Diseases and Poison

[Fabian Benavente]

I understand that the Unchained rules will be used for diseases and poisons. These rules are a lot 'tougher' than the current PF rules.

For example:

Regular PF: fail fortitude save DC 17 for large scorpion venom four times and you lost from 4 to 8 points of strength

Starfinder: fail fortitude save DC 17 for large scorpion venom four times and you are Immobile (A character rendered immobile by Strength poison cannot move her body at all. She is helpless and can take only purely mental actions.)

If you fail your save vs a poison that 'attacks' CON just three times then it's even worse because you become Disabled (A character disabled by Constitution poison gains the disabled condition. If she takes a standard action, her hit points drop by 1 or to –1, whichever is worse.)

Something similar happens with diseases.

How will PCs cope with this?

Don't get me wrong, making poisons and diseases this much more serious (or deadly) is a step in the right direction but I'm just trying to see how it will be handled by PCs.

[Owen K. C. Stephens]

It's all built into the system of spells, equipment, special abilities, gear, and how we define the steps of poison failure.

[DrSwordopolis]

Piggybacking onto this - will poison be a workable combat strategy in Starfinder?

In Pathfinder it's almost impossible to make a decent poison build due to the expense and super-low DCs of poisons. Will we see an operative who uses a self-poisoning blade that needs reloads every 10 strikes, or a soldier with a gas grenade attack?

[Wikrin]

DrSwordopolis wrote:

Piggybacking onto this - will poison be a workable combat strategy in Starfinder?

In Pathfinder it's almost impossible to make a decent poison build due to the expense and super-low DCs of poisons. Will we see an operative who uses a self-poisoning blade that needs reloads every 10 strikes, or a soldier with a gas grenade attack?

Ooh! Or pepper spray grenades. Those things are the best.

[Steven "Troll" O'Neal]

Wikrin wrote:

DrSwordopolis wrote:

Piggybacking onto this - will poison be a workable combat strategy in Starfinder?

In Pathfinder it's almost impossible to make a decent poison build due to the expense and super-low DCs of poisons. Will we see an operative who uses a self-poisoning blade that needs reloads every 10 strikes, or a soldier with a gas grenade attack?

Ooh! Or pepper spray grenades. Those things are the best.

Yeah, but they only work on mammals.