From: rorice@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu (rosalyn rice) This is the last part of my injury rules and the end of my files on combat and injury. This last section covers poisons, poison gas, diseases, fatigue, sleep deprivation, long-term illnesses, and the rest of the enviornmental hazards. Some information has been previously published in GURPS Cliff Hangers, Swashbucklers, Callahan's Cross Time Saloon, Espionage, and Space. I have also expanded upon some information found in the GURPS basic set. I include this information with my own material for purposes of completeness when it is appropriate to do so. Injury Rules 4 - Enviornmental Hazards, Poisons, Disease, and Fatigue. POISONS The description of a poison should include the following information: Name, general description, source, Vector, cost per dose, effects of the poison if not resisted, time of onset, effects of multiple doses, HT rolls to resist poison, effects of poison if resisted. A "dose" of poison is the amount needed to poison a person or envenom one weapon. VECTORS - Poison can enter the body in one or more of the following ways: CONTACT - Contact poisons need only touch the skin in sufficient quantity to poison the victim. These might be absorbed through the skin (like nerve gas) or just cause skin irritation and damage (like poison ivy). CIRCULATORY - Circulatory poisons must enter the body through an injection, an open wound or through the eyes. They are occasionally found on weapons or in most animal venoms (like snake venoms). DIGESTION - Digestive poisons must be swallowed to be effective. They are commonly found in poisonous plants. RESPIRATION - Respiratory poisons must be breathed in sufficient quantity to be effective. Any poison gas is a respiratory poison, as is smoke. TYPE OF DAMAGE - The type of damage a poison does determines its effects. BLOOD POISONS - A blood agent blocks the uptake of oxygen from the air or destroys red blood cells. This has the effect of eventually Suffocating the victim. Victims of this sort of poison will lose Fatigue as well as HT. A character must roll vs. HT every time period or take damage. Some types of blood agents continue to damage once they've taken effect. Each turn (or some other time period) the character loses 1 HP. For every HP the character loses, he also loses 1 Fatigue. When Fatigue or HP reach 0 the character goes unconcious. Once the character goes unconcious, he starts to suffer from Loss of Respiration. CPR won't help unconcious characters though a successful Physician or Poisons roll and the correct antidote will restore the character's breathing. CELLULAR POISONS - Some poisons have the effect of killing cells, doing general damage to the body. They are treated as blood poisons but they don't automatically stop respiration. CORROSIVE POISONS - Poisons of this type use chemical reactions to burn or blister the skin, lungs, or digestive tract. Poison gasses which work against the skin or lungs are commonly called Blister Agents. BLISTER POISONS - A blister agent causes chemical burns to the skin and lungs, eventually killing the victim with burns or suffocating him, by destroying his lungs. Victims of this sort of poison will be in incredible pain. They will likely be blinded if the blister agent gets in their eyes. If the blister agent gets in their lungs, they will gradually lose Fatigue as well as HP as they die. Even if the victim survives, he is likely to have his health permanently damaged by these agents. A victim must roll vs. HT each turn to avoid the effects of the gas. Blister agents on the skin will do 1 HP of burn damage per set time period with no HT roll allowed to avoid their effects. Toughness counts as DR in this case as it does against all other burns. Extensive amounts of liquid or a neutralizing agent are required to stop the damage. Pain penalty from damage is doubled. Lung damage is treated as an internal burn. Damage to the lungs is done very quickly. Double damage of the skin damage. CAUSTIC POISONS - These are like blister agents, but they are inevitably digestive poisons. They do burn damage to the esophagus, stomach and intestines and tend to work relatively slowly. Victims of this sort of poison will be in incredible pain. These sorts of poisons must be diluted before the victim vomits them up, or they will do more damage as they are regurgitated. These do 1 HP of damage over a set period of time. Pain penalty is usually very high and stays high while the poison is doing its work. These poisons will do less damage if they are diluted with a buffer (like water or milk). Even if they are heavily diluted, they will also do some damage to the excretory system as well. Acids or bases are poisons of this type. HEPATIC POISONS - These poisons eventually poison the filtration and excretory organs of the body, killing the person via liver or kidney failure. It can take days for the victim to finally succumb. Most digestive poisons will eventually have this effect on the body, as the body tries to purge them. Victims of this sort of poison will gradually lose Fatigue and HP as their organs fail. If the poison dose is high enough, the character can only be saved with an organ transplant. Such a poison does 1 point of damage over a set period of time, unless the character rolls vs. HT to avoid the effects. Once HP are at 0 or less, the character begins to lose organ function. He will lose 1 HP every 4 hours until he dies (faster or slower if the poison is stronger or weaker). If the agent works by destroying the kidneys, the victim might survive if he can get dialysis. Until TL 8 there is no way to artificially cleanse the blood of products removed by the liver. Even if the victim survives, he is likely to have his health permanently damaged by these agents. He must roll vs. HT+5 - Damage or suffer from the Susceptibility to Poison disadvantage. Most plant based poisons are of this type. NERVE POISONS - A nerve agent either destroys, blocks or jangles neural impulses. This causes the victim to eventually die from Cardiac Arrest when his heart goes into fibrillation because the nerves that cause it to pump don't work anymore. Victims of this sort of poison will be at a minus to DX and/or IQ, will lose control of their nerve impulses and might have hallucinations or delusions. They must roll vs. HT each turn they are in contact with the agent or take damage. Some agents continue to do damage automatically on following turns, so repeated HT rolls are unimportant. A nerve agent will do 1 HP of damage during a given time period, if it does damage. Each HP lost also gives -1 to IQ and DX. When 1/2 IQ or DX is lost, the character is effectively immobilized, for whatever reason. Most depressants, stimulants, psychedelics, and other recreational or medical drugs can be poisons of this sort. POISONED WEAPONS - A circulatory-borne poison may be applied to any cutting or impaling weapon. It takes effect only if the dose is sufficient and the weapon actually does damage (Toughness doesn't count in this case). Most weapon poison will only take effect the first time a weapon strikes someone; after that the poison will have worn off. Three unsuccessful strikes with a poisoned weapon (blocked, parried or turned by DR) will also make the poison wear off (or give a cumulative +1 to HT to resist the poison, at the GM's option). Weapons that are repeatedly sheathed and unsheathed or which get wet might also have the poison wear off. A contact poison may be applied to any weapon. It takes effect if the weapon breaks the skin or touches bare skin. It wears off as above. MAKING AND USING POISONS - A successful Poisons and/or Chemistry roll is required to synthesize a poison. Historically, knowledge of poisons was imperfect and many poisons were as much magic potions as effective toxins. A GM could require a pre-modern character to come up with all sorts of unpleasant ingredients (powdered animal parts and dried dung of various sorts were popular) before they could brew an "effective" poison. The difficulties faced by a poisoner were compounded by the fact that even poisonous plants may vary in the intensity of their poison, or might have certain parts or phases that aren't toxic at all! (The potato and rhubarb are examples of this.) The effects of metallic poisons such as lead and arsenic weren't known until the 16th century. Highly refined drugs like atropine, cocaine, and most poison gases weren't known until the 19th century or later. Some poisons are rare and unusual even today, like irradiated thallium or fugu. The GM is well within his rights to require a poisoner to make an IQ roll, possibly at a minus, to remember the existance of an obscure poison, much less its effects. In the modern world a poisoner's task is made easier by the ready knowledge and availability of thousands of medicines, many of which would be lethal in an overdose. His task is made much harder by the fact that a suspicious death is