I've come up with a idea for my latest character, a scrappy fighter who is suffering from the condition known as argyria, which is the permanent change in skin color to blue-gray for a person's skin, eyes, internal organs, nails, and gums after exposure to and absorption of too much silver. Best part is, there's currently no cure or known method to reverse the color change!
In case you missed it or think I've mis-typed something.... my character's skin is blue! And he is sick of it! He's grown up teased and mocked and has never had a real girlfriend because they're embarassed by his blueness! He's consulted every cleric within 100 miles and purchased every snakeoil "cure" peddled to him by every saleman who's travelled by. Nothing has worked, so now he's hitting the road to look for more exotic magical cures.
Is this character's race limited to humanor do I have more options? Dwarf? Any of the Elf subraces? Gnome? Halfling?
Also, how difficult should it be to remove/reverse the blueness? Would it take a level 5 Greater Restoration to restore his skin to its original color? Would it take a level 7 Regenerate to regenerate original-colored skin? Would it take a level 9 Wish to no longer have blue skin? Maybe Greater Restoration could lighten the blueness or otherwise provide a temporary cure? Maybe everything short of the ___ spell only results in temporary un-blue-ness?
All of this is totally up to you and your DM! The rules are very light on references to disease, but what it does have basically boils down to 'make it work however you want to make it work to fit your campaign.' This is a world with magic, and where the science and economy don't work when you plot them out against modern standards. The thing that's important is 'does it work for your campaign.'
You could make it some kind of curse, rather than a medical condition. An extra special curse that remove curse wouldn't work on.
A curse could work for any race, really. Of course, there are a number of races (triton, air genasi, sea elf, veldaken probably more) that are blue by default, while others may sometimes appear blue as one of their options. So, depending on the setting and how common those races are, you might just be mistaken for a triton rather than people thinking you're a blue-skinned human. In some settings generally, and some locations within most settings, you would certainly stand out. In other places, for example, someplace where people are used to seeing half-angels, or owl people, or praying mantis people or anthropomorphic cats walking the streets, a blue-skinned human probably wouldn't raise an eyebrow. Which could be fuun to play with, seeing the difference in attitudes and trying to find a place where you can feel accepted.
125gp is the most common average starting wealth for a 1st level PC.
Yeah, I definitely under estimated the value of starting equipment.
Its funny how a commoner might go their entire lives without ever seeing a gold piece, but a level 1 fighter just has 200 GP of equipment before actually becoming an adventurer.
Does it have to come from this particular condition? If not it could be a curse or magical disease that requires a specific treatment so a spell might not do it. Talk to your DM and it could make for an interesting ploy hook for a side adventure
125gp is the most common average starting wealth for a 1st level PC.
Yeah, I definitely under estimated the value of starting equipment.
Its funny how a commoner might go their entire lives without ever seeing a gold piece, but a level 1 fighter just has 200 GP of equipment before actually becoming an adventurer.
125gp is the most common average starting wealth for a 1st level PC.
Yeah, I definitely under estimated the value of starting equipment.
Its funny how a commoner might go their entire lives without ever seeing a gold piece, but a level 1 fighter just has 200 GP of equipment before actually becoming an adventurer.
Although, from the images you provided hair color is not affected, and hooves are made of the same material as hair, so the hooves would pro’ly be normal colored too.
Or embrace it, start a band called Eiffel 65 and sing "I'm blue (da ba dee)" - probably with advantage.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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125gp is the most common average starting wealth for a 1st level PC.
Yeah, I definitely under estimated the value of starting equipment.
Its funny how a commoner might go their entire lives without ever seeing a gold piece, but a level 1 fighter just has 200 GP of equipment before actually becoming an adventurer.
There is no way an average commoner doesn't have several gold in their lifetime.
A single sprig of mistletoe is worth 1 gold.
A barrel, empty... 2 gold.
1lbs of ginger... 1 gold.
The value of a gold piece is super small actually. Most commoners would have several, just to deal in normal everyday transactions. It is (IMO) a huge flaw in the 5e gold costs. Gold is worth basically very... very little. At least compared to real life. A real life 1 oz gold coin is worth like 1,850 US. That'd buy about 1,800 Lbs of ginger. Not 1 Lbs like it would in the PHB. 1800 Lbs!
