Table Plan: Super Filth Ebola Fever

I am admittedly a douche DM.  My world is not like others, nor are my adventures/quests.  I put the survival skill to good use out in the wilds, and diplomacy and such in towns and cities.

One aspect I am particularly fond of is disease and poisons.  Things I feel like sometimes don't come up much, but really should.  One of my favorite campaign ideas (never did do it yet) would be a plague, and having the possibility of the party to be infected by this plague as they try to find a cure.

Disease can really mess up an adventurer's day.  Take Filth Fever for example, 1d3 Dexterity and Constitution damage.  Ouch!  In fact, all disease that do Constitution damage is ouch!  Correction, and Ability damage just plain sucks!   In the most recent session I played, I got stung by Hellwasps and was taken down to 2 Dex, so imagine Lazlo (I never did tell that story about what happened with the Raise Dead spell.... well, surprise, Amadeus is Lazlo now) stricken with arthritis and moving around like a drunk person. It's not fun, whatsoever.

Disease in game doesn't even have to be Ability damage based.  For example, even if I get the common cold, I can still do stuff, but I wouldn't be able to work at maximum efficiency.  So maybe a disease like that could only have one move action per round.  How about disease like Ebola, that would cause HP damage I reckon.  Actually, Ebola would probably be like 1d6 Con and 1d6 damage in my mind.  Making up diseases is fun guys!

Bringing disease into the mix makes the players think smart, and think realistically.  While D&D and Pathfinder have Blinding Sickness in tainted water, what about other diseases one could get, like dysentery, or the ever popular Montezuma's Revenge, that one can get by drinking bad or foreign water?  This will make the player want to find ways to purify the water, or even bring their own water, just in case something bad might be lurking in the water supply.  Also, Malaria can be a huge problem to the thirsty PC who thinks themselves invincible to the mosquito.

Earworm of the Day Week

The point is to make the PCs ever aware that harm does not only come from the edge of a sword, but also from things that they wouldn't normally think of.  Therefor, there is a sense of realism, and a sense that the party needs to be well prepared for whatever may come after them, whether it comes in Goblin, Dragon, or Mosquito form.