likely to prompt a medical examiner to look for evidence of poisoning and that medical tests will readily identify most poisons. A successful roll vs. Pathology, Physician, Poisons, or Chemistry will identify most common compounds. A roll vs. Poisons might be required to come up with a way to disguise the poison or to discover a poison which is undetectable. Finally, the poisoner must find a way of administering the poison to the victim. This requires a roll vs. Poisons to determine an effective way of administering a lethal dose of poison, and then an adventure to successfully administer it. Poison can be delivered in all manner of ways, from poisoned weapons, to food poisoned by slight of hand. If a poison is to be ingested, the poisoner must use subterfuge to deliver it, especially if the poison requires a large dose or it has a strong flavor. If a poison is to be delivered in food, the poisoner must roll vs. Cooking skill to either prepare a poisoned dish effectively, or to know which dish a poison may be successfully hidden in. SAMPLE POISONS AND DRUGS ACID - Several caustic poisons are suitable for use in food. These substances are no harder to disguise than any other poison. Anyone who swallows caustic materials takes 3d6 points of damage, at the rate of 1 point every 15 minutes. An attempt to cause vomiting may merely cause more damage to the esophagus, increasing damage by 1d6 points. Therefore, failures on a Poisons roll for diagnosing the problem may prove disasterous. While the victim is taking damage he is at a -3 pain penalty. Proper treatment consists of feeding the victim some sort of neutral solution to absorb the toxin. Egg white, milk, and soapy water are all useful antidotes. In game terms, a successful Poisons or Physician roll can halt the progress of the caustic. Each attempt at treatment requires 2d6 minutes. ACONITE - Aconite, also known as the buttercup or monkshood is a poisonous plant found throughout the world. It and the poison derived from it is quite toxic. Aconite must be injected or injected to work. It attacks the nervous system. A dose of Aconite does 1d6 points of damage immediately and 3d6 points of damage over a period of 1d3 hours starting 1d3 x 10 minutes after it is ingested. For every 2 points of damage done the victim also loses 1 ST and DX. If the victim falls below zero HP, then he must roll vs. HT every 15 minutes or suffer Loss of Respiration. If the victim loses more than 50% of his HP to the poison he must also roll vs. HT or start to convulse, as if he suffered from the Epilepsy disadvantage. A roll vs. HT is allowed when the poison is initially ingested for half damage. Victims of aconite poisoning suffer from tingling, burning sensations on the skin, tongue and throat, restlessness, respiratory distress, muscular uncoordination, vomiting, diahhrea, and convulsions. A successful Poisons or Diagnosis roll will diagnose the type of poison. A successful Physician roll will half damage. Treatment consists of pumping the stomach (if ingested) and administering an antidote. AMPHETAMINES - Amphetamines are a commonly abused stimulant drug. An overdose can kill by causing heart failure, they must be injected or ingested. A overdose of amphetamines does 2d6 points of damage over a 1d3 hour period. Initially the character will be Manic and Impulsive (as per the disadvantages), have -2 to IQ, and -1 to DX. He must roll vs. HT to avoid being incapacitated with hallucinations or delusion. If the character loses more than 50% of his HP due to an amphetamine overdose then the character will start to suffer from nausea and vomiting and heart palpitations. If he goes unconcious, the character must roll vs. HT every 15 minutes or go into Cardiac Arrest. A Poisons or Diagnosis roll is required to determine the problem. In a modern Emergency Room amphetamine overdoses are not uncommon. A doctor in such a situation is at +2 to his diagnosis roll to diagnose this problem. A successful Physician roll halves damage and stops the poison. ARSENIC - Arsenic or arsenic salts (notably lead arsenate and calcium arsenate) are commonly found in modern pesticides, rodenticides, and herbicides. Arsenic poisoning is an occupational hazard among agricultural workers, and sometimes arsenic can be found in sufficient quantities on pesticide-sprayed fruits and vegetables to be poisonous. Arsenious oxide, an odorless, tasteless compound, was a popular poison among assassins until forensic tests were developed to detect its presence in a victim's body. A poisoner can use arsenic to kill a victim quickly by using a single large dose, or over a period of time by administering a number of small doses. It is also possible to develop a tolerance to arsenic. Arsenic must be ingested or injected to do its work. It is a cellular poison. If a character recieves a single large dose 1d6 x 10 minutes after they've recieved the poison they must make a HT roll every 15 minutes. If the HT roll is failed they will take 1d6 points of damage and are at -3 pain penalty due to severe abdominal cramps. The character must continue to make HT roll for 1d6 hours after the symptoms first start to appear. Because arsenic is such a common poison all Diagnosis or Poisons rolls are at +2 to identify arsenic poisoning. Once the symptoms have been successfully identified a successful Physician or Poison roll can be used to administer the antidote. The antidote will half the damage recieved so far and halt the poison. The symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning are nausea, vomiting, burning of the mouth and throat and severe abdominal pains. Arsenic can also be delivered as a cumulative poison in small doses. Each dose of arsenic forces the victim to roll vs. HT. If the HT roll is failed the character becomes nauseous and suffers from diahhrea or constipation, takes 1 point of damage and will lose 1 ST over the course of the next week. For every 2 points of ST lost due to arsenic poisoning the victim also loses 1 point of DX, IQ, and HT as well. If any attribute goes below zero, the victim dies. The symptoms of cumulative arsenic poisoning are pigmentation or scaling of the skin, paralysis, confusion, degeneration of fatty tissues, anemia, and characteristic streaks across the nails. Chemical tests, which are available at TL 6, will also reveal the presence of arsenic in the victim's hair and nails. Any Poisons or Diagnosis roll where the character has suspicion that the victim might be poisoned is at +2 to detect arsenic poisoning. Once arsenic poisoning is detected a successful Physician roll can administer an antidote which will halt the effects of the current round of poison. The victim will also be on his guard and will be looking for the poisoner. BELLADONA - Belladona alkaloids, notably atropine, have assorted medical uses. In fact, atropine sulfate serves as an antidote for nerve agents. Hoever, when swallowed in larger doses, belladona alkaloids can prove fatal. Within minutes, the victim suffers fever, convulsion, and the inability to sweat. Even if the victim manages to avoid death, belladona alkaloids often cause permanent kidney damage. Poisons similar to belladona (also known as Nightshade) are found in the fruits of the potato plant. Anyone who ingests atropine suffers 1d6 points of damage immediately. The victim suffers another 1d6 points of damage every 15 minutes thereafter, until the poison is removed from his system. While the poison is active the victim has -4 DX and -2 IQ. If the character loses more than 50% of his HP due to the poison he must roll vs. HT or suffer convulsions as if he had the epilespy disadvantage. He may also suffer from hallucinations. To halt the progress of atropine, victims must clear their stomachs. Anyone attempting to vomit may attempt a roll vs. HT-2 every 15 minutes. Every unsuccessful try increases this penalty by another -1. A properly-equipped doctor (at TL 5+) may halt the progress of atropine using a Physician roll, with no penalties. Treatment involves pumping the stomach and administering sedatives to prevent damage to the central nervous system. After recovery, the victim must roll vs. HT+5-Damage or suffer from the Susceptability to Poison disadvantage due to kidney damage. An attending doctor may assist by making a Physician roll, which gives the victim a +2 bonus. BOTULIN - This toxin causes the most lethal form of food poisoning. Therefore, botulism poisoning could be construed as being accidental. Botulism takes effect in 2d6 hours and causes 4d6 points of damage. In addition, they are incapacitated, and are at -2 Pain penalty due to fever, and severe abdominal cramps. Victims may roll vs. HT for half damage. A proper antidote can half the damage again. A successful Physician roll gives +2 to HT to take half damage, +4 if the toxin was removed before its symptoms manifested themselves. CHLORAL HYDRATE - Drugs like chloral hydrate, also known as "knockout drops" or "Mickey Finns", works much more