Fever Dreams by Robert J. Schwalb is a role playing game supplement published by Schwalb Entertainment for use with Shadow of the Demon Lord. This is part of the Poisoned Pages series that adds short expansions to the game.
The supplement is available as a five-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $1.49 but was purchased at a reduced price during a sale. About half a page is an illustration and Credits.
The opening paragraphs explain that diseases can be frustrating for players as they strip characters of agency. The game deliberately gives a cure spell from the Life tradition at level 1 to counter this, which helps insulate characters from the ravages of disease. However, it goes on to ask how, with such spells supposedly common, plagues can ravage the countryside? This supplement expands on the diseases available and makes them nastier. Consequently, they should be used with caution.
There are 11 diseases covered, which include parasitic and fungal infections. Each is given a similar layout. There is a description of the disease itself, which includes history of it in some cases. The game mechanics cover transmission, which is how it can be got, how to cure it, different stages of the disease – these vary with some having a Stage 0 and some a Stage 5, how to recover from it and residual effects, if any. Residual effects can have a permanent effect on characters.
Sidebars cover making the cure spell less effective, by simply having it allow a Challenge roll to resist the disease, which is recommended if using the Pandemic option, how a character is affected by multiple diseases at the same time and what happens if limbs are lost. Battle Scars wasn’t released when this supplement was, and that more effectively covers limb loss.
Fever Dreams in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is short enough that these are not needed, though they might have been useful. Navigation is okay. The text maintains a two-column full colour layout and appeared to be free of error. There are several colour and black and white illustrations; these may or may not have been reused from other supplements. Presentation is good.
The supplement does make diseases more realistically nasty; given the access to curative magic in fantasy games, it always seems that diseases wouldn’t be as deadly and they certainly aren’t to those with sufficient resources. Given that these diseases can permanently damage characters in some cases, the advice not to overuse them should definitely be taken. Fever Dreams is a nice – or nasty – little supplement and it can be found by clicking here.
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