Poisons

[slafleche]

Can someone give me an example on how to use the Potency of a poison?

 

[DamonJynx]

Hi The poisons POTENCY sets the minimum value for an opposed test, usually against resistance.

If the potency is 55 (blade venom) then the afflicted PC has to roll between 55 and their skill maximum. If their skill max is less than 55, they have to roll a critical success.

 

[Deleriad]

Hi The poisons POTENCY sets the minimum value for an opposed test, usually against resistance.

If the potency is 55 (blade venom) then the afflicted PC has to roll between 55 and their skill maximum. If their skill max is less than 55, they have to roll a critical success.

That's not actually the case. Once the poison has been successfully applied then to attempt to resist the poison's effects is an opposed roll between the poison's Potency and the character's resistance (usually Resilience).

To resist the poison the character has to both succeed at the roll and roll higher than the poison. E.g. Potency is 55% and the character's Resilience is 40%. Character rolls 23 and succeeds, poison succeeds and rolls 11. Character rolls higher so character wins.

If the character fails to beat the poison then the character fails to resist and the poison takes effect.

This does mean that even if the character and the poison both fail their roll, the poison takes effect. This is because if both fail in an opposed roll then the situation stays as it is. In this case the situation is that the person has been poisoned.

Hope that helps.

 

[DamonJynx]

Oops. We did it wrong on Saturday night then. I thought it was an opposed roll. So, the potency sets the maximum percentile value. Excellent.

 

[gran_orco]

Hi The poisons POTENCY sets the minimum value for an opposed test, usually against resistance.

If the potency is 55 (blade venom) then the afflicted PC has to roll between 55 and their skill maximum. If their skill max is less than 55, they have to roll a critical success.

Did you understand the opposed roll system? Both has to roll. If both have a successful roll, that with the higher roll wins. A critic wins, but if both have obtained a critic, the higher critic wins. If both fail, the poison has no effect.

It is the same with every opposed roll.

 

[DamonJynx]

Yeah I did. But the rules lawyers in my group got it wrong so we did it the way I posted.

See rules lawyers, you're not always right!!! Sometimes us dumb GM's do know what we're talking about!

 

[languagegeek]

If both fail, the poison has no effect.

I think Deleriad above says the opposite.

This is because if both fail in an opposed roll then the situation stays as it is. In this case the situation is that the person has been poisoned.

 

[Deleriad]

If both fail, the poison has no effect.

I think Deleriad above says the opposite.

This is because if both fail in an opposed roll then the situation stays as it is. In this case the situation is that the person has been poisoned.

I did indeed. This is something I asked Loz about ages ago.

 

[Mongoose Pete]

Personally I always play that if both sides fail an opposed test then there is a dramatic impasse - a pregnant pause if you like, but neither side should gain an advantage. I prefer that it merely defrays the ultimate conclusion.

E.g. The sneaking PC slightly rustles the undergrowth and has to freeze in place but although the guard twitches his head he fails to notice the noise. After a stressful moment the PC can either change his objective or try to sneak past again.

In the case of both sides failing an opposed poison test I will say something along the lines of 'You see a nasty greenish smear across the fresh cut on your arm and you think you begin to feel a tingling in the wound... Next round!" deliberately leaving the player in frantic anticipation before asking them to make another Resilience (or Persistence) roll the following round/action whatever.

YGMV of course.