Plagues:
Plagues are a good dm tool to reestablish a faltering game. It is also a good tool to kick off a campaign, or as a break to a current campaign.  Throughout history, civilizations have been beset by numerous outbreaks of plagues of varying intensity.  One of the worst plagues occurred during the Middle Ages, this is generally the time frame for most Ad&d fantasy worlds.  This plague (known as the Black Death) ravaged Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The plague claimed during its reign (roughly between 1346 and 1351) killed anywhere between 1/4 to 1/2 of the total population of the effected regions.  The plagues listed below are not just disease but machines capable of descimating a countryside. All are viral in nature from the Bubonic Plague, to the Haunta virus.

	Each Pc who encounters a plague has a chance of being immune to the current outbreak of the plague.  On a d100 if the PC constitution (or less) is rolled that PC is immune from contracting the current plague outbreak. (this doesn’t prevent him from contracting plague of the same variety in a future outbreak.)
General symptoms are high fever, chills, weakness of body, body aches, and mental confusion. They were followed by delirium, shock, coma, exhaustion.
	Contraction of the Plagues vary by the type, and other situational modifiers.

Chance to Contract the Plagues                                        Adjustment to Occurrence                  
Base Chance                                                  2%                    and Severity die rolls

Type of Plague Contracted                                                

Effects of Different Types of Plague

Penalty Classes

* (these drop down to scores of 3 each)
only 15% of all surviving cases result in permanent loses (class 1 -1 constitution or Strength) class 2 (-2 constitution or Strength) class 3 (-3 Constitution or Strength) and class 4 (-1 constitution)with a 50% of blindness for each eye)

While the plague strikes an urban area consult the following table 50% of the time. to represent the effects of the plague.
Random Urban Encounters during the Plague.
1d20                   Encounter
1-2                      Soothsayer or prophet of doom  
3-5                      Death Cart (hauls away for burning the dead)
6-8		    Town Guard looking for disease carriers
9-10                    Beggar(1) or Bandits (1-4)
11-14                  Dead body (50% no possessions)
15-17                  Infected man or woman (usually raving)
18-20                  Pack of Rats (infected) 

Insanity:

	When a player character is inflicted with insanity (by spell, mental attack, curse, or for whatever reason) Here is a following chart that helps label the madness for the PC role-player and for the Dungeonmaster.  

Random Insanity Roles: (roll 1d20)
1. Alter Ego: the victim manifests a second personality, having the same alignment but otherwise is radically different from the normal personality.  The 2nd personality is incharge until the madness is cured.
2. Creature Complex:  The victim has delusions of being creature, monster, etc. and acts accordingly.  He will move, talk, and fight normally but all behavior will be towards his new behavior (if he thinks he is a rat, he will ask for cheese, run from cats, squeek occasionally, walk on all fours. etc.)
3.Exaggerated fear:  The person becomes abnormally fearful of a situation or creature. He feels creature presence everywhere. He will flee or cower in catatonia when confronted with his fears.  His fears begin to delve into paranoia. The Person inquires constantly about chances to avoid any likely encounter.
4. Exaggerated Hatred:  Similar to the fear, except the person has a overwhelming loathing of a creature. He will attack the creature without any provocation or restraint. The victim fixates on the creature (bringing it and its demise in any conversation)
5. Exaggerated Suspicions: the victim suffers from a paranoid delusion, where he is the target of a conspiracy by an enemy. The enemy can be a real enemy or an imagined one. (like the rats) He suspects everyone is out to get him. 
6.Delusion of Grandeur: the victim delusions come to the point where he believes he is a a famous personage from myth, legend, or he believes he is an all powerful character or deity.  Either case depending on the persona, the victim have has absurd bravery in the face of danger, or amazing self confidence. The victim can become violent if others don’t believe his delusions.
7. Dipsomania: the character suffers from alcoholism.  About once a week (or more often) the person will drink alcohol until he passes out. (It is 50% likely the dipsomania will continue when the person awakens if near alcohol.Otherwise it is only 10% likely. the character will become violent if denied while afflicted.)
8. Kleptomania: an uncontrollable urge to steal. If observed there is a 90% chance of being seen stealing the item. Thieves who possess kleptomania suffer a -10% when trying to steal do to the urge to immediately steal the item.
9. Multiple Personality: the character manifests 1-4 alternate personalities that are completely different from the original (different alignment, personality, goals, prefrences, and even a history of sorts.)  The number and the differences are based on the severity of the illness.   The onset is random with a 1 in 6 chance per day of switching personalities.  When every the person is inserted into a stress situation (life or death decisions, combat, etc.) the onset increases to 1 in 6 chance every round as long as the stress situation continues.
10. Lunacy:  The victims becoms homicidal and violent when ever the moon is full. When the moon is new the victim suffers from depression.
11.  Manic-Depressive:  A person inflicted by this form of insanity swings from one form of sanity to another in 1-4 day intervals. When excite, they become 90% likely to become maniacal, and when disappointed or frustrated they have a 90% chance to become highly melancholic. in addition to the usual 1-4 day interval.
12. Melancholic:  the victim of this malady are afflicted with black moods, brooding fits, and hoplessness.  They are likely to ignore any situation coming upon them (50% of the time)
13. Mania:  The victim of this form of insanity is struck suddenly (1 in 6 chance/ turn)  (lasting 2d6 turns, then 1 in 6 chance per turn to return to normalcy.) and violently.  While afflicted the victims is hysterical, completely maniacal, and enraged. (if the player is hysterical they possess 18/50 Str., if enraged 18/75 Str, and if Maniacal 18/00 while in that state (this ignores any class or racial limits))  He is unreasoning, but highly cunning.  While in the state the victim will do something, or aviod to do something for each situation at hand. (After coming out of the manic episode the character has no memory of the events and will deny being insane.)
14. Homicidal Mania:  The individual inflicted with this will appear normal.  They are inhabited by an unsatible blood lust that manifest it self in 1d4 day intervals.  If the person is unable to kill someone of the same race during that interval, they become maniac, and violently attack without regard to safety the first person encountered.  After this episode the person suffers from catatonia for 1d6 days before resuming the normal mania.
15. Hebephrenia:  This insanity is similar to the spell feeblemind.
16. Visual Hallucinations: the victim sees enemies, people, and objects that aren’t there.  Episodes are brought during times of great stress (combat situations, saving throws, life and death situatuions, ability checks)
17. Extreme Suggestibility: the victim is easily influenced by others and gets no saving throw vs. any charm, command, or suggestion spell. Even non-magical suggestions require a check vs. wisdom or the victim immediately obeys all but self-destructive commands.
18. Exaggerated Liking: the victims becomes obessional in its adoration of an object, person,  or creature.  The victims will discuss the object of his obession of his affection openly. He will fight to the death to protect said love.
19.  Quixotism: The victim believes common objects are mythical wonders of legends, (a windmill is a giant, a salad bowl is the helm of Torm, a wooden spoon is a magical wand of treasure location etc.) He will act accordingly with great enthusiasm.
20. DM’s Choice: This is the catch 22. the victim can suffer from multiple or altered insanity depending on the dm’s desire. (I must find a shrubbery....and cut it down with a herring for the Knights who say Neet.)

Curses: