Common cold?

[abe ray]

How would you fine people build the common cold for 5th edition dnd?

 

[iserith]

It's honestly a bit too mundane for me to make into a disease, but probably I'd just base it on sewer plague in the DMG (page 257) with a maximum exhaustion level of 3 or 4.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

I would say that the common cold is not worth modeling. You could have a cold, or not, and it wouldn't affect your ability to climb a rope or swing a sword to the same degree as having Strength 12 compared to Strength 14.

If it was a really bad flu, then I would apply the Poisoned condition. I think the general rules for overcoming illness would fall under the downtime rules, where you get to make a check every three days to try and shake off Mummy Rot or whatever. I would probably give a lower DC to trying to shake that flu than I would to shaking off Mummy Rot.

 

[abe ray]

I would say that the common cold is not worth modeling. You could have a cold, or not, and it wouldn't affect your ability to climb a rope or swing a sword to the same degree as having Strength 12 compared to Strength 14.

If it was a really bad flu, then I would apply the Poisoned condition. I think the general rules for overcoming illness would fall under the downtime rules, where you get to make a check every three days to try and shake off Mummy Rot or whatever. I would probably give a lower DC to trying to shake that flu than I would to shaking off Mummy Rot.

Ok, thanks!

 

[LordEntrails]

Gotta go with @Sealorn on this. Being effected by a cold is not very heroic, or interesting.

 

[Unwise]

I just model general ill health as meaning that you have disadvantage on rolls needed to avoid exhaustion. Or that you roll for exhaustion twice as often. Your overland travel speed drops accordingly. It's not going to stop you fighting, but it will stop you trekking through a jungle at your normal pace. I only use it to reflect a bad environment, e.g. exploring the area around Skavenblight in Warhammer, or in a malaria infested jungle.

 

[Horwath]

Auto fail stealth checks.

 

[Seramus]

Once per game session, Disadvantage on a Perception or Concentration check.

 

[Ymdar]

I would go the other way around: If you fail a lot of rolls in a session (ie a lot of failed attacks and stealth checks) that means you got common cold for this session.

 

[CapnZapp]

Heroes don't take bathroom breaks, catch colds or complain about aching knees.

I'd simply say "you catch a cold and feel miserable at any time except when it counts"

That is - no mechanical penalties. Role-play your misery all you like but even a -1 is too severe for a common cold, and 5e doesn't really do mere -1s.

In the choice between disadvantage and nothing, the choice is easy: nothing.

Does not mean the character is immune to misery. Only that a hero can focus through the inconvenience when push come to shove; ie each time a die roll is made.