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Magic in Dungeons & Dragons can make the lives of characters in fantasy worlds easier, but it can also bring about significant challenges. One such challenge arises from magical contagions, a unique type of disease detailed in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide.
The guide provides three examples of contagions that serve as excellent inspiration for creating your own versions. However, it offers limited guidance on their mechanics. This flexibility allows for creativity but might also feel overwhelming to some players. That’s where we come in to assist.
How to Create Magical Contagions
When designing a magical contagion, there are two primary factors to keep in mind: how easily it spreads and how resting influences recovery. If your contagion allows for any resting period, then a creature can rest for three days to make a Constitution saving throw (DC 15). Upon doing so, the creature may gain advantage on future saving throws against the contagion for the next 24 hours.
Initial Infection
Magical contagions can originate from a variety of sources, similar to real-world diseases. Factors such as contaminated water, air, or food can be culprits, along with contact with infected creatures. It’s wise to define a single method of transmission to avoid confusion.
In the examples provided in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, the effects of the contagion typically manifest 1D4 days post-infection. This timeframe is an excellent baseline for any contagion you create. If your campaign spans multiple sessions within a single day, then the contagion could arise the very next day, allowing players to connect the dots regarding their infection.
Spread of the Contagion
The primary purpose of a magical contagion is to facilitate its spread, functioning as both a peril for the players and a plot hook. Consequently, the mechanics of how the contagion spreads should be central to your storyline, rather than simply serving as a random misfortune affecting a village the players might ignore.
You may want to avoid setting the contagion in a densely populated city unless you’re equipped to handle the potential chaos. Elements such as quarantine zones and major outbreak areas can create a challenging yet memorable adventure for your group.
Curing the Contagion
The method of curing each contagion is reliant on its specific effects, but it doesn’t need to be overly complicated. Consider the focus of your contagion and how it would typically be treated. You might also introduce a special artifact as a quick fix that the players need to pursue.
For instance, Sight Rot, one of the contagion examples in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, can be treated with spells that eliminate the blinded condition, while others may simply require rest.
It’s essential for your contagion to be curable and not represent a permanent affliction that players have to endure indefinitely.
Effects of Magical Contagions
According to examples in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, contagions can produce between one to three adverse effects. The number and severity of these effects will encourage players to proceed with caution when exploring hazardous areas or confronting menacing foes.
Exhaustion
Exhaustion is frequently reflected in magical contagion examples to symbolize fever and fatigue. A high fever is common in many illnesses, so figuring out how to portray it effectively can enable you to develop more engaging consequences surrounding your contagion.
The penalties associated with exhaustion can be punitive enough on their own, particularly if your contagion, like the Sewer Plague, focuses solely on making players excessively fatigued without introducing additional obstacles.
Established Conditions
Conditions such as blinded or incapacitated can serve as straightforward bases for contagions. You can develop these ideas further based on different effects. For example, a contagion inducing incapacitation would limit a character’s actions to only their movement speed, severely restricting gameplay.
Alternatively, a contagion able to inflict the poisoned condition could be supplemented with effects like falling prone and vomiting whenever the afflicted character is struck.
Positive Effects
While magical contagions typically don’t offer positive outcomes, introducing an interesting twist can lead to compelling scenarios—like feeling the effects of lethargy after a Haste spell ends. However, any positive benefit should not outweigh the negative effects; otherwise, characters may opt to remain afflicted.
For example, imagine a contagion that causes unusual muscle growth, providing a +1 to strength checks at the cost of halving the character’s movement speed. Another case could involve a contagion that results in one level of exhaustion while allowing the afflicted character to communicate with plants due to hallucinations.
Incorporating these concepts can make your magical contagion a memorable and engaging part of your campaign.
