Free Tetanus, a DnD 5e disease

[Zaukrie]

I'm working on a PDF to sell about diseases, real and fantastic. Someone on Twitter (RPGMATCH) asked if there were rules for Tetanus anywhere, so I did this.

I'm basically going back to the Stages that 4e used, but of course using saves rather than attacks for this PDF. I tried VERY hard to disease one of my PCs last week, while they fought a diseased troll, but they kept making their saves, alas.

Anyway, here is a preview of a "real" disease (note: please don't take the cures as medical advice!).

Fantastic Diseases - Tetanus - Mike's Thoughts

This is an example of one of the diseases I am currently working on adding to my 5e Dungeons and Dragons game. Enjoy!

mikesixel.com

 

[Zaukrie]

I'm considering making it harder to recover than the original DC to not catch a disease in the first place.....

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I like how you had to specify that your cure was not actual medical advice.

My advice, as well, is that DCs should be more difficult. In fact, unless a disease is the type where a person naturally gets better over time, the DC for some should get harder the longer you leave it linger.

 

[Zaukrie]

I like how you had to specify that your cure was not actual medical advice.

My advice, as well, is that DCs should be more difficult. In fact, unless a disease is the type where a person naturally gets better over time, the DC for some should get harder the longer you leave it linger.

I was trying to avoid a death spiral.....I also was surprised when I looked at Contagion how weak it was, and how low the DC was for mummy rot......I thought I was being too easy, and yet, I think most of what I've written so far is tougher than what WotC does....

That said, yes, I've decided most diseases get harder to save as you go, and I've added an optional rule in the Appendix giving save ranges......so you could get better, stay at your current stage, or get worse.

thanks for commenting!

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I was trying to avoid a death spiral.....I also was surprised when I looked at Contagion how weak it was, and how low the DC was for mummy rot......I thought I was being too easy, and yet, I think most of what I've written so far is tougher than what WotC does....

That said, yes, I've decided most diseases get harder to save as you go, and I've added an optional rule in the Appendix giving save ranges......so you could get better, stay at your current stage, or get worse.

thanks for commenting!

I mostly meant that, if you don’t tend the disease at all, it gets harder because it progresses.

You could make medicine useful and have the save DCs be more difficult than the medicine check to tend it.

So tetanus might be a DC 15 for your body to fend it off naturally but a Wisdom (medicine) check of 10 or 12.

 

[Zaukrie]

I mostly meant that, if you don’t tend the disease at all, it gets harder because it progresses.

You could make medicine useful and have the save DCs be more difficult than the medicine check to tend it.

So tetanus might be a DC 15 for your body to fend it off naturally but a Wisdom (medicine) check of 10 or 12.

good point on medicine. I really want that skill to be more used in my games. No idea why my brain didn't go there! thanks.