On the urging of Lanthorn, I have posted this thread. Many of us may have poisoned PC's some may even have gotten mummy rot or devil chills. I have some information on actual infectious diseases and wonder what if any translation you would have to add to the thread. If you like consider it a glimpse into Incabulos's play ground.
Viral hepatitis is a relatively common disease (25 per 100,000 individuals in the United States) caused by a diverse group of hepatotropic agents that lead to liver inflammation and cell death. Five hepatitis viruses have been well characterized A, B, C, D, and E.
Hepatitis A and E viruses (HAV, HEV) are transmitted through the fecal-oral route and manifest as acute or asymptomatic disease. There is no chronic carrier state and serious sequelae are rare, although both HAV and HEV can cause acute fulminant liver failure and HEV can cause fulminant disease in pregnant women. Hepatitis B, C, and D viruses (HBV, HCV, HDV) may establish persistent infections with significant morbidity and mortality. All 3 are transmitted parenterally. HBV and HCV are also transmitted through sexual contact and perinatally. HDV is unique in that it is a “defective” virus that can replicate only in the presence of HBV. HDV coinfection (HDV and HBV) significantly increases the severity of disease. Acute HCV infection may be asymptomatic, but most infections are chronic; chronic infection with HBV or HCV may lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
See not all types of Hepatitis is sexually transmitted. Incabulos has many things he can share with your players. What if any name would you give to hepatitis in Greyhawk?
For those of you who are unfamiliar with 'old school' books, the 1e DMG is excellent with respect to determining the type, lethality, and reoccurence of various diseases.
The only thing I may disagree with from those tables is the low percentage that it takes to contract diseases and parasites in a 'medieval' world. The percents should be increased, methinks. Even in a fantasy realm of healing clerics, disease and parasite transmission would be higher (in my mind) than that which is reflected in that table.
But the chart and listing of types of diseases according to category, effect, and potency is great.
Their is a great book out their just for this subject. It's called "Nature's Wrath: A guide to poisonous plants and infectious diseases" It's a D20 system book made by Bloodstone Press, but has a great amount of info.
Well, fellas, I gotta say that for the most part, role-playing a hero that has come down with an infectious disease is boring enough without worrying about exactly what symptoms the character is suffering. I mean, when the PCs encounter a monster, like an otyugh, that infects them with a disease, it is enough to know how that disease affects their stats and how to cure it. I've never had a player that asked me if the disease their character got was hepatitis-like or pneumonia-like, etc.
Despite using 3rd ed., I do like referring to the 1st ed. DMG for the random contraction of a disease.
When a class skill is immunity to disease, randomly letting disease occurs enhances the class or race immunity in non-combat, role-playing situations. The paladin and monks end up being just a little more interesting when the community suffers an epidemic.
Name for hepatitis : "scarliver", "liver bloat" might be names once a postmortem was done and the liver examined. "Sanguinary lethargy", "blood jaundice" or "airy wasting" incorporate terminology of the pre-modern theories of the four humors and four temperaments along with an apparent symptom. Just some thoughts. I do like roses by other names when possible for my Greyhawk campaign.
Looks like this thread has caught on! Pun intended!
I understand your concern Sir Xaris, though bacterial and viral afflictions were common place in a medieval setting. Besides Incabulos portfolio screams for this thread.
Fungal infections can be common as well like Candidiasis the most common source is candida albicans, though other candida species can be prevalent as well like c. glabrata,c. tropicalis, c. parapsilosis, and c. krusei. The earlier it is detected the easier it is to treat.
A-Baneful of Backfire nice names for hepatitis in a fantasy game, the dark rider smiles upon you.
I have some chart as far as transmission and weeks of incubation. If this thread makes you sick, blame Incabulos not me.
When I taught anatomy to high school kids, imagine what I showed them in the STD unit... I had one kid lay his head down, and the ironic thing is, this student wanted to go PreMed!
Yeah, I could but I won't. I like A Baneful of Backfires approach so far. Though I can show you what the current time frame for some infections are and how common they are as well. In a medieval fantasy setting this would be much higher.
Just a guess: leprosy, bubonic plague, smallpox (?), rabies, malaria (mainly in tropical and subtropical regions), and a WHOLE range of parasitic infections. And let us not forget malnutrition or starvation, too.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with 'old school' books, the 1e DMG is excellent with respect to determining the type, lethality, and reoccurence of various diseases...
-I use the DMG AD&D 1 Disease and Parasitic Infaection tables, too. I use the "catching" probabilites for different areas (e.g. good old gastro-intestinal), but modified them to severity and duration to bring them in line with the D&D 3.5 system i.e., I still have "Acute" vs. "Chronic" and "Mild" "Severe" and "Terminal", but adjust it for d20, I use the 3.5 damage system, etc.
Lanthorn wrote:
...The only thing I may disagree with from those tables is the low percentage that it takes to contract diseases and parasites in a 'medieval' world. The percents should be increased, methinks...
-I think 2% a month for disease and 3% a month for parasitic infection is fine (its about 5% a month which equals 65% a year, if you throw in festivals). In particular the chances increase dramatically in certain cases- sometimes once a week or even every single occurance.
