Midnight Taint Rules

TAINT RULES MISSION STATEMENT

In our opinion the TAINT rules for the Midnight RPG are poorly written and in some points incomplete. Herein we attempt to re-write, edit and add to the canon rules. Our goal is to NOT add new "house rules" unless necessary.

What's Here

The following are the rules from the Midnight text, for which we will be correcting. This is not to challenge Fantasy Flight's trademark, it is simply to aid in the improvement of the rules for using Taint.

Editing & Adding

Please note in RED TEXT when you edit or add a new addition to the text below. Here is a clean copy of the Taint Rules Unedited for reference as we alter the rules below.

TAINT

When Izrador was flung from the heavens, his flaming god-flesh was destroyed as it tore a great wound in the earth. The dark god’s spirit was shattered, dispersed like a foul mist over the frozen north. Then followed countless years, long ages in which his black essence coalesced, gathering strength with painful slowness until finally it was able to manifest as a shadowy presence in the north: bodiless, malevolent, and no longer truly a god. In all this time, Izrador’s dead god-flesh had mouldered in an icy grave deep within the Scar. As strength returned to his spirit, the Shadow reclaimed this divine flesh and began to reshape it to suit his purposes, pushing dark tendrils into the surrounding lands in order to leach out their vitality and tap the arcane energy that pulsed in Aryth’s flesh. For millennia these black veins infiltrated the northern lands, transforming the already ravaged region into a desolate and malignant wasteland. But still Izrador’s recovery was too slow, and so the dark god devised the zordrafin coriths and set his legates to building a network of black mirrors to steal the very magic of the world.

But Izrador didn’t just steal the world’s arcane energies. He polluted and tainted them with his touch. The vile liquid of the mirrors is the same tarry substance that moves through the dark god’s monstrous black veins: arcane power corrupted by the essence of evil.

Every day spent in the Shadow’s tainted heartland exposes the mind to the dark god’s insidious whispers and the flesh to his crawling taint. The hardiest warrior feels strength drain from his limbs and the staunchest soul finds doubt creeping into her heart. When a living creature (corporeal or incorporeal) enters a tainted area, comes into contact with a tainted object or tainted creature, or is the subject of a spell cast with tainted spell energy, it must succeed at a Will save or gain taint. A creature that accumulates enough taint may eventually become a corrupted creature or corrupted spirit. The DC of the Will save is determined as described in the Tainted Places sidebar, which also indicates the interval of the saving throws and the amount of taint gained.

Taint is a measure of the Shadow’s corruption and can be increased by several different means (see Increasing Taint, below). Once a creature gains a certain amount of taint, the creature undergoes a transformation depending upon its nature. The Shadow’s dark essence works its corruption in different ways. Living, corporeal creatures become twisted physically and mentally; when they gain taint equal to their Constitution, they gain the corrupted creature template. Spirits fade into shadow at the dark god’s touch, their incorporeal forms becoming hateful and foul. When a spirit gains taint equal to its Charisma, it gains the corrupted spirit template. However, those who can channel magic expose themselves most directly to the foul essence of the dark god, and are corrupted most completely. A creature with the Magecraft feat risks becoming a tainted channeler, as described below. The corrupted creature and corrupted spirit templates are detailed in Chapter 3.

Increasing Taint

A creature’s taint is increased when it comes into contact with an area, object, person or effect that has a higher taint score than its own (for areas, objects, and spells, this is its Taint DC). The creature must succeed at a Will save or gain taint. The DC of the Will save is determined as described in the Tainted Places sidebar, which also indicates the amount of taint gained on a failed save and the interval at which a save against taint must be made if the creature remains in the area.

For Example: Aryn, a tainted Dorn fighter with taint 9, enters the icy wastes of the Vale of Tears (Taint DC 12, interval 1 week). After one week in the Vale, Aryn must succeed at a DC 12 Will save (with a –1 penalty to his save because of his 9 Taint points) or gain another point of taint. Aryn fails his save and his taint increases to 10. Later, his mission accomplished, Aryn heads south and sneaks into the Weal. He does not need to make another Will save during his time in the Weal because his Taint is already equal to the taint DC of the Weal, 10. However, if Aryn ever returns to the Vale of Tears and stays for a week, he will have to make another DC 12 Will save (this time with a –2 penalty to his roll because of his increased taint); if he stays for two weeks, he will have to make two saves.

