The Assassin's Guide To Poison PDF
The Assassin's Guide To Poison PDF
The Assassin's Guide To Poison PDF
The Assassin’s
Guide to
Poisons
Introduction
This one was hell. It started out as 101 Poisons Or don’t.
and Magical Diseases but at about poison #56 I Be sure to take some time to visit my website at
realized I was very unhappy with most of what I had www.philipjreed.com. There’s lots of free stuff
written. I shoved it aside and completed 101 there and even plugs for a few things you can buy.
Mundane Treasures and 101 Arcane Spell I hope you enjoy the thirty or so poisons in this
Components before coming back to poisons. Then I PDF.
went on a trip. And then I got sick.
I wrote about twenty poisons the week I was sick
and then, the next week, I read them over and real-
ized they sucked.
open game content
All of the text in this book is presented as open
So I deleted them. game content. You may use this content in your own
And started over. work as long as you follow the terms of the license.
No matter how much I slam my head against this The Open Game License is printed at the end of this
thing it just doesn’t work the way I want it to. So book.
what I’ve decided to do is just clean the poisons I’m The layout, graphics, and illustrations presented
happy with, throw in some previous open game con- in this book are not open game content. You may not
tent that would be of help to those using poisons, distribute this PDF without permission of the
and release the thing as a free PDF on my site and author.
RPGNow.
So here it is.
If you’re happy with what you get in these few
short pages feel free to send a donation of a buck to
[email protected] through www.paypal.com.
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The Assassin’s
Guide to Poisons
Poisons
What follows is a selection of original poisons for use in your campaign. The descriptions give generic infor-
mation on where the ingredients of the different poisons can be found. It’s an easy matter for the gamemaster
and players to associate the poison description to a location in their current campaign. Gamemasters are encour-
aged to create notes on each of the following poisons, noting any changes necessary for use in their campaigns
or any poisons that are strictly not allowed to be used.
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The Assassin’s
Guide to Poisons
Cleric’s curse The poison strikes the victim hard, draining first
the life energy of the target and then physically
This thick liquid is usually clear in appearance, like
weakening the target.
water, though is can be easily dyed and, with work, Initial Secondary
made to taste like a cheap alcoholic beverage. Cleric’s Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
Curse uses unholy water as its base ingredient to Ingested 23 26 1 level 1d6 Con 5,400 gp
which is added an elf’s tear, a wyvern’s blood, and a
witch’s eye. The entire mixture is stirred vigorously Dark Rot
until all of the ingredients have blended together cre- This contact poison is a course, sandy material
ating a black mixture. When left for 12 hours the mix- that’s dark brown in color and is easily mistaken for
ture clears to the previously mentioned clear appear- common dirt. The Dark Rot poison is only found
ance and the poisoner has successfully created beneath the coffin of an evil man and must be dug
Cleric’s Curse. up under the noon sun if it is to be potent. The dirt,
The initial damage of the poison is a slight weaken- removed from the grave at any time other than that,
ing of the victim. It is the secondary effect, that comes is harmless.
five rounds after administration of the poison, that is Initial Secondary
most dangerous. For a period of 1d6 days any divine Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
healing magic cast on the target causes damage Contact 15 20 1d6 Str 1d6 Str 1,000 gp
instead of healing. This poison must be ingested for it
to affect the target. Evil-aligned characters are dragon weed
immune to the effects of Clerics Curse. This is the root of a plant that grows in the north-
Initial Secondary eastern forests. The rooy, when crushed and mixed
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price with just a few drops of water, forms a paste-like sub-
Ingested 19 24 1d4 Con special 3,400 gp
stance that can be lethal when it gets into a wound or is
ingested.
Crystal lung The smell of Dragon Weed is strong and overpower-
This fine, powdery poison is made by grinding a ing and often likened to the stench emited by a tribe of
valuable crystal (100 gp or more in value) to a fine orcs. This makes it difficult to hide within food or drink
dust. The dust is then soaked in demon’s blood for so the prefered use is to coat the poison on the blade of
one month then removed and let to dry in the sum- an edged weapon.
mer sun for 10 days. Only then is Crystal Lung
The poison’s initial damage is the sudden onset of
completed and ready for use.
flu-like symptoms. These symptoms persist for twelve
The poison can be inhaled by a victim or mixed hours at which point the truly damage effects of the
into a drink or meal and ingested. The initial dam- poison devastate the Constitution score of the victim.
age of the poison weakens the target while the sec- Initial Secondary
ondary damage (occuring one round later) blocks Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
off the lungs of the victim who instantly suffers the Ingestion 28 25 special 3d6 Con 3,500 gp
effects of suffocation. Injury 30 25 special 2d8 Con 3,300 gp
Initial Secondary
Ingested
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage
18 25
Price
1d6 Con special 1,700 gp
Dried Blood
Inhaled 18 23 1d6 Con special 1,600 gp This poison looks very much like it sounds. It is
created from the sap of the dire knight tree that
grows along the western edges of the great desert.
