You're All Diseased!

[big teej]

Greetings Playgrounders!

I have the entire summer to plan my next adventure for my campus group.

goodie for me, and bollocks for them, I have decided to run a Plague themed adventure.

long story short, I am in need of DISEASES!! LOTS AND LOTS OF DISEASES!!

so from you my pathogenically prolific compatriots, I require one of two things, preferably both.

direct me to any diseases in the books that aren't on the SRD AND

help me come up with more!!

by all means, give your own

what's it called?
what's it do? (mechanically)
how is it spread?
- this includes contact/injury/ingestion/etc. as well as where a character would be exposed to the pathogen
how long does it take to affect an individual?
how hard is it to resist?
what are the symptoms?
any special stuff?

for sake of consistency, lets use this format
EXAMPLE:

Name: Blinding Sickness
Infection: Ingested, found in tainted water
DC: 16
Incubation: 1d3 days
Damage: 1d4 strength
special: each time the victim takes more than 2 damage, they must make another save or become permanently blind.

have fun :smallbiggrin:

oh, I'm trying to set up a d100 table. so let's see if we can get that many.
:xykon:

[Phelix-Mu]

Name: False Child Fever
Infection: Inhaled, Contact, the disease hangs in the air around the infected and on nearby surfaces.
DC: 18
Incubation: 1 day
Damage: 1d3 Wisdom
special: Those that lose more than 5 points of Wisdom or that drop below 8 Wisdom begin to suffer hallucinations involving non-existent children, to the extent that they often get up and attempt to follow or otherwise interact with their hallucinations.

Background:
A magical mishap befell a pregnant Cancer Mage, and she "gave birth" to a plethora of diseases while in virus form. Some of the diseases, such as this one, were sentient. The hallucinations are in fact fragments of these intelligent diseases.

[Fouredged Sword]

Name: Red Rage
Infection: Blood contact
DC: 18
Incubation: 1 Hour
Damage: 1 Wisdom
special: Any time the character takes damage to hit points or an ability score (including damage from the disease) they must pass a will save (DC 18) or fly into a frenzy per the frenzied berserker class feature.

[Kanosint]

Oooh, I like this idea :) Always loved the idea of body horror in RPGs, it's something that's explored far too little...

I know one of the recent Spoony Counter Monkey rants was about how to really scare the Players, not just the characters, with disease, aaand there's always the second adventure of Curse of the Crimson Throne for more inspiration: 'Seven Days to the Grave'.

As for diseases, well, there's so many out there, I'm kinda amazed you'd ever run out of new ones to try :3

[Sgt. Cookie]

Name: Blood bilge
Infection: Bilge flies that implant eggs
DC: 20 (Vampires and other creatures that drink blood get no save against the special effect, but do against the damage)
Incubation: 1d6+6 hours (The Special effect occurs instantly)
Damage: 1d3 Con every four hours (Fort 17 negates) (Will not reduce below 5), after one week it deals 1d6 Con damage (Fort 20 halves) (This damage can reduce Con to below 5)
Special: Blood drinkers, such as Vampires, are Nauseated for 2d6+6 days, even if they are normaly immune to the effect, they are also exposed to the normal effect. Cure Disease removes the condition. Blood Bilge does not effect creatures without blood. Blood Bilge always lasts for one week.

Blood Bilge is not a disease, but uncountable numbers of parasites. Upon entering the body, via a Bilge fly ir several implanting a large number of eggs, it begins to burrow into the blood stream. Once there Bilge larvae begin to consume blood and eat away at the blood vessels. After one week, the now formed Bilge flies claw and bite their way out of the host's body all at once, an extremely painful experience that is often fatal.

Vampires and other blood drinkers suffer an extra effect from Bilge larvae, exteme hunger. This is caused by the Bilge larvae gorging themselves on the stagnant blood, as well as biting and gnawing on the stomache lining. Feasting in this manner causes the Bilge larve to not complete their metamorphasis, because they are essentaly obese. This prevents them from leaving the blood consuming host, where they eventualy die.




Name: Magician's Bane
Infection: Contact, only occurs after 30 spell levels or more have been cast in a 5 minuite perioid within a 30ft radius (centered on the first spell). Spellcasters can infect others by touching them.
DC: Will 18
Incubation: Instant
Damage: 1d2 caster levels, 1d3 spell slots (highest level slots are lost first, a spellcaster cannot recover these lost slots while infected)
Special: Supernatural disease, only affects creatures with spell slots. Once a Caster's spell slots have all been drained, Magician's Bane disapears.

Magician's Bane is a disease that occurs when a large amount of magic is used in a small area in a small amount.of time. It is caused by the magic developing a rudimentary consiousness, one that instinctively latches onto magic. The disease imediately begins to sustain itself by feasting on the magical energies of the host. Once the host no longer possesses any magical energy Magician's Bane simply fades, as there is no more magic available.




Name: Bone Raker
Infection: Inhaled
DC: Fort 17
Incubation: 1d4 days
Damage: 1d4 Str, Dex and Con
Special: Bone Raker can affect Skeletons and similar creatures, undead or otherwise, that are entirely bone as a contact disease that offers no save, causing 1d6 damage to Strength and Dexterity every two hours. This can cause the creature to dissolve completely.

Bone Raker, as the name.suggests, is a disease that attacks the bones, more specificaly, the calcium, so it the teeth as well. The Bone Raker bacteria secrets an acid that eats away at the bones, dissolving the calcuim inside it. Once dissolved, the disease sucks up the acidic solution. Once the host's skeletal system is completely dissolved, the bacteria secretes acid again and burns through the flesh to find a new host.



