Suggestions For Toxin Use, Per request Options

[Socinus]

I've reposted this in it's own thread per the request of several people via PM.

This is a collection of suggestions and possible uses for toxins, poisons, and drugs during combat.


If you REALLY want a knock-down, load a hold-out with Narcoject Capsule rounds.

Toxin Resistance Tests are done with Body + Any chem protection.

Splash is a contact vector so even with an ass-load of bio/cyberware and fairly good chemical protection, even Trolls will have a tough time handling that.

A Streetline Special costs you 100 and 6 cap rounds will run you 180 on top of the 300 for 6 doses of Narco, that's 480 nuyen worth of "drop almost anyone."

It gets even more fun when you get into automatics. Pick up an assault rifle and load it up with Narco cap rounds then use suppressive fire. All you need is a single hit to require any target to impose a "Make a TN 10 Body roll or eat concrete". If you've got a little more cash, pick up an LMG if you want a knock-out hose.


Cyanide is a lethal alternative to Narco. It acts immediately, has many different vectors, and has a high power rating. Couple shots of that will drop even the most...determined individuals.

Gamma-S is another good combat drug, especially if you mix it with Narco. Immediate effect, high power, and causes Paralysis.

K-10 is a good choice if you're hidden or can make a getaway. Load a sniper rifle with K-10 Cap rounds and clip one guard in a cluster of other guards or in a public street to draw attention and watch the fun. K-10 does 18S unresisted and requires an Edge (1) test to not stay PERMANENTLY berserk, NO ONE stays standing after K-10 wears off.

Ringu introduced through the AC system is a nice trick, but Ringu will probably be difficult to get a hold of in quantity, being a chemical weapon and all.

Warp isnt a bad choice either, good for creating distractions and chaos. Fling a splash grenade into a line of guards and watch their ranks get a little....blurry.

Red Mescaline and Woad applied to a crowd of people on the street or an office full of drones will give cops or guards a definite distraction and cause non-permanent damage.



Injection bolt/arrows are a barrel of fun, depending how permissive your GM is. Loading one with a solution of saline and metal particles will shred arteries and veins, causing immense pain and profuse internal bleeding. Throw in a dash of anti-coagulants for extra giggles.

Large doses of insulin can induce a hypoglycemic coma within usually a minute or so depending on how massive the dose is, adrenaline can cause tachycardia and in high doses will send a heart into lethal arrhythmia and kill you fairly quickly. . There are a hundred medications that, at the right dosage, will cure you and, also at the right dosage, kill you. The only thing that separates life saving cure or lethal injection is dosage.

A simple puff of lye will burn exposed tissue and cause extreme pain, blindness if it gets in the eyes, and serious chemical pains. Adding aluminum to lye creates an exothermic reaction and hydrogen gas. A solution of lye coupled with a dual injection of a suspension of any aluminum compound would start the reaction. That reaction inside the human body would be horrifically painful and the hydrogen gas is extremely flammable.

Even something as simple as air can be fatal. An injection of a couple CC's of air can stop the heart in a few seconds if you hit an artery. If you hit a vein, not as helpful but you can cut off blood-flow to a portion of the body. Even if the air is only injected into the skin, it can cause immense pain and necrosis of the tissue, but that will be less useful during combat. Small versions of commercially available cans of compressed air can be fitted into injection bolts and arrows AND they have the added effect of their product being exceedingly cold that will damage tissue.

Chlorine gas is an option for gas grenades, but you have to be careful not to run into it yourself. Injection of the gas into the bloodstream can cause it to be pushed into the heart or lungs and either stop the heart or eat away the lungs. It's somewhat slow and horrifically painful.

FreezeFoam isn't a terrible choice. Injected into the body, you're basically introducing a mass into the body that can block bloodflow, tear through tissue, and severely damage organs. If you manage to get a dose of it into the lung, you can probably burst one lung and choke off the second or drown him in his own blood. A gut-shot will cause crippling pain and massive internal bleeding. A shot to the heart, head, or neck is virtually an instant kill. Hit a joint and you can destroy the use of that limb.

Lidocane in a splash grenade is AWESOME. Lidocane is an anesthetic, most people get it when they go to the dentist to get a tooth blasted out. Injected into the body, it quickly numbs the area of impact. That means that hits from real bullets may not hurt as much, but you wont be running very far or very fast if one leg feels like it's not there and accurate firing gets difficult when your arm is asleep.

