Better Poisons[edit]
Creatures should be able to apply poisons by contact, ingestion, inhalation, or through an injury, poisons should always require a saving throw, poisons should never just kill a creature, and the price of a poison indicates its cost per single dose. Info on what each how poisons are applied can be found on 5e DMG pp. Mounts and Vehicles. Poisons in D&D 5e explained. He failed his save and died. D&D 5e has really simplified the use of poisons. No more initial and secondary damage. No more ability damage. No onset time. No multiple saves (I was always forgetting to require the second saving throw a few minutes later for secondary damage). And, of course, no save or die. So it appears that DMG poisons went from one kind of broken to the other. But PHB poison (Basic poison) wasn't errataed. Does this mean Basic poison works differently than other poisons, and can't be used as a model of general poison rules?! Is poison use still considered an Evil act in 5e?
The default D&D rules for poisons are very unsatisfying. They are either extremely overpowered or extremely underpowered, depending on whether you abuse them or just use them. The rules for creating poisons are extremely unclear and at times contradictory. Simple use of minor creation would give exceptional power to characters at very low levels. Once you hit the double digits, the power of poison would immediately fall off a cliff, as everyone began making their static DC. We want to improve this situation and make poison-users a viable and desirable character to have on the team. To that end, we introduce the following rules to poison:
- You need a Craft (Alchemy) check to make poison. The DCs are given in the poison table below.
- The poison DC will scale. It is a fortitude save, equal to 10 + ½ CR + the Int or Wis mod of the creator, whichever is higher. Poison with the 'magic' makeup has a minimum DC, listed in the table in parenthesis.
- Poisons have a specific makeup they are crafted from. This is either animal, vegetable, mineral, or magic matter. Yes, this means you can use minor creation and similar spells to create poisons, so long as you make your Craft check. Magic matter can't be created short of a polymorph any object or spell specifically designed to create the matter.
- Secondary damage does not exist. Nobody cared about it anyway, because 10 rounds was after combat ended. Now you don't have to track another number. Some poisons have delayed effects and don't work in combat times; this is marked on the table.
- Only one status effect per round. Regardless of whether they make a successful save or not, a target can only take the effect of any single non-damaging (including ability damage) poison per round. So if someone is targetted with two Drow Poison arrows, and they save against the first, they can no longer be affected by non-damaging poisons that round.
To balance out poisons, we have introduced a new poison table. If you see something, like animal parts, that should be poisonous but aren't on the table, use the closest available item on the table. For example, the venom of most snakes would fall under 'Wyvern Venom'.
Bascially you need to make various save at different times or bad things happend to the character. After this is another old standby Poisons The 5e DMG give 17 different types ranging from Assassin's Blood, Purple Worm poison, and Truth Serum. There is also advice and rules for Purchasing Poisons and Crafting/Harvesting Poisons. The poisons in the DMG are certainly better, but the basic PHB poison is such a joke that I've reduced the price to just 10 gp and even then almost no one at my table uses it. Click to expand. Basic poison is even worse then that, you only take the 1d4 poison damage on a failed save.
Poison | Type | Craft (Alchemy) DC | Makeup | Delay | Damage | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Black Locust | Injury | 15 | Vegetable | Instantaneous | 1d6 Con | 5 gp |
Drow Poison | Contact | 25 | Magic (14) | Instantaneous | Sleep (5 rounds) | 300 gp |
Hypnotoad Extract | Contact | 25 | Animal | Instantaneous | Confusion (10 rounds) | 300 gp |
Id Moss | Injury | 15 | Vegetable | Instantaneous | 1d6 Int | 5 gp |
Lich Dust | Inhalation | 30 | Magic (18) | Instantaneous | Paralysis (permanent) | 600 gp |
Magic Mushrooms | Ingestion | 25 | Vegetable | 1 Hour | 2d8 Cha | 150 gp |
Myconid Extract | Injury | 20 | Animal | Instantaneous | 1d8 Cha | 50 gp |
Nightshade | Injury | 15 | Vegetable | Instantaneous | 1d6 Wis | 5 gp |
Poison Dart Frog | Contact | 25 | Animal | Instantaneous | Daze (2 rounds) | 300 gp |
Purple Worm Poison | Injury | 20 | Animal | Instantaneous | 1d8 Str | 50 gp |
Scorpion Venom | Injury | 20 | Animal | Instantaneous | 1d8 Dex | 50 gp |
Snakeroot | Injury | 15 | Vegetable | Instantaneous | 1d6 Str | 5 gp |
Striped Toadstool | Injury | 15 | Vegetable | Instantaneous | 1d6 Cha | 5 gp |
Terinav Root | Injury | 15 | Vegetable | Instantaneous | 1d6 Dex | 5 gp |
Treant Sap | Injury | 20 | Animal | Instantaneous | 1d8 Wis | 50 gp |
Troll Blood | Injury | 20 | Animal | Instantaneous | 1d8 Int | 50 gp |
Wyvern Venom | Injury | 20 | Animal | Instantaneous | 1d8 Con | 50 gp |
Balance Analysis[edit]
Poisons should no longer have a power curve that looks like exponential decay. It is expected that characters who want to use poison (mainly rogues and similar classes) and are willing to make the skill investment will have access to all the basic ability-damaging poisons from a very low level, thanks to psionic minor creation and the use magic device skill. This should be okay, and they get some cool status effects on top of their sneak attacks, but it isn't an instant-kill on everyone ever like it was in the old rules.
