Action Module: Taint

Taint
Basics	Taint Basics Designing Taint Drawbacks
Types	Corruption Fear Forbidden Magic Madness Mutation
Options	Taint Feats Mini Module: Vices

A terrified group of teenagers flee from the knife-wielding maniac, terror permeating their minds and driving them to desperate measures. A sorceress completes the final circle of runes, swearing away her name and very soul to summon a horrible demon to curse her enemies. Three federal agents continue their investigation of a condemned asylum, and the scrawled symbols and scraps of paper they find begin to gnaw at their sanity. Across a nuclear wasteland, a band of survivors must cope every day with radiation which is sickening them, changing them into something not completely human.

Taint in popular media is a common theme, no matter what form it takes. Characters will take pains to avoid it, but are most often forced to struggle on in spite of it. And some even come to embrace it, for the power they believe it holds. This module will introduce you to the basics behind how d20 Advanced handles these progressive, wasting afflictions. Each type of taint is slightly different, but these rules will help you create a flavorful form of taint which can help define your game.

	Taint is most appropriate for gritty games. In many games that trend away from gritty towards more ideal, Taint is likely not appropriate.
	This module presents a few examples for ways to use the basic concept of Taint which can be applied to many ongoing afflictions. This module uses the Resistances from the Skills Module to stave off Taint. For taint which is only inflicted upon a character with no real management on a player's part, this is an appropriate setting for the module.
	For games which invest significantly in the idea of taint as a resource which much be managed by the PCs (such as a game where Dark Magic is a powerful tool, but also a tremendous risk, and PCs must walk a razor's edge between power and corruption).