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Beyond Ragnarok uses the “ability damage tracks” rules, which means that effects that normally inflict ability damage (including diseases and poisons) do not actually reduce a character’s ability score, but instead inflict increasingly severe conditions on the victim.

(These rules are a modified version of the rules found in Pathfinder Unchained.)

General Rules

Afflictions (which include diseases and poisons) require a creature to make a saving throw after a period of time to avoid taking certain penalties. With most afflictions, if a number of saving throws are made consecutively, the affliction is removed and no further saves are necessary. Some afflictions, usually supernatural ones, cannot be cured through saving throws alone and require the aid of powerful magic to remove. Each affliction is presented as a short block of information that includes the following:

Name: This is the name of the affliction.

Type: This is the type of the affliction, such as curse, disease, or poison. It might also include the means by which it is contracted, such as contact, ingestion, inhalation, injury, spell, or trap.

Save: This gives the type of save necessary to resist the affliction’s effects, as well as the DC of that save. (This is usually also the DC of any caster level checks needed to end the affliction through magic, such as remove curse or neutralize poison.)

Onset: Some afflictions have a variable amount of time before they set in. This has different effets depending on the type of affliction.

Onset For Diseases: Creatures that come in contact with a disease that has an onset time must make a saving throw immediately. Success means that the disease is resisted and no further saving throws must be made. Failure means that the creature has contracted the disease, progresses to the “latent/carrier” stage, and must begin making additional saves after the onset period has elapsed.

Onset For Poisons: The first saving throw against a poison is made only after the onset period has elapsed; the creature has the poison in its body in the meantime, but suffers no ill effects. The subject begins to roll saving throws only at the end of the onset period.

Frequency: This is how often the periodic saving throw must be attempted after the affliction has been contracted (after the onset time, if the affliction has any). While some afflictions last until they are cured, others end prematurely, even if the character is not cured through other means. If an affliction ends after a set amount of time, it will be noted in the frequency. For example, a disease with a frequency of “1/day” lasts until cured, but a poison with a frequency of “1/round for 6 rounds” ends after 6 rounds have passed.

Afflictions without a frequency occur only once, immediately upon contraction (or after the onset time if one is listed).

Effect: This is the effect that the character suffers each time if he fails his saving throw against the affliction. (See subsequent sections for details on the effects of diseases and poisons.) Some afflictions have different effects after the first save is failed. These afflictions have an initial effect, which occurs when the first save is failed, and a secondary effect, when additional saves are failed, as noted in the text. Hit point and ability score damage caused by an affliction cannot be healed naturally while the affliction persists.

Cure: This tells you how the affliction is cured. Commonly, this is a number of saving throws that must be made consecutively. Even if the affliction has a limited frequency, it might be cured prematurely if enough saving throws are made. Hit point damage and ability score damage is not removed when an affliction is cured. Such damage must be healed normally. Afflictions without a cure entry can only be cured through powerful spells, such as neutralize poison and remove curse. No matter how many saving throws are made, these afflictions continue to affect the target.

Examples

Ruslan the fighter is ambushed by a bebilith, which sinks its fangs into him, injecting its venom into his body. Ruslan takes 5 points of poison damage immediately, as the poison necrotizes the flesh around the bite wound, and must roll a Fortitude save against the bebilith’s poison save DC. He fails, and advances to the weakened state on the Constitution damage track. Ruslan manages to avoid being bitten by the bebilith again, but in the next round, on the bebilith’s turn, he still has to roll another Fortitude save—the poison is still in his blood. He takes 5 more points of damage (because this is a Constitution poison, and inflicts damage every time a save must be rolled, rather than only once); but—despite the −2 penalty on Fortitude saves imposed by the weakened condition—Ruslan succeeds on his saving throw. Because bebilith venom requires only 1 save to cure, Ruslan is now free of the poison; his body has fought off the vile substance’s effects, and he need not make any further saving throws. (Had he failed this saving throw, Ruslan would have advanced to the next step on the Constitution damage track—impaired—and would then have to save again one round later.) Ruslan is still weakened, however; he can recover by spending a day resting, or by having a spell such as lesser restoration cast on him. (If he had sustained more than one step’s worth of Constitution damage, Ruslan would now need a greater spell, such as restoration, to cure him of the poison’s effects.)

Progression and End States

When a victim is afflicted with a disease or poison, he gains the effects of the first step down that affliction’s progression track whenever he fails his first save. For diseases, this is latent/carrier; for poisons, it’s usually weakened. This replaces the affliction’s normal effects (such as ability damage and ability drain), though many afflictions still produce additional symptoms. At the GM’s discretion, truly deadly diseases and poisons might cause the victim to start further along the progression track than normal. All effects from disease and poison tracks are cumulative.

Most afflictions also have an end state—a point at which the disease or poison has progressed as far as it can. Once an affliction has reached its end state, the victim keeps all current effects (but doesn’t suffer further effects) and can no longer attempt saving throws to recover from the affliction. By default, each disease and poison track has an end state of dead, but some afflictions have less severe end states, and others might progress only to a certain intermediate state at worst, allowing victims to continue attempting saves.

In general, whenever a victim fails a saving throw against her affliction, she moves one step further down the progression track, gaining the effects of the next state and keeping all previous effects, until she reaches the end state. If she’s afflicted with a disease, she moves one step back toward healthy whenever she fulfills the conditions in the disease’s Cure entry (usually by succeeding at one or more saves). Once she reaches healthy, she is cured. Poisons work differently—fulfilling the cure condition removes a poison from the victim’s system, but she remains at the same step on the track and recovers gradually. (Treat a poison that has exhausted its duration in the same way.) For every day of bed rest (or 2 nights of normal rest), a victim recovers one step; this recovery is doubled as normal by Heal checks, and tenacious poisons might require a longer recovery period.

Some diseases and poisons cause the same effects as a condition (such as sickened) or render characters paralyzed. Effects that modify or remove those conditions (such as immunities) do not apply; only effects and immunities that help against diseases or poisons apply, as appropriate.

Diseases

The disease track simulates the progression of a disease, starting with incubation. Ignore any onset entry for a disease; the victim attempts saving throws at a rate based on the disease’s frequency. At the GM’s discretion, if the disease’s Cure entry does not allow a cure, the disease’s progression may be irreversible without the use of a restoration or greater restoration spell, and even a successful remove disease only prevents further deterioration.

Diseases offer an initial saving throw upon exposure. Succeeding on this saving throw means that the character’s immune system has fought off the infection, and no further saving throws are necessary. Failure means that the character is now a carrier (he progresses to the “latent/carrier” step on the disease track), and must make further saving throws at the listed frequency.

There are two different tracks: one for diseases that affect physical ability scores (such as bubonic plague or slimy doom), and one for those that affect mental ability scores (such as cackle fever or mindfire). Sample diseases can be found below.

Physical Disease Track

Healthy—Latent/Carrier—Weakened—Impaired—Disabled—Bedridden—Comatose—Dead

Latent/Carrier: A character in this stage has the disease, and may pass it on if contagious, but suffers no ill effects.

Weakened: A character weakened by a physical disease suffers all the effects of the sickened and fatigued conditions.

Impaired: A character impaired by a physical disease also suffers the effects of the exhausted condition. Whenever he takes a standard action, he must succeed at a Fortitude save at the same DC as the disease’s DC or lose the action and gain the nauseated condition for 1 minute.

Disabled: A character disabled by a physical disease gains the disabled condition. If he takes a standard action, his hit points drop by 1 or to −1, whichever is worse.

Bedridden: A character rendered bedridden by a physical disease is awake and can converse, but he can’t stand on his own or take any standard or move actions.

Comatose: A character rendered comatose by physical disease is unconscious and feverish. He can’t be woken by any means as long as he remains in this state on the disease track.

Dead: The disease overcomes the body’s immune system, and the character dies. The corpse may be still be contagious, and some diseases may have unusual effects after the character dies.

Mental Disease Track

Healthy—Latent/Carrier—Weakened—Impaired—Befuddled—Deranged—Comatose—Dead

Latent/Carrier: A character in the latent stage has the disease, and may pass it on if contagious, but suffers no ill effects.

Weakened: A character weakened by a mental disease suffers all the effects of the shaken condition. The DCs of her spells and spell-like abilities decrease by 2. If she is a spellcaster, she can no longer cast her highest level of spells.

