Here's the question.
according to the DMG a disease is checked for each day if not "cured" That is clear, but what isn't, is the ability damage the player suffers, also afflicted each day if the saving throw "fails" from the way and the vague description it does appear that this is so?
Anyone able to clear this slight confusion up for me?
Also a random question, could a warforged be a carrier of Disease in the living "wood" components of its body, of course the warforged in question would not suffer any ill affect from the disease, but could they act as a carrier and threat to the "breathers"?
thanks in advance.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Yes, every failed save continues to inflict ability damage.
As for the warforged, that's a DM call. I would say no, personally, because wood cannot carry the kinds of diseases that would threaten a normal living creature. The anatomies are too different. Humans cannot contract Dutch Elm disease nor can oak trees catch the flu.
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I've been thinking about this topic a lot recently, as I just built a Nosomatic Chirurgeon (Dragonmarked PrC), who I decided had been approached by members of the Karrnathi government during the Last War to try to create/find a disease that would affect warforged...but that's a somewhat different scenario.
I agree with Fatespinner that 'forged can't carry a disease in their livewood components that could affect "breathers", but they could carry around something else that carries disease. Fleas and other disease vectors would work...
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Fleas and other disease vectors would work...
I can't honestly think of any valid disease vector that a warforged could possibly have that would result in exposing normal living, breathing creatures to any kind of disease except possibly mold spores and other fungal infections.
Fleas, as parasites, would not remain for very long on a creature which lacks blood and body heat. The same for ticks and leeches as well. The only thing I can think of for warforged to carry that would be a threat to normal living creatures would be, as I said, some form of viral fungus that grew on the livewood portions of the warforged's body.
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True, BUT, Yersinia pestis (plague) could be carried by fleas that rode around in say, material ordered by a tailor. Fleas don't have to stay on a warm body all the time - they can hitch a ride on inanimate objects for a while. As can lice (one reason its not a good idea to have children hang their coats right next to each other in a classroom). Your fungus/mold idea is definitely the most likely scenario, however.
Thinking about it further, however, I imagine anything that can be transmitted hand-to-mouth might be an option. If you can catch it from a doorknob, you should be able to catch it from a warforged.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Thinking about it further, however, I imagine anything that can be transmitted hand-to-mouth might be an option. If you can catch it from a doorknob, you should be able to catch it from a warforged.
Well, yes, this goes without saying. There's a difference between being a 'carrier' and simply 'having the disease on you somewhere.'
Right now, for example, I'm certain that I have some Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria SOMEWHERE on my body. Does that make me a carrier? Hardly.
By saying that the warforged is a carrier, you are implying that the disease is alive and thriving inside the environment it is presented with but not afflicting the carrier with many (or any) of its key symptoms. The only disease-carrying thing that could 'thrive' on a warforged's components that I can think of would be some kind of fungus or mold.
Perhaps simple terminology is the hang-up here.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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You could have chiggers, and say they're innoculated with something.
I hate chiggers. They're all over the place in Florida. My dad taught me to apply nail polish to the little bumps they make in order to seal up the pore and suffocate them. I don't know if it really works that way, but it seemed to help.
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By saying that the warforged is a carrier, you are implying that the disease is alive and thriving inside the environment it is presented with but not afflicting the carrier with many (or any) of its key symptoms. The only disease-carrying thing that could 'thrive' on a warforged's components that I can think of would be some kind of fungus or mold.
Epidemiologically speaking, that's absolutely correct. I guess I was just thinking along the lines of "could you catch a disease from a warforged?", rather than "can a warforged be an asympomatic carrier?". Point taken.
Thanks for all the responses folks, and clearing up of the fuzzy area of ability loss with diseases.
No! Let the mechanical bastiches all catch a disease and die. They're living constructs, afterall.... (Sorry; don't like the "'forged.")
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Epidemiologically speaking, that's absolutely correct. I guess I was just thinking along the lines of "could you catch a disease from a warforged?", rather than "can a warforged be an asympomatic carrier?". Point taken.
No problem. I'm just glad to get the opportunity to engage in a conversation where words like 'epidemiologically' and 'asymptomatic' come into the fold. I don't get to wax intellectual nearly enough given the average intelligence of humanity. Thank you.
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No problem. I'm just glad to get the opportunity to engage in a conversation where words like 'epidemiologically' and 'asymptomatic' come into the fold. I don't get to wax intellectual nearly enough given the average intelligence of humanity. Thank you.
lol - You're welcome. I enjoyed the conversation as well.
No! Let the mechanical bastiches all catch a disease and die. They're living constructs, afterall.... (Sorry; don't like the "'forged.")
Well, they might have their own diseases to which humans would be immune...
I love to chime in on stuff like this.
Whole all of the points made are valid - and have evidence in OUR reality - bacterial and viral transmission need not be the only vectors in the world of the game.
Disease COULD BE the result of eldritch energies, evil spirits, the will of the gods, etc. or at least those could be additional vectors - people beleived such things for a long time - water/food that affects "life" could be a vector and a contaminated life could be contagious. "Aurus" spellcasting rather than or in addition to fleas and sneezes could be vehicles for transmission. Areas could be cursed so that time spent in said area resulted in the curse of disease, water flowing through that area could carry the contagion.
I love introducing real life elements into my games - and disease vectors make as much sense as any - but if you are going to include a race like "warforged" (I wouldn't but thats a different issue) they need to be included in all of the risks of life, racial predjudice, doorways being to small, religious persecution, and disease - they don;t need to be the same diseases - but there should be some (fungus work), and IMO there should be some diseases that can be shared with non-warforged.
Science is great but humans don't fully understand disease transmission now with all of the study into it - an a world rife with magic - magical disease seems to me to be a perfectly acceptable even likely threat. - Think cause disease gets a boost from a wild magic area, a creature with a horrible disease is turned into a contagious wight - the disease is made undead as well. Lots of ways to include all races.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Whole all of the points made are valid - and have evidence in OUR reality - bacterial and viral transmission need not be the only vectors in the world of the game.
Disease COULD BE the result of eldritch energies, evil spirits, the will of the gods, etc. or at least those could be additional vectors...
Absolutely, Kyr. If that sort of thing suits your game, by all means. I reiterate my original point:
As for the warforged, that's a DM call. I would say no, personally, because wood cannot carry the kinds of diseases that would threaten a normal living creature.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Right now, for example, I'm certain that I have some Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria SOMEWHERE on my body. Does that make me a carrier? Hardly.You should really wash that off.
I would if I could find it......
But really, I should be grateful. Bacteria are the only culture some people have.
You could have chiggers, and say they're innoculated with something.I hate chiggers. They're all over the place in Florida. My dad taught me to apply nail polish to the little bumps they make in order to seal up the pore and suffocate them. I don't know if it really works that way, but it seemed to help.
It sure feels like they're in there, but they don't actually burrow into you... they just turn your pore into a big itchy drinking straw. The nail polish probably (a) kills bactreria that might otherwise lead to infection and, much more importantly, (b) keeps you from picking at the bumps. Your dad seems like a pretty smart fella.