Poisoner, Variant (5e Class)
Poisoner
A Drow fires an arrow from the shadows and strikes the unwary human interloper. The human takes only two steps after being struck with the arrow before crumbling in a heap on the cavern floor, fast asleep.The Drow quickly drags the sleeping target into the shadows and prepares another ambush. The new half-elven chef walks out in a huff after the nobleman insulted the quality of his meal. As the noble dies gasping for air an hour later, he wonders why he thought food tasters were an unnecessary expense. A savage lizardfolk thrusts his spear and just scratches the skin of the mighty Ogre, who suddenly goes berserk, blindly attacking his goblin allies with bestial fury.
Creating a Poisoner
Poisoners use knowledge of poisonous plants, venomous animals, and toxic minerals to craft weapons of war, assassination, and subterfuge. Often the members of criminal organizations or mysterious cults, a poisoner is an expert in the preparation and administering of poisons. She can tailor a toxin to any situation: to paralyse, to knock out, to kill, or even other, more exotic, effects that others would consider beyond the realms of conventional toxicology. Many poisoners pose as apothecaries or herbalists to disguise the deadly truth of their profession. To those who find themselves employing food tasters to protect themselves against possible poison at any time, the threat of a gasping death is very real.
Class Features
As a Poisoner you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Poisoner level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Poisoner level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armor, Shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, the shortsword, the hand crossbow, and the blowgun
Tools: Poisoner's Kit
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Deception, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Survival.
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Shortsword or (b) Spear
- (a) A shortbow and quiver of 20 arrows or (b) blowgun and quiver of 50 needles
- (a) scholar's pack or (b) dungeoneer's pack or (c) explorer's pack
- Leather Armor, Alchemist Tools, and Poisoner’s Kit.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Ingredient Points | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | 4 | Poison-making, Poisoner Archetype, Signature Poisons |
| 2nd | +2 | 6 | Poison Tolerance |
| 3rd | +2 | 14 | Ingredient Limit per Poison (3) |
| 4th | +2 | 17 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | 27 | Ingredient Limit per Poison (5) |
| 6th | +3 | 32 | Poisoner Archetype Feature |
| 7th | +3 | 38 | Ingredient Limit per Poison (6) |
| 8th | +3 | 44 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | 57 | Ingredient Limit per Poison (7) |
| 10th | +4 | 64 | Poison Buildup |
| 11th | +4 | 83 | Ingredient Limit per Poison (9) |
| 12th | +4 | 83 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | 94 | Ingredient Limit per Poison (10) |
| 14th | +5 | 94 | Poisoner Archetype Feature |
| 15th | +5 | 107 | Ingredient Limit per Poison (11) |
| 16th | +5 | 107 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | 114 | Ingredient Limit per Poison (13) |
| 18th | +6 | 114 | Poison Mastery |
| 19th | +6 | 123 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | 133 | Poisoner Archetype Feature |
Quick Build
You can make a Poisoner quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Second, take the Slayer archetype. Third, choose the Criminal background. Fourth, choose a shortsword, a shortbow and quiver of 20 arrows an explorer’s pack, Leather Armor, Alchemist Tools, and a Poisoner’s Kit. Fifth, create two vials of (2) ingredient point wounding poison with the weapon delivery type.
Poisonmaking
At 1st level, your training in poisons allow you to quickly create custom poisons using your poisoner’s kit. Your knack for poison is represented by a number of Ingredient Points as shown in the Ingredient Points column.
At the end of a long rest, you expend your ingredient points to create poisons using the Poison Ingredients rules. No poison can use more than two ingredient points. This limit increases as you gain levels in this class as shown in the Features column of the Poisoner table.
The poisons you create cannot be used by anyone but you. After 24 hours, any poisons that you have not used lose their potency.
Poison save DC = 8+ your proficiency bonus + your intelligence modifier.
Poisoner Archetype
At 1st level, you choose an archetype that grants you a special style of poisoner abilities:
- Ninja
- Slayer
Your archetype choice grants you features at 1st level and then again at 6th, 14th, and 20th level.
Signature Poisons
At 1st level, you can create two special poisons worth 1 ingredient point each with one chosen delivery method that you create without the expenditure of any ingredient points. You are considered to have an unlimited supply of vials of these poisons. At 5th level, 10th level, 15th level and 20th level, the ingredient value of your signature poisons increases by 1.
Poison Tolerance
At 2nd level, you gain resistance to poison damage and immunity to the poisoned condition.
Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of you choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Poison Buildup
Repeated doses of your poisons are more dangerous. At 10th level, when a creature makes its save against one of your poisons, that creature has disadvantage on its next saving throw versus a poison.
Poison Mastery
At 18th level, the Poison save DC = 10+ your proficiency bonus + your intelligence modifier.
Ninja
The ninja utilize the tools of the poisoner to achieve their objectives while creating a mystical reputation for themselves.
