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## Poisons Given their insidious and deadly nature, poisons are illegal in most societies but are a favorite tool among assassins, drow, and other evil creatures. Poisons come in the following four types. ***Contact.*** Contact poison can be smeared on an object and remains potent until it is touched or washed off. A creature that touches contact poison with exposed skin suffers its effects. ***Ingested.*** A creature must swallow an entire dose of ingested poison to suffer its effects. The dose can be delivered in food or a liquid. You may decide that a partial dose has a reduced effect, such as allowing advantage on the saving throw or dealing only half damage on a failed save. ***Inhaled.*** These poisons are powders or gases that take effect when inhaled. Blowing the powder or releasing the gas subjects creatures in a 5-foot cube to its effect. The resulting cloud dissipates immediately afterward. Holding one’s breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons, as they affect nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body. ***Injury.*** Injury poison can be applied to weapons, ammunition, trap components, and other objects that deal piercing or slashing damage and remains potent until delivered through a wound or washed off. A creature that takes piercing or slashing damage from an object coated with the poison is exposed to its effects. ##### Poisons | Item | Type | Price per Dose | |——————–|———-|—————-| | Assassin’s blood | Ingested | 150 gp | | Burnt othur fumes | Inhaled | 500 gp | | Crawler mucus | Contact | 200 gp | | Drow poison | Injury | 200 gp | | Essence of ether | Inhaled | 300 gp | | Malice | Inhaled | 250 gp | | Midnight tears | Ingested | 1,500 gp | | Oil of taggit | Contact | 400 gp | | Pale tincture | Ingested | 250 gp | | Purple worm poison | Injury | 2,000 gp | | Serpent venom | Injury | 200 gp | | Torpor | Ingested | 600 gp | | Truth serum | Ingested | 150 gp | | Wyvern poison | Injury | 1,200 gp | #### Sample Poisons Each type of poison has its own debilitating effects. ***Assassin’s Blood (Ingested).*** A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 6 (1d12) poison damage and is poisoned for 24 hours. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and isn’t poisoned. ***Burnt Othur Fumes (Inhaled).*** A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage, and must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns. On each successive failed save, the character takes 3 (1d6) poison damage. After three successful saves, the poison ends. ***Crawler Mucus (Contact).*** This poison must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated crawler. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The poisoned creature is paralyzed. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. ***Drow Poison (Injury).*** This poison is typically made only by the drow, and only in a place far removed from sunlight. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is also unconscious while poisoned in this way. The creature wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake. ***Essence of Ether (Inhaled).*** A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 8 hours. The poisoned creature is unconscious. The creature wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake. ***Malice (Inhaled).*** A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. The poisoned creature is blinded. ***Midnight Tears (Ingested).*** A creature that ingests this poison suffers no effect until the stroke of midnight. If the poison has not been neutralized before then, the creature must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 31 (9d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. ***Oil of Taggit (Contact).*** A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 24 hours. The poisoned creature is unconscious. The creature wakes up if it takes damage. ***Pale Tincture (Ingested).*** A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 3 (1d6) poison damage and become poisoned. The poisoned creature must repeat the saving throw every 24 hours, taking 3 (1d6) poison damage on a failed save. Until this poison ends, the damage the poison deals can’t be healed by any means. After seven successful saving throws, the effect ends and the creature can heal normally. ***Purple Worm Poison (Injury).*** This poison must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated purple worm. A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. ***Serpent Venom (Injury).*** This poison must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated giant poisonous snake. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. ***Torpor (Ingested).*** A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 4d6 hours. The poisoned creature is incapacitated. ***Truth Serum (Ingested).*** A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. The poisoned creature can’t knowingly speak a lie, as if under the effect of a *zone of truth* spell. ***Wyvern Poison (Injury).*** This poison must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated wyvern. A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. |
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| Source | Dungeon Master’s Guide 🛒 |
Poisons belong to the most feared tools in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. They are the preferred weapons of assassins, drow, and other shady figures who want to eliminate their victims quietly and effectively. While these deadly substances are illegal in most civilized societies, they offer both Dungeon Masters and players exciting opportunities for intrigue and dangerous encounters.
The Four Types of Poisons
Poisons are divided into four different categories, each with their own application methods and tactical advantages:
Contact poisons are particularly insidious, as they can be applied to objects and retain their effectiveness there until they are touched or washed away. A door handle prepared with Oil of Taggit can spell doom for a careless intruder.
Ingested poisons must be completely swallowed to take effect. They can be perfectly mixed into food or drinks. The notorious Assassin’s Blood is a classic example of this treacherous category.
Inhaled poisons work as powders or gases and affect all creatures in a 5-foot cube. Particularly perfidious: even holding one’s breath doesn’t help, as these poisons work through nasal membranes and tear ducts.
Injury poisons can be applied to weapons, ammunition, or traps and remain effective until they enter the body through a wound. The legendary Purple Worm Poison is one of the deadliest of its kind.
Use at the Gaming Table
As a Dungeon Master, poisons offer versatile opportunities for dramatic scenes. They’re perfect for murder plots in urban campaigns or as tools of unscrupulous villains. The Dungeon Master’s Guide 🛒 offers an extensive selection of various poisons with different effects and prices.
For players, poisons open up new tactical possibilities, especially for rogues and other stealthy characters. A well-placed Truth Serum can extract important information from unwilling NPCs, while Drow Poison incapacitates enemies without killing them.
Tips for Usage
Poisons should be used sparingly and with consideration. Their high price and illegality make them valuable resources that shouldn’t be wasted. Also consider the moral implications: using poisons can significantly damage the group’s reputation in civilized areas.
As a Dungeon Master, you can use poisons as rewards for particularly clever approaches or employ them as part of puzzles and challenges. Don’t forget that many poisons require special antidotes or magical cleansing – a *Lesser Restoration* can save lives!
This article was created using AI, based on data from the 5e-database project (D&D 5e System Reference Document, licensed under CC BY 4.0).