dark eye The sap is brought to boiling and then the poisoner
A purple-colored liquid made from the boiled fat mixes in the blood of a dozen different previous vic-
of a doppleganger, Dark Eye is a rare poison usual- tims all of whom must have been killed by the same
ly reserved for only the highest-paying of assign- knife or dagger.
ments. Dark Eye has the odor of wildflowers and
The poison must be ingested by the victim or
can be mixed with almost any food or drink. The
delivered through a wound. The poison is thick
poison is too thin to use on bladed weapons and
enough to coat bladed weapons which is most
does not work on simple contact. It must be ingest-
assassin’s prefered method of delivery.
ed to damage the target. Initial Secondary
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
Injury 17 22 4d6 hp 2d6 hp 2,200 gp
Ingested 15 19 2d6 hp 1d6 hp 2,100 gp
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The Assassin’s
Guide to Poisons
Dungeon Dust green dagger
A fine powder, this poison may only be created A fine, dust-like poison that can only be created
deep beneath the ground, preferably in an ancient from a crushed dagger that was used to slay a vam-
dungeon. The powder is gray in color and odorless. pire, Green Dagger is one of the rarer poisons that
It is manufactured by mixing the molds and dust of can be crafter by an assassin. While slaying a vam-
the dungeon and then heating the mixture over an pire with a dagger is nearly impossible the act of
open flame. Once the concoction cools it is poured crushing the dagger into dust is even more chal-
out and the remaining, crusty layer is collected and lenging. It takes strength and tools of a level that are
ground. It is this crust that is the poison. not easily acquired.
Initial Secondary Once the dagger has been crushed, the powder is
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
Injury 19 21 2d6 Con 1d4 Con 1,300 gp must be mixed with the powdered poison, Plague of
Ingested 19 19 1d8 Con 1d4 Con 1,250 gp the Ancients. Only then does it truly become dan-
gerous.
drops of despair The dust can be delivered to a target through inhi-
This liquid poison is made of three rare herbs that lation or contact or it can be mixed with food or
grow along the western banks of the great ocean. drink and ingested.
Initial Secondary
The herbs are difficult to locate and do not all g row Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
in the same area but, rather, across a 400 mile Ingestion 30 26 2d8 Con 1d6 Str 1,200 gp
stretch of coast. The nerbs are brought to a boil in Inhilation 30 26 2d8 Con 1d6 Str 1,200 gp
water and, after being allowed to cool, the top layer Contact 28 22 1d6 Con 2d6 Con 1,200 gp
is skimmed off and the water discarded.
Drops of Despair work as a powerful poison when Green Rot
ingested but is harmless when used in any other Created from a mixture of toxic plants, green rot
way. The poison’s initial damage, one hour after is a liquefied poison that must be ingested by the
ingestion, is the onset of depression in the victim. victim to be harmful. It’s a green, thick liquid with
All dice rolls by the victim suffer a -2 circumstance a natural odor much like that of a damp forest.
penalty. Secondary damage, occuring four to six- Green rot eats away at the body of the victim, slow-
teen (4d4) hours after ingestion is a deepening of ly killing him from the inside out. Green rot causes
this depression (increase penalty to -4). The effects 2d6 Constitution loss on initial damage and an addi-
of this poison wear off naturally after a week or they tional 2d6 Constitution damage one minute after
can be removed with magical healing. ingestion.
Initial Secondary Initial Secondary
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
Ingestion 30 26 special special 5,200 gp Ingestion 19 20 2d6 Con 2d6 Con 2,500 gp
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The Assassin’s
Guide to Poisons
hell’s fury The secondary Intelligence damage of Mind Rot
is permanent.
When a demon dies, its body frequently bursts Initial Secondary
into flame and is returned to the hell from which it Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
came. The ash left behind often is ignored. Ingestion 30 28 2d6 Int 1d6 Int 7,500 gp
That ash is the key ingredient in the manufacture Injury 26 22 2d4 Int 1d2 Int 6,200 gp
of Hell’s Fury. The ash, when mixed with the
crushed eye of an evil sorcerer and the blood of an medusa’s hair
assassin, becomes a thick, deadly liquid. Hell’s Fury This thick, muddy poison is made from the
is thick enough to be used to coat weapons though ground head of a slain medusa. The poison can only
it can also be used as a contact poison and in food be created if the snake hair, skull, eyes and all other
or drink. parts of the creature’s head are available to the poi-
Hell’s Fury sucks the life force from its victim, soner. The resulting poison can be watered down to
often leaving a lifeless shell. These negative levels create ten fatal doses or left pure to create 4
can be recovered with appropriate healing magics extremely dangerous doses.
such as restoration. The poison must be ingested by the victim which
Initial Secondary is difficult since it has a foul taste and odor.
