[JanessaVR]

I confess, I’m not a fan of the Infected.  I think the whole concept of “Infected Rights” is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of in the entire history of Shadowrun and as far as I’m concerned a cure for HMHVV was found long ago; it’s called fire – apply lots of it to the Infected patient until the infection disappears.  This cure has a 100% success rate, and should be applied globally as soon as possible.  Granting monsters that want to eat you civil rights?  Why not just shoot yourself in the head?  It’s quicker.  Apparently it’s supposed to be a not-too-subtle allegory for [insert oppressed group X here], but it’s a terrible one, as I don’t know any members of [insert oppressed group X here] that actually kill and eat people (something that would, in fact, fully justify discrimination against them).

That said, they do make good (and nasty) villains in the game, but, in their canon incarnations, I have some problems with them.  To wit:


The Trouble with HMHVV (as I see it)

Issue #1 is all of this ridiculous, touchy-feely, politically correct nonsense about making nice with the monsters that want to eat your face off, when the obvious solution is to just toss all the ones you can catch into a big bonfire and be rid of the threat.  5th Edition seems to be doing a better job about this than 4th Edition, however.  Well, sort of, sometimes.  They should be present in the campaign setting as monsters, not as PCs, and not as this week’s hippie/liberal cause célèbre to champion the “rights” of these poor, oppressed creatures who just want to kill and eat people.

Issue #2 is correct viral taxonomy.  A few years ago on Dumpshock, it was brought to my attention that the canon viral taxonomy was rather incorrect at the time, and, from what research I’ve been able to do so far, I highly suspect that it still has not been correctly classified in the later SR4 and now SR5 books.  So, I’ve taken a stab at trying to flesh this out; I even managed to find a physician to assist in my efforts.

Issue #3 is…sprawl, for lack of a better term.  The list of Infected critters is a bit too large, IMHO.  A look at reference sources give me this listing of HMHVV critters:

Bandersnatch*
Banshee
Chupacabra*
Drop Bear*
Dzoo-Noo-Qua*
Fomóraig*
Ghoul*
Gnawer
Goblin*
Grendel*
Harvester*
Jabberwock
Loup-Garou*
Mutaqua*
Nosferatu
Vampire
Wendigo

That’s quite a few (17, in fact), and – to me at least – it seems a bit too much for all of those creatures to have come from just one virus.  Another point here is that we don’t really need any more feral creatures in the campaign setting, which several of these critters are (those with an asterisk above are feral, or nearly so, or at least some noticeable number of them are).  I mean, we already have street punks aplenty, so do we really need any more mindless monsters?  I don’t think so.  Monsters that can think are better foes than just mindless thugs, so this should be stressed as a design goal of any revisions to HMHVV.

Issue #4 is that ghoul infection rates need to be dialed down – way down.  I’m scarcely the first person to comment that, as written, even George Romero must be impressed at the Ghoul Apocalypse that would already have happened long ago with creatures this incredibly infectious (though in SR5 it’s at least been dialed down from where it was in previous editions, where one little scratch and your becoming a ghoul was guaranteed).

Issue #5 is that some of the creatures that are canon HMHVV monsters are being wasted as such.  The Wendigo in particular shouldn’t be consigned to being just another plague carrier or run-of-the-mill monster, but the terrifying creature of Native American legend that it ought to be. Really, go look up the legends of the Wendigo. It’s a fantastically terrifying creature and relegating it to the status of being just a furry, Infected ork is such a waste it’s practically a crime.  It should be reintroduced as either a magical creature or a spirit, in all its horrifying glory, which is a much better use for it in the campaign world.  The Banshee is another good example here – it should be a frightening spirit harbinger of impending death instead of just a hyped-up elf with fangs.


Streamlining the Viruses

Instead of a single virus that’s responsible for the creation of 15 creatures (and carried by 2 more), we’re going to consolidate the Infected down to just vampires and ghouls (they’re the ones that get most of the press in-game anyway), with each monster being made by a distinct virus, as follows in the sections below.


HMHVV

Isolated in 2034 by Dr. Emil Harz and Dr. Carla Greenbaum, the Human-Metahuman Vampiric Virus transforms victims into vampires.