Impaired: A character impaired by a mental disease no longer adds her mental ability score modifiers to the number of uses per day of pools (such as an arcane pool or a ki pool), abilities (such as channel and lay on hands), and bonus spells per day. Her DCs decrease by an additional 2. If she is a spellcaster, she can no longer cast her 2 highest levels of spells.

Befuddled: A character befuddled by a mental disease is losing her grasp on thought, reality, and self. She has a 50% chance each round to take no relevant action, instead babbling randomly, wandering off, or talking to unseen things.

Deranged: A character rendered deranged by a mental disease is almost entirely disconnected from reality. Her mind filters and twists all external stimuli into strange forms.

Comatose: A character rendered comatose by a mental disease has lost all grip on reality and entered an inner world of dreams. She can’t be woken by any means as long as she remains in this state on the disease track.

Dead: The disease has harmed the character’s brain beyond repair, killing her. The corpse may still be contagious, and some diseases may have unusual effects after the character dies.

Poisons

The poison track simulates the progressive effects of poison in the body. A character who is poisoned rolls a saving throw after the listed onset at the listed frequency. (Note that unlike diseases, poisons do not offer a saving throw to “fight off” exposure to the poison; the character must always fulfill the poison’s cure condition—or be cured of the poison by external means—to be rid of its effects.) When the character rolls the first saving throw, regardless of whether her save succeeds, a victim takes an amount of poison damage equal to the poison’s DC − 10, divided by 2 (for example, 5 points of poison damage for a DC 20 poison). This is hit point damage, not ability damage. If a victim is exposed to additional doses of the same poison, a failed save progresses the poison track by one step, increases the duration by 50% of the normal full duration, and increases the DC by 2. Sample poisons can be found below.

Types of Poisons

Other than their means of delivery (injury, contact, inhaled, ingested), poisons are also classified by the source of their active ingredient, and whether they are mundane or supernatural.

Natural poisons

Many poisons are created from substances of animal origin (the term “animal” here refers to creatures in general, regardless of their type), which includes actual creature venom as well as other parts of a monster; vegetable origin (plants, fungi, and so forth); or mineral origin (non-living substances of various sorts). These are known as natural poisons.

Supernatural poisons

Some poisons are created not (or not only) from substances such as described above, but have some sort of supernatural component that is required for their creation. This may be some manner of magic effect; a particular location where the poison must be brewed; a certain ritual that must be performed during the crafting process; some event, during or after which the poison must be brewed; a particular condition that must obtain (a full moon, a stellar conjunction, etc.); or one of any number of other unusual circumstances. Some supernatural poisons also require exotic or magical materials as ingredients.

Lingering Poison

After a poisoned weapon has been used to strike an opponent (thus exposing them to the poison), some of the poisonous material remains on the weapon’s surface; the next time an opponent is struck by that weapon, they are also exposed to the same poison, but the poison operates at a lesser effectiveness: its save DC is reduced by 4. After striking twice, a poisoned weapon is no longer considered to be poisoned. (A similar rule applies to surfaces or objects smeared with contact poison, etc.)

Poisons and Creature Size

Larger or smaller creatures require correspondingly more or less poison to have the same effect. A creature larger than Medium has a +2 bonus on saving throws against poison per size category difference. A creature smaller than Medium has a −2 penalty on saving throws against poison per size category difference.

Effects of Constitution Damage

Under these variant rules, taking Constitution damage does not affect a creature’s hit points, Fortitude saves, or Constitution checks.

Ability Damage Tracks

Strength Damage Track

Healthy—Weakened—Impaired—Staggered—Immobile—Dead

Weakened: A character weakened by Strength damage suffers a −2 penalty on Strength-based attack rolls, damage rolls, skill checks, and ability checks. Her carrying capacity is divided by 3. She is always considered to be carrying at least a medium load. (See Sidebar: Encumbrance for details.)

Impaired: A character impaired by Strength damage experiences rapid muscle atrophy. She takes an additional −2 penalty on the affected Strength-based rolls, and is always considered to be carrying at least a heavy load. (See Sidebar: Encumbrance for details.)

Staggered: A character staggered by Strength damage is so weakened that she suffers the effects of the staggered condition (except she can take a full-round action if it is purely mental).

Immobile: A character rendered immobile by Strength damage cannot move her body at all. She is helpless and can take only purely mental actions.

Dead: All the character’s muscles cease functioning, including the heart.

Dexterity Damage Track

Healthy—Sluggish—Stiffened—Staggered—Immobile—Dead

Sluggish: A character rendered sluggish by Dexterity damage has dulled reactions. He takes a −2 penalty on Reflex saves and all Dexterity-based attack rolls, ability checks, and skill checks, as well as to AC.

Stiffened: A character stiffened by Dexterity damage feels numb and stiff. He is considered flat-footed and is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC, even if he has uncanny dodge. He can’t make attacks of opportunity.

Staggered: A character staggered by Dexterity damage is so slowed and stiffened that he gains all the effects of the staggered condition (except that he can take a full-round action if it is purely mental).

Immobile: A character rendered immobile by Dexterity damage cannot move his body at all. He is helpless and can take only purely mental actions.

Dead: The character’s body becomes completely incapable of movement and dies.

Constitution Damage Track

Healthy—Weakened—Impaired—Disabled—Unconscious—Dead

Weakened: A character whose health is weakened by Constitution damage takes a −2 penalty on all Fortitude saves and Constitution checks. Every time she attempts a Fortitude save against the poison, whether she succeeds or fails, she takes damage as on initial exposure.

Impaired: A character impaired by Constitution damage takes an additional −2 penalty on the above checks.

Disabled: A character disabled by Constitution damage gains the disabled condition. If she takes a standard action, her hit points drop by 1 or to −1, whichever is worse.

Unconscious: A character rendered unconscious by Constitution damage enters a state of shock and can’t be woken by any means as long as she remains in this state.

Dead: The character’s immune system is ravaged by the ability damage, and she expires.

Intelligence Damage Track

Healthy—Weakened—Impaired—Animalistic—Comatose—Dead

Weakened: A character whose reason is weakened by Intelligence damage takes a −2 penalty on all Intelligence-based skill checks and ability checks. A character with spellcasting based on Intelligence decreases his DCs by 2 and can no longer cast his highest level of spells.

Impaired: A character impaired by Intelligence damage does not add his Intelligence bonus to the number of uses per day of pools and abilities (such as an arcane pool) and does not gain bonus spells per day from his Intelligence. He takes an additional −2 penalty on the above Intelligence-based rolls. An Intelligence-based caster reduces his DCs by an additional 2, and he can no longer cast his 2 highest levels of spells.

Animalistic: A character rendered animalistic by Intelligence damage suffers the same effects as from a feeblemind spell, except his Charisma and Charisma-based skills are unaffected.

Comatose: A character rendered comatose by Intelligence damage is no longer able to process thoughts. He cannot be woken by any means as long as he remains in this state.

Dead: The character’s brain stops functioning, and he dies.

Wisdom Damage Track

Healthy—Weakened—Impaired—Confused—Comatose—Dead

Weakened: A character whose awareness is weakened by Wisdom damage takes a −2 penalty on all Wisdom-based skill checks and ability checks, as well as on Will saves. A character with spellcasting based on Wisdom decreases her DCs by 2 and can no longer cast her highest level of spells.

Impaired: A character impaired by Wisdom damage does not add her Wisdom bonus to the number of uses per day of pools and abilities (such as a ki pool) and does not gain bonus spells per day from her Wisdom. She takes an additional −2 penalty on the above Wisdom-based rolls. A Wisdom-based caster reduces her DCs by an additional 2, and can no longer cast her 2 highest levels of spells.

Confused: A character who’s confused by Wisdom damage has difficulty processing reality and is dangerous to herself and others. Each round, she rolls on the chart from the confusion spell to determine her actions.

Comatose: A character rendered comatose by Wisdom damage is no longer able to experience reality or receive sensory information. She can’t be woken by any means as long as she remains in this state.

Dead: Forever lost in her own inner reality, the character’s brain stops working, and she dies.

Charisma Damage Track

Healthy—Weakened—Impaired—Pliable—Catatonic—Dead

Weakened: A character whose sense of self is weakened by Charisma damage takes a −2 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks and ability checks. A character with spellcasting based on Charisma decreases his DCs by 2 and can no longer cast his highest level of spells.

Impaired: A character impaired by Charisma damage doesn’t add his Charisma bonus to the number of uses per day of pools and abilities (such as lay on hands) and doesn’t gain bonus spells per day from his Charisma. He takes an additional −2 penalty on the above Charisma-based rolls. A Charisma-based caster reduces his DCs by an additional 2, and can no longer cast his 2 highest levels of spells.