Upon acquiring the corrupted creature or corrupted spirit template, the creature is thereafter immune to taint—the shadow’s essence has infused it completely, changing it forever.

Resisting Taint

Once touched by the dark god’s corruption, it is hard to resist the insidious growth of his taint. However, there are certain herbs, charms, and spells that offer some protection against the spread of taint. Of the former, the leaf of an unassuming herb called uryl can be used in the preparation of infused oil to give up to a +5 alchemical bonus to Will saves made to resist the Shadow’s taint and its effects.

Shadow Born

Creatures born and bred beneath the dark skies of the Northern Marches, such as orcs, goblin-kin, giant-kin, and shadowspawn, are more resistant to the effects of the Shadow’s taint. Instead of making Will saves to resist taint, these races instead make Constitution checks to resist its effects. Furthermore, they gain a +10 racial bonus to these checks. However, it is still possible, though more difficult, for one of the shadow born to become tainted, and they can purposely fail the check; many of the kurasatch udareen drink the vile fluid of the Shadow in order to receive his dark blessings.

Redemption or Destruction

The ultimate result of taint is destruction. If a creature’s taint reaches 30 or higher, the creature must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + Taint score) each day or dissolve into a pool of black ichors and foul smelling vapor. From this vile mess, the last remnant of the creature’s spirit rises as a near-mindless wraith called an allip (see MM), a tattered shadow wracked by madness and cold hunger. These creatures flee into the north, drawn to the depths of the Scar and the Endless Ice where they wail in darkness until they fade altogether. The same thing inevitably happens to those who attempt to fight taint, however. Outside of a tainted area, tainted creatures lose 1 point of taint each day. For the purposes of losing taint, the area of effect of a black mirror is considered tainted, though it does not have a taint rating or otherwise cause taint except as described in the Tainted Places sidebar. If a creature goes from 1 or more taint to 0 taint, however, it suffers the same effects as above . . . but it automatically dissolves and becomes an allip, with no saving throw.

As described under dark energies, a tainted channeler can reduce his taint to zero by using it to power spells; if he does so, he suffers a similar fate. Even a creature that has gained the corrupted creature or corrupted spirit template, though immune to future taint, can suffer this effect.

Tainted Channelers

When a creature attempts to cast a channeled spell in a tainted area, he opens himself to more than just the magic of Aryth . . . he also channels the Shadow’s corrupting touch. Ever hungry for magic to fuel his re-ascension, Izrador prizes tainted channelers most of all. If the tainted spellcaster continues to channel Aryth’s arcane energies, the dark god’s corruption spreads and the channeler becomes like a disease vector and magical sump in one. Like disease-carrying insects, tainted channelers corrupt the threads of arcane magic they touch; and when their mortal forms can hold no more, Izrador drains them in a final consumption that leaves the channeler a tattered shade, a hollow shadow of horror and rage. Only living creatures may become tainted channelers.

Dark Energies

Whenever a living creature with the Magecraft feat would gain taint, regardless of whether it is a spirit or a corporeal creature, something far more insidious happens. He instead gains a pool of taint points that are very similar to spell energy points. If he already has a pool of taint points and would gain taint, the pool of taint points instead increases. In the discussion below, the term “tainted channeler” refers to any creature with the Magecraft feat who has a pool of taint points. For all purposes dependent upon a creature’s taint level, a channeler’s effective taint is equal to the maximum size of his taint pool.

Taint is not without benefits for tainted channelers. First of all, while in a tainted area, a tainted channeler may use his pool of taint points as if they were spell energy points.

Outside of a tainted area, if a tainted channeler wishes to use taint instead of spell energy to power a spell, the cost in taint is doubled. For example, sleep (a 1st-level spell) can be cast using one point of taint within a tainted area, or two points in a non-tainted area. A tainted channeler may mix and match these methods of payment, so a channeler casting hideous laughter, a 2nd-level spell, could pay for it in a tainted area with 1 spell energy point and 1 taint point; in a non-tainted area this same approach would cost the channeler 1 spell energy point and 2 taint points.

Recovering Taint Points

In lands fouled by the Shadow’s taint, taint points are recovered more quickly than normal spell energy. A tainted channeler recovers taint points at a rate of 1 per hour. The tainted channeler recovers all of his taint after a night of rest, just as for normal spell energy. However, outside of a tainted region, taint cannot be recovered at all, and in fact diminishes at a rate of 1 taint per day (see Redemption or Destruction, above).