Name: Slave to Routine
Infection: Prolonged exposure to Mechanus or its native inhabitants
DC: Will 22
Incubation: 2d4 days
Damage: 1d4 Int
Special: If this reduces your Int score to 0, you are treated as a Mindless creature, only performing routine tasks such as eating, bathing or tending to fields. Additionaly, while in this state the infected creature obeys all orders and instructions without question. Planar Banishment can cure a person infected with this, but Cure Disease cannot. This is a Supernatural disease.

Originating from The Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, this disease affects the mind, numbing and destroying it until that person becomes as unthinking as the Gears themselves. The prescence of Formians or Inevitables is often an indication that the local populace will start developing this disease. Formains in particular find this disease extremely useful, as it gives them a large number of.potential workers who will obey their commands.

[Kaeso]

I know that it only uses already estalished diseases, but for a disease-loving DM this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw84Kusbr5g&list=PLtffrRBS4J2HE5I3cl75ncRlVlg-79nFP&index=19) might be useful. It offers all kinds of way to introduce diseases, ways that are actually completely self-explantory but overlooked by more than a handful of DM's.

[Clistenes]

Caverns of the Ooze Lord (Dungeon Magazine 138), Lord of the Scarlett Tide (Dungeon Magazine 85) and The Stink (Dungeon Magazine 105) have some gross supernatural diseases/infections that you may find interesting.

[ZamielVanWeber]

Name: Stagnant Mind
Infection: Ingesting tainted water
DC: Fort 16, Will 18 (see text)
Incubation: 2d3 days
Damage: 1d4 Wis.
Special: On a day where the infected takes 3 or 4 Wis damage from Stagnant Mind they must make a Will save or be unable to move for (24 - Wis) hours.

[awa]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilge
bilge is part of a ship are you sure that's what you mean

also a parasite affecting undead seems off to me it should either affect undead (and be explicitly magical) or living creatures not both and i know at least one blood drinking construct which should be completely immune.

[Kanosint]

I know that it only uses already estalished diseases, but for a disease-loving DM this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw84Kusbr5g&list=PLtffrRBS4J2HE5I3cl75ncRlVlg-79nFP&index=19) might be useful. It offers all kinds of way to introduce diseases, ways that are actually completely self-explantory but overlooked by more than a handful of DM's.

Yup, that's the one I was referring to :) I forgot the title of the vid.

[Sgt. Cookie]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilge
bilge is part of a ship are you sure that's what you mean

Slang usage for dirty or disgusting. So, yeah.


also a parasite affecting undead seems off to me it should either affect undead (and be explicitly magical) or living creatures not both and i know at least one blood drinking construct which should be completely immune.

Vampires need blood as a dietery requirement (Somewhere in LM, don't have it to hand), so the "gorging out on blood" thing in the description checks out. I didn't know about the construct thing though.

[Fates]

Lover's Horror
Infection: Transmitted by extended bodily contact, as well as transmitting blood and other internal fluids. :smallwink:
DC: Fortitude 20
Incubation period: 1d4 days
Damage: 1d3 charisma, 1d3 strength
Special: This disease cannot reduce charisma or strength below 1. In addition, if the diseased fails even a single fortitude save, their skin begins to flake and crust, a painless but humiliating process that leaves the victim scarred and hideous even if the disease is removed. This gives the character a permanent -8 penalty on all charisma-based checks (excluding use magic device), which can be removed only with a regenerate, wish, or miracle spell. In addition, failing three or more saves forces the diseased to make a DC 18 fortitude save or be rendered sterile.

[awa]

ive looked at 8 dictionary web sites and bildge is not mentioned as slang for any of them so even if it is correct it's certainly not a very common usage. Now nonsense and trash were among the slang but that's not really the same.

Vampire are rarely depicted as storing there blood in there veins also you get weird stuff like the parasites turn to fog as well not to mention that the vampires negative energy would be a very hostile environment. personally i think if your going to make it something that can affect an unliving monstrosity fulled by pure negative energy who is immune to pain you need to put less emphasis on a biological effects and more on magical ones.

edit
regenerate should probably heal lovers Horror as well unless it is some kind of curse in which case break enchantment should work

[Fable Wright]

Perfect Prey
Infection: Consuming infected food.
DC: Will 18
Incubation: 1d10 minutes.
Damage: 1d3 Wis, 1d3 Int, 1d3-1 Dex, 1d2 Str, 1 Cha
Special: Every day, the infected gains more weight, causing them to gain 1 point of constitution for every point of Dex damage taken. In addition, for every 2 points of Dex damage taken, the base land speed of the infected decreases by 5ft.

Adventurer Fever
Infection: Inhaled within 15ft of an infected individual
Incubation: 2d4 Days
DC: 15 Fort
Damage: 1d4-2 Wisdom
Special: The infected feels the burning desire to be an adventurer. Each day they take Wisdom damage, they must make a DC 15 Will save or be Suggested, as by the spell, to "Go into the world, fight monsters, save people, and be a hero." Each time they follow this suggestion, they get a +1 Enhancement bonus to a random physical ability score that lasts for as long as the individual follows its suggestion. This bonus stacks with itself and goes away if the individual ever becomes cured.

[Fouredged Sword]

Here is a nasty disease to put in a desert situation. The potential to forever turn an oasis into a deadly trap makes for a scary situation.

Name: Black Locus Fever
Infection: Injury by a Black Locus Swarm, or ingestion of a black locus or drinking water infected with the eggs.
DC: 14
Incubation: 3 hour
Damage: 1d4 con damage
special: If the disease manages to deal 8 points of con damage to a host, the disease is cured. The target is now treated as having a Black Locus Swarm inside their stomach. They take the swarms damage every round until they die and the swarm bursts from their abdomen.

