Poisons

The following is a list of the most typical poisons in Gaia. There are five factors that go into determining the lethality of a poison. Effect, Difficulty, Activation, Duration, and Transmission. The effect of a poison determines what it does to a person who is affected by it. In the case where a poison has multiple effects, each one will have its difficulty to overcome listed in brackets. A character only rolls once when they are first affected by a poison and apply this roll to the difficulty of all effects, ignoring any effects they beat the difficulty for. Next is activation, this is how long it takes for a poison to actually take effect in a person’s system. Not all poisons will work immediately; some take time before they can cause any damage. After this we have duration which is the length of time a person suffers the effects of the poison. The duration is determined by the difference of the outcome of their roll, and the difficulty and the listed duration is the interval of time it lasts for. In the case of Death, the duration works a little more differently. Rather than lasting a time length equal to the difference of roll and difficulty, the target has a time limit equal to the number they rolled initially before the poison claims their lives. Lastly we have transmission; this is the method of delivery for a poison to take effect.

Traits
               Before getting into the different poisons it is important to understand what the different effects are and what they do when you are affected by them. Below is a small explanation of each effect.

Death: Self-explanatory, a poison that inflicts death will kill the victim when the duration of the poison runs out.

Paralysis: A character who is under this effect loses control of their body and is unable to move for the duration of the poison.

Hallucinations: Victims stop seeing the real world for what it is, as they are stalked by uncontrollable visions created by their subconscious. They regularly perceive objects around them to be different than they are.

Pain: The target suffers from excrutiating pain, wracking their entire body and preventing them from taking most physical actions without increasing the pain they feel.

Blindness: The character is subject to loss of eyesight for the duration of the poison and cannot take any action that requires sight, any other actions suffer a -30 penalty to the dice roll.

Unconsciousness: The victim falls unconsciousness and is left helpless as if they were knocked out in combat.

Rage: This state represents much more than anger or fury. The victim loses his temper completely and assails the object of his Rage, or, alternately, anyone around. He is forced to employ his most powerful Abilities in the combat – mystics will cast their spells, fighters will attack brutally, and psychics will use all their psychic powers to enhance their attacks.

Weakness: The victim suffers from extreme weakness and can barely lift a finger to help himself. For the duration of the poison the character suffers a -40 penalty to all dice actions of a physical nature.

Action Penalty: This is a unique type of effect, the poison inflicts some form of penalty to all actions, usually by making a characters mind slow or causing them to become physically weakened. This has a varying degree of effect as it is based on the difference between the difficulty and by how much the victim failed to meet it by (much like the duration).

Damage: The poison causes physical damage to the victim, dealing 1 damage for every 20 points the victim failed to meet the difficulty by, minimum of 1.

Terror: Although hard to differentiate from Fear, this term is used convey a higher state of anguish. A terrified victim cannot control his actions and will be hopelessly forced to flee from the source of Terror. The victim is not capable of facing the cause of his Terror and will become Paralyzed if he should attempt to do so.

Curare
Effect: Death (60), Paralysis (80)       Activation: 1 Minute             Duration: Hours    Transmission: Blood

This poison was originally employed by indigenous peoples to poison their arrows in hunting or combat. Its composition is a secret known to only the most expert shamans. It is derived from the bark of certain plants, which are left to soak in water and then pressed to extract the juice. The resulting liquid, of a dark red color, is then filtered, thereby creating the poison. Curare is deadly to humans, since it paralyses all muscles in the body. Symptoms produced by Curare include weakness, difficulty breathing, and finally death from heart arrest. It is most efficient when delivered intravenously.

Atropine
Effect: Hallucinations (80)  Activation: 1 Hour                Duration: Hours    Transmission: Contact

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Atropine is one of the active substances in Mandrake and Henbane plants and has strong hallucinogenic properties. It can be absorbed through the skin. It is exceptionally difficult to synthesize, since it requires specific knowledge of chemistry.

Salt of Saturn
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Pain (60), Blindness (40)        Activation: 1 Hour                Duration: Days      Transmission: Ingestion

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">This fine, dusty, highly toxic substance dissolves almost instantly in liquids. When ingested, it produces intense colic pain, and a lesion to the central nervous system that causes blindness.

