Infected

The Maladive have been infected with a disease that they have the ability to control. There are cases of Maladive that are infected with versions of their diseases that they constantly suffer from as well as Maladive who's bodies do not react to their own diseases.

Maladive can be infected through any number of ways, whether it be a mysterious disease that allows the Maladive to control it, a magical item that infected them, or they were infected by another, much more powerful Maladive.

Ordinary People

Similar to how a Sorcerer may be a normal person before discovering their magical bloodline, a Maladive may be an ordinary person who discovered a magical disease that they were infected with, and learned to control.

Their backstory need not even have anything to do with the discovery of the disease itself. Whichever event in their lives that caused the Maladive to be infected could be entirely mysterious to the Maladive. It could be something as simple as simply being infected with the mysterious illness or as complex as a creation of a plague god being tested upon you, a humble victim of circumstance.

Creating a Maladive

As you build your Maladive, think about how your Maladive came into contact with the disease they are affected with. Were they scratched by a mysterious creature? Did they happen to accidentally create the disease in their workshop? Did the same disease that affects them wipe out their entire town, leaving them the only survivor?

What is your Maladive's relationship with their disease? Do they embrace it and use it to save the innocent? Do they wish to spread their disease as much as possible? Do they reject the disease and wish to find a cure for it? How would they go about finding this cure? Who in their life do they know that the disease might be related to?

How does the diease affect your Maladive? Do they suffer from its symptoms or not, and if so, do they simply ignore it or do they constantly wish for its cure?

Quick Build

You can make a Maladive quickly by following these suggestions. First, your highest score should be Constitution, followed by Dexterity. Secondly, take the Hermit background.

Class Features

As a Maladive, you gain the following class features

Plaguein Race Warning

The Plaguein race provides a different spin on the gameplay of Dungeons and Dragons in which the player plays as a sentient virus. Due to a lack of previously existing source material on mechanics for this race, it's highly recommended you simply play the Maladive class on it's own before attempting to play the Plaguein race.

A Parasite of Sorts

The Plaguein can best be described as a sentient parasitic virus that binds to a host and multiplies to spread further into the bodies of others. The Plaguein begins it's reign by infecting it's first host, otherwise known as their patient zero, and then begins infecting others.

Plaguein Mindsets

While the majority of Plaguein are concerned with sustaining and spreading their virus, they're also surprisingly morally varied. A Plaguein born through The Hate Plague might be a warrior seeking combat while a Plaguein born of The Spell Flu might be interested in seeking knowledge.

Plaguein Doctor's Mask

Wonderous Item, Uncommon, Requires Attunement

This mask is an enchanted mask Plaguein doctors usually force their hosts to wear as a means of preventing their host from catching any other illness.

The mask takes different looks depending on the Plaguein who made or wore it, for example, a Plaguein born from The Black Death may have the mask take on the looks of a traditional plague doctor while Plaguein born from The Spell Flue may wear a cloth mask covered in arcane writings.

A creature wearing this mask is immune to all magical and non-magical diseases. A Plaguein or Maladive wearing this mask is immune to other diseases created by other Maladives and cannot be affected by a Plaguein's Host feature.

Malady Vial

Wonderous Item, Very Rare

This vial contains pure extract of a malady. As an action, a creature can choose to unleash the contents of the vial, throwing it and smashing it on the ground at a point they can see within 120ft feet. Each creature in a 30ft radius around the vial must succeed a saving throw against the malady or take 8d6 damage of the vial's type and become infected with the malady.

A creature does not repeat their saving throw against the malady at the end of each of their turns when it is used this way and can only be cured of the malady through a Remove Curse spell from a spellcaster who is able to cast 5th level spells.

The DM can determine which Malady the vial contains by rolling on this table.

The DM can also choose for the vial to contain a strand of The Blood Cure. If the vial contains The Blood Cure, the creature that threw the vial is able to drain blood from infected creatures as though they used the Infect feature.

Symptom Traits

Each symptom has an associated trait, a physical showing of the symptoms of your malady and it's capabilities. Each trait also has an associated feature you may use. You may collectively use symptom trait features a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier per long rest.

If you are currently under the effects of a symptom trait's feature that has a duration and then use a second symptom trait feature with a duration, the first symptom trait feature ends.

Symptom Upgrades

Each symptom has a list of upgrades that grant you additional features and cause the symptoms of your malady to become clearer and stronger. Some of these symptom upgrades require you to spend Virus Points, or "VP". The amount of VP you have is displayed in the Virus Points column of the Maladive class table.

If a symptom upgrade modifies a specific attack or your Infect feature, you may only use one upgrade per attack on a turn.

