Sage Today: vitality

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Vitality strengthens the character's resistance to disease, fatigue and system shock, through the manipulation of Qi (chi or ki), the vital force within the body; this quasi-energy is used to arouse the body to fight off any infection, greatly increasing the likelihood of the character enduring and surviving any natural ailment, regardless of constitution. This is because energy of Qi derives from outside the character; the normal effects of constitution, with regards to health and survival, is therefore surpassed by the sage ability.

The onset of disease involves a determination of both nature and degree. Nature describes whether a disease is acute or chronic. Degree determines whether the disease is mild, severe or terminal. Both are determined by a d8 roll. Vitality subtracts 1 point from both rolls in this determination for each 10 points of knowledge the character possesses. This greatly decreases the likelihood of most diseases being terminal even at a low experience level; as knowledge accumulates, the character will suffer little from any disease, and will ultimately become immune entirely.

As regards forced ability and fatigue, the character may likewise increase the total amount of time they may continue to act without needing to make a check, beginning with the limit of their natural constitution, by 1 hour per 8 points of knowledge, regardless of the activity performed. Thus, a character possessed of the vitality ability, having a 10 constitution and 35 points of knowledge, would be able to perform hard physical labor for 14 hours without making a forced ability check.

Finally, the character's ability to survive a system shock roll is increased by 1% per 7 points of knowledge; this would mean that a character with an 18 constitution and the vitality ability would never need to make a system shock check, as it would be adjusted to 100%.

None of these benefits is received if the character does not possess sufficient points to be an amateur in the Way of the Blood sage study.