Hysterical Contagion (3.5e Power)

You touch a target and make them believe they've been infected by some manner of terrible contagion or parasite, making them see and feel worms crawling under their skin, blisters forming, and other effects. The effects are real but entirely psychosomatic in nature. While symptoms are mild, the victim is convinced this is the onset of a very fatal and deadly disease and will desperately try to cure themselves or, barring that, try and remove it themselves. Targets must make a Will save or be "infected", and they spend the round scratching, asking for help, or otherwise panicking over their situation. They are not flatfooted and can continue to act so long as they do all in their ability to cure themselves or get themselves cured by asking for help, making heal checks, and casting magic. They will cease to be on the offensive until they are cured, something which is impossible since the disease isn't real. Likewise, being immune to disease does not prevent this memetic contagion.

Other creatures in 60 ft. which become aware of this "disease", and those who make physical contact with the victim, must also make the Will save or become infected themselves. This effect can spread out indefinitely, infecting whole groups of people with hysteria. 1 minute after initial infection, the creature becomes convinced that the only cure is to cut out the sickness, and they will start making attack rolls against themselves up to the point of killing themselves. The manifester is immune to the effects of their own hysterical contagion.

Those which succeed on the Will save are immune to further castings of hysterical contagion for 24 hours. These immunized creatures can snap infected creatures out of their delusions with a standard action, which grants another saving throw against the power. Likewise, effects which suppress mental compulsions will suppress the effects of the contagion.