| From: | Tania Evans <Tania-Ann.Evans@****.UNI-REGENSBURG.DE> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Allergy(long) |
| Date: | Wed, 14 Oct 1998 16:45:05 +0200 |
>
>> If a character were to take a severe allergy to gold would you be affected
>> if you were to use orichalcum? I am not sure which way to go on this one as
>> even though the gold may be changed during the process it is still magic.
>> And with magic anything goes.
Gurth wrote:
>I've always ruled that allergies are triggered by the actual substance,
>not by the individual atoms. Orichalcum contains gold atoms, but not pure
>gold, so it wouldn't affect a character allergic to gold.
Bingo!! For example: I am allergic to nickle (Ni), but not to steel,
of which nickle may be a part. However, this rule does not alway
apply: it depends on how heavily processed the substance was, as your
body's reactions are triggered by the presence of certain molecules.
(proteins only, really. Metal allergies mean metal has bounded to
organic material, read you.) In my case, steel is OK (complex
molecule, body doesn't register the presence of nickle in the
compound), but I'm in trouble if I eat out of a damaged tin can -
nickle accidentally in fruit, not OK. As a rule of thumb, if the
molecular structure of the offender is untouched, beware.
In the case above, my guess would be orichalcum counts as a different
type of molecule, so there's not necessarily a problem. There will be
a problem with any gold-coated surface, foil, gold as colour-agent in
foods etc.
>However, I must say I always consider taking allergies to gold a rather
>munchkinous thing to do, especially because it's almost always the result
>of an "I won't wear jewelry so the allergy won't bother me" reasoning.
Ah, not if I'm GM (display evil grin.)...
A few suggestions on allergies developed from nasty RL experience:
a) cross-reactions:
If you're allergic to one substance, you might also react to a
substance with similar molecular structure which your body
misinterprets as the real allergen. (I'm allergic to some herb
pollen and got a shock from a drink flavored with anise last year. My
body obviously thought anise flavour was the specific pollen. I got
mild reactions from a toothpaste, too, for the same reason.) The
chance for this happening rises with the severity of the allergy. In
the above case, if it was a severe allergy against gold, I'd rule
orichalcum, platinum and maybe copper as possible secondary
allergies, at a lower level, but with a chance of shock all the same.
I'd assign target numbers and different power levels to the different
substances, givong gold S level and target 2 to cause shock,
orichalcum S and 6, platinum M and 4 and copper L and 6 or
something. (I just made this up on the fly.)
b) hidden dangers
difficult with gold allergy - if you stay away from precious metals
in general, you should be safe, But: what about the gold used in
paint, perhaps in cyberware, as an ingredient in cosmetics (think
golden eye-shadow or lipstick) and, the fun one, as food colouring?
Check a list of food-additives or cosmetic ingredients for an idea.
(or check out www.foodallergy.org for some really scary examples.)
Depending on the level of the allergy, there is always the chance of
suffering an allergic shock. BTW - from the orichalcum issue I guess
the character in question is magically active... an allergic shock
can be a life-threatening situation, including coma, heart-failure,
suffocating and all the rest. I could imagine the character having to
roll for magic-loss, like after having taken a deadly wound.
Treated this way, allergies become a lot more dangerous. In extreme
cases, characters may die from a metallic coloured chewing gum. so
don't overdo it. (Similar things have happened in RL, especially
with food allergies, (soy!) which I would NOT recommend as SR
allergies. Check www.foodallergy.org for the grisly details.)
Have fun,
Tania
