Witchcraft • Legacy Poison Transmutation
Itchweed
Itchweed temporarily protects the caster from poison and lets one newly consumed poison be delivered by touch. It does not remove poison already affecting the caster.
Itchweed at a Glance
| 5.5e / 2024 | No direct conversion published here |
|---|---|
| 5e / 2014 | No direct conversion published here |
| Pathfinder 1e | Not a default Pathfinder Witch spell |
| D&D 3.x Legacy | Witch 6, Druid 6 |
Spell Rules by Edition
5.5e / 2024
Status: no conversion is published here.
5e / 2014
Status: no direct 2014 conversion is presented.
Pathfinder 1e
Status: not a default Pathfinder Witch spell.
D&D 3.x Legacy
| School | Transmutation |
|---|---|
| Level | Witch 6, Druid 6 |
| Components | V, M |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range | Touch |
| Target | Self or creature touched |
| Duration | 1 round/level |
| Saving Throw | None |
| Spell Resistance | No |
The subject is immune to poisons contacted during the spell’s duration. One poison deliberately consumed while protected can then be passed to another creature by skin contact or a successful touch attack. The new target still attempts the poison’s normal Fortitude save.
Only one poison can be carried in this way at a time. The spell does not neutralise poison already in the subject’s body. If Neutralize Poison removes the carried poison, Itchweed remains active and another poison can be taken later while the duration lasts.
Material component: a small piece of itchweed consumed during casting.
What Changed?
No modern conversion is assumed. Poison immunity, deliberate ingestion and touch-delivery use the legacy poison rules only.
Using Itchweed in Play
Itchweed is preparation-heavy poison magic. Its most interesting use is carrying a known poison through a dangerous environment or delivering it through a touch after the caster has deliberately prepared for that risk.
Related Magic
Counterplay and Rulings
- Before contact: the protected caster is immune to poison contacted during the spell, but already present poison is not removed.
- Delivery: require the normal skin contact or successful touch attack described in the legacy spell. The new victim receives the poison’s usual Fortitude saving throw.
- Limit: only one carried dose at a time; any replacement dose follows the original rule after the first has been discharged or removed.
- Dispel Magic: ending the protective spell ends its special poison-handling benefit. Do not automatically change the target’s poison save or immunity using fifth-edition assumptions.
Mythical Context
Poisonous or irritating plants fit the old image of a woodland power that defends itself without drawing a blade. In mythic storytelling, the offended grove can make ordinary leaves and roots dangerous to intruders. For the wider connection between sacred vegetation and ritual, see Pliny’s account of ritual plants and druids.
Historical Context
Real European nettles sting because their leaves and stems bear tiny hairs that irritate the skin. This biological property supplies a grounded description for a poison-handling spell, not evidence for magically transferring poisons through bare skin. See Encyclopaedia Britannica on nettles.
Rules Sources and Licensing
Legacy source: Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks.
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