That coughing, achy, sniffling, stuffy head, fever so you can die spell...

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Black Plague
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Clr 9, Drd 9
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Living creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

The subject contracts a horrible disease, which strikes immediately (no incubation period). The subject takes 1d6 points of Constitution damage per day. Each day he must attempt another save or take another 1d6 points of Constitution damage. Unlike normal diseases, this plague continues until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies).

What is truly horrendous about this disease is that it spreads like wildfire. Anyone who touches, or is touched, by the subject, must make a save themselves or gain the plague (DC = 10 + half subject's HD + Con mod, minimum DC 10 and maximum DC cannot exceed original DC of the spell). These secondary subjects can now spread the plague and so on and so forth.

Those who successfully save against the black plague gain immunity to all further exposures of the black plague for a number of days equal to their constitution modifier. There is a 1% chance that those that make the save become carriers for as long as they have immunity.

The plague is a powerful curse, not a natural disease. Anyone attempting to cast any conjuration (healing) spell on a creature afflicted with the plague must succeed on an opposed caster level check against the original caster, or the spell has no effect on the afflicted character.

To eliminate the plague, the curse must first be broken with break enchantment or remove curse (requiring an opposed caster level check for either spell), after which a caster level check is no longer necessary to cast healing spells on the victim, and the plague can be magically cured as any normal disease.

An afflicted creature who dies of the plague is still a carrier. Unless the body is disposed of through burning, burial, or some other method, anyone who touches the corpse, or breathes the air within 5 feet of it, must make a save at the same DC as if it were alive. The corpse remains contagious for 1d4 days.

 

[Zurai]

Too powerful for a 9th level spell, IMO.

This should be an epic spell. It has the potential to kill the entire game world.

 

[Pyrex]

This should be an epic spell. It has the potential to kill the entire game world.

Not just the potential, but the mathematical likelyhood. It spreads fast and requires high-level casters to protect each victim (mid-level casters are going to be hosed by the Opposed Caster Level Check); and even those high level casters can't stop reinfection.

Cast this on one beggar in a medium-to-large city and the city is done for. An immediate quarantine followed by nuking said city from orbit *might* stop the spread; but given there is nothing in the language to stop the disease from being spread by animals your campaign world is Doomed.

Capital D, End of the World, Doomed. There simply won't be enough high level casters around to prevent the spread of the disease.

The only upside is there will be a small percentage of the population (the lucky ones with 14+ Con scores) who will survive longer than the fairly quick burnout...

 

[Pyrex]

Try this instead:

Contaigion, Greater
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Clr 7, Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Living creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

As per Contagion except that all subsequent saves for the primary target are at the original save DC for the spell. (The increased DC only affects the original target, not those to whom the infection spreads)

Furthermore, until the target is cured, at the beginning of each round, anyone within 5' of the target must save against the typical DC for the disease or be infected; once a creature successfully saves vs they are immune to further infection from the same source. (secondary victims are only as contagious as those typically infected by the original disease)

 

[Notmousse]

The upside is that the caster will likely be the first to die. ince there's no incubation period and anyone touching the infected is then infected.

 

[Zurai]

On a more mechanical note:

Saving Throw: Fortitude negates

This should be "Fortitude negates; see text". You have to keep making Fort saves as long as you remain in an infected area for longer than the immunity period.

 

[ceratitis]

if you limited the time period a person is infectious and add an incubation then its no longer a world killer only a city killer... still an epic spell unless you are infectious only for say a minute per caster level.
BTW- the real plague "only" killed a third of the population and many were naturaly immune.

 

[Meeki]

Yea this spell seems very low epic. Since it is a curse and a disease, basically, creatures immune to disease can still catch it? Its very contradictory in the text.