Infested: Parasites For Your Game

“There are thousands of ways to die, millions if you’re really creative. I would take any of them over what did that.”

- Kinsey Stafford, Apprentice Field Medic

Adventurers seem to have a habit of going to great lengths to put themselves where they don’t belong. Traversing far-off mountains, exploring dense jungles, or crossing shifting deserts means risking many dangers—both seen and unseen. And before any inexperienced party heads off into the great unknown, they’re often provided with words of warning and wisdom from their more experienced peers. 

  Told in no uncertain terms that there are ravenous beasts, evil hordes, and supernatural monsters waiting to pounce in the wild places where adventurers are driven to explore, a fresh-faced group might feel emboldened by the knowledge that’s passed their way. But although knowing how to spot and avoid a massive danger will surely prolong the life of a traveling hero, sometimes the gravest threats that these areas contain come in the smallest packages. 

Content Warning

This new game option introduces an element that some players may find too disturbing to enjoy. Beyond the painful and often grotesque physical symptoms that accompany parasites, these tiny scourges can also bring about feelings of invasion and violation that characters must overcome. 

  Whereas some players may find this to be an enjoyable (if somewhat disgusting) obstacle for their character to face, others might find that exploring these particular themes in any way ruins the fun of their game and potential story arc for their character. 

As with all new rules and game options, it is highly recommended that potentially including parasites in your game is discussed during your pre-campaign conversations or during your group’s session zero. 

This supplement includes:

• A variant ruleset for adding parasites into your game.
• 5 parasites to disgust your PCs: dream eaters, gorgon’s kiss, hermit hounds, storm mites, and wraith kin. 
• 2 new spells that GMs can utilize with their NPCs or pass along to their players. 
• 3 applicable features that GMs can add to their favorite existing creatures to up the danger and create grotesque new variants.