different effects on the subject, depending on their species, gender, and orientation. In human men, the corruption transforms the subject into an incubus, the "ideal male to a female monster," which drives them to seek out monsters as potential mates. In the case that a man is attracted to other men or secretly desires to be a woman, the resulting transformation is an androgynous succubus called an "Alp." While these monsters still identify themselves as male and look like effeminate men, they are still female, and can take on a more feminine appearance as they consume spirit energy.''

''In the case of dwarven or elven females, the change is less drastic, as it is mostly a mental transformation. They take on the personality traits of a monster: extreme lust, perversions, etc. Their innate magical energies, however, prevent a physical transformation. Nevertheless, these corrupted individuals seek out a human, elven, or dwarven male to take as a husband.''

''In human women, the transformation is often a physical and a mental one. By default, the resulting monster is either a lesser succubus or a succubus, but this is overridden in the case that the monster that triggered the transformation is not a succubus. In this case, the resulting monster is the same species as the monster that started the transformation.''

Considering its corrupting influence on both mind and body, prolonged contact with demonic energy by untainted individuals without proper protection is not advised.

Basic Rules
Each character, in addition to their base stats, has an additional score on their character sheet labelled "Corruption." This score quantifies how much a character's actions are being influenced by the effects of Demonic Energy. This score increments every time a player is exposed to demonic energy and fails to hold the effects of their exposure at bay.

Each time a character is exposed to Demonic energy, either from a monster or from a special environmental condition, the player must make a Will save against (5+1/2 HD + Cha Modifier) of the monster in question. In the event that the monster is a particularly strong one, this Will save must beat (10+1/2 HD + Cha Modifier). In the event that this check fails, the player's "corruption" increments by an amount explained in more detail below.

The maximum Corruption score allowed for each character is determined by (10 + [racial mod] + 1.5( CON modifier) + (INT, WIS, or CHA mod of the character, whichever is the highest).

Racial Modifiers for PC races are as follows:

Humans: 0

Elves: +5

Half-Elves: +2

Dwarves: +2

Corruption Penalties
With each point of "corruption," the player takes a penalty of -1 to situational CMD for each 2 points of corruption in any combat action with a monster. This penalty is applied to all combat encounters with monstergirls, with a few notable exceptions:


 * A monster directly challenges a player to a duel.
 * The player is empowered by a consumable item that negates the effects of the penalty.

Removing Corruption
''Thankfully, the influence of Demonic energy on one's body dissipates slowly over time, or with considerable effort on the part of the affected to purge their mind of lewd thoughts. This gets more difficult as the person's psyche is warped by the energy's corrupting effects.''

Once per day, a character may make a Will save to beat the corruption's DC (10 + Corruption score). On a successful attempt, the number of corruption points are reduced by a number of points equal to the character's charisma bonus (with a minimum of 1). When corruption has been reduced below 2, the associated penalties are removed.

Alternately, one point of corruption is removed every 3 days that have passed since the last failed save. If the player is exposed to demonic energy within this 3 day period, the timer is reset and will have to wait another 3 days before the energies begin dissipating.

Monsterization
If a monster successfully initiates a "violate" action on a character the game's maximum number of corruption points, or if another effect such as mana erosion or poison is applied to a character with the maximum number of corruption allowed, the character begins to transform into an incubus (if male) or a monster (if female). If the character is female, the monster she turns into is a succubus or lesser succubus by default. Otherwise, the type of monster is the same as the monster that initiated the "violate" action. In the event that the monster was an elf, dark elf, or dwarf, the woman is transformed into a succubus or lesser succubus. If the character is male, he transforms into an incubus, regardless of the monster that triggered the transformation.

Once the transformation has started, only a successful restoration or greater restoration can reverse the effects of the transformation. For such as spell to be successful, the caster level of the character make a CL check higher than the target's corruption score. If the cast is successful, the effects of the transformation are halted and his / her corruption score is reduced to 5 less than the character's maximum Corruption score.

The transformation usually takes around 1d4 hours, but how long it takes varies depending on the monster that started the transformation. Once this time period has elapsed, the effects of the transformation can only be reversed by a wish or miracle spell. The effects of the transformation leave the affected individual starved for spirit energy. Lesser restoration has no effect on corruption score, but restoration reduces the current corruption score by an amount equal to the caster's level. Greater restoration, heal, limited wish, miracle, or wish can immediately reset a character's corruption score to 0 and reverse the effects of monsterization.

After the transformation concludes and the monster the character turns into is determined, her Corruption score is reset to 0. Any class features tied to alignment, such as paladin or cleric abilities, are lost as the result of the transformation process. These abilities can be restored by reversing the transformation through a spell, or by seeking out a monster-aligned deity that is willing to replace those abilities. Any bonuses tied to the character's original race remain intact after monsterization, unless otherwise noted.

