D&D 5E Does Condition Immunity: Poison give Disease Immunity?

[Thank Dog]

Thank you, I'm not letting the poll decide for me, I'm just genuinely curious as to the prevailing opinion

And yet, anyone who disagrees with you gets this kind of response:

Grow up.

 

[Hand of Evil]

No - best definition:

• A poison is an inanimate chemical that damages the organism by interfering with the proper functioning of the internal components and organs.
• A disease is either an animate intruder or a malfunction of the body, mind or organ, itself.

In a fantasy game, I would be a bit broader in something, like a poison that effects skeletons (call that a cleric) and disease that are carried by undead, like tomb rot.

 

[Eejit]

And yet, anyone who disagrees with you gets this kind of response:

Nope, only a single (totally puerile) reply got that response.

 

[Uchawi]

That is odd that they overlooked disease resistance, especially for undead. But as a DM I would keep them separate because overall the vectors for delivery are different, i.e. chemical versus biological. I am sure if we dig deep into the science the distinction is not as clear.

 

[Eejit]

That is odd that they overlooked disease resistance, especially for undead. But as a DM I would keep them separate because overall the vectors for delivery are different, i.e. chemical versus biological. I am sure if we dig deep into the science the distinction is not as clear.

It's even odder when you consider some of the specific diseases mentioned in the MM:

Otyugh/Death Dog bites:
If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 15/12 Constitution saving throw against disease or become poisoned until the disease is cured.

So you have diseases delivered the same way as most of the poisons too.

Gas Spore:
Death Burst. The gas spore explodes when it drops to 0 hit points. Each creature within 20 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage and become infected with a disease on a failed save. Creatures immune to the poisoned condition are immune to this disease.

A very weird oversight in general.

 

[jadrax]

No monsters in the entire MM have disease immunity specified.

The problem is that Disease is not an actual thing you can be conventionally immune to under the 5e rules. There is no such thing as Disease Damage, and there is no such thing as a Diseased Condition.

That said, as a rule of thumb, I will be saying that creatures immune to the Poisoned Condition are generally immune to the effects of Disease.

 

[Eejit]

The problem is that Disease is not an actual thing you can be conventionally immune to under the 5e rules. There is no such thing as Disease Damage, and there is no such thing as a Diseased Condition.

Paladins, Monks and Land Druids get disease immunity. Until they get True Polymorphed into a Demilich. Then they can get the sniffles or be afflicted with Contagion: Slimy Doom which will cause blood to appear from nowhere!


It's so whacky.

 

[Uchawi]

I would say yes to disease damage and the condition. It makes just as much sense as poison damage and poisoned condition. I think that is where over simplification is a detriment to the game. Especially when previous editions have addressed the issue.

 

[Eejit]

I'm thinking the DMG will possibly explain the oversight Uchawi, but I would have preferred for it to be addressed in the MM itself.

 

[jadrax]

Paladins, Monks and Land Druids get disease immunity.

They do, but that's a much looser wording than the MM uses for specific immunities. Presumably a high level Paladin NPC would get 'Damage Immunities: Poison and Condition Immunities: Poisoned' but they could not get the same for disease because neither of them exist.

Its not just that PCs and NPCs are generated by different rules, its that the rules are also being expressed in a incomparable way. Although aside from the Contagion spell (which I think is baldy written on a lot of levels), it does seem that most Disease effects are treated as Poison Damage/Poisoned Conditions anyway.