Contagion

Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Death 3, Blackguard 3, Destruction 3, Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Living creature touched, or one object; see text
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates, none; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes
Spell Points: Blackguard 3, Death 5, Destruction 5, Sor/Wiz 7

“There are ways to kill an army more effective than steel.”

When targeted against a living creature, the subject contracts a disease selected from the Contagion table, which strikes immediately (no incubation period). Rather than the normal save DCs for the diseases, use the save DC for this spell (the follow-up saves use this spell’s save DCs as well).

Alternatively, you can “infect” an item with the diseases. The item receives no saving throw, but the creature that becomes the disease’s victim does as if that creature were the initial target of the spell.

  • Food: You can infuse a bit of food with blinding sickness. This can be food up to the amount required to feed a medium-sized creature for a day. When any portion of the food is ingested, the creature contracts the disease.

  • Object: You can infuse an object weighing up to 1 lbs/level with shakes or slimy doom. The next time a creature touches the object, it contracts the disease.

  • Weapon: You can infuse a piercing or slashing melee weapon, or one piercing or slashing projectile with filth fever or red ache. The next time the weapon or projectile deals damage to a creature, it contracts the disease.

If a creature fails its saving throw against this spell (and thereby suffering the disease), it may infect others, as indicated in the entries for each individual disease. Those secondary targets use the disease’s normal save DC, rather than the save DC for this spell.

[tab:Contagion]

lll Disease&Damage
Blinding sickness&1d4 Str*
Cackle fever&1d6 Wis
Filth fever&1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con
Mindfire&1d4 Int
Red ache&1d6 Str
Shakes&1d8 Dex
Slimy doom&1d4 Con*

*See the disease’s description for additional effects.

Augment: You can augment this spell in one of the following ways:

  1. If you spend 2 additional spell points, you can add demon fever and devil chills to the table of diseases available to this spell. You can infuse a weapon with demon fever or devil chills (see above). See the diseases’ description for additional effects.

  2. If you spend 4 additional spell points, you can add mummy rot to the table of diseases available to this spell. You can infuse an item with mummy rot (see above). See the disease’s description for additional effects.

Special: If the setting includes nonmagical diseases other than those outlined here, those should be available through Contagion as well.