Hi everyone -- I wanted to see what peoples' thoughts were about afflictions and issues of time. It seems like there are two different camps, and I'm unsure what the "correct" answer is.
For example, an assassin stabs a player with a dagger that's coated with a poison that has the following stats:
Saving Throw DC 18 Fortitude; Onset 1 round; Maximum Duration 3 rounds; Stage 1 1d8 poison damage (1 round); Stage 2 1d10 poison damage (1 round); Stage 3 2d6 poison damage (1 round)
SCENARIO 1
* Assassin's Turn. Stabs PC. PC suffers weapon damage and must roll a Fort Save. PC fails the save.
* PC's Turn. Nothing related to the poison happens because the 1-round onset period has not passed.
* Assassin's Turn. The 1-round onset period is over. PC suffers Stage 1. There is a 1-round delay until the next save. Poison's duration is set to 3 rounds.
* PC's Turn. Nothing related to the poison happens because 1 round hasn't passed since the last save.
* Assassin's Turn. Poison's duration is set to 2 rounds. The 1-round delay following the previous save is over. PC rolls another Fort Save. Fails and moves to Stage 2. There is a 1-round delay until the next save.
* Repeat
SCENARIO 2
* Assassin's Turn. Stabs PC. PC suffers weapon damage and must roll a Fort Save. PC fails the save.
* PC's Turn. Nothing related to the poison happens because the 1-round onset period has not passed.
* Assassin's Turn. The 1-round onset period is over. PC suffers Stage 1. There is a 1-round delay until the next save. Poison's duration is set to 3 rounds.
* PC's Turn. At the end of their turn they must roll a Fort Save. They fail and move to Stage 2. Even though one full round did not pass since their previous save, they make their saving throw here at the end of their turn per page 469 of the Core Rules where it says, "You then attempt any saving throws for
ongoing afflictions" when discussing what happens at the end of each player's turn. There is a 1-round delay until the next saving throw.
* Assassin's Turn. Poison's duration is set to 2 rounds. Nothing else related to the poison happens here.
* PC's Turn. They must roll a save at the end of their turn.
* Repeat.
The main differences being that in Scenario 1, everything related to the poison takes place on the Assassin's turn because they're the one who created the effect. And in Scenario 2, the timing of the affliction is also tracked on the Assassin's turn (per the rules for effect durations), but the saves and results are applied at the end of the PC's turn (per the End of Turn rules). In either case, should the Assassin die before the Affliction expires or is removed, the duration of the affliction will continue to be tracked at the same point in initiative (as well as saves and results in Scenario 1).
Which Scenario is right? Or if neither of them are, what is the correct method?
Thanks!