Increasing Taint Pools

For each spell cast using taint points, the tainted channeler must succeed at a Will save with a DC equal to 10 + spell level + taint used to pay for the spell, or his taint pool increases by 1d2–1 points of taint (minimum 0). On the one hand this increases the tainted channeler’s power, but it also accelerates his decline into corruption and ultimate annihilation (see Corrupted Channelers, below).

Additionally, each time a tainted channeler’s spell energy pool increases (e.g., for gaining a level in channeler or a prestige class that offers art of magic as a class ability), there is a chance that this additional power is added to her taint pool rather than her spell energy pool. The channeler must make a successful Will save (DC 10 + channeler’s taint pool score – channeler’s total spell energy) to resist the spread of taint. If the save succeeds, the channeler’s spell energy pool increases as normal. However, if the spellcaster fails his save, his taint pool increases by the amount his spell energy pool would have increased. Furthermore, if the channeler fails his Will save by 10 or more, his existing spell energy pool is decreased by 1 and his taint pool increases by an additional 1. :: A tainted channeler, unlike other creatures, is not destroyed when he reaches 30 taint. Instead, he undergoes a transformation when his taint exceeds his spell energy pool: he becomes a corrupted channeler. From this point on the difference between her taint pool and her spell energy pool, called her corruption level, is used to determine what effects the tainted channeler is subject to, as described in the table on the following page.

Dark Traits

The taint spreading through the channeler’s body empowers her body and mind with its dark touch. The tainted channeler is granted one of the benefits as chosen by the DM. Tier 1 traits may be granted at any level of corruption, while tier 2 and tier 3 traits have prerequisites that may limit their availability. All traits are supernatural abilities unless otherwise noted. Spell-like abilities listed below have a caster level equal to the tainted channeler’s caster level. All Fortitude saves associated with dark traits have a DC of 10 + 1 / 2 the tainted channeler’s caster level + Con modifier. Will saves have a DC of 10 + 1 / 2 the tainted channeler’s caster level + key spellcasting ability modifier.

Tier 1 Traits

• Already Mad: Wrapped in her own personal madness, a tainted channeler is immune to confusion and insanity effects. However, she remains susceptible to such effects caused by the effects of a dark mark.
• Canker’s Cloak: Disease and putrefaction are the meat and wine of the tainted. The tainted channeler gains immunity to all diseases, including magical and supernatural diseases.
• Forbidden Lore: The dark god whispers in the mind of the tainted, revealing forbidden lore and unspeakable secrets. A tainted channeler taking this trait gains a +4 profane bonus to all Knowledge checks and all saving throw DCs to resist his spells with the evil descriptor are increased by +1.
• Horrific Visage: The tainted channeler can manifest the dark face of the corruption working within his soul, contorting his features into a terrifying visage. The channeler gains a +4 bonus to Intimidate checks and all saving throw DCs to resist his spells with the fear descriptor are increased by +1.
• Veiled: The tainted channeler gathers shadows and darkness like a veil about him, and gains a +4 bonus to Hide checks and +1 profane bonus to Armor Class.
• Worm-Tongued: Taint has given the channeler the malevolent power of influencing the minds of others. The channeler gains a +4 profane bonus to Diplomacy checks, and all saving throw DCs to resist his spells with the compulsion descriptor are increased by +1.

