Lycantrophy Infectious Patch

Lycanthropy is a human disease in Midian:
It is known only to infect humans and its transmission is through bodily fluids. The chance of infection is relatively low assuming one doesn’t fight and survive an encounter. This patch is designed to change the odds of infection, in favor of the Lycanthropy.

Human Lycanthropy Virus:
After infection the newly infected lycanthrope will show signs and symptoms of the common flu (influenza). Which translates to fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, exhaustion, chest discomfort, & coughing. These symptoms are caused by the bodies natural defenses, unfortunately they often serve the Lycanthropy. It can take one to seven days for the lycanthropy to win the battle completely. Once the symptoms have cleared the battle is over and the disease has won. The true danger of infection to others occurs during those few days in which the disease seems merely a flu.

For the infected their life seems to be normal save a nasty flu that they can’t seem to shake. The discomfort and ache cause them to be a little less then pleasant but it is the the coughing that poses the greatest danger to those around them. The disease is sent out with each of their coughs; droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person are propelled through the air and deposited on people or other surfaces nearby. There is a chance of infection when these droplets incidentally make contact with others’ mouths, noses, or open wounds. The chance of infection remains low, similar in fact to the flu. It is the number of infectious possibilities that would swell the ranks of lycanthropes. Each exposure becomes a save vs. disease with the difficulty to save to be determined by the GM. (Though I would keep the number low, relying on multiple exposures rather then high difficult saves. Saves can have both critical success and critical failure so says the Codex.)

After the symptoms fade the danger of infection through droplet spread ends but the nightmares and madness take their course. Described by Famine: the black horse: The nightmares that the disease causes trigger the shapeshifting, as does any stressful situation. The fever that accompanies the dreams (usually about running, hunting, and killing) is the first warning that the victim is infected. The shapeshifting is quite painful, particularly at first. The victim typically does nothing but howl in pain during the transformation.

The exposure mechanic:
One point per exposure, cumulative. That is, the first few times you are around this sick person you are safe as houses. But starting with the fourth exposure you have an ever-increasing likelihood of contracting the Howling Plague. As every new exposure increases you odds of contracting it, eventually you will lose.