Gold is just not all that valuable in 5e. Commoners would have plenty of them.
If you want a more RAW answer, the DMG has rules for determining the random loot a CR0 creature will have.
d100
CP
SP
EP
GP
PP
01–30
5d6 (17)
—
—
—
—
31–60
—
4d6 (14)
—
—
—
61–70
—
—
3d6 (10)
—
—
71–95
—
—
—
3d6 (10)
—
96–00
—
—
—
—
1d6 (3)
The average result is 5 gold, 3 silver and 7 copper.
OP: A level 1 paladin can cure this ailment. You're going to find it exceptionally easy to cure diseases in a magical world.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Diseases and in essence all afflictions can be separated into 2 categories. Tax and Plot. D&D e5 is quite simplified in order to allow the game to flow and be accessible. And diseases/poisons/injuries are usually not super-detailed and their treatment is even less. Therefore exist items, abilities, and skill that either cure or prevent these altogether, even though afflictions vary to an incredible amount and putting them together into a group makes it so that at that point disease only means "something bad is going on" A taxation affliction is something that's there as a negative status effect for the players to manage mechanically, either circumventing, removing or by ignoring it. You can just pick a difficulty for them appropriate to their intended effect, like "this is a delibirating disease which will get horrible in 6 hours, but a lesser restoration cures it." This way you'll prompt your players to prepare the spell and allocate resources to cast it. Plot-style afflictions are those that are largely outside of the players reach to "easily" remove. Maybe it's a disease afflicted through a god or some other cosmic event. In this scenario the plot revolves around fighting the affliction and it's part of the player's quest and should be integral part of roleplay. In this scenario it's rather easy to make up some complex way of curing the afflictions, like "You'll have to collect 5 ingredients for a ritual and then carry an elderly druid up a mountain while she sits on a chair and she cannot touch the ground all the way to the summit, you'll have to pass goblins, orcs and an ettin on the way. Then she'll perform a ritual during the night of a new moon and then the disease is cured."
Based on these two you can build your afflictions however you like.
Or maybe it's a magical disease requiring a powerful detoxification potion made out of the essence of very rare magical items that are so obscure you've got to hunt down clues to verify what it actually is and how to acquire it. (Since there may be ways to collect the energy needed without killing the creature component if someone keeps concentration on a spell for enough rounds to get what you need - since I don't like giving my players only one option.)
I have a list below, I'm just hiding it so that if my players ever come across this post, they know not to click.
The Heart of a Volcano (Maybe the body of a Fire Elemental? Maybe the heart of an Ancient Red Dragon.)
The Egg of the Sun ( A Golden Dragon's egg? A phoenix egg? Volcanic rock?)
The Eye of the Storm (Wind elemental? A celestial angel like a Throne? The Vision/Sight of a Lightning-themed Dragon?)
A Cloud with Golden Lining (Maybe a Cloud Giant with golden tattoos? Maybe a stormcloud?)
The Coin of the Underworld (Maybe coins fond on the deceased? Maybe some token from the underworld itself? Maybe a soul?)
The Heart of the Sea (Maybe a Kraken's heart (they have three). Maybe the pearl of a water dragon? Maybe a water elemental?)
The Heart of the Forest (A dryad? A normal tree but uprooted? A Treant? The largest tree the characters can find?)
You could inspire your DM to do a elemental themed campaign if you're supposed to get a strong magical ingredients representing Fire, Water, Earth and Air?
I think I'll make this argyria condition be induced by too much exposure to iceflex mithral, so that it'd be harder to magically cure.
And I'm considering having him be a centaur, because I think blue skin and blue hooves would be hilarious.
It's a neat idea. Putting on my DM's hat, here are some questions I'd ask:
1) How did your character get exposed to the mithral? Were they a miner (or from a mining community), or was it some sort of magical accident? Or something else entirely? Were they the only ones exposed, or do you have family/friends/rivals who share the condition?
