Dosing (sage ability)

Dosing is an amateur-status ability, in the study of Poisoning, allowing a character to seamlessly introduce ingestible toxins into food or drink without being seen. The application is so intuitive that no skill check is necessary, and the correct dose is always used.

The character can perform this act even in the direct presence of the intended victim, particularly during moments when others, including the target, are briefly distracted. Such occasions could arise during dinners, feasts, or any social setting, provided the character has a logical reason to be nearby, enabling the discreet addition of the poison.

The technique requires a consumable food to be present. There's no need for the character to serve already-poisoned edibles. However, it's vital to note that while the act of dosing can remain undetected, it doesn't automatically ensure the trust of the intended recipient. Beyond the act itself, effort might be needed to gain the victim's confidence in cases where the latter is already convinced that his or her life is being threatened by poisoners. This gaining of trust must be role-played.

Poisoning Results

While it's that a victim will consume the poisoned food, unforeseen circumstances might cause them to leave the meal untouched. The likelihood of such an event is a slim 1%.

The intended target does have a chance to resist the poison's effects with a saving throw. Factors like a distinct smell, tasting only a small portion initially by happenstance, or the victim's past experiences might raise suspicions. The sage ability imposes a -2 penalty on the victim's saving throw, increasing the likelihood of the poisoning being successful.

If the saving throw is successful, however, it reveals to the intended victim that there's something wrong with the dish; an examination by an individual experienced with poison will be able to identify the presence of some substance, identifying it according to their own ability. Additionally, those who save still experience 20% to 50% of the poison's impact.

If the save fails, the victim ingests a sufficient quantity to experience the poison's full effects. Thereupon with lesser poisons it becomes obvious to all that a poisoning has taken place, from the reaction of the victim. More subtle poisons delay their effects for an hour or more, allowing a more surreptitious success.

Dosing a Wound

If steps are taken to keep a vial of ingestive poison to hand, where it can be grabbed at a cost of 2 action points, if the character is adjacent to a wounded defender, who in turn has just recovered from being stunned, then a character with dosing skill can attempt to pour that poison into the defender's wound. This requires a roll needed to hit the enemy's armour class, modified by a -2 to the poisoner's die roll; if successful, the defender must make saving throw against the poison before taking any other action.

Note that the attempt cannot be made unless the poison has been placed in a pocket upon the character's vest, while the character must not need to move a single hex to perform the action of dosing the wound. The defender need not have been wounded or stunned by the would-be poisoner.

See also,
Detect Poison (spell)
Poisoning (sage study)