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Diseases have various symptoms and are spread through a number of vectors. The characteristics of several typical diseases are summarised on the Aquilonian Diseases table.

Disease: Diseases whose names are printed in italic in

the table are supernatural in nature. The others are extraordinary.

Infection: The disease’s method of delivery—ingested,

inhaled, via injury, or contact. Keep in mind that some injury diseases may be transmitted by as small an injury as a flea bite and that most inhaled diseases can also be ingested (and vice versa).

DC: The Difficulty Class for the Fortitude saving throws

to prevent infection (if the character has been infected), to prevent each instance of repeated damage, and to recover from the disease.

Incubation Period: The time before damage begins.

Damage: The ability damage the character takes after

incubation and each day afterward.

Cure: Use of this cure or cures by a healer gives the affected

character a +1 bonus to his Fort save.

Types of Diseases: Typical diseases include the

following:

Bilious Fever: Fever due to a liver disorder. Victims suffer

fatigue, vomiting and headache. When damaged, another saving throw must be made or the character falls into a coma and, when damaged again, dies.

Black Vomit: Vomiting old (black) blood due to yellow

fever. Black vomit is one of the most fatal symptoms of yellow fever.

Blood Poisoning: Bacterial infection from

wounds. Victims suffer high fever, chills and shivering, rapid breathing and headache, nausea, vomiting and

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diarrhoea, low blood pressure and possible loss of consciousness.

Black Plague: The victim gets the chills, a fever, vomiting,

diarrhoea, and then their skin turns black. They shrivel and die right before people’s eyes.

Bossonian Measles: A highly contagious disease characterised

by a rash, swollen glands and, especially in adults, joint pain. The rash usually lasts 1d4 days and may be accompanied by a low fever. Pregnant infected characters must make a DC 20 Fort save or baby will be stillborn.

Cholera: An acute, infectious epidemic that is highly

contagious. Victims have severe symptoms of nausea, vomiting, spasms, chills, and thirst. It is caught from drinking infected water.

Diptheria: This is a contagious disease of the throat. Gangrene: Disease that kills tissues around it, resulting in

either sweet-smelling or foul-smelling pus-discharges as it eats away at the flesh. Amputation stops the disease (although the amputating wound can then become infected if not done cleanly).

Leprosy: This horrible disease destroys nerve endings,

blood vessels, ligaments, skin tissue, and even bone and can cause marked deformations of the extremities, face and voice because the body absorbs the calcium in the bones. These deformations often horrify others. Disfiguring nodules also appear all over the body as well as death of bodily. Leprosy is only mildly contagious; transmission usually takes close contact over a prolonged period of time. Sufferers of leprosy are considered to be the living dead by the Mitran church. Most lepers are expelled from temple and city. An Aquilonian ritual requires the leper to stand in an open grave as a priest of Mitra pronounces his doom, saying, ‘I forbid you to ever enter a temple, fair, manor, city or the company of people, or to ever leave your house without your leper’s dress, or to ever touch children or give them anything.’

Malaria: Deadly disease that causes kidney failure, seizures,

mental confusion, coma, and death. It is transmitted by mosquito.

Measles: Victims, usually children, suffer fever,

eye infections, sore throat, light sensitivity and headache. A rash appears 1d4+6 days after the victim was first exposed, but is

contagious almost immediately.

Milk Sickness: Also known as Puking Fever or Sloes. This

disease comes from the milk from cattle which had eaten poisonous weeds.

The Shakes: Causes involuntary twitches, tremors, and

fits.

Smallpox: Victim suffers fever, headache, backache,

vomiting, marked prostration and even delirium from this contagious disease characterised by fever and blisters.

Spotted Fever: Also known as Typhus or War Fever, this

disease is spread through fleas from rodents and from lice and ticks. This disease is especially known for following around wars. Causes stupor, and mortality nears 100% in epidemics. Victims suffer from fever, headache, chills, and general pains that are followed by a rash on whole body except for the face, palms, and soles of the feet. Once you get this disease you are immune to it forever more.

Sweating Sickness: Victim suffers sudden headaches, muscle

pain, fever, profuse sweating, and laboured respiration. Those who catch it die soon afterward. This deadly disease, thus far encountered only in the Westermarck, has confounded Aquilonian scholars, who argue viruses, Pictish magic, demonic possession, filth and ticks as the causes.

Tetanus: Victims of any dirty wound, often caused by

arrows or spears, suffer stiffness of jaw, abdominal and back muscles, the contraction of facial muscles, fast pulse, fever, sweating, painful muscle spasms near the wound area, and will have difficulty swallowing.

Tuberculosis: Victims suffer prolonged cough, night sweats,

unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, weakness, fever/ chills, and occasionally cough up blood. This disease is also called consumption.

Typhoid Fever: Brought on by eating contaminated food

handled by a carrier, this life threatening disease causes sustained fever, severe headache, nausea, severe loss of appetite, constipation or sometimes diarrhoea and mental dullness.

Whooping Cough: Extremely contagious disease marked by

severe coughing.

Yellow Fever: A deadly virus that turns the skin yellow from

jaundice. Yellow fever is characterised by muscle pain, fever, vomiting and shivers. Kidney functions deteriorate. Often misdiagnosed as malaria or typhoid (Heal DC 25 to successfully diagnose and use Heal skill to help diseased

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character). The disease is transmitted via mosquitoes. It may also cause black vomit.