Diseases and Infections of the Jungle (stolen from Heart of the Jungle)

While ignorant foreigners often imagine the wilderness and
comparative poverty of the Mwangi Expanse to be a naturally
dirty place, locals know that hygiene is particularly important
here—more so perhaps than in any other environment a
character might visit. This cultural value is often apparent in
the surprising level of cleanliness observed in the clothes and
homes of even the region’s poorest residents. It arises from an
extremely practical source.
Any character spending a significant amount of time in
the deep jungle eventually comes into contact with aggressive
parasites, diseases, and fungi. The conditions of the Mwangi
Expanse are the perfect incubator for a number of aff lictions—
the area is very warm and moist, and it’s filled to the brim
with creatures capable of playing host to uninvited guests.
All diseases found in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook are
considered present in the Expanse, as are the new aff lictions
presented below. Any character who takes damage in the jungles
of the Mwangi Expanse and does not receive magical healing
for it within 24 hours has a 5% chance of contracting one of
the following diseases. (Aff lictions listed without descriptions
can be found in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook.) In addition,
some GMs may want to roll percentage chances for fungal
infections like boot soup and red drip even if the characters
have done nothing to specifically contract the aff liction, as
such microscopic spores often f loat free in the jungle air.
Jungle Infections
d% Roll E xposed to d% Roll E xposed to
1–7 Dysentery 41–47 Filth Fever
8–10 Boot Soup 48–53 Sleeping Sickness
11–12 Pulsing Puffs 54–60 Malaria
13–14 Green Haze 61–65 Blinding Sickness
15–16 Red Drip 66–70 Shakes
17–18 Cackle Fever 71–75 Brainworms
19–23 Bonecrusher Fever 76–80 Leprosy
24–25 Fire Gut 81–85 Red Ache
26–30 Bubonic Plague 86–90 Mindfire
31–35 Slimy Doom 91–95 Devil Chills
36–40 Greenscale 96–100 Demon Fever
Bonecrusher (Dengue) Fever
The name of this mosquito-borne illness comes from the
terrifying sensation sufferers experience, as if their bones
were being squeezed to pulp from within. The illness then
leads to severe headaches, high fevers, and a distinctive rash of
bright red dots across the lower limbs and chest.
Bonecrusher (Dengue) Fever
Type disease, injury; Save Fortitude DC 12
Onset 1 week; Frequency 1/day
Effect 1d4 Dex damage; Cure 2 consecutive saves
Boot Soup
This infection is named for its ultimate result, should it go
untreated for long periods of time. A fuzzy reddish-brown
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Life in Mwangi 1
fungus grows painlessly between the toes and spreads from
there to the top of the foot over the course of a day. If not
removed within 24 hours, the character’s movement speed is
reduced by 5 feet for every day the infection is left to spread. It
is only at this point that the character begins to feel pain as the
fungus starts consuming living tissue and nerves, eventually
leading to paralysis.
Boot Soup
Type disease (fungus), contact; Save Fortitude DC 16
Onset 1 day; Frequency 1/day
Effect speed reduced by 5 feet and 1d3 Dex damage, creatures
reduced to speed 0 feet are permanently paralyzed; Cure
2 consecutive saves, or completely skinning or burning the
affected area (inflicting 1d8 points of damage)
Brainworms
Individually, these tiny parasites are almost invisible to the
naked eye, yet en masse they’re capable of taking down even
the strongest animals. Entering the body through contact
with an infected host or corpse (especially through open
wounds), these thin worms quickly migrate to the brain and
begin reproducing. The infestation is typically evidenced
by a dulling of the senses and intellect and by erratic bouts
of irrational rage toward other creatures during which the
worms attempt to spread to other hosts through combat and
injury. Examining the brain of a late-stage victim reveals a
living carpet of thousands of tiny parasites.
Brainworms
Type disease (parasite), contact or injury; Save Fortitude DC 14
Onset 1 day; Frequency 1/day
Effect 1d3 Wis damage and 1d3 Int damage, if damaged in
combat, target must make a second Fort save or gain the
confused condition for the duration of the encounter;
Cure 2 consecutive saves
Dysentery
A broad family of intestinal aff lictions caused by everything
from bacteria to viruses to parasitic worms, dysentery is
characterized by explosive and sometimes bloody diarrhea,
leading to dehydration and occasionally death.
