I was at the local tavern when I ran into a good adventuring friend of mine, whose tale stretched far into the night. So enthralled was I by his story that I failed to notice I had consumed nearly a kilo of heavily salted peanuts, along with more than a few pints of radler.
The next morning, I awoke bloated, miserable, and in great pain. I had learned, in the most real-world way possible, that heavily salted peanuts and carbonated, acidic alcoholic radlers on an empty stomach are a recipe for disaster.
The verdict? Acute gastritis. Inflammation of the stomach.
I was out. Down for the count. I couldn’t even keep water down. For a solid 24 hours, I was a fire hose at both ends, followed by several days of painful bloating. Eventually, electrolyte water, a couple of bananas, and some white rice carried me through the week. I was told I could return to regular food in about 10 days.
It is now day 7, and I am finally up and about. I am still eating bland food, but I feel about 90% better.
Yet, while cursed into this hellish week of suffering, my mind often drifted to D&D and roleplaying games.
What if this experience could be translated into D&D?
And thus, the Curse of Gasbloutus was born, in my sick haze.
Curse of Gasbloutus
While the most infamous outbreak, The Bloat Plague of Saint Radler, once swept through Saltmarsh after a shipment of over-fermented ale arrived, the Curse of Gasbloutus is more commonly brought on by reckless indulgence: ill-matched foods, foul drink, or, in rarer cases, a hex laid upon a feast.
