Items can be corrupted; why not characters?

Items can be corrupted, why not characters?

Killing Dominus on Merciless for uncorrupted, level 60+ characters should yield a character-bound item that, when used, corrupts the character randomly for interesting effects. Some of the effects are permanent and result in the permanent corruption of the character while others are less potent and result in only temporary corruption. Some of the effects are incredibly powerful while others are extremely dangerous. In all cases, the corruption persists until the effect is consumed. Permanent effects are never consumed. Effects that introduce monsters or zones persist until the zones are cleared.

The item that provides the corruption should not be stashable/tradeable and can be destroyed or dropped if desired. A confirmation dialog should probably ask whether or not the character is sure before using it. For added greatness, the game should definitely announce to the area what occurs on use.

I've come up with 25 different corruptions that could be easily broken into different tiers and given different probabilities.

Character progression:

- Acquire a temporary multiplicative bonus (-20% to 20%) on experience for 1-5 levels.
- Acquire a permanent size modifier to the character model (-20% to 20%)
- Acquire a permanent, random level 10-20 curse or aura
- Acquire a permanent, random notable passive
- Acquire a permanent, random keystone passive
- Acquire a permanent increase or decrease in one primary stat (10-30)
- Acquire a permanent increase or decrease in a maximum resistances (1-3)
- Acquire a permanent increase or decrease in armor (100-500), evasion (100-500), or energy shield (50-250)
- Gain a permanent, constant degeneration or regeneration effect to life or mana
- Gain a permanent increase or decrease in the level of gems he or she uses
- Life, mana, and energy shield totals become 1
- Become permanently corrupted

Zones:

- All future created instances gain a random map affix and associated item quantity
- All future created instances gain or lose a random item quantity modifier
- All future created instances gain or lose a random item rarity modifier
- All future created instances gain or lose a random size (legacy map affix) modifier

Monsters:

- Immediately teleport to a random level-appropriate boss encounter. Until this boss is killed, the player is corrupted and all portals and waypoints lead to that zone.
- Immediately teleport to a random level-appropriate encounter with between 1 and 5 rogue exiles. Until these exiles are killed, the player is corrupted and all portals and waypoints lead to that zone.

Item drops:

- The next 1-100 monsters killed drop a currency item
- The next 1-100 currency items that drop for the character may not be picked up by any character
- The next 1-10 monsters killed drop a random "common" unique item
- The next 1-10 random "common" unique items that drop for the character may not be picked up by any character
- The next monster killed drops a random "rare" unique item
- The next "rare" unique item that drops for the character may not be picked up by any character
- The next 10-100 items that drop for the character are corrupted

Each of these might yield interesting names for characters too. If someone gains the most-terrible "Life, mana, and energy shield totals become 1" affix, they could be called "of Doom". If someone were to gain the Notable Passive affix, they might be called Sharp or Acute.

Anyways, we all know that people roll characters over and over again anyways, why not turn up the dial on this unforgiving place we call Wraeclast?

I like idea, but I think it would better integrated with corrupting certain nodes on the skill tree, rather than the entire character. That way you could at least keep some part of your build safe.

Could be fun.

People often play multiple characters in even a given "short term" challenge league...

Character Corruption
- Character can be corrupted up to 5 times, adding random effects
- Character must be over level 75 to corrupt

Random chance of:
- +1 Skill point, but a random node is locked and un-removable
- Corrupt a random node such that it can't be repec'd.
- +25 stat points to a random stat
- -15 stat points to a random stat
- +500 defense to a random defense (Armor/Evasion/Energy Shield)
- -250 defense to a random defense (Armor/Evasion/Energy Shield)
- +2 Max Resist of a type
- -1 Max Resist of a type
- +200 health
- -100 health
- +200 mana
- -100 mana
- Reset level to level 1-5 (full repec of uncorrupted nodes, keep all corruptions)
- 20% less physical damage taken
- 10% more physical damage taken
- 30% more attack speed
- 15% less attack speed
- +50% chaos damage dealt
- -25% chaos damage dealt
- +30% all resists
- -15% all resists
...

Getting a negative corruption means both that you are worse, but also that you will have 1 fewer positive corruption available.