Plagued Settlement

A plagued settlement is living through a prolonged outbreak of contagious disease. Illness affects trade, law, travel and ordinary social life as much as it affects individual victims.

At a Glance

• Movement: gates, roads or districts may be watched or restricted.
• Market: shortages and fear reduce normal trade.
• Public life: gatherings shrink, households isolate and rumours spread quickly.
• Adventure pressure: every day spent in the settlement carries exposure risk under the legacy rule.

Legacy Settlement Rules

Under the legacy Pathfinder settlement rules, a Plagued settlement takes a –2 penalty to all settlement modifiers and reduces Base Value by 20%. Choose a communicable disease affecting the community. Each day, a character has a 5% chance of exposure and must make the disease’s Fortitude save to avoid infection.

Using It in Play

The outbreak should shape encounters rather than sit in the background. Healers may be overwhelmed, healthy labourers scarce and officials forced to choose between trade and containment. Adventurers might be asked to find medicine, identify the source of an outbreak, escort supplies or reach an isolated district.

Sources & Licensing

Section 15: Copyright Notice — Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide. Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC.