D&D 4E 4E Disease and Sickness Collection

[SuperGnome]

Hey all,

I thought I'd start a collection of diseases and sicknesses people created so we all have one resource to pull from. The DMG has just a few examples, and those start at 9th level! Please post your complete diseases (last until cured) or sicknesses (possibly duration based) with Name, Level, Type, a short description of where it's commonly found and the affects of it.

 

[Rechan]

Abyssal Utterance
Level 3 Disease
Fortitude Attack: +6
Endurance Improve DC: 16
Maintain DC: 11
Worsen: 10 or lower

Stages of the Virus
0: Target is cured.
1: Initial Effect Target may only speak Abyssal.
2: Abyssal Tumor grows on the host's body. This growth has sentience, and begins to effect the host's mind. -2 to Will Defense, lose 1 healing surge.
3: More, powerful tumors spread. The host takes -2 to Fort. The Tumors begin influencing the host more, subconsciously encouraging the host to spread the virus to as many uninfected individuals as possible. Host will also refuse to succumb to a Cure Disease or Remove Affliction ritual.
4: Final Stage The Tumors' control of the Host's will has become complete; an entity that can possess targets does not need to succeed in an attack to possess the Host. Furthermore, the Tumors have gained enough power to connect to the Abyss; the Host has a 15% chance per day of being possessed by a demon from the Abyss.

Contraction

Abyssal Utterance is an utterly wicked plague, not only due to what it does to a victim, but how it is spread. The first symptom of the virus is that the host speaks Abyssal (but does not understand it, unless the host knows the language all ready). Anyone who hears the infected host speak is exposed to the virus.

Ulterior Motive

The actual infection is not the final threat of the virus. Certainly an outbreak ending in an infected population who are possessed is bad enough. But the actual words in Abyssal are a threat. If enough entities are speaking at once, there is a significant chance that demons can be summoned from the Abyss. The Tumors are aware of this, intentionally infecting hosts and coordinating until they have enough to carry through a summons.

 

[FatAndy]

Crotch Rot Disease

 

[bobcat_grad]

Haven't used it yet, but this is something I put together to use after the party deals with an elite custom monster - a large Black Widow spider.

During the encounter, track who is hit by the Black Widow’s bite attack. Let each one of them know that they are starting to feel weak and they are affected by the disease Black Widow’s Poison.
Black Widow Poison
Level 10 Disease
The bite of the Black Widow is known to incapacitate a man in a number of days.
Attack: +13 vs. Fortitude
Endurance: improve DC 27, maintain DC 23, worsen DC 22 or lower
The target is cured
Initial Effect: The target loses one healing surge that it cannot regain until cured.
The target’s speed is reduced in half and takes 10 poison damage after any rest.
The target is paralyzed.

 

[Holy Bovine]

Here's a bunch of diseases I 4e'ified taken from a 3E Dungeon magazine as well as a 3E DCC adventure. I added ability damage to my games but you can always ignore it and substitute ability check penalties or skill check penalties or whatever.


Brainboil Level 3 Disease
Attack +5 vs. Will
Endurance: Improve DC 24 Maintain 20 Worsen 19
The target is cured
Initial Effect: 1d4 Wisdom damage And target takes a -2 on all Wis, Int & Cha skill checks.
2nd Stage: Target is dazed at the start of every combat (save ends)
3rd Stage: Target attacks nearest creature until slain
4th Stage: Coma

Dripskin Level 5 Disease
Attack: +6 vs. Fortitude
Endurance: Improve DC 25 Maintain DC 21 Worsen 20
The target is cured
Initial Effect: 1d3 Con damage and the target loses one healing surge
2nd Stage: Target gains vulnerability 5 vs. all damage
3rd Stage: Target is weakened until cured
4th Stage: Death

Greenblight Level 11 Disease
Attack: +9 vs. Fortitude
Endurance: Improve DC 27 Maintain DC 23 Worsen DC 22
The target is cured
Initial Effect: 1d6 Str damage and the target gains an aura (1) if anyone starts their turn in the aura they suffer a -2 to attacks rolls (save ends)
2nd Stage: Anyone within the aura is also attacked by the disease
3rd Stage: Target is dazed at the start of each combat (save ends)
4th Stage: Target falls into a coma and begins to sprout plant life dying about a week later.