efficiently in fiction than in fact. Nevertheless, these drugs can render a victim unconcious when administered in food. Note that these chemicals have a strong flavor, and a Cooking roll is required to disguise them in any but the most pungent foods and drinks. Knockout drops require half an hour to take effect. At this point, the victim should attempt a HT roll with a -3 penalty. If the roll fails, the victim suffers immediate weakness and disorientation causing -5 on all skills or attribute rolls. The drug takes its complete effect 4d6 minutes later. At that point, the victim falls unconcious. Once knocked out by a Mickey, a victim may attempt a Health roll each hour to recover. The penalties remain in effect. Every hour the victim may attempt yet another HT roll, with every success diminishing the penalties by 1 point, until the victim makes four rolls, eliminating all penalties. CHRISTMAS ROSE - Helleborus Niger grows year-round in any high woodland area. It has medicinal uses, but it is also an effective poison. The Celts and Gauls used this plant as an arrow poison. It must be injected or ingested to do its work. A dose of Christmas Rose poison does 1d3 points of damage immediately, and 2d6 points of damage over 1d6 hours. While poisoned the character is at -2 to DX, ST, and IQ. COCAINE - Cocaine is a commonly abused stimulant drug. An overdose can kill by causing heart failure, it must be injected, smoked, or ingested. A overdose of cocaine does 3d6 points of damage over a 1d3 hour period. Initially the character will be Manic, Impulsive, and Overconfident (as per the disadvantages), have -2 to IQ, and -1 to DX. He must roll vs. HT to avoid being incapacitated with hallucinations or delusions. If the character loses more than 50% of his HP due to an cocaine overdose then the character will start to suffer from nausea and vomiting and heart palpitations. If he goes unconcious, the character must roll vs. HT every 15 minutes or go into Cardiac Arrest. A Poisons or Diagnosis roll is required to determine the problem. In a modern emergency room, cocaine overdoses are not uncommon. A doctor in such a situation is at +2 to skill to diagnose this problem. A successful Physician roll halves damage and stops the poison. CURARE - Curare is a deadly poison that blocks nerve impulses to the muscles, causing them to go limp and eventually affecting the heart and respiratory muscles, thus causing death. The curare formula used by Amazon natives may contain up to thirty ingredients (most of them for magical effect), but the deadliness of the poison is obtained from the sap of an Amazon vine called Strychnos toxifer. Characters who wish to make their own curare must use the Poisons skill. A successful Poisons roll will allow a character to measure a dose of curare which will leave the victim alive but helpless. Curare is a circulatory agent and must be injected, applied to a poisoned weapon, or given through DMSO. Curare poisoning is survivable under a number of conditions. The tip of the dart may have lodged in fatty tissue or muscle mass, the dosage may be insufficient for the body weight of the victim, or external respiration may be applied to keep the victim alive. Allow the victim a HT-4 roll to resist the effect. Failure means that the victim is completely paralyzed. If the victim is paralyzed, he must make a HT roll to avoid both Cardiac Arrest and Loss of Respiration. If this happens, a successful First-Aid-2 roll made every 30 minutes to apply CPR will keep the victim alive and allow a HT roll (also every 30 minutes) to recover. A critical failure on any of these rolls indicates death in 1d6 minutes. If the initial HT-4 roll is made, the victim is at -5 DX for the next 15-HT minutes (minimum of 2 minutes) but suffers no other ill effects. Multiple doses of curare give a cumulative -2 to HT rolls after the first dose. CYANIDE - Cyanide is effective in either food or drink, and an injection or as a gas, and causes almost instantaneous death. Because of cyanide's uses in electroplating, hardening steels and mining gold, this substance is commonly available. Chemists sythesize cyanide as a salt of prussic acid. Hydrogen cyanide and sodium cyanide are most often used in assinations, although potassium cyanide and mercuric cyanide are also deadly and also used for many innocent purposes. Cyanide salts are white, crystalline powders. The poison has a faint scent, similar to bitter almonds. Poisoners can disguise the taste of cyanide in any almond-flavored dish, or in coffee. Cyanide causes 4d6 damage. The effects of cyanide resemble a cardiac arrest. An unsuspecting medical examiner (at TL 6+) must make a Diagnosis roll with a -3 penalty to notice the cause of death. If he his suspicious though, then cyanide is easily detected, roll vs. Diagnosis+2. An oxidizing agent, such as potassium permanganate, can render cyanide harmless. However, the substance must be applied immediately to have any effect. Cyanide victims who attempt to use such chemicals as antidotes may attempt HT rolls with a penalty of -1 per second which has elapsed since poisoning. If the roll succeeds, the victim only take 1d6 points of damage. Characters may also use these antidotes to gain temporary immunity to cyanide. This requires a Poisons roll at -2. The GM should make this roll in secret, without informing the player of the results. If the roll succeeds, the character is invulnerable to cyanide for 6d6 minutes. Once again, the GM should keep the results secret. Spies occasionally use cyanide to commit suicide after capture. DEATH CAP - Death cap is a type of mushroom. It is extremely deadly. Death cap mushrooms (or the toxin derived from them) must be ingested to work. The symptoms of death cap poisoning appear HT hours after eating. Once the symptoms appear, the poison does 2d6 points immediately, and 2d6 points of damage over 1d6 hours. Poisoned charaters have a -3 pain penalty due to weakness, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. They will also be excessively thirsty but won't be able to urinate. Characters who lose more than 50% of their HP are incapacitated and must roll vs. HT to avoid having convulsions, as if they suffered from the Epilepsy disadvantage. Characters who go below zero HP must roll vs. HT every 15 minutes or suffer Cardiac Arrest. A successful Poisons or Diagnosis roll will discover the problem. A successful Physician roll will reduce the damage by 1d6 and will give +2 to HT rolls. There is no antidote to death cap poison at TL 7 or below. DIGITALIS - Digitalis is the primary ingredient in the poison produced by the Foxglove, a pretty flowering plant. It is found in gardens or in loamy woodlands. In small doses it is useful as a heart medicine. In large doses it is lethal. Characters poisoned by digitalis take 1d6 points of damage immediately, and 2d6 points of damage over 1d6 hours. While poisoned they suffer a -2 pain penalty. In addition the character must roll vs. HT or be incapacitated with drowsiness, hallucinations, and fatigue. Characters are allowed a HT roll when first poisoned to take half damage. If the character loses over 50% of his HP from digitalis poisoning he must roll vs. HT or go into convulsions, as if he had the Epilepsy disadvantage. If the character goes below 0 HT he must roll vs. HT every 15 minutes or suffer from Cardiac Arrest. A roll vs. Poisons or Diagnosis will diagnose the problem. A successful roll vs. Physician skill will halve damage and stop the poison. DMSO - DMSO, or dimethyl sulfoxide, is chemical which transmits other drugs through the skin. It is notorious for its use with hallucinogens such as LSD. In game terms a dose of DMSO allows any normally ingested or injected drug to function by contact. ERGOT - Ergot is the common name of Claviceps Purpurea, type of fungus which infests rye, and occasionally other grains. It produces a powerful poison which occasionally afflicted entire communities in pre-modern Europe. The "disease" St. Anthony's Fire is actually ergot poisoning. Characters are unlikely to be deliberately poisoned by ergot, but characters who eat ergot-infested rye (or flour made from it) can be accidently poisoned by it. A dose of ergot does 1d6 points of damage over 1d6 hours. Poisoned characters are at a -2 pain penalty due to abdominal pain, and suffer from numbness, vomiting, and tics. Pregnant women must roll vs. HT or spontaneously abort their fetuses. Characters who lose more than 50% of their HP from ergot poisoning are incapacitated must roll vs. HT to avoid suffering from convulsions, as if they had the Epilepsy disadvantage. While incapacitated, the character suffers from hallucinations and delusions. After the poisoning, the character must roll vs. HT. A critical failure means that nerve and tissue damage to the character's body has crippled one of the character's extremities. The GM should randomly determine a limb and apply enough damage to cripple it. This damage is healed normally, but