Smoke Bombs
A Ninja finds the concealment provided by the powder delivery method useful for disappearing when discovered. At level 1, a Ninja has a seemingly infinite supply of poisonless smoke bombs.
Beneath Notice
At level 6, a ninja blends in with lower class workers to evade vigilant eyes. When disguised, all checks to pierce the disguise are made at a disadvantage.
Silent Running
A ninja’s excellence at stealth is unparalleled. At level 14, when a ninja uses the dash action, they may use the hide action as a bonus action.
Vanishing Act
A ninja can use the slightest distraction to disappear. At level 20, A ninja can take the hide action as a bonus action whenever they use the Smoke Bomb feature or deploy a powder delivered poison.
Slayer
Slayers use poison to ensure that their targets don’t survive the first attack. The taking of a life is an artform to slayers, one that requires dedication and patience.
Poisoned Sheaths
At level 1 a Slayer prepares special sheaths for her weapons that contain poison. Once per round, this allows the use of weapon delivered poisons without having to use a bonus action to apply poison to the weapon used in the attack. The poison is considered to already be there as part of the movement to draw the weapon.
Extra Attack
At level 6 a Slayer can make two attacks as part of one attack action.
Poisonous Takedown
A Slayer is a master at quickly defeating opponents. At level 14, a Slayer using a poison delivered by the Vapor delivery type gains advantage on the grapple check to administer the poison.
Subtle Needle
Slayers learn to conceal the delivery of injected poisons and then slip away before they take effect. At level 20, when a hidden slayer attacks an opponent during the surprise round using an Injected poison that includes a delaying ingredient, they remain hidden.
Poison Ingredient System
Custom Poisons are created by choosing a delivery type and then combining the following ingredient types in any combination as long as no poison uses more than 2 ingredients (this limit increases as you gain levels in the Poisoner class). Targets of poisons that have multiple effects make one saving throw for all effects. If the mixed ingredients have different saving throws, pick one during poison creation.
Delivery Type
Ingested Delivery Type
Application Time: 1 action
Type: Ingested.
Duration: The poison remains dangerous for up to 1 minute after application or until a creature is exposed to the poison, whichever occurs first.
Effect: You conceal the poison in food or drink. The first to consume the food or drink is exposed to the poison.
Injected Delivery Type
Application Time: 1 action
Range: Melee or Blowgun Range
Type: Inhaled.
Duration: 1 round
Effect: As part of the action to use this delivery type, choose a target that is adjacent to you or within range for your blowgun. You prick them with a tiny needle and the target is exposed to the poison.
Powder Delivery Type
Application Time: 1 action
Range: 60ft or ammunition
Type: Inhaled.
Duration: 1 round
Effect: As part of the action to use this delivery type, choose a 5 ft radius centered on a square within range. All creatures within the radius are exposed to any poison delivered with this method, and the area becomes heavily obscured until the end of the poison's duration.
Vapor Delivery Type
Application Time: 1 bonus action
Type: Inhaled.
Duration: 1 round
Effect: Emptying the vial of poison into a rag allows a successful grapple attack to expose the target to the poison.
Weapon Delivery Type
Application Time: 1 bonus action
Type: Injury.
Duration: The poison remains dangerous for up to 1 minute after application or until a creature is exposed to the poison, whichever occurs first.
Effect: Smearing the poison onto the blade of a melee weapon or a piece of ammunition that deals piercing or slashing damage allows a successful weapon attack to expose the target to the poison.
Ingredients
Activating Ingredient
Effect: Exposure to this ingredient causes a delaying ingredient to activate at the moment of this exposure, instead of at the end of the duration of the poison.
Cost: 1 ingredient point.
Amiable Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a wisdom save, and on a failure the poison makes its victims more compliant as below.
| Ingredient Cost | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Target gains the charmed condition regarding the Poisoner |
| 5 | Target acts as if under the influence of the zone of truth spell |
Antidote Ingredient
Effect: The poison created with this ingredient creates a second vial. That vial is an antidote to the other effects of the poison.
Cost: 1 ingredient points.
Billowing Ingredient
Effect: The poison has its radius extended based on the chart below.
Special: This ingredient can only be used with the powder delivery type.
| Ingredient Cost | Radius |
|---|---|
| 1 | 10ft |
| 2 | 20ft |
| 3 | 30ft |
| 4 | 50ft |
Blinding Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a constitution save, and on a failed save is blinded until the end of the duration of the poison.
Cost: 2 ingredient points.
Burning Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a dexterity save, and on a failed save takes fire damage based on the table below every round until the saving throw is passed or the duration of the poison is reached.
Special: Burning, Corrosive, Instant, Lingering and Wounding poisons can not be mixed together, a poison can only deal damage using one of them.
| Ingredient Cost | Half Damage on a save |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1d6 |
| 2 | 2d6 |
| 3 | 3d6 |
| 4 | 4d6 |
| 5 | 5d6 |
| 6 | 6d6 |
| 7 | 7d6 |
| 8 | 8d6 |
| 9 | 9d6 |
| 10 | 10d6 |
| 11 | 11d6 |
| 12 | 12d6 |
| 13 | 13d6 |
Corrosive Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a dexterity save, and on a failed save takes acid damage based on the table below.