Pliable: A character rendered pliable by Charisma damage has little sense of self and will go along with nearly anything. Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks automatically succeed against a pliable character, except Diplomacy checks to improve a pliable character’s attitude, which have the normal DC. This still does not allow characters to whom the pliable character is unfriendly or hostile to make requests of the pliable character using Diplomacy.

Catatonic: A character rendered catatonic by Charisma damage can see, hear, and process his environment, but has lost all agency and can’t interact with the world in any way.

Dead: The character loses even autonomic functions, and dies.

Sample Diseases

Examples of diseases that use the various tracks are given below. If a disease does not specify an effect, it imposes only the effects for the victim’s state on the pertinent track.

BLINDING SICKNESS
Type disease, ingested; Save Fortitude DC 16
Track physical; Frequency 1/day
Effect At the impaired state, also become permanently blind
Cure 2 consecutive saves

BUBONIC PLAGUE
Type disease, injury or inhaled; Save Fortitude DC 17
Track physical; Frequency 1/day
Cure 2 consecutive saves

CACKLE FEVER
Type disease, inhaled; Save Fortitude DC 16
Track mental; Frequency 1/day
Cure 2 consecutive saves

DEMENTIA DUST
Type disease, inhaled; Save Fortitude DC 14
Track mental; Frequency 1/week
Effect Even if the disease is removed with remove disease, condition does not improve without greater restoration, limited wish, wish, or miracle
Cure magic only

DEMON FEVER
Type disease, injury; Save Fortitude DC 18
Track physical; Frequency 1/day
Effect At the impaired state, penalties from the weakened state become permanent until victim receives restoration
Cure 2 consecutive saves

DEVIL CHILLS
Type disease, injury; Save Fortitude DC 14
Track physical; Frequency 1/day
Cure 3 consecutive saves

FILTH FEVER
Type disease, injury; Save Fortitude DC 12
Track physical; Frequency 1/day
Cure 2 consecutive saves

LEPROSY
Type disease, contact, inhaled, or injury; Save Fortitude DC 12
Track physical (special); Frequency 1/week
Effect Healthy—Latent/Carrier—Sluggish—Stiffened; sluggish and stiffened are as Dexterity poison, stiffened is an end state (and can only be reversed through powerful magic such as greater restoration, limited wish, miracle, or wish)
Cure 2 consecutive saves

MINDFIRE
Type disease, inhaled; Save Fortitude DC 12
Track mental; Frequency 1/day
Cure 2 consecutive saves

MUMMY ROT
Type disease, injury; Save Fortitude DC 16
Tracks physical and mental (special); Frequency 1/day
Effect No latent/carrier state; victim suffers all penalties from progressing on both the physical and mental disease tracks
Cure remove curse and remove disease within 1 minute of each other

RED ACHE
Type disease, injury; Save Fortitude DC 15
Track physical; Frequency 1/day
Cure 2 consecutive saves

SHAKES
Type disease, contact; Save Fortitude DC 13
Track physical; Frequency 1/day
Cure 2 consecutive saves

SLIMY DOOM
Type disease, contact; Save Fortitude DC 14
Track physical; Frequency 1/day
Effect At the impaired state and beyond, penalties from the weakened state become permanent until the victim receives restoration
Cure 2 consecutive saves

List of Poisons

Reading the Entries

The table below lists the most commonly known poisons. See the General Rules, above, for information on the characteristics of poisons, including type, effects, onset, duration, and cure properties. See the Poisonmaking skill description for information on crafting poisons.

Additional rules (if any) and descriptions of each poison, including the nature and source of the materials from which it’s made, are listed below.

Poison Descriptions

Alforna

The fatigue is an end state and is treated normally. Additional doses can progress a victim further on the normal Str damage track, but it takes two failed saves to progress to each state past weakened.

This poison is made from the distilled juice of the alforna plant, which grows in patches all across the forests of the central part of the Russian lands (Kiev, Chernigov, Smolensk?) and parts of Poland?. It is common and easy to find, but quite a bit of it (a large bucketful) is needed for even a single dose of the poison, making the gathering process tedious and lengthy. The leafy plants must then be squeezed for their juice (which is highly irritating to the skin and eyes even before processing), which must then be carefully distilled before being processed into usable combat poison.