Incidentally, I give elves a +4 save for disease and a +2 for parasitic infection (+2/+1 for half-eleves). Otherwise, the elves, with their generally low CON scores, would all be dead before they hit puberty, even with divine spells and magic pools.
When I taught anatomy to high school kids, imagine what I showed them in the STD unit... I had one kid lay his head down, and the ironic thing is, this student wanted to go PreMed!
That's awesome! I laughed out loud reading this.
Nothing else to add, but I'm enjoying this thread.
Well you have immunological disorders as well, like Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease, the most common forms of IBD, are both characterized by inflammation of the digestive tract lining. The inflammation associated with UC is relatively superficial and affects continuous regions of the colon, usually beginning with the rectum and extending proximally. UC is generally confined to the colon, although in rare cases involvement may extend to the terminal portion of the ileum. In CD, inflammation extends deeper into the tissue and can affect any portion of the digestive tract, often “skipping” regions. Both may be present with severe bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and malnutrition.
Talk about taking this thread to another level. See if we can glean any other types of names from our real world examples.
Bloodgut, Joramy's revenge, The dark-rider's hooves, and The hags birth.
IMD and IMS are 'familiar' to members of my family, particularly my poor brother. Coffee (which I am drinking right now as I type this) tends to set off the condition. My aforementioned sibling is particulalry susceptible to its effects, often with instantaneous and embarassing results!
He says he's only got moments to prepare for the inevitable "release" and has given the 'warning condition' both a monniker ("The Sniper") and a sound effect (much akin to gurgling, or a gun being loaded). There are too many (amusing, from this end, but tragic from his!) stories to share, and they are better told in person anyhow. In fact, he boldly recounts any 'new occurences', again often initiated by imbibing coffee (yes, he IS addicted to caffeine, as all members in my family are...even I don't fully function without it in the morning). Yes, we are a 'sick' little, bizarre family. Suffice it to say, IMS and IMD are not fun or amusing to the 'afflicted' and can lead to the removal and destruction of one's apparel, for starters...
Perhaps we should give up coffee, or as I likely should tell my brother, the "Elixir of the Sniper"! (or liquid butt). Take care, and if you hear a sound akin to gurgling water in your gut, or a shell being loaded into a chamber, it could be....THE SNIPER!
Off to get DEcaff (sigh...if it was onlythat simple),
For those of you with access to it, check out Complete Book of Necromancers as there is a truly horrific spell in there (5th lvl priest, Necromantic Sphere) called "Scourge." I've employed it against characters with terrific success by priests of both Incabulos and Iuz, but have been on the receiving end by a priest of Nerull.
I guess there's a disadvantage when your primary player is also your DM in turn!
Sounds like he hit you with a potion of Jolt cola. Beware the Lanthorn's about to spill some oil.
Ok here's a neurological disease its pretty bad.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disease that causes progressive muscle wasting and weakness due to loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord. The disease is often fatal and is the leading genetic cause of death in infants. Childhood SMA is subdivided into 3 clinical groups based on age at onset and degree of motor function. Type I is the most common (60% to 70% of cases) and the most severe. Adult-onset SMA (type IV) is less common and much milder than the childhood types.
SMA incidence is approximately 1 in 10,000 live births and the carrier rate is 1 in 50.2 According to the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG), SMA meets the criteria for population-based carrier screening. However, recommendations for SMA carrier screening vary. The ACMG recommends offering SMA screening to all couples before conception or early in pregnancy regardless of race or ethnicity. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), on the other hand, recommends carrier screening for individuals with a family history of SMA or SMA-like disease and for patients who request the test and have completed genetic counseling.
SMA is caused by mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 gene (SMN1) on chromosome 5q13. Roughly 95% of cases are caused by deletion of the entire exon 7.4 Whereas normal individuals have 1 or more full-length SMN1 copies on each chromosome, affected patients have mutated copies on both chromosomes. SMA carriers typically have 1 normal copy and 1 mutated copy, and have no symptoms. Gene dosage analysis is the method of choice to identify SMA carriers. The SMA Carrier Screen determines the copy number, or gene dosage, of exon 7 of the SMN1 gene.
The problem is the childhood types are much more deadly. So possible names could be Beory's rot, Ravens birth, or Reaper's womb for the chidhood types. For the adult version The gray waste, or Kord's sap.
If you have anymore to add on this disease like possible names please feel free to add those ideas here.
I seem to remember a book of curses, pathogens and diseases - some mundane and others magical. Can anyone back this up?
Also, there are lots of monsters that "reproduce" by infecting a host - green slime (by touch), vargouille (a foul kiss), yuan-ti (bite) and various fungus spores and plants that take over a victim if not cured in time.
Jungles have all sorts of nasty insects, plants and animals. Everything from crotch rot to ebola...
Somebody posted something about a disease spread into the neighboring lands around Iuz called the "Black Cough" or something like that? I imagine this to be some sort of magical wasting disease coupled with terrifying visuals, with effects similar to tuberculosis.
