Paladins & Green Slime

[Scott]

A cure disease spell kills green slime. Paladins are immune to disease. Are paladins immune to green slime?
Same thing with rot grubs.

[GT]

I would say "NO", as these two are not diseases in the literal sense--the slime is causing damage through its caustic secretions and the grubs through their burrowing/devouring in flesh. I remember that in the Dragon back in the '80's it was stated in Sage Advice that Paladins were subject to "lycanthropy" as it was a curse as well as a disease...

[Scott]

Would the paladin's ability to cure disease work the same was as the spell, and kill the slime/grubs?

[GT]

yes--as an active usage of power, as it is the same as a spell.

[Deleted]

gt said:

I remember that in the Dragon back in the '80's it was stated in Sage Advice that Paladins were subject to "lycanthropy" as it was a curse as well as a disease...

But would the said paladin still be a paladin if he were to become a lycanthrope?

[GT]

Given the stringent nature of most paladin deities, the PC would probably have to atone for any misdeeds committed as a therianthrope, even though said deeds were not done willfully. Until such time though, once they broke alignment then, no...

[dcas]

Right. It would depend on how long the character was a lycanthrope. For example, all werewolves are (eventually) chaotic evil. Once a character reaches that point, there's no way for him to regain his paladinhood.

[Deleted]

What about lycanthropes that are good? Like werebears?

[dcas]

ermanaric said:

What about lycanthropes that are good? Like werebears?

Aren't they chaotic good?

[Deleted]

Yep, I just looked it up you're right. So I geuss there aren't any Lawful Good lycanthropes I take it then. Anyone know if there was ever one in Dragon or a module or whatever?

[geneweigel]

Swanmay can possibly be LG although not technically a D&D lycanthrope they were still considered lycanthropes.

[geneweigel]

Hey I just found the Dragon article and it mentions slime as well...

Dragon #54 (October 1981) Sage Advice page 22:

Can paladins contract lycanthropy?

Will the rotting caused by Demogorgon have an effect on monks of fifth level or higher, since they are immune to disease?

Yes, a paladin can become a lycanthrope.

Yes, a high-level monk can be affected by Demogorgon’s rot-disease attack.

The immunity to disease that is enjoyed by paladins and by monks of fifth level or higher applies only to “natural” diseases, such as those listed in the table on page 14 of the DMG, and not to “unnatural” diseases such as those caused by the attack or touch of a monster. The same thing goes for the rotting disease transmitted by a mummy or the “disease” caused by the spread of green slime, for instance.

I guess that came up because three issues (months[July 1981]) earlier in an article about paladins someone ( Robert J. Bezold)wrote:

Bar none, the Paladin is the most powerful of all character classes at low levels of experience, being immune to the physical touch of all undead and evil enchanted creatures, green slime and any other disease-causing monster, and having a +2 on all his saving throws. Yet
some DMs, and even other players, seem to take an unholy delight in setting up rules that are so unreasonable as to make playing a Paladin highly undesirable, if not impossible.

[Scott]

I agree with the protection not working against magical 'diseases'. I've always treated them more as curses than diseases, but I'm not so sure about green slime and rot grubs. There's nothing magical about them. They may be a little more dramatic, but they do the same thing other diseases do. I'm inclined to think that if a cure disease spell works, then immunity to disease should work too.

[GT]

Well, Scotty, I could see giving immunity to Green Slime to 'em (though, call me cruel, I never did... ^__^ ); but Rot Grubs are not intrinsically a "disease" any more than a Purple Worm is. I think that the Cure Disease spell is just more far-reaching than disease immunity--curing infestation by nematohelminths and platyhelminths as well as virus, bacteria and protista.

[Scott]

It's a tough call.

[dcas]

I would just say that 'green slime' isn't a disease, but that the monster (for whatever reason) is susceptible to the magic of the spell. So I would rule that paladins are not immune, but that they might cure it with their cure disease ability.

[GRWelsh]

I sort of like the idea of a paladin being immune to all diseases, including even attacks by green slime, rot grubs, and the rotting touch of a mummy. After all, even though there were many diseases described in the DMG, how often does one really encounter Cholera, Cellulitis, or Malaria in your typical AD&D scenario? It's so much more gratifying to have an ability that actually means something in the context of an adventure game. And, there are still plenty of other ways to kill paladins -- often, their unwavering courage and sheer unwillingness to retreat in the face of evil is enough to do that.

[geneweigel]

I've been trying to see why they reached that conclusion and green slime does have virtually free magic resistance. Does anything else have that?

[Scott]

I would probably consider mummy rot more of a curse.

[dcas]

admin said:

I would probably consider mummy rot more of a curse.

I believe mummy rot is specifically singled out as something to which paladins are not immune (the other one being lycanthropy).