How does poison work?

[JeenLeen]

I'm playing a rogue and planning on taking the Assassin route, and I was reading up on Poisoner's Kit in the PHB and found little insight. The index just pointed me to the Poisoned condition (disadvantage on some stuff).

Some questions:
1. What actions do you use a poisoner's kit for? (Ex. lacing weapon, making poison, extracting poison)
2. How do you get poison and is there a listed price? Is it just the uses of a kit, or do you have to 'find it' (aka, ask DM). My character has some seedy contacts, so buying it on the black market shouldn't be hard.
3. Is it just 'poison' or are there types of poison that do different things (like in 3.5)?
4. What action is it to lace a weapon, and when does the poison wear off (upon a hit, after x minutes, etc.)?
5. Is there a save to resist being poisoned?

Also, any hints or other special rules are appreciated!

[Addaran]

There's a special section in the DM's guide for poison. Different types, how much time the poison work (stop after the first hit) and how many ammunitions you can coat. I don't have it though, so can't give you the specifics and pages. =(

[RickAllison]

I'm playing a rogue and planning on taking the Assassin route, and I was reading up on Poisoner's Kit in the PHB and found little insight. The index just pointed me to the Poisoned condition (disadvantage on some stuff).

Some questions:
1. What actions do you use a poisoner's kit for? (Ex. lacing weapon, making poison, extracting poison)
2. How do you get poison and is there a listed price? Is it just the uses of a kit, or do you have to 'find it' (aka, ask DM). My character has some seedy contacts, so buying it on the black market shouldn't be hard.
3. Is it just 'poison' or are there types of poison that do different things (like in 3.5)?
4. What action is it to lace a weapon, and when does the poison wear off (upon a hit, after x minutes, etc.)?
5. Is there a save to resist being poisoned?

Also, any hints or other special rules are appreciated!

1) Making and extracting poisons. Extracting will be your best friend here, and is the main reason to use it.
2) Make, buy, or extract the poison. The basic poison has stats and price in the PHB, and there are 14 other poisons in the DMG. With many creatures, you could just extract the venom and use it (3 levels in warlock for Chain Pact would give you an unlimited source of a very useful poison from the pseudodragon, for example).
3) See 2. Basic poison just deals damage, but other poisons do things from some combination of damage, inflicting poisoned condition, or potentially other conditions as well.
4) Lacing a weapon is its own action. By the books, it seems like poison lasts for three arrows or 1 minute (so ten rounds), but I believe errata has taken that down to wearing off on the first successful hit for melee (same for ranged, however). Kind of bogus, I'm not a fan of the ruling, so YMMV.
5) Every RAW poison is a Con save.

EDIT: DMG, pages 257 and 258, if you want to know where to get the information.

[JackPhoenix]

Most poisons also don't inflict Poisoned condition, many of them do just some amount of poison damage.

[RickAllison]

Most poisons also don't inflict Poisoned condition, many of them do just some amount of poison damage.

RAW poisons that inflict the poisoned condition (without going through the MM): Pale Tincture, Oil of Taggit, Malice, Essence of Ether, Drow Poison, Truth Serum, Torpor, Carrion Crawler Mucus, and Assassin's Blood. So of the 15 poisons not taken from the MM, only six don't inflict the condition, or 40%, so most of those do. Only four (basic poison, Purple Worm Poison, Wyvern Poison, and Serpent Venom) do only the damage. Just to clarify numbers, since that doesn't really qualify as most :smallwink:

[MeeposFire]

1) Making and extracting poisons. Extracting will be your best friend here, and is the main reason to use it.
2) Make, buy, or extract the poison. The basic poison has stats and price in the PHB, and there are 14 other poisons in the DMG. With many creatures, you could just extract the venom and use it (3 levels in warlock for Chain Pact would give you an unlimited source of a very useful poison from the pseudodragon, for example).
3) See 2. Basic poison just deals damage, but other poisons do things from some combination of damage, inflicting poisoned condition, or potentially other conditions as well.
4) Lacing a weapon is its own action. By the books, it seems like poison lasts for three arrows or 1 minute (so ten rounds), but I believe errata has taken that down to wearing off on the first successful hit for melee (same for ranged, however). Kind of bogus, I'm not a fan of the ruling, so YMMV.
5) Every RAW poison is a Con save.

EDIT: DMG, pages 257 and 258, if you want to know where to get the information.

5) Is not exactly true as several creatures in the monster manual have poisons with no saves. For example drow and basilisks. Most have saves though.

[RickAllison]

5) Is not exactly true as several creatures in the monster manual have poisons with no saves. For example drow and basilisks. Most have saves though.

As I stated in my posts, I was considering it from the 15 poisons between the PHB and DMG. Too many poisons in the MM to be worth my time searching through it (at least not while I'm binge-watching Once Upon a Time!) :smallbiggrin: And all of those 15 have Con saves.