Fanatics of Morgion

D&D 3e (3.0/3.5) Rules

by OldSchoolDL

When the Dark God of Disease Morgion sent forth his powers to his clerics, he also instilled within them the ability to pass along Charms of Morgion. These so-called Charms allow those who suffer from plague and sickness to instantly become immune to the effects of their illnesses. It does not cure them, but does suppress the illness from affecting them physically. Once a Charm is laid upon a victim, however, the recipient also receives a strange side-effect.

Morgion, in his dark wisdom, believed that incentives must be maintained to keep his dark cult loyal, and he needed strong arms to defend his clerics during their operations. The Charm's side-effect causes its recipient to instantly feel better than he ever did in his life. This effect lasts as long as the recipient remains loyal to Morgion and chooses to do his bidding without question. The abilities of the individual increase - his or her speed and strength become noticably greater and the recipient finds him/herself feeling almost total loyalty to the Morgionite clerics and their dark deity. Thus, the Fanatics of Morgion was born.

The Charm, however, has its downside as well. The gratifying sensations and increases in strength and mobility only last as long as the person is loyal to Morgion. They must stay within the alignment scope of the dark deity or that of his clerics in all their actions. Everything asked of them must be fulfilled or the effects wear off and the suppressed illness rebounds upon them. Those disloyal or apathetic to Morgion and his ilk feel a decrease in strength and speed as the symptoms take hold again to ravage the body. Those who accept Morgion and are loyal to him often do so because their bodies become addicted to the Charm. When the effects wear off they go through a withdrawal, where the feeling of normalcy becomes too unbearable for them and they must do something to raise them up again. Worst of all, even though Fanatics of Morgion do not suffer from the plague that is within their bodies due to the charm, it does not mean they are cured of it. In fact, Fanatics are disease carriers, and when they go into battle or infiltrate a enemy town they spread the plagues and illnesses that brew within them through touch or close proximity to their breathing.

Game Statistics

• Fanatics must be members of a fighting class (barbarian, fighter, ranger, warrior)
• They must be evil (preferably lawful evil or neutral evil)
• When loyal to Morgion, Fanatics gain a +2 bonus to Strength and Dexterity
• They must perform specific acts for Morgion or their underground church to maintain the "high" they feel. The Charm's side effects last roughly 1d12 hours after it is removed (rolled by the DM). At the end of each successive time period, the character goes through withdrawal, losing their Strength and Dexterity bonus and suffering an additional -1 penalty to their attributes. When performing an action for the clerics or for Morgion himself, the Fanatic will enter a berserking fury to achieve their goals (members in a fury gain +1 to hit, +3 to damage, and can make an additional attack per round).
• Fanatics can wear any armor and wield any weapon. Often, prime candidates of Fanatics of Morgion are rich nobles and/or those with a physical beauty that was ravaged by illness. They would gladly accept the aide of Morgion's Charm than waste away.
• Upon the death of any Fanatic of Morgion, the plague or illness that infests the Fanatic's body is released in a 30-foot radius of dark smoke. The plague-filled smoke is capable of affecting anyone who fails a Fortitude saving throw (using the statistics of the original plague or illness). The smoke lasts for one round, after which the disease dissipates and becomes harmless.

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