I've introduced unchained affilctions rules in my home game, and I've gotten some concerns from my players.
Specifically, there really aren't any effects in the existing rules that can offer relief from the ongoing poison effects other than time or high-level spells (neutralize poison or heal.)
I'm considering the following homebrew rules and was wondering what others thought...
Antitoxin: This oily, bitter-tasting alchemical remedy can be used in one of three ways: Preventitive Grants a +2 Alchemical bonus to all Fortitude saves versus poison for 1 hour. First Aid While actively poisoned, you may take a dose of antitoxin to allow you to roll twice on your next saving throw versus the poison, and take the better result. Restorative You may take a dose of antitoxin to alleviate the aftereffects of being poisoned. Make a saving throw against the poison's DC; success indicates that the poison's effect drops by 1 level after an hour. If the save beats the DC by 5 or more, this happens in just 10 minutes. Only one dose of antitoxin is effective for a given poisoning.
Heal skill: Recover from poison You may attempt to alleviate the aftereffects of poison. If you succeed on a Heal check against the DC of the poison, the poisoning effect drops by one level. This treatment takes 1 hour. A creature may only recover from poison in this manner once per day.
Lesser Neutralize Poison
School Conjuration (healing); Level bard 3, cleric 3, druid 2, paladin 3, ranger 2, shaman 2, witch 3
Components V, S, M/DF (charcoal)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell resistance Yes (harmless)
You detoxify some of the venom in a poisoned creature's system. If cast on a creature actively poisoned, the subject automatically makes its next saving throw against the poison. If cast on a creature who is suffering the aftereffects of being poisoned, the subject may make a saving throw against the poison with a bonus of +1 per 2 caster levels (max +5). Success indicates that the poison effect drops by one level.
I would just lesser restoration reduce the current poison level by 1.
I would just lesser restoration reduce the current poison level by 1.
Hmmm... I like that. No need for a new spell...
I am curious if anyone else has used the alternate affliction rules in a real game. It seems like they would kill you awfully fast. My PCs are running through a kobold lair where every other little bugger has strength poison. One of my players had already failed 3 saves :D
What I did to make it less lethal, is made weaker poisons advance 1/3 or 1/2 along the affliction track. So the player that failed three times is only at the first stage. So far it seems to be working fine.
The conversion rate I use is:
1 poison damage => 1/3 advancement per failed save
1d2 - 1d3 poison damage => 1/2 advancement per failed save
1d4+ => 1 advancement per failed save
I might throw in something where the spell undos ability damage from poison that occured in the last 1 round. Maybe change the save bonus to a flat +4.
Regarding weak poisons, look at Small Centipede Poison as a guide. It has a DC of 11, and runs for 4 rounds max. Cure is 1 save. The special note is that progressing past the first stage requires two failed saves. So, you can never progress to "Death
You could adapt the same mechanism for a weak Strength poison...
So your PC is exposed, and takes 1 hp poison damgage. He then fails a DC 11 save, and is Weakened. Next round, he fails his second save and is still Weakened. Third round, he fails a third save and is now Imapired. Finally, on Round 4, he fails his final save and is Staggered. The poison has run its course.
You can also always rule that a given non-death state is the final state of a given poison.
I've introduced unchained affilctions rules in my home game, and I've gotten some concerns from my players.
Specifically, there really aren't any effects in the existing rules that can offer relief from the ongoing poison effects other than time or high-level spells (neutralize poison or heal.)
I'm considering the following homebrew rules and was wondering what others thought...
Antitoxin: This oily, bitter-tasting alchemical remedy can be used in one of three ways: Preventitive Grants a +2 Alchemical bonus to all Fortitude saves versus poison for 1 hour. First Aid While actively poisoned, you may take a dose of antitoxin to allow you to roll twice on your next saving throw versus the poison, and take the better result. Restorative You may take a dose of antitoxin to alleviate the aftereffects of being poisoned. Make a saving throw against the poison's DC; success indicates that the poison's effect drops by 1 level after an hour. If the save beats the DC by 5 or more, this happens in just 10 minutes. Only one dose of antitoxin is effective for a given poisoning.
Heal skill: Recover from poison You may attempt to alleviate the aftereffects of poison. If you succeed on a Heal check against the DC of the poison, the poisoning effect drops by one level. This treatment takes 1 hour. A creature may only recover from poison in this manner once per day.
Lesser Neutralize Poison
School Conjuration (healing); Level bard 3, cleric 3, druid 2, paladin 3, ranger 2, shaman 2, witch 3
Components V, S, M/DF (charcoal)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell resistance Yes (harmless)You detoxify some of the venom in a poisoned creature's system. If cast on a creature actively poisoned, the subject automatically makes its...
I've been using Unchained Poisons/Diseases. So far the only poisons my players have faced have been from Serpentfolk. I ruled that Serpentfolk venom stops at Paralyzed, since Serpentfolk society runs on slaves, they would want their victims to be unable to run away, but otherwise not suffer any permanent effects. It stands to reason that their venom would have reached this evolutionary conclusion.
As for ways to fight poison, you're right - there aren't a lot of ways to un-poison yourself. I like your methods of fighting it, as well as Knight Magenta's suggestion to use Lesser Restoration. The only change I'd make would be making the Heal check a Long-Term check.