New Spells: Maladies & Miasma
PDF Link | D&D Beyond: Malady, Vile Miasma
Art Credit: https://www.artofmtg.com/art/smallpox/
This preview from The Impermissicon focuses on two new disease-based necromancies: a 7th-level spell called malady and a cantrip called vile miasma. Just like the last time you saw some of our disease-themed necromancies, these spells are only useful against targets that can be afflicted with diseases, providing some natural immunity to paladins and anyone else with similar purity of body. Malady is also a blood spell, and much like some of the recent blood magic spells that we’ve previewed, it doesn’t require its targets to have blood but simply gains additional effects against targets that do.
The first spell, malady, is easily compared to the 6th-level spell harm or the other 7th-level necromancy finger of death. It does considerably less damage than finger of death and even deals less damage than harm (malady deals 42-43 damage on an average roll, while harm deals 49 damage and finger of death deals 61-62 damage on average rolls), and it doesn’t deal any damage or have any other effect on a miss, unlike the other two spells. It’s also a Touch-ranged spell, another drawback by comparison. In return for all this, malady carries a powerful debuff effect on a failed saving throw, and even a successful saving throw still poisons the target (if the attack hit, of course). While the debuff effect can have great effect on the story of a campaign (whether it affects a PC or NPC), it can also have a huge effect during the combat where the spell is initially cast, too, as it heavily locks down most types of enemies and keeps regenerating enemies from regaining any hit points. Once the saving throw has been failed, the effect of this 7th-level spell lasts for a minimum of seven days… or until the curse is removed.
The second spell, vile miasma, is similar to the existing create bonfire cantrip, as well as our own homebrew cantrip blood boil. All three spells are cantrips that require concentration. Like create bonfire, vile miasma fills a single space with an area effect for the duration, affecting any creature that enters the area or starts its turn in the area. Generally, this will only affect one creature, but smart tactics can make increased use of these kinds of cantrips. Like blood boil, vile miasma can apply the poisoned condition to enemies without having to expend a spell slot, so long as concentration is maintained. In addition, vile miasma can even hinder spellcasters and monsters that are normally resilient against the disadvantage to attack rolls imposed by the poisoned condition, since it also prevents the use of verbal spell components and breath weapons, such as those of dragons or hell hounds. In exchange, it doesn’t deal any damage at all, it can be dispelled by wind, and it can’t affect undead, constructs, or any other creatures that don’t need to breathe or have immunity to poison or disease. All in all, it serves as a great option for alchemists, necromancers, and evil clerics that want more debuff choices.
PDF Link | D&D Beyond: Malady, Vile Miasma
