Spoilers abound! Don't open this if you are playing or plan to play Out of the Abyss.
I'm running OOtA. The party have nearly reached Sloob with most of the NPC prisoners in tow, including a headache-wracked Sarith. The party cleric is considering casting Lesser Restoration on him. So I started more thoroughly reading about the spores and madness etc and am now confused. As far as I can see, someone infested with Zuggtmoy's spores should either get better, or die and turn into a mostly-mindless spore servant within 3 days. Sarith has clearly been infected for a long time, but is not getting better and has not turned into a spore servant.
Have I missed some details? How are you running or have you run this? Can Lesser Restoration cure Sarith and would he consent to have it cast on him?
I think this is a case where the narrative for Sarith doesn't follow the RAW for storyline reasons. PCs infected by the spores are healed if they make one save and are converted into spore servants if they fail 3 saves. However, Sarith is apparently affected differently by the disease. There is nothing wrong with NPCs having a different experience and nothing in the rules actually says that different creatures might experience the disease differently perhaps depending on what Zuggtmoy might wish. The spoilers cover the progress of Sarith's disease and what can happen to him.
Sarith is under the control of the spores. It sounds like instead of being instantly converted to a spore servant after 3 failed saves, the spores can instead utilize the creature as a vessel controlling and influencing its thinking so as to deliver the infection in the most effective way possible or to otherwise accomplish their goals. Since this wouldn't work for a PC, I suspect this is why the rules for the infection are written the way they are. All you need to do if it ever comes up is to say that after failing 3 saves, it is up to the spores when the creature is converted to a spore servant. Sarith clearly failed three saves :)
p51 "He changes his mind quickly. however, as Zuggtmoy's spores drive him to seek a densely populated area where he can spread his contagion."
p72 "Additionally, Sarith Kzekarit starts to act erratically. trying to warn the characters away from the myconids, but unable to shake off the influence of Zuggtmoy's spores."
p84 "The former drow prisoner Sarith Kzckarit might also become the party's guide, owing to his extensive knowledge of the Underdark. Though the party doesn't realize it, Sarith is infected with Zuggtmoy's spores which now control his mind."
There are at least two possible fates for Sarith if he doesn't get removed from the party along the way.
p72 "At the same time. Sarith breaks away from the party to join the myconids. The drow turns one last time to give the characters a look of terror and despair before his face loses all expression. He and the dancing myconids then enter a mushroom patch and use the tree stride ability granted by Zuggtmoy's blessing to vanish from sight"
p91 "If Sarith Kzekarit (see chapter 1) is still with the party, he screams in agony as Yestabrod attacks. The characters can only watch as the drow's head splits open, releasing a cloud of infecting spores and turning him into another drow spore servant that joins the fight."
P.S. The effect is referred to as a disease so lesser restoration might be expected to work. In addition, you will probably want lesser restoration to work to cure any PCs that become infected. However, the rules require 3 failed saves before the disease reaches its final stage. If you read the first spoiler above, I think it would be reasonable to allow lesser restoration to work only during the first three days, after that the creature is controlled by the spores and conversion to a spore servant and any other actions they take is up to the spores (which is the effect the disease has on NPCs if not PCs).
Just to add to the above great answer, when I ran this I considered the spores to have an intelligence and a drive to find Zuggtmoy because she is on the material plane. Usually the spores will just infect, grow, infect repeat but there queen is within reach and not trapped in the abyss. So they are driven to join her. We see intelligent fungi within the adventure, so it is not a stretch to consider the spores, driven by the changes the underdark is experiencing due to the weakening of the barriers between planes, are gaining greater consciousness and the ability to plan and make choices of when to erupt.
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Spoilers abound! Don't open this if you are playing or plan to play Out of the Abyss.
I'm running OOtA. The party have nearly reached Sloob with most of the NPC prisoners in tow, including a headache-wracked Sarith. The party cleric is considering casting Lesser Restoration on him. So I started more thoroughly reading about the spores and madness etc and am now confused. As far as I can see, someone infested with Zuggtmoy's spores should either get better, or die and turn into a mostly-mindless spore servant within 3 days. Sarith has clearly been infected for a long time, but is not getting better and has not turned into a spore servant.
Have I missed some details? How are you running or have you run this? Can Lesser Restoration cure Sarith and would he consent to have it cast on him?
Cheers!
Blakey
My Author Page: www.peterjblake.com
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour, Okoth's War and Callindrill
I have not ran Out of the Abyss, but I would feel OK about this. You do not always need to use RAW
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I think this is a case where the narrative for Sarith doesn't follow the RAW for storyline reasons. PCs infected by the spores are healed if they make one save and are converted into spore servants if they fail 3 saves. However, Sarith is apparently affected differently by the disease. There is nothing wrong with NPCs having a different experience and nothing in the rules actually says that different creatures might experience the disease differently perhaps depending on what Zuggtmoy might wish. The spoilers cover the progress of Sarith's disease and what can happen to him.
Sarith is under the control of the spores. It sounds like instead of being instantly converted to a spore servant after 3 failed saves, the spores can instead utilize the creature as a vessel controlling and influencing its thinking so as to deliver the infection in the most effective way possible or to otherwise accomplish their goals. Since this wouldn't work for a PC, I suspect this is why the rules for the infection are written the way they are. All you need to do if it ever comes up is to say that after failing 3 saves, it is up to the spores when the creature is converted to a spore servant. Sarith clearly failed three saves :)
p51 "He changes his mind quickly. however, as Zuggtmoy's spores drive him to seek a densely populated area where he can spread his contagion."
p72 "Additionally, Sarith Kzekarit starts to act erratically. trying to warn the characters away from the myconids, but unable to shake off the influence of Zuggtmoy's spores."
p84 "The former drow prisoner Sarith Kzckarit might also become the party's guide, owing to his extensive knowledge of the Underdark. Though the party doesn't realize it, Sarith is infected with Zuggtmoy's spores which now control his mind."
There are at least two possible fates for Sarith if he doesn't get removed from the party along the way.
p72 "At the same time. Sarith breaks away from the party to join the myconids. The drow turns one last time to give the characters a look of terror and despair before his face loses all expression. He and the dancing myconids then enter a mushroom patch and use the tree stride ability granted by Zuggtmoy's blessing to vanish from sight"
p91 "If Sarith Kzekarit (see chapter 1) is still with the party, he screams in agony as Yestabrod attacks. The characters can only watch as the drow's head splits open, releasing a cloud of infecting spores and turning him into another drow spore servant that joins the fight."
P.S. The effect is referred to as a disease so lesser restoration might be expected to work. In addition, you will probably want lesser restoration to work to cure any PCs that become infected. However, the rules require 3 failed saves before the disease reaches its final stage. If you read the first spoiler above, I think it would be reasonable to allow lesser restoration to work only during the first three days, after that the creature is controlled by the spores and conversion to a spore servant and any other actions they take is up to the spores (which is the effect the disease has on NPCs if not PCs).
Thanks, David42 - that is a really helpful, detailed response. I think that solves the mystery for me - cheers!
My Author Page: www.peterjblake.com
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour, Okoth's War and Callindrill
Just to add to the above great answer, when I ran this I considered the spores to have an intelligence and a drive to find Zuggtmoy because she is on the material plane. Usually the spores will just infect, grow, infect repeat but there queen is within reach and not trapped in the abyss. So they are driven to join her. We see intelligent fungi within the adventure, so it is not a stretch to consider the spores, driven by the changes the underdark is experiencing due to the weakening of the barriers between planes, are gaining greater consciousness and the ability to plan and make choices of when to erupt.