Tier 2 Traits

• Appalling Aura (Requires Horrific Visage and Masochist): The writhing darkness within the tainted channeler begins to leak beyond his flesh. The channeler’s bonus to Intimidate checks increases to +8 and he gains a fear aura radiating out to a radius of 5 ft. Affected creatures in the area must succeed on a Will save or be affected as though by a fear spell. The tainted channeler may not suppress this aura, but creatures with taint equal to or greater than the channeler’s corruption level are immune to the effect.
• Corruption’s Touch (Requires Canker’s Cloak and Lesions): The tainted channeler carries corruption in his skin and his shadow withers life where it touches. The channeler touch causes either contagion: filth fever or blight (depending on the target touched). The tainted channeler may not suppress this effect, but creatures with taint equal to or greater than the channeler’s corruption level (or plants growing in areas with taint DCs equal to or greater than the channeler’s corruption level) are immune to the effect.
• Cloak of Shadows (Requires Veiled and Worn): During any conditions other than full daylight, a tainted channeler can disappear into the shadows as a move action, giving him partial concealment (20% miss chance). If he moves from the location in which he blended into the shadows, he loses the concealment until he spends another move action to blend in again. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual light spell, does not negate this ability; however a daylight spell will. Creatures with darkvision may ignore the concealment.
• Dark Mind (Requires Forbidden Lore and Fear of the Thing): The tainted channeler’s mind swells with hideous truths and forbidden secrets, and he gains a +2 profane bonus to Intelligence or Wisdom.
• Dark Speech: (Requires Black-Eyed and Worm-Tongued): The tainted’s voice throbs with the undeniable authority of true evil; he gains the ability to command creatures at will. This is identical to the spell except that it is not language-dependent (and can therefore affect even animals). All saving throw DCs to resist his enchantment spells are increased +1 (this effect stacks with the benefit of Worm-Tongued).
• Not All There (Requires Worn): As the tainted channeler’s substance fades into shadow he gains Damage Reduction 1/—.
• Unraveled Sight (Requires Black-Eyed and Forbidden Lore): The tainted channeler is continuously under the effects of arcane sight. The effect can be dispelled, but the channeler can resume them as free actions.

Tier 3 Traits

• Demonic (Requires Appalling Aura, Horrific Visage, Masochist, and Troubled Sleep): The terrifying presence of the tainted channeler has grown such that she gains the ability to exude a more powerful aura of terror. She may cast fear as a spell-like ability once per day per 4 caster levels she has.
• Eye of the Mind (Requires Dark Mind, Fear of the Thing, Forbidden Lore, and Uncertain Truths): The tainted channeler can give the horrors glimpsed in her terrifying dreams a shadowy reality. Whether these are shadows worked to the disturbed patterns of her mind, or real entities of smoke and malice, even the tainted channeler is not sure. She may cast phantasmal killer as a spell-like ability once per day per 4 caster levels she has.
• Infected by Madness (Requires Already Mad, Forbidden Lore, True Madness, and Uncertain Truths): The madness that threatens to overwhelm the tainted channeler is a viscous force that she can direct at her foes. She may cast confusion as a spell-like ability once per day per 4 caster levels she has.
• Plagued (Requires Canker’s Cloak, Corruption’s Touch, Lesions, and Withered): Foulness swirls about the tainted channeler in a sickening miasma. Once per day per 4 caster levels she has, the channeler can make a ranged touch attack (range 25 ft. +5 ft./2 levels) to inflict a disease upon her foes. This is a spell-like ability that functions as the contagion spell, but the writhing bolt of putrescence can arc from one target to another in a way identical to the chain lightning spell. The tainted channeler can affect a number of secondary targets equal to one-half her caster level (maximum 10). The DC of the Fortitude save to resist the disease is reduced by –4 for the secondary targets.
• Power in Filth (Requires Canker’s Cloak, Corruption’s Touch, Festering, Lesions, Plagued and Withered): The tainted channeler draws strength and vitality from disease. Diseased creatures within 60 ft. of the tainted channeler can be targeted for purposes of this ability. Once per day per 4 caster levels she has, the channeler can transfer the ability score damage suffered that day by a diseased creature into a bonus to her corresponding ability score.

For example, a tainted channeler uses Power in Filth on a slave infected with filth fever. The slave failed his Fortitude save and suffered 2 points of Dexterity damage that day, which the channeler gains as a +2 bonus to her Dexterity. The bonuses granted by this ability last for 1 hour.

• Tyranny (Requires Black-Eyed, Dark Speech, Troubled Sleep, and Worm-Tongued): The tainted channeler’s will is indomitable and undeniable. Once per day per 4 caster levels she has, the channeler may use greater command as a spelllike ability. This is identical to the spell except that it is not language-dependent (and can therefore affect even animals).

Dark Marks

Taint brings corruption and decay as well as dark power. As the Shadow’s taint grows within her, a tainted channeler suffers a mark of the appropriate trait as selected by the DM. All Fortitude saves associated with dark marks have a DC of 10 + 1 / 2 the tainted channeler’s corruption level. All Will saves associated with dark marks have a DC of 10 + 1 / 2 the tainted channeler’s corruption level.