A black locus swarm has the same stats of a locus swarm except they have the following special quality and attacks.

Special attack - Black Locus Poison
DC 14, injury poison, Primary effect Unconsciousness, secondary effect Unconsciousness for 1d3 hour and sickened for 2d10 hours.

Special attack - Disease
Creatures who take damage from a black locus swarm are infected with Black Locus Fever

Special quality
Acid resistance 5

Special quality
Selective Swarm - the Black Lotus Swarm does not deal swarm damage to any creature currently unconscious due to black locus venom.

Short Life
A Black Locus swarm suffers one point of con damage per hour it is alive. The swarm is constantly shedding dead locus as it goes. Then dead locus give off a sweet smell that attracts scavenging animals. Tracking a locus swarm is easy, and survival checks to do so are at a +5, or +10 if the tracker also has scent.

Scent
A black locus swarm can smell water or any creature with blood as far out as one mile. The black locus swarm will head out in the direction of the nearest scent to hunt. If water but no prey is found, the swarm will hover over the water source and let itself die. The dead locus will infect the water so drinking creatures are effected by Black Locus Fever. The infection lasts for up to a year. A DC 20 survival check will detect black locus taint in an oasis.

[big teej]

this is all great stuff! keep it coming!

MOAR!!! :smallbiggrin:

I suppose it's only fair that I contribute to my own thread...
*goes off to brainstorm*

[gooddragon1]

Name: Senioritis
Infection: Verbal contact with other victims of the disease.
DC: 9001
Incubation: 1 semester
Damage: 1d2 wisdom (cannot reduce wisdom below 1)
Special: The target must make a will save to do anything difficult. Academic related activities incur a -10 penalty to the will save. Pizza grants a +2 bonus to the will save. The target must also make a will save to get out of bed on time and may make additional saves each hour at a +2 cumulative bonus until 4 hours have passed at which point they may wake normally if they have not already. Enjoyable activities and procrastination grant a +1 cumulative bonus to 1 save against the disease other than the save to wake up per hour spent on the activity (this bonus is reset to 0 each day). Freshman are not subject to senioritis, but upper classmen are increasingly vulnerable to the accursed affliction.

[big teej]

oooh I've got one

Name: Mosgrim's Remorse
Infection: inhaled, exposure to pollen from plants growing through corpses
DC: 20
Incubation: 1d12 days
Damage: 1d6 con 1d2 dexterity 1d2 strength
special: The victim becomes a contagion. recovering from this disease requires 3 fort saves in a row instead of the usual two

[Fates]

regenerate should probably heal lovers Horror as well unless it is some kind of curse in which case break enchantment should work

You're right! I actually meant to put regenerate rather than greater restoration. Nice catch! :smallbiggrin:

[RogueDM]

The Book of Vile Darkness has a number of Diseases as well.

If you want to keep the party cautious of the plague I suggest making it a magical/infernal/abyssal illness and as such resistant or immune to Cure Disease. Require Greater Restoration, Heal, Wish, or Miracle... the big cure-all spells for magical recovery. Other than that they'll have to focus on prevention and finding more mundane solutions. Craft (Alchemy) FTW?

Or just rule it a virus rather than a disease and therefor skirts most quick fix solutions.

Ooo, which makes me think of an illness caused by attacks from some manner incorporeal vermin.
Recurring CON damage, upon reaching 0 the victim becomes an ghost or other incorporeal undead, adding to the transmission vectors of the plague. The process, I imagine, would be horrible, physically necrotic while temporarily gaining the See Ethereal ability in the later stages.

A simpler idea for a disease is one that inflicts the victim with formication. That's an 'M' not an 'N'. The sensation of insects crawling under their skin. Prompting a Will Save DC 18, let's say, each hour or begin doing physical damage to oneself to remove the perceived insects or at least stop the delusional sensation. Knowing the insects aren't real ahead of time, from study let's say, can confer a +2 to their Will Save.

I had encountered a book with a load of nasty diseases and such, but I can't seem to find it now. Too many weird third party books to search through them all again.

[tadkins]

Name: Shadowfrost Bonerime
Infection: Can come about in places thick with negative energy, cold energy, and especially both. A person might become afflicted with this disease when hit by a spell with the cold and/or necromancy descriptors, or contracted through contact with a cold-based undead creature. A favorite among uttercold necromancers.
DC: 15
Incubation: 1 day
Damage: 1d4 Dex
Special: This disease causes the very bones of the afflicted to slowly freeze and harden. While afflicted, movement speed is reduced in half, all Dexterity-based skill checks take a -10 penalty, and the person can only take a standard or move action per round.

If the Dexterity of the afflicted reaches 0, the person freezes completely from within and collapses like a toppling statue, their expression and position stuck at the moment of their death. 1d3 days later they will move again as mindless, uncontrolled undead. Victims of the disease rise typically as a skeleton or zombie with the cold-descriptor (as if summoned by the Beckon the Frozen feat (Frostburn 47)), but sometimes they will rise as an Icegaunt (Frostburn 141).

[TuggyNE]

Name: Black Locus Fever

Did you mean "locus" or "locust"? It sounds like the latter would fit better.

[smoke prism]

Forge fever
Infection: anyone that spends a lot of time around blacksmith forges, or someone that spend a lot of time around metal.
DC: 20
Incubation: 1 week
Damage: 1d8 con
special: Those that loss 10 points of con start to feel as if there skin is on fire. The victim must make a DC 20 will save, or be driven crazy by the nonstop burning sensation on there skin. Treat this as a permanent confusion spell. This can only be cured by Remove curse.

