What is drow poison made of? And how long does it last?

[Feuerphoenix]

Hey guys,

I am playing a new campaign on which I play a drow who applies drow poison on his weapons. Now I agreed with my DM that I take the sky background and exchange the thief tools proficiency with a poisoner's tool proficiency. In the DMG I find the drow poison, but no information what its ingrediences are. How should I handle its duration? An errata made clear, that the poison only wears of by cleaning it off or by using it. Is a poison gone after one successful hit?

thanks for the answers in advance :)

[Ninja_Prawn]

no information what its ingrediences are.

Just on this point, Candlekeep.com says "The active ingredient comes from the spores of the oloth'arr mushroom."

Apparently the mushroom is common in the Underdark.

[Shining Wrath]

The DMG says that the poison is made "far from sunlight", so it might be sunlight sensitive as many drow items are. Up to your DM. It's super-powerful stuff, if I were he I'd have some concerns.

[JackPhoenix]

Just as purple worm poison is made from purple worms and serpent venom is made from snakes, drow poison is made from drow

[Dalebert]

Just as purple worm poison is made from purple worms and serpent venom is made from snakes, drow poison is made from drow

I love it. Male drow or female drow? Each has it's awkward implications.

[Ninja_Prawn]

drow poison is made from drow

In fairness, both driders and yochlol produce venom. It's not so hard to believe that blended-up (http://www.willitblend.com/) drow guts would be poisonous to other races.

[Shining Wrath]

Just as purple worm poison is made from purple worms and serpent venom is made from snakes, drow poison is made from drow

Technically, purple worm poison and serpent venom are excreted by purple worms and serpents, so drow poison must be excreted by drow via specialized glands; let us leave exactly which glands and the method by which the drow apply their venom to the imagination

[Socratov]

Just on this point, Candlekeep.com says "The active ingredient comes from the spores of the oloth'arr mushroom."

Apparently the mushroom is common in the Underdark.

You know, I'm actually disappointed that drow poison is not made from actual (livind/dedad) drow. To me that would simultaneously explain why its use is considered so heinous, effective and as well as why it's so bloody expensive.

[Feuerphoenix]

Thanks for your answers :)

But how is the ruling for its usage? As far as I dmg and phb go, poison is applied on the weapon and stays applied until it is used. When you keep in mind that you may also poison ammunition up to a number of three, this means you should be able to make at least three uses out of one dose on a melee weapon.
At least in terms of balance this makes sense, maybe even 5 uses, as getting to melee range is always more risky than ranged fights. What do you think?

[JackPhoenix]

You know, I'm actually disappointed that drow poison is not made from actual (livind/dedad) drow. To me that would simultaneously explain why its use is considered so heinous, effective and as well as why it's so bloody expensive.

Expensive? Drow poison is... and was in 3.5e... one of the cheapest poisons available.


Thanks for your answers :)

But how is the ruling for its usage? As far as I dmg and phb go, poison is applied on the weapon and stays applied until it is used. When you keep in mind that you may also poison ammunition up to a number of three, this means you should be able to make at least three uses out of one dose on a melee weapon.
At least in terms of balance this makes sense, maybe even 5 uses, as getting to melee range is always more risky than ranged fights. What do you think?

It's balanced as it is, and changing it wouldn't make much sense: if you hit someone with melee weapon, the poison is smeared off...that's how it gets into the wound, after all. Having 3 uses instead of one is because it's harder to use it with ranged weapon: it's easier to get an advantage to hit in melee, melee weapons generally cause more damage, and if you miss with melee weapon, it's still poisoned when you try again, if you miss with an arrow, it's gone and the 200+ gp poison with it.

[Feuerphoenix]

Expensive? Drow poison is... and was in 3.5e... one of the cheapest poisons available.