the character might suffer from infection and possibly gangrene. A modern character might be deliberately poisoned by the active ingredient in ergot fungus. In this case the effects are the same, but the damage is doubled. A Poisons or Diagnosis roll will discover ergot poisoning. A Physician roll will halve damage and stop the poison. A physician roll has no effect on preventing crippled limbs. FLY AGARIC - Fly agaric is a type of mushroom. It is occasionally used as an aphrodisiac and recreational drug, but overdoses are poisonous. It must be ingested to work. A dose of fly agaric does 1d6 points of damage immediately. It causes severe stomach upset, delirium, hallucinations, and convulsions. A character must roll vs. HT or be incapacitated with pain, delerium, and hallucinations for 1d6 hours. If the character takes more than 50% damage from the poison he must roll vs. HT or suffer from convulsions, as if he had the Epilepsy disadvantage. A Poisons or Diagnosis roll will discover ergot poisoning. A Physician roll will halve damage and stop the poison. HALLUCINOGENS - LSD and similar drugs cause disorientation and hallucinations. The effects of a hallucinogen last of two hours. During this period, whenever a victim must make a roll of any sort, he must make a Will roll. When the Will roll fails, the victim experiences a hallucinatory experience preventing him from performing the desired action. Furthermore, on a critical failure, he suffers from a terrifying illusion that requires a Fright Check or does something dangerous. Once the "trip" ends, the character must make a final roll vs. HT. On a critical failure he has flashback hallucinations whenever exposed to the same event. The GM may invent specific details of hallucinations if desired. While under the effects of hallucinogens, the character is at -1 to DX, and -2 to IQ. Multiple doses double the penalties and double the length of the "trip". Some hallucinogens give a "bad trip". The character must roll vs. Will or suffer a Fright Check. On a critical failure the character does something dangerous. HEMLOCK - Hemlock poison is either the poison of the Water Hemlock or the Poison Hemlock. Most hemlocks are not poisonous, except for these two species. This entry describes the effects of the Poison Hemlock, Water Hemlock has a different poison. Poison hemlock must be ingested or injected and acts on the nervous system. It was used as a suicide drug both by the Ancient Greeks and by some North American Indian tribes. A dose of Poison Hemlock does 1d6 points of damage immediately and 3d6 points of damage over a period of 1d3 hours starting 1d3 x 10 minutes after it is ingested. For every 2 points of damage done the victim also loses 1 ST and DX. If the victim falls below zero HP, then he must roll vs. HT every 15 minutes or suffer Loss of Respiration. If the victim loses more than 50% of his HP to the poison he must also roll vs. HT or suffer blindness. A roll vs. HT is allowed when the poison is initially ingested for half damage. A successful Poisons or Diagnosis roll will diagnose the type of poison. A successful Physician roll will half damage. Treatment consists of pumping the stomach (if ingested) and administering an antidote. If the victim survives the poisoning lost attribute points and eyesight are regained. HENBANE - Henbane is a toxic plant related to Nightshade. It grows around the world and is found in garbage dumps and waste heaps. The effects of its poison are nearly identical to those of Belladona, but damage is only 1d3 points initially and 1d3 points per 15 minutes thereafter. An unusual use for henbane is as a crude narcotic "truth drug". By inhaling the fumes of roasting seeds of the henbane plant, the victim's perceptions might be sufficiently altered that he forgets himself. Each minute that a character is exposed to a high concentration of henbane smoke, he must roll vs. HT or suffer the effects of the drug. He is at -2 ST and DX and IQ, and at -1 Will due to the effects of the drug. It is initially narcotic, but eventually leads to elation and hallucinations. Extremely high concentrations of henbane smoke could eventually kill someone, but this would take a long time. Roll vs. HT every 10 minutes or suffer 1 HP loss. LEAD - Lead and lead compounds are extremely common at all levels of civilization. In the modern world it is used in industrial processes, and until recently it was found in paints, plumbing and gasoline. In pre-modern times it was used for plumbing, tableware, and a multitude of other uses. While it is unlikely that a character will be deliberately poisoned by lead, it is not improbable that characters might be accidently poisoned by it. Lead trihydrate, also known as sugar of lead, is sweet to the taste which means that it is easily disguised in food or drink. Deliberate attempts to poison someone with lead or lead salts require large doses. A dose of lead will take effect 1d6 x 10 minutes after it is ingested and do its damage over 1d6 hours, doing 2d6 points of damage. In addition the victim suffers a -2 pain penalty. If HT goes below 0 the victim must roll every 15 minutes for loss of respiration. A successful Poisons or Diagnosis roll will determine the type of poison, and a successful Physician roll will halve damage taken and stop the poison. Treatment consists of pumping the stomach. Cumulative lead poisoning takes months or years of exposure to show up. Victims are moody, irritable, complain of a metallic taste in their mouths, suffer colic, anemia, poor digestion, constipation, severe abdominal pains or spasms, and exhibit a distinct black line at the base of the gums. A victim who is repeatedly exposed to high levels of lead must roll vs. HT each month or develop these symptoms. In game terms this means that the character loses -1 ST and HT, and develops the quirks "Moody" and "Irritable". Severe lead poisoning results in headaches, dizziness, confusion, visual disturbances, and paralysis starting from the hands. If a character who is exposed to lead fails 6 or more cumulative HT rolls to avoid the effects of lead exposure he must roll vs. HT each month to avoid these symptoms instead. In game terms the effects of severe lead exposure are -2 IQ, -2 Vision, and -3 DX. In addition, each month the character must roll vs. HT or lose -1 IQ. If IQ goes below 0 the victim dies. Children are especially vulnerable to lead exposure. A child is at -2 to HT to avoid lead poisoning. The antidote to cumulative lead poisoning is to eliminate the exposure. A successful Poisons or Diagnosis roll is at +2 to diagnose lead poisoning. A successful Physician roll will allow a series of treatments to begin which will purge the lead from the character's system over a series of weeks. Each week of treatment will restore a lost point of DX, ST, HT, or Vision. A character must roll vs. HT each week to restore IQ. On a critical failure the IQ loss is permanent. Children lose a point of IQ on a normal failure. METHANOL - Methanol is wood alcohol. It tastes nearly identical to ethanol, or grain alcohol. Unlike its cousin, methanol is highly poisonous. There is little chance that characters will be deliberately poisoned by it, since commercially available wood methanol has a bitter chemical added to it, but alcoholic characters, or characters who binge on illicit alcohol might accidently drink it. It must be ingested to work. Each pint of methanol does 1d3 points of damage over 1d6 hours starting 1d3 x 10 minutes after it is ingested. Each pint will also have the same effects on the body as ethanol (see Drunkeness) but the victim is at an additional -2 pain penalty due to headache and cramps. If the character loses more than 50% of his HP to methanol, he must roll vs. HT or go blind. This effect is permanent! While poisoned the victim will suffer from headaches, nausea, diahhrea, vomiting, clammy limbs, and blurred vision in addition to damage and blindess. A Diagnosis or Poisons roll will diagnose the problem. A successful Physician roll will halve damage. Treatment consists of pumping the stomach. MORPHINE - Morphine, heroin, and opium are powerful pain-killers and sedatives as well as being an addictive drugs. Overdoses of morphine and the like can kill, though it requires much more opium to kill than morphine or heroin. An overdose of morphine does 3d6 points of damage over a 1d3 hour period. Initially the character will be lethargic, relaxed and sleepy. He will have -2 to IQ and DX. He must roll vs. HT to avoid being incapacitated with delusions. If the character loses more than 50% of his HP due to an morphine overdose then the character will start to suffer from nausea and vomiting and confusion. If he goes unconcious, the character must roll vs. HT every 15 minutes or go into Cardiac Arrest or Loss of Respiration. A Poisons or Diagnosis roll is required to determine the problem. In a modern emergency room, morphine, opium, or heroin overdoses are regular occurances. A doctor in