2) Other than changing your skin color, are they any other effects of the condition? Not necessarily major mechanical things, but just little flaws or role-playing opportunities. Could your condition plant the seeds for a multi-class down the road? (It could be a useful hook for a sorcerous origin, for instance, or maybe if you're thinking about becoming a warlock at some point, someone or some Thing could offer you a cure)
3) Is your condition what's driven you to become an adventurer? Are you out seeking a cure (and maybe not just for yourself -- see 1) or did you leave home because you were tired of the attention and ridicule, and are looking for a place to belong/people who will accept you as you are? Maybe you were taken as a child by a sketchy traveling freak show and don't even know where you're from or why you are a funny color, and your character is seeking those answers. Or maybe the reason you've become an adventurer has little to do with your condition, and it's just a quirk you've come to live with. Do you even want a cure?
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
There is a wild magic effect that turns your skin blue (23 and 24). It states it can be undone with remove curse.
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Pronouns: he/him/his.
My posting scheduled is irregular: sometimes I can post twice a week, sometimes twice a day. I may also respond to quick questions, but ignore harder responses in favor of time.
My location is where my character for my home game is (we're doing the wild beyond the witchlight).
"The Doomvault... Probably full of unicorns and rainbows." -An imaginary quote
I think I'll make this argyria condition be induced by too much exposure to iceflex mithral, so that it'd be harder to magically cure.
And I'm considering having him be a centaur, because I think blue skin and blue hooves would be hilarious.
It's a neat idea. Putting on my DM's hat, here are some questions I'd ask:
1) How did your character get exposed to the mithral? Were they a miner (or from a mining community), or was it some sort of magical accident? Or something else entirely? Were they the only ones exposed, or do you have family/friends/rivals who share the condition?
2) Other than changing your skin color, are they any other effects of the condition? Not necessarily major mechanical things, but just little flaws or role-playing opportunities. Could your condition plant the seeds for a multi-class down the road? (It could be a useful hook for a sorcerous origin, for instance, or maybe if you're thinking about becoming a warlock at some point, someone or some Thing could offer you a cure)
3) Is your condition what's driven you to become an adventurer? Are you out seeking a cure (and maybe not just for yourself -- see 1) or did you leave home because you were tired of the attention and ridicule, and are looking for a place to belong/people who will accept you as you are? Maybe you were taken as a child by a sketchy traveling freak show and don't even know where you're from or why you are a funny color, and your character is seeking those answers. Or maybe the reason you've become an adventurer has little to do with your condition, and it's just a quirk you've come to live with. Do you even want a cure?
#1 As a toddler, he was kidnapped and held hostage in a silver-smithy. When not being used as a human shield, the kidnapper tossed him in this half-empty empty barrel of grey powder, not knowing or caring what it was. The babe breathed it, got his skin covered in it, inhaled it, got it in his eyes, and even ate/drank it when his kidnapper tossed food into the barrel.
#2 I had absolutely not considered this angle at all. OMG the possibilities......!
#3 My guy was returned to his loving, frantically worried parents by townsguard (who killed his kidnapper) after a few days and lovingly raised by them. They were freaked out when his skin began to change color over the following weeks and sought medical attention, eventually figuring out what was happening and that there was no known cure. They wish his skin wasn't blue (for his sake), but love him just the way he is. His class is fighter because the other townspeople (mostly kids around his age) mercilessly mocked and teased him and he didn't like it, hence lots of fistfights. His family has tried all sort of medical and magical cures, potions, tonics, and snake oils, but nothing has worked, so he's expanding his search for a cure to outside his hometown.
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I've come up with a idea for my latest character, a scrappy fighter who is suffering from the condition known as argyria, which is the permanent change in skin color to blue-gray for a person's skin, eyes, internal organs, nails, and gums after exposure to and absorption of too much silver. Best part is, there's currently no cure or known method to reverse the color change!
In case you missed it or think I've mis-typed something.... my character's skin is blue! And he is sick of it! He's grown up teased and mocked and has never had a real girlfriend because they're embarassed by his blueness! He's consulted every cleric within 100 miles and purchased every snakeoil "cure" peddled to him by every saleman who's travelled by. Nothing has worked, so now he's hitting the road to look for more exotic magical cures.