Special: Burning, Corrosive, Instant, Lingering and Wounding poisons can not be mixed together, a poison can only deal damage using one of them.
| Ingredient Cost | Half Damage on a save |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1d8 |
| 2 | 2d8 |
| 3 | 3d8 |
| 4 | 4d8 |
| 5 | 5d8 |
| 6 | 6d8 |
| 7 | 7d8 |
| 8 | 8d8 |
| 9 | 9d8 |
| 10 | 10d8 |
| 11 | 11d8 |
| 12 | 12d8 |
| 13 | 13d8 |
Deadly Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a constitution save, and on a failure dies if they have a hit point total equal to or less than that shown on the table below.
| Ingredient Cost | Hit Point Threshold |
|---|---|
| 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 20 |
| 3 | 30 |
| 4 | 40 |
| 5 | 50 |
| 6 | 60 |
| 7 | 70 |
| 8 | 80 |
| 9 | 90 |
| 10 | 100 |
| 11 | 110 |
| 12 | 120 |
| 13 | 130 |
Delaying Ingredient
Effect: The poison’s saving throw and all effects do not occur until the end of the duration of the poison instead of the beginning.
Cost: 1 ingredient point.
Frenzying Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a charisma save, and on a failure the poison makes its victims lash out in rage against a random creature.
Cost: 3 ingredient points.
Instant Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature takes poison damage based on the table below.
Special: Burning, Corrosive, Instant, Lingering and Wounding poisons can not be mixed together, a poison can only deal damage using one of them.
| Ingredient Cost | Damage |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1d4 |
| 2 | 2d4 |
| 3 | 3d4 |
| 4 | 4d4 |
| 5 | 5d4 |
| 6 | 6d4 |
| 7 | 7d4 |
| 8 | 8d4 |
| 9 | 9d4 |
| 10 | 10d4 |
| 11 | 11d4 |
| 12 | 12d4 |
| 13 | 13d4 |
Lingering Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a constitution save, and on a failed save takes poison damage based on the table below every round until the saving throw is passed or the duration of the poison is reached.
Special: Burning, Corrosive, Instant, Lingering and Wounding poisons can not be mixed together, a poison can only deal damage using one of them.
| Ingredient Cost | Half Damage on a save |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1d6 |
| 2 | 2d6 |
| 3 | 3d6 |
| 4 | 4d6 |
| 5 | 5d6 |
| 6 | 6d6 |
| 7 | 7d6 |
| 8 | 8d6 |
| 9 | 9d6 |
| 10 | 10d6 |
| 11 | 11d6 |
| 12 | 12d6 |
| 13 | 13d6 |
Numbing Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a constitution save. On a failed save, the target gains an effect from the table below based on ingredient amount. This condition lasts for the duration of the poison.
| Ingredient Cost | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | On a failed save, the target can’t take reactions until the start of its next turn. |
| 2 | On a failed save, the target gains the poisoned condition. |
| 5 | On a failed save, the target gains the paralyzed condition. |
Persistent Ingredient
Effect: The poison has its duration extended based on the chart below.
| Ingredient Cost | New Duration |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 minute |
| 2 | 10 minutes |
| 3 | 1 hour |
| 5 | 24 hours |
| 7 | 1 week |
| 9 | 1 month |
Sleeping Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a constitution save, and falls unconscious on a failed save. This condition lasts for the duration of the poison or until the creature takes damage or someone takes an action to shake or slap the sleeper awake.
Cost: 2 ingredient points.
Stumbling Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a constitution save, and falls prone on a failed save.
Cost: 1 ingredient points.
Terrifying Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a wisdom save, and becomes frightened on a failed save. This condition lasts for the duration of the poison.
Cost: 2 ingredient points.
Wounding Ingredient
Effect: The exposed creature makes a constitution save, and takes poison damage based on the table below.
Special: Burning, Corrosive, Instant, Lingering and Wounding poisons can not be mixed together, a poison can only deal damage using one of them.
| Ingredient Cost | Half Damage on a save |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1d12 |
| 2 | 2d12 |
| 3 | 3d12 |
| 4 | 4d12 |
| 5 | 5d12 |
| 6 | 6d12 |
| 7 | 7d12 |
| 8 | 8d12 |
| 9 | 9d12 |
| 10 | 10d12 |
| 11 | 11d12 |
| 12 | 12d12 |
| 13 | 13d12 |
Multiclassing
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Poisoner class, you must meet these prerequisites: Intelligence 13.
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Poisoner class, you gain the following proficiencies: Poisoner’s Kit, Light armor, Shields, Simple weapons, the shortsword, and the blowgun.
Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Classes