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Combat

Page 8 of 11

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Drugs And Poisons

Poison is deemed particularly unpleasant on the battlefield, although it is far more popular away from it. Murderers and assassins regularly resort to poison for its secretive nature and the safety of the crime only being committed once the killer is several hours away, or even off-world. PCs may find poisons exceptionally useful in their dealings with tough opponents, but if the GM finds that poisons are unbalancing or spoiling a game through overuse, hints should be dropped that if the PCs insist on using poison all the time, then so will certain unpleasant NPCs…

Characters may deliberately consume chemical substances for several reasons. Alcohol and tobacco are time-honoured social drugs, joined in the last few millennia by kalma. Hardened users, or those with a need to leave reality, tend towards deliria, smashout or obscura. There are a number of legal, semi-legal and prohibited combat stimulants on the market that enhance human reflexes, increase endurance, or numb pain receptors. Others have more unusual uses – spook, for example, temporarily unlocks the mind’s psychic capabilities, while polymorphine allows users to transform their physical forms in order to disguise themselves.

Sometimes, a reason for taking a drug is unnecessary, and the character is addicted. This can prove immensely damage to a character’s physical and/or mental capabilities, as well as being prohibitively expensive, and should be avoided.

The laws regarding most drugs and poisons vary from planet to planet, although possession or trafficking of some are classed as Imperial offences.

Using Poison

Poisons can get into a victim’s biological system by several means. The most obvious form is as an additive in the victim’s food or drink, but there are other methods. The description of each poison lists the forms in which it can normally be delivered into a character’s system.

Sometimes poison can be given in the guise of medicine, but more commonly the victim is completely unaware that he or she is consuming something potentially harmful. Some poisons, such as alcohol, are willingly consumed.

Characters consuming a poisoned substance are allowed an Initiative test to spot the poison before it has any effect. Several abilities grant bonuses to such tests (Cook, for example), and further modifiers depend on the size of the portion (and therefore the poison’s concentration) and the number of doses added to it.

Each additional dose above one grants a +5 bonus.

Poison in a large meal will be less concentrated, conferring a –20 penalty to the chance of spotting the poison. A small meal (sandwiches, a slice of cake etc.) confers a –10 penalty.

If the Initiative test is a matching success, the character spotted the poison before it even reached his or her mouth and is not affected.

Any other successful result means that the poison was spotted, but only after the character had consumed some of it. Nevertheless, the character gains a bonus to the Resistance test (see The Effects Of Poison, below) equal to the margin of success.

If the character failed to detect the poison, he or she must take Resistance tests for each dose as normal.

Additive poisons can also be delivered in tablet or liquid form.

Poison is normally injected via a syringe, although needle weapons shoot crystallised poison directly into a character’s body, with a very similar effect.

Injecting another person with a syringe (more commonly known as injectors to the uneducated Imperial citizen) usually requires either surprise or consent for it to be successful. Attempting to use an injector in combat counts as fighting unarmed, although a successful blow does not cause damage, other than that caused by the injected substance. The GM may rule that armoured locations cannot be injected, and will probably break the needle, while a decent thickness of clothing stops an injector 50% of the time.

In most cases, injectors can only hold one dose of a given substance.

Working in a similar manner to injected poison, blade venom is usually a thick, resinous paste, enabling it to be rubbed onto the blade of an edged weapon. Glutinous liquid blade venoms are also used, although this is generally applied into reservoirs carved into the flat of the blade. Some unscrupulous fighters go so far as to fit their weapons with dispensers that can coat a blade automatically.

Any number of doses may be added to a weapon’s blade (within reason), and all these doses will pass into the system of the next creature to be wounded by the weapon. Because a weapon coated in poison cannot be sheathed without scraping it all off, blade venom has a very limited potency. A single dose will evaporate off the blade every D3 hours after it is applied.

Characters wounded by blade venom have a –20 penalty to their Resistance test (see The Effects Of Poison, below), because the poison is already within their bloodstream.

Any poison that can be injected can also be used as blade venom, although in many cases it is not clear why anyone would want to.

Some poisons work on contact with exposed skin. They may be pastes dabbed onto the underside of a door handle, or they may be airborne gases, but they work in the same way. In the case of contact poison, thick gloves or gauntlets will be sufficient to prevent poisoning, but if the poison is airborne, only a sealed suit will be enough to resist the poison.

