Price (and name) this poison!

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero
I need a poison for an assassination plot against a dwarven king. It's going to be an ingested poison, placed in beer. Since it's being used on dwarves, it obviously needs a pretty good DC.

Ingested poison: Initial damage 2d6 Strength, Secondary damage is 1d3 hours.

Any ideas? Name? DC? Price?

Thanks!
 

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Well, for the DC... an average dwarf is at +3 to his fortitude save against poisons, compared to a similar human. And if you consider that dwarves are more inclined towards the martial classes than other folks (and the Good Fortitude saves those bring)... a first level dwarf warrior is going to have a net +5 compared to a first level human commoner. So, definitely a tough poison.

Ingested poisons in the DMG range from DC 11 to DC 18, and the most high end stuff in the DMG is dragon bile, at Contact DC 26. So, if we're talking a high end, lethal poison targeting dwarves? Somewhere in the neighborhood of DC 25, maybe. Its almost always going to get any low-level dwarf, and it will likely get higher level ones. Of course, it'd be expensive as hell - somewhere in the 2,000 gp range, at least. This is premium stuff for assassins - it isn't for your everyday murder. It'd be reserved for tough targets who *have* to be affected.

Now, you could certainly go with lesser (and cheaper) versions - a DC 20 is still going to get most dwarves most of the time, and everyone else even more often. But if you've got an assassin who has the resources... why settle for anything else?

As for a name?

Beardsbane - I mean, its potent enough to get a dwarf.
 

Actually, not lethal. It's meant to incapacitate the guards while the assassin does his thing. So it makes them weak (or maybe even immobile) and unconscious as a secondary effect.

"Beardsbane" is good. I might tweak that to "Beardcutter," just to underscore that it's meant as an attack on the dwarves.
 

Dwarvesbane
Ingested DC 18
Initial Damage: 2d6 Str
Secondary Damage: Unconsciousness for 2d4 hours
Price: 500 gp

Special: The dwarven +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison does not apply to dwarvesbane.



Cheers,
Roger
 

How about "Rotgut"? :)

There were rules in Traps and Treachery for making poisons, and also (I think) for distilling two doses into one to bump the DC. There are also spells that pump the DC (Relics and Rituals II had one that added 2-5, and I think PHBII had one that upped it by 1 or 2).

I had a poisoning of a human head of state as a plot point in one of my games, but when I looked that the guy's Fort save, it was +19!! And he wasn't even a dwarf. In your case, you just have to get past the guards, but still, figure on dwarven king's personal guards having similarly ridiculously high saves.
 

Roger said:
Dwarvesbane
Ingested DC 18
Initial Damage: 2d6 Str
Secondary Damage: Unconsciousness for 2d4 hours
Price: 500 gp

Special: The dwarven +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison does not apply to dwarvesbane.

Seems expensive based on the poisons in the SRD. Knock it down to Unconsciousness for 2d4 hours and, say, 275 gp.

Also, if what you really want is something cheap that will knock the dwarves out more reliably, consider less initial damage, but make it Con damage - thus reducing their Fort save for the secondary effect.


-Stuart
 

Poisoning a Dwarf? Don't target his Fort save. Target Will instead. And have it deal Charisma damage.

Cheers, -- N
 


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