I'm probably just reading something the wrong way, but I can't find any clear rule on how long the effects of a poison last.
Lets say i fail my save against Wyvern poison, DC 17. I fail for three rounds, doing 6 points of damage to my CON (1d4 per round). I finally make my save and take no further damage.
How long do I lose the 6 points of CON for?
Until the ability damage is healed. Either through natural healing (1 per day, 2 if complete bed rest) or magically.
In the Glossary of the Core Rule book,
Ability Score Damage, Penalty, and Drain
Diseases, poisons, spells, and other abilities can all deal damage directly to your ability scores. This damage does not actually reduce an ability, but it does apply a penalty to the skills and statistics that are based on that ability.
For every 2 points of damage you take to a single ability, apply a –1 penalty to skills and statistics listed with the relevant ability. If the amount of ability damage you have taken equals or exceeds your ability score, you immediately fall unconscious until the damage is less than your ability score. The only exception to this is your Constitution score. If the damage to your Constitution is equal to or greater than your Constitution score, you die. Unless otherwise noted, damage to your ability scores is healed at the rate of 1 per day to each ability score that has been damaged. Ability damage can be healed through the use of spells, such as lesser restoration.
Some spells and abilities cause you to take an ability penalty for a limited amount of time. While in effect, these penalties function just like ability damage, but they cannot cause you to fall unconscious or die. In essence, penalties cannot decrease your ability score to less than 1.
Thank you.
Running a campaign in which the players are pretty much kicking a--. 2 ninjas, that tend to go invisible at the drop of a hat. A city Ranger and a summoner with ridiculous eidolon.
I'm running this for players that know the rules better than I do and I am hoping to make it more challenging for them without just being ridiculous and automatic TPK.