These rules are adapted from a published D20 sourcebook. My primary design goal here was to both streamline the system and increase its versatility by introducing the concept of faint taint (which allows the GM to use taint more frequently due to its lower stakes). I unified these rules with those for kaostech (which I’ll be presenting separately), and both of these are used in the Laboratory of the Beast Scenario.

BECOMING TAINTED

If a character remains exposed to a tainted place or object for more than 10 rounds, they must make a Fortitude check (DC 15) or immediately suffer 1 point of taint. In addition, if a character uses or wields a tainted object, they must make a Fortitude check (DC 15) or immediately suffer 1d3 points of taint.

For every 24 hours spent in a tainted place, or spent carrying a tainted object, a character must make a Fortitude saving throw. The base DC is 15 + 1 for every consecutive 24 hours of exposure. Multiple, simultaneous exposures (such as carrying a tainted weapon in a tainted place) increases the DC by +2 per additional source of exposure every 24 hours. If the character fails this saving throw, their taint increases by 1.

FAINT TAINT

Some objects and places are only faintly tainted. Characters exposed to such objects and places still risk becoming tainted themselves, but the risk is not as great.

A character who is exposed to a faintly tainted place or carries a faintly tainted object for more than 1 day must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or immediately suffer 1 point of taint. In addition, the first time a character uses or wields a faintly tainted object, they must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or immediately suffer 1 point of taint.

For every week spent in a faintly tainted place or carrying a faintly tinted object, a character must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or suffer 1 point of taint. Unlike fully tainted objects and places, multiple or simultaneous exposure to faintly tainted objects or places do not increase the DCs of these checks.

TAINTED PLACES

When a character casts an evil spell in a tainted area, the caster is considered at +1 caster level for spell effects that depend on level. When a character casts a good spell in a tainted area, the caster is considered at -1 caster level for spell effects that depend on level. (This has no effect on spells known, spells per day, or highest level of spell available.)

Faintly tainted places have no effect on the casting of such spells.

DETECTING TAINT

The use of a detect evil spell can detect taint. It reveals itself as an oozing, purple pulsation within the blackish aura which normally detects the presence of evil. The strength of the aura depends on the amount of taint present:

• 1 taint point = Faint aura
• 2-4 taint points = Moderate aura
• 5-10 taint points = Strong aura
• 11+ taint points = Overwhelming aura

EFFECTS OF TAINT

A character’s taint score applies as a penalty to his Constitution and Wisdom scores. Thus, a character with a 16 Constitution and a 14 Wisdom who acquires a taint score of 4 has an effective Constitution of 12 and an effective Wisdom of 10. These penalties reflect the taint’s impact on the character’s physical and mental health. Characters who embrace taint (see below) and make use of it can ignore some of these penalties. These penalties are not treated as ability damage, ability drain, or any other penalty to an ability score that can be removed by magic.

The effects of the tainted character’s Constitution and Wisdom penalties can be experienced in many ways, depending on the level of taint. A character who has lost 25% of their Constitution to taint is mildly tainted. A character who has lost 50% of their Constitution is moderately tainted. A character who has lost 75% of their Constitution is severely tainted.

MILD TAINT EFFECTS:

• Occasional nausea or vomiting
• Pain in joints
• Hair goes white
• Mild paranoia
• Disorientation
• Increased aggressiveness
• Mild hallucinations
• Phlegmy, wracking cough
• Eyelid swells, obscuring vision
• Pale, grayish dead complexion
• Sunken eyes, cracked lips
• Skip seeps greasy, yellowish “sweat”
• Skin thickens, turns leathery

MODERATE TAINT EFFECTS:

• Bones begin to warp, thicken
• Black, lichen-like skin growth
• Reddened, burn-like sores
• Eye clouds or blood vessels break
• Lips shrink back from gums
• Gums swell, bleed, rot
• Bleeding from orifices
• Hair falls out
• Uncontrollable seizures
• Eruption of painful sores
• Sores ooze blood, pus, ooze
• Sores ooze spiders, insects, maggots
• Hear the voices of evil spirits
• Severe paranoia
• Fits of disturbing laughter
• Disregard of hygiene

SEVERE TAINT EFFECTS:

• Flesh of nose rots away
• Mutated, deformed extremities
• Spine twists, back hunches
• Severe warping of skeleton
• Skull enlarges and deforms
• Great, swollen growths on the body
• Lungs eaten away from the inside
• Eye falls out, leaving gaping socket
• Skin peels off in papery sloughs
• Fingers or toes begin to web and fuse
• Irresistable murderous rages
• Reduced to primitive beahvior
• Eats inedible or still-living things

IGNORING TAINT

Only undead and creatures with the evil subtype are unaffected by taint.

