parent nodes: Rules | Save or Die Poison | ScratchPad
Poisons, as described in the Encounter and Monster
sections, kill characters instantly. Game Masters may
find this makes the mortality rate of player characters a
bit too high. On the other hand, poisons should be
scary. Here's an optional rule which makes things a bit
easier without entirely removing the fear from poison:
Where a "save or die" poison is indicated, the victim
must make a save vs. Poison or suffer 1d6 points of
damage per round for 6 rounds, starting the round
following the exposure to the poison; this is an average
of 21 points of damage, but even a first level character
might survive with a combination of luck and healing
magic. The GM may create poisons which vary from
these figures, of course. If the Negative Hit Points
optional rule is being used, it is suggested to increase
the poison duration to 10 rounds (an average 35
points).