Thick gloves, an undamaged sealed suit or full suit of airtight armour (such as power armour or tactical dreadnought armour) will automatically resist any skin-absorbed poisons. If the suit’s integrity is compromised in any way (the character has been shot or stabbed, for example, or if the suit was damaged in a fall), the character must take a Resistance test (see The Effects Of Poison, below), but gains a +20 bonus from the suit’s protection.

Some poisons can be reduced to a gaseous or vaporous form. They are either released on a small scale, from grenades or pumping into ventilation systems, or on a large scale, from artillery shells, missiles or bombs. Such poisons are particularly lethal, since they can strike down dozens, hundreds, or even tens of thousands of victims in a single attack. Inhalable poisons can also be burnt, either in cigarettes (or similar) or mixed with something like candle wax.

A character caught in a cloud of gas must take a Resistance test at the start of every active round he or she is within the cloud. Characters wearing some kind of airway filter device gain bonuses to each Resistance test, as well as other effects, as described on the table below. Filter devices halve their bonuses against gases that work via skin absorption unless the victim’s clothing is completely sealed.

Characters running the risk of being affected by poisons must take a Toughness test, to represent their bodies’ natural resistance to outside attack. Characters who fail this Resistance test are affected, while those who pass manage to fight off the poison – this can be unfortunate if the character was deliberately trying to get drunk, but very lucky if injected with bloodfire. Characters who pass the test may still feel mildly nauseous, dizzy or intoxicated, but will not suffer serious effects.

Not all poisons are the same strength. It is easier to resist the effects of a glass of wine than it is to shrug off the effects of a syringe full of smashout. To represent this, each poison has a Resistance value – often a negative number – which acts as a modifier to the Resistance test.

Characters with the Immunity To Poison ability gain a +10 bonus to Toughness when taking Resistance tests against all forms of poison. Characters with Consume Alcohol also gain a +10 bonus when imbibing alcohol-based substances.

As well as making it more likely that the character will fall victim to the poison’s effects, the effects of the poison are more severe. A character trying to avoid the effects of multiple doses must take one Resistance test for each dose. The effects of each effective dose are resolved separately.

A victim of poison is normally ill for some time, rather than taking damage and then recovering immediately. This time is normally measured in combat rounds for fast acting poisons, or minutes and hours for slower poisons. The exact time is dependent upon the Resistance test’s margin of failure.

If a character falls under the influence of several doses of the same poison (taken separately or all in one go), it may be easier to assume that all the poisons last for the same length of time as the one with the longest duration.

Alcohol is an intoxicant, intrinsically woven into most human cultures. It is consumed at many social events, yet has few beneficial effects, other than promoting a sense of wellbeing. Its effects are caused by the methodical impairment of all the brain’s major functions, starting at the front and working its way backwards.

Alcohol is an effective social lubricant, provided no one involved has any ideological or religious opposition to intoxicating substances. It also tends to imbue a drinker with courage and self-confidence (the result of impaired functions in the forward brain). Unfortunately, aggression is also increased by the same impairment, leading to an increase in violence amongst drunken individuals.

Drunken characters temporarily gain +5 points of Nerve per effective dose. However, all other characteristics, except Toughness, are temporarily reduced by –5 points per effective dose.

Should any physical characteristic be reduced by half as a result of alcohol intake, the character is violently sick. Should any mental characteristic be reduced by half, the character loses consciousness. If these events occur at the same time, the character will probably drown in vomit (see Damage From Other Sources – Drowning While Unconscious).

Prolonged alcohol abuse can cause cirrhosis of the liver and heart disease. Psychologically vulnerable individuals may become addicted to alcohol if they find it distracts them from their problems.

Barrage is an incredibly unpleasant concoction of combat stimulants designed to turn users into frothing psychopaths. Because of the dreadful physical and psychological side effects, very few individuals would ever take it willingly. As such, it is most often found in the control collars of Imperial Penal Legion convict soldiers.

Barrage boosts reflexes, courage and physical strength, temporarily doubling Strength, Initiative and Nerve.

However, such is the potency of barrage that the body’s systems cannot cope with its presence and begin to break down. When the drug’s effects come to an end, the character permanently loses D10 points of Strength, Toughness and Initiative for every ten points, or part, of the Resistance test’s margin of failure. Additionally, the character gains a number of Insanity points equal to the margin of failure divided by ten.

Bloodfire is a versatile chemical weapon, used widely in Imperial warfare to kill foes too tough or too well protected to be simply blown apart with artillery. Bloodfire gets its name from the manner in which its neurotoxin components attack the muscles pumping the heart, causing hot sensations prior to death, as well as the chemical burns that spontaneously appear on the bodies of victims.