Virus Points

You regain all expended Virus Points when you finish a long rest. Alternatively, you may use your bonus action to deal 1d10 damage to yourself and regain an amount of VP equal to half the damage dealt (rounded up). This damage cannot be reduced through any means unless otherwise specified by a feature in this class. Lastly, when using this feature to deal damage to yourself, this feature ignores any temporary hit points you may have.

The Hate Plague

The Hate Plague is a sickness that affects the mind and causes maddening rage, causing the infected creature to attack wildly and savagely.

The Zombie Infection

The Zombie Infection is a horrible illness that can cause the host creature to become an undead when they die.

Infect: Wild Virus

Starting at 1st level, when you use your Infect feature on a creature, the infected creature must roll on the following table at the start of their turn.

A creature affected by your malady can repeat their saving throw at the end of their turn.

Chaos Virus

Starting at 1st level, when you roll to determine your Infect feature's damage, your roll also determines it's damage type. Use the table below to determine the damage type. When a Symptom mentions your malady's damage type, roll on the table to determine the damage type for that symptom. Additionally, the first time a creature rolls to determine the effect of the malady through the Infect: Wild Virus feature, if they roll the same number as the damage type, you may target a creature within 60ft of that creature and use your Infect feature against them.

Wild Insurance

Starting at 6th level, when you use your Infect feature, you may choose to give the creature disadvantage on the saving throw or yourself advantage on the attack roll if attacking using a blowdart.

When you do so, roll on your Wild Virus table after the results of the first roll have been determined. The effect that occurs on this roll happens to you.

Control Wild Virus

Starting at 14th level, when a creature roll on the Wild Virus table, you may use your reaction to force the creature to roll twice. You may choose which result they take.

Elemental Chaos

Starting at 18th level, when rolling for damage with your Infect feature, you roll 2d8 instead of 1d8. When you do so, chose one of the numbers rolled to be the damage type for your Infect feature.

Infect: Magic Affluence

Starting at 1st level, when you use your Infect feature on a creature, the infected creature's saving throws against spells are reduced an amount equal to your proficiency bonus.

A creature can repeat their saving throw at the end of their turn.

Malady Spellcasting

Starting at 1st level, your malady grants you the ability to cast spells.

Infect: Hemodrain

Starting at 1st level, when you use your Infect feature on a creature, that creature's blood begins slowly draining. As a bonus action, you may drain each infected creature's blood, causing them to take damage equal to your proficiency modifier.

You then store the amount of damage dealt by this feature in your "Blood Pool", a visible trail of blood that pools beneath your feet or floats in the air around you. The amount of blood you can have stored in your Blood Pool is equal to your level x 3. You may use your blood pool for several features. Blood that you have not expended by the end of your next turn vanishes.

A creature can repeat their saving throw against this malady at the end of each of their turns.

Enhanced Humor

Starting at 1st level, your hit point maximum increases by 1 and increases by an additional 1 hit point whenever you take a level in this class.

Self-Bloodletting

Starting at 6th level, when you deal damage to yourself to increase your VP, half of the damage dealt is added to your Blood Pool.

Drain Corpse

Starting at 14th level, when an infected creature's hit points drop to 0, you may add to your blood pool an amount equal to double your proficiency modifier.

Flood of Blood

Starting at 18th level, as an action, you may drain the blood out of every target creature within 60ft of you. Each creature must succeed a Constitution saving throw or take 4d6 necrotic damage or half as much on a successful save. Half of the total damage dealt through this feature is added to your blood pool.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Infect: Displacement

Starting at 1st level, you can begin affecting a creature's placement in time. A creature infected with this malady is forced above or below one step on the initiative order (your choice) until they are no longer infected.

When you or an allied creature attacks an infected creature, one of the following effects occurs depending whether or not the target creature is above or below them on the initiative order.
Above: The infected creature takes an additional 1d4 lightning damage from the attack.
Below: The attacker adds a +1 bonus to the attack roll.

A creature can repeat their saving throw against this malady at the end of each of their turns.

Time Perception

Starting at 1st level, you add your Constitution modifier to initiative rolls.

Increase/Decrease Speed

Starting at 6th level, you may cast the Haste or Slow spell each once per long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting modifier for these spells.

Stasis

Starting at 14th level, as an action, you may target an infected creature and force them to roll a saving throw against your malady, on a failed save, the creature becomes stunned until the end of your next turn. While stunned this way, they are temporally locked in place and cannot be moved in anyway.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Reverse Time

Starting at 18th level, you begin aging slower. Every 5 years is now treated as a single year for determining your age.

Additionally, as an action, you can reverse the events of time that have occurred. When you do so, choose a target creature within 60ft of you. That creature, if unwilling, must succeed a saving throw against you malady or be brought back to the beginning of their last turn.

