Alchemy: Scoundrel Poisons

Alchemy: Scoundrel Poisons

This post will describe the conversion of various poisons from Complete Scoundrel for D&D 3.5. Some of them are pretty exotic.

 

Blasphemix

Said to be refined from the spilled ichor of a demon, devil, or other fiend, blasphemix corrupts not only the body but also the soul. A living victim must resist with HT or gain a -4 bonus to IQ and Will rolls made to cast divine spells or use divine abilities.

Form: Follow-Up Poison.

Cost: $300 (singular); $110 (5-batched).

Recipe: $30; 1 day; defaults to Poisons (Magic-Infused)-1.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Attribute Penalty, IQ-4, Only for divine abilities, +30%; Follow-Up Poison, -20%; Magical, -10%) [10].

 

Elemental Rime

This frosty blue liquid is concocted from ice found in frozen regions of the Paraelemental Plane of Ice. A living victim must make an immediate HT-1 roll or suffer 1d-1 toxic damage. Every minute for 4 more cycles he must make another HT-1 roll to resist or take the same amount of damage. After losing 1/3 HP to this poison, the victim gains a -2 penalty to DX until he heals above this threshold. After losing 1/2 HP to this poison, the victim gains Vulnerability (Fire, x2) until he heals above this threshold.

Form: Follow-Up Poison.

Cost: $240 (singular); $85 (5-batched).

Recipe: $24; 1 day; defaults to Poisons-1.

Statistics: Toxic Attack 1d-1 (Cyclic, 1 minute, 4 cycles, Resistible, +80%; Follow-Up Poison, -20%; Resistible, HT-1, -25%; Symptoms, 1/3 HP, -2 DX, +60%; Symptoms, 1/2 HP, Vulnerability (Fire, x2), +60%) [8].

  

Goodbye Kiss

This sweetly flavored tincture distilled from many of the same fungi and roots used in making the drow’s infamous sleeping poison, this venom is a standby of poisoners who don’t want to harm their victims. A living victim must make an immediate HT roll or suffer 1 fatigue damage. Every second for 19 more cycles it must make another HT roll to resist or take the same amount of damage. Though normally delivered by injury, this poison can also be mixed with food or drink.

Form: Follow-Up Poison.

Cost: $900 (singular); $325 (5-batched).

Recipe: $900; 5 days; defaults to Poisons-3.

Statistics: Fatigue Attack 1 point (Cyclic, 1 second, 19 cycles, Resistible, +950%; Follow-Up Poison, -20%; Resistible, HT, -30%) [30].

 

Gorgon’s Hair

This versatile contact poison is named for a clever murderer who would coat her long hair in this concoction before seducing her victims. Applying the poison to an object or a subject takes 8 seconds. It lasts for 5 hours or until washed off with water. When the subject is touched by another creature with bare hands, that creature must immediately roll against HT-2. If he fails, he takes 1d-2 toxic damage. Every second for 5 more cycles he must win in another identical Quick Contest to resist or take the same amount of damage. After losing 1/3 HP to this poison, the victim gets a -2 penalty to ST until he heals above this threshold. After losing 1/2 HP to this poison, the victim gets a -4 penalty to ST until he heals above this threshold. It is unusual in that it does not affect those who already have it in their system. Thus, many who use gorgon’s hair ingest a dose - a mildly unpleasant act - before coating themselves with the poison.

Form: Contact Poison; see text.

Cost: $570 (singular); $205 (5-batched).

Recipe: $57; 2 days; defaults to Poisons-2.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Advantage, Gorgon’s Hair, +80%; Extended Duration, 100x, +80%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Melee Attack, Reach C, Cannot Parry, -35%; Takes Extra Time 3, -30%; Terminal Condition, Water, -10%) [19]. Note: “Gorgon’s Hair” is Toxic Attack 1d-2 (Accessibility, Does not affect creatures with the poison in their system, -10%; Always On, -40%; Aura, +80%; Contact Agent, -30%; Cyclic, 1 second, 5 cycles, Resistible, +250%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Symptoms, 1/3 HP, -2 ST, +30%; Symptoms, 1/2 HP, -4 ST, +40%) [8].

