Level Up (A5E) Contagion

[ContagionUser]

Contagion | Level Up

a5e.tools

Does this spell inflict the disease and it's effects immediately and after 3 fails it lasts 7 days

Or

Is the disease only in effect after 3 fails?

 

[ContagionUser]

Contagion | Level Up

a5e.tools

Is the disease affecting the target after landing the melee spell hit

Or after landing the melee spell hit and after the fail 3 CON saves?

 

[W'rkncacnter]

i believe the disease is in effect immediately and failing 3 times extends the duration. it'd be a pretty garbage spell if the disease didn't come into effect until after 3 failures.

 

[lichmaster]

Make a melee spell attack. On a hit, you afflict the target with a disease chosen from the list below.


The target must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. After three failed saves, the disease lasts for the duration and the creature stops making saves, or after three successful saves, the creature recovers and the spell ends

The spell applies the disease with a successful attack.
After the attack, the target makes saves every round.
What happens next depends on whether 3 saves are failed before 3 succeed.
I 3 saves fail, the disease lasts for 7 days, no additional saves are allowed to remove it.
If 3 succeed, the disease is gone.

This means that on a successful hit, the target will have the disease for at least 3 rounds.

 

[lichmaster]

I'm realizing that there's a crazy combo one can do with this spell.
Cast it and choose Slimy Doom as an option.

Slimy Doom: The target bleeds uncontrollably. It has disadvantage when using Constitution for an ability check or saving throw. Whenever it takes damage, the target is stunned until the end of its next turn.

So, the target will have disadvantage on the follow up saves of the Contagion spell, AND, every time it takes damage it gets stunned until the end of the next turn (no save!).

• A stunned creature is incapacitated (see the condition), can't move, and can speak only falteringly.
• The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
• A creature that is immune to being stunned is immune to being rattled.

After being stunned, Str and Dex saves automatically fail.

This single spell creates a significant semi-permanent stun-lock condition

 

[lichmaster]

This gets even better the more I think about it.
Unless an enemy is immune to disease and therefore to the effects of the spell, a single casting of this spell can wipe out all 3 uses of Legendary Resistance and still be effective for those 3 rounds, since one use or LR turns a failed save into an auto success but it's not enough to remove the effect of the spell.
Thus at least 3 rounds of stun-locking are always possible (providing the creature is not immune to stunning, of course).

To give an idea of its power, consider that an Ancient Red Dragon is neither immune to disease nor to the stunned condition. Either the dragon spends all 3 uses of legendary resistance to get rid (eventually) of the disease, or it will keep the disease for 7 days, including the possibility of being stunned by any damage it takes!

 

[AnotherGuy]

My suggestion is that they should downgrade the Stunned condition to Slowed.
In the sense that slowed in this instance will be more like a debilitating irritation rather than slowed in the conventional understanding of the effect.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

I'm realizing that there's a crazy combo one can do with this spell.
Cast it and choose Slimy Doom as an option.

So, the target will have disadvantage on the follow up saves of the Contagion spell, AND, every time it takes damage it gets stunned until the end of the next turn (no save!).

After being stunned, Str and Dex saves automatically fail.

This single spell creates a significant semi-permanent stun-lock condition

that's not even a combo. it's just the best option.

My suggestion is that they should downgrade the Stunned condition to Slowed.
In the sense that slowed in this instance will be more like a debilitating irritation rather than slowed in the conventional understanding of the effect.

yeah, slowed is more in line with the other effects, especially considering slimy doom also imposes disadvantage on saves to throw off the disease.

 

[lichmaster]

that's not even a combo. it's just the best option.

Yes, the spell synergises with itself and allows to chain other effects very easily. It's a no-brainer