Pestilent Magic Style

Pestilence is an age-old threat to civilizations young and old. Rumors of plague bear a special kind of terror, carried on the black wings of ravens and the bloody claws of rats. Practitioners of this pestilent magic delve into this primal fear, seeing it as far more than an accidental miasma or wayward curse. At its most evolved, pestilence is an avatar of suffering and corruption, manifesting in the bodies of its victims like a malignant spirit. Some pestilent practitioners would repel disease like a demonic incursion, exorcising pestilent entities or taking them unto themselves, but others welcome it, becoming hosts to terrible afflictions they spread without care.

Pestilent Magic Spell Lists

Traditionally, clerics and paladins form the bulwark of casters defending against plagues, but both divine and arcane magic help spread corruption and disease. The line blurs further between these traditions when a caster takes an interest in the tainted potential within the concepts of disease and vermin, whether to combat or embrace them. As such, all spellcasting classes have at least some access to pestilent magic, but clerics and warlocks have the most potential in this style.

Bard Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)
illusion of health (illusion)
plague marks (necromancy)
pocketful of posies (abjuration)

1st Level
malaise (illusion)

2nd Level
blindness/deafness (necromancy)
stench of rot^DM (necromancy)

4th Level
dead man walking (necromancy)
death toll (necromancy)

Cleric Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)
memento mori^DM (necromancy)
panacea (abjuration)

1st Level
detect poison and disease (divination)
malaise (illusion)
plague doctor’s call (divination)

2nd Level
blindness/deafness (necromancy)
conjure vermin (conjuration)
plaguebearer^DM(abjuration)
poisonous flesh^DM(transmutation)
stench of rot^DM (necromancy)

3rd Level
plague walk (necromancy)
seeping death^DM (necromancy)

4th Level
aura of filth (necromancy)
create plague zombie (necromancy)
dead man walking (necromancy)
death toll (necromancy)

5th Level
contagion(necromancy)
insect plague(conjuration)
reverse contagion (evocation)

6th Level
harm (necromancy)
plague hysteria (necromancy)

7th Level
defile healing (necromancy)

Druid Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)
memento mori^DM (necromancy)
panacea (abjuration)
pocketful of posies (abjuration)

1st Level
detect poison and disease (divination)

2nd Level
conjure vermin (conjuration)
stench of rot^DM (necromancy)

3rd Level
cloak of vermin^DM (conjuration)
seeping death^DM (necromancy)

4th Level
blight(necromancy)
giant insect(transmutation)

5th Level
contagion (necromancy)
insect plague (conjuration)

Paladin Pestilent Spells

1st Level
detect poison and disease (divination)
plague doctor’s calling (divination)

5th Level
reverse contagion (evocation)

Ranger Pestilent Spells

1st Level
detect poison and disease (divination)

2nd Level
conjure vermin (conjuration)
poisonous flesh^DM(transmutation)
stench of rot^DM (necromancy)

Sorcerer Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)
memento mori^DM(necromancy)

1st Level
ray of sickness(necromancy)

2nd Level
blindness/deafness(necromancy)
conjure vermin (conjuration)
stench of rot^DM(necromancy)

3rd Level
plague walk (necromancy)
purge (necromancy)

4th Level
blight(necromancy)
death toll (necromancy)

5th Level
insect plague(conjuration)

Warlock Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)
illusion of health (illusion)
memento mori^DM (necromancy)
plague marks (necromancy)

1st Level
malaise (illusion)

2nd Level
plaguebearer^DM (abjuration)
poisonous flesh^DM (transmutation)
stench of rot^DM (necromancy)

3rd Level
cloak of vermin^DM (conjuration)
plague walk (necromancy)
purge (necromancy)
seeping death^DM (necromancy)

4th Level
aura of filth (necromancy)
blight (necromancy)

5th Level
contingency boils (necromancy)

6th Level
plague hysteria (necromancy)

7th Level
defile healing^DM (necromancy)

Wizard Pestilent Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)
illusion of health (illusion)
memento mori^DM (necromancy)
plague marks (necromancy)

1st Level
malaise (illusion)
ray of sickness(necromancy)

2nd Level
blindness/deafness(necromancy)
conjure vermin (conjuration)
plaguebearer^DM (abjuration)

3rd Level
purge (necromancy)

4th Level
blight(necromancy)
create plague zombie (necromancy)
death toll (necromancy)

^DM See Deep Magic

Other spells will be detailed in later blog posts as part of this magic style.

Random Disease Table

The list of nonmagical diseases below is not exhaustive but expands options for diseases to use with contagion, at the GM’s discretion, or to determine options for to-be-detailed class options and pestilent magic spells.

d10	Disease
1	Blinding Sickness (as contagion spell)
2	Filth Fever (as contagion spell)
3	Flesh Rot (as contagion spell)
4	Mindfire (as contagion spell)
5	Seizure (as contagion spell)
6	Slimy Doom (as contagion spell)
7	Cackle Fever
8	Sewer Plague
9	Sight Rot
10	Rotten Pox (see below)

Rotten Pox. This disease is mostly carried by mice, rats, and other small vermin and inflicted through bites. When a humanoid creature is bitten by these vermin or exposed to the open sores of a victim of rotten pox, they must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become infected.

It takes 1d6 days for rotten pox to manifest in an infected creature. When symptoms begin, the infected creature gains a level of exhaustion from malaise and fever and then develops black, oozing sores on their body. A creature visibly infected with rotten pox suffers disadvantage on all Charisma-based checks and saving throws and can no longer regain hit points except by magical means. The creature’s hit point maximum decreases by 5 (1d10) every 24 hours. If the infected creature’s hit point maximum drops to 0 as a result of this disease, the creature dies.