Fleas - Hazard, Disease, or What?

[Michael Moore 51]

I wonder if anyone has written up a paragraph or two on the effects of being subject to a flea infestation in d20 (I'm sorry 3.x OGL) game mechanic terms. Can anyone point me to a source book with this information, or does anyone have any ideas?

I was thinking that laying in a hay bale full of the little critters might make one uncomfortable, itch all day, cause circumstance penalties on certain skill checks, require a Spellcraft check to cast any spell, and even cause loss of sleep, which over time causes fatigue. Does this jibe with anyone else's thoughts?

And how would you set the EL on an encounter with fleas?

[DM_Blake]

Me, I wouldn't have an encounter with fleas.

In the medieval world, fleas were everywhere. Every person from commoner to king dealt with fleas daily. In fact, it was so common, I doubt anyone paid them much heed. Just like dogs, we scratched where it itched and continued on with our day. Wasn't anything else we could do.

Assuming your D&D characters live a life of comfort and cleanliness that rivals our 21st century living conditions might mean thta getting infexted by fleas is an inconvenience. It sure would be for us.

But for a more realistic medieval feel, that's just a daily occurrance, much like having plaque between your teeth or fungus between your toes or wax in your ears.