How do you determine if a character is diseased?

[Abraxas]

Are there rules for using the heal skill (or something else) to determine if a character has contratced a disease before the incubation period has elapsed and they suffer the initial effects?

In a similar manner, are there rules for determining if a character has been inflicted with lycanthropy?

 

[AE020704]

There are no rules (that I can find) for identifying a disease, but I'd be sorely tempted to rule it as a Heal check with a DC of the disease's save DC.

 

[FreeXenon]

No set rules that I am aware of.

You could set the DC variable on a case by case situation.
A disease such as the Feral Shakes (DC 20) could have a detection DC of 25 as the symptoms don't really hit you until the incubation period lapses.

Whereas the Scarlet Mange (DC 25) could be really easy to ID as the symptoms are almost immediately obvious (DC 10) - yellowing of the contact area.. .etc

Just a thought. This ventures into house rule territory, however.

 

[frankthedm]

Are there rules for using the heal skill (or something else) to determine if a character has contratced a disease before the incubation period has elapsed and they suffer the initial effects?

In a similar manner, are there rules for determining if a character has been inflicted with lycanthropy?

Thankfully, No.

Hell, one or two points of stat damage really should not be that noticable either IMHO.

 

[bestone]

I agree with frank there wholeheartedly, it should be very hard to notice one stat, and only slightly noticeable for two.

I like to whip up extra uses for the heal check on the fly, like once they suffer the initial effects, being able to make high heal checks to prolong *slightly* any further effects. Or slightly suppress the current effects for small periods of time. Thats all house rules tho.

 

[Abraxas]

I agree with frank there wholeheartedly, it should be very hard to notice one stat, and only slightly noticeable for two.

That all fine and good until the low level character dies because he's had a stat drained and then the incubation period for the disease passes while he's struggling to get back to town and healed

 

[frankthedm]

That all fine and good until the low level character dies because he's had a stat drained and then the incubation period for the disease passes while he's struggling to get back to town and healed

If a low level Character has been stat drainedthat bad, death is merciful! The rules intend the character not to know if they have been diseased. The first save is suggested to be made in secret and the use of heal can't help until the second day the stat damage will acrue. {first save is rolled on the hit, thus no time for heal skill]

Treat Disease
To treat a disease means to tend a single diseased character. Every time he or she makes a saving throw against disease effects, you make a Heal check. The diseased character uses your check result or his or her saving throw, whichever is higher.

 

[Jhulae]

Thankfully, No.

Hell, one or two points of stat damage really should not be that noticable either IMHO.

Well, except when the rogue suddenly notices she's a bit worse at disarming traps or dodging (if dex drops one point from an even number), the fighter feels less hardy (con dropping one point from an even number), or *any* character suddenly can't carry as much as they could (one point of str damage impacts encumbrence no matter whether the stat is even or odd), and so on.

The only time it'd really be 'hard' to notice stat drops is any stat other than Str dropping from an odd to an even number.

 

[bestone]

Well, except when the rogue suddenly notices she's a bit worse at disarming traps or dodging (if dex drops one point from an even number), the fighter feels less hardy (con dropping one point from an even number), or *any* character suddenly can't carry as much as they could (one point of str damage impacts encumbrence no matter whether the stat is even or odd), and so on.

The only time it'd really be 'hard' to notice stat drops is any stat other than Str dropping from an odd to an even number.

You might feel the stat drop *slightly* but i dont think it'd be so noticeable as to be able to say "hey i lost a stat, i must be diseased*. If you have an 18, and your stat drops by 1 thats a reduction of approximately 5.5 percent (.99 is 5.5 percent of 18). Anyways, I doubt if your strength is sapped by 5.5 percent your going to immediately know somethign is wrong.

You could attribute it to fatigue,overworking yourself in a combat, waking up on the wrong side of the bed, bad soup, any number of things.

 

[green slime]

In RL, most people can tell when there is something wrong with them. Perhaps not at the instant of infection, but as when the symptoms manifest themselves. What is stat damage, if not a symptom described in game terms? Let's see: I have a fever, a swelling of the lymphatic nodes, and a red aching sore where that dire rat bit me. I wonder why I have suffered stat damage...

We are discussing fantastic diseases, not a mere case of the mumps, a cold, measels or malaria. I put it to you, that if the intent was to hide the fact the character was diseased, then the disease should explicitly state that fact. No, the character does not need to know at the instant the dire rat bites, if he made the Fort save DC or not, but it will become apparent when his body succumbs to the disease.