This causes the following things to occur to that creature

• The creature moves back to the space they were in at the beginning of their last turn if able.
• The creature's hit points are reset back to what they were at the beginning of their last turn.
• Any expended resources such as Ki Points, features such as those that can only be used once per long rest, or spell slots are reset back to what they were at the beginning of the target creature's last turn.

This feature does not cause spells or abilities that affected the target creature before being reset to be restored nor does it cause a creature that has lost concentration on a spell to regain concentration on that spell.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Infect: Slow Death

Starting at 1st level, when you use your Infect feature on a creature, the infected creature begins to slowly die.

At the start of an infected creature's turn, that creature takes 1d6 poison damage. An infected creature may re-roll their saving throw at the end of their turn.

Plague Antibody

Starting at 1st level, you are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

Black Sickness

Starting at 6th level, creatures infected by your malady are affected by the poisoned condition.

Spread Plague

Starting at 14th level, at the end of an infected creature's turn, you may select one target that is currently not infected within 5ft of the infected creature. The target creature must succeed a Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 poison damage and become infected.

Viral Payload

Starting at 18th level, as an action, you may cause great pain to each infected creature. Every creature infected by your malady must succeed a Constitution saving throw or take 6d6 poison damage or half as much on a successful save.

Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Fever

A fever is an increase in body temperature. Using this symptom, you can control the body temperature of yourself or others.

Trait: Your physical form is hot or cold to the touch, especially when touching the cheeks or forehead. You constantly change your body temperature to suit hot or cold environments, making you immune to hot or cold weather. Additionally, as a reaction, when you would take fire or cold damage, you may choose to become resistant to it.

Vomiting

Your malady begins to cause symptoms of a stomach bug, thus, causing creatures to vomit.

Trait: As an action, you may choose to vomit a sickening puddle of your malady in a 10ft radius centered on a point you can see within 60ft. Each creature in that area must succeed a saving throw against your malady or take 1d8 damage and become infected. The damage and saving throw type are the same as your malady.

This damage increases by 1d8 at 5th level (2d8) and again at 17th level (3d8).

Host: Vermin

Your malady allows you to command vermin.

Trait: You learn the Find Familiar spell and can cast it without expending any material components. Your familiar is a carrier of your malady and can spread it to others. Rather than your familiar acting on it's own turn, it acts on yours, and you may use your bonus action to command it to move or use any actions including the attack action. When your familiar uses it's attack action, you may expend a use of your trait to command your familiar to attempt to infect the creature it's attacking with your malady. If your familiar hits the target creature, the target creature takes an additional 1d8 damage and becomes infected. The additional damage it takes is the same as your malady's damage type.

Upgrades

Sensitive Boil (2nd Level)

When you use your Infect feature on a creature, you may expend a VP to sprout a boil on their skin. The next time the infected creature takes damage, the boil bursts and it takes an additional 1d8 poison damage.

Growth Bulwark (5th Level)

As an action, you may expend any number of VP to target an allied creature within 30ft of you. You and the allied creature gain protective, fleshy growths on your body that stave off blows. Roll a d8 for each VP spent, you and the target creature gain the amount rolled for 1 minute as temporary hit points or until you use this upgrade again or deal damage to yourself to regain VP.

Potent Content (11th Level)

While you have temporary hit points from your Growth Bulwark upgrade, creatures take double damage from your Swelling Trait.

Bulwark Content (17th Level)

Allied creatures may use your Swelling Trait once when they are affected by your Growth Bulwark feature.

Upgrades

Positive Insomnia (2nd Level)

Your malady makes you immune to being magically put to sleep. Additionally, as an action, you may expend 2 VP to create a 20ft aura of sleep based antibodies for 1 minute centered on you. Allied creatures in this aura cannot be magically put to sleep and creatures with levels of exhaustion are treated as though they have one level less of exhaustion than what they have.

This feature cannot prevent death from a creature reaching their 6th level of exhaustion.

Inflict Sleep (5th Level)

When you use your Infect feature, you may expend 4 VP to cause the creature to become sleepy. If the creature fails it's saving throw against your Infect feature, it falls asleep until it is either dealt damage or the creature succeeds it's saving throw against your Infect feature. A creature may use their action to shake a sleeping creature awake.

Aura of Fatigue (11th Level)

When you use your Positive Insomnia feature, you may expend 2 additional VP to cause each hostile creature in your aura to be treated as though they have one additional level of exhaustion than what they have so long as they remain in your aura.

Sleep Paralysis (17th Level)

As an action, you may expend 3 VP to cause each hostile creature in your aura from your Positive Insomnia feature to roll a saving throw or have their movement speed reduced by 20ft for 1 minute.

Upgrades

Muscle Aches (2nd Level)

As a bonus action, when you use your Infect feature on a creature, you may expend 2 VP to cause your malady to cause a creature to ache. While that creature is infected, their attack rolls are reduced an amount equal to your proficiency bonus.