Viral Taxonomy
Group:....Group VIII (Magically Active Viruses)
Order:.....none
Family:....Vryolakiviridae
Genus:....Strigoivirus
Species:..Human-Metahuman Vampiric Virus

Etymology Notes
Based on their names, the researchers who isolated this virus aren’t themselves Greek or Eastern European, so I assume that they were just by people with a Classical education.  At any rate, I tried to try to stay close to Greek terminology/folklore for this virus.  The Greek vampire, the Vyrolakas, is the classic corporeal vampire of Greek and Eastern European folklore.  The Strigoi is a Roman/Romanian vampire.

Viral Infection Mechanics
Vector: Special
Penetration: Special
Power: Special
Notes: If the vampire uses its Essence Drain power to drain a victim to 0 Essence, it might infect them with HMHVV.  Make an Opposed Test, rolling the vampire’s Magic + Charisma versus the victim’s Body + Willpower.  If the vampire wins, its victim becomes infected.  If the victim wins, they die (a 0 Essence score = death).  An infected victim enters into a near-death state for 24 hours, then awakens with 1 Essence and overwhelming hunger to drain Essence from the first (meta)human unlucky enough to encounter them.

Critter Template
Physical Attributes:  +2 to all Physical Attributes
Mental Attributes:  +2 to all Mental Attributes
Powers:  Compulsion, Dual Natured, Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Low-light Vision, Smell, Thermographic Vision), Essence Drain, Fear, Immunity (Age, Pathogens, Toxins), Infection, Influence, Magician, Mist Form, Natural Weapon (Bite: (STR+1)P, AP -1, -1 Reach), Regeneration, Sapience, Other (+1 initiative die, +1 to all movement rates)
Weaknesses:  Allergy (Sunlight, Severe), Dietary Requirement (Metahuman Blood), Essence Loss (every month), Induced Dormancy (Lack of Air, (Essence) Minutes), Mind of a Monster, Vulnerability (Wood)
Notes:  The victim’s skin becomes paler and their lateral incisors become more pronounced.  If not Awakened as a Magician before their infection, they become one afterwards.  Vampires are exclusively hemovores and can consume only blood.  Any other food makes them sick and causes nausea (see p. 409, SR5 Core Rules) within an hour when they consume most other foods; this is especially true if they consume alcohol, in which case the nausea kicks in within 15 minutes.  The maximum Essence that a vampire can drain is equal to three times its natural maximum Essence.  Damage taken from sunlight is not healed by their Regeneration power, nor is damage from wooden weapons.

Critter Design Notes
This is a mix of SR4 and SR5 specs for both vampires and nosferatu.  Also, having vampires being allergic to wood was just really, really stupid.  A vampire’s attacking you?  No worries, just poke him with a stick and it’ll burn him like acid!  Need refuge from the vampire chasing you?  Just head into those dark, spooky woods – he won’t dare follow you into all those trees.  That was changed to a Vulnerability instead (see pp. 401 – 402, SR5 Core Rules).


HMHGV

Isolated in 2051 by Dr. Jeffrey Krieger, the Human-Metahuman Ghoul Virus transforms victims into ghouls.

Viral Taxonomy
Group:....Group VIII (Magically Active Viruses)
Order:.....none
Family:....Nachzehriviridae
Genus:....Draugarivirus
Species:..Human-Metahuman Ghoul Virus

Etymology Notes
Krieger is clearly a German name, so I chose German terminology/folklore for this virus (assuming that this is what he would have chosen/suggested).  The Nachzehrer is a German vampire / mostly ghoul which feasts upon the dead.  The Draugr is a Nordic/German predatory revenant, which also served as the inspiration for Tolkien's Barrow Wights.

