Diseased Critter
The fight is not the dangerous part. Any survivor with a weapon and decent reflexes can put down a diseased critter, at least at the lower tiers. The dangerous part is what happens afterward: the fever that sets in three hours later, the wounds that will not close cleanly, the settlement medic running through treatment supplies because half the scouting party came back carrying something they cannot name. Diseased critters are walking contagion vectors, and the damage they inflict is measured in sick beds and lost days as much as in Body damage.
These creatures carry virulent infections that spread through every point of contact. Bites, scratches, sprayed acid, even proximity at higher tiers. The disease might be bacterial, fungal, parasitic, or something the wasteland has invented that does not fit pre-Fall categories. What matters is the transmission: fast, aggressive, and indifferent to the victim's Lineage or constitution. Close-quarters combat against a diseased critter is a calculated risk at best and a death sentence at worst, depending on whether the settlement has a sawbones standing by with the right treatments.
At Nuisance tier, the threat is limited to direct contact: a bite or scratch that delivers a single disease type. Manageable, if you keep your distance. By Hazard tier, Acid Spew adds a ranged disease delivery system, a single-target glob of corrosive fluid that carries infection on impact. Menace-tier specimens gain Acid Spray for area coverage and Delusions to disorient targets, and Natural Armor makes them harder to put down before they contaminate the field. Catastrophic tier introduces Area of Effect disease infliction, meaning the creature no longer needs to touch you individually to infect the group. At Apocalyptic tier, Dangerous Grounds contaminates the surrounding terrain itself, fifteen uses of Acid Spew turn the battlefield into a toxic slick, and Mental Armor ensures the creature stays standing long enough to spread its payload to everyone present.
The irony is that diseased critters are among the least durable scope types. No Sturdy Critter at any tier. No damage reduction. Limited defenses. They are fragile by critter standards. But fragility does not matter when the real weapon is what they leave behind in your bloodstream.
These creatures carry virulent infections that spread through every point of contact. Bites, scratches, sprayed acid, even proximity at higher tiers. The disease might be bacterial, fungal, parasitic, or something the wasteland has invented that does not fit pre-Fall categories. What matters is the transmission: fast, aggressive, and indifferent to the victim's Lineage or constitution. Close-quarters combat against a diseased critter is a calculated risk at best and a death sentence at worst, depending on whether the settlement has a sawbones standing by with the right treatments.
At Nuisance tier, the threat is limited to direct contact: a bite or scratch that delivers a single disease type. Manageable, if you keep your distance. By Hazard tier, Acid Spew adds a ranged disease delivery system, a single-target glob of corrosive fluid that carries infection on impact. Menace-tier specimens gain Acid Spray for area coverage and Delusions to disorient targets, and Natural Armor makes them harder to put down before they contaminate the field. Catastrophic tier introduces Area of Effect disease infliction, meaning the creature no longer needs to touch you individually to infect the group. At Apocalyptic tier, Dangerous Grounds contaminates the surrounding terrain itself, fifteen uses of Acid Spew turn the battlefield into a toxic slick, and Mental Armor ensures the creature stays standing long enough to spread its payload to everyone present.
The irony is that diseased critters are among the least durable scope types. No Sturdy Critter at any tier. No damage reduction. Limited defenses. They are fragile by critter standards. But fragility does not matter when the real weapon is what they leave behind in your bloodstream.
Basic Information
Anatomy
A diseased critter looks like something that should already be dead. The skin is rotting visibly, split and peeling in patches that expose the tissue beneath. Greenish ichor seeps from wounds, from the corners of the mouth, from the tips of claws and teeth. The fluid is not blood; it is thicker, darker, and carries the distinctive sour-sweet smell that survivors learn to associate with active contagion.
The decay is not the cause of death. These creatures are very much alive, driven by the same biological imperatives as any other critter. The rot is a byproduct of the diseases they carry, a visible marker of the pathogen load coursing through their systems. Every surface of the creature is a transmission point. The teeth that bite, the claws that scratch, the fluid that sprays when the creature is wounded: all of it carries infection. Higher-tier specimens develop glands or sacs capable of projecting acidic, disease-laden fluid at range, and the body itself begins to leak contagion passively into the surrounding environment.
