Poisons
Are insidious weapons in the world of Westeros. Unlike blades or fire, they work by undermining the body’s natural functions, often invisibly and slowly, and sometimes with horrifying certainty.
All poison use, acquisition and administration must be handled through Story Requests
Using Poisons
They may be delivered in several ways:
Injury – ex. poisoned weapons
Ingestion – ex. mixed into food or drink
Inhalation – ex. fumes, smoke or vapors
Contact – ex. absorption through the skin
Delivery Methods
Weapons
Any successful attack that deals damage also delivers the poison
Covert Administration
Typically resolved as Stealth vs Awareness, representing slipping poison unnoticed into food, drink or the environment
Once delivered, the poison begins its effects immediately.
Poison Resolution
Each poison has four defining traits…
Virulence – the difficulty to resist the poison
Frequency – how often the poison attacks
Potency – the number of resistance tests before the poison ends
Obscurity – the difficulty to diagnose and treat the poison
Resistance Test
When a poison attacks:
- Roll d20 + current Health
- Compare against the poison’s Virulence
Success – No damage this interval
Failure – The poison takes effect
Both successes and failures count against the poison’s Potency.
If even one resistance test is failed, the poison runs its full course.
Damage & Effects
Most poisons deal (1) Health level of damage per failed interval unless otherwise noted.
Some poisons inflict the following:
Paralysis
Madness or rage
Suffocation
Loss of speech
Automatic hostile behavior
If Health is reduced to (0) by poison, the victim may still be saved if treated before phantom damage equal to their full Health total is taken.
Diagnosing and Treating Poisons
Treating poison is difficult and dangerous.
Diagnosis
- Requires one round of observation
- Roll Awareness vs Obscurity
- May be attempted once per day
- Can be performed post mortem if the body is intact
Antidotes
Creating an antidote requires the following:
- A successful roll of Awareness vs Obscurity
- Three rounds of preparation
A prepared antidote may be administered the sound after diagnosis
Maesters often prepare antidotes in advance. Doing so requires a Wealth purchase equal to the poison’s cost.
Availability
Poisons are grouped by rarity
Common – Easier to acquire
Rare – Highly restricted, dangerous and expensive
Every poison purchase requires a Story Request
Antidotes do not require a Story Request
Common Poisons
Alcohol
Often overlooked as a poison. Alcohol is pervasive in Westeros. Early damage is temporary. Once temporary levels are exhausted, the character may pass out safely or continue drinking and take real damage.
- Potency: 1
- Frequency: 1 / Hour
- Virulence: 5
+1 per hour drinking - Obscurity: 5
Demon’s Dance
A thick black substance causing violent muscle convulsions and internal bleeding.
- Potency: 4
- Frequency: 1 / Hour
- Virulence: 10
- Obscurity: 5
Greycap
Poisonous mushrooms causing intense pain, thirst and organ failure.
- Potency: 4
- Frequency: 1 / Hour
- Virulence: 10
- Obscurity: 5
Heart’s Bane
A blue flowering toxin, deadly by touch or ingestion, causing paralysis and cardiac failure.
- Potency: 5
- Frequency: 1 / Hour
- Virulence: 10
- Obscurity: 5
Hemlock
A bitter poison causing respiratory failure.
- Potency: 5
- Frequency: 1 / Round
- Virulence: 10
- Obscurity: 5
Nightshade
Causes convulsions, memory loss, and cardiac arrest.
- Potency: 5
- Frequency: 1 / Round
- Virulence: 10
- Obscurity: 8
Sweetsleep
A sedative powder with lethal potential in excess.
- Potency: 4
- Frequency: 1 / Hour
- Virulence: 10
- Obscurity: 10
Widow’s Blood
Shuts down bodily waste removal, killing from internal toxicity.
- Potency: 5
- Frequency: 1 / Hour
- Virulence: 10
- Obscurity: 10