Looking at the definition of Orc-poison:

and then Spider-poison:

leads me to wonder if the intent is that the character is immediately paralysed and then falls to the ground, or if the character is unaffected and then falls to the ground paralysed.

Also, what can a paralysed character do? Do they get a stance Parry TN? Can they make Protection rolls? Are they basically unconscious? (Orc-poison at least quantifies what the combat effect of being blinded is).

Protection rolls are based off armor and irrelevant whether person is paralyzed or not. Stands to reason then that yes to prot rolls when paralyzed.

stance and parry otoh are not possible so it stands to reason these are inapplicable.

Thus auto hit sans roll of auto failure and prot roll when applicable. Paralyzed does not mean unconscious per se but nearly as helpless.

Protection rolls are affected by weariness, so IMO they imply mobility.
Think about it like this: if you are immobile, someone only has to slice your throat to kill you, no need to bash your armour.

From page 144 of the Adventurers Book:

Coup de Grâce:
an unconscious, or otherwise defenceless, hero is killed automatically if an opponent has the time to administer a coup de grâce (one combat turn). The action doesn’t require a roll, but the adversary must possess the means to kill the character quickly and efficiently (a weapon or a lethal form of attack).

That said, spider's poison purpose is to keep victims alive to be slowly eaten later, at leisure. Think about Shelob's behavior. I think that spiders will not dispatch paralyzed victims, because that defeat their purpose, nor will they let allies (say, orcs), ruin what they perceive as their rightful payment/meal/treasure.

Yes. Similarly, they can benefit from Hope, reflecting a heroic effort to dodge/roll with a blow or take a potential Wound as a mere flesh wound, or to tough it out through sheer might.

I think an engaged combatant couldn't administer a coup-de-grâce -- and the books directly state that it's against the spirit of a TOR game to kill downed opponents while the fight's still on. But if someone attacked a paralysed target without the freedom to coup-de-grâce, maybe the Protection roll should come from the armour alone, without a Feat die?

Cheers,
--Os.

Spider Poison: target is immediately paralyzed, they are conscious but unable to move or react in any way. After Body or Heart number of rounds, the character falls to the ground, unconscious / delirious.

At least, that is the way that I interpret things. I see this effect as causing the target's muscles to go rigid, preventing activity. After a few minutes the pain from this full-body charlie-horse causes the character to lose consciousness, going limp and collapse.

I'll let the others determine what activities might be possible.

I interpreted this the opposite way. A poisoned character is [paralysed and falls to the ground] (all one thing) after a number of rounds equal to his Body or Heart rating, whichever is higher.

Grammatically, as far as I know both interpretations could be correct. I favor my own interpretation 1) because it would take the spider poison some time to circulate through the bloodstream (this is how real venoms work, i.e. a snakebite), and 2) once your muscles go rigid I don't think it would be possible to stand up for several rounds (considering each round is 30 seconds long). As bipedal creatures, human(oids) use a lot of muscles to actively balance on our feet, even if we might not be aware of doing so.

I tend to favor Alien's view. A few rounds after being bitten the character succumbs to the poison and falls to the ground paralyzed. Becauses I am a kindly LM I would not penalize them during the period before the poison takes hold.

In retrospect, you're probably correct Alien, for the exact reason that Horsa mentions. Francesco skewed mechanics in favor of the characters. So it would make more sense if, he would give the characters a few moments to finish up a conflict, retreat, cry for aid, etc before the affects are felt.

This is also a better option for narrative play. Just how many movies have we all seen where right after combat the hero turns, stumbles into a party member's arms and you only realize at this point that he has a dagger to the abdomen (or the equivalent)?

Heck, PJ did an extended variant of this with Sam as he discovers that Shelob has stung Frodo.

As do I, now that I see it. I'd like to see the passage reworded to put the time clause first, then the effects.

I'm likely to make it a combat advantage after the halfway point, tho'.