 

Salvo

The fortuitous creation of a poisoner with little skill, salvo is a weapon of the imprecise and desperate. The poison is relatively cheap and easy to create, but its effect fluctuates wildly from dose to dose. A living victim must make an immediate HT roll or suffer 1d-2 toxic damage. Every hour for 4 more cycles he must make another HT roll to resist or take the same amount of damage. After losing 1/2 HP to this poison, the victim gets an attribute penalty until he heals above this threshold. To determine the penalty, roll 1d: 1: -2 to ST; 2: -2 to DX; 3: -2 to IQ; 4: -2 to HT; 5-6: reroll.

Form: Follow-Up Poison.

Cost: $90 (singular); $35 (5-batched).

Recipe: $9; 1 day; defaults to Poisons-1.

Statistics: Toxic Attack 1d-2 (Cyclic, 1 hour, 4 cycles, Resistible, +40%; Follow-Up Poison, -20%; Nuisance Effect, Random Symptoms, -25%; Resistible, HT, -30%; Symptoms, 1/2 HP, -2 to ST, -2 to DX, -2 to IQ, -2 to HT as Alternative Enhancements, +56%) [3].

 

Siren’s Breath

This bitter-smelling gas causes the subject to become highly susceptible to persuasion. This poison flask can be thrown (range is STx3.5). Hitting a hard surface, it breaks, creating a cloud of poison gas in a 2-yard radius. The cloud persists for 10 seconds and may drift with the wind. Any creature that inhales the gas makes an HT roll to resist. On failure, the creature gains Gullibility (12) and a -4 penalty to Will for margin of failure minutes.

Form: Grenade.

Cost: $960 (singular); $345 (5-batched).

Recipe: $96; 6 days; defaults to Poisons-4.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Disadvantage, Gullibility (12), +10%; Disadvantage, Will-4, +20%; Drifting, +20%; Grenade, +25%; Persistent, +40%; Respiratory Agent, +50%) [32].

 

Slow Death

An insidiously persistent toxin distilled in part from a dwarven mining acid, slow death eats away at its victims from within. A living victim who ingests the poison must make a HT-3 roll after 1 day or suffer 1d-1 toxic damage. Every day for 20 more cycles he must make another HT-3 roll to resist or take the same amount of damage.

Form: Follow-Up Poison.

Cost: $90 (singular); $35 (5-batched).

Recipe: $9; 1 day; defaults to Poisons-1.

Statistics: Toxic Attack 1d-1 (Cyclic, 1 day, 20 cycles, Resistible, +50%; Follow-Up Poison, -20%; Onset, 1 day, -30%; Resistible, HT-3, -15%) [3].

 

Zealot’s Blade

This venom incorporates the blood of its intended target, making it even deadlier to such creatures. Rather than a specific poison, this is actually a series of poisons, each of which targets a specific race or type of monster. Others suffer no ill effects (for example, elves are harmed by zealot’s blade intended for elves but take no damage from zealot’s blade intended for dwarves, while the opposite is true of dwarves). A living victim of the appropriate must make an immediate HT roll to resist. He takes 4d toxic damage on a failed roll or 2d on a successful roll.

Form: Follow-Up Poison.

Cost: $120 (singular); $45 (5-batched).

Recipe: $12; 1 day; defaults to Poisons-1.

Statistics: Toxic Attack 2d (Accessibility, Only on creatures of the appropriate type, -40%; Follow-Up Poison, -20%; Link, +10%; Resistible, HT, -30%) [2] + Toxic Attack 2d (Accessibility, Only on creatures of the appropriate type, -40%; Follow-Up Poison, -20%; Link, +10%) [2].