Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ModusPonens Jan 22, 2015 16:21:06	I’m not fan of the poison rules (DMG.257-258). They’re really just too expensive on all fronts for anything practical. I've always held that merciless characters could use poisons to offset mediocre damage, but the costs are beyond balancing - they’re prohibitive. Serpent venom deals a respectable amount of damage, but at 200 gp a hit, it’s not an option for anything resembling regular use. Upon closer inspection though, it turns out that poison seems to not really be about dealing damage at all. It really looks to be about opening up a means by which non-magical attacks can impose pretty strong conditions (incap, unconscious, poisoned, etc.) without the aid of magic or spells. Dealing any kind of significant damage with poisons seems to be entirely incidental. Still, my thinking on poisons is that it can be a cash-out option for classes who would like to deal a smidge more damage. This is really low-hanging fruit. The idea of straight damage from poison applied to weapons has conceptual weight behind it after years of other games using that simplified approach to the issue. We can do the same:   “Venom” is a new option available to those who are proficient with the use of the poisoner’s kit and are at least 3rd level. Venom is a toxin that can be produced cheaply and easily, granting reliable additional poison damage when using weapons coated with it. Each dose can coat one melee weapon or three pieces of ammunition. Once coated, a melee weapon will deal additional poison damage once per turn on a successful hit for up to 10 minutes, after which time the venom either loses its potency or another dose must be applied. Ammunition can only deliver its coating of venom one time before it loses potency.   Level Damage Cost Brew Time 3-4 1d4 25 gp 1 day 5-10 1d6 50 gp 2 days 11-16 1d8 200 gp 8 days 17-20 1d10 5000 gp 20 days
#2 tubadancross Jan 23, 2015 7:45:39	I like the 'once per turn' bit. I will likely add this to my game. (currently adding to my bookmarks for easy access).
#3 BRJN Jan 30, 2015 18:38:57	If you have a would-be Poisoner Rogue who feels under-loved, Sneak Attack can be reflavored as "the poison you put on your blade" - because SA can be used only 1/turn, and scales up as the character levels up.