Roguish Archetype
Poisoner
A master of a deadly craft that combines alchemical substances and ingredients to create debilitating poisons and lash out with venomous prejudice. Rogues that develop their skills as poisoners are more interested in subtlety rather than precision, speed, or panache — they prefer a slow, methodical process of elimination aided by their craft.
Poisoner Features
| Rogue Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Deadly Brewer, Unrelenting Venom |
| 9th | Toxic Tools |
| 10th | Serpent Blood |
| 14th | Master of Toxins |
Deadly Brewer
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you become apt with how dangerous the materials of certain natural fauna and flora can be, especially in your line of work. You gain proficiency with the alchemist's supplies and the poisoner’s kit.
Unrelenting Venom
Starting at 3rd level, after you deal Sneak Attack damage to a creature on your turn, you give them a Venom die (a d4). You cannot give more than one creature a Venom die at a time.
When a creature receives a Venom die, it starts at 4. At the beginning of your next turn, the creature takes poison damage equal to the number on your Venom die, then you reduce the number on your Venom die by 1. Once your Venom die reaches 0, the creature removes the die and no longer suffers this effect. A creature with a Venom die, may take an action on their turn to purge a Venom die and reduce it to 0 and remove it.
As a bonus action on your turn, you may remove a Venom die from a creature dealing the poison damage equal to the number on your Venom die.
Creatures immune to the poisoned condition cannot receive a Venom die, instead you roll the Venom die dealing acid or poison damage (your choice).
This die increases at 5th level (d6) and 11th level (d8).
Toxic Tools
At 9th level, your skills with gathering and brewing potions and poisons is beyond most experts. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the alchemist's supplies or the poisoner’s kit.
Additionally, whenever you finish a long rest, you can magically produce a Toxic Salve on a weapon you touch. Roll on the Toxic Salve table using your Venom die for the salve’s effect, which is triggered when a target takes damage from a salved weapon.
Creating a Toxic Salve requires you to have a poisoner’s kit on your person, and any salve you create with this feature lasts until it is inflicted on a creature or until the end of your next long rest.
When you reach certain levels in this class, you can make more salves at the end of a long rest: two at 11th level and three at 17th level. Roll for each salve’s effect separately. Applying a salve to an already salved weapon, replaces the previous salve’s effect.
Toxic Salve Table
| Venom Die | Toxic Salve |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tincture of Spite. When a creature is inflicted with this poison, they are blinded until the end of their turn. If the creature has a Venom die, they are blinded until the Venom die is removed. |
| 2 | Blackroot Jelly. When a creature is inflicted with this poison, they have disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws until the end of their turn. If the creature has a Venom die, they have disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws until the Venom die is removed. |
| 3 | Oil of Lethargy. When a creature is inflicted with this poison, their speed is reduced by 10 until the end of their turn. If the creature has a Venom die, their speed is reduced by 10 until the Venom die is removed. |
| 4 | Pale Essence. When a creature is inflicted with this poison, they cannot restore hit points until the end of their turn. If the creature has a Venom die, they cannot restore hit points until the Venom die is removed. |
| 5 | Ether Poison. When a creature is inflicted with this poison, their AC is reduced by 2 until the end of their turn. If the creature has a Venom die, their AC is reduced by 2 until the Venom die is removed. |
| 6 | Deadly Mucus. When a creature is inflicted with this poison, they lose resistance and immunity to all damage types until the end of their turn. If they have a Venom die, they lose resistance and immunity to all damage types until the Venom die is removed. |
| 7 | Midnight Venom. When a creature is inflicted with this poison must make a Constitution saving throw or become unconscious until the end of their turn. If the creature has a Venom die, they are unconscious until the Venom die is removed or succeed the Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. |
| 8 | Woodworm Blood. A creature inflicted with this poison must make a Constitution saving throw or become stunned until the end of their turn. If the creature has a Venom die, they are stunned until the Venom die is removed or succeed the Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. |
Some of your salves require targets to make saving throws to resist effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as followed:
Toxic Salve Feature Save DC
Serpent Blood
At 11th level, your blood becomes vile to your attackers. As a reaction to being hit by a melee attack, you give the creature who attacked you a Venom die. If you do, until the end of your next turn, you may use a bonus action to remove a Venom die from a creature and restore hit points equal to the number on your Venom die + your Intelligence modifier.
Master of Toxins
At 17th level, you can unleash deadly surprises on your envenomed victims. As an action, you may remove a Venom die on creature you can see to cast one of the following spells:
- cloudkill
- contagion
- gaseous form
- Melf’s acid arrow
- phantasmal force
- phantasmal killer
- stinking cloud
- vitriolic sphere
If the spell deals damage, it must be cast centered on or targeting the creature you removed the Venom die from to cast the spell. Once a spell has been cast using this feature, that spell can’t be cast again until you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Credits
This subclass was created by Chilroy, otherwise known as Jesse. I can be found as /u/Jagganoth on /r/UnearthedArcana, or on twitter @True_Byrdman. If this contents of this document or any other of mine inspired you, please give credit duly.