D&D (2024) So how do you remove disease in 5E 2024?

[Stormonu]

Ok, I'm working on my fantastic diseases PDF.....question for you all.

Cure Minor Disease is a spell to cure "level 1 diseases" (I'll change level to a different name soon). This is stuff like the common cold or chicken pox......is this a first level spell, or a cantrip? These diseases never result in death, and are usually fully recovered from over time.

Curing a disease should definitely should NOT be a cantrip (though a Common cold might be a level 0 disease, but chicken pox & flu/pneumonia is probably a level 2 or 3 - D&D psuedomedieval societies would not have medicines/vaccines for the latter two). Looking of the spells that cure certain afflictions and spells that inflict the condition, they are generally the same level.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I haven't read the whole thread, but if no one has done it yet, to answer the OP's question:

DMG 2024 lists what we used to call "diseases" under "Curses & Magical Contagions" in the DM's Toolkit section.

The examples listed are Cackle Fever, Sewer Plague, and Sight Rot.

All three can benefit from "Rest & Recuperation" which is a 72-hour Long Rest, at the end of which you roll a dc15 CON Save to gain Advantage on "saves to fight off the Magical Contagion for 24 hours"

Each one has their own rules - for example Cackle Fever gives you 1 level of Exhaustion (that lasts until the Contagion Ends, which it does if you make a dc13 CON Save at the End of a Long rest)

... strangely that means that you could have just "fought it off" with the ONE Long Rest, instead of taking the Rest & Recuperation activity, but I digress...

You "spread" the Cackle Fever with a 10ft Emination, in which creatures need to roll a dc10 CON save or catch it from you (immune for 24 hours on a success).

Sight Rot, on the other hand, specifically calls out that "Heal & Lesser Restoration end the contagion immediately". A creature with an Herbalist Kit can treat it by taking 1 hour with their kit that surpresses the effect (Blindness) for 24 hours. Do this three days in a row, and the victim is cured.

...But I guess the Herbalist better be careful when they treat the victim, because "skin contact" makes you have to roll a dc15 CON check, or you catch the Sight Rot!

 

[Micah Sweet]

Lesser Restoration in 5E 2014 reads: "You touch a creature and can end either one disease or one condition afflicting it. The condition can be blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned."

Lesser Restoration in 5E 2024 reads: "You touch a creature and end one condition on it: Blinded, Deafened, Paralyzed, or Poisoned."

So, RAW, there is no way to remove disease in 2024? ("Disease" is not listed in the Rules Glosssary in the 2024 PHB.)

I found some talk at DnD Beyond that suggests that "disease" is no longer a thing, and that creatures will be Poisoned instead.

This sure is bad news for any 2024 player encountering everything from the lowly Diseased Giant Rat to the mighty Aboleth from the 2014 monster manual... so much for "backwards compatibility"...

You don't. I suggest you stay out of drafts.

 

[Stalker0]

The change to detect poison and disease is actually a very large one in world building terms.

The spell is incredibly powerful because it has a decent duration and is a ritual, so even the lowliest cleric can bust it out all day.

It is trivial during outbreaks for everyone to just run past the cleric and they can immediately find everyone that needs treatment. In theory allowing for incredibly fast treatment centers.

But now if it’s magical diseases only, we are back to the more common medieval style we’re plagues are a common issue