Cut Content: Fatal Diseases and Remedies

[Noqn]

Diseases

Looking through the gamedata files, I found something interesting... unused disease-related Affliction Types:

Bedfellow Mites	(AFT_Bedfellow_Mites)
Chest Worms	(AFT_Chest_Worms)
Red Lung	(AFT_Red_Lung)
Scurvy	(AFT_Scurvy)
Stone Creep	(AFT_Stone_Creep)
The Hack	(AFT_the_Hack)
The Pox	(AFT_the_Pox)
The Rot	(AFT_the_Rot)
Weeping Fever	(AFT_Weeping_Fever)

(To clarify, AfflictionTypes are gamedata objects that define affliction "categories" and includes ID references to the afflictions that they govern. The primary ones being the Attribute Afflictions, e.g. AFT_Might which contains references to Staggered, Dazed and Stunned.)

While our "disease" Affliction Types each contain several references, almost all of the afflictions that would correspond to those IDs are missing from the gamedata files. Luckily, one of these afflictions remain... Red_Lung_Stage4_Death

We can from the name alone tell that Red Lung (and likely more of the diseases) would have ended in the death of the afflicted party member.
Looking closer at the Red_Lung_Stage4_Death affliction, it seems to cause a "blood splurt" visual effect, then outright kill the afflicted character.

Here is the effect in action:

 

It's a shame that there are no traces left of what the previous, non-fatal stages had for symptoms, though I could however find their names in the string table!

Stone Creep, Early Stage
Stone Creep, Middle Stage
Terminal Stone Creep

The Pox, Early Stage
The Pox, Middle Stage
Terminal Pox

The Rot, Early Stage
The Rot, Middle Stage
Chronic Rot

Weeping Fever, Early Stage
Weeping Fever, Middle Stage
Terminal Weeping Fever

Red Lung, Early Stage
Red Lung, Middle Stage
Terminal Red Lung

Bedfellow Mites, Early Stage
Bedfellow Mites, Middle Stage
Chronic Bedfellow Mites

 

Remedies

Looking further, I found seven unused item names, descriptions and icons for "remedies" related to our diseases!
Six of which corresponds to a specific disease, and one (Lichen Tablet) which seems to be a general cure to any stage 1 disease.

Lichen Tablet
"A medicine made from special fungi, moss, and algae native to the Deadfire. This unassuming capsule remedies most all sickness, so long as said disease is in its early stages."

Rymrgand's Bane
"When burned, Rymrgand's bane releases a therapeutic smoke. Cures Red Lung."

Potent Incense
"An pleasant aroma emanates from the smoldering sticks. While not strictly medicinal, the smoke repels bothersome insects. Treats Bedfellow Mites."

Rose Draught
"Pungent, sour, and bitter all at once. This brew is difficult to keep down, but its healing properties cannot be denied. It is used to break fevers and settle nausea, allowing the patient to recover. Cures Weeping Fever."

 

(I don't have good enough english or reading comprehension to connect the remaining three items with their descriptions.)

Aromatic Rub

Astringent Salve

Thistle Tar

 

Remaining descriptions:

1. "A poultice made from medicinal plants. This stinging pulp soothes lesions and sores while safely dissolving necrotic flesh. Cures the Rot."
2. "This botanical ointment is spread about the chest and neck. Its fumes are technically toxic, but have the benefit of treating breathing ailments before any noticeable harm comes to the patient. Cures the Hack."
3. "The smell from this goop is harsh and greasy. It is used to clear parasitic infestations deep in the skin. Removes the Chest Worms affliction."

 

"Toxin" and "Fungus"

Not directly related to the abovementioned diseases, but while searching I also found two unused items grouped suspiciously close to Antidote's name and description in items.stringtable

Antitoxin
"A few drops from this vial introduce cleansing materials into the body. The process is painful, but useful for purging foreign elements from the skin and blood. Cures afflictions of the "Toxin" type and imparts immunity to toxins for the duration."

Fungicide
"A necessity for any healer in the stagnant wetlands of the Deadfire, where a single prick of the skin can cause blooming fungal infestations. Apothecaries produce a steady supply of this harsh, stinging liquid to supply travelers and adventurers. It rapidly destroys fungal spores and growths, both topically and internally. Cures afflictions of the "Fungus" type and imparts immunity to fungus for the duration."

