Toxins

Toxins
Item	Enc	Price	Rarity
Bloodthorn	1	275	5
Fool's Breath	1	300	6
Morning Star	1	750	8
Nightmare Wine	1	300	6
Petrified Rose	1	1500	9
Slugwort	1	300	6
Spite	1	150	4

Bloodthorn

Ingested or inhaled

Bloodthorn isn't quite so dangerous as other toxins, though it has been known to turn the tide of entire battles. The toxin weakens the body; victims of the poison often mention feeling weak and sluggish. The toxin is thick and dark purple, the shade of the plant from which it is extracted.

A character who is affected by Bloodthorn must immediately make a Hard () Resilience check. If they fail, they upgrade the difficulty of all Brawn and Agility checks by 1 for the remainder of the encounter. The GM may spend to add to these checks, as well.

Fool's Breath

Inhaled

Much like Bloodthorn, Fool's Breath does no permanent arm to those who inhale it. Instead, the toxin makes its way through the blood stream to the brain, dulling a person's thoughts and reducing their mental acuity.

A character who is affected by Fool's Breath must immediately make a Hard () Discipline check. If they fail, they upgrade the difficulty of all Intellect and Cunning checks by 1 for the remainder of the encounter. The GM may spend to add to these checks, as well.

Morning Star

Contact, injected

Morning Star is often used to coat melee weapons or the tips of arrows. When a weapon is coated in Morning Star, it appears matte black. It remains on a weapon for a single encounter or until the character makes a successful attack with the weapon. The weapon gains the Corrupting item quality with a rating of 1 to 4, depending on the quality of the toxin.

When struck with a weapon coated in Morning Star, the target must make a Hard () Resilience check. If they fail, they immediately suffer one Critical Injury, then continue to suffer an additional Critical Injury on their turns for a number of rounds equal to the weapon’s Corrupting quality.

Nightmare Wine

Ingested

Nightmare Wine takes its name from its appearance; it looks and smells like a deep red vintage, and is often presented as such.

A character who imbibes Nightmare Wine must make a Hard () Resilience check. Success leaves the poisoned character unaffected, though or can be spent to leave them disoriented, taking a on all checks for five rounds or five minutes of unstructured time. On a failed check, the character falls asleep, and is immediately overtaken with nightmares. The character suffers 2 strain per round for five rounds (or per minute of unstructured time for five minutes). Upon waking, the character must succed at an Average () Fear check or suffer further penalties, as determined by the GM.

Neither magic nor mundane medicine can remedy Nightmare Wine. The only cure for the effects is an Immunity Draught of rarity 6 or higher.

Petrified Rose

Contact, inhaled, or injected

Despite the name, Petrified Rose is not made from a fossilized flower, but instead from the venom of the pit viper rose, a carnivorous plant. The toxin causes a slow decrease in function until the target is paralyzed.

When a character is affected by Petrified Rose, they must make a Hard () Resilience check. On a successful check, the character suffers 1 point of strain damage. If the roll is failed, the character suffers 2 points of strain damage and adds to all checks. This check is repeated each round at the beginning of the character's turn until they succeed. If the character reaches without making a successful Resilience check, they become immobilized and staggered until cured.

The effect can be cured by a Hard () Medicine check or through any magic skill with the Heal magic action available (with a Hard () Spellcasting skill check). The effect can also be neutralized with an Immunity Draught of rarity 8 or higher.

Slugwort

Contact or injested

Slugwort is a toxin gathered from a plant of the same name, which uses the poison as a defensive weapon, weakening the resolve of creatures who might be interested in eating the plant's bright blue flowers.

A character who is affected by Bloodthorn must immediately make a Hard () Discipline check. If they fail, they upgrade the difficulty of all Willpower and Presence checks by 1 for the remainder of the encounter. The GM may spend to add to these checks, as well.

Spite

Ingested or injected

Spite is a particularly insidious toxin, usually built up in the system over time and through multiple doses, which makes it a favorite among assassins who prefer a slow kill. It is an opaque, black liquid that fizzles when exposed to air.

When a character is inflicted with Spite, there is no immediate effect. After one day, if no further doses have been administered, they must make an Easy () Resilience check. On a successful check, they suffer no ill. If they fail, they immediately suffer 2 wounds and 2 strain. If a second dose has been administered before the end of the first day (and at least twelve hours after the previous dose), there are no effects until after a second day, at which point the character must make a successful Average () Resilience check or suffer 4 wounds and 4 strain. Each application made within 24 hours of the previous one extends the time by one day, increases the difficulty of the Resilience check by 1, and doubles wound and strain damage suffered. After five doses, the toxin provides no further increased effect.

The effects of Spite may be stopped by an Average () Medicine check (or an equivalent Spellcasting skill check, for characters who have access to the Heal magic action). The effect can also be neutralized with an Immunity Draught of rarity 4 or higher.