Disease saves and incubation

[Lyarie]

My question is best presented in an example:

A character is bitten by a ghoul. In addition to other effects, a ghoul bite transmits the disease Ghoul Fever. Should the bitten character make an immediate saving throw versus the disease DC to avoid contracting it, or do they automatically have the disease and only make saving throws to avoid negative effects once the incubation period has passed?

[Lyarie]

I have been giving PC's a save to avoid getting diseased and later the appropriate saves to ward off negative effects and recover after the incubation peroid.

A DM in a campaign I play in doesn't allow that first save.

[Martiln]

"From curses to poisons to diseases, there are a number of afflictions that can affect a creature. While each of these afflictions has a different effect, they all function using the same basic system. All afflictions grant a saving throw when they are contracted. If successful, the creature does not suffer from the affliction and does not need to make any further rolls. If the saving throw is a failure, the creature falls victim to the affliction and must deal with its effects."
Show that to your GM and see if he changes his mind.

[Phrennzy.]

When I DM I roll the first save in secret, so the players do not know anything is amiss. There wouldn't be any way of knowing you were infected until you started feeling the effects. Once the disease sets in, I let em figure it out with a heal check.

[Lyarie]

Phrennzy. wrote:

When I DM I roll the first save in secret, so the players do not know anything is amiss. There wouldn't be any way of knowing you were infected until you started feeling the effects. Once the disease sets in, I let em figure it out with a heal check.

That sounds pleasantly sinister :)

[Shadowdweller]

Yeah, the victim SHOULD be given an initial save to avoid contracting the disease at all and then further saves after the incubation period to avoid taking damage. This means a victim needs to fail TWO saves before taking any damage. This is somewhat balanced by the fact of most diseases requiring the victim to make at least two saves in a row (after failing the initial save and contracting the disease) to recover.

[GoldEdition42]

So if they fail the intial save the incubation period begins. So when the disease activates do they get another save before any damage starts (especially important if Con damage
)?