The decay is not the cause of death. These creatures are very much alive, driven by the same biological imperatives as any other critter. The rot is a byproduct of the diseases they carry, a visible marker of the pathogen load coursing through their systems. Every surface of the creature is a transmission point. The teeth that bite, the claws that scratch, the fluid that sprays when the creature is wounded: all of it carries infection. Higher-tier specimens develop glands or sacs capable of projecting acidic, disease-laden fluid at range, and the body itself begins to leak contagion passively into the surrounding environment.
Biological Traits
The core mechanic is Inflict Disease (Choose Type), which appears at every tier and scales from one use at Nuisance to five at Apocalyptic, with Area of Effect variants appearing at Catastrophic tier and above. The specific disease type is chosen per encounter, meaning the same creature category can deliver different infections depending on the specimen.
Acid Spew (single-target ranged attack dealing 10 Body) appears at Hazard tier, and Acid Spray (scatter-shot area attack) follows at Menace. These abilities scale aggressively: by Apocalyptic tier, fifteen uses of Acid Spew and ten of Acid Spray create a sustained barrage of corrosive, disease-carrying projectiles. Delusions (single-target at Menace and Catastrophic, Area of Effect at Apocalyptic) disrupt target coordination, and Dangerous Grounds at Tier 5 passively contaminates the surrounding terrain.
Defensively, diseased critters are notably fragile. Natural Armor appears at Menace tier and Mental Armor only at Apocalyptic, but no tier grants Sturdy Critter or any form of damage reduction. The creature's survival depends on spreading disease before it is brought down, not on outlasting its opponents in direct combat.
Acid Spew (single-target ranged attack dealing 10 Body) appears at Hazard tier, and Acid Spray (scatter-shot area attack) follows at Menace. These abilities scale aggressively: by Apocalyptic tier, fifteen uses of Acid Spew and ten of Acid Spray create a sustained barrage of corrosive, disease-carrying projectiles. Delusions (single-target at Menace and Catastrophic, Area of Effect at Apocalyptic) disrupt target coordination, and Dangerous Grounds at Tier 5 passively contaminates the surrounding terrain.
Defensively, diseased critters are notably fragile. Natural Armor appears at Menace tier and Mental Armor only at Apocalyptic, but no tier grants Sturdy Critter or any form of damage reduction. The creature's survival depends on spreading disease before it is brought down, not on outlasting its opponents in direct combat.
Behaviour
Diseased critters do not hunt with the focused aggression of carnivorous types or the patient ambush tactics of stealthy variants. Their behavior is driven by basic predatory instinct, and the disease spread is less a deliberate tactic than a consequence of contact. They approach, they attack, and everything they touch becomes contaminated. The simplicity of their behavior is part of what makes them dangerous: there is no complex pattern to read, no tells to exploit. They come at you, and if any part of them connects, the clock starts ticking on an infection.
At higher tiers, the contamination becomes environmental. Acid Spray creates areas of lingering contagion. Delusions disorient targets, making it harder to maintain the distance that is the primary defense against disease transmission. At Apocalyptic tier, Dangerous Grounds transforms the creature's territory into a hazard zone where simply standing in the wrong place risks infection. The creature does not need to win the fight. It just needs to be present long enough to turn the battlefield into a quarantine site.
At higher tiers, the contamination becomes environmental. Acid Spray creates areas of lingering contagion. Delusions disorient targets, making it harder to maintain the distance that is the primary defense against disease transmission. At Apocalyptic tier, Dangerous Grounds transforms the creature's territory into a hazard zone where simply standing in the wrong place risks infection. The creature does not need to win the fight. It just needs to be present long enough to turn the battlefield into a quarantine site.
Walking contagion vectors that spread virulent infection on contact.
Scope Type
Diseased
Threat Range
Nuisance through Apocalyptic
Body Range
10-250 (base) + scope modifiers
Key Trait
Inflict Disease, Acid Spew/Spray, Dangerous Grounds