Painful Soreness (5th Level)

Creatures affected by your malady take damage equal to proficiency bonus when they move 10ft on their turn. The damage type is the same as your malady's.

Debilitating Soreness (11th Level)

As a bonus action, when you use your Infect feature on a creature, you may expend 4 VP to cause an infected creature to have disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity checks and saving throws for as long as they remain infected.

Lockjoint (17th Level)

As a bonus action, when you use your Infect feature on a creature, you may expend 8 VP to cause that creature to become paralyzed for as long as they remain infected.

Upgrades

Harmony Spores (2nd Level)

Starting at 2nd level, when you use your action to cause your mushrooms to disperse spores, you may expend a VP to cause each allied creature within range of the spores to gain temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.

Sense of Mycelium (5th Level)

Thin strands of mycelium grow beneath your feet, granting you 20ft of tremorsense.

Fungal Overrun (11th Level)

For each mushroom you currently have planted, your Infect feature and your mushrooms deal an additional point of damage.

Corpse Bounty (17th Level)

As a reaction, when a creature you can see within 60ft of you dies, you may expend 4 VP to grow a mushroom from their corpse. This mushroom does not count against your number of mushrooms you currently have grown.

Upgrades

Become Waterborn (2nd Level)

As an action, you may expend 2 VP to cause a number of creatures equal to your Constitution modifier to instill with the part of your malady that allows it to survive underwater, thus allowing each target creature to breathe underwater for 1 minute or until you use this upgrade again.

Swimmer's Ear (5th Level)

Hostile creatures that swim in water you've infected are deafened until they exit the water.

Sphere of Infection (11th Level)

As an action, you may expend 4 VP to cast the Watery Sphere spell, the DC for this spell is the same as your Infection Save DC. Creatures that fail their saving throw against this spell become infected.

Infectorial Wave (17th Level)

As an action, you may expend 8 VP to cast the Tidal Wave spell. Each creature that fails their saving throw against this spell becomes infected and takes an additional 1d8 damage from it. The DC for this spell is the same as your Infection Save DC.

Upgrades

Gust (2nd Level)

You may use your action to expend 2 VP cast the Gust of Wind spell. The DC for this spell is the same as your Infect Save DC.

Infection Wind (5th Level)

While you're casting the Gust of Wind spell, when a creature fails their saving throw against it, you may expend 1 VP to cause that creature to become infected with your malady.

Gale of infection (11th Level)

When you cast the Gust of Wind spell using your Gust upgrade, you may instead expend 4 VP to increase it's size to a 15ft wide, 120ft long gust of wind. When a creature is pushed back in this gust, they are instead pushed back up to 25ft.

Cutting Wind (17th Level)

Hostile creatures that start their turn in your Gust of Wind spell take 2d6 slashing damage.

Upgrades

Drain Water (2nd Level)

Your malady subsists on the water in the systems of other creatures. When you use your Infect feature on a creature, and that creature takes damage from it, you may expend 2 VP to drain the water in their bodies, healing you an amount equal to half the damage the creature took.

Waste Away (5th Level)

At the start of an infected creature's turn, you may expend 4 VP to cause that creature to roll a saving throw against your malady. On a failed save, that creature suffers a level of exaustion.

Feed Malady (11th Level)

When an infected creature dies, you regain 1 VP.

Osmosis (17th Level)

You may expend 7 VP to cast the Blight spell as a 6th level spell.

Class Mission Statement

The purpose of creating this class was to create a class that, of course, felt like a sort of debuff esc contrast to support based classes in the game without using direct methods of spellcasting and providing an experience that felt as though you were inflicting illnesses on others while evolving your disease to become stronger. I thought of it as the DnD equivilent of how a disease evolves over the course of playing a game called Plague Inc.

Social Media Plug

All artwork in this class was created by me. If you'd like to support me on social media, you can follow my twitter @MokeDoesThings.

Update 1.1

• Spell checked the document
• Dealing damage to yourself to regain VP is now a bonus action instead of an action.
• The Undeath Explosion feature now specifies that it kills the target zombie.
• Raise Infected now specifies that it requires a reaction to use.
• Inflict Sleep now allows creatures to use their actions to shake sleeping creatures awake.
• Wild Illness malady added.
• Provoke Infected now specifies the damage type is the same as the attacking creature's damage type.

Update 1.2

• Spell Flu malady added
• Flavor text was added the the Host: Water trait.
• Host: Air symptom was added
• Dehydration symptom was added
• Optional Plaguein race was added
• Additional spell checking
• Infect: Mood Swings now gives creatures advantage on their saving throw against it if the creature is immune to the charmed condition.

Update 1.3

• Blood Cure malady added
• Temporal Taint malady added
• Maladive Magic Items added