We just started The Bullywug Gambit tonight and my players had a blast. Now that one of the PC's has savage fever it made me think once again about how I'm going to run it. So far the character has failed his initial save and taken the INT damage, which was only 2 points. I really like Nicholas Logue's variant houserule method of having them become savage as soon as they take 6 points of damage, but I don't wanna be quite that harsh to my players. (I know...I'm a softie.) But I think I will change the length of the coma. I don't really like the idea of a character spending days in a coma while his intelligence heals up to it's new maximum. I think the way I'm gonna do it is once your intelligence heals up to 1, you wake up and are a savage creature. Then your intelligence keeps healing while you do your savage thing over the next several days. (Probably at just a rate of 1 per day, since I don't think many savage creatures are laying around getting complete bed rest.)
I like this not only because it reduces the amount of time in the coma but I find the idea of all savage creatures being completely animalistic when they first awaken to their new life really cool. The wizard with an 18 INT wakes up from his coma and he has no real memories of who he is; his only thoughts are of killing and eating. As the days go by, though, things start coming back to him through the savage fog and eventually he is a cunning, intelligent but still very savage monster, even capable of casting up to 2nd level spells. Of course most savage creatures would die before their intelligence is healed fully because as James Jacobs said it's not by their very natures most of them don't have a long life.
But this brings to mind a question: exactly when in the coma does the character actually become a savage creature? Say the druid's wolf animal companion fails his initial fort save. He only has a 2 intelligence so the chances are very good he's dropping to 0 right then and falling into the coma. The druid casts Lesser Restoration on his four legged friend right away. But is the wolf a savage creature already, or is it not until he comes out of the coma? If he's savage already then all the druid is doing is bringing him out of the coma as a savage creature sooner. But if he's not savage yet then this would stave off the disease for a little while longer.
cthulhu_waits!
That is a great punch-pulling variant my man! I also like the explanation behind it...waking up HUNGRY and going CRAZY...and then slowly getting some semblance of who you are back...that's sick! I love it, cause then you get to maybe even be disgusted with the lengths of savagery you went to during those early days (maybe).
To answer your question: Whenever you want!? Pretty much do what you like says I, we are already getting bend-o-matic with the disease rules as is so I say pick whatever is going to be more terrifyingly dramatic in the moment. My bet is waking from the coma is more scary. You restore the Int points to that cute little doggie and you're thinking "Whew, everything is okay with my cute little doggie now..." and then the dog wakes up and goes crack-crazy on you...and it's f*$#ing horrific...the humanity!!!