Poison

Blood Agent: The poison must
reach a mucous membrane (eyes,
open mouth, nose, etc.) or an open
wound. If it is sprayed or spat, it must
actually strike one of these vulnerable
areas (so a spitting cobra must target
the face). If it is delivered as a gas or
wide-area spray, only those with the
Sealed advantage (p. 82) – or with one
of Doesn’t Breathe (p. 49) or Filter
Lungs (p. 55) and one of Nictitating
Membrane (p. 71) or Protected Vision
(p. 78) – are immune. These advan-
tages might be natural or provided by
equipment.
Contact Agent: The poison must be
inhaled or touch skin to take effect. If
it is use to poison a melee weapon, the
weapon must hit an unarmored and
unclad hit location for the poison to
affect the target. If it is delivered as a
gas or wide-area spray, it affects every-
one in the area who lacks the Sealed
advantage (whether natural or provid-
ed by a suit, vehicle, etc.).
Digestive Agent: The victim must
swallow the poison. This is typical of
poisonous plants and toxic substances
such as arsenic. If the poison has a
slight but distinctive taste (e.g.,
cyanide), the GM can allow the victim
a Taste roll or Perception-based
Poisons roll – at a basic -2, but +2 per
doubling of dosage – to notice it in
pressure
to
little
or
none
(a
“blowout”), body fluids boil, blood
vessels rupture, and eardrums pop.
Take 1d of injury immediately, and
roll vs. HT to avoid the bends (see The
Bends, p. 435). Also roll vs. HT+2 for
each eye; failure means One Eye or
Blindness, as appropriate. Finally, roll
vs. HT-1 to avoid Hard of Hearing.
Use the Duration of Crippling Injuries
rules (p. 422) to determine how long
these disadvantages last.
Extreme Temperatures: Vacuum
itself is neither “cold” nor “hot,” but in
the absence of air, surfaces in shadow
will eventually grow very cold, while
those in sunlight will become extreme-
ly hot. For example, on the moon –
with its month-long “day” – the tem-
perature can range from -243°F (at
night) to 225°F (at noon).
time. Poisons that are easier to detect
give a bonus; those that are harder to
detect, or whose taste is masked by
suitable food or drink, give a penalty.
To force someone to swallow a poison
rather than spit it out, you must grap-
ple him by the head or neck and main-
tain your hold for 10 seconds.
Follow-Up Poison: The poison must
be placed on a piercing or impaling
weapon, or injected using a hollow
projectile, hypodermic needle, etc. If
the weapon penetrates DR and does
any damage, it delivers the poison.
Most “follow-up” poisons are simply
blood or contact agents injected into
the body.
Respiratory Agent: The poison is a
gas that only affects those who inhale
it into their lungs. Delivery is usually
via an area or cone attack (e.g., gas
grenade, spray gun, or dragon’s
breath), but an entire atmosphere
could be poisonous! Only Doesn’t
Breathe and Filter Lungs protect com-
pletely against respiratory agents – but
a victim who makes a Sense roll to
notice the poison in time may hold his
breath (see Holding Your Breath,
p. 351). Unconscious or stunned vic-
tims inhale automatically. An impro-
vised mask, such as a wet towel over
the face, gives +1 to HT to resist.
Sense-Based Agent: The poison
affects the victim through a specific
sense. It has no effect on those who
lack that sense or have appropriate
protection. A smell-based agent is usu-
ally a foul stench that induces nausea;
suitable protection is nose plugs, a res-
pirator, or the Protected Sense (Smell)
advantage. A vision-based agent is
generally a cloud of gas that irritates
the eyes; appropriate protection is a
gas mask, goggles, or the Protected
Sense (Vision) advantage. See Sense-
Based (p. 109).