[Fouredged Sword]

I meant the insects that eat everything. Spelling is not my strong suit.

This is surprisingly dangerous at low levels. Sickness doesn't have to kill outright to make the victim fall prey to other dangers.

Name: The common cough
Infection: inhaled
DC: 22
Incubation: 1 day
Damage: none
special: This disease is not deadly, but is hard to fight off. The common cough makes anyone who is infested with it fatigued. Any effect that would remove the fatigue instead suppresses it for one hour.

[awa]

The dc on that cold is awfully high as in higher then any core disease and would take months for an average commoner to successfully get 2 nat 20s in a row and even then he would be immediately reinfected becuase every other person in the village would be sick as well.

[Fouredged Sword]

Ok, tone it down then. The idea is that a disease with low penalties / high saves can be a useful tool to hit a party with. Not all sickness is the plague, sometimes you just get the sniffles and just can't shake it for a week or two.

Maybe tone the save down to 18. That way you have a 2 out of 20 chance to resist the effects, but until then you are tired all the time.

[awa]

the dc will still make it nearly impossible for non pc to ever beat when reinfections is taken into account.

But on the other hand it's hard to have a disease that can threaten a pc in anyway that wont devastate commoners.

[Zombulian]

I would like to propose a new name for this thread: License to Ill.

[Immabozo]

name: OH NO!
Fort save DC: 32
Incubation: 1 week
Special: Any time someone infected with this disease is surprised, they spend the next 6 seconds (1 round) running in a large circle screaming "OH NO!!!!!!!"
Recovery: Do something so cool, that a watching character, PC or NPC, is inspired to say "Oh yes"

Name: Bones
Will Save DC: 25
Incubation: 2 days
Special: Anytime you make an unsuccessful skill check related to doing a task another has requested of you, you must say "Damn it man, I'm an adventurer, not a (profession related to failed skill check)"
Recovery: There is no recovery. You're an adventurer, damn it, not a health freak!

Name: Sleep Zombie
Fort Save DC: 16
Special: at night, you take the mental stats of a zombie (Monster Manual pg. 265) and have an irresistible urge to seek out brains.
Recovery: A fellow adventurer must hit you in the head with a baseball bat. But where do you find one in D&D? Better hope you're good at carpentry! Oh yeah, you have to receive this treatment before you taste brains.

Name: Avatar of WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOA
Will Save DC: 22
Fort Fave DC: 25
Damage: 6D6 damage (fort save avoids this damage)
Special: Everything you do inspires awe and you may not do anything that does not make any observers (whether there or not) say "WHOOOOOOOOOOOA!" (unless will save is made).
Recovery: You must make a baby fall asleep.

Name: Pink Toe
Fort Save DC: 45
Damage: HUMILIATION!!!!!!!!!!
Special: Your toe is pink.
Recovery: Amputation

Name: No Name
Will Save DC: 20
Special: Those around you forget your name, unless they make a will save DC 22, after they make the save once, they can remember your name without problem. If no one makes the save, your name is forever lost. If you ever have to recall your own name, you are also subject to this save, but if you fail this second roll, you forever forget your own name, until you are reminded of such.

Name: Book Worm
Will Save DC: 28
Fort Save DC: 15
Special: you must compulsively eat your fellow wizard's spell books. Whenever you do, you must make the fort save mentioned above, to digest it properly. But oh, those spells go down smooth. You develop a favorite written spell to eat and must again succeed on the above will save whenever a scroll of your favorite spell is available in loot or to buy. Failure means that you must eat it. However you obtain it is up to you, but you must eat it. Now. For every 5 spell scrolls you eat, or every wizard book you eat, the digestion fort DC the next time goes down by 2. This is a cumulative lowering of the DC.
Recovery: If the fort save gets down to 8, you may make the will save again. If this roll fails, you are allowed to make another save each time the DC is lowered by 1. If the DC goes to 0 and you fail the save, written wizard spells are forever a part of your diet.

Name: Creepy Pickup Artist
Will Save DC: 18
Special: Any time you try to pick up a member of the opposite sex in the tavern, you accidentally say all the wrong things and they are creeped out.
Recovery: Pick up 4 highly attractive members of the opposite sex, from a tavern, one per night, 4 nights in a row.

Name: Halitosis
Fort Save DC: 18
Damage: 1D6 charisma damage
Incubation: immediate
Special: You auto fail any gather information, diplomacy or perform checks
Recovery: Eat something minty!

[Fouredged Sword]

I forgot to mention that a DC20 save can be made by a commoner if they seek treatment.

Treatment turns the save into a skill check. A skillcheck that can be a lot easier to make. The common cold outbreak will trigger a healer to start making rounds, and taking 10 with a 16 wis, 5 ranks, and a healers kit puts you at DC 20, so you can cure and disease by hanging around for 2 incubation periods.

And it doesn't replace the characters save unless it's better, so you get a save AND a skill check to resist the disease.

Any disease with a DC less that 15 can be treated by your average midwife or town healer with 4 ranks in heal and a 10 wisdom modifier, with no chance for failure.

Depending on your baseline level for a world, don't be afraid to up the save DC for sicknesses. If there is a level 6 mundane healer every town or so, a DC20 sickness is an problem but not a plague.

[Mystia]

Maybe not the kind of disease you're looking for, but here's a little one I've made for the last adventure I've created, a supernatural disease originating from a portal to the Far Realm, with a slight Cthulhu-ish feel to it.