such a situation is at +2 to skill to diagnose this problem. A successful Physician roll halves damage and stops the poison. PUFFER FISH TOXIN - The nerve toxins found in such fish as the fugu are among the deadliest substances in nature. When swallowed, puffer toxin causes 5d6 points of damage. This takes effect in 6d6 minutes. Suitable antidotes halve the damage taken. However, anyone who wishes to provide this care must make a Diagnosis or Poisons roll at -3 to identify the type of poison in use. Most doctors simply don't encounter this problem. In Japan, where detoxified fugu is considered a delicacy, physicians suffer no penalty to their Poisons roll. SEDATIVES - Sedatives are popular recreational and theraputic drugs, but an overdose can kill, especially when mixed with alcohol. An overdose of sedatives does 2d6 points of damage over a 1d3 hour period. If the character also drinks enough alcohol to get drunk then the sedatives do 3d6. If the character is extremely drunk, the sedatives do 4d6. Initially the character will be lethargic, relaxed and sleepy. He will have -2 to IQ and DX. If the character loses more than 50% of his HP due to an sedative overdose then the character will be incapacitated. If he goes unconcious due to damage the character must roll vs. HT every 15 minutes or go into Cardiac Arrest or Loss of Respiration. A Poisons or Diagnosis roll is required to determine the problem. In a modern emergency room sedative overdoses are regularly encountered. A doctor in such a situation is at +2 to skill to diagnose this problem. A successful Physician roll halves damage and stops the poison. If the character survives being poisoned, then he must roll vs. HT+5-Damage or suffer kidney damage. He suffers from the Susceptibility to Poison disadvantage if the HT roll is failed. STRYCHNINE - Strychnine is found in numerous plants. It is also used in a number of rodenticides and insecticides. It has an extremely bitter taste (a Cooking roll is required to disguise the taste in all but the most pungent dishes) and must be ingested or injected to work. It acts on the central nervous system. A dose of Strychnine does 3d6 damage of damage over a period of 1d3 hours starting 1d3 x 10 minutes after it is administered. Initially the victim will be restless and sensitive to light and sound. Then he suffers from muscle stiffness, especially in the face and the legs. Finally, he suffers from convulsions and loss of respiration. For every 2 points of damage done the victim also loses 1 ST and DX. If the victim lose more than 50% of HP due to the poison he must roll vs. HT or suffer from convulsions, as if he suffered from the Epilepsy disadvantage. If the victim falls below zero HP, then he must roll vs. HT every 15 minutes or suffer Loss of Respiration. A roll vs. HT is allowed when the poison is initially ingested for half damage. Since strychnine is such a common and distinctive poison all Poisons or Diagnosis rolls are at +2. A successful Physician roll will half damage. Treatment consists of pumping the stomach (if ingested) and administering an antidote. ROSARY PEA - This is a tropical plant whose fruits are deadly. It is an unusual poison since its effects can be delayed by up to 2 days. Rosary pea does 3d6 points of damage starting 4d6 x 2 hours "trip" ends, the character must make a final roll vs. HT. On a critical failure he has flashback hallucinations whenever exposed to the same event. The GM may invent specific details of hallucinations if desired. The effects of BZ gas last for 1d6 hours after the character is out of the gas. CARBON DIOXIDE - CO2 is unbreathable, and poisonous in large concentrations. It is the byproduct of the human respiration and combustion. Characters trapped in airtight rooms will eventually die of carbon dioxide poisoning. A 15% concentration requires a HT roll every minute to stay concious; the roll is at -1 for every added percent of CO2. At 25%, roll vs. HT hourly, and lose 1 HT for every failed roll. CARBON MONOXIDE - CO is deadly. Pure carbon monoxide isn't readily available, but it is a common by-product of internal combustion engines or fires. If characters are foolish about flames or engines in a closed area, they could end up poisoning themselves with carbon monoxide. Its symptoms are headache and dizziness in small amounts, unconciousness and death at higher ones. At concentrations over 1%, roll hourly vs. HT; each failed roll costs 1 IQ, HP and DX. At concentrations over 2%, roll every ten minutes, halve the time interval and subtract -2 from the HT roll for each percent over 2%. If a victim is removed from the monoxide, he'll recover. If not, he'll die with a cherry-red face. Roll vs. HT every hour once the victim is removed from the monoxide. On a successful roll they regain 1 IQ, DX, and HP lost due to carbon monoxide poisoning. A successful Physician or First-Aid roll can substitute for the HT roll. CHLORINE - Corrosive and deadly poisonous. It is an occasionally encountered chemical weapon which was first used in WW I. It is easily recognized by its odor. A few breaths of 1% chlorine will kill. Even 1/20 that much is dangerous; roll as for ammonia, but all rolls are at HT-2, and the blinding roll is at HT-4. Another roll vs. HT-4 is required to avoid lung damage (treat as an internal burn). CHLOROFORM - Chloraform is an easily vaporized liquid used for anasthesia. It is also used as a "knockout gas" for less benign purposes. It works much more efficiently in fiction than in fact. Nevertheless, these drugs can render a victim unconcious when administered correctly. Typical use of chloroform as a knockout gas requires that liquid chloroform be poured onto a cloth which is then pressed over the mouth and nose of the victim. In order to successfully administer the gas, the attacking character must first pin the victim or otherwise get the victim to hold still. Then he must successfully grapple the victim's face with the chloroform-impregnated rag. The victim can hold his breath, pretend to go unconcious, or fight back, so successfully administering the chloroform is tricky. If characters breathe chloroform they must roll vs. HT-3 each 15 seconds. If the roll fails, the victim suffers immediate weakness and disorientation causing -5 on all skills or attribute rolls. A second failed roll renders the character unconcious. At that point, if the character is not removed from the gas (or the gas is not dispersed), the character must roll vs. HT every minute or to avoid Cardiac Arrest. Once a victim is unconcious, they will remain unconcious for 6d8-HT minutes. Subsequent applications of chloroform will keep the character unconcious for another 6d8-HT minutes. These mechanics describe the "rag over the face" method of using chloroform, if the amount of chloroform can be mechanically regulated, or supervised by a Physician (Anesthesiology) roll, then there is no danger of killing the victim and they may be kept unconcious for as long as necessary. CYANIDE - Cyanide gas causes nearly instantaneous death. Because of cyanide's uses in electroplating, hardening steels and mining gold, this substance is commonly available, roll vs. Chemist skill to synthesize cyanide gas from commonly availale chemicals. It is a common military blood gas. It was widely used in WW I by both sides and is still a widely stockpiled chemical weapon. It acts very quickly which makes it a favored gas for surprise attacks. It's disadvantage is that it disperses very quickly lasting no more than about 10 minutes. The poison has a faint scent, similar to bitter almonds. A character who breathes cyanide takes 4d6 points of damage each turn. A successful Physician roll can halve the damage if an antidote is administered immediately. FLUORINE - Like Chlorine, but worse; all rolls are at another -2. HIGH OXYGEN - Oxygen in concentrations higher than Earth-normal is corrosive. Moderately high oxygen concentrations (like and oxygen leak) will make its victims feel bouncy and aggressive. At this level there is no danger except overconfidence (all IQ and Will rolls to make judgements are at -1). When eyes and nose start to burn, the level is becoming dangerous. Roll as for ammonia, but at +2 to all rolls, and with no chance of blinding. However, too much oxygen greatly increases fire hazards. Fires do twice as much damage in high oxygen enviornments. Fire in a very high oxygen enviornment will result in an explosion, triple fire damage done as burns and normal fire damage done as concussion. HYDROGEN - Non-poisonous, but non-breathable. It quickly diffuses through plastic or rubber and is highly explosive in the presence of oxygen. A hydrogen leak will do 1d6 to 6d6 in fire damage and half that amount in concussion damage depending on the amount of hydrogen involved. MACE - Mace is an irritant gas which is commonly used for self-defense. A typical container of mace has a range of 15' and enough mace for 40 1 second shots. Smaller containers that can be carried