Poisons
Given the insidious and deadly nature of poisons, they are illegal in most societies, but they are among the favored tools of assassins and other evil creatures.
Poisons can be created through specific processes, usually by an Apothecary or Alchemist, requiring a Constitution saving throw when used (a target may choose to voluntarily fail the saving throw when drinking it). This saving throw is defined as indicated below:
In addition, poisons can also be harvested and sold, and can be purchased.
Poisons come in the following four types.
Contact. Contact poison can be spread on an object and remains potent until it is touched or washed off. A creature that touches a contact poison with exposed skin suffers its effects.
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 your breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons, as they affect the nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body.
Ingested. A creature must swallow an entire dose of ingested poison to suffer its effects. The dose can be applied to food or a liquid. You can decide that a partial dose has a reduced effect, such as granting advantage on the saving throw or dealing only half damage on a failed save.
Injury. Injury poison can be applied to weapons, ammunition, trap components, and other objects that deal slashing or piercing damage, and remains potent until delivered through a wound or washed off. A creature that takes slashing or piercing damage from an object coated with the poison is exposed to its effects.
Harvesting Poisons
Some poisons and their raw materials can be obtained from creatures or plants; however, acquiring these resources poses a risk to those who seek to harvest them.
Each poison has a proper method of handling that is usually known only to individuals with the Apothecary Profession or the Collector: Biologist Profession. Most of these processes are known to anyone with those Professions, like General Formulas, although some require advanced knowledge; in those cases, you must learn the appropriate process or have the required Profession level to perform it intuitively.
Harvesting Poisons
When harvesting a poison, you must follow the corresponding process, using the Poison Harvesting Table. Individuals who do not have the required Profession and attempt the check do so with disadvantage. The check must be made using Apothecary’s Tools or Collector: Biologist’s Tools. Poisons of level 2 or higher can only be harvested by Apothecaries.
If the creature fails the check to obtain the poison, it must make the appropriate saving throw to resist its effects, and the poison cannot be obtained from that source. Some poisons cannot be used even after being harvested; applying the Apothecary Formula Refine Poison is required to use such poisons.
The type and difficulty of the check varies according to the poison's source, as indicated below:
- Trap: Technology check, DC equal to the trap's DC
- Construct: Technology check, DC equal to 8 + half the construct's CR + poison level
- Dragon: Survival or Animal Handling check, DC equal to the poison's DC + the dragon's proficiency bonus
- Elemental: Arcana check, DC equal to the poison's DC
- Beasts: Animal Handling check, DC equal to the poison's DC
- Plant: Nature check, DC equal to the poison's DC
- Vastinatas: Survival check, DC equal to the poison's DC + the Vastinata's proficiency bonus
The Collectible Poisons table presents a few examples of poisons and how their harvesting process works, but it does not contain all poisons in the system.
| Poison | DC | Check | Level | Saving Throw | Process |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xer’Sai Mucus | 18 | Survival | 4 | Constitution 13 | This poison must be harvested from a dead or Incapacitated xer’sai. |
| Aracne Oil | 15 | Animal Handling | 2 | Constitution 13 | This poison can be extracted from a dead or Incapacitated arachnid hatchling. This oil must be refined before use; otherwise, its effect only Poisons the target, not rendering it Unconscious. |
| Night Petal | 18 | Nature | 4 | Constitution 13 | This poison can be extracted from Night Petal flowers at midnight, using techniques developed and protected by the Lunari. Instruction from a Lunari (or being a Lunari) reduces the DC by an amount equal to the Lunari's Wisdom modifier. |
| Assassin's Blood | 12 | Nature | 1 | Constitution 10 | This poison can be extracted from poisonous herbs and must be refined to cause its full effect. Without refinement, the poison deals only 1d8 damage and its Poisoned effect lasts only 1 hour. |
| Noctum Flower Essence | 17 | Nature | 3 | Constitution 19 | This poison must be carefully extracted from a Noctum flower, a very rare type of flower found around Targon. |
| Basilisk Poison | 15* | Animal Handling | Basilisk CR | Constitution 14 | This poison must be carefully extracted from venom glands found in basilisks and must undergo a refinement process before it can be used. |
| Serpent Poison | 11 | Animal Handling | 0 | Constitution 11 | This poison must be harvested from the fangs of a dead or Incapacitated ophidian hatchling. |
| Chemotactic Fluid | 16 | Technology | 3 | Constitution 17 | This poisonous substance must be carefully harvested from the stinger of a dead or Incapacitated Queen Chemobee. Without refinement, this poison deals only 1d12 lethal damage. |
| Sump Essence | 19 | Technology | 5 | Constitution 15 | This poison must be harvested directly from the polluted air of Zaun's sump, making it one of the most difficult poisons to harvest. |
| Chemoflower Poison | 20 | Nature | 4 | Dexterity 20 | This poison can be extracted from flowers that grow from Chemobulbs, normally found only in Baroness Corina Veraza's cultivars or in her possession. |
Items in the Poison Harvesting Table:
- Poison: The name of the poison or substance to be harvested
- DC: The DC of the check to obtain the poison.