Dysentery
Type disease (parasite), contact or injury; Save Fortitude DC 16
Onset 1d3 days; Frequency 1/day
Effect 1d6 nonlethal damage and target is fatigued and
staggered; Cure 2 consecutive saves
Firegut
Though less extreme than true dysentery, this disease is
characterized by occasional vomiting of burning bile. It is
extremely tenacious.
Firegut
Type disease, injury or inhaled; Save Fortitude DC 17
Onset 1 day; Frequency 1/day
Effect target is staggered; Cure 3 consecutive saves
Green Haze
This mold tends to begin growing in the folds of the eyelids.
Over the course of a day, it spreads to cover the eyelids and
begins to cover the eyeball. If left untreated, this mold can
cause the character to go permanently blind.
Green Haze
Type disease (fungus), contact; Save Fortitude DC 13
Onset 1 day; Frequency 1/day
Effect –4 on Perception checks, target is permanently blinded
if fails 3 saves; Cure 2 consecutive saves
Greenscale
This disgusting disease causes patches of skin to harden
and crack, weeping greenish pus and covering the body with
putrid, scale-like patterns. The disease is most commonly
contracted through injury or other blood-to-blood contact
with an infected creature, though certain carrion eaters of the
jungle—particularly birds—have been known to play host to
the disease without themselves suffering from it.
Greensc ale
Type disease, injury; Save Fortitude DC 15
Onset 1d6 days; Frequency 1/week
Effect 1d2 Cha damage and 1d2 Dex damage, target must
make a second Fort save or 1 point of the Cha damage is
drain instead; Cure 2 consecutive saves
Malaria (Jungle Fever)
A classic traveler’s nightmare, malaria is transmitted by the
bites of mosquitoes and leads to fever, vomiting, shivering,
and convulsions, and sometimes even severe brain damage,
particularly in children.
Malaria (Jungle Fever)
Type disease, injury; Save Fortitude DC 18
Onset 1d3 days; Frequency 1/day
Effect 1d3 Str damage and 1d3 Con damage and target is
fatigued; Cure 2 consecutive saves
Pulsing Puffs
A character who has taken a wound (or even a small scratch)
that remains unhealed for any length of time may soon find
small blue-white spores sprouting within it. These spores
quickly grow into phosphorescent, domed mounds that pulse
along with the bearer’s heartbeat. At first, the only effect of the
growths is to prevent natural healing of the wound. However,
if left untreated for more than a day, the spores take deeper
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Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle
root and begin to damage the character’s Dexterity. Due to the
fungus’s beauty, some jungle tribes are known to cultivate it
on the bound bodies of their prisoners.
Pulsing Puffs
Type disease (fungus), injury; Save Fortitude DC 16
Onset 1 day; Frequency 1/day
Effect 1d4 Dex damage; Cure 2 consecutive saves
Red Drip
The first sign that a character has the red drip is an
inf lammation of the cuticles and hands. If left untreated,
the cuticles begin to bleed and the hands swell until the nails
blacken and fall off entirely. From there, the hands become
a mess of oozing sores, festering and rotting. The infection
then spreads up the arms and into the chest, killing
the victim. Fortunately, this fungus generally
only attacks one hand at a time, making
amputation an effective cure.
Red Drip
Type disease (fungus), contact; Save Fortitude DC 18
Onset 1 day; Frequency 1/day
Effect 1d4 Dex damage and 1d2 Cha damage; Cure 2 consecutive
saves or amputation of infected hand
Sleeping Sickness
Endemic throughout the Sodden Lands and the Mwangi
Expanse, this parasitic aff liction is spread by f lying insects
injecting tiny parasites into the victim’s bloodstream and
inducing fever, headache, joint pain, swelling of glands in the
back and neck, and most notably fatigue. The disease gradually
infects the brain, causing confusion, reduced coordination,
difficulty keeping track of time, and insomnia.
The best cure for this disease is dosing the patient with
the poison arsenic (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 558)—if the
patient survives, there’s a cumulative 30% chance that the
disease is immediately cured.
Sleeping Sickness
Type disease (parasite), injury; Save Fortitude DC 14
Onset 1d2 days; Frequency 1/day
Effect 1d4 Wis damage and target is fatigued; Cure 2 consecutive
saves or arsenic (see text)