Do disease differently!

[kevtar]

I was reading through the "Caves of Chaos" (haven't been able to playtest it yet) and I noticed that the rats carry a disease (I believe that feature is called pestilence). Then I say the effect: 1d6.

That puzzled me.

"Pestilence" causes an immediate 1d6 with no lingering effects? I hope that diseases in D&D are more than just 1 one-time xd6 effect, and instead, affect the PCs in different ways.

For example (and this is just a quick brainstorm):

Minor Disease
Make a saving throw. If you fail, you are disadvantaged until you take a long rest or are healed with a "cure disease" ritual. Your saving throws are not disadvantaged.

Moderate Disease
Make a saving throw. If you fail, you are disadvantaged until you succeed on another saving throw after a long rest or are healed with a "cure disease" ritual. Your saving throws are disadvantaged.

Major Disease
Make a saving throw. If you fail, you are disadvantaged and take "x points" of HP/day (or maybe an HD of healing, or maybe even a point of CON). At the beginning of each morning, make a saving throw (your saves are disadvantaged), if successful, you are still disease but are no longer taking daily damage. At the beginning of the next day, make another saving throw. If you succeed, you are no longer diseased.

I know, I know... a PC could go days being diseased, which means days being disadvantaged - but it's a disease! lol, it should mean something more than an extra 1d6.

 

[jadrax]

Make sure you submit this as feedback.

 

[Sunseeker]

I like the recurring saves against disease concept. Obviously tougher diseases would have higher save DCs.

The weakest of diseases IRL are usually 24-hour bugs, so I'd have to agree that overcoming weak ones with a good night's rest is a fair deal.

Dunno how I feel about saves being disadvantaged, I suppose it would depend on how available a "cure disease" type spell was. If something like that is just a day's down the road so your cleric can recharge or you can get to town, that's fine. But going whole adventures disadvantaged can get really boring, especially in systems where a -2 makes a big difference to a roll.

I don't want groups to say "we sit around in town for 5 days while John makes saves against Pneumonia."

I'd like to see some heal-checks for creating on-the-fly herbal remedies included. Most modern medicines are synthesized from real plants, in a magical world, I'd imagine there's probably some moss and some pond scum or a magic leach that will help. I just don't want groups to decide it's more effecient for the whole group to twiddle their thumbs than carry on.


I would like to note, diseases shouldn't stack. Though realistically if you get several diseases at once, it can be debilitating, but short of magical diseases, how often do heroic adventurers get waylaid because they are sick?

Just track that you have them, and then once you've saved against one, go on to saving against the next.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

note, that some rats carry filth fever that ban spread...

I think the idea, that not every rat causes disease is a good one. 1d6 damage on a failed saving throw seems not ideal though. Maybe just lose a HD would be better. (you are slightly sick and can´t regenerate as well this day, and the wound won´t close that easily, even if it is just a scratch)