Known Diseases
Contents
Shard Blight
Shard Blight is a form of magical radiation sickness that comes from the mineral Shardisite.
Effects
Any creature infected with Shard Blight must succeed on a Constitution saving throw every day at dawn or take 1d10 poison damage, 1d10 radiant damage, 1d10 psychic damage and 1d10 necrotic damage and it emits a dim, greenish light in a 5-foot radius for the next 24 hours. This light makes it impossible for the creature to benefit from being invisible.
Any creature who suffers from shard blight for more than three days also begins to grow greenish crystals around their face and hands and the condition becomes contagious. These crystals cannot be harvested as shardisite. After the infected's body begins to crystallize, they become resistant to piercing, slashing, fire, and acid damage but vulnerable to bludgeoning, thunder, poison and force damage.
If the infected is not cured after 10 days, their body fully crystallizes and they die. Their body continues to glow after their death leaving a grim crystalline monument in their visage.
Cackle Fever
This disease targets humanoids, although gnomes are strangely immune. While in the grips of this disease, victims frequently succumb to fits of mad laughter, giving the disease its common name and its morbid nickname: "the shrieks."
Effects
Symptoms manifest 4 hours after infection and include fever and disorientation. Any event that causes the infected creature great stress (entering combat, taking damage, experiencing fear, having a nightmare, etc..) forces the creature to make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes (1d10) psychic damage and becomes incapacitated with mad laughter for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the mad laughter and the incapacitated condition on a success.
Any humanoid creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of an infected creature in the throes of mad laughter must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or also become infected with the disease. Once a creature succeeds on this save, it is immune to the mad laughter of that particular infected creature for 24 hours.
At the end of each long rest, an infected creature can make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, the DC for this save and for the save to avoid an attack of mad laughter drops by 1d6. When the saving throw DC drops to 0, the creature recovers from the disease. A creature that fails three of these saving throws gains a randomly determined, indefinite madness.
Sewer Plague
Sewer plague is a generic term for a broad category of illnesses that incubate in sewers, refuse heaps, and stagnant swamps, and latrines which are sometimes transmitted by creatures that dwell in those areas.
Effects
When a humanoid creature is bitten by a creature that carries the disease, or when it comes into contact with filth or offal contaminated by the disease, the creature must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or become infected.
It takes 1d4 days for sewer plague's symptoms to manifest in an infected creature. Symptoms include fatigue and cramps. The infected creature suffers one level of exhaustion, and it regains only half the normal number of hit points from spending Hit Dice and no hit points from finishing a long rest.
At the end of each long rest, an infected creature must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the character gains one level of exhaustion. On a successful save, the character's exhaustion level decreases by one level. If a successful saving throw reduces the infected creature's level of exhaustion below 1, the creature recovers from the disease.
Weeping Death
This painful infection causes bleeding from the eyes and eventually blinds the victim.
Effects
A beast or humanoid that drinks water tainted by weeping death must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become infected. One day after infection, the creature's vision starts to become blurry. The creature takes a −1 penalty to attack rolls and ability checks that rely on sight. At the end of each long rest after the symptoms appear, the penalty worsens by 1. When it reaches −5, the victim is blinded until its sight is restored by magic such as lesser restoration or heal.
Blood Fungus
A parasitic mushroom spread by internal contact with spores, Blood Fungus grows mycelium throughout the body, feeding on the nutrients passed through the digestive tract and blood stream. After 3 days of relatively silent incubation, the mycelium will flower, bursting small fruiting-body stalks the size of an index finger from the skin along the afflicted's appendages, which flower within a day and quickly begin to release highly infectious spores.
Effects
A humanoid creature that is infected with Blood Fungus, but the spores have not bloomed yet, finds that they are strangely immune to Fear, Paralysis, and the Charmed conditions. When the fungus blooms, the victim suffers permanent reduction to their armor class by 1d4-1. Every day at dawn, the victim must succeed a CON13 saving throw or suffer another permanent reduction to their armor class by 1d4-1 as their body is slowly consumed by the growing mushrooms. If the victims AC drops below 0, they are overcome by the fungus and become a giant mushroom in the rough shape of their former self.
Vampiric Porphyria
Effects
Lycanthropic Porphyria
One of the most feared of all diseases, lycanthropy can transform the most civilized humanoid into a ravening beast. Designed and spread by the Demon-wolf Shusiva, lycanthropy spreads by being bitten by an infected creature. In its natural humanoid form, a creature cursed by lycanthropy appears as its normal self. Over time, many lycanthropes acquire features suggestive of their animal form. A lycanthrope who has mastery over his condition can transform into a half-man, half-wolf hybrid or a full wolf during a full moon, but otherwise they are bound to their natural humanoid forms. A lycanthrope who does not have mastery over their condition, completely loses control of themselves under a full mooon.
