D&D 5E (2024) Diseases no longer curable with lesser restoration

[TheSword]

So interesting spin off from my medicine thread. Magical diseases, despite very much being a thing in the game are no longer curable with lesser restoration. Only greater restoration will cure the exhaustion which most of the seem to key off, which makes curing diseases much harder than before.

Furthermore - paladins can’t cure them with lay on hands neither are they immune to them.

Feels like a significant change. Now magical contagions can have a realistic and serious impact on a campaign.

 

[aco175]

Using them before was a bit of a bore or not much of a deal. This might make them something to actually use again.

 

[Seramus]

Yep! There are some interesting threads about it.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

Is Lesser Restoration prevalent enough in campaign worlds to prevent, even when it actually cured diseases, contagions and epidemic campaign? I admit I ran an epidemic-themed adventure in Sharn without trying to assess the ability of a magical society to overcome the danger, but I assumed that people can get infected quicker than local clerics can cast a level 2 Lesser Restoration. There is no reason for Lesser Restoration to protect against reinfection if needed.

 

[ECMO3]

So interesting spin off from my medicine thread. Magical diseases, despite very much being a thing in the game are no longer curable with lesser restoration. Only greater restoration will cure the exhaustion which most of the seem to key off, which makes curing diseases much harder than before.

Furthermore - paladins can’t cure them with lay on hands neither are they immune to them.

Feels like a significant change. Now magical contagions can have a realistic and serious impact on a campaign.

Are diseases still mechanically a thing in the 2024 rules?

My understanding is diseases were mostly replaced with the poisoned condition which would be removed by either of these. The few that were not replaced with poison are now a "curse" which would be removed by remove curse.

 

[Yaarel]

Are diseases still mechanically a thing in the 2024 rules?

My understanding is diseases were mostly replaced with the poisoned condition which would be removed by either of these. The few that were not replaced with poison are now a "curse" which would be removed by remove curse.

"Magical contagions" are a thing (DMG 61). Lesser Restoration can cure one of them, Sight Rot which inflicts the Blinded condition.

 

[TheSword]

Are diseases still mechanically a thing in the 2024 rules?

My understanding is diseases were mostly replaced with the poisoned condition which would be removed by either of these. The few that were not replaced with poison are now a "curse" which would be removed by remove curse.

Similar contagions to the previous edition are in the DMG. There are three examples and two of them (Sewer Plague for instance) key off Exhaustion not Poisoned.

They’re separate to curses.

 

[Charlaquin]

Are diseases still mechanically a thing in the 2024 rules?

My understanding is diseases were mostly replaced with the poisoned condition which would be removed by either of these. The few that were not replaced with poison are now a "curse" which would be removed by remove curse.

Rumors of the death of diseases in 2024 were somewhat exaggerated. The same diseases that appeared in the 2014 DMG are also found in the 2024 DMG, they’re just called magical contagions now. And, as noted, Lay On Hands and Lesser Restoration no longer cure them. In fact, there’s no universal way to cure a magical contagion; the DMG ones all include specific rules for how to end them.