It's balanced as it is, and changing it wouldn't make much sense: if you hit someone with melee weapon, the poison is smeared off...that's how it gets into the wound, after all. Having 3 uses instead of one is because it's harder to use it with ranged weapon: it's easier to get an advantage to hit in melee, melee weapons generally cause more damage, and if you miss with melee weapon, it's still poisoned when you try again, if you miss with an arrow, it's gone and the 200+ gp poison with it.

mmh but 1D4 for 100gp is a little bit harsh. And that is the case for the basic poison in the PHB, and it doesn't even apply the poisoned condition. At least for me, I can not understand why you should use a poison when it is a one use item. Especially if you keep in mind that drows as NPCs in the MM can apply this poison on EVERY attack. Also, if you do a melee attack, the DC should be higher, because the dose is higher. And the possibility to let someone make the SV 3 times is still better than once, even if you only hit once, you have the same effect as if you just attack with a sword.

[JackPhoenix]

mmh but 1D4 for 100gp is a little bit harsh. And that is the case for the basic poison in the PHB, and it doesn't even apply the poisoned condition. At least for me, I can not understand why you should use a poison when it is a one use item. Especially if you keep in mind that drows as NPCs in the MM can apply this poison on EVERY attack. Also, if you do a melee attack, the DC should be higher, because the dose is higher. And the possibility to let someone make the SV 3 times is still better than once, even if you only hit once, you have the same effect as if you just attack with a sword.

Poisons (and things that shouldn't be, like drugs) being riddiculously expensive is a D&D tradition. Propably has something to do with the fact that they were much more powerful back in pre-3.5e. Proclaiming their use "evil" has a similar reasoning, IIRC. Alchemical substances, too, are for some reason more expensive in 5e... you can get Alchemist's Fire for double the 3.5 price, and worse effect. Acid is stronger (2d6 instead of 1d6), but 2.5 times as expensive.

[NecroDancer]

Technically, purple worm poison and serpent venom are excreted by purple worms and serpents, so drow poison must be excreted by drow via specialized glands; let us leave exactly which glands and the method by which the drow apply their venom to the imagination

So Drow poison is made up of snips and snails and Drow poop?

[Shining Wrath]

So Drow poison is made up of snips and snails and Drow poop?

Trust me. You don't want to know.

[Feuerphoenix]

Trust me. You don't want to know.

This Sounds like a very dumb idea, But in fact, yes I want to know it 😋

[Shining Wrath]

Certain drow, instead of having darkvision, secrete drow poison into their eyeballs' vitreous humor. These drow are identified easily (as they keep bumping into things in the dark) and are kept in cages and fed a diet high in rotting flesh, which stimulates the secretion of drow poison. Every so often their eyes are lanced and the poison drained off. This leaves them blind, but since they live in absolute darkness without darkvision they really don't know they are blind. It's not a bad life once the poison-secreting drow grows accustomed to rotten meat, aside from the occasional poke in the eye with a sharp needle.

[Finieous]

Players' tears.

[JAL_1138]

Ingredients: 1 Drow. Live or dead, doesn't really matter, but if dead, must be fresh. Purée thoroughly (spinning blade traps are a good choice) and strain liquid into 15-gallon barrel through cheesecloth. Add yeast and allow to ferment for 2 weeks to 1 month. Distill in copper pot still as with any mash for liquor to roughly 100-proof. Yields roughly 5 gallons of distillate, assuming a 180-lb Drow. Age distillate in new, charred barrel made from woody subterranean fungus for 8-15 years for best quality. Some evaporation will occur during aging; expect loss of roughly 2% per year and final yield of 3-4 gallons.

[Socratov]

Ingredients: 1 Drow. Live or dead, doesn't really matter, but if dead, must be fresh. Purée thoroughly (spinning blade traps are a good choice) and strain liquid into 15-gallon barrel through cheesecloth. Add yeast and allow to ferment for 2 weeks to 1 month. Distill in copper pot still as with any mash for liquor to roughly 100-proof. Yields roughly 5 gallons of distillate, assuming a 180-lb Drow. Age distillate in new, charred barrel made from woody subterranean fungus for 8-15 years for best quality. Some evaporation will occur during aging; expect loss of roughly 2% per year and final yield of 3-4 gallons.

ehm, since when is drow poison equivalent to bourbon?

