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Old 10-29-2015, 05:59 AM   #1
CeeDub
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: UK
Default Does Affliction with Immunity (Disease) cure disease?

Salutations!

Suppose a character has the following ability:
Affliction 1 (Advantage: Resistant (Occasional (Disease), +10; Immunity, x1), +100%; Malediction, +100%; Melee Attack (C), Cannot Parry, -35%; Contact Agent, -30%; Super, -10%;) [23]

Assuming the build is correct, this would, on a successful Will roll, bestow immunity to disease upon the target for a number of minutes equal to the margin of success.

The question is, does the disease return when that time has expired (i.e. the disease is only "paused") or does the target stay cured until he catches the disease again (or another one)?

I feel like I saw a thread like this a while ago, but I can't seem to find it.
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Old 10-29-2015, 06:17 AM   #2
Nereidalbel
 
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Default Re: Does Affliction with Immunity (Disease) cure disease?

You would need Timespanning to retroactively remove the disease. Otherwise, yes, they are simply immune to the effects of the disease for the duration.
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Old 10-29-2015, 06:23 AM   #3
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Default Re: Does Affliction with Immunity (Disease) cure disease?

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Originally Posted by CeeDub View Post
The question is, does the disease return when that time has expired (i.e. the disease is only "paused") or does the target stay cured until he catches the disease again (or another one)?
I'd be inclined to say neither - the disease isn't even "cured" while a few minutes of temporary immunity are on, you'd still be suffering any long term effects. You couldn't get any worse, but biological processes don't run fast enough for a few minutes of them working differently to change all that much.

If an HT roll to recover from it came due while you are immune, that's a harder call. I'd probably call it an automatic success, that might be generous, but if you were immune through several recovery rolls that's the mechanic I'd use to determine how long it took your new immunity to cure you completely, so it's probably the easiest approach to allow it for just one too. It allows some meta-gaming - timing the exact moment to afflict the immunity to cure somebody - but for 23 points it's hard to call that very abusive.
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Old 10-29-2015, 07:20 AM   #4
vicky_molokh
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Default Re: Does Affliction with Immunity (Disease) cure disease?

I'd say it could depend on the specifics, but fully curing disease over the course of the next cycle. Consider this: if I 'afflict' someone with a medicine that grant a +4 to resist a disease, this helps someone to overcome it, i.e. get healthy again. Same if you afflict someone with a nanosymbiote that provides Immunity (Disease).

Also, there's a disadvantage for carrying a disease. And a perk for doing it too if it's mostly beneficial to you. So probably the default assumption is that the disease gets cured.
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Old 10-29-2015, 07:38 AM   #5
CeeDub
 
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Default Re: Does Affliction with Immunity (Disease) cure disease?

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Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
I'd say it could depend on the specifics, but fully curing disease over the course of the next cycle.
As to the specifics, it's supposed to instantly purge the harmful bacteria, fungus or virus from the subject's system. They'd have to heal normally from the "damage" the disease (or the body's own immune response) had caused until then.
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Old 10-29-2015, 07:57 AM   #6
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Default Re: Does Affliction with Immunity (Disease) cure disease?

I would say no.

Basically they would be immune to the new effects of the disease for duration, that is any disease period is increased by the duration. If you were to afflict someone with it for the full duration of a single cycle, then yes you would automatically make a save for that duration and it may indeed remove the disease, but anything less then that, no. Though if you are immune for a significant fraction of a cycle I might give a bonus as your bonus has gotten a respite from the effects.

Basically nowhere in Resistant description does it say that it actually stops things, it only stops the effects of the things. Note the wording in the first paragraph of Resistant advantage in B80. "This gives you a bonus on all HT rolls to resist incapacitation or injury from such things." Not something like "This reduces such things, so you get bonus to HT rolls from them" indicating actual removal of the organisms.

Thus someone who is immune to a disease could well still be a carrier, but just not affected.
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Old 10-29-2015, 09:07 AM   #7
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Default Re: Does Affliction with Immunity (Disease) cure disease?

My first question to a player coming up with this build, is why aren't they using Healing instead? Since it actually does the job, and all, unambiguously, in one swell foop.
If they need a ranged cure disease, you can make it Ranged (with the so-named enhancement).
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Old 10-29-2015, 09:27 AM   #8
CeeDub
 
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Default Re: Does Affliction with Immunity (Disease) cure disease?

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Originally Posted by Bruno View Post
My first question to a player coming up with this build, is why aren't they using Healing instead? Since it actually does the job, and all, unambiguously, in one swell foop.
If they need a ranged cure disease, you can make it Ranged (with the so-named enhancement).
Because (1) Healing requires an IQ roll with a modifier corresponding to the disease's severity (up to -15) instead of a flat Will roll and (2) Healing has a highly variable Fatigue cost (up to 30 FP).

I suppose I could take Healing with Reduced Fatigue 25 (+500%), Cosmic:NDRR (+100%) and a few levels of Reliable (so the character has an effective skill of at least 3). Or would Talent (Healer) work as well?
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Old 10-29-2015, 09:32 AM   #9
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Default Re: Does Affliction with Immunity (Disease) cure disease?

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Originally Posted by CeeDub View Post
I suppose I could take Healing with Reduced Fatigue 25 (+500%), Cosmic:NDRR (+100%) and a few levels of Reliable (so the character has an effective skill of at least 3). Or would Talent (Healer) work as well?
Talent and Reliable stack. Ends up costing a lot more than the Affliction build, though.
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Old 10-29-2015, 10:00 AM   #10
CeeDub
 
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Default Re: Does Affliction with Immunity (Disease) cure disease?

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Originally Posted by Nereidalbel View Post
Talent and Reliable stack.
Good to know, thanks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nereidalbel View Post
Ends up costing a lot more than the Affliction build, though.
Indeed. It's also a lot more expensive than healing wounds, IMO. 2 HP per FP vs. 2 FP per -1 on the IQ roll. No penalties on the IQ for wounds, brutal penalties for disease. I know that GURPS abilities are not priced for utility, but it seems a little unbalanced to me.
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