on key rings have a range of about 5' and only enough mace for 5 shots. In order for the gas to be most effective, the shot must hit the face. Fortunately, a squirt of mace covers enough area that it gives +2 to hit its target. Typically a mace container will have the following stats: Malf DMG SS ACC 1/2D Max WT RoF Shots Rcl Cost Mace Sprayer Crit Spl 9 0 n/a 15' 1/2 1 40 0 $30 Pocket Spray Crit Spl 9 0 n/a 5' 1/2 1 5 0 $20 A character who is exposed to must roll vs. Will-5 (High Pain Threshold helps, Low Pain Threshold hurts) or be at -5 IQ, ST, DX, and Vision due to the pain of mace in their eyes and respiratory tract. Characters who are Berserk or who are high on pain-killing drugs (like alcohol, sedatives, morphine, heroin, or PCPs) get a +5 to their Will roll to avoid the effect of mace. These effects last until the character gets to clean air. Once the character gets to clean air he can make a HT roll every 5 minute. On a successful HT roll the effects of the gas on the eyes and lungs are halved. On a second HT roll the effects are completely negated. Mace on bare skin is also painful. A character is at a -1 pain penalty. A successful Physician or First-Aid roll (flushing the eyes) will allow the character to immediately recover from being sprayed with mace. MUSTARD GAS - This is the best known blister gas. It was first used in 1917 by the German Army (TL 6). It is corrosive and poisonous, but easily detected by its mustard odor. Modern blister gasses are more subtle. Exposure to mustard gas requires a HT roll every 30 seconds; a failed roll costs one HP, reduces Vision by -1, as the character's eyes burn and water and he begins to cough convulsively (-3 to DX and ST, -1 to IQ) until clean air is reached. Every 5 minutes of exposure to large areas of bare skin does 1 HP general burn damage, even if gas masks are worn. Severe exposure (loss of 50% or more hit points) requires survivors to roll vs. HT or be blinded. Roll for each eye. NERVE GAS - This is a generic term for nerve agents such as Tabun, Sarin, Soman, CMPF, VR-55, VX, and so forth. Nerve gasses appear as military weapons at late TL 6. The Germans developed them during WWII but never used them. TL 7 gasses kill in small amounts and can be made into binary weapons - two harmless gasses which form nerve agents only when mixed. They are a widely stockpiled military weapon and would be used in any massive modern war. They are also very deadly. Nerve agents can be designed to be extremely persistant, lasting up to 10 days after they are dispersed. Although the gas cloud will disperse quickly, it is possible to suffer contact poisoning through the skin by touching droplets that cling to foliage or vehicles. Nerve agents can also be designed to disperse quickly, or merely incapacitate their victims. Nerve agents designed to incapacitate do much less damage and take longer to do their work. Victims can absorb nerve gasses through the lungs or skin. Sealed chemical warfare suits are required to avoid its effects. Symptoms of poisoning include headache, vomiting, shrinking of the pupil, and paralysis. Nerve gasses cause 2d6 points of damage per minute to exposed victims. Victims who lose over half their HT continue to take damage even after they escape the gas. For every 2 points of damage taken, the victim loses -2 to DX, IQ, and ST. Nerve gas contaminates an area for 3d6 hours after its use (2d6 hours in very hot or wet conditions). Atropine sulfate halts the effects of nerve gas. However, this drug is a poison in itself (see Belladona) and completely incapacitates the victim for 2d6 hours. In order to administer the antidote (usually in auto-injecting syringes) the victim needs to make a roll vs. IQ, Poisons, Physician, or NBC Survival. A failure means that the character did 1 point of damage to himself. A critical failure means that the antidote doesn't take effect for 1d6 minutes. NITRIDES - Corrosive compounds with a distinctive odor. Treat as for ammonia. NITROGEN - Unbreathable, but otherwise harmless, except at very high concentrations, when it causes nitrogen narcosis. The effect is that of happy drunkenness; roll vs. IQ every 30 seconds to avoid. The sufferer will not realize that he has become irrational, but any observer can easily tell. A victim in a nitrogen atmosphere will Suffocate. PEPPER GAS - Thithere is some new information on which to make a new guess. Lab results, changes in the patient's condition, or reference books all will give new rolls. CONTAGION - Anyone in a disease-ridden area, or encountering a disease carrier, is in danger. Roll vs. HT once per day (or whatever time period seems appropriate to the GM); a failed roll means that you catch the disease. From the table below, choose the least advantageous roll each day: Avoided all contact with disease vectors HT+4 Entered area with disease vector HT+3 Occasional contact with disease vector HT+2 Limited contact with disease vector HT+1 Contact with disease vector HT Prolonged contact with disease vector HT-1 or worse Ignored appropriate sanitary precautions HT-1 or worse VIRULENCE - The HT roll can also be modified by the virulence of the disease. This should be a modifier from about +1 to -5 to the HT roll. IMMUNITY - If characters have been in a disease-ridden area for some time and have managed to not catch the disease without medical or magical help, then the GM can assume that they've developed immunity to the disease after about 6 months to a year or so. SYMPTOMS - Disease symptoms vary widely. Symptoms of a disease usually appear 24 or more hours after infection. Many diseases aren't contagious until symptoms appear. Typical symptoms include loss of ST, DX and/or IQ, increased fatigue, fever, aches and pains, sneezing and coughing, spots, sores, rashes and the like, but there are many different symptoms. Severe symptoms include delerium, unconciousness, blindness, etc. A successful Diagnosis roll will allow a character to determine a disease by the symptoms of that disease. EFFECTS AND TREATMENT - Typically, a disease sufferer must make a daily HT roll (at a plus or minus equal to the disease's severity). This roll, and the effects of failure vary with each illness. For a "generic" disease, a failed roll might mean that you lose 1 point of damage. A success lets you reagian 1 point of damage. When you recover all damage lost due to disease you recover. A Critical Success means that the disease dissappears. Lost HP must be regained normally. For some diseases, recover will be aided by the use of appropriate drugs. For all diseases, a physician's care (as for injuries) will aid attempts to recover, since the physician can treat the symptoms of the disease. REPRESENTATIVE DISEASES ANTHRAX - Anthrax is a disease caused by a soil-dwelling bacteria which can be spread through the air or by eating contaminated meat. It is lethal to both humans and animals and is highly dangerous. It is one of the most commonly feared biological warfare agents. Characters who are exposed to anthrax must roll vs. HT-2 with the usual bonuses or penalties for precautions. If the roll is failed, the character is afflicted. In all cases, symptoms will appear in 1d3 days. The symptoms are a high fever, and ulcerations of the skin and lungs. The victim is incapacitated, and is at -3 to DX and IQ and ST is halved. Roll vs. HT-2 each day. A failed roll costs 1d3 HP. A successful roll costs 1 HP. On a critical success the character fights off the disease and begins to heal. After 1d6+3 days, the character can begin to roll for recovery. A failed roll still means loss of 1 HP, but a successful roll means that the disease has been halted and recovery can begin. If the character goes below zero HP, they must roll vs. HT every day that they lose a HP or die. Once the character is on the road to recovery, they will be very weak for a long time. The character must make a weekly HT roll to regain their ST. One point of ST is regained for each successful roll. Treatment for anthrax consists of treating symptoms and administering antibiotics. Antibiotics will give +4 to HT rolls if administered before severe symptoms of the disease appear, and will give a new HT roll to shake off the disease. If antibiotics are administered once symptoms appear they will give +2 to HT rolls, and will allow a successful HT roll to prevent any loss of HP. BOTULISM - Botulism is a rare and highly lethal form of food poisoning. It is caused by eating improperly canned or preserved foods. If a character ingests contaminated food, roll vs. HT-2. If the roll fails, then he has fallen sick. Symptoms appear within 2d6 hours. The victim takes 3d6 points of damage over a 24 hour period. In addition, they are incapacitated, and are at -2 Pain penalty due to fever and severe abdominal cramps. Victims may roll vs. HT for half damage. A proper antidote can half the damage again. A successful Physician roll gives +2 to HT to take half damage, +4 if the toxin was removed before its symptoms