As these characters level up and gain access to spells like major creation and can make the higher Craft DCs, they gain access to more awesome status effects in-line with other abilities available at their level. This is controlled by the Craft DC. In addition, if the DM feels like dropping some awesome poison into the party's lap (via a corpse of a slain enemy or something), they can do that with the Magic poisons that aren't otherwise creatable by lower-level spells.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Variant Rules
Retrieved from 'https://dnd-wiki.org/w/index.php?title=Better_Poisons_(3.5e_Variant_Rule)&oldid=283042'
Author | Surgo |
Identifier | 3.5e Variant Rule |
Rated By | HarrowedMind and Ghostwheel |
Rating | Rating Pending |
Summary | Poisons usable in combat without breaking the game. |
Title | Better Poisons |
Contents
- 1 Sample Poisons
- 2 3rd Party Poison Descriptions
Given their insidious and deadly nature, poisons are illegal in most societies but are a favorite tool among assassins, drow, and other evil creatures.
Poisons come in the following four types.
Contact: Contact poison can be smeared on an object and remains potent until it is touched or washed off. A creature that touches contact poison with exposed skin suffers its effects.
Ingested: A creature must swallow an entire dose of ingested poison to suffer its effects. The dose can be delivered in food or a liquid. You may decide that a partial dose has a reduced effect, such as allowing advantage on the saving throw or dealing only half damage on a failed save.
Inhaled: These poisons are powders or gases that take effect when inhaled. Blowing the powder or releasing the gas subjects creatures in a 5-foot cube to its effect. The resulting cloud dissipates immediately afterward. Holding one’s breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons, as they affect nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body.
Injury: Injury poison can be applied to weapons, ammunition, trap components, and other objects that deal piercing or slashing damage and remains potent until delivered through a wound or washed off. A creature that takes piercing or slashing damage from an object coated with the poison is exposed to its effects.
Poison | Type | Price per Dose |
---|---|---|
Assassin’s blood | Ingested | 150 gp |
Burnt othur fumes | Inhaled | 500 gp |
Crawler mucus | Contact | 200 gp |
Drow poison | Injury | 200 gp |
Essence of ether | Inhaled | 300 gp |
Malice | Inhaled | 250 gp |
Midnight tears | Ingested | 1,500 gp |
Oil of taggit | Contact | 400 gp |
Pale tincture | Ingested | 250 gp |
Purple worm poison | Injury | 2,000 gp |
Serpent venom | Injury | 200 gp |
Torpor | Ingested | 600 gp |
Truth serum | Ingested | 150 gp |
Wyvern poison | Injury | 1,200 gp |
Sample Poisons
Each type of poison has its own debilitating effects.
Assassin’s Blood (Ingested)
A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 6 (1d12) poison damage and is poisoned for 24 hours. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and isn’t poisoned.
Burnt Othur Fumes (Inhaled)
A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage, and must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns. On each successive failed save, the character takes 3 (1d6) poison damage. After three successful saves, the poison ends.
Crawler Mucus (Contact)
This poison must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated crawler. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The poisoned creature is paralyzed. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Drow Poison (Injury)
This poison is typically made only by the drow, and only in a place far removed from sunlight. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is also unconscious while poisoned in this way. The creature wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake.
Essence of Ether (Inhaled)
A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 8 hours. The poisoned creature is unconscious. The creature wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake.
Malice (Inhaled)
A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. The poisoned creature is blinded.
