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I'm part of a 4-person party in one of Pathfinder Society's new "super-modules" where it counts toward a Pathfinder Society character in the end, but is itself a stand-alone adventure wherein we are unbound by normal Organized Play rules. We are:
a Suli Brawler
a Kitsune Warpriest
a Samsaran Master Summoner (me)
and
a Changeling Rogue, who has just come down with GHOUL FEVER.
We've just achieved 2nd-level. The sick character has a respectable Constitution (which for a Changeling, probably means 12), but has already taken something like 3 Constitution damage and, I believe, a bit less Dexterity damage from the disease. The Warpriest, our healer, has so far done a poor job trying to treat the disease (repeatedly botching Heal rolls, even with assistance), and it takes 2 consecutive saves to cure (which raises an important question: how does saving to overcome a disease work when two saves are required? Can he try to make multiple saves in one day?). Can I get some help with options for saving him at this level? There is the remove sickness spell, which the Warpriest can cast, but what other Cleric/Oracle/Warpriest spells might be helpful here, and what else can we do? As a Summoner, I think I might be able to work with the DM to try to summon some kind of creature who could help with this (knowing the DM, the gravity of the situation, and what he's already said about permitting unorthodox conjurations on an ad hoc basis, I think he'll be open to working something out with me) - but what sorts of creatures would there be who could conceivably help (I figure, with DM's ok, I could try to conjure something CR 2 at most)? We're in the middle of a dungeon at the moment, and while it's just outside a town, I have no idea if it has a skilled healer to offer.
and it takes 2 consecutive saves to cure (which raises an important question: how does saving to overcome a disease work when two saves are required?
You make a save. If successful, you suffer no damage this time but the disease is not cured. Later, you make another save when you would take the damage. If successful, you suffer no damage this time and the disease is now cured. If the 2nd save was unsuccessful, you take the damage and the process starts over.
Can I get some help with options for saving him at this level? There is the remove sickness spell, which the Warpriest can cast, but what other Cleric/Oracle/Warpriest spells might be helpful here, and what else can we do?
Antiplagues (see d20pfsrd.com for source) function like anti-toxins for diseases. They give a +5 alchemy bonus on saves vs disease. For 50 gp, that may turn an unlikely save into an almost certain one. Stacks with the bonus from the Heal skill check, which can give a net +9.
If you're just really cheap, you can stack the saving throw in your favor with your party's help. Buffs like [i]bear's endurance give a Con buff and by proxy a Fortitude buff. Likewise, guidance and resistance are both 0-level cleric spells that provide a +1 to saving throws and do not share a type.
Protection from evil provides a +2 resistance bonus on saving throws against effects created by evil creatures. At this level, the +2 resistance bonus likely won't be overlapping with magic items.
Assuming antiplague + protection from evil + successful heal check + guidance, that's a +12 to your save vs the disease. +14 if your warpriest can cast bear's endurance. Total cost is 50 gp and some spell slots.
However, it would likely be easier to just get remove disease cast for you. Unfortunately for you, that's no certain option. The check that the caster has to make to remove the disease is 1d20+CL vs the DC of the disease. That means you may want to go the extra mile and pay for the extra caster level.
The cost for a basic remove disease is only 150 gp. If your party splits the cost, it'll be really cheap (37.5 gp each if you split it 4 ways).
As a Summoner, I think I might be able to work with the DM to try to summon some kind of creature who could help with this (knowing the DM, the gravity of the situation, and what he's already said about permitting unorthodox conjurations on an ad hoc basis, I think he'll be open to working something out with me) - but what sorts of creatures would there be who could conceivably help (I figure, with DM's ok, I could try to conjure something CR 2 at most)?
When summoning things off the normal summon monster list, you should stick to things no higher in CR than the highest CR creature on the core list, with GM approval. This allows a wide array of possible summons without significantly increasing the direct power of the spells (though it does increase overall power since it adds more options).
Unfortunately, there is little that an expanded summon monster list would be able to help with at 2nd level, since you're still summoning Summon Monster I sorts of things. There's few creatures with access to remove disease that aren't at least mid-level, CR-wise.
We're in the middle of a dungeon at the moment, and while it's just outside a town, I have no idea if it has a skilled healer to offer.
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and it takes 2 consecutive saves to cure (which raises an important question: [i]how does saving to overcome a disease work when two saves are required?You make a save. If successful, you suffer no damage this time but the disease is not cured. Later, you make another save when you would take the damage. If successful, you suffer no damage this time and the disease is now cured. If the 2nd save was unsuccessful, you take the damage and the process starts over.
