xiphumor
Legend
T&T, pg. 163
“Being raised from the dead often has a deleterious effect upon a mortal’s soul. Netherblight is the term scholars use to describe this spiritual malady.
Whenever a dead humanoid is restored to life (via a raise dead spell, for example), roll 1d20. On a result greater than the creature’s level (or challenge rating), it may become afflicted with netherblight. The creature makes a DC 17 Charisma saving throw or it becomes infected.
Netherblight affects its victims in different ways. Whenever a creature infected with netherblight finishes a long rest, it makes a DC 17 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, it gains a randomly determined malady as per Table: Netherblight. If this would result in an effect the creature already suffers from, the victim’s malady does not worsen but it has disadvantage on its next saving throw against the disease.
Only powerful magic (such as a wish spell), a divine miracle, or the completion of a quest determined by the Narrator can cure a creature afflicted with netherblight.”
#6 is what I’m interested in because of the world building implications. An commoner has a 75% chance of contracting the disease if returned to life, after which they die after about a week on average assuming the normal Doomed condition timeline.
Obviously, you can decide whether or not to use this in your game, but if you do, it significantly weakens resurrection magic.
Personally, I wish the contraction rate or DC changed with the level of the spell. Revivify becomes a lot less useful at early levels, and feels much more like using a defibrillator than doing something unholy.
“Being raised from the dead often has a deleterious effect upon a mortal’s soul. Netherblight is the term scholars use to describe this spiritual malady.
Whenever a dead humanoid is restored to life (via a raise dead spell, for example), roll 1d20. On a result greater than the creature’s level (or challenge rating), it may become afflicted with netherblight. The creature makes a DC 17 Charisma saving throw or it becomes infected.
Netherblight affects its victims in different ways. Whenever a creature infected with netherblight finishes a long rest, it makes a DC 17 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, it gains a randomly determined malady as per Table: Netherblight. If this would result in an effect the creature already suffers from, the victim’s malady does not worsen but it has disadvantage on its next saving throw against the disease.
Only powerful magic (such as a wish spell), a divine miracle, or the completion of a quest determined by the Narrator can cure a creature afflicted with netherblight.”
1 | The creature’s voice becomes flat and lifeless, and it has disadvantage on Deception and Persuasion checks made to influence living creatures. |
2 | The creature’s zest for life fades, and it becomes unable to gain inspiration or benefit from Bardic Inspiration. |
3 | The creature’s type changes to undead. At the Narrator’s discretion, mindless undead (such as skeletons or zombies) may ignore the creature’s presence. |
4 | The gods themselves shun the creature. Whenever a spell or magical effect would restore the creature’s hit points, the creature regains only half the hit points it would have normally regained. |
5 | The creature’s grip on life becomes tenuous and it has disadvantage on death saving throws. |
6 | Death calls for the creature’s return. The creature gains the doomed condition, dying at a time determined by the Narrator. A spell of 7th-level or higher (such as resurrection) can remove the doomed condition but does not cure the disease. |
#6 is what I’m interested in because of the world building implications. An commoner has a 75% chance of contracting the disease if returned to life, after which they die after about a week on average assuming the normal Doomed condition timeline.
Obviously, you can decide whether or not to use this in your game, but if you do, it significantly weakens resurrection magic.
Personally, I wish the contraction rate or DC changed with the level of the spell. Revivify becomes a lot less useful at early levels, and feels much more like using a defibrillator than doing something unholy.