Warp of the Far Realm
Fort Save DC: 30
Infection: Inhaled, through Mist of Insanity (see below)
Incubation: 1d4+1 hours
Damage: Explained below.
You have been exposed to the warp of the Far Realm, and it's chaotic nature is taking it's toll on your sanity and your very being. The disease can only be cured with a Remove Curse spell.
The only way to be infected by it, is if you inhale the mist of insanity, a extremely dense, sickly violet fog which hovers about the ground up to 50cm (around 20 inches). The mist grants full cover to anything beneath it, and characters trying to see through it take a -30 penalty on the spot check.
As soon as the character fails the Fortitude save, he gains a +1 bonus to his Natural Armor. As soon as the incubation period passes, the character begins to take an addition +1 to Natural Armor each round (every six seconds). Once the total Natural Armor gained through the disease equals to or surpasses the character's base Dexterity stat, the character skin solidifies and he is no longer able to move at all. At this point, the character stops gaining natural armor, and begins to take 2d6 points of Intelligence and Wisdom damage every six seconds. This ability damage cannot be healed unless the disease is cured. When both are reduced to 1, up to the DM's discretion, the character is either turned into a aberration, or acquires the pseudonatural template. No matter which option is chosen, the character is permanently insane and mindless from now on, attacking anything living aside from other aberrations or pseudonatural creatures, unless he is killed, Remove Curse is cast on his corpse, the body is destroyed, and he is then ressurrected with True Ressurrection, Miracle or Wish. Upon ressurrection, the disease is cured, and the character loses anything he had acquired while he was diseased, including even experience points.
Aberrations, pseudonatural creatures and characters of the Alienist prestige class are immune to this disease.

Like you can notice, it's a slightly tweaked version of Vile Rigidity.
I created it because that adventure was set in a abandoned, cursed village in a hidden valley, which housed the ruins of a ancient cult where the PCs had to retrieve a artifact. The Mist of Insanity was omnipresent in the village, and everything there was warped. That's because there was a one-side gate to the Far Real open in the lowest chambers of the ruins (guess where the artifact was?), all the doing of a single alienist.

It may sound a bit overpowered, but I only wanted to make it a slight threat to a party of 15th level characters.
Since you'll only be infected if you crouch, fall prone, reach down, or somehow lower your head into the mist, and, even then, you can hold your breath; so it's quite easily avoidable.
But it gets really fun when you begin placing several monsters laying down in the mist, as well as tripwires and leghold traps, and homebrew some aberrations who have a passion for using their improved trip feat with their spiked-chain-like arms. Roguish aberrations smaller than 50cm (20in) tall are also delightful in this situation.

[Fouredged Sword]

Here is a mid-evil killer from history.

Disentary
Fort Save DC: 14
Infection: Ingestion of unpurified water
Incubation: 1 day
Damage: none, special
Special: The creature looses the ability to digest food and retain water. Food eaten does not provide nutrients, and the creature must drink four times the amount of water per day to avoid dehydration. Potions work as normal, but food does not stave off hunger. The disease kills by starvation.

[big teej]

I would like to propose a new name for this thread: License to Ill.

sequel thread? :smallbiggrin:


name: OH NO!
Fort save DC: 32
Incubation: 1 week
Special: Any time someone infected with this disease is surprised, they spend the next 6 seconds (1 round) running in a large circle screaming "OH NO!!!!!!!"
Recovery: Do something so cool, that a watching character, PC or NPC, is inspired to say "Oh yes"


also known as the Koolaid disease.... this will likely get used.

[TypoNinja]

I forgot to mention that a DC20 save can be made by a commoner if they seek treatment.

Treatment turns the save into a skill check. A skillcheck that can be a lot easier to make. The common cold outbreak will trigger a healer to start making rounds, and taking 10 with a 16 wis, 5 ranks, and a healers kit puts you at DC 20, so you can cure and disease by hanging around for 2 incubation periods.

And it doesn't replace the characters save unless it's better, so you get a save AND a skill check to resist the disease.

Any disease with a DC less that 15 can be treated by your average midwife or town healer with 4 ranks in heal and a 10 wisdom modifier, with no chance for failure.

Depending on your baseline level for a world, don't be afraid to up the save DC for sicknesses. If there is a level 6 mundane healer every town or so, a DC20 sickness is an problem but not a plague.

This is my problem with diseases, they are great flavor wise, but almost never amount to anything in actual play unless you can stealth them in without the players noticing. Curing them is trivial, even without magic.

As long as there is at least one person who keeps heal maxed out you'll beat any disease into submission in short order.

Even a low level character who finds the odd really mean disease, welp, guidance of the avatar is a level 2 cleric spell giving me +20 on the next skill check, yer healed!

[falloutimperial]

Name: Clawing Growth
Infection: Exchange of fluid with infected. Bites or scratches.
DC: 15
Incubation: 1d20 days
Damage: 1d4 dexterity
special: The subject's finger- and toenails being to grow sharp and hard. Every week, the subject must roll against the DC again, resulting in 1d4 HP damage that cannot be healed without curing the disease., increasing with each failed save by dice up to 1d10.
After two weeks, the subject may use his, her, or its nails as claws for 1d4 damage.
After three weeks, the length of nails prevent effective manual dexterity, and the subject gets -5 to skills such as Open Lock that require such nimbleness of finger.
After a month,the subject may use his, her, or its nails as claws for 1d6 damage.

[Talya]

As a side point...

/salute thread-title
/mourn Carlin

[big teej]

As a side point...

/salute thread-title
/mourn Carlin

amen.


and to those of you maintaining diseases aren't that deadly.

I refer you back to my original post.

it's a plague adventure.

they will roll a 1 on a save eventually.

and then bad things will happen.