Is this character's race limited to human or do I have more options? Dwarf? Any of the Elf subraces? Gnome? Halfling?
Also, how difficult should it be to remove/reverse the blueness?
Would it take a level 5 Greater Restoration to restore his skin to its original color?
Would it take a level 7 Regenerate to regenerate original-colored skin?
Would it take a level 9 Wish to no longer have blue skin?
Maybe Greater Restoration could lighten the blueness or otherwise provide a temporary cure?
Maybe everything short of the ___ spell only results in temporary un-blue-ness?
All of this is totally up to you and your DM! The rules are very light on references to disease, but what it does have basically boils down to 'make it work however you want to make it work to fit your campaign.' This is a world with magic, and where the science and economy don't work when you plot them out against modern standards. The thing that's important is 'does it work for your campaign.'
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
Might I suggest lesser restoration:
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Yeah, mundane afflictions are pretty easy to overcome in D&D, which can be annoying if you want it to be significant for your character.
Yeah, but spellcasting services for a level 2 spell can cost up to 50GP which is as much or more than a level 1 character's life savings.
But yeah, non-magic diseases really are easy to deal with.
125gp is the most common average starting wealth for a 1st level PC.
You could make it some kind of curse, rather than a medical condition. An extra special curse that remove curse wouldn't work on.
A curse could work for any race, really. Of course, there are a number of races (triton, air genasi, sea elf, veldaken probably more) that are blue by default, while others may sometimes appear blue as one of their options. So, depending on the setting and how common those races are, you might just be mistaken for a triton rather than people thinking you're a blue-skinned human. In some settings generally, and some locations within most settings, you would certainly stand out. In other places, for example, someplace where people are used to seeing half-angels, or owl people, or praying mantis people or anthropomorphic cats walking the streets, a blue-skinned human probably wouldn't raise an eyebrow. Which could be fuun to play with, seeing the difference in attitudes and trying to find a place where you can feel accepted.
Yeah, I definitely under estimated the value of starting equipment.
Its funny how a commoner might go their entire lives without ever seeing a gold piece, but a level 1 fighter just has 200 GP of equipment before actually becoming an adventurer.
Does it have to come from this particular condition? If not it could be a curse or magical disease that requires a specific treatment so a spell might not do it. Talk to your DM and it could make for an interesting ploy hook for a side adventure
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Ain’t that the truth.
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I think I'll make this argyria condition be induced by too much exposure to iceflex mithral, so that it'd be harder to magically cure.
And I'm considering having him be a centaur, because I think blue skin and blue hooves would be hilarious.
Bluehooves:
Although, from the images you provided hair color is not affected, and hooves are made of the same material as hair, so the hooves would pro’ly be normal colored too.
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Or embrace it, start a band called Eiffel 65 and sing "I'm blue (da ba dee)" - probably with advantage.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
There is no way an average commoner doesn't have several gold in their lifetime.
A single sprig of mistletoe is worth 1 gold.
A barrel, empty... 2 gold.
1lbs of ginger... 1 gold.
The value of a gold piece is super small actually. Most commoners would have several, just to deal in normal everyday transactions. It is (IMO) a huge flaw in the 5e gold costs. Gold is worth basically very... very little. At least compared to real life. A real life 1 oz gold coin is worth like 1,850 US. That'd buy about 1,800 Lbs of ginger. Not 1 Lbs like it would in the PHB. 1800 Lbs!
Gold is just not all that valuable in 5e. Commoners would have plenty of them.
If you want a more RAW answer, the DMG has rules for determining the random loot a CR0 creature will have.
The average result is 5 gold, 3 silver and 7 copper.
OP: A level 1 paladin can cure this ailment. You're going to find it exceptionally easy to cure diseases in a magical world.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Diseases and in essence all afflictions can be separated into 2 categories.
Tax and Plot.
D&D e5 is quite simplified in order to allow the game to flow and be accessible.
And diseases/poisons/injuries are usually not super-detailed and their treatment is even less.
