Poisons

[James Jacobs]

Poison use isn't inherently chaotic OR evil... any more so than swordplay or fireballs are. If poison were inherently chaotic or evil, the poison spell would have Chaotic or Evil descriptors, and couatls and guardian nagas wouldn't have poison bites. What IS chaotic or evil is when you use poison to murder someone... but that's no different in the end than stabbing them in the neck or burning down their house.

 

[TanisFrey]

I was talking to a friend about this issue this past weekend. He suggest an all or nothing reflex save, damage, followed by fortitude save or more damage.

His rational was that the creature bites or stings you, then it squeezes a second set of mussels to pump the poison into its victim. The reflex save would reflect did you get out of the bite before that venom started to flow into you? Followed by fortitude saves to resist the actual poison.

This idea would make poison more potent against the fighters whom face it the most often from an incoming attack.

What do you think of this idea?

 

[Skytheen]

Coupe of questions about poison-

In the PFSRD there is much talk about 'frequency' with poison. Not clear what is meant by that. Frequencies are listed like this:

1/min. for 4 min.
or
1/rd. for 6 rds.

I'm guessing that means the victim makes a Fort save every minute for 4 minutes (or every round for 6 rounds as my example shows) or takes the damage listed. Is that about right?

Questions about dosage-
D&D 3.5 rules:
1) In D&D 3.5 an application of poison on a weapon only lasts for 10 minutes, Olde 2nd edition D&D had the poison application lasting for 1 hour. Any official Pathfinder does not talk about this yet.
2) D&D 3.5 states that "It is not possible to apply poison to any weapon in less than 1 dose." Any official Pathfinder ruling on this one?

 

[TanisFrey]

Coupe of questions about poison-

In the PFSRD there is much talk about 'frequency' with poison. Not clear what is meant by that. Frequencies are listed like this:

1/min. for 4 min.
or
1/rd. for 6 rds.

I'm guessing that means the victim makes a Fort save every minute for 4 minutes (or every round for 6 rounds as my example shows) or takes the damage listed. Is that about right?

Questions about dosage-
D&D 3.5 rules:
1) In D&D 3.5 an application of poison on a weapon only lasts for 10 minutes, Olde 2nd edition D&D had the poison application lasting for 1 hour. Any official Pathfinder does not talk about this yet.
2) D&D 3.5 states that "It is not possible to apply poison to any weapon in less than 1 dose." Any official Pathfinder ruling on this one?

Yes on the frequency of saves until the character makes enough saves in a row to meet the cure conditions. That 1 or 2 saves in a row for most of the poisons in PF handbook.

As for the two other questions you asked, I don't remember if PF changes that.