(Note that this Fungicide uses a separate string table entry from the FS quest item Fungicide)

 

Looking at their descriptions and comparing to Antidote's, it seems that at one point "Toxin" and "Fungus" existed as keywords alongside Poison!

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by Noqn

[Boeroer]

So - that would have been in the game if ship combat would have been scrapped soon enough.

[Helz]

Cool find! I think you've got them ordered correctly. An astringent treats the skin, aromatics are commonly rubbed on the chest for coughing, and tar is goopy.

Astringent Salve = "A poultice made from medicinal plants. This stinging pulp soothes lesions and sores while safely dissolving necrotic flesh. Cures the Rot."

Aromatic Rub = "This botanical ointment is spread about the chest and neck. Its fumes are technically toxic, but have the benefit of treating breathing ailments before any noticeable harm comes to the patient. Cures the Hack."

Thistle Tar = "The smell from this goop is harsh and greasy. It is used to clear parasitic infestations deep in the skin. Removes the Chest Worms affliction."

18 minutes ago, Boeroer said:

So - that would have been in the game if ship combat would have been scrapped soon enough.

Speaking of feature creep - deadly, contagious diseases at sea would have been interesting.

[NotDumbEnough]

I believe the plague ship encounters can kill off your companions if you don't treat it, as in there is different text for tossing each of the main companions overboard. Perhaps they worked the concept into that instead.

[thelee]

Very interesting!

I wonder if this is why we have a kind of relic of an effect where Disease/Poison keywording is very poorly differentiated in some current game mechanics. edit: I wonder if disease keyworded effects were originally planned to also infect targets with a disease, instead of just being another class of abilities that frequently run into same/similar enemy immunities as poison while being different enough to not benefit from the +poison PL stuff.

Edited December 14, 2021 by thelee

[Kvellen]

That's a really interesting find!

I wonder if perhaps these were intended as special injuries that could be inflicted in certain areas, like the area beneath the Gullet? Probably a case of a feature being thematically interesting, but frustrating in practise.

[Noqn]

16 minutes ago, thelee said:

I wonder if this is why we have a kind of relic of an effect where Disease/Poison keywording is very poorly differentiated in some current game mechanics.

I think this is very likely, I checked and the Red_Lung_Stage4_Death affliction actually has the Disease keyword.

[Noqn]

4 minutes ago, Kvellen said:

I wonder if perhaps these were intended as special injuries that could be inflicted in certain areas, like the area beneath the Gullet?

Imagine getting infested with the parasite described in the Rotghast bestiary...

Quote

Beware the drowned kith. Pity the poor sailors, the fishers, and the Chamelea-clam divers who in a stroke of ill-luck ingest the waterborne rotter - the parasite that takes hold in death.

Known as the rotghasts, these are the corpses that continue to roam, stinking and rotting, skin sloughing from bone while host's own innards flourish an infestation that steadily consumes from the lungs out. The first stage of incubation progresses as a welling of a thousand worms from the guts to the tongue, enabling transmission through regurgitation and watery-discharge.

Later stages of the nesting cycle involve bulging, easily-burst tumors, blackened blood, worms writhing through the skin, and the complete loss of motor functions.

Sadly, there is no known remedy save for the utter destruction of the body.

 

[MaxQuest]

That's really cool)  Thank you for this interesting find Noqn, and for the presentation)

I can easily imagine how these could be contracted by being crit or injured by respective enemies; or from staying too long in those putrid clouds in Old City.

And how some of these remedies would have to be crafted from rare materials.

Edited December 15, 2021 by MaxQuest

[xzar_monty]

On 12/15/2021 at 1:26 PM, MaxQuest said:

I can easily imagine how these could be contracted by being crit or injured by respective enemies; or from staying too long in those putrid clouds in Old City.

Those putrid clouds, by the way, were a bit of a disappointment in the game. Yes, they caused unpleasant things, but once you moved away, everything was back to ok in a minute. So, they never mattered in the end, and I couldn't really see how they could have mattered to anyone in any way.