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price Initial Secondary
Ingestion 25 21 1 level 1 level 5,000 gp Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
Injury 26 24 1d2 levels 1 level 5,300 gp Ingested
Contact 22 21 1 level 1 level 5,000 gp (Pure) 21 25 6d6 hp 1d6 Con 3,800 gp
Ingested
Hollow Heart (Watery) 20 20 3d6 hp 1d4 Con 3,000 gp
This clear liquid is only found in the heart of a
cursed whale. Once harvested the poison is effective Minotaur’s Blood
for only three days and there is just enough for one This is a dark, thick red liquid that is created from
dosage. The poison must be delivered through the blood of a minotaur mixed with cyanide and
ingestion or injury. ground bone fragments from any magical creature.
Hollow Heart strips the victim of compassion and The poison may be delivered through injury or
love, leaving behind a hollow shell of a man. The ingestion.
Initial Secondary
victim must succeed a Will save (DC 25) or his
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
alignment is radically and immediately changed to Ingested 20 23 1d6 Con 2d4 Con 3,200 gp
chaotic evil. The effects of this poison wear off Injury 22 25 1d6 Con 2d4 Con 3,200 gp
slowly (one alignment step per week in the direction
of the victim’s original alignment) and the victim Ninstill’s Curse
will likely go through several alignment changes on Named for the assassin who first created it some
the way back to his original alignment.
Initial Secondary
500 years ago, Ninstill’s Curse was designed specif-
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price ically to weaken clerics. The poison,once crafted, is
Injury 17 25 special special 5,000 gp kept in two parts until it is ready to be used. The
Ingested 18 25 special special 5,000 gp first, a thin red liquid that looks like watered down
blood, is mixed with the second part that is a thick-
Mind rot er, sludge-like black concoction. Once mixed the
Mind Rot is a particularly brutal poison created poison if effective for two minutes after which it is
from the brain of a mind flayer. The mind flayer’s rendered useless. The poison must be ingested by
brain must be removed and pulverized, creating a the target or delivered through injury (most often by
thick, pulpy juice. coating a bladed weapon with it).
Initial Secondary
Mind Rot must be administered through injury or Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
ingestion to be effective. Ingestion of the poison Ingested 18 20 1d6 Wis 1d6 Wis 500 gp
inflicts the most damage on the victim. Injury 18 20 1d3 Wis 1d3 Wis 500 gp
Unfortunately, the stench of the poison overwhelms
any normal means to conceal it (though magical
abilities or spells that can change or mask odors can
easily overpower the smell).
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The Assassin’s
Guide to Poisons
Orc’s Breath Slow Burn
This poison is a gray, extremely fine dust that is Slow burn is a paste crafted from a dozen rare
harvested from the seed of the wounded orc weed that weeds that grow in the arctic wasteland north of the
grows naturally in most mountainous regions. The civilized lands. When it comes in contact with flesh
seed is pulverized and, when dried in the sun during it instantly begins disolving the skin (initial damage
an extremely hot day (100º+), it becomes a potent poi- takes place immediately) and keeps burning for a
son that causes blindness and weakness when inhaled. few minutes (1d4 minutes) constantly damaging the
Initial Secondary victim.
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price Initial Secondary
Inhaled 25 22 blindness 2d6 Con 2,500 gp Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
Injury 15 19 1d4 hp 1d4 hp/special 900 gp
Plague of Contact 15 18 1d4 hp 1d4 hp/special 800 gp
the Ancients
Named for its similarities to an ancient plague, Spider’s venom
this poison is an orange powder that smells like A concentrated form of poison extracted from a
burning skin. It acts as a contact poison, dying the rare spider found only deep undergound, this poison
victim’s skin orange where touched. The coloring is a greenish/gray in color and slightly thicker than
spreads over the victim’s entire body and, within a water. Spider’sVenom is odorless when fresh but, if
day, open sores start forming on every inch of the it has been exposed to air for more than a week, it
victim’s skin. Only magical healing can stop the takes on a damp, moldy smell.
effects of this poison. Initial Secondary
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
If the victim is not cured he becomes contagious, Ingestion 25 25 1d6 Con 2d4 Con 1,200 gp
spreading the sickness to any he touches. Each day
after the first the victim loses 1 point of Constitution Spine Crusher
until he is healed or dies.
Initial Secondary This orange liquid is derived from the root of a
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price large tree that grows in the western forests. The root
Contact 21 25 2d6 Con 2d6 Con 4,500 gp must be crumbled and crushed, then mixed with the
powdered remains of an animated skeleton’s skull.
shadow sickness The liquid, once ingested, eats away at the victim’s
When mixed within a sphere of magical darkness bones, destroying them from within. Only magical
or shadow, the common ingredients of this poison healing can reverse the effects of this poison.
