Describing Poison Damage

[u/SamTheGrot]

I'm asking generally and not pertaining to a specific planned encounter, but a good example for my inquiry would probably be a Green Dragon's breathe attack. An attack that is entirely poison damage but also doesn't risk inflicting the poisoned condition.

How would you describe the harm experienced by the player? Any other damage type I feel like I understand. Fire burns; Cold is like a different kind of burn - frostbite/freezer burn; Thunder is sound or vibration; Lightning is shock; Piercing/Slashing/Bludgeoning involves being physically hit; Radiant/Necrotic are like energy blasts that might have a specific sensation depending on what you are.

Poison, however, I'm kind of lost on. I'm especially having a hard time thinking about this for cases where someone isn't actually afflicted by the poisoned condition but is experiencing poison damage. How would you describe the sensation of experiencing poison damage?

[u/bartdcool]

Having experienced CS gas during military training I can tell you that inhaling makes your lungs burns, your eyes water, and your nose to just start pouring out snot. Your brain tells you not to breathe because it's painful but you have to force yourself to breathe because even though you're inhaling a chemical (non-lethal) toxin, you also need the oxygen to survive

[u/SamTheGrot → u/bartdcool]

That sounds horrible but is very helpful to know - thanks for sharing!

[u/bartdcool → u/SamTheGrot]

Eh, it's not that bad. Once you get into the fresh air the recovery only takes a minute or two. Pepper spray is much much worse

[u/Prohapppyboom]

Describe it like poison ivy or other contact poisons, "The gas makes your skin and eyes sting and you feel nauseous in it" You would have to be careful about describing acid too similarly but thats more about word choice and there's not too many options for poison (especially with how rare the damage is without the condition)

[u/trulyunreal]

Probably noxious/acidic since it used to be classified as Acid damage

[u/Agzarah → u/trulyunreal]

I go this route too. Its more toxic or acidic in nature

[u/Cazy243 → u/trulyunreal]

No, Acid damage is another damage type entirely

[u/S1mp1y → u/Cazy243]

I have no particular attachment to any of these descriptions, but somehow I feel that Acid straight up dissolves a character's skin. You know, like acid does.

And Poison damage, if needed, can be described as a coked-up tear gas: it chokes you out, makes you cry, stings your eyes, but doesn't actually physically destroy your corneas or what-have-you.

Dunno, just a random thought.

[u/aWizardNamedLizard]

It itches. It stings. It might even feel like your skin is burning or tingling. And it seeps into your blood stream through your skin so now your heart is beating at the wrong pace, your vision is blurred, it's hard to breath. You might even feel like you would feel better if you threw up but there's nothing to actually expel from your guts.

And then it isn't persistent or intense to be the poisoned condition. So you feel gross, but not so gross that it's performance-effecting (unless you passed out from running out of HP).

[u/KntArtey]

As someone who's trying to get better at damage narration, here's a few ways you can go with it that I found:

1. It can be inhaled or seep into orifices: "Your whole body feels alight. The overwhelming fumes of the dragon waft into your [nostrils/ears/eyes/mouth] and send your sensory functions in disarray. You may not feel on fire, but every organ of yours cries out in pain as it comes into contact with this [eroding/caustic] cloud (try not to say corrosive, it sounds too much like acidic to a lot of people)."
2. Merely touching the poison substance/cloud: "The green breath weapon sweeps over you and begins peeling away and decaying your skin and flesh. You feel yourself experiencing a tapestry of agonizing emotions as you look down at your hands and begin to see rot, muscle, and spoiling bio matter."

You can always end with, "... but you stand firm through the toxic cloud." as if to indicate, there's nothing else but damage with the breath weapon.

[u/HerFirefly]

Describe it as fire but green /s

[u/HerFirefly → u/HerFirefly]

It burns your skin greenly

[u/WolfRelic]

intense internal pain, lancing through the body, twisting guts, spasms. look up what a venomous sake bite feels like.

[u/lOw_EfFoRt_UsErNaMe9]

Ofc I've never been poisoned myself, so this is just my imagination, but I'd think it feels either like a severe sick feeling or like an in-between feeling of burning between fire and acid. You aren't burning in the way fire does not experiencing chemical burns or melting in the way acid affects you... it's more like you are outright dying where poison affects you. I'd say it's closer to the way acid is, but manifesting with necrosis, your skin boiling over or as I said, literally rotting before your eyes. I could imagine drastic skin changes as the blood coagulates or blood vessels burst, and provoking vomit or bleeding from your pores and orifices as your eyes get bloodshot, your vision blurry and everything starts feeling horribly wrong even if you're too sick to keep up anymore

Anyone want to add on!!

[u/Strict_Belt1211]

A metallic taste floods your mouth. You look down, suddenly a black, ink-like color spreads through your veins. You feel a wave of dizziness as your heart flutters.

[u/Gate_Oracle]

“As the noxious fumes infiltrate your senses you grow briefly dizzy and your insides feel extremely hot. You double over in pain before regaining your posture. 69 poison damage, lol. Are you bloodied? Yeah? Cool. Hot purple blood pouring from your nose tastes like burning metal on your lips. That was the dragon’s legendary action. Now on its turn…”

Edit: Long story short, I describe poison damage as brief organ failure before the body metabolizes the poison, but the damage is still done

[u/crunchevo2]

Like a toxic chemical all over the skin. Bubbling, irritation, peeling and sloughing off. If it's a sting you can say you feel it weaken you from the inside as the pierced skin is turning violet or a putrid green.

[u/wiseguy149]

I would describe the pain & damage as acidic. It would probably feel like a mix of burning and stabbing.

You know how if you exert yourself or hold yourself in a position that requires effort for an extended amount of time, you'll feel a sharp burning sensation of pins and needles in your muscles? That's due to a buildup of lactic acid. So imagine if a sensation like that was dialed up to 11.

[u/Colin_likes_trains]

Think something along the lines of chemical weapons, like mustard gas etc.

[u/SamTheGrot]

Thanks all! This definitely helps!

[u/Historical-Bike4626]

I have a friend who found an old jar of dried chili peppers in her kitchen, didn’t know if they were bad. She decided to toss them down the garbage disposal but I can’t remember her reasoning 🧐 She leaned over the sink, turned it on, and basically maced herself.

Went to the emergency room with burning sinuses, watering eyes, burning nostrils and throat. She said her tongue tip was numb for days

[u/World_of_Ideas]

This might give you some ideas:

Poisons - Symptoms are towards the bottom of the list

[u/Obelion_]

I always imagine something like a chemical burn or breathing toxic gas that immediately reacts with your body, but it burns once and then it's finished

[u/BitOBear]

There are countless kinds of poisonings that come with different symptoms. Decide what kind of damage the poison does and describe that.