To be effective, the priest must touch the intended victim, and the victim must fail a magic save. The severity of the disease is decided by the priest (debilitating or fatal). The exact details of the disease are decided by the DM, but the following are typical:
Immediate Effect: The character immediately feels nauseous. Lose 1d3 from STR, DEX and CON. Suffer -20 to all actions (including DEF). Lose half attacks, rounded up (i.e., if you normally get 3 attacks, you get only 1).
Debilitating: The disease takes effect in 1d6 x 10 minutes, after which the creature loses 1 point of Strength per hour until his Strength is reduced to 5 or less, at which time the recipient is weak and virtually helpless. If a creature has no Strength rating, it loses 10% of its hit points per Strength loss, down to 10% of its original hit points. If the disease also affects hit points, use the more severe penalty. Recovery requires a period of 1d3 weeks.
Fatal: This wasting disease is effective immediately. Infected creatures receive no benefit from cure wound spells while the disease is in effect; wounds heal at only 10% of the natural rate. The disease proves fatal within 1d6 months and can be cured only by magical means. Each month the disease progresses, the creature loses 2 points of Charisma, permanently.
The inflicted disease can be cured by the cure disease spell. Lycanthropy cannot be caused.
This spell can be cast while in melee combat using Unarmed Combat rules. If the cleric fails to touch the target, the spell is not cast.
A normal save is allowed against any of the types of diseases, with the following outcomes:
- Failure - Suffer the full effects of the disease.
- Save Minus - The character suffers 50% effect
- Save Plus - The character suffers 25% effect
- Critical - The character is unaffected by the disease
- Grievous - As above plus the character gains a +10 to all future saves from the same source for the remainder of the battle (or episode in which the effect occurs).
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