So I'm currently making a campaign where the characters go on a epic quest to convince an ancient Bronze Dragon to help their kingdom in a war they are doomed to fail in without it's help.
Problem is, I didn't know how to make the characters get sent on a mission that big (basically get favored by the King). Then I realized, the capital should be in a plague and the characters manage to get to the source of it and kill/stop it.
I made the plague, which is based of the DMG's sewer plague (and shares the same name), though I'm not sure if I can throw this at level 1 characters, here it is:
Sewer Plague
When a character comes into contact with a creature or object with Sewer Plague, they must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be afflicted with Sewer Plague. For every 24 hours they have Sewer Plague, their hit point maximum decreases by 1d10 minus their Constitution modifier. Additionally, every 24 hours a character make another saving throw (DC goes up by 3 every time they roll), and if they succeed, they are no longer afflicted with Sewer Plague, and the next time they take a long rest, they restore their former hit point maximum. Magical healing also cures the disease as well as a successful DC 20 Medicine check.
So what are y'all's thoughts on it? Is it to overpowered? What changes should I make?
For level 1, losing 1d10 max hit points (even after subtracting con) could be lethal. I think the plague is fine overall, but maybe have a CON save every 24 hours to resist the deterioration, with the DC increasing over time. Additionally, having a non-magical way of treating the disease (not curing, but treating) for those who aren't able to consistently make those saves might be crucial. Some sort of herbal treatment that mitigates the side effects but doesn't actually cure the disease.
This could serve as a plot hook if they'll be playing in town for a bit while dealing with the plague. Maybe there are some sketchy doctors who are charging unfair prices for treatment, or are using ineffective treatments that the party could go deal with. Such plot hooks would help the party build a bit of fame and backing in the town, on top of that from finding the source of the plague.
Yeah, I meant to say in it every 24 hours you can repeat the saving throw, editing now...
Good idea! I was thinking sort of along the lines, where the can get renown by dealing with the plague, but I hadn't thought of the doctors, or maybe some Clerics that serve a dark god could be posing as good healing Clerics, allowing the characters to feel like they have an enemy before the main plot comes in.
I kind of want it to be slightly deadly, as it will kill a large part of the 25,000+ inhabitants of the capital, maybe make it a d6?
Or maybe the PCs are immune. They have to figure out why (they went through a nearby swamp and the water can cure it, or make it the reverse of a normal plague vector and say the mosquito bites they got in the swamp actually saved them from it instead of infecting them) and that’s the key to stopping the plague.
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So I'm currently making a campaign where the characters go on a epic quest to convince an ancient Bronze Dragon to help their kingdom in a war they are doomed to fail in without it's help.
Problem is, I didn't know how to make the characters get sent on a mission that big (basically get favored by the King). Then I realized, the capital should be in a plague and the characters manage to get to the source of it and kill/stop it.
I made the plague, which is based of the DMG's sewer plague (and shares the same name), though I'm not sure if I can throw this at level 1 characters, here it is:
Sewer Plague
When a character comes into contact with a creature or object with Sewer Plague, they must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be afflicted with Sewer Plague. For every 24 hours they have Sewer Plague, their hit point maximum decreases by 1d10 minus their Constitution modifier. Additionally, every 24 hours a character make another saving throw (DC goes up by 3 every time they roll), and if they succeed, they are no longer afflicted with Sewer Plague, and the next time they take a long rest, they restore their former hit point maximum. Magical healing also cures the disease as well as a successful DC 20 Medicine check.
So what are y'all's thoughts on it? Is it to overpowered? What changes should I make?
Thanks in advance.
D&D is a game for nerds... so I guess I'm one :p
For level 1, losing 1d10 max hit points (even after subtracting con) could be lethal. I think the plague is fine overall, but maybe have a CON save every 24 hours to resist the deterioration, with the DC increasing over time. Additionally, having a non-magical way of treating the disease (not curing, but treating) for those who aren't able to consistently make those saves might be crucial. Some sort of herbal treatment that mitigates the side effects but doesn't actually cure the disease.
This could serve as a plot hook if they'll be playing in town for a bit while dealing with the plague. Maybe there are some sketchy doctors who are charging unfair prices for treatment, or are using ineffective treatments that the party could go deal with. Such plot hooks would help the party build a bit of fame and backing in the town, on top of that from finding the source of the plague.
Yeah, I meant to say in it every 24 hours you can repeat the saving throw, editing now...
Good idea! I was thinking sort of along the lines, where the can get renown by dealing with the plague, but I hadn't thought of the doctors, or maybe some Clerics that serve a dark god could be posing as good healing Clerics, allowing the characters to feel like they have an enemy before the main plot comes in.
I kind of want it to be slightly deadly, as it will kill a large part of the 25,000+ inhabitants of the capital, maybe make it a d6?
D&D is a game for nerds... so I guess I'm one :p
Or maybe the PCs are immune. They have to figure out why (they went through a nearby swamp and the water can cure it, or make it the reverse of a normal plague vector and say the mosquito bites they got in the swamp actually saved them from it instead of infecting them) and that’s the key to stopping the plague.