New and Horrible Diseases

Mountain Rage: A particularly aggressive prion disease, contracted from eating the spinal tissue of infected sheep. Vultures and other carron birds often carry it. Symptoms include shaking, decrease in brain activity, slurred speech, memory loss, and eventual delusions and emotional distress.
	Transmission: Eating infected spinal tissue. Save DC: 20. Incubation Time: 2d12 days. Effect: after the first incubation period, the user takes 2d6 INT, WIS, DEX, and CHA damage. 1d4 days after taking this damage, the secondary stage kicks in. The victim is constantly in a state of Rage. Although they can still recall close associates, and refrain from attacking them, they will be hostile to everything else. 1d4 days after that, the tertiary stage kicks in. The victim is in a constant state of Frenzy, and attacks anything that moves. Every day after this they take 1d4 damage to all stats until death. Treatment: Mountain Rage’s status as a prion disease makes treatment more difficult than viral or bacterial infections. While a Cure Disease spell can help, it is not a guaranteed cure. A patient that receives a Cure Disease spell is allowed another Fort save to rid themselves of the disease. If that fails, nothing can be done for another 24 hours.

Spirit Cancer: While not particularly contagious, Spirit Cancer is notoriously difficult to treat, due to its quasi-magical nature. Caused by a fiendish oncovirus native to the lower planes, the first symptoms are blackish tumors appearing across the skin. This is followed by bony growths, internal tumors (particularly in the brain), and deterioration of the patient’s mental state. Late-stage victims are reduced to shambling mounds of oozing tumors, half-formed demonic limbs, and eruptive bone growths. Transmission is through contact with the bodily fluids of lower-planes natives. It cannot be spread through human contact. SAVE DC: 13. Incubation time: 5d4 days. Initial damage: 1d4 Wisdom and Con damage, as the tumors erupt across the victim's body. Every day after that, the victim must make a FORT save or take 1 Wisdom drain. This Fort save begins at 10, and will increase by one for every successful save made. 7 Fort saves in a row are needed to recover from Spirit Cancer. Recovery from the viral infection does nothing for the tumors however. They must be removed surgically (DC 15 Heal for exterior, DC 30 for interior). Treatment: Spirit Cancer is magically resistant, due to it’s extraplanar origins. Anyone attempting to cast a Cure Disease or similar spell must make a DC 25 Castor Check. If successful, the disease is treated as normal. If failed, the virus shrugs off the magical cure.

Iron Chills: A bacterial infection of the muscles, caused by cuts from rusted iron. Symptoms include fatigue, fever, muscle weakness, and the characteristic shivering. Transmission: Contact with rusted metal. SAVE DC: 15. Incubation time: 2d4 days. Effects: The character becomes Fatigued, and suffers from 1d4 STR and DEX damage for every day of infection. A single save is needed for recovery.

Cave Gangrene: A particularly horrible bacterial infection, caused by contact of an open wound with various strains of bacteria found in underground environments, particularly those that are damp or infested with oozes. SAVE DC: 18. Incubation time: 1d4 days. Effects: the infected wound begins to rot, dealing 2d4 CON damage per day. If maximum CON damage is dealt from a wound on a limb, the limb becomes diseased beyond repair, and must be amputated. If the wound is on another part of the body, half of the CON damage becomes permanent drain. Treatment: Three successful FORT saves will stop the spread of infection. Alternatively, removal of the infected limb will stop the spread. Amputation is a DC 15 Heal check. A DC 20 Heal check is required to remove infected and necrotic tissue before any form of magical healing can be provided.