>.>
<.<
and then there's
THE SUPER SECRET STUFF THAT ANY OF MY PLAYERS THAT ARE ON HERE BETTER NOT READ!
like the fact that the baddies at the end of the adventure don't deal damage, they deal diseases.
:smallbiggrin:

[Selenir]

Zombie Rot
Fort Save DC: 14 (possibly varies based on the individual Zombie's Hit Dice - however much you want it to terrify your players)
Infection: Injury, from Zombie bites
Incubation: 2d8+3 hours
Damage: 1d4 Int and 1 Con
A creature brought to zero Intelligence or Constitution from Zombie Rot rises as a Zombie one round later.

Simple, but effective "zombie plague." :)

[Immabozo]

also known as the Koolaid disease.... this will likely get used.

Ohh, good name!! And Thank you :smallbiggrin:

[big teej]

Zombie Rot
Fort Save DC: 14 (possibly varies based on the individual Zombie's Hit Dice - however much you want it to terrify your players)
Infection: Injury, from Zombie bites
Incubation: 2d8+3 hours
Damage: 1d4 Int and 1 Con
A creature brought to zero Intelligence or Constitution from Zombie Rot rises as a Zombie one round later.

Simple, but effective "zombie plague." :)



this made me think of 28 days later for some reason... which brings us...

Name: Berserk*
DC: 30
Infection: patient zero: being the victim of a "rage" spell while under the influence of any other disease or curse. (infection is 75% likely while diseased, 5% on curse)
- patient 1+ - Fluid to Fluid contact
Incubation: 1d12 rounds
Damage: 1d2 cha, 1d2 wis, 1d2 int
Special: The infected is considered to be Frenzied (as per the Frenzied Berserker Class Feature) at all times. an Infected will not attack another infected even in the absence of other targets. if a group of infected run out of valid targets, they simply stand in a stupor until aroused in some fashion.
- Infected gain 'blood Gorge'** as an EX ability
-- Blood Gorge (EX) - an infected may vomit up a stream of blood at a target every 1d6 hours. this deals no damage, but is virtually guaranteed to spread the infection. using this ability deals 1d4 +1 con damage to the infected.

*name is a work in progress, I can't remember the term they used for it in the movie... it's been awhile.
**name also in progress

*** if you've got a better name, please suggest them.


Ohh, good name!! And Thank you :smallbiggrin:

you earned it. :smalltongue:

[Immabozo]

Name: PMS
Infection: only lasts one week and then is dormant for 3 weeks when the infected is again, subject to the disease.
Damage: temporarily under the effects of the insanity spell, but any instance to the effect of "standing around and doing nothing" in the random table are instead "unable to act because you rage/cramps/headache/whatever is so bad.
Special: May only infect women. The mere sight of a man sends you into a frenzy as per the Frenzied Bezerker class feature. You do not necessarily attack women if no men are left in sight, but you may, if they have upset you any time in the last 2D4 months.
Recovery: reaching the "old" age category for your race.

[Zombulian]

Name: PMS
Infection: only lasts one week and then is dormant for 3 weeks when the infected is again, subject to the disease.
Damage: temporarily under the effects of the insanity spell, but any instance to the effect of "standing around and doing nothing" in the random table are instead "unable to act because you rage/cramps/headache/whatever is so bad.
Special: May only infect women. The mere sight of a man sends you into a frenzy as per the Frenzied Bezerker class feature. You do not necessarily attack women if no men are left in sight, but you may, if they have upset you any time in the last 2D4 months.
Recovery: reaching the "old" age category for your race.

Hahahahahaheeheheehee...
>.>
<.<
*ducks*
well that's just plainly in bad taste.

[Shining Wrath]

Broad theme:

Eberron has Living Spells as a template.
Create Living Diseases. A cloud of Bubonic Plague that chases you down and engulfs you ought to give them pause.


Name: PMS
Infection: only lasts one week and then is dormant for 3 weeks when the infected is again, subject to the disease.
Damage: temporarily under the effects of the insanity spell, but any instance to the effect of "standing around and doing nothing" in the random table are instead "unable to act because you rage/cramps/headache/whatever is so bad.
Special: May only infect women. The mere sight of a man sends you into a frenzy as per the Frenzied Bezerker class feature. You do not necessarily attack women if no men are left in sight, but you may, if they have upset you any time in the last 2D4 months.
Recovery: reaching the "old" age category for your race.

Male person is unamused.

[big teej]

Eberron has Living Spells as a template.
Create Living Diseases. A cloud of Bubonic Plague that chases you down and engulfs you ought to give them pause.


that's....

that's bloody fething brilliant.

too bad we don't have eberron stuff. :smallfrown:

[Immabozo]

that's....

that's bloody fething brilliant.

too bad we don't have eberron stuff. :smallfrown:

Living Spell is in MM too. Although is isn't lined out in easy use for a template, it's there

[killem2]

Name: Intense Atrophy
Infection: Contact, the disease is contracted by touch.
DC: 25
Incubation: 2d3 weeks.
Damage: 3d6 Strength, Constitution, Dexterity damage.
Info: This disease is incredibly deadly but a very slow disease. Most do not even realize they have contracted it, aside from divine intervention. When it does incubate fully and releases it happens instantly. Treat it as an immediate action.


If the subject is reduced to 0 on his or her strength, dexterity, or constitution score at the time of release, anyone with in 10ft of subject is instantly affected and the Incubation time is reduced to 2d6 rounds.

If the subject has had his total strength, dexterity, or constitution score reduced by 50% or more, subject becomes sickened until the disease is removed.



I'm very mean. :smallcool:

[Zombulian]

Name: Intense Atrophy
Infection: Contact, the disease is contracted by touch.
DC: 25
Incubation: 2d3 weeks.
Damage: 3d6 Strength, Constitution, Dexterity damage.
Info: This disease is incredibly deadly but a very slow disease. Most do not even realize they have contracted it, aside from divine intervention. When it does incubate fully and releases it happens instantly. Treat it as an immediate action.