In addition, a monsterized character gains the "violate" action against humanoid targets. For more details on how to use this combat maneuver, please see the section on "Violate."

Incubization
In the case of male characters that have reached the maximum corruption score, the character begins a physical and psychological transformation into an incubus. An incubus is a human warped by demonic energy to be the "perfect mate" for a female monster. Such individuals are highly desired among monsters, and incubi who have not already selected a mate usually find themselves being pursued relentlessly by would-be suitors.

The transformation for males is far less drastic than the transformation for females; the most visible physical change is a change in eye color as a result of their corruption. Their mental change is considerably more noticeable, their past inhibitions towards intimate actions with humans or monsters are stripped away to accommodate their mate's desires. If the character had any desire to cause pain in others as a human, he loses it as a result of his transformation.

The idea of a "perfect male" varies from monster to monster. In general, the following effects will apply to an incubized character:


 * Loss of alignment-based abilities.
 * Permanent effects applied to certain stats
 * Addition of character traits suitable to the monster that initiated the transformation.

An incubus that was transformed by the successful performance of a "violate" action gains the Leadership feat without the associated prerequisites. This feat only applies to the monster that triggered the transformation, and only if they are attacked by other monsters can it be expanded to them. It also is limited to a small selection of monsters, which is determined in the monster's profile and by the GM's discretion.

As with monsterization, a wish or restoration spell can reverse the effects of the transformation, at the cost of any traits acquired as a result of becoming or being an incubus for a prolonged period of time. If the incubus has a monster companion as a result of his transformation, add +1 to the DC of the roll for each hit die of the accompanying monster. If there is more than one monster companion, add +1 to the DC of the roll for each hit die on each monster. If the roll is successful, the monster companion will become hostile to the character, attempting to reapply the incubus transformation to that character, even if it gets her killed in the process.

Monster / Incubus Corruption Scores
Unlike in humans and other races, a higher corruption score for a monsterized /incubized character is a good thing. A monster gains +1 CMD for every two points of corruption against humanoid targets, so long as the target is not another monster.

In addition, some monsters can expend some of their corruption score to get a bonus of some kind. While the bonus can vary from monster to monster, the common rule between them is that it requires a standard round to activate, and has a minimum cost of one point of corruption.

Powerful Monsters and Transformations
Be advised that these rules are the default rules for demonic energy in this setting. There are particularly strong monsters that have special rules that apply exclusively to that species of monster. These rules are elaborated further within individual monster entries as special abilities.

Environmental Exposure
''Demon Realms are areas of the world where monstergirls make up an overwhelming majority of the population. Monsters exude a small amount of demonic energy from their bodies at all times, moreso when they're fraternizing with human males. With one or two monsters in a given area at once, this amount is too small to be significant; it generally dissipates into the surrounding environment after a short amount of time. The larger the amount of energy released, however, the longer it takes to dissipate. Over time, this surplus energy begins to distort and warp the very environment around it, causing strange mutations in local flora and fauna. Eventually, a tipping point is reached, and the very magical energies of such places are corrupted by demonic energy. When this occurs, the environment irreversibly transforms into a Demon Realm.''

There are several different kinds of Demon Realm in the MGE universe. The nature of these realms, their effects on corruption score, and their challenge rating, are below:

Green Demon Realm (CR TBD)
''These demon realms are difficult to distinguish from an uncorrupted area. The sky is blue, the grass is green, and the ashen earth is illuminated by the sun, as in a normal human realm. The concentration of demonic energy in these realms is thinner, which means that demon realm crops have a harder time growing in these realms than in the other types. The energies of such demon realms are insufficient to transform human realm crops, so it is not uncommon to find demon realm plants and regular plants growing in the same area. Animals and ores typically found in a demon realm are generally not present in such realms. Despite their benign appearance, they are still demon realms all the same. The air and water of such places is still laden with demonic energy, and this energy is enough to inflict mana erosion, transforming men into incubi and women into succubi. The change is so gradual, however, that it is difficult to realize that one is being affected until it is far too late.''

Every hour spent in such a demon realm, characters must make a Will save against the twisted energies of their environment (DC 10). With each failed save, their corruption score goes up by 1. Additionally, their corruption score does not go down over time; all attempts to remove corruption must be initiated consciously, and is only allowed once per day. If a character reaches the game's maximum corruption score and fails a save, they begin to transform into an incubus(if male) or a monster (if female), even if they have not been attacked during the duration of their stay.

