Can outsides get sick?

[Nebrok]

Here's an interestin question that poped up duing one of our sessions, can outsiders get sick such as celestials, demons and devils? My first reply was no, they can't. But then someone pointed out that it dosn't specificly state that they are immune. I looked it up and they were right. But I also kow that a half-celestial is immune to disease while a half-fiend is not.

We debated it but couldn't come to an agreement. If they can get sick then this would leave then open to mummy rot and lycanthopy too. And even though that idea of a deva werebear or a sucubus werewolf seems odd, I can't say it can't happen if it dosn't say that they are immune.

I need outside opinions, what is the call here. Personaly I would say that if the creature is not immune to disease, then it can get a disease. But I suspect that I may be wrong.

 

[Lord Wyrm]

They can get dieseased, but considering the amount of high level magic is available to outsiders they won't stay diseased. Also they can't get lycanthropy, only humanoids or giants can get said template.

 

[Nebrok]

I hadn't thought to look at the lycanthrope template, not I feel stupid. Thanks for the input.

 

[andargor]

Another oddity, as I've discoverered recently, is that elementals are not immune to disease.

Magical diseases, ok, but mundane diseases...? I can't see virii surviving long in a Fire Elemental.

Andargor

 

[Deset Gled]

Another oddity, as I've discoverered recently, is that elementals are not immune to disease.

Magical diseases, ok, but mundane diseases...? I can't see virii surviving long in a Fire Elemental.

Andargor

I think this is a case where the mechanical aspect of a scientific distiction is more or less thrown to the wind for simplicity. A similar case to this is acid damage, which in the D+D world really means any type of chemical damage, be it from an acid, a base, or just a volatile chemical.

I'll agree that bacteria wouldn't survive in a Fire Elemental long, but I think there are some microscopic things that could (IIRC, wasn't part of the Mad Cow scare the fact that the prions that caused the disease could exist at very high temperatures?). And whose to say that all diseases in a fantasy setting have to work exactly the same as in the real world?

Nitpick: virii are not actually living organisms, technically speaking.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

And whose to say that all diseases in a fantasy setting have to work exactly the same as in the real world?

Exactly.

I find that my fantasy works a lot better when I forget germ theory, and start thinking in terms of miasma and spontaneous generation.

 

[andargor]

Nitpick: virii are not actually living organisms, technically speaking.

Whatever you say, Dr. Gled.

find that my fantasy works a lot better when I forget germ theory, and start thinking in terms of miasma and spontaneous generation.

Then I guess Fire Elementals will continue to suffer from Flame Rot.

Andargor

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Then I guess Fire Elementals will continue to suffer from Flame Rot.

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Well, with Dr. Kossuth's Topical Cream, you can get back to burning the way you were meant to!

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[CyberSpyder]

Nitpick: virii are not actually living organisms, technically speaking.

Nitpick: The plural of virus is not virii, but rather viruses. It's not even a proper Latinization - "us" generally goes to "i," not "ii."

It is a bit strange that celestials and earth elementals can come down with the sniffles. Sounds like a good place for a house rule.

 

[cmanos]

"Dear Asmodeus, please excuse young Glasya from torture today. She has come down with the flu, and we do not wish to start a hellacious epidemic. Signed Geryon."