Initial Secondary
become a deadly toxin. On administration the dust- Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
like, black powder drains the life energy of the vic- Ingestion 30 26 2d6 Str 2d6 Dex 2,650 gp
tim. Shadow Sickness is rarely available for sale
and must often be created by the assassin. Spirit touch
Initial Secondary
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
This gray ointment is created from the ectoplas-
Contact 25 30 1 level 1 level 6,500 gp mic secretions of a ghost or other supernatural crea-
ture. The ectoplasm must be mixed with unholy
water and cursed by an evil priest.
skull’s breath The ointment works as a contact or injury poison.
This poison is a whitish powder ground from the
Initial damage takes place two rounds after delivery
skull on an animated skeleton. The skull must be
and is identical to the Ghost template ability,
ground down within five minutes of the skeleton’s
Corrupting Touch. Secondary damage, taking place
destruction. The resulting powder can then be used to
five rounds after initial damage, is one negative
coat the victim’s skin. On contact the skin of the vic-
level.
tim begins to burn and itch but it is only after a minute Initial Secondary
of time has passed that the poison’s real damage Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
comes into play; the victim’s skin begins to decom- Injury 25 22 special special 1,800 gp
pose at the area of contact, causing one point of dam- Contact 25 22 special special 2,100 gp
age per round to the victim for 1d6+6 rounds.
Initial Secondary
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
Contact 15 19 Special Special 1,200 gp
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The Assassin’s
Guide to Poisons
TasTe of the dagger Twisted root
This thick, liquid poison is used by assassins and This is the root of a small tree that grows along
murderers to coat bladed weapons. The poison is the coast of large seas, often on a cliffside. The root
brown in color and has the odor of wet dog. Taste of is chopped into fine twigs which are then boiled to
the Dagger is made from a mixture of the juices of create a thin soup or weak “tea.” This mixture, when
a dead man’s eyes and the blood of the person craft- ingested, creates mild stomach discomfort in the
ing the poison. victim which then slowly turns to great physical
The poison can also be mixed into foods or drinks pain. (Initial damage takes place three rounds after
though it is not as damaging when used in this way. ingestion and secondary damage takes affect 24
Initial Secondary hours later.)
Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price Initial Secondary
Injury 17 19 1d4 Con 1d4 Con 500 gp Craft DC Save DC Damage Damage Price
Ingested 15 18 1d3 Con 1d2 Con 450 gp Ingestion 22 25 1d2 hp 2d6 Con 1,200 gp
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The Assassin’s
Guide to Poisons
Maximize Poison Prerequisites: Craft (Poison), Maximize Poison,
Poison Use, Base attack bonus +8.
You can use poisons to maximum effect.
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Craft (Poison)
Prerequisites: Poison Use, Base attack bonus +6.
checks. If you already have the feat Skill Focus
Benefit: If you spend a full-round action to pre- applied to Craft (Poison) this bonus stacks with that
pare a poison, all variable, numeric effects are max- one for a total +4 bonus.
imized. Example: A maximized use of twisted root
deals 2 points of damage and 12 points of
Constitution damage. Non-variable effects such as Poison Use
blindness or death are not affected. You are trained to use poisons with no risk to
yourself.
Poison Focus Prerequisites: Dex 13+.
Choose a type of poison, such as ingested, Benefit: You never risk accidentally poisoning
inhaled, injury, or contact. All poisons you deliver yourself when applying poison to a blade, or using
from that type are more potent than normal. it in combat.
Prerequisites: Poison Use.
Benefit: Add +2 to the DC for all saving throw’s Quicken Poison
against poisons from your prefered poison type. You can deliver a poison that deals its damage all
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. at once.
Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type Prerequisites: Poison Use, Base attack bonus +8,
of poison. Assassin (or similar class) level 2+.
Benefit: If you spend a full-round action to pre-
Poison Mastery pare a poison, it deals both initial and secondary
damage in the same round (immediately after expo-
Your experience with the use of poisons has made
sure). The victim still receives a saving throw for
you a master of the craft.
both effects, as normal.
www.philipjreed.com
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The Assassin’s
Guide to Poisons
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a 7. Use of Product Identity:You agree not to Use any Product Identity,
including as an indication as to compatibility,except as expressly licensed
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that
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14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforce-
2. The License:This License applies to any Open Game Content that con- able, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to
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Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtract- 15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
ed from this License except as described by the License itself. No other Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000,Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed System Reference Document Copyright 2000,Wizards of the Coast, Inc.;
using this License. Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original
material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate
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4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this
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The Assassin’s Handbook, Copyright 2002, Green Ronin Publishing,
5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing orig- Authors Wolfgang Baur and David “Zeb” Cook.
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Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights The Assassin’s Guide to Poisons Copyright 2002, Philip Reed,
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