Blade Venom - just for Jeff

From: Nick Hollingsworth <nick.hollingsworth_at_...>
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2000 19:14:36 +0100


I am in catch-up mode.
Others may have already made better suggestions.

"KYER, JEFFREY":
> (mercifully, there's no blade vemom (yet))

Aha! The perfect use of an augmentation roll for an edge.

Venom has a potency. For simplicity this is its resistance to being applied safely.
For the stable venom this all boils out the same as a normal augment.

There are two types of venom
a) Volatile - does a lot of damage but only for the first exchange. Gives an edge equal to its potency.
b) Stable - lasts for a long time and is represented by a smaller edge on a weapon but for the duration of the combat. Gives an edge equal to two fifths its potency.

Roll for augmentation in the normal manner using an unrelated action or before the trouble starts but...
1) The bladevenom potency is the difficulty, you cant choose this or the level of edge desired.
2) You need an 'apply poison' or 'handle poison safely' skill. Perhaps you could get away with a generic weapon skill with a nice *fat* modifier. 3) A failure, which is pretty likely, is selected by the whim of the ref from:

   skill reduction of one-fifth potency from all skills    negative edge of two-fifths potency from all weapons    AP damage of potency.
4) Don't double the augmentation on a critical. But do double the penalty on a fumble ;-]

Example:
Potential poisoner Pete purloins a potion. Flushed with excitement he applies it to his sword at the next chance. He has no specific handle poison ability and opts to use At Home With Swords 6w.
The ref rules its unsuitable and the mod is 50%, ie 13 but pete is unpeturbed.
The ref announces that its a volatile venom 15, so thats a potential one exchange edge of 15 with a difficulty of 15. Poor pete rolls 18 and the ref 12, minor defeat - so... after soaking a rag in the liquid and smearing it all over his sword pete finds his hands start to cramp up for 3 off all skills.

Da da da da da da daaaaa!
Inflexible and dangerous to use, something for specialists only. Plus very powerful poisons become increasingly difficult to use safely.

Disclaimer 1: the main restraints on poison use are actually (1) social opinion
(2) lack of availability
not rule fudges.

Disclaimer 2: I just made this up so its probably pants, particularly the huge edge of the volatile venom.

Nick Hollingsworth
Birmingham - the land of the free and the home of the balti.

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