Therefore exist items, abilities, and skill that either cure or prevent these altogether, even though afflictions vary to an incredible amount and putting them together into a group makes it so that at that point disease only means "something bad is going on"
A taxation affliction is something that's there as a negative status effect for the players to manage mechanically, either circumventing, removing or by ignoring it. You can just pick a difficulty for them appropriate to their intended effect, like "this is a delibirating disease which will get horrible in 6 hours, but a lesser restoration cures it." This way you'll prompt your players to prepare the spell and allocate resources to cast it.
Plot-style afflictions are those that are largely outside of the players reach to "easily" remove. Maybe it's a disease afflicted through a god or some other cosmic event.
In this scenario the plot revolves around fighting the affliction and it's part of the player's quest and should be integral part of roleplay. In this scenario it's rather easy to make up some complex way of curing the afflictions, like "You'll have to collect 5 ingredients for a ritual and then carry an elderly druid up a mountain while she sits on a chair and she cannot touch the ground all the way to the summit, you'll have to pass goblins, orcs and an ettin on the way. Then she'll perform a ritual during the night of a new moon and then the disease is cured."
Based on these two you can build your afflictions however you like.
Or maybe it's a magical disease requiring a powerful detoxification potion made out of the essence of very rare magical items that are so obscure you've got to hunt down clues to verify what it actually is and how to acquire it. (Since there may be ways to collect the energy needed without killing the creature component if someone keeps concentration on a spell for enough rounds to get what you need - since I don't like giving my players only one option.)
I have a list below, I'm just hiding it so that if my players ever come across this post, they know not to click.
You could inspire your DM to do a elemental themed campaign if you're supposed to get a strong magical ingredients representing Fire, Water, Earth and Air?
It's a neat idea. Putting on my DM's hat, here are some questions I'd ask:
1) How did your character get exposed to the mithral? Were they a miner (or from a mining community), or was it some sort of magical accident? Or something else entirely? Were they the only ones exposed, or do you have family/friends/rivals who share the condition?
2) Other than changing your skin color, are they any other effects of the condition? Not necessarily major mechanical things, but just little flaws or role-playing opportunities. Could your condition plant the seeds for a multi-class down the road? (It could be a useful hook for a sorcerous origin, for instance, or maybe if you're thinking about becoming a warlock at some point, someone or some Thing could offer you a cure)
3) Is your condition what's driven you to become an adventurer? Are you out seeking a cure (and maybe not just for yourself -- see 1) or did you leave home because you were tired of the attention and ridicule, and are looking for a place to belong/people who will accept you as you are? Maybe you were taken as a child by a sketchy traveling freak show and don't even know where you're from or why you are a funny color, and your character is seeking those answers. Or maybe the reason you've become an adventurer has little to do with your condition, and it's just a quirk you've come to live with. Do you even want a cure?
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
There is a wild magic effect that turns your skin blue (23 and 24). It states it can be undone with remove curse.
Pronouns: he/him/his.
My posting scheduled is irregular: sometimes I can post twice a week, sometimes twice a day. I may also respond to quick questions, but ignore harder responses in favor of time.
My location is where my character for my home game is (we're doing the wild beyond the witchlight).
"The Doomvault... Probably full of unicorns and rainbows." -An imaginary quote
#1 As a toddler, he was kidnapped and held hostage in a silver-smithy. When not being used as a human shield, the kidnapper tossed him in this half-empty empty barrel of grey powder, not knowing or caring what it was. The babe breathed it, got his skin covered in it, inhaled it, got it in his eyes, and even ate/drank it when his kidnapper tossed food into the barrel.
#2 I had absolutely not considered this angle at all. OMG the possibilities......!
#3 My guy was returned to his loving, frantically worried parents by townsguard (who killed his kidnapper) after a few days and lovingly raised by them. They were freaked out when his skin began to change color over the following weeks and sought medical attention, eventually figuring out what was happening and that there was no known cure. They wish his skin wasn't blue (for his sake), but love him just the way he is. His class is fighter because the other townspeople (mostly kids around his age) mercilessly mocked and teased him and he didn't like it, hence lots of fistfights. His family has tried all sort of medical and magical cures, potions, tonics, and snake oils, but nothing has worked, so he's expanding his search for a cure to outside his hometown.