Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Save-or-die poison in B/X D&D isn't broken. The Assassin class most tables blame for it was never part of the original 1981 Basic and Expert rules, and that changes the whole argument.
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This is the Friday collab: same fault line, three separate takes. DM Angelo and Greyhawk Grognard are covering it from their own angles today too — links below. Mine's about who the rulebook actually gives lethal poison to, because it's not who most tables assume.
B/X's saving throw categories don't even list poison on its own. It's folded into Death. The Assassin, the class most tables treat as poison's rightful owner, isn't in Moldvay's Basic Set or Cook's Expert Set at all. It shows up first in 1975, in the Blackmoor supplement, two years before B/X existed as a boxed set. If your table runs an Assassin, including Basic Fantasy RPG's optional one, that's a choice you made on purpose, not a rule B/X handed you.
If you want the procedure for running a poison encounter fairly instead of as a cold roll, that's a separate video: youtube.com/watch?v=S5I6ikr86do — this one's about who gets to hold the vial in the first place.
Greyhawk Gognard: studio.youtube.com/channel/UCfpYI8JymTfgyp30X2kkmzA/collaboration/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ?si=0WfRVtdlrkDW68X-
DM Angelo:
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
Join The Tavern’s Discord Server (It's Free):
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Master Minion: mortgagemike77, Randt Chrockett, Eric Fox, The Veteran DM, Cathulhu17, Don Bakke, DoubleDeuce, skink, Kore44, Louis Feurino, Craig Aylward, Anthon Kron, Ijimisan, Terry Taylor, blahlbinoa, Arbiter's Archive, Dean Salsberry, DM Angelo, Douglas Pearson, James Spahn, Mathew Sherman, Agile Monk
Companion Minions: Andrey Zharinov, Brett C, Spode Racing, Tacoloco787, Adam Lovell, Plush Cthulhu, DM_Sahrenyth, Gabe Guerrero, Chris Charlton, Chris Blatnick, Nicodemus ShadowCaster, Christopher Beattie, No one, Stephen Klow, Mark the Shark, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, tim cafferty, Rubens Barrichello, Curt Gould, Estaban Vasquez, Glen K. Amo
More from Tenkar's Tavern:
youtube.com/c/TenkarsTavern
New to OSR? Start here: youtu.be/3vS1WFTabZs (The Dfinitive Guide to the OSR (2026)
youtube.com/channel/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ
#OSR #DnD #BXDnD #TTRPG #TenkarsTavern #Assassin
Save-or-die poison in B/X D&D isn't broken. The Assassin class most tables blame for it was never part of the original 1981 Basic and Expert rules, and that changes the whole argument.
🔥 JOIN THE MINIONS: youtube.com/@TenkarsTavern/join
This is the Friday collab: same fault line, three separate takes. DM Angelo and Greyhawk Grognard are covering it from their own angles today too — links below. Mine's about who the rulebook actually gives lethal poison to, because it's not who most tables assume.
B/X's saving throw categories don't even list poison on its own. It's folded into Death. The Assassin, the class most tables treat as poison's rightful owner, isn't in Moldvay's Basic Set or Cook's Expert Set at all. It shows up first in 1975, in the Blackmoor supplement, two years before B/X existed as a boxed set. If your table runs an Assassin, including Basic Fantasy RPG's optional one, that's a choice you made on purpose, not a rule B/X handed you.
If you want the procedure for running a poison encounter fairly instead of as a cold roll, that's a separate video: youtube.com/watch?v=S5I6ikr86do — this one's about who gets to hold the vial in the first place.
Greyhawk Gognard: studio.youtube.com/channel/UCfpYI8JymTfgyp30X2kkmzA/collaboration/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ?si=0WfRVtdlrkDW68X-
DM Angelo:
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
Join The Tavern’s Discord Server (It's Free):
discord.gg/fReGmuD
Buy me a Beer!
ko-fi.com/tenkar
The Tavern uses affiliate links - using our affiliate links supports the channel without costing you anything extra.
Humble Bundle: humblebundleinc.sjv.io/da4WJ2
The Tavern’s Amazon Storefront: amzn.to/41Jm0oG
DriveThruRPG: drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=1446
Fantasy Grounds VTT: affiliates.fantasygrounds.com/388855/15958
The Tavern uses Restream for its livestreams and its long-form videos. You can too! restream.io/join/g5Qpgr
The Tavern also uses VidIQ: vidiq.com/TenkarsTavern
Master Minion: mortgagemike77, Randt Chrockett, Eric Fox, The Veteran DM, Cathulhu17, Don Bakke, DoubleDeuce, skink, Kore44, Louis Feurino, Craig Aylward, Anthon Kron, Ijimisan, Terry Taylor, blahlbinoa, Arbiter's Archive, Dean Salsberry, DM Angelo, Douglas Pearson, James Spahn, Mathew Sherman, Agile Monk
Companion Minions: Andrey Zharinov, Brett C, Spode Racing, Tacoloco787, Adam Lovell, Plush Cthulhu, DM_Sahrenyth, Gabe Guerrero, Chris Charlton, Chris Blatnick, Nicodemus ShadowCaster, Christopher Beattie, No one, Stephen Klow, Mark the Shark, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, tim cafferty, Rubens Barrichello, Curt Gould, Estaban Vasquez, Glen K. Amo
More from Tenkar's Tavern:
youtube.com/c/TenkarsTavern
New to OSR? Start here: youtu.be/3vS1WFTabZs (The Dfinitive Guide to the OSR (2026)
youtube.com/channel/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ
#OSR #DnD #BXDnD #TTRPG #TenkarsTavern #Assassin
