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<blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 9223288" data-attributes="member: 2209">&quot;For those who wonder why poison does either killing damage (usually) or no harm whatsoever, recall the justification for character hit points. That is, damage is not actually sustained – at least in proportion to the number of hit points marked off in most cases. The so called damage is the expenditure of favor from deities, luck, skill, and perhaps a scratch, and thus the saving throw. If that mere scratch managed to be venomous, then DEATH. If no such wound was delivered, then NO DAMAGE FROM THE POISON. In cases where some partial damage is indicated, this reflects poisons either placed so that they are ingested or used so as to ensure that some small portion does get in the wound or skin of the opponent.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Can you explain your thinking on this point a little more?I read that as saying an actual envenomed scratch is instant death. So a venomous monster (giant spider with venomous bite, giant scorpion with poison stinger, a viper's fangs injecting venom, etc.) strikes a PC and does a d6 points of damage and a poison save with failure = death. If the save is failed the PC was scratched and the d6 hp damage is in part the scratch where the venom gets in. The save represents whether the hit was a scratch or not. If the save is made the d6 hp is not even a scratch though, no venom, but still hp damage. &quot;If no such wound was delivered, then NO DAMAGE FROM THE POISON&quot; the d6 hp still happens though and would come from the other parts of the hp, the &quot;so called damage is the expenditure of favor from deities, luck, skill&quot;.Are you reading it that the attack hits and always causes a physical wound but sometimes fails to inject and so the scratch is not envenomed?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Voadam, post: 9223288, member: 2209"] "For those who wonder why poison does either killing damage (usually) or no harm whatsoever, recall the justification for character hit points. That is, damage is not actually sustained – at least in proportion to the number of hit points marked off in most cases. The so called damage is the expenditure of favor from deities, luck, skill, and perhaps a scratch, and thus the saving throw. If that mere scratch managed to be venomous, then DEATH. If no such wound was delivered, then NO DAMAGE FROM THE POISON. In cases where some partial damage is indicated, this reflects poisons either placed so that they are ingested or used so as to ensure that some small portion does get in the wound or skin of the opponent." Can you explain your thinking on this point a little more? I read that as saying an actual envenomed scratch is instant death. So a venomous monster (giant spider with venomous bite, giant scorpion with poison stinger, a viper's fangs injecting venom, etc.) strikes a PC and does a d6 points of damage and a poison save with failure = death. If the save is failed the PC was scratched and the d6 hp damage is in part the scratch where the venom gets in. The save represents whether the hit was a scratch or not. If the save is made the d6 hp is not even a scratch though, no venom, but still hp damage. "If no such wound was delivered, then NO DAMAGE FROM THE POISON" the d6 hp still happens though and would come from the other parts of the hp, the "so called damage is the expenditure of favor from deities, luck, skill". Are you reading it that the attack hits and always causes a physical wound but sometimes fails to inject and so the scratch is not envenomed? [/QUOTE]

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