My PCs are trying to infiltrate a stronghold for a rescue mission. They expressed that they wanted to deliver ale to the fortress that is laced with a sedative or sleep potion. They heard from a contact that there is a party or gathering happening that night. I don't want to discourage their creative thinking, but I have no idea what the rules would look like for this. How do you make the potion/acquire it? What kind of checks would someone need to make while drinking it? How often? What would the DC be? My PCs are currently level 5 if that helps.
Chapter 8 of the DMG has poisons, all of which are probably too expensive to be practical for the PCs. It's not unreasonable to have poisons that are cheaper and less effective, but you'd have to invent rules. Separately from that, the time required to acquire poison, acquire wine, poison the wine, and arrange for a wine delivery that the target won't find suspicious is almost certainly more than a day. Also, unless someone is proficient with a poisoner's kit, they probably can't do it.
On the particular rolls required, though: that depends on how the PCs plan to execute their plan, so ask them.
Somewhat depends on how many individuals they're trying to sedate. If it's more than 10, I'd suggest doing group rolls instead of individual ones just so it doesn't take too much time.
Constitution saving throws, most likely, with a DC dependent upon how expensive the sleeping potion is and how they manage it. Higher if someone has a prof with a Poisoner's Kit. Base DC probably a 10-12, give points in either direction for if it's higher quality or not, etc.
Also, not everyone may necessarily drink the wine, so keep that in mind when they actually infiltrate the stronghold. A few people are guaranteed to either pass the save or not drink the wine. Those people will definitely alert anyone else that something suspicious is going on (unless the stronghold is run by a dozen or less alcoholics who will always drink the wine).
They can acquire it from any source you like who is willing to provide them with it. A contact at the thieves' guild, a hermit in the woods practiced in herbalism, an apothecary who sells different products out of the back of the store than the front of the store. Prices can be whatever you like, from straight gold, to performing a service, to performing a service in order to prove they aren't with the town guard, and then gold, to free because the poisoner doesn't like the people in the fortress either.
Then, I think Gamsii got it right, a low DC con save, assume not everyone will drink it, and some who do will make the save, and the ones who are still awake will be on high alert when they realize they can't wake up their friends. So they'll fight fewer enemies, but they lose any element of surprise they might otherwise have had.
Thanks everyone for your help. I appreciate your feedback and questions you posed. It was really helpful to have some guiding questions to ask the PCs and also to remember that not everyone will be drinking/people might find this suspicious if everyone drinking a certain keg are falling asleep. I love the idea for the poisoner's kit check for PCs and the group CON save roll for the NPCs. I will let you know how the session goes.
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My PCs are trying to infiltrate a stronghold for a rescue mission. They expressed that they wanted to deliver ale to the fortress that is laced with a sedative or sleep potion. They heard from a contact that there is a party or gathering happening that night. I don't want to discourage their creative thinking, but I have no idea what the rules would look like for this. How do you make the potion/acquire it? What kind of checks would someone need to make while drinking it? How often? What would the DC be? My PCs are currently level 5 if that helps.
Chapter 8 of the DMG has poisons, all of which are probably too expensive to be practical for the PCs. It's not unreasonable to have poisons that are cheaper and less effective, but you'd have to invent rules. Separately from that, the time required to acquire poison, acquire wine, poison the wine, and arrange for a wine delivery that the target won't find suspicious is almost certainly more than a day. Also, unless someone is proficient with a poisoner's kit, they probably can't do it.
On the particular rolls required, though: that depends on how the PCs plan to execute their plan, so ask them.
Somewhat depends on how many individuals they're trying to sedate. If it's more than 10, I'd suggest doing group rolls instead of individual ones just so it doesn't take too much time.
Constitution saving throws, most likely, with a DC dependent upon how expensive the sleeping potion is and how they manage it. Higher if someone has a prof with a Poisoner's Kit. Base DC probably a 10-12, give points in either direction for if it's higher quality or not, etc.
Also, not everyone may necessarily drink the wine, so keep that in mind when they actually infiltrate the stronghold. A few people are guaranteed to either pass the save or not drink the wine. Those people will definitely alert anyone else that something suspicious is going on (unless the stronghold is run by a dozen or less alcoholics who will always drink the wine).
They can acquire it from any source you like who is willing to provide them with it. A contact at the thieves' guild, a hermit in the woods practiced in herbalism, an apothecary who sells different products out of the back of the store than the front of the store. Prices can be whatever you like, from straight gold, to performing a service, to performing a service in order to prove they aren't with the town guard, and then gold, to free because the poisoner doesn't like the people in the fortress either.
Then, I think Gamsii got it right, a low DC con save, assume not everyone will drink it, and some who do will make the save, and the ones who are still awake will be on high alert when they realize they can't wake up their friends. So they'll fight fewer enemies, but they lose any element of surprise they might otherwise have had.
Thanks everyone for your help. I appreciate your feedback and questions you posed. It was really helpful to have some guiding questions to ask the PCs and also to remember that not everyone will be drinking/people might find this suspicious if everyone drinking a certain keg are falling asleep. I love the idea for the poisoner's kit check for PCs and the group CON save roll for the NPCs. I will let you know how the session goes.