- Check: The type of check made to harvest the poison. Profession bonuses are added to this check.
- Level: The level of the poison harvested on a success.
- Saving Throw: The saving throw made on a failed harvest, resulting in the effects of the poison in question.
- Process: How the poison can be harvested, including its source. Some poisons may require that a creature be killed or Incapacitated, while others may have even more specific processes.
Examples of Poisons and Effects
Each poison affects the harvester differently on a failed harvesting process or affects creatures exposed to it. Below are the effects for some of the poisons in the system, including those in the Collectible Poisons table. If a collectible poison does not specify what happens on a failed Constitution saving throw made during harvesting, the effects of that failure are the same as for a creature normally exposed to the poison:
- Sump Essence (Inhaled). A creature that fails the harvesting saving throw takes 9 (3d6) poison damage and must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns. On each successive failure, the creature takes 3 (1d6) poison damage. After three successes, the poison's effect ends. Once harvested, a creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or suffer the same effects listed above.
- Noctum Flower Essence (Ingested). When successfully harvested, Noctum Flower Essence can be consumed to grant a connection to the Spirit Realm. However, on a failed harvest, the essence becomes Noctum Flower Poison, causing creatures that ingest it to make the appropriate saving throw; on a failure, the creature takes 15d6 poison damage and gains 2 levels of Exhaustion, or takes only the poison damage on a success. Noctum Flower Essence and Noctum Flower Poison can be distinguished only with a successful DC 19 Investigation check.
- Chemotactic Fluid (Injury). On a failed harvest, the creature takes 3d12 lethal damage if it fails the saving throw, or half as much damage on a success. After harvesting, the poison must be refined before it can be used.
- Refined Chemotactic Fluid (Injury). A creature subjected to this poison must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 13 (2d12) lethal damage on a failure, or half as much damage on a success.
- Xer’Sai Mucus (Contact). On a failed harvesting saving throw, the creature is Poisoned for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
- Aracne Oil (Contact). On a failed harvesting saving throw, the creature is Poisoned for 24 hours. A creature subjected to the refined version of this poison must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be Poisoned for 24 hours. While Poisoned, the creature is Unconscious. The creature wakes if it takes damage. Once harvested, a creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or suffer the same effects listed above.
- Night Petal (Injury). Night Petal flowers are particularly sharp when open, and can superficially cut anyone who tries to harvest them without the necessary knowledge. On a failed harvest, the creature takes 2d4 slashing damage and, on a failed harvesting saving throw, is Poisoned for 1 minute. Night Petals can be used to create Night Petal Poison.
- Assassin's Blood (Ingested). On a failed harvesting saving throw, the creature takes 4 (1d8) poison damage and is Poisoned for 1 hour. On a success, the creature takes half the damage and isn't Poisoned. Once harvested, a creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or suffer the same effects listed above.
- Assassin's Blood (Ingested). On a failed saving throw, a creature affected by this poison takes 6 (1d12) poison damage and is Poisoned for 24 hours. On a success, the creature takes half the damage and isn't Poisoned.
- Refined Basilisk Venom (Injury). On a failed saving throw, any healing the target receives is reduced to 0 for 1 round. If the target is below half its hit points, it can't be healed; a Medicine skill check with DC equal to the poison's DC is required for its wounds to be treated or for the target to be healed.
- Chemoflower Poison (Inhaled). On a failed harvesting saving throw, the creature takes 64 (8d8) poison damage and the Chemoflower takes 27 (5d10) points of damage. Once harvested, a creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or take 64 (8d8) poison damage.
- Snake Venom (Injury). On a failed harvesting saving throw, the creature takes 9 (3d6) poison damage if it fails the saving throw, or half as much damage on a success. Once harvested, a creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or suffer the same effects listed above.
- Night Petal Poison (Injury). Widely used to improve the performance of Lunari warriors, this poison is used to slow opponents. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be Poisoned for 1 minute. If the result is 8 or lower, the creature is also Unconscious while Poisoned in this way. The creature wakes if it takes damage or if another creature uses an action to shake it awake.
