Atropine or Cyanide? Options

[Machiavelli]

As most of you followed my conversations here, you know that i was looking for a natural venom for my new medusa-like char. In the meantime i broke it down to two different poisons of which i think are interesting and the GM has no chance to decline. One is atropine (5K, physical damage, nausea and disorientation, injection-vector, immediate damage) or cyanide (takes 1 round, 8K, injection, no additional stuff). What would you choose?

PS: of course i will try to get the gorgon-venom from running wild or the ekyelebene-venom if i can, but i need something in the backhand.^^

[NiL_FisK_Urd]

Standard "Cobra Venom" in Running Wild has the same stats as cyanide.

(for all non-German: 5K means 5P damage)

[Machiavelli]

You are right. Sorry, i am mixing languages here. Thank you for the comment, but what would you propose/choose? Heavy damage after one round or immediate lower damage with "add-on´s"?

[NiL_FisK_Urd]

I would always take the "immediate" damage (= at the end of the turn). 1 round later the bitten combatant is normally already dead.

[nezumi]

Cyanide. It tastes better.

[Machiavelli]

Hmmm....if you like marzipan and if you are one out of 3 who is able to sense the smell/taste.^^

[Yerameyahu]

I vote Cobra Venom, because it's actually a venom, and actually natural. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Ascalaphus]

Were we talking spitting or biting here?

[Machiavelli]

Biting. I thing spitting would need another "exotic" skill i don´t want to have.^^

[Yerameyahu]

Biting with one's hair is pretty Exotic anyway, but yeah. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Daylen]

cyanide! it is easier to buy/make and goes better with more mixed drinks.

[Yerameyahu]

He's not buying it, he's *excreting* it. :o Unless you mean that no one would suspect cyanide was from a bite, given it's not a natural venom. That's actually a solid point, if totally metagaming. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Daylen]

Both really, exotic things are easy for Lonestar to trace. I did miss that he would be making it internally, I figured it was something he would need to refill.

[Machiavelli]

He's not buying it, he's *excreting* it. :o Unless you mean that no one would suspect cyanide was from a bite, given it's not a natural venom. That's actually a solid point, if totally metagaming. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Not correct. A lot of plants contain cyanidic acids into their pips. Besides there are insects that use this venom to kill or to defend from predators. I admit that it is rare in the fauna, but quite common in the flora. But definitely not "artifical" but quite natural. I already have a char. that produces cyanide and looked it up beforehand.

[Machiavelli]

Standard "Cobra Venom" in Running Wild has the same stats as cyanide.

(for all non-German: 5K means 5P damage)

Besides Vector and Speed

[Yerameyahu]

I didn't mean it wasn't naturally-occurring. I meant what I said: it's not a natural venom, particularly for a snake. If someone tried to bring a character that excretes gold or arsenic (totally natural!), I'd say the same thing. If you were a para-*plant* at my table, I'd probably let you have atropine (or hemlock, or any other plant toxin). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) But you're a snake-chick. I blame the rules for not making these things clear.

[snowRaven]

I'd go with the Atropine - while not as lethal, it's faster and it's secondaries can help screw up the opponent.

[KarmaInferno]

"Naturally occurring toxin" should probably be read as meaning "naturally occurring as venom in animals", in my opinion.

Which would exclude a LOT of toxins, really, as most are plant or mineral based.



-k

[Machiavelli]

Correct. But in this case we should have some more potent venoms than that of a cobra. 8P is not bad, but as much as i know, the green and black mamba, most of the sea-snakes and the blue-ringed-octopus (and i don´t know how many other animals, too) are much more venomous. But as i see, anything above 8P is paranatural/awakened.

[NiL_FisK_Urd]

Not really, TTX is fully natural and has 12P - also, it is not used in an awakened critter but in a mutated critter. Note that SURGE is a mutation for PCs.

[Machiavelli]

TTX? Hah, where did i overlook this? Which critter is using it?

[NiL_FisK_Urd]

The last one in Parazoology, a crab. Pufferfish and the blue-ringed-octopus also use it. TTX is just the short form for Tetrodotoxin.

[Machiavelli]

I know TTX but i didn´t see it in the books. I should buy Parazoology, eh?^^

[Manunancy]

As far as combat toxin go it's about useless with a time before effect of half an hour. Not sure of how it works when injected rather than ingested.

Even injected since it has to reach the nervous system to take effect it will require probably at leas a few rounds.

[NiL_FisK_Urd]

Injected TTX works horribly fast. In game terms, they statted it with Immediate (Injection), 1 min (ingestion)

Ingestion is probably way too fast, but ~3s for injection seems right.