manifested themselves. (This reflects the "natural" form of the disease, as opposed to the botulin toxin, which can be used as a poison.) CHOLERA - Cholera is a disease which causes abdominal pain, high fever, and severe diarrhea. It is caused by eating contaminated food and/or drinking or bathing in contaminated water. Cholera is spread by improper sanitation, especially by sewage in drinking water. It was unknown in Europe and the Americas until the 19th c. When it was finally introduced, it caused a terrible epidemic. In Asia and the Middle East it is endemic. In modern times it is encountered world-wide, especially in areas where the climate is warm and sanitation is poor. If a character ingests cholera-contaminated food or water, or has extensive contact with raw sewage or cholera-contaminated water he must roll vs. HT. If he has limited contact with cholera-contaminated water or sewage, he must roll vs. HT+2. A failed roll means that the is sick and will start to suffer symptoms within 24 hours. If the character is stricken, he will be incapacitated and at a -3 Pain penalty due to uncontrollable diarrhea and abdominal pains. The character will also be weak and feverish, ST is halved. Each day he must roll vs. HT or lose 1 HP. A successful roll means that no HP is lost that day. A critical failure means that 1d6 HP are lost. After 1d3+2 days the character may start to roll vs. HT to recover. A failed roll means that the disease continues, and the character loses 1 HP. A successful roll means that the character takes no further damage and may start to regain HP. ST loss and the Pain penalty persist until all HP have been regained. If the character goes below full negative HP, he must roll vs. HT each day or he will die. Death is due to severe dehydration. Treatment for the disease consists of administering antibiotics, treating the fever, and rehydrating the body. A course of the correct antibiotics will give +1 to HT rolls, intravenous fluids and/or oral rehydration gives +2 to HT rolls. The combination of the two in a modern hospital setting will give +4 to HT rolls. In a low-tech setting, giving fluids orally gives +1 to HT rolls. This requires an IQ roll on the part of the person tending the sick person and a successful Nursing, or Physician roll to successfully administer. DYSENTERY - Dysentery another disease whhe recovery of a lost hit point. If the character's HP go below zero he must make an additional HT roll each day. If this roll is failed he dies. A successful Physician roll can take the place of the HT roll with the usual modifiers for good or bad conditions. Afterwards, the player must make a HT roll to see if the smallpox blisters have affected the character's Appearance. Critical success means no change. Success means loss of one level (e.g. Average is lowered to Unattractive). Failure means a loss of two levels. Critical failure results in a loss of three levels to a minimum Appearance of Hideous. A recovery from smallpox gives complete immunity, as does innoculation. Innoculation is known in late 18th c. Europe but was not immediately accepted. Innoculated late 18th- or early-19th century would be rare. In the 19th century innoculation was not uncommon, but not universal either. By the 20th century the cause of smallpox was well understood and most "civilized" characters have been innoculated as a matter of course. Smallpox was eliminated worldwide by 1975 and was very rare, except in the most backwards parts of the world, by the 1950s. Innoculation against smallpox when it was still a common disease would be a limited version of the Immunity to Disease advantage. TETANUS - Tetanus was one of the great killers before the modern era. The bacillus that carries the disease is found in horse manure, so it was common around just about any human-occupied area until the development of the automobile. Any impaling or cutting wound recieved around a stable or farm-yard is likely to carry the disease. The bacillus is anaerobic, so a deep wound such as that caused by a punji stake is particularly dangerous. The infection usually takes time to set in, and the longer it takes, the less serious the disease. Onset within a week is almost always fatal; onset after three weeks has a better than 30% recovery rate. After 1890 tetanus anti-toxin is available. Given any time before the actual onset of the disease it has an excellent prevention rate. Preventive treatment before that is to clean the wound well, and, if possible leave it open to the air. The symptoms of tetanus begin with headaches and a stiff neck. As the disease advances, all the muscles lock into a rigid contraction. The mouth locks in a hideous grin, the risus sardonicus. Any disturbance may throw the victim into convulsive contractions that can break bones and tear muscles. The only treatment for advanced cases is to keep the victim quiet and unexcited, give anaesthics for the pain and feed a liquid diet or intravenously. Any time up to 21 days after a wound that could have become infected, the symptoms may appear. Roll vs. HT once per game day; on a failure the symptoms appear. Roll at +1 for each three days since the wound. If the infection appears, the victim loses 1 HP per day until he is at 2/3 HP. For this period he is in pain but is still able to move (-2 pain penalty). At 2/3 HP he goes into contractions - "lockjaw." If treatment including liquid diet or IV feeding is available, he continues to lose 1 HP per day. Without such treatment, he loses 2 HP per day. Every third day he rolls against HT (HT+1 if initial onset was more than a week after the wound, HT+2 if the onset was over two weeks later). A success regains 1 HP; a critical success regains 3 HP. A failure means normal loss of HP for that day; a critical failure costs 2 HP. If HT is restored to 2/3, the victim remains in contractions but only loses 1 HT per day, even if HT subsequently drops below 2/3. If HT returns to normal, the character recovers. If HP drops below full negative, use the dying rules. Roll against HT modified for time of onset as above. TUBERCULOSIS - Tuberculosis is a respiratory disease which is caused by an airborne bacillus. It is transmitted by particles coughed out by victims of the disease or airborne bacilli. If a character is exposed to tuberculosis he must roll vs. HT+1 (modified for precautions taken) each day that he is exposed. If the roll is failed, the character contracts the disease. The symptoms are coughing and weakness appear in 2d6 weeks. In game terms this means that any fatigue losses are doubled and fatigue is regained at half the normal rate. Each month the character must roll vs. HT. If the roll is failed, the character loses 1 ST. If ST goes below half, HP are lost instead. HP lost due to tuberculosis can't be healed by normal means. A critical failure means that 2 points of ST or HP are lost. A critical success means that the disease has been shaken off. As the disease advances, the coughing gets worse. If HP goes below zero, then the character must roll vs. HT each day or die. Treatment for tuberculosis consists of administering antibiotics. A course of antibiotics administered over a six month period will give HT+5 to rolls to avoid decline due to the disease. A critical success during this period will allow the character to start healing, but the full course of antibiotics is required for the disease to be fully destroyed. nd will not heal until the infection has been cured. Roll vs. HT modified as above each day to overcome the infection. If the HT roll isn't made the character loses 1 point of damage. If the wound goes more than HT/2 days without healing, gangrene sets in. GANGRENE - If gangrene sets in, the wounded tissue has died and rotted to the point where the character will die without immediate medical aid. A wound must be debrided. A limb that has lost more than 1/2 HP due to infection must be amputated. A Surgery roll is required to do either of these things. The old wound is now no longer infected, but the new wound or amputated limb might become infected. FATIGUE Fatigue represents lost Strength, just as Injury represents lost Health. Fatigue score is generally the same as Strength, though it can be a different number is you have the Increased Stamina or Extra Fatigue advantages or the Short-Winded, or Reduced Fatigue disadvantages. Fatigue doesn't affect HT at all. Characters can suffer fatigue from exertion, casting spells and psionics use. FATIGUE COSTS FIGHTING A BATTLE - You suffer Fatigue at the end of any battle lasting more than 10 seconds. The amount of fatigue you suffer is equal to your Encumbrance level +1. Fighters who are not actually engaged in melee (fire missiles or spells) don't suffer this fatigue. This is cost per battle, not cost per 10 seconds of battle. The GM may assess extra fatigue for very long battles, but the battle should run for at least 10 minutes before extra fatigue is assessed. If the battle is fought in hot weather, add 1 