Just did a web search on D&D diseases and saw something called "Milk Eyes". Eew... My mind filled in all the blanks. I imagine a PC falling victim to a nasty magical trap, with the effects having an incubating period so it's easier to spread it to people when the party returns to civilization. Just like getting 'pink eye' (but oozier and causes blindness)!
Classic horror movie stuff can be used to great effect. I'm thinking specifically about the movie Creepshow where a farmer (played by Stephen King) touches a green goo from a meteorite and this green moss grows all over him and it drives him crazy.
Have the disease change a PCs appearance into something feared or hated, like when Giles on Buffy got turned into a demon and he could only speak the demon's tongue and everyone tried killing him.
Do your own twist on zombies or pod people involving the Egg of Coot or Anthraxus
...Also, there are lots of monsters that "reproduce" by infecting a host - green slime (by touch), vargouille (a foul kiss), yuan-ti (bite) and various fungus spores and plants that take over a victim if not cured in time...
-Lycanthropes and ghouls...
For diseases, how about the lowly bottom basement XP rat?
Rats or rodents in general can carry many diseases, The Black Plauge anyone?
Well here are the diseases these creatures carry below.
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS): Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a deadly disease transmitted by infected rodents through urine, droppings, or saliva. Humans can contract the disease when they breathe in aerosolized virus. HPS was first recognized in 1993 and has since been identified throughout the United States. Although rare, HPS is potentially deadly. Rodent control in and around the home remains the primary strategy for preventing hantavirus infection.
Murine Typhus: Murine typhus (caused by infection with R. typhi) occurs worldwide and is transmitted to humans by rat fleas. Flea-infested rats can be found throughout the year in humid tropical environments, but in temperate regions are most common during the warm summer months. Travelers who visit in rat-infested buildings and homes, especially in harbor or riverine environments, can be at risk for exposure to the agent of murine typhus.
Rat-bite fever (RBF): Rat-bite fever (RBF) is a systemic bacterial illness caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis that can be acquired through the bite or scratch of a rodent or the ingestion of food or water contaminated with rat feces.
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium: As its name suggests, it causes a typhoid-like disease in mice. In humans S. Typhimurium does not cause as severe disease as S. Typhi, and is not normally fatal. The disease is characterized by diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and nausea, and generally lasts up to 7 days. Unfortunately, in immunocompromized people, that is the elderly, young, or people with depressed immune systems, Salmonella infections are often fatal if they are not treated with antibiotics.
Leptospirosis: Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. It is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. In humans it causes a wide range of symptoms, and some infected persons may have no symptoms at all. Symptoms of leptospirosis include high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, and vomiting, and may include jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or a rash. If the disease is not treated, the patient could develop kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, and respiratory distress. In rare cases death occurs.
Eosinophilic Meningitis: Eosinophilic meningitis is an infection of the brain occurring in association with an increase in the number of eosinophils, white blood cells that are associated with infection with worms that penetrate into the body. The organism most commonly causing eosinophilic meningitis is a rat lung worm called angiostrongylus cantonensis.
Raxivort might be trying to get on Incabulos good side. Though I'm not sure which side that is?
The Dark Rider does not let Nerull take those he infects so easily. He has more to offer us. Here are a few notables.
The Spanish flu, was an unusually severe and deadly strain of avian influenza, a viral infectious disease, that killed some 50 to 100 million people worldwide over about a year in 1918 and 1919. It is thought to be one of the most deadly pandemics in human history.
The 1918 flu caused an unusual number of deaths, possibly due to it causing a cytokine storm in the body. (The current H5N1 bird flu, also an Influenza A virus, has a similar effect.) The Spanish flu virus infected lung cells, leading to overstimulation of the immune system via release of cytokines into the lung tissue. This leads to extensive leukocyte migration towards the lungs, causing destruction of lung tissue and secretion of liquid into the organ. This makes it difficult for the patient to breathe. In contrast to other pandemics, which mostly kill the old and the very young, the 1918 pandemic killed unusual numbers of young adults, which may have been due to their healthy immune systems mounting a too-strong and damaging response to the infection.
The term "Spanish" flu was coined because Spain was at the time the only European country where the press were printing reports of the outbreak, which had killed thousands in the armies fighting World War I. Other countries suppressed the news in order to protect morale.
Other names I can think of is the Shar Flu, Drowning lung, or the Grey Hawk.
In 1976, a novel swine influenza A (H1N1) caused severe respiratory illness in 13 soldiers with 1 death at Fort Dix, New Jersey. The virus was detected only from January 19 to February 9 and did not spread beyond Fort Dix. Retrospective serologic testing subsequently demonstrated that up to 230 soldiers had been infected with the novel virus, which was a H1N1 strain. The cause of the outbreak is still unknown and no exposure to pigs was identified.
Other names Fort Fever, Boar's breath, or Solider's wound.
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There are too many (amusing, from 
Suffice it to say, IMS and IMD are not fun or amusing to the 'afflicted' and can lead to the removal and destruction of one's apparel, for starters...
by a priest of Nerull.