Viral Infection Mechanics
Vector: Injection
Speed: 12 hours
Penetration: -3
Power: 2

Critter Template
Physical Attributes:  Body +4, Reaction +2, Strength +3
Mental Attributes:  Charisma -2, Willpower +2
Powers:  Armor +1 (cumulative with natural dermal armor), Dual Natured, Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Smell), Immunity (Pathogens, Toxins), Infection, Natural Weapon (Bite: DV (STR+1)P, AP -1, -1 Reach), Natural Weapon (Claws: DV (STR+1)P, AP -1), Sapience
Weaknesses:  Allergy (Sunlight, Moderate), Dietary Requirement (Metahuman Flesh), Mind of a Monster, Reduced Senses (Blind; -6 dice modifier to all tests involving purely physical sight).
Notes:  The victim’s skin becomes rough and takes on a grayish tone, while all body and facial hair soon falls out.  The fingers elongate, and the fingernails become claws.  The teeth become sharper and more prominent.  Their eyes film over with thick white cataracts as they lose their sight, but their senses of hearing and smell become hyperactive.  Ghoul characters can overcome their Reduced Senses by taking cybereyes.  Ghouls can only easily digest raw meat; cooked meat makes them sick and causes nausea (see p. 409, SR5 Core Rules) within an hour when they consume most other foods, especially cooked foods.

Critter Design Notes
This is a mix of SR4 and SR5 specs for ghouls.  I’ve added immunity to disease and poisons as well; if they eat the dead and live in the sewers, these are a necessity or they’d all be dead already.  Also, regardless of any canon descriptions to the contrary, all ghouls are to be considered intelligent monsters, not just feral predators.


New Critter Weakness

This is a new mechanic to reflect the “descent into monsterdom” for the Infected.  It’s based on the trope for Stages of Monster Grief.

Mind of a Monster
Stage 1 – Denial:  The victim pretends that they can go on with their old life.
Stage 2 – Defiance:  The victim realizes that’s not going to work and becomes enraged, taking out their anger on whatever targets seem most appropriate (or just close at hand).
Stage 3 – Acceptance:  The victim accepts that they’re now a blood-drinking / flesh-eating creature, and that this is their new normal.
Stage 4 – Betrayal:  The victim abandons any pretense of trying to co-exist with the creatures that are its food source, and henceforth views (meta)humans as nothing more than prey or toys for their amusement.

A just-Infected vampire or ghoul starts off at Stage 1.  Every month, they must make a Willpower roll (Threshold 3), to avoid slipping down to the next level.  Eventually, the virus will win, and they’ll be monsters in both mind and body.


Optional Critters

If this trims down the list too far for you, you can add your favorite canon HMHVV critters back in “À la carte” via separate viral strains.  To add new vampire / blood-drinking creatures, list the original virus as HMHVV-1, then add HMHVV-2, HMHVV-3, etc.  To add new ghoul / flesh-eating creatures, list the original virus as HMHGV-1, then add HMHGV-2, HMHGV-3, etc.


Other Rules

Any PC infected and transformed by either virus immediately becomes an NPC under GM control; tell the player to roll up another character.


And this should clean things up considerably, from 17 creatures down to just 2, and relegating the Infected to strictly NPC status.  They’re monsters, not people – treat them as such.

[Raiderjoseph]

A DM i know had similar rules about vampirism in DnD. It doesnt help there is a cure (albiet it involves high powered magic.) for it though. I agree that we should be wary and stuff but id still go for a cure.

[JanessaVR]

A DM i know had similar rules about vampirism in DnD. It doesnt help there is a cure (albiet it involves high powered magic.) for it though. I agree that we should be wary and stuff but id still go for a cure.

Again, there is already a cure - fire (or acid).  Just apply enough of it and the infection disappears.

[Sipowitz]

Great work!

[JanessaVR]

Great work!

Thanks!  I've put about a month of effort into this.

[MijRai]

Mkay...  I disagree with you on some points, so I'll just go case by case there. 

Issue #1:  People do that politically correct stuff all the time, and this isn't a clear-cut case.  Those infected with HMHVV are still sentient 'people.'  Of course people will advocate their rights.  Being the victims of a disease doesn't make them any less deserving of some rights, a least.  In some cases (ghouls, gnawers and others who don't have Essence Drain), they can in fact live without ever hurting a living person.  There's also research going on to substitute non-metahumanity as a food-source, or, you know find a cure.  Just because VITAS or the Black Plague exists, doesn't mean you condemn all people with it to death and start lighting up the flamethrowers.  So yeah, they should have people advocating their rights, as well as themselves; it's not like they can't speak. 

They should be present as what they are; people with a disease that is both a power-up and a flaw.  There's nothing that automatically sends them to NPC-ville. 