Black Fog Level 4 Disease
+6 vs Fort
Endurance 25/20/19
Target is cured
Initial Effect: 1d4 Wis, target loses one healing surge.
2nd Stage: Target must make a DC 10 Wisdom check in order to act in each round otherwise treat the target as stunned.
3rd Stage: Target is blind and stunned (save ends).
4th Stage: Target is catatonic.

Blood Mist Level 5 Disease
+7 vs. Fort
Endurance: 26/21/20
Target is cured
Initial Effect: 1d4 Con damage, target takes a -4 to all Dex & Cha skill checks.
2nd Stage: Target loses two healing surges
3rd Stage: target takes a -2 to all attack rolls
4th Stage: Target is weakened.

Boiling Skin Level 2 Disease
+4 vs. Fort
Endurance: 23/18/17
Target is cured
Initial Effect: 1d3 Con & 1 Cha damage, -6 to all Cha skill checks.
2nd Stage: Target loses 1 healing surge and takes 5 necrotic damage (this damage cannot be healed until the disease is cured)
3rd Stage: Target loses 2 healing surges and takes 10 necrotic damage (this damage cannot be healed until the disease is cured)
4th Stage: Target loses 3 healing surges and cannot spend surges to heal without magical aid.

Brain Itch Level 2 Disease
+4 vs. Will
Endurance: 22/20/19
Target is cured
Initial Effect: 1 Int damage, target takes a -4 to initiative rolls and Int based skill checks.
2nd Stage: Target starts each combat dazed (save ends)
3rd Stage: Target is dazed permanently (no save)

Corpse Rot level 4 Disease
+6 vs. fort
Endurance: 25/21/20
Target is cured
Initial effect: 1d2 Str, 1d4 Cha damage and target loses 2 healing surges.
2nd Stage: Target gains only ½ hp from healing surges.
3rd Stage: When target is bloodied he gains 15 ongoing necrotic damage (save ends).
4th Stage: Death

Dread Twitch Level 3 Disease
+5 vs. Fort
Endurance: 24/19/18
Target is cured
Initial effect: 1d6 Dex damage and the target loses 1 healing surge
2nd Stage: Target’s speed is reduced by 2
3rd Stage: Target is permanently slowed (this replaces the speed reduction above)

Milk Eyes Level 5 Disease
+7 vs. Fort
Endurance: 26/22/21
Target is cured
Initial Effect: 1d4 Wis, 1d4 Con damage, target loses one healing surge
2nd Effect: Target starts each day with 0 action points
3rd Effect: Target cannot gain action points and is blinded

Stiffening Level 6 Disease
+8 vs. Fort
Endurance: 27/23/22
Target is cured
Initial Effect: 1 Dex damage target’s speed is reduced by 1
2nd Stage: Target’s speed is reduced by 1 (cumulative with above)
3rd Stage: Target starts each combat immobilized (save ends)
4th Stage: Target is paralyzed.

White Fever Level 6 Disease
+8 vs. Fort
Endurance: 27/22/21
Target is cured
Initial effect: 1d4 Int damage and target loses one healing surge.
2nd Stage: Target suffers a -2 to all attack rolls
3rd Stage: Target starts each combat dazed (save ends)
4th Stage: Target’s Int drops to 1 and he is catatonic.

Withering Level 4 Disease
+6 vs. fort
Endurance: 25/21/20
Target is cured
Initial effect: 1d4 Str and target loses 1 healing surge.
2nd Stage: Target begins each combat weakened (save ends)
3rd Stage: Target takes a -4 penalty to all damage rolls with melee weapons.
4th Stage: Death.