Drow poison

This poison is not available in Beyond Ragnarok.

Drow poison is made from a toxic mushroom that grows in the Underdark.

Haluroot

Haluroot grows in forests throughout the Russian lands. It is useful for little other than its poisonous properties, and is often difficult to spot, as the aboveground part of the plant is inconspicuous among grasses and undergrowth.

Small centipede poison

Two failed saves are required to progress to each state past sluggish.

This poison is the processed venom of a Small monstrous centipede.

Bloodroot

Track advancement alternates between Constitution and Wisdom.

Bloodroot plants found in the wild rarely develop the thick and succulent roots from which usable quantities of the poisonous juice can be extracted; bloodroot suitable for use in poisoncrafting is thus usually cultivated intentionally by some individual.

Greenblood oil

Two failed saves are required to progress to each state past weakened.

The small, sightless fish from whose tissues greenblood oil is pressed pose no threat, and are easily caught. (The monsters that live in the deep underground regions where the fish are found are another matter.)

Shreef oil

Shreef oil does Strength damage, but failing the first save (and every other save thereafter) also advances the victim one step on the Dex damage track.

The cactus-like shreef flower grows primarily in the steppes and deserts of Central Asia and Anatolia.

Black adder venom

Two failed saves are required to progress to each state past weakened.

This poison is the processed venom of a black adder snake.

Blue whinnis

The victim cannot be awakened until the poison is cured or runs its course. Additional doses do not progress a victim further on the Constitution damage track.

This poison is made from an extract of the root of a young whinnis plant. Specimens of the whinnis plant are few and far between; though they may occasionally be found in the Caucasus uplands, in the Ural mountains, and other cold, high places, it may be easier to seek them on other planes—they thrive on Gehenna? and elsewhere.

Rill leaf

Rill leaf grows in the Cherkess province of Makhachkala almost exclusively (it is not impossible to find it elsewhere, but very rare), where it is cultivated carefully by Cherkess rangers (a practice that refers not to domestication, but to carefully ensuring that the ideal natural conditions for the plant’s growth are satisfied). Harvesting rill leaf without express permission from the King, or from one of the Cherkess noble families that own land in Makhachkala, is a crime. Fortunately, seeking to purchase rill leaf doesn’t attract suspicion, as the plant has a multitude of medicinal and alchemical uses.

Banelar essence

Failing more than one save against banelar essence causes the victim to lose consciousness (he cannot be awakened until the poison is cured or runs its course, and awakens in 1 hour naturally).

This poison is made from the processed remains of an Abyssal banelar naga.

Medium spider venom

This poison is the processed venom of a Medium monstrous (“dire”) spider.

Vapid leaf extract

The first save a victim fails against a dose of vapid leaf extract also dazes him for 1 minute (during which the victim experiences a state of intense euphoria), in addition to the usual effects of Int damage.

Vapid leaf grows naturally in Makhachkala. Though harvesting any plant from that region without permission is a crime, Cherkess rangers who catch adventurers gathering vapid leaf would be almost relieved to learn that its intended use was to be as a combat poison. This is because vapid leaf extract is much more commonly used as a drug—a powerful, hallucinogenic narcotic, the long-term use of which causes permanent Intelligence drain and various nasty side effects. Its use is not illegal in Cherkessia (which is not a society whose laws concern themselves with such matters), but it is highly stigmatized, as is the drug’s production. Import or export of the raw plant or the extract is illegal, however.

The Cherkess do not cultivate vapid leaf (occasional unsanctioned, small-scale operations excepted), but neither do they make any effort to eradicate it, despite periodic suggestions to do just that; the rangers who watch over Makhachkala always insist that to do so would disrupt the balance of nature in the region. Vapid leaf is also found in a number of small, isolated oases scattered throughout Central Asia, where it is indeed cultivated intentionally, and guarded jealously, as it is a source of great income for the oases’ owners. Purchasing vapid leaf in such an oasis is possible, though the merchant-warlords who run the oases would doubtless be reluctant to part with large quantities of the stuff knowing that it was to be used in combat—they far prefer selling vapid leaf for consumption, which guarantees repeat business (as vapid leaf extract is quite addictive).

Choldrith toxin

Failing a save against choldrith toxin induces paralysis for one minute, in addition to the normal effects of Constitution damage.

