Multiple Instances of Same Disease.

[jfriz86]

So my group is in the Valley of the Brain Collectors magazine of the Iron Gods ap. We have come across groups of ugothroka, who spit out 6 diseased attacks per turn. As far as I'm aware, the diseases work the same as normally would, except with an onset time of immediate. The problem is every time we (the pcs) are hit and fail a save, even against a disease to which we are already afflicted, we are suffering the effects again and again. To my knowledge disease damage effects don't stack. Like that. Thanks for any input!

[LordKailas]

I will start by saying. I'm not familiar with the AP and it may have special rules that are being followed. Normally, in pathfinder multiple applications of the same disease do not stack. Your DM may be thinking of poisons which do have a stacking effect.

Poisons wrote:

Unlike other afflictions, multiple doses of the same poison “stack,” meaning that successive doses combine to increase the poison’s DC and duration.

Making your initial saving throw against a poison means stacking does not occur—the poison did not affect you and any later doses are treated independently. Likewise, if a poison has been cured or run its course (by you either making the saves or outlasting the poison’s duration), stacking does not occur. However, if there is still poison active in you when you are attacked with that type of poison again, and you fail your initial save against the new dose, the doses stack. This has two effects, which last until the poisons run their course.

Increased Duration: Increase the duration of the poison by 1/2 the amount listed in its frequency entry.

Increased DC: Increase the poison’s DC by +2.

note, that even when it comes to poisons the stacking effect is to make it last longer and harder to save against. It does not increase the amount of damage you take per frequency.

looking at the creature, it ignores the onset time and suggests that the frequency is also ignored. But ignoring the frequency seems a bit excessive for a CR 7 monster since that would let it do 6d3 (12 avg) stat damage every round to a character. Compare this to the CR 8 , Unhallowed Greater Shadow which gets to do 1d8 (4 avg) stat damage every round.

[blahpers]

I don't see anything in the ability description suggesting that multiple instances of the disease stack, nor that the frequency should be ignored. The only thing unusual about this ability appears to be that the onset is skipped if you get flechette'd. Other than that, they should act like any other disease.