Alright, I made a "mistake" and tried to run Dreamers of the Nameless Spires as a single adventure for a group that was level 7 after finishing Malevolence.
Only one of the players rebuilt a new PC as a Gatewalker, so I used him to invite the others into the plot. This meant that most of them have no Blackfrost immunity. So, of course, one of them contracted Blackfrost in the very first fight at the Temple of Findeladlara. And of course, they have no one who can Remove Curse.
So now I'm stuck looking at the long-term implications of the Blackfrost affliction rules and it feels wonky.
https://2e.aonprd.com/Curses.aspx?ID=51
It can't be reduced below Stage 1. So, if a person at Stage 1 succeeds at their save, they stay at Stage 1. Do they take the damage again or do they only take the damage again when they come back to Stage 1 from Stage 2?
If they take the damage again immediately, we have an affliction where the better result is to fail your Fort save. If they don't take the damage again, we're stuck making pointless die rolls every minute until they fail, in which case the period on Stage 1 should just also be 1 day.
In either case, though, the better result is still to roll low because it's safer to walk around with Drained 2 than to take unhealable damage. It seems like the proper treatment is to Stupefy the lowest-Wisdom character and get them to Treat Disease, hoping for a crit fail.
any advice?
Creative Director
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Blackfrost is kind of like mummy rot. It can't be reduced below stage 1 unless you first remove curse; then you can remove disease on it. Opportunities to become afflicted by black frost, if I recall correctly, don't pop up in the game until the PCs are 9th level, at which point they should start to have some options to fight back against the affliction.
That said, it's for sure a bit strange that this one is an affliction where it's better to fail your fortitude save than make it if you don't have a way to resist the cold damage in the first place.
Looking it over, it strikes me that the idea of this being a creeping disease that works like mummy rot that it should have a preliminary "placeholder" stage just like mummy rot.
I suggest the following change as a result: Bump all existing stages for blackfrost up by 1 stage, so that the 4d6 cold damage (1 minute) effect happens at Stage 2. Then set Stage 1 as follows:
Stage 1: 2d6 cold damage (1 day)
That way, you take a sudden spike of cold damage but then have a day to endure without having more of it. If you advance to stage 2, you'll take a hit immediately and then (based on your save against that) either drop back to stage 1 (and take 2d6 cold but then have a day to wait) or advance to the next stage (and take no cold damage but become susceptible to cold and become drained).
Also keep in mind that the first time blackfrost shows up in the adventure, the PCs are expected to be 9th level, so if you're starting them in this adventure at 7th level, I suggest you let them level up to 8th as soon as they enter the lab in chapter 1 and then up to level 9 when they start chapter 2. AND If your group doesn't include anyone capable of casting remove curse, remember that Snowy Owl can prepare two remove curse spells each day!
That adjustment is almost exactly what I was going to house rule. Actually , I was just going to insert a Stage 1 "carrier only" stage, but I like this a lot better.
As far as leveling, that's exactly what I did, but their only casters are both Arcane (sadface). I've yet to introduce them to Snowy Owl (I thought they might meet on "the road"), but it sounds like I need to have her in or near the Temple!
Thanks much!