CR for carrionstorm with advanced simple template and carrying ghoul fever

[Wolf Munroe]

A carrionstorm (2 HD undead raven swarm commonly found near ghouls) is normally CR 1.

If I add advanced simple temple it increases to CR 2.

I also want the swarm to be carriers for ghoul fever. Can I just give it to the creature and still leave it at CR 2, or do you think granting ghoul fever should increases the CR further? Technically ghoul fever doesn't change the difficulty of combat at all since it has a 1 day onset time.

[Wolf Munroe]

I just awarded XP as if it were CR 2. The party fought two of them Saturday night.

[Douglas Muir 406]

I'd agree with the CR 2. Ghoul fever, by itself, is probably not enough to give them a new CR. As you say, one-day onset, and also disease isn't really a threat in PF. Even if they can't find a friendly 5th level cleric (and, really, no good-aligned cleric is going to let someone die of ghoul fever -- even if the PC doesn't have the cash, they'd surely take an IOU to cast Cure Disease), making the disease save is just not that hard. It's two DC 13 Fort saves in a row, but if someone in the party has Heal, they can make Heal checks; if they hit DC 13, then the diseased person gets a +4 on their Fort save.

Basically ghoul fever is a nuisance rather than a serious threat, and that only to low-level characters (or badly designed parties where nobody put ranks in Heal).

Doug M.

[Wolf Munroe]

Well, like I said, I just left them at CR 2. The party didn't have that much trouble with them. The ranger's animal companion got the ghoul fever though.

Their Ghoul Fever DC was 14 though. (10+half HD+CHA mod came to 14.)

The summoner also got ghoul fever, but not from the birds. Your post did make it clear to me that I need to note exactly which dread ghoul she got it from though, because their DCs vary by class level and CHA mod.