This poison is made from a mix of bodily toxins of the choldrith (a demonic creature).

Shadow essence

The victim does not recover past the weakened state without the application of magic which removes ability drain.

The main ingredient in this poison is the essence of an undead shadow, specially extracted from a just-killed or captured shadow.

Eyeblast

The blindness caused by eyeblast is permanent.

Eyeblast is brewed from a combination of several rare mineral compounds. Veins of the inorganic minerals needed to make eyeblast are rare anywhere, and gathering the raw materials to brew this poison typically requires a good amount of travel, digging, rock-shaping, crawling about in tunnels, etc. The necessary minerals may be found in various parts of Midgard as well as on planes like Muspellheim?. The aid of a trained prospector can greatly assist in such expeditions.

Large scorpion venom

This poison is the processed venom of a Large monstrous (“dire”) scorpion.

Dire scorpions are most commonly found in the Kara-Kum desert and nearby regions.

Gray whinnis

Failing more than one save against gray whinnis induces paralysis for 1d6 × 10 minutes, in addition to the normal effects of Constitution damage.

This poison is made from the extract of the root of a mature whinnis plant. The whinnis plant takes many years to come to maturity, and finding a mature plant is no mean feat. It is nearly impossible to cultivate deliberately, though known whinnis plants may be guarded (especially those growing in the Outer Realms).

Giant wasp poison

This poison is the processed venom of a giant (“dire”) wasp.

Redek vine extract

This poison is made from the concentrated juice of the redek vine, a strange plant that grows only in “enchanted” forests—those wooded regions that have supernatural properties, or are unusually populated with magical creatures. It is unclear to scholars exactly what is needed for the vine’s growth—specific magical effects? symbiosis with certain creatures?—but it may be found in the Caucasus uplands, in certain of the “spookier” wooded areas of the Russian lands, etc. Harvesting redek vine marks one, to any who witness it, as an evil (or at least, not very nice) person, as the vine has no use whatsoever other than for its poisonous properties (it is edible by nothing, useless as a building material, etc.).

Wyvern poison

This poison is the processed venom of an adult wyvern.

Devilseye

Affects outsiders otherwise immune to poison; damage to SR returns at the same rate as ability score damage.

Making devilseye requires a long shopping list of exotic substances. The raw materials can almost never be found for sale, forcing would-be users of this poison to go on extensive gathering expeditions across the planes. “A tear of the lost moon of Jangling Hiter” is just one example of the components of devilseye, and they only get stranger from there.

Bebilith venom

As the name implies, this poison is the processed venom of a bebilith (an arachnoid demon that hunts other fiends).

Purple worm poison

This poison is the processed venom of a fully-grown purple worm.

Deathblade

Making this poison requires charcoal cinders from the pith of an assassin vine, through which pure spring water must be carefully filtered; the filtered water is then combined with several common alchemical substances to create the finished poison. Though neither the assassin vine itself nor the scavengers and ambush predators that typically gather around the carnivorous plant are a particularly challenging obstacle for the experienced adventurer, killing a fully-grown assassin vine (which is indeed necessary to make deathblade poison, as it is the pith at the heart of the plant’s main stem that must be carefully burned down to bricks of cinder) is likely to make a person some enemies, as assassin vines are rare, and quite useful when alive. The plant creature’s berries are (very carefully) harvested by sprites, leshiy, and even the occasional savvy human woodsman to make an incomparable wine, and assassin vine fruit can sustain an adult human as well as a full meal.

Lifebane

The ability damage inflicted by lifebane is vile damage, and can only be cured in a holy site, such as a consecrated or hallowed area.

Almost no trader will sell lifebane (and those who do are loathe to admit it). The poison’s components are no material substances, but emotions—concentrated terror, hope, and sorrow—and they must be gathered (with the aid of a short, private ritual that is performed beforehand) in the process of killing a person who does not deserve to die. Every dose of lifebane thus represents a cold-blooded murder of an innocent, carried out to enable more violence and pain (and the effects of the poison are indeed both horrifically painful and revolting); anyone who sells lifebane is either a murderer himself, or has knowingly done business with one.

Sample Spells

Examples of spells that use the new ability damage track rules are given below.

• frostbite
• Koschei’s corrosive lance
• poison