Home brewed item: medical syringe

[Daspolo]

I have an idea for a new item in my game and would like some help balancing it.
Medical syringe
25 gp
These may be used to inject potions, poisons, or infused extracts; filling a syringe is a full round action.
To successfully inject the injector must make a DC 10 heal check and a DC 10 dexterity check. Failing either cancels the injection. Failing the dexterity check has a 30% chance to break the needle off inside the injectee, causing 1 point bleed damage for 3 rounds and increasing the chance of infection from a dirty needle to 90%. The injector can purposely break the needle after the injection if desired. Injecting into a willing target requires both the injector and injectee to stand, sit, or lay still; otherwise the dexterity check increases to DC 20. This provoke an attack of opportunity for both parties. Injecting into an unwilling target requires the targetto be grappled, flat footed, or otherwise lose there dexterity bonus. An injection is a full round action.
Once a needle is used it becomes a dirty needle and needs to be sanitized before used on anyone but the original injectee. If it isn't sanitized the second injectee has a 30% chance to be infected with any disease affecting the earlier users of the needle (roll for each disease, saves apply ad always. If the original users had no disease the new user may still be infected with ( I need help picking a few weak but still problematic and common diseases.) A needle can be sanitized with an alchemists lab taking 2 full rounds. Alternatively fire or strong alcohol may be used but this takes 3 full rounds and has a 20% chance to fail.
When someone is injected the person is affected by the infusion, potion, or poison as normal in most instances; however exceptionally talented healers can perform extremely accurate injections into specific veins and arteries creating stronger effects. When using a potion or infusion and scoring a 30 or higher on the heal check the potion or infusion is treated as if effected by the maximized metamagic feat as applies. When using a poison the DC increases by 1 for every 5 above 20 for the heal check.
I like what I've come up with but don't know if it's properly balanced and would like your opinions on balancing or any other suggestions.

[BishopMcQ]

Have you looked at the old Age of Worms Adventure Path? The character Filge uses a syringe to inject potions and poisons.

There is a lot of bookkeeping with the item (percentage chances to fail, etc) which I would tend to simplify into the following:

Syringe
Price: 25 gp

A syringe can be used to inject potions or poisons into a creature as a standard action. Filling a syringe is a full round action which provokes an attack of opportunity. Injecting an unwilling target requires a successful attack roll and provokes an attack of opportunity which is why most users take opponents by surprise or render them helpless before injecting them.

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If you want to keep the dirty needle concerns, I would go with Filth Fever. Personally I don't think it's a level of realism needed for my games, but to each their own. Similarly, I wouldn't include a mechanic for breaking off the needle.

[Daspolo]

I'm not opposed to simplifying it. But I worry that under your method there isn't much of an incentive to use it.

I do feel you're right about the needle breaking however.

[Cr500cricket]

Ooh! Does this mean we can have a syringe gun?

[Daspolo]

Let's give that a shot cr500cricket

Syringe gun
120000 gp
This functions as a revolver but with a range increment of 15 feet, no chance of misfire, and fires syringes as opposed to dealing damage. This requires an attack role to use, and dissimilar to other guns takes armor into account. The syringes fired in this way always shatter. The bonuses to the injection only functions on a critical hit and require a heal role to determine bonuses.
The syringes are fired with telekinesis which also injects them upon reaching the target. This item does not need powder.
Any attempt to sunder this weapon shatters the syringes pouring the contents and possibly poisoning the wielder.

[Daspolo]

Also construction
Cl 11
Telekinesis
60000 gp
Faint transmutation

[BishopMcQ]

Daspolo wrote:

I'm not opposed to simplifying it. But I worry that under your method there isn't much of an incentive to use it.

I do feel you're right about the needle breaking however.

Daspolo--The major benefit that is being gained in the way I presented it is the ability to administer a potion (poison) to someone else as a Standard Action, rather than a Full Round action such as with an unconscious target. That has fringe benefits, but there's also the flavor and roleplaying aspects.

If you want more of a mechanical benefit, you could potions with a duration longer than Instantaneous function for one additional round before ceasing. Alternately, Cure/Cause potions delivered in this fashion receive a +1 hp per die, so a Cure Moderate Wounds potion would heal 2d8+5 instead of the usual 2d8+3.

[♣♠Magic♦♥]

Or you could just use this...
:)