If the subject is reduced to 0 on his or her strength, dexterity, or constitution score at the time of release, anyone with in 10ft of subject is instantly affected and the Incubation time is reduced to 2d6 rounds.

I'm very mean. :smallcool:

So... A disease that makes you asplode (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YourHeadASplode)?

[killem2]

So... A disease that makes you asplode (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YourHeadASplode)?

More like go into a coughing fit, possibly vomit, and then it becomes an air spreading disease that is much more dangerous.

I'll edit a bit more :P

[Shining Wrath]

that's....

that's bloody fething brilliant.

too bad we don't have eberron stuff. :smallfrown:

Why, thank you. But you don't have to have Eberron, as this idea is not from Eberron. It's from Shining Wrath (tm), and I decree that I am useable in all campaigns because awesome.

[big teej]

come now playgrounders!

surely there are more diseases to be had!?

[GoatBoy]

Name: Sungawk
Infection DC: Inhaled 13
Incubation Period: 1d4 days
Damage: 1d3 Charisma

This disgusting fungus has two effects: it causes a deep-seated desire to bathe and remain in sunlight, and it damages the victim's sense of self so he is less likely to heed anyone's observations of his strange behavior. Upon incubation, the victim must succeed on a DC 10 Will save every hour (which increases by 1 for every day since incubation, to a maximum of 20), or stop whatever he is doing and seek out the nearest area of sunlight. Once such an area is reached, the victim does nothing but stare dumbly into the sky with his eyes closed, usually with a slight grin. One day after the victim's charisma reaches 0, or upon his inevitable death from thirst or starvation, tiny tendrils of fungal matter appear on the victim's skin, spreading spores to infect more victims and killing the victim if he is not already dead. The tendrils do not appear unless the victim has spent at least 8 consecutive hours in direct sunlight over the course of infection.

[big teej]

I like. :smallbiggrin:

ooooh

do yall think it's worth writing up a version of "cosmic rust" a la transformers?

[GoatBoy]

Name: Wishplague
Infection DC: Contact 20
Incubation: 1 day
Damage: 1d4 Wisdom (Successful saves do not allow the character to recover. Only magical healing can save the character.)

This disease is seen as a harmless illness among the Efreet, among whom it first appeared, causing minor headaches and tremors. But it resulted in an unusual and terrifying side-effect when it spread to the races of the Material Plane.

The victim becomes convinced that she has the wish power of an Efreeti. Every time she is exposed to a stressful situation (always in combat, and in many other situations as well), she must spend her first available action making a wish, as if she possessed the spell-like ability of the Efreet. This is merely a delusion on the victim's part, and no amount of convincing or failed wishes will persuade her that she does not have this ability.

However, since the disease began among the Efreet, it contains a tiny spark of their mystical essence, and there is a 1% chance that the wish actually works. In the highly unlikely case that it does, use a caster level of 12th for all relevant calculations. Once a wish has been granted, the character can never again receive another wish from this disease (though she does not know this and continues to make wishes as before). Also, no wish will ever be granted if the character has ever made the same wish before since being afflicted with the disease.

[TuggyNE]

Name: Wishplague
Infection DC: Contact 20
Incubation: 1 day
Damage: 1d4 Wisdom (Successful saves do not allow the character to recover. Only magical healing can save the character.)

This disease is seen as a harmless illness among the Efreeti, among whom it first appeared, causing minor headaches and tremors. But it resulted in an unusual and terrifying side-effect when it spread to the races of the Material Plane.

The victim becomes convinced that she has the wish power of an Efreet. Every time she is exposed to a stressful situation (always in combat, and in many other situations as well), she must spend her first available action making a wish, as if she possessed the spell-like ability of the Efreeti. This is merely a delusion on the victim's part, and no amount of convincing or failed wishes will persuade her that she does not have this ability.

However, since the disease began among the Efreeti, it contains a tiny spark of their mystical essence, and there is a 1% chance that the wish actually works. In the highly unlikely case that it does, use a caster level of 12th for all relevant calculations. Once a wish has been granted, the character can never again receive another wish from this disease (though she does not know this and continues to make wishes as before). Also, no wish will ever be granted if the character has ever made the same wish before since being afflicted with the disease.

I can actually imagine some players getting their characters infected on purpose. :smalltongue: Nice.

[GoatBoy]

I can actually imagine some players getting their characters infected on purpose. :smalltongue: Nice.

Thank you :)

I figure that losing an action every time something happens, and the inability to make the same wish over and over until it comes true were enough to keep it out of cheese territory. It sure is fun making up diseases that play with the meta-game.

[big teej]

Thank you :)

I figure that losing an action every time something happens, and the inability to make the same wish over and over until it comes true were enough to keep it out of cheese territory. It sure is fun making up diseases that play with the meta-game.

it certainly has my approval :smallbiggrin:

[Immabozo]

...convinced that she has the wish power of an Efreet...

Whats an Efreet? :smallbiggrin:

Name: Spelling Nazi
Infection DC: Read, will DC 23
Incubation: Infection upon reading the infected text.
Damage: 1D3 temporary int damage
Special: you must instantly correct the misspelled text. Barbarians and any other individual who is illiterate are immune to this disease.

The super literacy required to become a Wizard of any level above 10 receives a further 3D6 temporary int damage (minimum 1). If the wizard's int reaches below 5, he/she enters a profound rage, similar to a barbarian's, with changes as follows. Instead of +4 str, gaining +4 wis. He/she gains no con, but instead gains a "Self Righteous" +4 cha, this rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to his/her (newly improved) charisma modifier.

