Dungeons & Dragons Maladies Head to the Sea in New Supplement

The creators of the top-selling Dungeons & Dragons supplement The Malady Codex are back with a new supplement adding several new fictional diseases perfect for any campaign. Last year, medical students Jason Bakos and Themis Paraskevas published The Malady Codex, a D&D supplement that detailed several fictional diseases inspired by real-world maladies. The supplement proved popular enough to inspire an entire series of Malady Codex titles, including a new 20 page volume detailing fictional diseases that could plague players during their Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign or any other nautical-themed adventure.

The Malady Codex III - Diseases of the Sea contains new diseases based on historical ailments that affected sailors, such as scurvy or syphilis. While every disease was inspired by something from the real world, many have been changed to better match the fantasy settings of Dungeons & Dragons. For instance, The Malady Codex III discusses the Rainbow Mists, a new disease inspired by bio-fluorescent marine life and some of the many healing qualities of creatures and substances found under the sea. While traveling through the Rainbow Mists can have a short-term benefit (such as permanent extra HP and re-grown lost limbs), long-term exposure can be deadly and lead to total transformation of a sea creature.

The new Malady Codex also contains some handy new rules on how to deal with broken bones in D&D campaigns. While the Dungeon Master's Guide contains rules on how to deal with fall damage, The Malady Codex III lists different types of broken bones (where the injury occurs is determined by how poorly a player does on a DC save after they take falling damage) and what sort of impact they have on gameplay. For instance, broken ribs prevents a player from taking the Dash action, while breaking a wrist means that they can't wield a weapon or shield from that hand. Honestly, I love these rules and can't wait to figure out how to incorporate them even in campaigns where divine healing is readily available.

The Malady Codex III - Diseases of the Sea is as fantastic and detailed as previous Malady Codex supplements and is a must-have for any DM looking to add some microscopic danger to their world.

The Malady Codex III - Diseases of the Sea is available on the DMs Guild for $2.95, although it's currently on sale for the discounted price of $1.95.