Tier 1 Marks

• Black-Eyed: The eyes of the tainted turn entirely black, sclera, iris, and pupil become a single dark orb. Looking into his eyes is like looking into the void. The character becomes extremely sensitive to light; he is blinded in full daylight and suffers a –1 penalty to attacks and skill checks in any conditions brighter than dimly lit.
• Fear of the Thing: The tainted channeler develops an irrational fear of something (chosen by the DM to suit the character’s personality). Whenever the object of her fear is in sight, or its presence is in some other way known to the channeler, she becomes shaken and will not recover from this state until the object of her fear is removed. The dark trait Already Mad does not protect against this mind-affecting effect. Tainted channelers who suffer this dark mark always gain the Fear Grows dark mark (see below).
• Lesions: Dark, suppurating boils break out across the tainted channeler’s skin; the stench of their exudations is nauseating. The channeler must succeed on a Fortitude save at the beginning of each day or be sickened until the following day. Likewise, all living creatures with a sense of smell gain a +4 circumstance bonus on initiative against the tainted channeler, but if they come within 5 ft. of him they must succeed at a Fortitude save or become sickened. The vile odor lingers for 4d6 hours and creatures hunting the tainted gain a +4 circumstance bonus to Survival checks made to track him during this time. Creatures with the Scent ability gain a +10 bonus.
• Masochist: The tainted channeler is consumed by the desire to inflict pain on others. She must torture and kill a single sentient creature other than herself (with Hit Dice equal to or greater than half her caster level) on the first day of each arc or suffer a –1 penalty to attacks and checks for each day that elapses until she does.
• Worn: The taint takes its toll and the channeler’s physical form begins to fade into shadow. The tainted channeler’s Strength score is permanently lowered by 2.

Tier 2 Marks

• Fear Grows: The tainted channeler’s irrational fear grows in its potency. The channeler is rendered panicked rather than shaken when in the presence of the object of her fear. This dark mark is always gained if the tainted channeler took the Fear of the Thing dark mark.
• Troubled Sleep: Every week there is a cumulative 10% chance that the tainted channeler will be the subject of a nightmare. The channeler does not regain spell energy points following the night of disturbed sleep, and regains only half of his taint points. The chance of the nightmare occurring again resets to 0% after the nightmare.
• Uncertain Truths: Every time the tainted channeler casts a spell, there is a 5% chance that he is assailed by waves of madness arising from the dark knowledge fomenting in his mind. The channeler must then succeed at a Will save or become affected as though by a confusion spell (caster level 7th). The chance of the tainted channeler’s madness rearing up to overwhelm him increases to 10% every time he uses a spell-like ability granted by his dark traits or uses only taint points to pay for a spell cost.
• Withered: The tainted channeler’s body weakens and withers beneath the spreading corruption; the creature’s Constitution and Dexterity are permanently lowered by 2.

Tier 3 Marks

• Festering: Vile maggots nest in the rotting skin of the tainted, eating his flesh and destroying his muscle. The tainted channeler suffers 1d3–1 Constitution damage per day (minimum 0). This damage can only be repaired by normal rest, not by spells or other effects.
• Hidden Master: Dark forces swirl about the tainted channeler, corrupted spirits and Lost shades attracted by her vile aura. These entities seek to possess the tainted channeler in moments of weakness. Every time the tainted uses taint points to pay for a spell’s cost, there is a 5% chance per taint point used that an evil trapped spirit (HD equal to the tainted channeler’s caster level + 1 HD per level of the spell that was cast) will attempt to manifest by possessing her body. The tainted channeler may make a Will save as normal to resist the possession, but she suffers a –1 penalty to the save per 5 points of her maximum taint pool, and protection from evil and other defensive measures used to prevent the possession are ineffective.
• True Madness: The tainted channeler teeters on the edge of an abyss of insanity. Every time the tainted channeler uses taint points to pay for a spell’s cost, there is a 5% chance per taint point used that the tainted channeler will be subject to an insanity effect. The tainted channeler may make a Will save as normal to resist the insanity, but she suffers a –1 penalty to the save per 5 points of her maximum taint pool, and mind blank and other defensive measures used to block mind-affecting effects are ineffective. The insanity lasts for a number of days equal to the level of the spell that provoked it.

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MIDNIGHT is © 2003 and TM Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc. MIDNIGHT 2ND EDITION, Heart of Shadow, and Taint Rules Heart of Darkness, pg. 57-62 are © 2005 and TM Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc. All right reserved.

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