Quickleaf
Legend
I'm trying to convert a handful of poisons to 5e, notably Black Lotus Extract and something called Infernal Death. How do these attempts look?
Black Lotus Extract: The d20 stats are Contact DC 20 / Initial Damage 3d6 Con / Secondary Damage 3d6 Con / 4,500 gp.
Comparing that to the d20 stats for Wyvern Poison, it just looks like a more powerful version – but in 5e Purple Worm Poison already fulfills that role. However, it seems there's more to black lotus extract than just that...
In Howard's Conan stories, black lotus is used to get high, and also as a deadly extract.
In the Baldur's Gate games black lotus seems to be used similarly to an opiate and is illegal.
In Dragon Magazine #121, "The Deadliest Perfume" by John P. Brown describes black lotus as a deadly poison which cannot be neutralized through magical means.
In Pathfinder, black lotus extract is described as a dark sticky paste added to assassin's blades to make the target unable to be healed.
Would something like this be a reasonable conversion...?
[SECTION]Black Lotus Extract (contact, 3,000 gp). This poison must be harvested from a black lotus blossom. A creature subjected to this poison 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. The creature’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the poison damage. This reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest or until it is affected by a spell like greater restoration.[/SECTION]
I compared the amount of maximum HP reduction (9d6) to the two monsters with the highest max. HP reduction potential in the MM: Chasme 24 (7d6) and Succubus 32 (5d10+5). I used that as my range.
Then I compared 5e Wyvern Poison (Injury / DC 15 Con save / 24 (7d6) damage / 1,500 gp) & 5e Purple Worm Poison (Injury / DC 19 Con save / 42 (12d6) damage / 2,000 gp). I also used that as my range.
Infernal Death: This poison comes from the AD&D Al-Qadim Assassin Mountain boxed set:
For this one, because it is "slow-acting", right away that bucks the trend of existing 5e poisons which mostly (with the exception of Midnight Tears) take effect immediately.
Would something like this be a reasonable conversion...?
[SECTION]Infernal Death (ingested, 4,500 gp). This poison must be harvested from the ichor of a dead fire elemental. It can be applied to food or drink as an action, its flavor masked by spicy food and strong wine. Any creature ingesting the food or drink must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, there are no symptoms until after 2d6 hours when the creature is poisoned and begins to display a skin rash. The poisoned creature must repeat this save every hour; on a failed save it suffers 5 (1d10) poison damage and 5 (1d10) fire damage. Each failed save increases both poison and fire damage by 1d10 cumulatively. After three successful saves, the creature is no longer poisoned.
Lesser restoration and other magic that cures poison only functions against Infernal Death if the poisoned creature also has fire resistance or immunity at the time.[/SECTION]
Black Lotus Extract: The d20 stats are Contact DC 20 / Initial Damage 3d6 Con / Secondary Damage 3d6 Con / 4,500 gp.
Comparing that to the d20 stats for Wyvern Poison, it just looks like a more powerful version – but in 5e Purple Worm Poison already fulfills that role. However, it seems there's more to black lotus extract than just that...
In Howard's Conan stories, black lotus is used to get high, and also as a deadly extract.
In the Baldur's Gate games black lotus seems to be used similarly to an opiate and is illegal.
In Dragon Magazine #121, "The Deadliest Perfume" by John P. Brown describes black lotus as a deadly poison which cannot be neutralized through magical means.
In Pathfinder, black lotus extract is described as a dark sticky paste added to assassin's blades to make the target unable to be healed.
Would something like this be a reasonable conversion...?
[SECTION]Black Lotus Extract (contact, 3,000 gp). This poison must be harvested from a black lotus blossom. A creature subjected to this poison 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. The creature’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the poison damage. This reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest or until it is affected by a spell like greater restoration.[/SECTION]
I compared the amount of maximum HP reduction (9d6) to the two monsters with the highest max. HP reduction potential in the MM: Chasme 24 (7d6) and Succubus 32 (5d10+5). I used that as my range.
Then I compared 5e Wyvern Poison (Injury / DC 15 Con save / 24 (7d6) damage / 1,500 gp) & 5e Purple Worm Poison (Injury / DC 19 Con save / 42 (12d6) damage / 2,000 gp). I also used that as my range.
Infernal Death: This poison comes from the AD&D Al-Qadim Assassin Mountain boxed set:
For this one, because it is "slow-acting", right away that bucks the trend of existing 5e poisons which mostly (with the exception of Midnight Tears) take effect immediately.
Would something like this be a reasonable conversion...?
[SECTION]Infernal Death (ingested, 4,500 gp). This poison must be harvested from the ichor of a dead fire elemental. It can be applied to food or drink as an action, its flavor masked by spicy food and strong wine. Any creature ingesting the food or drink must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, there are no symptoms until after 2d6 hours when the creature is poisoned and begins to display a skin rash. The poisoned creature must repeat this save every hour; on a failed save it suffers 5 (1d10) poison damage and 5 (1d10) fire damage. Each failed save increases both poison and fire damage by 1d10 cumulatively. After three successful saves, the creature is no longer poisoned.
Lesser restoration and other magic that cures poison only functions against Infernal Death if the poisoned creature also has fire resistance or immunity at the time.[/SECTION]
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