If the Int damage reduces him/she to an int of 3 or less, he/she also adds a function similar to a Frenzied Berzerker's frenzy in the aspect of being unable to stop attacking while in a frenzy, however, this is merely "Intellectual Attacking" of the author. If the author is not in sight, the infected must spend the duration of the rage intellectually attacking whatever and whomever he/she can.

[TuggyNE]

Whats an Efreet? :smallbiggrin:

Plural of efreeti. Yeah, Arabic is weird.

[Immabozo]

Plural of efreeti. Yeah, Arabic is weird.

It's Arabic?

[TuggyNE]

It's Arabic?

Yeah, efreet are spirits from Arabic myth.

[Immabozo]

Yeah, efreet are spirits from Arabic myth.

huh, learn something new every day!

[GoatBoy]

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQVeSAM2_gXfjOEhqTLdVN8Pip5PSZPy uzjYJois6fF5KyVHMSInQ

Corrected the spelling of "Efreet/Efreeti." I just had the two mixed up.

[GoatBoy]

Also, the sungawk fungus is based off a real-life fungus which create real-life zombie ants (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiocordyceps_unilateralis).

Isn't nature great?

[Zombulian]

Plural of efreeti. Yeah, Arabic is weird.

Just like Djinn versus Djinni. Very strange.

[Amoren]

Necrotic Cyst Plague
Otherwise known as: NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE!
Infection DC: Upon exposure to necrotic cyst material, either damaged due to Necrotic Cyst spell, taking damage from a stalking cyst, or by being infected with the infectious strain of the Necrotic Cyst spell (a Ninth level spell) DC 25 Fortitude Save (or as per the caster's saving throw against the spell). Modifiers to saving throws against necromancy spells apply to saving throws against this disease.
Incubation: One week; see text.
Damage: Special, See Text
Special: The result of a powerful spell, this virulent strain of the necrotic cysts are highly infectious. One week after failing to save against this spell the subject is afflicted by the Necrotic Cyst spell (do not check for fortitude or spell resistance). They can be afflicted multiple times, and gain an additional necrotic cyst in their bodies with every additional save failure (each taking a week to slowly develop). Each additional cyst does not increase the damage the subject takes from undead further, but reduces their saves against necromancy spells by a further -1 (to a maximum of -5). Each necrotic cyst must be removed separately via surgery as per the necrotic cyst spell description. However, if the surgeon does not beat the heal check DC by 5, the infected must make the infection fortitude save - failure causes cyst to regrow from trace remains of necrotic fluid and flesh in one week (those who remain for observation/treatment for at least one week after surgery can receive a heal check from a tending physician in place of their fortitude save, as per the disease/heal skill rules). If the surgeon fails the heal check by five or more, he accidentally exposes himself to the disease, and must make a fortitude save to resist.

Two weeks after infection (one week after the cyst develops), those infected must make another saving throw (same DC as infection, but remember to include penalties from any necrotic cysts that have developed), and do so for every day from hence forth until either all necrotic cysts are removed (via surgery, as per the Necrotic Cyst spell description), they die, or they fail five fortitude saving throws. Every time they fail any of these saving throws, an infected takes 2d6 damage plus 1d6 for every additional necrotic cyst (to a total of 5d6) as their cysts begin to painfully, and visibly swell (half of this damage is vile damage). The DC to successfully remove a necrotic cyst via surgery increases by 2 for every fortitude save failed, as the swelling makes it much harder to remove the necrotic tissue without causing serious damage. Due to the constant pain this swelling causes, those in this stage of the disease must make concentration checks when taking complex tasks where they need to focus, such as casting a spell or some skill checks. The concentration check DC is 15 + number of necrotic cysts + number of times this fortitude DC is failed (max 5) + spell level (if applicable). If an infected dies from damage before failing five fortitude saves (or died during surgery and necrotic cysts are still in their body), continue to check for fortitude saves from the infected's body unless the body is destroyed (such as by burning), they are treated as automatically failing the fortitude save.

When an infected fails five such fortitude saves, their cysts begin to violently erupt. Once a day, they are treated as if affected by the Necrotic Eruption spell, treating the fortitude DC as the same for the rest of this spell (those who have already died automatically fail this saving throw). However, if they make the fortitude save, they only take 2d6 plus 1d6 per additional cyst (to a maximum of 5d6) damage (half vile). If they fail their fortitude save, however, they painfully and violently die as their cysts explode, dealing 15d6 (half vile, DC 15 reflex save for half) damage to everyone within 20 feet. In addition, in the round following after the fortitude saving throw is failed, up to five Stalking Cysts are spawned from their body (one per cyst the infected was barring). These Stalking Cysts have the infectious version of the necrotic cyst spell, and can spread this plague when they deal damage with their attacks.

A Necrotic Cyst Plague cannot afflict those with a Protection from Evil spell, but once infected Protection from Evil offers no protection against the ravages of this plague - although it may prevent further cysts from forming.

Infectious Cyst
Necromancy (Evil)
Level: Cleric 9, Sorcerer/Wizard 9
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: One standard action.
Range: Touch
Target: Living creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates, see text.
Spell Resistance: Yes, see text.

You implant an infectious version of the Necrotic Cyst spell into your target, inflicting it with the Necrotic Cyst Plague. They must make an immediate fortitude save against the plague, with the diseases fortitude set as the save DC against this spell (19 + spellcasting ability modifier, plus any other modifiers). Spell resistance will protect those from the target of this spell, but not from infection from other sources - such as those already infected and communing the disease.
Focus: The spellcaster must possess a mother cyst.

Something tells me that I am a very, very evil person.