Midnight Tears (Ingested)
A creature that ingests this poison suffers no effect until the stroke of midnight. If the poison has not been neutralized before then, the creature must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 31 (9d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Oil of Taggit (Contact)
A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 24 hours. The poisoned creature is unconscious. The creature wakes up if it takes damage.
Pale Tincture (Ingested)
A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 3 (1d6) poison damage and become poisoned. The poisoned creature must repeat the saving throw every 24 hours, taking 3 (1d6) poison damage on a failed save. Until this poison ends, the damage the poison deals can’t be healed by any means. After seven successful saving throws, the effect ends and the creature can heal normally.
Purple Worm Poison (Injury)
This poison must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated purple worm. A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Serpent Venom (Injury)
This poison must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated giant poisonous snake. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Torpor (Ingested)
A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 4d6 hours. The poisoned creature is incapacitated.
Truth Serum (Ingested)
A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. The poisoned creature can’t knowingly speak a lie, as if under the effect of a zone of truth spell.
Wyvern Poison (Injury)
This poison must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated wyvern. A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
3rd Party Poison Descriptions
Poison | Type | Price per Dose |
---|---|---|
Black Vein | Ingested or Injury | 500 gp |
Blood Fire | Injury | 150 gp |
Concoction of the Pallid Serpent | Ingested | 400 gp |
Dust of the Desert Winds | Inhaled or Ingested | 200 gp |
Ghost Blossom Extract | Ingested or Injury | 200 gp |
Jade Frog Poison | Ingested or Injury | 125 gp |
Mother’s Worry | Ingested | 150 gp |
Tears of the Infernal | Injury | 250 gp |
Tyrants Mercy | Contact | 150 gp |
Witchbane | Injury | 750 gp |
Black Vein Poison
ACoP
Extracted from the seeds of a dark colored flower that grows from rotting organic matter, the poison has a highly noticeable visual effect upon the victim. The veins closest to the surface of the skin become visibly black, giving the toxin it’s disturbing name, as the poison begins working it’s way through a victim’s bloodstream, turning the blood and the vessels into a rotten black ichor.
Knowledge Check: DC 12
Category: Ingested or Injury
Saving Throw: DC 12 Constitution
Frequency: one Day
Primary Effect: 2 (1d3) Constitution damage
Secondary Effect: 6 (2d4) necrotic damage
Cost: 500 gold pieces
Blood Fire
ACoP
A reddish-brown sticky paste, this poison has seen a fair amount of use. Once injured, the poison begins igniting the blood, causing a creature to quickly burn from within. Often the toxin burns through the victim so quickly and intensely that the remains are little more than charred bones.
There are several methods of creating Blood Fire poison, although the most common involves the fruit of a desert cactus soaked in the saliva of giant lizards mixed with distilled alcohols.
After several days of soaking the fruit is removed from the mixture and ground into a paste.
Knowledge Check: DC 12
Category: Injury
Saving Throw: Constitution DC 12
Frequency: one Round
Primary Effect: 5 (1d6+1) fire damage
Secondary Effect: 5 (1d6+1) fire damage
Cost: 150 gold pieces
Concoction of the Pallid Serpent
ACoP
Created from the paste made by grinding up leaves of the Cat’s Breath plant, and combined with the pungent juice made from King’s Pear seeds, this milky substance has a rather intoxicating aroma that often is mistaken for cooked meat. The poison has a slightly bitter taste, yet it often goes unnoticed.
Upon ingestion, the victim begins experiencing terrible headaches and visual hallucinations. They often see things twisting and warping, with vile and hideous creatures seeking to cause them harm. Those in the throes of the poison often lash out at those around them, believing that they have suddenly been surrounded by monstrosities. A few unfortunate souls have survived the experience, and the mark of paranoia often follows them until the end of their days.
Knowledge Check: DC 14
Category: Ingested
Saving Throw: DC 15 Constitution
Frequency: one Minute
Primary Effect: 7 (2d6) psychic damage
Secondary Effect: 1 point of Wisdom damage
Cost: 400 gold pieces
Dust of the Desert Winds
ACoP
This insidious powder has long been the favored poison of assassins that dwell in the harsher climates of the world. Created from grinding up a mushroom that only grows in a small cave system, the toxin begins immediately leaching all of the moisture from a victim’s body after it has entered through the mucous membranes. Once dead, the victim is little more than a dessicated husk.