Dark Demon Realm (CR TBD)
''The stereotypical demon realm, dark demon realms have been thoroughly corrupted by demonic energy to where even the flora and fauna has been twisted beyond recognition. It's dark during the day, and a blood red moon dominates the night sky. The soil is stained a deep black, and bizarre blue and purple plants sprout out of the tainted earth. The trees become twisted, black monstrosities, the rivers turn a strange shade of pink, and warped fauna roam the lands. Demon Realm crops are the only flora that these environments will support; any normal crops are twisted to a demon realm equivalent. Even the air and water of such places is harmful for humans who are foolish enough to set foot in these dark places. The monsters in these realms become more lewd and ferocious, and become more persistent in their attempts to acquire a husband, if they have not already done so.''

Every hour spent in such a demon realm, characters must make a Will save against the twisted energies of their environment (DC 20). With each failed save, their corruption score goes up by 1. Additionally, their corruption score does not go down over time; all attempts to remove corruption must be initiated consciously, and is only allowed once per day. If a character reaches the game's maximum corruption score and fails a save, they begin to transform into an incubus(if male) or a monster (if female), even if they have not been attacked during the duration of their stay.

Royal Demon Realm (CR TBD)
''An immense demon realm that can even be said to be the main stronghold of the monsters. The demon lord's citadel, “demon lord's castle” is located there. In its center, there is a city centered around the enormous Demon Lord's castle which is more enormous than any other city in all the human world and demon realms. Technically it's classified as one of the dark demon realms. The scenery is also mostly the same, but perhaps because of the monster lord's presence, the magical energy is so highly condensed that a normal dark demon realm doesn't even compare. It goes without saying that ordinary humans cannot resist monsterisation, but not even veteran heroes can. The monsters that dwell in this demon realm filled with the greatest concentration of demonic energy, grow even more powerful and lustful than the monsters of other demon realms which are in turn more powerful than the monsters in the human world, plus, as previously mentioned, the air has the greatest concentration of demonic energy, so humans who enter this demon realm are definitely not coming back out as humans.''

Every hour spent in such a demon realm, characters must make a Will save against the twisted energies of their environment (DC 30). With each failed save, their corruption score goes up by 1. Additionally, their corruption score does not go down over time; all attempts to remove corruption must be initiated consciously, and is only allowed once per day. If a character reaches the game's maximum corruption score and fails a save, they begin to transform into an incubus(if male) or a monster (if female), even if they have not been attacked during the duration of their stay.

Spirit Demon Realm (CR TBD)
''The realms known as “spirit realms” are peculiar even amongst the demon realms. As the name suggests, they are demon realms that exist in another dimension. Most of them were created in new dimensions by gods or monsters with vast power rivalling that of a god. The holy land of the fallen angels that was created by the fallen god, “Pandemonium”, and the “Mysterious Kingdom” full of mystery and pleasure created by a certain lilim, etc. are all categorized as “spirit realms”. Since they aren't connected by land, it's normally impossible to enter or leave one of these realms by walking. The method of entry varies depending on each individual spirit realm, but peculiar spells, rituals, portals (teleportation spells), or the assistance of a specific race of monster are necessary.''

Every hour spent in such a demon realm, characters must make a Will save against the twisted energies of their environment (DC 30). With each failed save, their corruption score goes up by 1. Additionally, their corruption score does not go down over time; all attempts to remove corruption must be initiated consciously, and is only allowed once per day. If a character reaches the game's maximum corruption score and fails a save, they begin to transform into an incubus(if male) or a monster (if female), even if they have not been attacked during the duration of their stay.

Toxins
''Various monsters in the world have special attacks that can envenom a target. The venom that is injected into their targets is not lethal in humans, but it erodes the target's conscious thoughts, making it easier for the monster to secure the target as either a plaything or a potential mate.''

In the event that a character is envenomed or consumes a demonic-energy infused poison, they must make their initial fortitude save, as with any poison described in the core rules. On a failed fortitude save, however, damage is not applied to stats. Instead, the affected character must make a Will save to beat the DC of the poison to counteract its psychological effects. If they fail this save, then the damage the poison would have done to a given stat is done instead to Corruption. If the normal effect of a poison is death, its corrupted form instead applies unconsiousness, along with inflicting the maximum corruption damage.

Demon Realm Silver
''A strange ore with a pinkish luster found only in Demon Realms, Demon Realm Silver can turn shades of black, red, or any other color when processed and infused with demonic energy. Another peculiar metallurgic characteristic of this material is its ability to form alloys with many different metals, including iron, copper, gold, and silver. Weapons made demonic silver or its alloys have the unique effect of inflicting non-lethal damage to their targets. These weapons leave only a superficial injury on living human targets, even when great force is applied in the strike. The trade-off for the non-lethality of these weapons is that these strikes remove the opponent's will to fight by draining his or her spirit energy. This reflects monsterkind's overall abhorrence of using lethal force, as killing a human means killing a potential mate, which obviously curtails their goal to find a suitable male to sire their children. ''

''In addition, the strange pinkish luster of the metal in its pure form, which only increases when polished, makes it commonly used material in most forms of jewellery. The aforementioned ability to store demonic energy in large amounts, however, makes these items an attractive target for various monsterization spells, which can begin the wearer's transformation into a monster.''

