Epic Diseases? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Epic Diseases? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Xagunder
07-12-07, 07:30 PM I'm soon to be running an epic (22nd-Level) version of the old Day of Al'Akbar adventure. The main reason for seeking out the fabled Cup and Talisman is to help stop a terrible plague sweeping the land. I plan to have several of Incabulous' (GH god of disease) night hag servants pregnant with his atropal children as the main BBEGs behind the plague, but does anyone have any interesting ideas for disease(s) at such high levels?
Grandmaster_Kane
07-12-07, 08:17 PM Burly man's plight
Every hour on the hour the hour for 24 hours the victim must make a fortitude save or permenently los 2d6 con.The fort save starts at 15 and progressly grows by 5 everytime, eventually ending at ungodly sum of 130

If the victim survives all 24 hours or makes 7 successful saves the disease ends.

The Disease is extremly contagous and anybody can become afflicted from a touch or being within the area of 15ft around the infected person (airbourn)

Nobody knows how it starts but once it appear it spreads like wildfire and there is no known cure. Needless to say it doesnt mean one cant be made.....
fnord
07-12-07, 09:32 PM Priest's Pain:
When first appearing, it appears as Cackle Fever. Only a DC 35 heal check can discern it as something different, and a DC 45 check is required to discern its true nature. However, whenever the victim is the subject of the spell (often Cure Disease, hence the name), it's true nature become apparent. The DC of that strain of the disease (for the victim and all infected by the victim) are permanently increased by the level of the spell, the caster must make an immediate saving throw (at the higher DC) or be infected, and the victim is surrounded by an antimagic field (caster level 35) in a 10 foot radius (causing the spell to fail, unless it is an epic spell and the disease fails its dispel check, or the caster is a deity).
The disease can only create an antimagic field once per round, so the disease can be cured if, in one round, the disease's defense is triggered, the antimagic field is counterspelled (only with a dispel magic spell, not direct spell) or broken by a disjunction, and then the disease is cured. Additionally, as noted, epic spells and deities can cure the disease despite the antimagic field. Even in those cases, though, the diseases DC increases and the caster(s) are exposed.
Amazing_Triangle
07-12-07, 09:35 PM Why not look at Book of Vile Darkness page 30? And making is to the peons can't help but contract it but your players have to roll a 1 to contract it. No?

Table: Diseases Disease Infection DC Incubation Damage
Blinding sickness Ingested 16 1d3 days 1d4 Str1
Cackle fever Inhaled 16 1 day 1d6 Wis
Demon fever Injury 18 1 day 1d6 Con2
Devil chills3 Injury 14 1d4 days 1d4 Str
Filth fever Injury 12 1d3 days 1d3 Dex, 1d3 Con
Mindfire Inhaled 12 1 day 1d4 Int
Mummy rot4 Contact 20 1 day 1d6 Con
Red ache Injury 15 1d3 days 1d6 Str
Shakes Contact 13 1 day 1d8 Dex
Slimy doom Contact 14 1 day 1d4 Con21. Each time the victim takes 2 or more damage from the disease, he must make another Fortitude save or be permanently blinded.
2. When damaged, character must succeed on another saving throw or 1 point of damage is permanent drain instead.
3. The victim must make three successful Fortitude saving throws in a row to recover from devil chills.
4. Successful saves do not allow the character to recover. Only magical healing can save the character.

Yeah sure they are "weak" but you could make them worse a new "strain" perhaps harder save; bigger damage dice; so on and so forth.

Or you could look in the Book of Exalted Deeds (pg 35) for Ravages and Afflictions. These would be good things to have evil twist into diseases and vile evils. Again why make something new, morph an illness cross strain it with another make it harder to resist.

Hope this helps!
rob_douglas
07-16-07, 04:58 PM You don't want to overdo this, but you could have a supernatural disease that overcomes natural disease immunity, including Paladin/Monk immunity. DCs could be based on how much interaction one had. It could have SR to keep from being cured, so as the cleric and paladin go out trying to remove disease it, they actually get infected themselves. Being supernatural, it would be susceptible to AMF, so there could be some use of that to slow the progression, but ultimately only finding an artifact capable of overcoming the SR and actually curing the disease will work.

If you write up anything on this, I would be grateful if you posted it - it sounds like a great campaign, and right up my own alley for ideas. :)

ROB
Roam7
07-16-07, 09:32 PM Dusteir
Fort 5 per day each day doubling. So 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, and ending at 320
starts at 1 damage each, then 1d4, then 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, and ending at 2d12. All is half is drain not damage.
also if 2 saves are failed in a row dc 35 will or roll a d4 for additional affliction:
1: blindness
2: deafness
3: 5 damage to con, str, and dex
4: 5 damage to int, wis, and cha
requires 12 successful saves to be cured.

A bit crazy.
It starts out seeming to be not much but later becomes horrible.
Kesuk2k5
07-17-07, 08:16 AM I'd say, yes, take the base diseases and increase the save DCs needed and the damage the diseases can deal. Usually upping the DC by 10 is enough, and doubling damage might be a solid starting point. It depends though, on how fatal you want them to be.

