Poisons
Poison is the oldest weapon of the world. Wielded first by beasts, and then by man. The art of poison making has grown more and more refined over the course of history, and moving from a sickeningly brutal and clumsy method of execution to one of the most swift and precise.
Though many adventurers are desperate for immediate gratification and therefore gravitate towards methods of killing their enemies instantaneously, the smarter ones know that just a bit of patience is all that is required for mundane poison to be more deadly than any magical armament.
Making Poisons
Whenever crafting a poison, the resulting Grade of the poison is equal to the Craft (alchemy) check divided by five, so long as the check exceeds 15. The crafter may decide how the Grades of the poison are allocated.
The resulting gold piece price of a poison is equivalent to 100gp per Grade.
Poison Grades
Grades are a measure of the relative quality of a poison, however they are not a direct measure of a poison’s deadliness. Listed below are the numerous components that make up a poison, and the relative Grades that each effect must be in order to achieve the desired effect. A poison maker must allocate the Grades of the poison in order to “purchase” the poison effects listed.
Type
Grade 0 – Ingested – These poisons are delivered when a creature eats or drinks the poison.
Grade 1 – Inhaled – These poisons are delivered the moment a creature enters an area containing such poisons.
Grade 2 – Injury – These poisons are primarily delivered through the attacks of certain creatures and through weapons coated in the toxin.
Grade 3 – Contact – These poisons are delivered the moment a creature touches the poison with its bare skin.
DC
Grade 0+ – Increased DC – The Fortitude Save DC of a poison is equal to the craft check which created it. The DC of the poison may be additionally increased by +5 for each Grade allocated.
Onset
Grade 2+ – 1 hour – Failing the save against the poison shows no ill effects until 1 hour later. The Grade of the effect may be increased by 1 for each additional hour the onset of the poison is delayed.
Grade 1 – 10 minutes – Failing the save against the poison shows no ill effects until 10 minutes later
Grade 0 – 1 minute – Failing the save against the poison shows no ill effects until 1 minute later
Grade 1 – 1 round – Failing the save against the poison shows no ill effects until 1 round later
Grade 2 – Instant – Failing the save against the poison immediately shows ill effects.
Frequency
Grade 0 – 1x – The poison effect occurs 1 time
Grade 1 – 2x – The poison effect occurs 2 times
Grade 2 – 3x – The poison effect occurs 3 times
Grade 3 – 4x – The poison effect occurs 4 times
Grade 4 – 5x – The poison effect occurs 5 times
Grade 5 – 6x – The poison effect occurs 6 times
Duration
Grade 0 – Instant – There is no lasting effect for the poison.
Grade 1 – Rounds – The duration of the effect is a number of rounds equal to the minimum required for the effect to occur in accordance with the Frequency.
Grade 2 – Minutes – The duration of the effect is a number of minutes equal to the minimum required for the effect to occur in accordance with the Frequency.
Grade 3 – 1 hour – The duration of the effect is one hour.
Effect
Grade 0+ – Hit point Damage – The amount of hit point damage dealt by a poison is equal to the number of hit dice the victim possesses. The Grade of the effect may be increased by 1 for each additional hit point per hit die of damage the resulting poison would deal. For example; a poison that deals 3 points of hit point damage per hit die would be a Grade 2 effect.
Grade 3+ – Ability Damage – The poison would deal a single point of ability damage to the victim. The Grade of the effect may be increased by 1 for each die step the ability damage would be increased by. For example; a poison that deals 1d2 Wisdom damage would be a Grade 4 effect.
Grade Varies – Status Effect – The poison inflicts a status effect on the victim.
The following status effects are considered Grade 1;
Fatigued, Shaken, Sickened, Dazed, Staggered
The following status effects are considered Grade 2;
Exhausted, Frightened, Nauseated
The following status effects are considered Grade 3;
Blinded, Deafened, Paralyzed, Stunned
Multiple status effects can be applied to the same poison, their Grades being summed together.
Durations for statuses are one round by default.
Grade Varies – Spell Effect – The Grade of the effect is equivalent to the level of the spell effect that the victim would be afflicted with. The poison maker must know and be able to cast the spell they are imbuing into the poison.
Cure
Grade 0 – 1 Save – One successful save is required in order to end the effects of the poison prematurely.
Grade 1 – 2 Saves – Two successful saves over the course of the poison’s duration are required to end the effects of the poison prematurely.
Grade 3 – 2 Consecutive Saves – Two consecutively successful saves over the course of the poison’s duration are required to end the effects of the poison prematurely.