Weapons with Demon Realm Silver usually have the prefix "Corrupted", "Demonic", or "Demon Silver". These weapons do nonlethal damage. However, on a successful hit, the target must make a will save to beat the weapon's DC (5+1/2 HD + Cha Modifier of the wielder). On a failed save, the character takes a number of corruption damage equal to (1/2 Cha Modifer of the wielder), with a minimum of 1 Corruption damage.

Prisoner Fruit
''Prisoner Fruit is a distinct pink heart-shaped fruit about the size of a large apple when ripe. Its skin is so thin that it's almost transparent, and its juicy insides are packed with soft, fluffy, white colored flesh. While very nutritious and good tasting, it is loaded with Demonic Energy as well. Human men who consume these fruits become more attractive to monsters and people alike. Human women who eat it become addicted to it, an obsession culminating in their eventual transformation into a succubus. The aesthetic effect provided by the fruit, along with its sweet taste and nurtritional value, make it a favorite amongst monsters. ''

Any character who eats a Prisoner Fruit is subjected to the corrupting effects of the Demonic Energy inside it (DC 16). A character must make a Will save every time they eat one of these fruits. If they succeed the Will save, they must make another Will save to resist the fruit's addictive effects. For the sake of simplicity, the Will save for resisting Corruption damage and the addiction can be combined into a single die-roll at the discretion of the GM. The addiction, like other addictions, can be cured through the use of spells like remove disease, restoration, or by succeeding Fortitude saves over time.

Prisoner Fruit Addiction

Type Injested; Addiction minor, Fortitude Save 12; 2 consecutive saves

Price Varies

Onset:  1 day; Frequency: 1 / day

Effects; +1 Cha for each 4 points of Corruption

Disease 1 Wis damage

Spells and Special Abilities
''Despite the advancements that have been made in the last few centures by scholars who have dedicated their lives to the study of magic, humanity's understanding of the arcane is but a pale shadow of its former glory. The same cannot be said of monsters. The eldritch energies that they control were permanently altered by the Demon Lord's enchantment, and those few spells that were not were affected were soon adapted and changed by monsterous spell-casters to fall in line with their new goals. ''

Extraordinary Abilities
(not yet implemented)

Spell-like Abilities
(not yet implemented)

Supernatural Abilities
(not yet implemented)

Monster Action: Violate
A monster performs a lewd act on a pinned, helpless, or otherwise restrained target, infusing it with a portion of the demonic energy within her body. This action can only be performed on a humanoid target, and the availability of this attack during combat can vary from monster to monster.

For the sake of clarity and simplicity, we will be describing the lewd act only in the most abstract terms. How in-depth the action itself is explored is up to the GM and the players. There are numerous third-party books and rulesets that apply mechanics to intimate acts already, and it is up to the GM to get these rules to work with the corruption rules if you wish to have these in your game.

Attacker Rules
The target of the attempted violate action must be pinned, helpless, or otherwise restrained. This action cannot be performed on the same turn as successfully pinning the target. Violate has a base duration of 1d20 + 4 rounds, during which the monster is immobile and cannot perform any other action for the rolled duration. This monster may not make attacks of opportunity without releasing the grapple.

Defender Rules
Every round that the defender is pinned by a monster performing the "Violate" action, he or she can attempt to break free of the pin or become the controlling grappler. This is performed according to the core grappling rules. If the defender makes its save, he or she does not take any further corruption damage until next exposed to demonic energy or until a monster successfully pins them and performs another "violate" action.

If the defender fails to break free, or does not attempt to free themselves, he or she must make a Will Save against the corrupting effects of the monster's passions for each round they are pinned. If they fail this Will save, they take 1 point of corruption damage. If the defender does not break free by the time the action expires, they take 5 points of corruption with no save. Changelog:

10/29:

10/30: 12/20:
 * Fixed typos / questionable sentence wording
 * Fixed Demonic Energy infused poisons to function according to Pathfinder rules.
 * Added dynamic calculation of max Corruption score based on character stats.
 * Adjusted corruption damage by Demon Realm Silver weapons.
 * Added Prisoner Fruit effects and addiction.
 * Added Flavor text for Monster Spells and Special Abilities
 * Changed max Corruption to " (10 + [racial mod] + 1.5( CON modifier) + (INT, WIS, or CHA mod of the character, whichever is the highest)" for balancing reasons.
 * Added racial modifiers for max corruption allowed