DEATH FROM TAINT

If a character’s Constitution score reaches 0 from the effects of taint, they die. 1d6 hours later, they rise as a hideous, evil creature under the control of the DM.

CLEANING TAINT

Taint can be removed in a number of ways, particularly through the use of spells.

• Remove curse and remove disease each reduce a taint score by 1 point, although they cannot reduce a taint score below 1.
• Heal reduces a character’s taint score by 1 point per three caster levels, but it cannot reduce a taint score below 1.
• Restoration reduces a character’s taint score by 1 point per four caster levels, but cannot reduce a taints score below 1.
• Greater restoration reduces taint by a number of points equal to the caster level of the cleric casting the greater restoration, it can also reduce a taint score to 0.
• Miracle or wish spells cannot remove taint except by duplicating the effects of other spells described here.

CLEANSING PLACES AND OBJECTS: Clerics may use hallow to remove the taint from an area, but it takes time. The spell must remain intact for a year and a day to remove the taint from an area. If, during that time, an opposing character casts unhallow on some or all of the area, the effort is lost and must be begun again.

Unintelligent items left in a hallowed area for a year and a day lose their taint. Items that have an intelligence score are cleansed as if they were characters.

TAINT-ABSORBING ITEMS: Some items can naturally absorb taint, either cleansing those affected by it (rare) or protecting those who carry them from taint (more common).

TAINTED FEATS

Tainted feats require that a character have at least 1 point of taint (as specified in the feat’s prerequisites).

CORRUPTED BODY [TAINT]

Prerequisites: 1 taint point

Benefit: You do not suffer any penalty to your Wisdom score as a result of the taint. However, you suffer twice the normal number of mutations.

Special: If you are ever completely cleansed of the taint, you may immediately choose another feat to replace Corrupted Body. A character with both the Corrupted Body and Twisted Mind feats suffers no penalties, mutations, or insanities from the taint.

MASTERY OF THE TAINT [TAINT]

Prerequisites: 5 taint points

Benefit: You have learned to use the taint within you to channel powerful magical energies. You cannot cast spells of the good and lawful types, but you cast chaos and evil spells at a +1 caster level. In a tainted area this bonus is doubled to a +2 caster level.

Special: This feat can be selected as one of the wizard’s bonus feats.

MASTERY OF THE TAINT, GREATER [TAINT]

Prerequisites: Mastery of the Taint, 10 taint points

Benefit: Your mastery of the taint has grown, allowing you to cast chaos and evil spells at +2 caster level and all other spells at +1 caster level. In a tainted area these bonuses are increased by one (+3 caster level for chaos and evil spells, +2 caster level for all other spells).

Special: This feat can be selected as one of the wizard’s bonus feats.

TAINTED EMBRACE [TAINT]

Prerequisites: 5 taint points

Benefit: You gain protection from good and protection from law as supernatural abilities.

TAINTED STRENGTH [TAINT]

Prerequisites: 4 taint points

Benefit: Your muscles and sinews have been infused with the taint, lending them unnatural strength even as your body rots from within. You gain a +2 bonus to Strength.

Special: Because your tainted strength requires the taint to corrupt your body, you cannot benefit from the Twisted Mind feat if you possess this feat.

TAINTED STRENGTH, GREATER [TAINT]

Prerequisites: Tainted Strength, 6 taint points

Benefit: You gain an additional +2 bonus to Strength (for a total bonus of +4).

TWISTED MIND [TAINT]

Prerequisites: 1 taint point

Benefit: You do not suffer any penalty to your Constitution score as a result of the taint. However, you suffer twice the normal number of insanities.

Special: If you are ever completely cleansed of the taint, you may immediately choose another feat to replace Twisted Mind.

A character with both the Corrupted Body and Twisted Mind feats suffers no penalties, mutations, or insanities from the taint.

This material is covered by the Open Gaming License.