A note on rob_douglas's comment, a "natural" immunity to disease should be (Ex) such as the monk's diamond body, but the paladin's immunity to disease is supernatural as it is granted by a deity (or other supernatural force). An epic disease that bypasses both defenses could be possible, but it should be an exception. I'd keep it that "penetrating" diseases can only penetrate one type of these protections, and that the type of immunity it penetrates dictates also whether the disease is a natural disease or something visited upon the world by supernatural forces. In short, natural epic disease bypasses (Ex) disease immunity, epic supernatural disease bypasses (Su) disease immunity. Either that or another reasonable idea is that (Ex) epic diseases overcome (Su) protection and vice versa. An epic disease that bypasses BOTH might be the act of a god of pestilence and require some serious research and adventurin' to find a cure.
rob_douglas
07-17-07, 09:50 AM Just a quick note:

Divine Health, the paladin ability, is Ex.
I am not aware of any Su Disease Immunity.

My thought was that an Su disease could bypass, it, much as Mummy Rot
does, because it is as much curse as disease. Make it Caster level 10 higher
than the parties casters, and allow caster level checks to Remove Disease.
They would succeed on a 20, so they could cure some people, but not enough
until they get the artifact that has a higher than needed caster level.

ROB
Grandmaster_Kane
07-17-07, 03:11 PM Dusteir
Fort 5 per day each day doubling. So 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, and ending at 320
starts at 1 damage each, then 1d4, then 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, and ending at 2d12. All is half is drain not damage.
also if 2 saves are failed in a row dc 35 will or roll a d4 for additional affliction:
1: blindness
2: deafness
3: 5 damage to con, str, and dex
4: 5 damage to int, wis, and cha
requires 12 successful saves to be cured.

A bit crazy.
It starts out seeming to be not much but later becomes horrible.

hmm

That looks oddly fimilar *looks at own post* Oh thats where...

@Op Anyway how horrible do you want the dieases to be?
Xagunder
07-17-07, 05:14 PM Thanks for all the replies. I think I have decided on the following:

Demon fever, which is spread by night hags, given a +13 bonus to the DC (for a total DC of 31) due to the paragon template added to the hags that ride with Incabulous.

Additionally, during the time that the hags are pregnant with the Black Rider's unholy seed, their demon fever gains the ability to automatically counterspell any remove disease, heal, or like spell once per round. This will double the number of healers needed to get rid of the disease, and allow for a plague in a magic-rich environment.

Comments? Critiques?
Amazing_Triangle
07-17-07, 07:04 PM Woot! My suggestion was taken!

