DMing Chemistry

  Alternatively known as Stone Sickness, or the Grey Plague, Basilisk plague is a slow-acting disease which gradually turns the infected into stone. The plague spreads by eye contact, and there is a small period of time where the infected don't show symptoms, but are already infectious. The infected are generally encouraged to blind themselves, and in most places are required by law to wear a blindfold at all times. While the plague can spread incredibly quickly, most of the population is actually naturally immune to it, even if this fact is not generally recognized, and the infected are treated as incredibly dangerous, and are usually quarantined into a separate building or district, where only the clergy that try to treat them are allowed. Unfortunately the Basilisk plague shows an unusual resistance to magic, with only the most powerful sorcerers being able to cure it.  Symptoms start with small gravel-like growths on the skin, usually on the arms, legs and neck, which then...

The plague of vermin is a supernatural plague, that spreads by physical contact with infected people and animals. While it’s rarely fatal for people, and is asymptomatic in animals, it can nevertheless destroy entire communities. The early symptoms are headache and nausea. After about a week the infected begins to vomit up small creatures, usually rats or locusts. The amount slowly gets larger and larger each day, until hundreds of animals are vomited out each day. These animals are non-magical, but they all carry the plague. Unless great care is taken, the animals will scatter and eventually make their way into the local foodstores, infecting the whole community and eating and/or spoiling stored food. The type of animal vomited up depends on infected, so sooner or later rats, termites, or other destructive pests will turn up. If an infected person is killed, their body will slowly swell, and after half a day or so it will burst open with vermin. The most severe outbreaks happen duri...

 The Red Plague is a terrible, virulent disease that has destroyed entire communities, and wiped out armies. It starts with small red spots on the skin, kind of like a rash. These first grow and spread all over the skin, then they start swelling and soon develop into huge red lesions. Simultaneously the patient becomes weak and develops high fever, which is then followed by nausea and vomiting. In the final stage the patient becomes delirious and sometimes even violent. There is no natural cure for the disease, with almost 90% of the afflicted dying. Surviving the disease doesn’t always confer immunity either. Magical methods of healing the plague get mixed results, which is usually attributed to it being a punishment from the gods. Outbreaks are usually dealt with by quarantining the settlement, and either burning the corpses or burying them in quicklime. Some say that those who died in the Red Plague come back as zombies intent to infect the living. This is false, but many necr...