The Warping
by WingofCootThe Warping is not at all the same as Mystara's Red Curse, despite its similarities - it is far less controllable, far more terrible. Continued exposure is always a path to a monstrous transformation (or possibly death); any seeming power gained from it is at the cost of loss of self. Even those powerful mages who seek to use its energy do so at a distance, without personal exposure to its corruptive power.
The Accursed Barrens consist of border areas (where the Warping is weaker) and core areas (where it is stronger). The effects are ultimately the same, but Border areas act much more slowly than Core areas.
Merely stepping into the Barrens does not immediately bring on the Warping; it takes time to set in. A character who has not already been completely transformed by the Warping must make a saving throw vs. Poison or Death Ray for every week spent in a border area, or every day spent in a core area. Each failed saving throw reduces Constitution by 1 point, accompanied by weakness and pain. When Constitution drops below 3, a final saving throw must be made: failure means death, success induces a complete transformation but restores all lost Constitution. (For monsters with no listed Constitution score, assume death or complete transformation occurs in 2-8 days/weeks for small or weak monsters, 3-18 days/weeks for large or powerful ones.)
Complete transformation can have many effects. It need not be rolled for; selecting an appropriate effect will often be better. Completely transformed PCs become (NPC) monsters until/unless the effects can be reversed, due to the changes in motivation and mindset involved.
Some example possible effects include.
(1.) Similar Transformation. Total and permanent change to a type of creature similar in some way to the initial type: human to humanoid or demi-human, demi-human to human, horse to zebra or to centaur or hippogriff, etc. Changes should be in some way "appropriate" - for humans, a strong fighter might become an ogre, a stealthy thief might become a halfling.
(2.) Random Transformation. Total and permanent change to a random type of creature not necessarily connected to the initial type: roll on a Reincarnation table or random encounter table.
(3.) Radical Size Change. The creature greatly increased or decreases in size as if affected by a Potion of Growth or Diminution, but the effect is permanent.
(4.) Extra Appendage. Creature gains an unusual new appendage - snake neck and head, scorpion tail, octopus arm, crab claw, etc. - and appropriate attack mode. Damage is usually 1-8 for roughly human sized creatures (1-6 for much smaller e.g. halfling/kobold, 2-12 for much larger e.g. giants, dragons).
(5.) Magical Ability. Creature gains the ability to use two 1st level, or one 2nd or 3rd level, spell once per day with no need for spell books. The spell is fixed, something else cannot be memorized instead (e.g. if the ability is Levitate, it cannot be changed to another 2nd level spell).
(6.) Monster Ability. The creature gains a monster ability not covered under "Extra Appendage" or "Magical Ability", e.g. a breath weapon, regeneration as a troll, paralysis as a ghoul, etc. Damaging abilities such as breath weapons generally deal 3-24 for human sized creatures.
Regardless of the specific effect, completely transformed creatures all share several common traits:
- They become unwilling to leave the Accursed Barrens for long periods of time (Warped monsters frequently raid outside its borders, but will always establish their lairs within) and sicken if forced to remain outside of it for more than a few days.
- They become highly resistant to the further effects of the Warping (completely transformed creatures no longer need to make saves to avoid Constitution loss), but not necessarily completely immune: creatures that have lived in the Barrens for many years often have several different complete-transformation effects (such as a human changed into an ogre with an extra giant crab claw and the ability to paralyze as a ghoul).
- They become increasingly aggressive, especially toward creatures not affected by the Warping, and memories of their pre-Warping lives fade. They see their current state of being as superior to their original one.
Dealing with the Warping
The Warping is not a disease, though its earlier effects may resemble one, and so Cure Disease has no effect.
A Cureall or Heal spell will restore any Constitution lost to the Warping, but if the character remains in the Accursed Barrens, the effects will start again.
Once a character is completely transformed, only Wish can reverse the effects (and a completely transformed character will not want to be restored).
Using the Warping
Unlike Mystara's Red Curse, the Warping is uncontrollable once it has set into a body. That does not prevent all use of the magical energy behind it, however - but it requires a different approach. With stones or crystals collected from the borders of the Accursed Barrens, the energy of the Warping can be used by sufficiently skilled and powerful spellcasters without actually exposing themselves personally to its effects. This is generally for the purposes of constructing magic items, but a few specialized spells have also been researched in this way.