 

[Sporemine]

This thread is awesome, I couldn't let it die

Death
Level 1-30 disease
Attack: None
Endurance: None

The target is alive (Can only be acheived with a raise death dead ritual or similar effect)
Initial effect: The target is dead
The target is more dead (Occurs after 100 years)
The target ceases to exist (Occurs when all of existence ends)

Death is spread by being reduced to negative half of your full hit points, or failing 3 death saves.

Kudos

-Sporemine

 

[DanmarLOK]

Nice stuff there but the DC's are high compared to the official diseases. From a quick glance through the DMG and MM it looks like Improve DC's are 10+level, Maintain is 10+level/2 and Worsen of course is Maintain-1 as a rough rule of thumb.

 

[Sporemine]

Nice stuff there but the DC's are high compared to the official diseases. From a quick glance through the DMG and MM it looks like Improve DC's are 10+level, Maintain is 10+level/2 and Worsen of course is Maintain-1 as a rough rule of thumb.

"Filth Fever
Level 3 Disease
Endurance stable DC 16, improve DC 21"

Taken from MM1, PG 180

Unless I missed some errata, I think you may need to look more closely. I'm not sure if there's a set way of making dieases, but that's not it.

 

[Chaldfont]

I needed two for an upcoming encounter in a mushroom forest. One is what happens when you inhale spores from a puffball.


Puffball Spore Infection, Level 7 Disease
+10 vs Fortitude
0. Cured
1. Initial State: Target takes a -2 penalty to attacks
2. Target loses one healing surge that cannot be regained until cured
3. Final State: Target is slowed.

Improve DC 20, Maintain DC 18, Worsen 17 or less

The other is the addiction brought on by eating Feywild bluecap mushrooms which give you an extra action and do not count toward your daily magic item use limit.

Bluecap addiction, Level 8 Disease
Upon eating more than one bluecap between extended rests:
0. Cured
1. Initial State: The target begins each day with no action points.
2. The target may not gain action points.
3. Final State: The target is dazed.

Improve DC 24, Maintain DC 20, Worsen 19 or less

Check Endurance every short rest and every extended rest. Every extended rest that the target is addicted beyond the first, Endurance checks gain a cumulative +1 bonus.

At any time upon ingesting a bluecap, the target may decline the extra action and instead move one step closer to cured (though it may not be cured). But if the target accepts the extra action point, the target moves closer to the Final State.

 

[Holy Bovine]

Nice stuff there but the DC's are high compared to the official diseases. From a quick glance through the DMG and MM it looks like Improve DC's are 10+level, Maintain is 10+level/2 and Worsen of course is Maintain-1 as a rough rule of thumb.

Exactly - a rule of thumb. Given that the Dcs of the diseases I was comparing too varied quite a bit I decided to make my conversions on the high side to give them that added 'punch'. I adjust DCs all the time for may of the things I find in official products (like the skill challenge chart 5 minutes after I looked at it).

 

[Max1mus]

FYI Disease DCs have been errata'd and are much easier to overcome.

 

[BoomerJeremy]

The Black Itch!

The Black Itch Level 8 Disease
A dibilitating fungal infection that causes painful itching Attack: +11 vs. Fort
and blackens the skin. Endurance improve DC 18, maintain DC 15, worsen DC 13 or lower

0 - Cured!
1 - Itching Becomes less severe. Black marks, if any, fade slightly but remain. -2 to only CHA based skills
2 - Initial: Severe Itching around wounds. -2 to all skill checks and dmg rolls
3 - Black marks appear. Skin begins to bleed and is painful to move. Speed reduced by 1.
4 - Tiny mushrooms begin to sprout. Eyes turn yellow and crusty, vision is milky. Fever and confusion sets in. Slowed.
5 - Final State: Delirium. Victim is mad with fever and large mushrooms sprout everywhere. The victim attempts to bite anyone that goes near. Tries to run into the mushroom forest where it will try to spread the disease by biting. Within the next month the victim will die and rot and produce large mushrooms from the corpse.

