TYPES OF POISON
There are several different forms of poison to be found or crafted, and each has particular advantages. The following is a list of each type of possible classification.

Ingested Poison: Ingested Poisons are poisons that are dangerous if consumed. The most common Ingested Poisons are crafted from plants or from common chemicals. Frequently, poisoning occurs accidentally when a creature unknowingly consumes a poisonous plant, or a food that has been unintentionally contaminated.

Some poisons carry a foul taste or odor. While strong food or drink can sometimes disguise these telltale signs, there is still a chance a creature will detect the poison before it can be consumes.

Contact Poison: Contact Poisons are oils or resins that are rapidly absorbed by the skin. These poisons are usually spread directly, or mixes with other substances and spread on objects that are commonly grasped by the hand, such as door knobs, envelopes or weapon handles. This poison also works as an Ingested Poison and a Sub dermal Poison. It is incredibly difficult to detect this type of poison, unless precaution is taken to always wear protective gloves or always examine a surface before touching.

Parenteral Poison: Parenteral poisons are poisons that must be introduced into the bloodstream to cause damage. These poisons are usually animal venoms injected with piercing bites, stings, or hollow needles. They may also be spread on slicing or stabbing weapons. Contrary to popular belief, these poisons cannot be "sucked out".

Vaporized Poison: This is a cloud of poison, created by vaporizing or spraying. The poison may be deadly if inhales or be a contact poison that is absorbed by the skin. In order for a poison to qualify as a respiratory agent, it must first be a liquid or a fine dust.

 

DOSAGE
For every poisonous substance, there is a minimum specific amount required to be effective. Each poison has it's dosage listed in standard and metric amounts, bases on it's effect the average l0th Century human male. The main factor affecting a standard dose is size.

CREATURE SIZES
A creature's or character's size determines exactly how much poison is needed to cause an effect. The same amount of Yellow Desert Scorpion required to kill one man could kill a few pigs or dozens of mice, but wouldn't even slow an elephant. The table provides the conversion of the average dosage provided for the various sizes of different creatures.

Creature

Creature

Percent Of

Size

Example

Average Dose

Fine

Beetle

.1%

Diminutive

Mouse

1%

Tiny

Pixie

5%

Small

Sprig

25%

Medium

Human Adult

100%

Large

Horse

900%

Huge

Gryphon

1,800%

Gargantuan

Montuhar

15,600%

Colossal

Dragon

110,000%

MULTIPLE DOSES
It is possible to administer more than one dose to an individual, either by adding more doses to food and drink, multiple injections or bites & stings, multiple flesh contacts, or breathing inside particularly thick toxic clouds.

Each additional dose always adds +1 to the poison's base DR, adds +1 to the Duration and subtracts -1 from the onset. Even high level characters should be concerned when a DR3 poison becomes a DR8 or DR12 poison! Additional doses may also have an effect on certain Symptoms or Damage induced by a poison. Multiple dosing also increases the chance that the poison will be detected, granting +1 to any Detection checks per dose. The only restriction to multiple doses is a matter of volume; You can't put 10 gallons of water in a 5-gallon bucket! The amount of poison added to food or drink can never exceed 25% of the item's total volume. If there is more than this, animals will simply turn up their noses and people will be immediately cautious and refuse to eat. Therefore, a highly potent poison is a more likely candidate for multiple dosing than a poison that requires large amounts to be effective.

ONSET & DURATION
While some real-world poison can work immediately, most do not. Some can take a few seconds, while others can take hours, days or even weeks. Each poison has a differing Onset time, the earliest point in time at which the poisoning process takes place. An approximate onset time has been provided for each poison, and the GM should determine and apply this time secretly. It greatly adds to a player's anxiety when kept in the dark about possible contaminations. What was that oily fluid on the needle trap? What does it smell like? Do I feel anything? When nothing happens in the span of a turn or so, a player may brush it off and celebrate his good fortune, only to suffer the first symptoms a few hours later in confusion.

How long these symptoms persist is determined by the Duration. Like Onset, Duration times can vary greatly. Duration not only determines how long symptoms persist, but also the persistence of some Damage effects. Duration should also be determined secretly by the GM when determining Onset time.

Poisons
Poison
Type
DR
ONS
DUR
Cost
Effects
Antidote
Distilled Bone Moss
I or P
2
1d4 hours 6 Hours 4g/dose Cramps, weakness, blurred vision. Endurance check each hour for duration or take DR in damage. Boiled wine with cloves & sunspice will half the remaining duration
Blood Mold
I or P
3
1d4 hours  8 Hours 10g/dose Severe headache, dry mouth, stiff joints. Endurance check each hour or take DR in damage Boiled water with salt & oak bark will half the remaining duration
Essance of Nightshade
I or P
4
1d4 hours 6 Hours 6g/dose Sallow skin, fever, bloody coughs. Endurance check each hour or take DR in damage Warm milk with wild mint will half the remaining duration
Deadly Swamp Root
I or P
5
1d4 hours  6 Hours 20g/dose DR2 vs Faeries. Slurred speach , blindness, uncontrollable shaking. Endurance check each hour or take DR in damage Mild Ale with nutmeg & elderberry seeds will half the remaining duration
Dracotoxin
I or P
8
1d4 min til dead 200g/dose High fever, seizures, loss of consciouness. Critical endurance check each hour or take DR in damage None. Call a Priest.