The whole kill and eat people thing isn't much of a 'want' amongst the sane Infected if you read most of the fiction.  A lot of them realize it is morally wrong and sucks; they'd rather live than die, though.  There's also the ones whose change has caused brain damage or psychological issues, like feral ghouls, the sister of the HMHVV researcher in Sail Away, Sweet Sister, etc.  Those places are good arguments for euthansia/application of liberal amounts of fire. 

Issue #2:  It is a magical disease.  It does magical things to various people, depending on what they are.  Even the researchers who've spent their whole lives studying the disease in-game say they barely understand it and it can go out and defy identification and its own rules pretty frequently.  Busting down the three primary strains and the sub-strain into just vampires and ghouls is ludicrous. 

Issue #3:  Technically, Drop-Bears only carry the disease, they aren't Infected.  That happens in a number of diseases.  Chupacabra are apparently genetically modified critters with HMHVV worked into them somehow, not anything natural.  There's an easy break-down; Strains I and II cause the six vulnerable beings to change into their related 'kind.'  All Strain III are ghouls.  There's also Strain Ia, which either kills the being or in rare cases makes a nosferatu or mutaqua.  That's 15 (14 if you don't count the Jabberwock, which was never in a printed book anyways), with 2 of them being far less than 1 in a million chances, like the expression of the extremely rare disease it is. 

Those 'mindless' ones aren't always mindless, for one.  Two of them, like I said, aren't actually Infected, they're carriers or creations.  The disease can cause brain damage, which can cause the 'mindless' specimens, but that's by no means concrete.  There's an entire ghoul nation, which really puts the kibosh on ghouls all being feral.  Fomoraig have been seen building villages in swamps in some regions as well.  Plus, nobody knows much about mutaqua, so calling them feral isn't really supportable. 

That mindlessness is actually quite useful in some cases.  Think the concerned parent whose child was Infected, and subsequently lost their reasoning from brain damage.  Now, that's their child, and nothing can convince them otherwise (family and friends of the Infected are another supporter of Infected rights, by the way).  So they pull their kid out of school, put them in the basement, and do some very terrible things, all to protect and care for their kid.  How is that not horror?

Issue #4:  Why would the ghoul infection rate need to be toned down?  Unlike the Romero zombie-apocalypse, people actually act intelligently, for one.  The vectors aren't that common, for two.  It takes days to weeks for the change to happen, for three.  Ghouls have bounties on them to keep the population down, for four.  Ghouls are sentient and realize if they turn loads of people, there won't be enough food for them in an area, for five.  They also realize if they get too populous, they're going to be purged, for six. 

Issue #5:  A wendigo in Shadowrun isn't just a plague-carrier/run-of-the-mill monster.  If you think that, then you're not using it to the full extent of what an Awakened Ork with immortality, Essence Drain, super speed, Regeneration, and a taste for metahuman flesh with a predilection for building cults can do (also keep in mind the enhanced Willpower, Charisma and Intuition; they make some nasty spellcasters).  There is tons of 'horrifying glory' in there right now, especially since they were once a normal ork.  If you want to make something really scary, use the 'original' Wendigo for something; the ancient, newly arisen progenitor of the name, a millennia old wendigo with enough Initiations on top of their already nasty stats to make them on par with a dragon.

There's something you aren't considering here, by the way; names can be used multiple times.  Just because there's Infected called Wendigos and Banshees, doesn't mean the spirits you're looking for don't exist.  Maybe the Infected were named after the spirits, maybe it was the other way around.  There's plenty of options. 

Anyway, that's what I've got against your points so far.  In regards to your house-rules...  Yeah, no.  To reiterate:
They are people, even if you want to argue otherwise (no really, the rules explicitly make them a playable form of metahuman). 
The variety isn't actually bad. 
Don't blame the mechanics for not being 'scary' if you don't use them to the full extent. 

[Herr Brackhaus]

*slow claps*

Nicely done! The effort definitely shows, and while I don't necessarily agree with reducing all 17 variants to just 2 (ghouls and vampires) I can see why you'd want to based on the list of issues. The reworked infection is definitely more appropriate than actual Canon.