Sounds good. But Demon Fever is by Injury. Maybe making it contact because it is now from a paragon that would help it spread faster.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Xagunder 07-12-07, 07:30 PM	I'm soon to be running an epic (22nd-Level) version of the old Day of Al'Akbar adventure. The main reason for seeking out the fabled Cup and Talisman is to help stop a terrible plague sweeping the land. I plan to have several of Incabulous' (GH god of disease) night hag servants pregnant with his atropal children as the main BBEGs behind the plague, but does anyone have any interesting ideas for disease(s) at such high levels?
Grandmaster_Kane 07-12-07, 08:17 PM	Burly man's plight Every hour on the hour the hour for 24 hours the victim must make a fortitude save or permenently los 2d6 con.The fort save starts at 15 and progressly grows by 5 everytime, eventually ending at ungodly sum of 130 If the victim survives all 24 hours or makes 7 successful saves the disease ends. The Disease is extremly contagous and anybody can become afflicted from a touch or being within the area of 15ft around the infected person (airbourn) Nobody knows how it starts but once it appear it spreads like wildfire and there is no known cure. Needless to say it doesnt mean one cant be made.....
fnord 07-12-07, 09:32 PM	Priest's Pain: When first appearing, it appears as Cackle Fever. Only a DC 35 heal check can discern it as something different, and a DC 45 check is required to discern its true nature. However, whenever the victim is the subject of the spell (often Cure Disease, hence the name), it's true nature become apparent. The DC of that strain of the disease (for the victim and all infected by the victim) are permanently increased by the level of the spell, the caster must make an immediate saving throw (at the higher DC) or be infected, and the victim is surrounded by an antimagic field (caster level 35) in a 10 foot radius (causing the spell to fail, unless it is an epic spell and the disease fails its dispel check, or the caster is a deity). The disease can only create an antimagic field once per round, so the disease can be cured if, in one round, the disease's defense is triggered, the antimagic field is counterspelled (only with a dispel magic spell, not direct spell) or broken by a disjunction, and then the disease is cured. Additionally, as noted, epic spells and deities can cure the disease despite the antimagic field. Even in those cases, though, the diseases DC increases and the caster(s) are exposed.
Amazing_Triangle 07-12-07, 09:35 PM	Why not look at Book of Vile Darkness page 30? And making is to the peons can't help but contract it but your players have to roll a 1 to contract it. No? Table: Diseases Disease Infection DC Incubation Damage Blinding sickness Ingested 16 1d3 days 1d4 Str1 Cackle fever Inhaled 16 1 day 1d6 Wis Demon fever Injury 18 1 day 1d6 Con2 Devil chills3 Injury 14 1d4 days 1d4 Str Filth fever Injury 12 1d3 days 1d3 Dex, 1d3 Con Mindfire Inhaled 12 1 day 1d4 Int Mummy rot4 Contact 20 1 day 1d6 Con Red ache Injury 15 1d3 days 1d6 Str Shakes Contact 13 1 day 1d8 Dex Slimy doom Contact 14 1 day 1d4 Con21. Each time the victim takes 2 or more damage from the disease, he must make another Fortitude save or be permanently blinded. 2. When damaged, character must succeed on another saving throw or 1 point of damage is permanent drain instead. 3. The victim must make three successful Fortitude saving throws in a row to recover from devil chills. 4. Successful saves do not allow the character to recover. Only magical healing can save the character. Yeah sure they are "weak" but you could make them worse a new "strain" perhaps harder save; bigger damage dice; so on and so forth. Or you could look in the Book of Exalted Deeds (pg 35) for Ravages and Afflictions. These would be good things to have evil twist into diseases and vile evils. Again why make something new, morph an illness cross strain it with another make it harder to resist. Hope this helps!
rob_douglas 07-16-07, 04:58 PM	You don't want to overdo this, but you could have a supernatural disease that overcomes natural disease immunity, including Paladin/Monk immunity. DCs could be based on how much interaction one had. It could have SR to keep from being cured, so as the cleric and paladin go out trying to remove disease it, they actually get infected themselves. Being supernatural, it would be susceptible to AMF, so there could be some use of that to slow the progression, but ultimately only finding an artifact capable of overcoming the SR and actually curing the disease will work. If you write up anything on this, I would be grateful if you posted it - it sounds like a great campaign, and right up my own alley for ideas. :) ROB
Roam7 07-16-07, 09:32 PM	Dusteir Fort 5 per day each day doubling. So 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, and ending at 320 starts at 1 damage each, then 1d4, then 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, and ending at 2d12. All is half is drain not damage. also if 2 saves are failed in a row dc 35 will or roll a d4 for additional affliction: 1: blindness 2: deafness 3: 5 damage to con, str, and dex 4: 5 damage to int, wis, and cha requires 12 successful saves to be cured. A bit crazy. It starts out seeming to be not much but later becomes horrible.
Kesuk2k5 07-17-07, 08:16 AM	I'd say, yes, take the base diseases and increase the save DCs needed and the damage the diseases can deal. Usually upping the DC by 10 is enough, and doubling damage might be a solid starting point. It depends though, on how fatal you want them to be. A note on rob_douglas's comment, a "natural" immunity to disease should be (Ex) such as the monk's diamond body, but the paladin's immunity to disease is supernatural as it is granted by a deity (or other supernatural force). An epic disease that bypasses both defenses could be possible, but it should be an exception. I'd keep it that "penetrating" diseases can only penetrate one type of these protections, and that the type of immunity it penetrates dictates also whether the disease is a natural disease or something visited upon the world by supernatural forces. In short, natural epic disease bypasses (Ex) disease immunity, epic supernatural disease bypasses (Su) disease immunity. Either that or another reasonable idea is that (Ex) epic diseases overcome (Su) protection and vice versa. An epic disease that bypasses BOTH might be the act of a god of pestilence and require some serious research and adventurin' to find a cure.
rob_douglas 07-17-07, 09:50 AM	Just a quick note: Divine Health, the paladin ability, is Ex. I am not aware of any Su Disease Immunity. My thought was that an Su disease could bypass, it, much as Mummy Rot does, because it is as much curse as disease. Make it Caster level 10 higher than the parties casters, and allow caster level checks to Remove Disease. They would succeed on a 20, so they could cure some people, but not enough until they get the artifact that has a higher than needed caster level. ROB
Grandmaster_Kane 07-17-07, 03:11 PM	Dusteir Fort 5 per day each day doubling. So 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, and ending at 320 starts at 1 damage each, then 1d4, then 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, and ending at 2d12. All is half is drain not damage. also if 2 saves are failed in a row dc 35 will or roll a d4 for additional affliction: 1: blindness 2: deafness 3: 5 damage to con, str, and dex 4: 5 damage to int, wis, and cha requires 12 successful saves to be cured. A bit crazy. It starts out seeming to be not much but later becomes horrible. hmm That looks oddly fimilar looks at own post Oh thats where... @Op Anyway how horrible do you want the dieases to be?
Xagunder 07-17-07, 05:14 PM	Thanks for all the replies. I think I have decided on the following: Demon fever, which is spread by night hags, given a +13 bonus to the DC (for a total DC of 31) due to the paragon template added to the hags that ride with Incabulous. Additionally, during the time that the hags are pregnant with the Black Rider's unholy seed, their demon fever gains the ability to automatically counterspell any remove disease, heal, or like spell once per round. This will double the number of healers needed to get rid of the disease, and allow for a plague in a magic-rich environment. Comments? Critiques?
Amazing_Triangle 07-17-07, 07:04 PM	Woot! My suggestion was taken! Sounds good. But Demon Fever is by Injury. Maybe making it contact because it is now from a paragon that would help it spread faster.