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It will greatly depend on the affliction. A poison that is removing a PC hit points every round is obvious and as such the poisoned PC should communicate it (I handwave the PC screaming they're poisoned).
But for Poisons and Diseases with an onset time, I wait until the onset time is finished to tell the good news. Before that, you'd need a Medicine check to realize the wound is ugly and may carry a disease.
But for Poisons and Diseases with an onset time, I wait until the onset time is finished to tell the good news. Before that, you'd need a Medicine check to realize the wound is ugly and may carry a disease.
Yeah, that.
Though I could also see using a Recall Knowledge check on the enemy that they just fought to realize that the enemy often carries a disease. Such as getting Filth Fever from a Giant Rat. That wouldn't necessarily indicate that a character in question actually has the disease (the knowledge check wouldn't confirm that they failed their Fortitude save), but it would give the knowledge about the risk of it.
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If a player is under an affliction, is there any check a player needs to pass to know that? Or do you just hand-wave it and say they know?
Did the player cough or sneeze? If so, it's definitely COVID.
Some ailments might have more obvious signs that something is wrong with the character, even if not what. Especially with a disease that has started affecting the character, the character may become pale or have obvious skin lesions. Many diseases are described as fevers and that's not metaphorical; while fevers aren't particularly visible, the a character experiencing obvious heat/chills might give away that something is up, at least long enough to check the forehead temp.
Or yes, coughing and sneezing and other such symptoms could make it more obvious.
I describe diseases as having symptoms once acquired, even if there are no mechanical effects. The PC might not have the Sickened condition, but they can still have achy joints and feel tired and feverish after being bitten by something nasty in a dungeon.
I describe diseases as having symptoms once acquired, even if there are no mechanical effects. The PC might not have the Sickened condition, but they can still have achy joints and feel tired and feverish after being bitten by something nasty in a dungeon.
Agreed on symptoms even without mechanical penalties, though in the case of diseases with an explicit onset or a stage with no effects, lack of symptoms may simply be in keeping with the fact that the disease doesn't present with symptoms until either infected has been sick a few days. In many cases IRL a disease does its best spreading before the infected knows they're sick because they can't take precautions when they don't know. It would depend jn the disease though, and definitely it makes sense for a character to start noticing aches before they officially manifest symptoms.
Some ailments might have more obvious signs that something is wrong with the character, even if not what. Especially with a disease that has started affecting the character, the character may become pale or have obvious skin lesions. Many diseases are described as fevers and that's not metaphorical; while fevers aren't particularly visible, the a character experiencing obvious heat/chills might give away that something is up, at least long enough to check the forehead temp.
Or yes, coughing and sneezing and other such symptoms could make it more obvious.
Considering you probably know the person well and if there are symptoms I would allow the PC to make a Sense Motive check (Perception) to tell if their ally is having an odd reaction.
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Perception/sense motive should allow other characters to notice if one if behaving differently due to illness, even if the character is not aware of it yet.
Medicine checks should definitely allow for it, if someone is prompted to look for it.
Knowledge checks about the creature that attacked can help to know if they normally cause disease, which might prompt your medicine person to check everyone out.
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I mistakenly thought Status let you know if someone had an affliction back in AV, when my party came across a nasty one.
Moral of the story: If an affliction isn't immediately obvious but you know the creature you fight carries it, you should let them do some sort of check to figure it out, or give them access to an NPC who can find out for them for a cost.
Curses are magical in nature if I remember correctly? I would allow a check akin to Identify Magic if the party knew there was likely to be some kind of curse to determine if the magic had set in.
(I feel like there was an argument in a thread whether Detect Magic let you identify if a creature was cursed a while back...?)
(Wait, I think I recall now, the point of contention was whether you could cast detect magic to identify a werewolf in human form on the basis of whether the curse was still detectable even after they succumbed.)