[Novocrane]

Good work Janessa, I'm sure there are many who think & feel similarly on the subject. I just happen to agree with MijRai.

[Darzil]

Main issue I have is that the diseases are pretty much unresistable, even if you have built a character focussed on surviving them. Those numbers desperately need a tweak.

[MijRai]

I always considered that a part of the point, myself.  It is hard to resist, because it is extremely dangerous. 

[JanessaVR]

Main issue I have is that the diseases are pretty much unresistable, even if you have built a character focussed on surviving them. Those numbers desperately need a tweak.

Um, how so?  In my rules here, to become a vampire (HMHVV) you have to get grabbed, held down, and drained all the way to 0 Essence (that's actually dead) - this matches canon.  As for HMHGV, I've set the pathogen's Power at only 2.  Exactly how much lower can they get?

[Darzil]

Was a comment on RAW, not your alternative

[Jeeves]

So, Mijrai already touched on this, but while I appreciate all the work you have done here in creating an alternate trope for Shadowrun, I think that as both a player and a GM, I prefer the rules for Infected characters over this variant. (But hey, you obviously worked real hard on it and I think it's great for rules variants in systems to fit GM and party play styles. Kudos.)

   The reason I actually prefer what you call the “touchy-feely, politically correct nonsense” version of the Infected aspect of Shadowrun is because of the ethical issues that come up in this setting.
   You mention that you recognize that Infected rules are a “not-too-subtle allegory for [insert oppressed group X here],” and, at the risk of sounding like the P.C. Police, I think that's exactly why it needs to stay how it is.
   It's already been mentioned in the thread that infected people are people too, and that's an important thing to remember. Sure, it's an allegory for [insert oppressed group X here], but the fact that it's an oppressed group that has to kill/eat people to survive doesn't make HMHVV too “out there” to warrant an “infected rights” movement.
   For the record, I think HMHVV+ characters in Shadowrun are most closely an allegory for persons with disabilities and diseases. I'll get into that later.

   For the sake of a hypothetical anecdote, meet Griz, a relatively normal chummer who has lived in Seattle since he was born. Though times are hard, it's reasonable to assume that Griz is a relatively decent guy. He works a job at stuffershack, pays his rent and bills on time, and helps his old landlady clean the halls and common areas of his building in exchange for a slightly reduced rent. Most people could subjectively assume that Griz is a “good person.” He's never killed anyone, never stolen anything more than a sip from his parents' liquor cabinet when he was seventeen, and occasionally spends time with his friends at eClaire, a small bar,
   One night, at eClaire, Griz, somehow is infected with HMHVV. Either from a ghoul mugger in the alley, or making out with the seductive woman in the cocktail dress who boosted his ego by pretending to be into him. No matter the case, let's assume Griz contracts HMHVV, manages to survive and becomes a Vampire.
   Suddenly, Griz is faced with an absolutely terrible choice. He needs to drink blood and essence in order to survive, just like people with diabetes need insulin and specialized diets. We don't bat an eye about insulin that comes from sheep because, well, sheep are livestock, but Griz is completely aware of the moral, legal and ethical rammifications of murdering someone. He doesn't want to do it, but when most decent human beings are placed in a “them or me” situation, a fair number of them are going to eventually draw the line and choose self-preservation. It's hard to say what the future will hold for Griz Lee Anecdote. Either killing his landlady sends him on a downward spiral into monsterous psychosis, or maybe he struggles to survive, forced to live with his guilt. Maybe the guilt breaks him and causes him to find a way to commit suicide, (a reasonable outcome considering the higher rates of suicide in veterans,) or maybe he finds some way to cope with his disorder, either by only killing and eating those who “deserve” it.
   The point is, while Griz has a condition that forces him to behave in these ways for his own survival, he's still a sentient person. Granted, this is an anecdote, and a hypothetical one to boot, but I think it's reasonable to assume there is definitely more of a struggle as part of the change. He still has rights and responsibilities. If he could find a cure or a substitute for his needs, he—like almost any reasonable individual—would jump at the chance.
   