extra point to the above, or 2 points if for anyone in heavy or insulating armor or an overcoat. MARCHING - Exactly as above, for each hour of road travel. If a marching party gets attacked on the road, assume that they have been marching an hour. Add fatigue for hard conditions or for very hot or cold weather. RUNNING OR SWIMMING - After each 100 yards of fast running or swimming, mile of long distance running, or 1/2 mile of long distance swimming roll vs. HT (or Running or Swimming skill). A failed roll means that you lose 1 point of Fatigue. Subtract Encumbrance-1 from HT for this roll. EXERTION - Carrying more than extra-heavy encumbrance, or pushing or pulling a heavy load costs 1 fatigue per turn. Extra effort when lifting, jumping, etc. also costs 1 fatigue per attempt. Extensive crawling or climbing has the same effect. Light physical labor has the same costs as Marching. Heavy physical labor doubles these costs. Add Fatigue if the labor is in very warm or very cold or hard conditions. EFFECTS OF FATIGUE - While your ST is reduced by Fatigue, any use of ST is at a penalty equal to the amount of fatigue that you lost. Your move score isn't affected by Fatigue until Fatigue equals 1/2 ST. At that point your Move is halved. At this point all skills and abilities are at -2. If Fatigue reduces you to 1/4 ST or less, you collapse, and can do nothing physical until you have rested until your ST is above 1/4 ST. All skill and ability use is at -4. If your Fatigue takes you to ST 0 or less, you fall unconcious. You automatically awaken when your ST reaches 1. RECOVERY FROM FATIGUE - Anyone suffering fatigue may regain the lost ST points by resting quietly. Talking, thinking, or walking very slowly are alright. Anything more strenous is not allowed. A character recovers a point of fatigue every 15-HT minutes, to a minimum of 1 minute per point recovered. LONG-TERM FATIGUE - 1/5 of all Fatigue lost during the day is permanent until the character rests or sleeps for at least 8 hours. If the character expends more Fatigue than he has ST during the day, the character is at -1 Pain penalty for every 10 points of Fatigue over ST the character "slept off". If the character has a -2 or more Pain penalty, he has Sprained something and must heal the damage normally. A character must roll vs. Will to spend more than ST x 2 total Fatigue in a day. SLEEP DEPRIVATION A normal character requires 8 hours of sleep in every 24 hours. Characters with the Increased Sleep or Sleepy disadvantages or the Decreased Sleep or Never Sleeps advantages will have different requirements. A character who goes more than 16 hours without sleep must roll vs. HT every 8 hours or have -1 to IQ and all mental skills, boring tasks like guard-duty or driving are at -2, cumulative. Every 8 hours the character goes without sleep gives -1 to HT rolls. If the character is "sleepy" (suffering a penalty for sleep deprivation). The character must make a Will roll+5 to avoid falling asleep. As modified by the following table. +4 Important to stay awake +2 Keeping busy +1 to 4 Stimulant drugs used -2 Boring task or enviorment -4 Very boring task or enviorment -1 to -6 Sedative drugs used -1 Per 24 hours without sleep past 16 hours. STARVATION PHASE 1 - You can go 1/2 HT "days" without food before you start to lose HP and ST. Roll vs. HT each day. If you miss your roll you lose 1 Fatigue and you are at -1 to all skills and abilities. PHASE 2 - Roll vs. HT. If you miss the roll you lose 1 HP and 1 Fatigue. Each week without food, roll vs. HT or lose another point to all skills and abilities (-4 penalty maximum). 3/4 Rations x 4 days Half Rations x 3 days 1/4 Rations x 2 days Inactive x 2 days Warm Weather x 2 days Cold Weather x 1/2 days Very Cold Weather x 1/4 days Active x 1/2 days Very Active x 1/4 days Improper Clothing in Cold x 1/2 days Improper Shelter in Cold x 1/2 days Overwieght 1 days "food" per pound overwieght Fat 1 days "food" per pound overwieght MALNUTRITION Malnutrition can by and large be ignored as a part of starvation, since its symptoms take months or years to show up. Treat them as diseases that are only curable by getting a balanced diet. Immunity to Disease prevent conditions caused by a deficient diet. Characters who have suffered a deficient diet might have certain disadvantages as a result of nutritional deficiencies. The most common would be crippled limbs (especially lameness) and weak bones (the Fragile disadvantage). BERIBERI - This disease is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B. It is among people who eat primarily polished rice, notably high status orientals in pre-modern times. Its cause was not known until the 20th century. Characters who eat a deficient diet must make a yearly roll vs. HT. A failed roll means that the character starts to suffer from Beriberi. An attack of beriberi typically lasts for 5d6 days. During the attack the sufferer loses 1 HP and ST and suffers triple normal fatigue from any exertion. He cannot regain lost Fatigue points by resting; he only recovers 1 Fatigue per full 8 hours of rest. Hit Points and ST lost to beriberi cannot be healed normally. Once beriberi is contracted the character must roll vs. HT each month to avoid subsequent attacks. If the character's ST or HP go below zero the character dies. Treatment consists of eating a proper diet, including vegetables and whole grains. Two weeks of proper diet will restore all HP and ST losses. Historically, this disease was found among high status Chinese and Japanese. Men were more likely to get it than women, nobles were more likely to get it than commoners, since brown rice, barley, and vegetables were considered to be low-status foods. In medieval Japan beriberi was considered a contagious disease. SCURVY - Scurvy is the breakdown of the capillary walls, as the vitamin C needed to build new collagen is lacking. The symptoms are: bleeding gums, loose teeth, dark spots all over the body (actually small hemorrhages), swollen joints (from blood seeping into them), wounds failing to heal, weakness, and the general inability to deal with mental stress. Even such a simple task as standing up can cause a heart attack in a severe case. Vitamin C and rest are the only cures. Scurvy is caused by a lack of vitamin C, which is found in fresh fruits and vegetables. It takes six weeks without vitamin C before the symptoms appear. At the end of this tf the character goes unconcious, they will stay unconcious until they get sufficient air or are brought down to a lower altitude. While unconcious, the character must roll vs. HT every 10 minutes or lose 1 ST due to fatigue. Once all fatigue is lost, the character must roll to avoid losing HT. If the character loses more than 1/2 his HT due to oxygen deprivation, he must roll vs. HT to avoid losing -1 to IQ due to brain damage. Above 40,000 feet, the roll to stay conconcious, or to avoid damage is at -2. Above 60,000 feet, there is insufficient atmosphere to breath at all. See the rules on Vacuum. ALTITUDE SICKNESS - Altitude sickness can be a serious problem above 10,000 feet. It is a group of related physical problems brought on by a rapid rise in elevation and heavy exertion. The GM should roll (in secret) once per game session for anyone adventuring above 10,000 feet. Modifiers: Add Encumbrance Level to the roll. Anyone who has previously suffered from Altitude Sickness rolls at +1. People who spend a long time at high altitudes, descend to sea level for a few weeks and then return roll at +3. If the character takes several weeks to acclimatize themselves to higher elevations then the roll is at -3. HT and Immunity to Disease make no difference. 14 or less No Effect 15-16 Acute Mountain Sickness 17 Pulmonary edema 18 Cerebral edema Acute Mountain Sickness - In its mildest form, symptoms include headaches, exhaustion, and shortness of breath, loss of appetite, nausea and severe vomiting. A victim temporarily loses 2 points of Fatigue and 1 point of DX. Roll against HT once per day to recover from the condition; a critical failure leads to a cerebral edema. Pulmonary Edema - Symptoms are coughing, shortness of breath, and bubbling noises in the lungs. As the condition worsens, the victim will begin to cough up a pinkish foam, then fall into a stupor followed by death. A victim has -3 Fatigue and -3 to DX. He loses 1d6-2 hits per day (minimum 1), lapsing into a coma when hit points are at 0 and dying 1d6 days in coma. Taken to a lower level, he may begin making HT-4 rolls to recover. For each 1,000 foot drop in altitude, add +1 to the roll. On a successful roll he recovers in 15-HT days. Cerebral Edema - This is caused by fluids in the brain. Symptoms include violent headaches (-4 to DX and IQ), weakness (lose 5 points of Fatigue), staggering, dizziness, hallucinations, and babbling. The victim loses 1d6+1 hit points per day, lapsing into a coma when his HT reaches zero. Death follows in 5d6 hours. Recovery is as from a pulmonary edema (above).