Muscarine
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Hallucinations (60)  Activation: 1 Hour                Duration: Hours    Transmission: Inhalation

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Muscarine is derived from the mushroom Amanita Muscaria, which is known for its bright red cap. This fungus has grown in Nordic birch woods for ages, and it has probably served as the catalyst for many legends featuring wild creatures. This is because Muscarine is capable of producing hallucinations and visions of small beings.

Royal Arsenic
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Death (80) Activation: 1 Hour                Duration: Hours    Transmission: Ingestion

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">This compound is created by sprinkling powdered leaves of the arsenic plant over a pig’s entrails. Liquids derived from putrefaction of the entrails dissolves the powder, thus enhancing the poisonous quality of the arsenic. Upon ingestion, this poison causes terrible abdominal pain and migraine, followed by death.

Belladonna
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Unconsciousness (80)          Activation: 1 Minute           Duration: Hours  Transmission: Ingestion

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">This poison originates from an uncommon plant capable of inducing sleep. Once harvested, it is cooked to produce a highly toxic broth whose main active substance is acetylcholine, a strong sleep inducer.

Cyanide
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Death (60) Activation: Instantaneous   Duration: Minutes Transmission: Ingestion

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Bitter almonds, apricot pits, and other fruits – such as peaches, cherries, prunes, and loquats – contain a sugar known as glycoside, which can be transformed into hydrocyanic acid inside the body. Extracted in large quantities and properly fermented, it constitutes a powerful poison. Cyanide is capable of causing sudden death by affecting the respiratory airways and lungs.

Cantaridine
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Rage (60)  Activation: 1 Hour                Duration: Hours    Transmission: Blood

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Cantaridine is the active principle in cantharides – which are green beetles common in the territory of the old Empire – that usually live on willows and ash trees. They are known also as “Empire Flies.” When dried, reduced to dust, and given proper treatment, they produce hyperactivity and an exceptionally violent behavior that can also cloud the victim’s mind.

Thallium
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Pain (40)   Activation: 1 Hour                Duration: Hours    Transmission: Blood

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Thallium poisoning causes painful chest and back spasms associated with vomiting and balance disorders. Thallium may sometimes provoke hair loss.

Aqua Toffana
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Weakness (80), Action Penalty (60)      Activation: 1 Day  Duration: Days      Transmission: Ingestion

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">The invention of this poison is unclear. Some attribute it to a reputed female poisoner who lived centuries ago. It would seem that the original formula was a juice compound made up of a number of herbs to which an alcoholic product from Lannet was later added. It consists of a transparent liquid with no particular aroma or flavor. A few drops are enough to slowly undermine an individual’s health, causing anorexia and extreme thirst. The victim then exhibits signs of progressive emaciation and deterioration.

Al-Baladin
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Damage (100), Action Penalty (80)        Activation: 1 Minute             Duration: Hours    Transmission: Blodd

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">This is a potent nomad compound derived from certain exceptionally rare plants that grow in some oasis in the desert. It is a powerful toxin that, when introduced in the bloodstream, is capable of altering its flow and causing veins and arteries to burst.

Ramalen Sap
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Terror (120), Blindness (100) Activation: 1 Minute             Duration: Hours    Transmissions: Contact

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">This sap exudes from live Ramalen trees in its pure state. Although extinct in theory, small quantities of this poison can still be found on the black market.

Snake
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Death (60) Activation: 1 Hour                Duration: Hours    Transmission: Blood

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">This is generic snake poison. It releases a strong toxin that affects the heart, causing cardiac arrest.

White Cobra
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Effect: Death (100)               Activation: Instantaneous   Duration: Minutes Transmission: Blood

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">This is probably the deadliest natural poison in the whole world. It attacks the nervous and motor systems, causing the brain to shut down, followed by death a few seconds later.

Antidotes
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Antidotes are used to alleviate or decrease the effects of toxic substances. There are two kinds of antidotes – those of a general spectrum and those specifically intended for a particular poison. Generic antidotes allow the victim to roll a new attempt to rid their system of the poison. An antidote will award only one new roll. Specific antidotes completely alleviate the effects of the poisons they were made to counteract without the need for a roll.