   Now, I mentioned earlier that HMHVV (in my opinion) fits as an allegory for persons with disabilities and diseases, and here's why I think this is the case:
   Social Stigma: Similar to people with disabilities, people who are HMHVV+ face social stigma and discrimination, especially if you consider mental disorders in normal people. According to The Disability Studies Reader by Leonard J Davis, (seriously good read if you're into history,) people will treat persons with disabilities differently depending on how much of the person they believe the disability to affect. A person with a missing limb or sense is seen as disabled in those areas, but we assume the person is relatively capable and competent in other areas. In cases of mental disorder, even slight mental disorder, we assume the entire human being's character is compromised. (The concept of your “mind of a monster” rule reminded me of this.) To be fair, certain strains of HMHVV can definitely be said to have compromising behaviors and mental differences, (such as the rage of the loup-garou), it's unfair to assume that every person with HMHVV actively embraces what most would consider “evil” behavior.
   Stigmatizations from media: Part of the reason people might make the assumption that HMHVV people are more likely to be “evil” and actually desire to do harm to others is due to their portrayal in media. Granted, we can't be certain whether HMHVV was caused by the fictions and media about vampirism or vice-versa, once HMHVV was public knowledge, a lot of people might make the assumption that legends and text surrounding vampires, ghouls, and other “monsters” may have held some truth to them. People with disabilities have had similar treatment, if you look at a history of literature. From Charles Dickens using disabilities to create an “external representation of internal wickedness” to even the bible describing disabilities as punishments from God, the disabled have long been viewed and treated by many cultures as on the same level as criminals, the insane, and the diseased.
   Changed Abilities: This connection is the easiest to justify. Ability is defined as a skill, natural talent or competency that is related to the expression of the will of the holder of said ability. While most people worry about the abilities of others in terms of whether they will be “below average,” Infected characters (much like adepts and other character types with potential attribute score adjustments) are a concern because heightened abilities make them seem more dangerous, similar to how breeds of dogs with high jaw strength are seen as more dangerous (and often mistakenly described as more aggressive breeds.)
   Attempts to “fix” the problem: With the existence of vampires, ghouls, loup-garou, and so on, it's not hard to assume there would be individuals who deemed them enough of a threat to society at large that the “infection” should be “sterilized.” But, (real-life) history has seen similar reactions to people with disabilities. While eugenics programs conducted by Nazi Germany are one of the most well-known instances of this, (and forgive me for risking the invocation of Godwin's law,) there have been several similar eugenics programs carried out by multiple “civilized” nations, including the United States, where forced sterilization programs were targeted at people with mental disabilities, physical disabilities, and the blind and deaf. Programs like this existed in the US from the late 1890's up until WWII, when popular opinion of eugenics programs dropped significantly. In Shadowrun, many countries and corporations offer bounties on infected kills.
   I could go on and on about this “not-so-subtle allegory” but I think it's a complete enough parallel to the issues surrounding disability and mental health that it's a worthwhile aspect of the lore of Shadowrun.

As for the infection vectors and whatnot surrounding the communication of HMHVV from one person to the next, I'm just going to go with “magic is weird, yo.” and leave it at that.

TL;DR HMHVV is a lot like a disability/disease IMHO, and I think they have just as much claim to “rights” as other metahumans of the sixth world, although there are ethical implications abound.

Again, excellent work.

[JanessaVR]

@Jeeves:

Long attempts at justification and rationalization aside, in the end you're still arguing for the "rights" of serial killers to keep going out and killing people, indefinitely.  If that's to be social policy, you might as well dismantle the justice system and let all the other killers out of prison while you're at it.  They're rabid dogs - just put them down.

Don't get me wrong, they have a place in the game.  This is a "dark cyberpunk future" world, after all.  But recognize that they're monsters; they stopped being people when a magical virus remade them into serial killers.

[Herr Brackhaus]

Just a point of contention, JanessaVR; not all Infected are serial killers. Several of the players behind infected rights are specifically mentioned in the fiction as doing everything they can to not give in to their inner monster, so to speak.

Ghouls that have agreements with morgues, Vampires that only drink the blood of willing victims (hello, True Blood), and so on. This doesn't apply to all of the infected, by far, but generalizing them all as "serial killers who EAT people" is patently untrue a little naive, and maybe a little ironic as that's exactly what the Infected are on the receiving end of in-setting.