"Later?" My question is: How MUCH later?
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"Later?" My question is: How MUCH later?and it takes 2 consecutive saves to cure (which raises an important question: [i]how does saving to overcome a disease work when two saves are required?You make a save. If successful, you suffer no damage this time but the disease is not cured. Later, you make another save when you would take the damage. If successful, you suffer no damage this time and the disease is now cured. If the 2nd save was unsuccessful, you take the damage and the process starts over.
that is based on the frequency of the disease. For ghoul fever, that is 1/day.
I'm the GM in this here scenario, and I very much appreciate the help here. He's fumbled a couple saves, and he's only now in any serious danger of suffering damage from it. Thank you all for your help, I'm still relatively new at GMing and am not completely clear on all the particularities of the rules.
Good suggestions here (though I wouldn't allow a bear's endurance or protection from evil (which ghoul's fever isn't actually) to work, since they are short duration spells vs. a save made during a day. Guidance and Resistance could be cast over and over (tiring the caster a bit), so that works.
Most Important: Remember that the character is healing ability damage each rest period. 1 point per stat for 8 hours rest, double that if the long-term care check is successful, and also double for 24 hours.
Deaths from Ghoul Fever while being tended should be very rare.
You can also net +6 to heal checks if all three other party members assist the priest. Aid another stacks but only if multiple people do it. There's nothing in the heal skill or aid another action that says you can't aid someone trying to help you so the sick guy can and should be assistingnthe priest with every check.
It's always fun to do that on Surgery checks (er, Treat Deadly Wounds). When the barbarian rolls a 1 on his assist, you just have to wonder if she thought you were amputating...
Bear's endurance and the like wouldn't help a disease save, at least I've never seen it allowed.
'It's dawn, about time for that disease to kick'. Rather it's how one's body wears down over the course of time so unless you have the magic on you round the clock it wouldn't really be of much use.
A humanoid who dies of ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next midnight. A humanoid who becomes a ghoul in this way retains none of the abilities it possessed in life. It is not under the control of any other ghouls, but it hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like a normal ghoul in all respects. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice or more rises as a ghast.
Now, if I'm understanding zombie movies right, the correct course of action is to conceal the sickness until he turns at the worst possible moment to infect everyone else.
If you can get him to leave a series of journal entries documenting his slow transformation and the ignorance of the group, all the better. Best case scenario, your horrible ghoulish selves will make a great encounter for the next party coming through.
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A humanoid who dies of ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next midnight. A humanoid who becomes a ghoul in this way retains none of the abilities it possessed in life. It is not under the control of any other ghouls, but it hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like a normal ghoul in all respects. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice or more rises as a ghast.Now, if I'm understanding zombie movies right, the correct course of action is to conceal the sickness until he turns at the worst possible moment to infect everyone else.
If you can get him to leave a series of journal entries documenting his slow transformation and the ignorance of the group, all the better. Best case scenario, your horrible ghoulish selves will make a great encounter for the next party coming through.
This reminds me of a home adventure I played in once. Border outpost near a hostile nation has a ghoul infestation. They turn to outside help because the town cleric was killed in the last skirmish. Turns out the hostile nation infected the water supply with Ghoul Fever as a prelude to invasion and killed the cleric so there wouldn't be an easy cure. The adventure ended with a three way battle between invaders, ghoul horde, and the PCs with the remaining survivors.
This is also an excellent opportunity for somewhat rare roleplaying. As PCs level up they quickly have countermeasures to most negative conditions, and they are cured almost immediately. Right now you have a character fighting for his life against a disease.
Give him superfluous perception checks and shout warning to party members for nonexistent foes as he fights off delirium. Maybe he acquires a few ghoulish qualities if he draws close to death.
It could be a fun experience rather than a hurdle you regret giving the PCs.
I'm pretty sure that Bear's Endurance falls under this category...and the rules do not state that your boosts to Constitution must be permanent (> 24 hours) bonuses to apply to Fortitude saving throws.
I can see that as an interpretation though...
If you are are under the influence of bears endurance when first inflicted then sure or under something that is ticking by per round then sure.
If you are on your frequency/day saves the saving throw happens at a more or less an abstract time and you can not 'plan' for it with short term con bonuses (rage, bear's endurance, ect).