[JAL_1138]

ehm, since when is drow poison equivalent to bourbon?

Since why not? :smalltongue:

[Shining Wrath]

Ingredients: 1 Drow. Live or dead, doesn't really matter, but if dead, must be fresh. Purée thoroughly (spinning blade traps are a good choice) and strain liquid into 15-gallon barrel through cheesecloth. Add yeast and allow to ferment for 2 weeks to 1 month. Distill in copper pot still as with any mash for liquor to roughly 100-proof. Yields roughly 5 gallons of distillate, assuming a 180-lb Drow. Age distillate in new, charred barrel made from woody subterranean fungus for 8-15 years for best quality. Some evaporation will occur during aging; expect loss of roughly 2% per year and final yield of 3-4 gallons.

So you get roughly 28 pounds of drow poison out of a 180 pound drow? That's a high yield! But how many drow actually weigh in at 180 pounds? Do you fatten them up before processing?

[Socratov]

Since why not? :smalltongue:


So you get roughly 28 pounds of drow poison out of a 180 pound drow? That's a high yield! But how many drow actually weigh in at 180 pounds? Do you fatten them up before processing?

You know, I am suddenly reminded of the excellent movie Das Parfum. while it does not turn humans to a destillate, but it does tell about someone trying to capture the essence of women to create the best perfume ever. It's also horrifying enough to be drow poison. Maybe involve drow who behaved badly or were marked by Lolth that they were best used for poison making. You woudl need 5 drow of medium size to make 1 vial of poison (maybe increase the yield a little), through a complicated process not unlike perfume making to create an injury poison, which is incidentally also worn as a perfume by noble drow.

[JAL_1138]

So you get roughly 28 pounds of drow poison out of a 180 pound drow? That's a high yield! But how many drow actually weigh in at 180 pounds? Do you fatten them up before processing?

If that seems like a high yield, consider you have to wait 8-15 years for it. Space for the aging is at a premium in the underdark, especially well-ventilated space (since the fumes from the aging barrels can build up and combust or cause serious illness or death to warehouse workers), and many barrels are lost to monsters, cave-ins, fighting (errant fire spells and such), and other such issues.

Also, 180lbs isn't an uncommon weight for a fit 5'10"-6'0" male, though it is on the heavier end. You'll of course get less yield for, say, a scrawny spellcaster.

Here's where I got my numbers.
A humanoid body is about 60% liquid by weight. 180x.6=108 pounds of liquid. A gallon (of water) weighs around 8.3 pounds. 108/8.3= ~13 gallons. 13 gallons of liquid is the base for the "mash" which will ferment. Out of 5gal mash you get 1-2 gallons of distillate, so ~2 *(13/5)= ~5 gallons (generous estimate). 2% or so will be lost per year to the "angel's share" in aging. After 8-15 years that leaves ~3-4 gallons. The production method of distilling a mash and aging in new charred barrels, and mash/distillate ratio, are of course cribbed from bourbon production, as Socratov spotted.



You know, I am suddenly reminded of the excellent movie Das Parfum. while it does not turn humans to a destillate, but it does tell about someone trying to capture the essence of women to create the best perfume ever. It's also horrifying enough to be drow poison. Maybe involve drow who behaved badly or were marked by Lolth that they were best used for poison making. You woudl need 5 drow of medium size to make 1 vial of poison (maybe increase the yield a little), through a complicated process not unlike perfume making to create an injury poison, which is incidentally also worn as a perfume by noble drow.

I think I like this better (although I agree the yield might need raised--maybe 1 or 2 drow per vial?), since it makes it a scarcer and costlier resource, and makes its use even more despicable. It also allows for it to be produced faster, since it doesn't need years of aging. Drow nobility using it for perfume is a nice touch, to illustrate pure contempt for the value of life (and as a bonus, lets them more easily carry poisoned weapons; the scent of the poison on their daggers won't give them away).

[Shining Wrath]

Per PHB typical weight for drow is 130-175. 180 is a big fat drow.