From the article archive
Writing Practice, Dec. 20th 2001
Once again I haven't been feeling well. that's why I missed yesterday. Likely it's my medication. Keeps me from getting suicidally depressed, but the side effects can be a pain. But this has given me an idea.
Have you ever wondered about the continual excellent health of the PCs in your game? How they can go through all sorts of nasty, distasteful, and filthy situations with naught as much as a sniffle. While in real life you come down with all varieties of creeping crud, and have to go to work when you really should be home with a chicken soup intravenous feed.
Why not have the PCs come down with minor ailments during the game? They're going to traipse around in some bug infested swamp, they deserve to get the chills. Think of the fun you can have with a rogue who has sneezing fits at inopportune times. Or a wizard with sinus headaches. I get sinus headaches, vision gets all blurry durring a sinus headache and you can't concentrate. Would make it just about impossible to cast spells.
Then there are allergies. Loads of fun, allergies. Where minor allergies are concerned you can have all sorts of minor impairments. Ever try concentrating when you've got hives? Or getting a good night's sleep when you're sneezing and your nose is running?
Now combine all this with some sort of injury. The PC has a minor injury and a head cold, he's not going to regain those hit points as fast.
Warning, don't do this willy-nilly or when it seems dramatically appropriate. Your PCs should come down with something when conditions are right; a crowded city, a fetid swamp, in the bowels of the Earth. After drinking the water in a new place. Going to a new place and meeting new people is a wonderful way to share diseases.
Something to add a little versimilitude to your games, have fun with it.
BTW: The (not so) short and (yet still) incomplete history of the Babylonian Empire will return tomorrow. Till then.
Alan
Have you ever wondered about the continual excellent health of the PCs in your game? How they can go through all sorts of nasty, distasteful, and filthy situations with naught as much as a sniffle. While in real life you come down with all varieties of creeping crud, and have to go to work when you really should be home with a chicken soup intravenous feed.
Why not have the PCs come down with minor ailments during the game? They're going to traipse around in some bug infested swamp, they deserve to get the chills. Think of the fun you can have with a rogue who has sneezing fits at inopportune times. Or a wizard with sinus headaches. I get sinus headaches, vision gets all blurry durring a sinus headache and you can't concentrate. Would make it just about impossible to cast spells.
Then there are allergies. Loads of fun, allergies. Where minor allergies are concerned you can have all sorts of minor impairments. Ever try concentrating when you've got hives? Or getting a good night's sleep when you're sneezing and your nose is running?
Now combine all this with some sort of injury. The PC has a minor injury and a head cold, he's not going to regain those hit points as fast.
Warning, don't do this willy-nilly or when it seems dramatically appropriate. Your PCs should come down with something when conditions are right; a crowded city, a fetid swamp, in the bowels of the Earth. After drinking the water in a new place. Going to a new place and meeting new people is a wonderful way to share diseases.
Something to add a little versimilitude to your games, have fun with it.
BTW: The (not so) short and (yet still) incomplete history of the Babylonian Empire will return tomorrow. Till then.
Alan
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