Chemical Heaters can be used. When introduced to the veins, you can cauterize veins closed or destroy them entirely as well as quite literally boil your blood supply.

Splash grenades filled with DMSO and an anti-coagulant can help reduce the effectiveness of an opponent's attempts at First Aid on themselves.

If you've got the set up, liquid nitrogen injected into the body would, to use a medical term, suck. Flash-freezing your blood in it's veins and severely damaging tissue, possibly causing massive hemorrhaging.

Mercury introduced into the veins would disrupt the circulatory system due to the difference in density from blood.

High-concentration salt water in a splash grenade may make S&S rounds more effective or bypass Non-Conductivity.

Hell, drain cleaner, bleach, hot sauce, or lemon juice in a splash grenade will seriously wreck someone's shit. Any strong acid or base will hurt if injected or applied to skin. As a side note, bases are better corrosives than acids because bases tend to "stick" more and are harder to control. Base burns also tend to be worse than acid burns and bases are harder to just neutralize on a moment's notice.

Think about your basic home and the selection at the hardware and grocery stores. How much of it is toxic? Consider that a lot of it is still probably readily available in 2070, it's cheap, and it is a virtually untraceable purchase.


Virtually ANYTHING you can snort, snuff, chew, swallow, inject, or get on you can be poisonous. Even drinking lots of water will kill you.


To make a character that uses toxins
The Chemistry skill would be an imperative as well as a high Logic. Knowledge skills and specializations will tailor your focus somewhat if you want to focus a bit more. Medicine and First Aid would also be necessary aid skills. For delivery, Automatics and Archery are all you'd really need for close range. Longarms would let you deliver cap rounds at long range and Thrown Weapon (Grenade) or Heavy Weapons (Launch Weapon) to use with a Grenade Launcher would work. Armorer skill would be important to filling cap rounds and your ammunition.

You may want to consider a high Body and some anti-toxin/poison bio/cyberware or magic in case you accidentally dose yourself or walk into your own toxin. Natural Immunity is a good choice if you plan to be using a specific toxin or drug a lot. If you constantly use toxins and chemicals, your GM WILL eventually clue in and do something to counter that so make sure you have back up plans and a wide variety of different toxins and delivery methods at your disposal.

Equipment would be pretty basic; a pistol crossbow (or regular crossbow for more range) and a machine pistol. Machine pistols give you the concealability of a pistol but the suppressive fire capability. It also means you have the Automatics skill which allows you to pick up something with a bigger clip later on if necessary. I wouldn't recommend going with a bow, pistol crossbow is small and simple which is all you need.

You'll need at least a Shop for working with your substances (a facility if your funds allow it) and weaponizing them. A Kit is good for in-the-field repairs and fixes. Good contacts are an asset as well, doctors are good for medical supplies (CDC doctors can get all kinds of fun stuff) and most anything else you can simply buy yourself. A top-notch fake SIN is a must.

A full-face respirator is an absolute must, especially if you're going to be using gas of any kind. A full-body suit with a Chemical Seal isnt a bad choice either.

If your focus is on damage, you'll need to work out how to get in, deliver your dose, and get away while it takes effect. With the right chemicals, you can be both support and assault so you need to choose your loadout carefully. You can even supply drugs to team members using cap rounds. Suppressive fire is your friend, laying it down on a crowd of enemies when you're loaded with Narco cap rounds can drop half the crowd in a single round.

You can go a safer route by using drones to deploy toxins, but that can have it's own problems. You open yourself up to being hacked and it's very skill-intensive.

A special trick I like to use is the Ammo Selector/Smartlink combo, but it works best if you can mentally command your weapon. Fitted to a Enfield GL-67 grenade launcher (in the case of gas or splash grenades) or to a revolver with Increased Capacity means you can carry a variety of different toxins and deploy them as necessary.

No matter what, expect to spend money. Equipment and toxin components can be EXPENSIVE, especially if you're prepping for a hardcore run. Having a good reason for buying a lot of these components can be a good idea, a good cover can keep a lot of heat off you. The entire character concept can work but requires your GM to be flexible and willing to work with you to create new substances that work in the game mechanics.