 

[doubleabattery]

Suggestion Sensitivity Syndrome Level 7 Disease
Those who acquire this disease do everything
They are told to do, regardless of what is,
Or who is telling them to do it.
Whether they want to or not.
Attack; +10 vs. Will
Improve; DC 20+
Maintain; DC 15+
Worsen; DC 14-

Curing stage; the target is cured.
Initial stage; the target receives a -1 to will checks and each turn must perform any 1 command it received during the encounter in a language the target understands, priority to commands given earlier than others.
Stage 2; target must perform any command it is told to do so in a language the target understands, if one command contradicts another; target receives a +5 vs. disease saving throw modifier and must perform a saving throw, on a success, the target takes 3 damage and follows through with the command that was given first, on a fail, target takes 10 damage and falls unconscious.
Final stage; target’s Will becomes 0 and it becomes dominated by the nearest creature within earshot that speaks a language the target understands.
Special; after any extended rest or when the target awakens from being unconscious, this disease no longer has effect on the victim, an is treated as 'cured.'

 

[Ikalos]

Hmmm, how would one stat out a few real world diseases?

Like, dysentary, the black plague, pneumonia, and cholera? I intend on running an Emberverse campaign that involves those very same diseases.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Look at these: INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN HISTORY

These are all "ancient diseases", although some (like the 'flu) were only really dangerous since the 1800s.

 

[doubleabattery]

Stereotypical zombie epidemic level 21 disease

Those with this disease slowly become mindless
Undead beings with an unsatisfiable hunger for
The brain matter of the living, and another for
Spreading its illness to as many as possible.

Attack; +24 vs. Fortitude
Improve; DC 39+
Maintain; DC N/A
Worsen; DC 38-

Curing stage; target is cured
Stage 0; Target cannot be improved past this stage through normal methods, while the target is at this segment of the disease the target only needs to make a DC check for this disease at the end of every 2nd extended rest, at any other stage the target makes checks normally.
Initial effect; target’s alignment becomes unaligned. And will not attack any undead or any unit with this disease, any creature adjacent to this target that takes damage receives this disease; a saving throw may prevent it.
Stage 2; Targets’ speed gets -1. When the target receives damage form a creature, that creature must make a saving throw, on a fail, they receive this disease.
Stage 3; target is permanently dazed, receives a Will modifier of -3, and an intelligence modifier of -4.
Final stage; target falls under DM’s control and attacks strongest creature that does not already have this disease, target is labeled as undead, it’s intelligence becomes 0, and any unit that takes damage from the target receives this disease, the defender is not able to perform a saving throw to prevent this.
Special, when this disease worsens; it worsens 2 stages.

 

[doubleabattery]

What?

I think this might be a little complicated.

Incremental Amnesia Virus Level; (Player’s level) disease

Over time, those with this disease forget everything
They know, even how to speak. Even how to think.

Attack; +(X +3) vs. Will
Improve; DC (X +15) +
Maintain; DC (X +10) +
Worsen; DC (X +9)-
X = (player’s level)

Curing stage; target is cured
Stage -1; target is unaffected by the disease.
Stage 0; target is unaffected by the disease.
Initial effect; target is unable to use, or remember having any feats or powers it received at its current level.
Stage N; target is unable to use any feats or powers it received at its current level or from N levels preceding its current level, nor is it able to remember any events from its long-term memory within N levels back.
Stage X+1; target forgets how to speak. The target can still communicate telepathically if it were already able to do so.
Stage X+2; target forgets who his allies are treating any creature that damages it as an enemy.
Stage X+3; target forgets who he is, and anything else it knows.
Stage X+4; final stage; target forgets how to think, collapsing into unconsciousness.
Special; whenever the target ‘improves’ to a better stage, it improves three stages instead. Whenever the target ‘worsens’ it worsens 3 stages instead. In any circumstance in which case the target is currently surpassing stage X+1, the target improves and worsens normally.
Special; if the targets’ hit points are dropped to zero or below as a result of a critical hit; this disease is cured.


also, would one be able to post curses in this thread? i read in the new "The Book of Vile Darkness" that a curse is like a disease except it doesn't cure itself at it's...'healthiest' stage, it just becomes dormant. untill it worsens again that is.