Diseases redux

[Kerrick]

While I was recovering from a recent bout of the flu, I got to thinking - diseases generally have a set affliction time; if you've got a cold or the flu, you'll be down for about a week. The only problem is, this isn't accurately modeled with the existing system of two consecutive Fort saves. Someone with a high Fort save could easily recover in 2 days, while someone with a low Fort save could be sick for weeks.

Also... I've always thought disease was the great equalizer - level should have nothing to do with being able to resist it, whereas general health (Con score) should be the deciding factor.

So, with that in mind, I made a slight adjustment to the disease system. Each disease has a severity rating (Mild, Moderate, Severe, Fatal), which determines the save DC and number of successful saves required to recover. Having a set number of saves, instead of requiring consecutive saves, also allows for PCs to recover from milder diseases more quickly, instead of being beset for weeks because of poor rolls.


Mild: Almost anyone can get over the disease with little problem, even without any other aid.
Examples: The common cold.

Moderate: The disease requires a week or so of bed rest, but victims can recover with minimal healing. Old and young victims often die from this disease without treatment.
Examples: Influenza, pneumonia.

Severe: The disease is fatal more often than not, and often those who do survive are crippled or disfigured in some fashion. This class is also used for non-fatal diseases that cause permanent injury (blinding sickness, e.g.). Recovery without healing or magical aid is very rare.
Examples: Tuberculosis, polio.

Fatal: 90%+ of victims who contract these diseases die, and very few of those who survive do so unscathed. These diseases often reach epidemic proportions, wiping out towns, cities, or even entire nations before they are contained.
Examples: Cancer, Ebola virus, rabies.

DC: The DC required for the Con check to avoid or throw off the effects of the disease. The initial save to determine infection should be made secretly by the DM, so the player doesn't know that whether the character has been infected or not.

The save DC is based on the disease's severity. Also, diseases require a certain number of successful checks to recover. These checks need not be consecutive, but each counts toward the total.

Mild: DC 10, 2 checks

Moderate: DC 13, 3 checks

Severe: DC 16, 4 checks

Fatal: DC 19, 5 checks.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Also... I've always thought disease was the great equalizer - level should have nothing to do with being able to resist it, whereas general health (Con score) should be the deciding factor.

Generally: Looks nice... but what do you do with cure disease?

That spell made all diseases non-relevant after 5th level.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Kerrick]

I'm thinking of making it level-dependent - at 5th level you can cure Mild diseases, at 8th Moderate, at 11th Severe, and 14th Fatal.

 

[Nifft]

Generic magic should be able to stave off death and preserve the target's (weakened) health.

Specific magic (with a specific powerful / expensive component) should be able to cure specific diseases.

This makes for quests, which are cool.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Wik]

Generally: Looks nice... but what do you do with cure disease?

That spell made all diseases non-relevant after 5th level.

Cheers, LT.

Pathfidner just had an episode about plagues. And the neat thing is, using the DMG demographics, the number of people who can cast Cure Disease daily in a given location is very small. You can still easily have plagues (even if there are wands of Cure Disease factored in) that wipe out populations - while the rich (who can afford the price tag on getting the spell cast) and the adventurers are mostly unaffected.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Generally: Looks nice... but what do you do with cure disease?

That spell made all diseases non-relevant after 5th level.

Cheers, LT.

I like the system as well, and for cure disease, I would change it to either:

- provides a bonus to the save vs the disease
or
- Auto-succeed at the next save
or
- Reduce the severity of the disease by one level

Going with Nifft's idea, certain herbal/alchemical concoctions could reduce work as a cure disease as well.

 

[Kerrick]

Yeah, I was thinking about giving a bonus to the save, too (instead of the levelled idea) - say, +4 or +6. A paladin's immunity to disease would be the same way - he'd get a flat +4 to saves, instead of complete immunity. Auto-succeed the next save is a good idea... I might just use that instead.

As for Nifft's idea.. you could easily make diseases with specific cures, which somehow resist all magics and such. Great for a campaign arc, because it shouldn't be overused.