Poisoned

Condition Severity: Moderate

   You have become poisoned by some powerful drug, allergen, or agent. Such things can have wildly different effects, harming body, mind, or soul.

Effects

• Poisoned is usually the result of a moderately powerful poison or drug affecting a creature's system. Poisons are typically written in the following format:

Candor Serum (Ingest vector; Poisoned intensity)

Fort DC 20; Frequency: 1/rounds for 3 rounds

Effect: 1d4 WIS and 1d8 non-lethal damage per interval; fruition: Victim must tell only the truth for 1d6 hours, and my not omit truths.

• Poisons have the following characteristics, which detail how they affect a creature which fails a saving throw against them: Name, Vector, Intensity, Save, Frequency, Effect, and Fruition.

• Name: This is the name of the poison or drug. ("Candor Serum" in the example above.)
• Vector: This is the means by which the poison must be introduced to a subject to cause it to become poisoned: contact, ingested, inhaled, injury. Note that vectors are not interchangeable — an injury poison won't harm a target that ingests it, unless the poison also has an ingest vector listed.
• Intensity: The intensity of a poison states whether the poison inflicts tainted, poisoned, or blighted, which determines how easily the effects of the poison are cured.

• Save: This is the saving throw type (Fort, Refl, Will) and DC for the poison. A creature subjected to poison makes a saving throw against the poison immediately upon its introduction to their system, and one saving throw for the second and third intervals of the poison's frequency. The save DC is always the same for all of these saves. A creature which fails a saving throw against poison will always take one interval worth of effects from the poison as a result. If the saving throw is successful, the poison is shrugged off, and deals no further effects to the target.
• Frequency: Many poisons act immediately upon their introduction to a target, but some poisons are designed to be slower to act. The frequency determines how often the poison will attempt to inflict its effects on the victim, and when its first effects are felt. There are three frequencies for poisons: "1/round for 3 rounds", "1/hour for 3 hours", and "1/day for 3 days". Poisons never have more than 3 intervals of their frequency. The first interval's effects are triggered by the failure of the initial saving throw, but may not occur until the first interval has passed, as detailed below:

• "1/round for 3 rounds": Poisons with a frequency of "rounds" inflict their first interval of effects as soon as the poison is introduced into the system of its victim. (E.g. a drow blademaster stabs the fighter, inflicting melee damage, and forcing the fighter to save against the drow's languishroot poison. If the save is failed, the fighter immediately takes the first interval of effects of the poison.) The target of a poison with a frequency of "rounds" takes the second interval of effects at the start of their next turn, if they fail a second save. The round after that, at the start of the target's second turn after being poisoned, they make their third (and final) save against the poison. If this save is also failed, the third interval of effects are inflicted, and the poison's fruition is also inflicted (if it has one).
• "1/hour for 3 hours": Slower poisons, such as many ingested poisons, may act with a frequency of "1/hour for 3 hours". In this case, the target creature makes their first saving throw as soon as the poison is introduced, but they take no effect from the poison until the first interval (1 hour later) occurs. The victim doesn't get a second saving throw until the second interval (2 hours after the poison's introduction). If they fail the second save, they take a second interval of effects. At the start of the 3rd hour, the third (and final) save is made. If this save is also failed, the third interval of effects are inflicted, and the poison's fruition is inflicted (if it has one).
• "1/day for 3 days": This frequency is extremely rare for poisons. Much like a poison with a frequency of "hours", the target creature makes their first saving throw as soon as the poison is introduced, but they take no effect from the poison until the first interval occurs, at the beginning of the next day. The victim doesn't get a second saving throw until the second interval (2 days after the poison's introduction). If they fail the second save, they take a second interval of effects. At the start of the 3rd day, the third (and final) save is made. If this save is also failed, the third interval of effects are inflicted, and the poison's fruition is inflicted (if it has one).

• Effect: This is what the poison does to a poisoned creature at each interval of its frequency, if the saving throw was unsuccessful. The most common poisons inflict a combination of ability damage (or ability drain) and Non-Lethal Damage, although poison effects can vary wildly. Note that non-lethal damage from poison, though physical damage, cannot be mitigated with DR, unless the DR explicitly states it can be used to mitigate non-lethal damage (such as the Endurance (Feat)).
• Fruition: This is the effect inflicted if the poison's third tick of its frequency is allowed to occur before a successful saving throw against the poison is made. Fruitions always list a duration after which the effect(s) expire on their own. This can be some number of hours, days, or even permanent. Note that a poison's fruition can only occur after 3 failed saving throws. Fruitions for poisons with the poisoned intensity can vary wildly, from a weak status condition that is uncurable for several days, to a strong condition which ends after a day, to very short-term, but very powerful effects, such as compulsions ("kill the living!"), which end one minute after they begin.

Ended By

If the ability, trap, or effect description includes specific directions for how the condition is ended, then that is the primary means of ending this condition. In many cases, it is the only way to end the condition. If nothing is specifically listed for ending the condition, then the following methods can be used to end it, instead:

• Curing the Poison: You get a saving throw versus the poison's listed DC immediately upon being subjected to the poison (to resist the first interval's effects), and a second saving throw just before the second and third intervals. If any of these saving throws are successful, the poison is shrugged off, and causes no further effects (though the existing damage and effects linger, as described below).

• Poisons which have the poisoned intensity usually cannot be ended prematurely by spells, abilities, or effects. Instead, most such abilities simply grant the poisoned creature a bonus saving throw. Bonus saving throws against poison (such as those granted by Neutralize Poison (Spell)) do not count against the poison's frequency (i.e. they don't shorten the time remaining on the poison's frequency), but they also cannot inflict the poison's effects on the creature if the creature fails the bonus saving throw. Bonus saving throws which are successful cure the poison, though the existing damage and effects linger, as described below.
• Unlike most conditions, restoration spells and similar effects which broadly cure moderate status conditions do not work on Poisoned creatures, unless they explicitly state they can be used to treat poison. If the spell, ability, or effect can be used to treat poisons, it typically behaves like Neutralize Poison (Spell), granting a bonus saving throw with a bonus to the roll.
• If not otherwise cured, the poison or drug runs its course when after all three intervals of its frequency occur. If the poison has a "fruition" effect, it occurs at the same time as the third interval's effects.

• Curing Damage: Any hit point damage (including non-lethal damage) caused by the effects or fruition of a poison or drug with an intensity of poisoned can be cured normally, even before the poison itself has been cured.
• Curing Effects: All effects (other than damage) that are inflicted by a poison or drug with a poisoned intensity linger even after the poison is cured or has run its course, regardless of any successful saving throws made by the poisoned creature. These effects must be cured separately.
• Curing the Fruition: The fruition of a poison or drug with a poisoned intensity can only be cured by waiting for their listed duration to expire, or by use of a Wish (Spell) or Miracle (Spell). They are not otherwise curable by any other magic, including Restoration, Greater (Spell), unless the spell, ability, or effect specifically states it can cure the fruition of a poison or a disease.

Array

Tainted → Poisoned → Blighted