Knowledge Check: DC 16
Category: Inhaled or Ingested
Saving Throw: Constitution DC 15
Frequency: one Round
Primary Effect: 4 (1d6) poison damage
Secondary Effect: 4 (1d6) poison damage
Cost: 200 gold pieces
Ghost Blossom Extract
ACoP
Created from the juice of a pale white flower that only blossoms at night, the poison elicits violent muscle contractions, often causing broken bones and shattered teeth.
Knowledge Check: DC 12
Category: Ingested or Injury
5e Dmg Potion Miscibility
Saving Throw: DC 12 Constitution
Frequency: one Minute
5e Dmg Poisons Pdf
Primary Effect: 6 (2d4) poison damage
Secondary Effect: 6 (2d4) bludgeoning damage
Cost: 200 gold pieces
Jade Frog Poison
ACoP
The vibrantly colored tree frog that dwells high in the treetops of a jungle spends it’s life eating insects and drinking nectar, and secreting a toxin from it’s skin to keep from being easy prey for the many serpents that also slither through the canopy overhead. Local tribes climb the trees in search for the creature so that they may coat their darts and arrows in the secreted poison.
Once the poison has entered the victim’s system, the victim begins suffering from itching, and weeping lesions begin to form upon their flesh. The toxin continues to break down the skin and internal organs until the victim perishes, leaking blood from their orifices.
Knowledge Check: DC 14
Category: Ingested or Injury
Saving Throw: Constitution DC 14
Frequency: one Round
Primary Effect: 3 (1d4) poison damage
Secondary Effect: 3 (1d4) poison damage
Cost: 125 gold pieces
Mother’s Worry
ACoP
This toxin most visibly resembles milk, and comes from the stems of a plant that grows high on the side of hills. While local goats have learned to avoid eating the plants, people have learned that by harvesting the liquid and distilling it, they can create a mild toxin that can cause unconsciousness and even death. Those affected by the toxin begin breathing shallowly as their airways are slowly constricted.
Knowledge Check: DC 10
Category: Ingested
Saving Throw: Constitution DC 10
Frequency: one Minute
Primary Effect: 1 (1d2) Constitution damage
Secondary Effect: 1 (1d2) Constitution damage
Cost: 150 gold pieces
Tears of the Infernal
ACoP
Harvested and distilled from the oozing sap of the Weeping Cactus that dwells in the most desolate deserts in the world, this oily poison dissolves organic material upon contact. Assassins often utilize the poison on their blades as it has a high enough viscosity not to drip onto their own exposed flesh, plus the rarity often causes medical aid to be less than effective, as healers are unaware of a cure.
Knowledge Check: DC 20
Category: Injury
Saving Throw: DC 16 Constitution
Dmg Dnd 5e Poisons
Frequency: one Minute
5e Dmg Poisons Guide
Primary Effect: 5 (1d6+1) acid damage
Secondary Effect: 5 (1d6+1) acid damage
Cost: 250 gold pieces
Tyrants Mercy
ACoP
Well known and suspected as the cause of several nobles to slowly lose their minds and slip into throes of insanity, this salve often carries a death sentence for those caught with possession of such a toxin. Those suspected in dealing in this poison are often executed, as nobles fear that such horrid concoctions would be turned upon them. When utilized, the white paste is often applied to locations that the victim’s flesh would have repeated contact with, to ensure that the toxin took hold of the victim’s mind. Tales of drawer handles, undersides of chair arms, the interior of crowns and hats, and even the lip of privies have been told about the nefarious poison.
Knowledge Check: DC 10
Category: Contact
Saving Throw: Constitution DC 12
Frequency: one Day
5e Dmg Pdf
Primary Effect: 2 (1d3) Wisdom damage
Secondary Effect: 2 (1d3) Wisdom damage
Cost: 150 gold pieces
Witchbane
ACoP
A creation that seems to have been specially devised just to hamper arcane spellcasters, this poison is often reviled and feared by the magically enlightened. The blue jelly is often smeared upon blades wielded by assassins seeking to end the life of a wizard or sorcerer, and is quite easily identified by those familiar with the effects.
Once injured by a weapon slathered in the poison, the toxin goes to work by first destroying the knowledge of the highest level spell slots remaining in the caster’s repertoire. After stripping away the most potent spells from their mind, the poison then begins to inflict damage upon the victim’s psyche.
Knowledge Check: DC 12
Category: Injury
Saving Throw: DC 15 Wisdom
Frequency: one Round
Primary Effect: Lose highest 1d4 Spell Slots
Secondary Effect: 4 (1d6) psychic damage
Cost: 750 gold pieces