Characters affected by bloodfire poison in any of its forms will suffer blistering and peeling skin around the point of entry (in the case of gas or contact poisoning, this will be widespread). This, as well as the numbing of nerves around the character’s heart, causes a character to lose 2D10 hit points. A Resistance test must be made at the start of each of the victim’s subsequent rounds, until successful. Each failed test causes the loss of another 2D10 hit points.

Choke is a generic label for a wide category of chemical agents that work by contracting or inflaming the target’s windpipe, causing breathing difficulties and eventually unconsciousness.

The victim is stunned for a round. A Resistance test must be made at the start of each of the victim’s subsequent rounds, until successful. Each failed test causes the character to be stunned for a round.

A matched failure on any Resistance test causes the character to lose consciousness for D10 minutes.

Deliria is a hallucinogenic organic compound made from whatever substances are available. It is taken as a recreational drug, either additively in drinks or food, or absorbed through the skin from impregnated temporary tattoos. Deliria is popular among sub-cultural groups, particularly the rebellious young.

Users of deliria normally experience pleasant hallucinations that leave them feeling at peace with the world. Feelings of hostility fade away, except against those that they unreservedly hate. This manifests in Willpower, Sagacity and Leadership being reduced by the margin of failure, while Nerve is increased by the same amount.

However, if the Resistance test is a matched failure, the deliria user has undergone a particularly bad bout of hallucinations. Instead of the usual effects, the user gains D6 Insanity points and rolls on the Hallucinogen table, below. This hallucination lasts for the duration of the deliria’s effects.

If the result of the Resistance test was 00, the user’s bad hallucination lasts for a length of time equal to the margin of failure, in days, and the character must take a Willpower test every morning or gain an Insanity point.

Detox does not prevent users from being affected by poisons, but is an excellent generic antidote that adapts to fight most poisons.

Because detox must modify itself to neutralise the specific poisons affecting the user, it only takes effect one round after the poison is introduced, even if a dose is taken immediately upon being poisoned. If detox is produced by a gland implant, the gland produces hormonal detox variants that prevent the negative effects of all poisons entering the bloodstream. Again, this takes a single round to kick in.

A dose of detox allows a character to take an immediate Resistance test against the poison. This works against virtually all poisons, from alcohol to bloodfire.

Not to be confused with deliria, which is a recreational drug, hallucinogens are far more powerful and far less fun for the victim. They are generally used in warfare to destroy enemy morale or cause outbreaks of insanity along the line. Although short-lived and not directly dangerous, hallucinogens induce far more vivid and nightmarish imagery than deliria.

Victims of a hallucinogen must roll on the following table once for each effective dose. A character affected by multiple doses should attempt to combine the delusions in some way. All hallucinations last for the duration of the hallucinogen’s effects. Additionally, unless they can pass a Nerve test, hallucinogen victims gain one Insanity point for each effective dose.

Uninhibitors are drugs designed to knock down the barriers that society or personality set up against certain activities. In other words, a character can be persuaded to do almost anything while under the influence of a drug like hibition.

The victim appears incredibly intoxicated, and halves all characteristics except for Toughness. He can also be persuaded to do almost anything, upon a successful Leadership test by the persuader and a failed Willpower test (modified by the persuader’s margin of success).

Upon the drug wearing off, the victim will initially have no memory of what he did under the influence of the drug, although he may make Sagacity tests every couple of hours to remember, particularly if confronted by compelling clues (such as blood-soaked hands and a mutilated corpse).

Colonisation of a million worlds meant exposing the human body to a million different biological systems, each with its own viruses and bacteria. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Adeptus Mechanicus and Adeptus Apothecarion have become experts at creating substances that boost the human immune system. It is standard practice for Imperial Guard troopers involved in first contact invasions to be dosed to the gills with such drugs. Even then, large numbers of soldiers posted on newly discovered worlds will fall prey to xenos diseases crossing the species gap.

Each dose of immune grants a +10 bonus to Resistance tests against disease. However, if the Resistance test was a matching failure, the user temporarily loses D10 points of Initiative due to persistent nausea.

Kalma is a sedative, used to keep criminals and lunatics under control. It essentially reduces the reaction times of the victim at the same time as lowering any aggressive tendencies. When combined with substances like hibition, even the most hostile prisoner can be handled safely.

The character’s Initiative and Strength are reduced by a number of points equal to the margin of success. Should either characteristic reach 0 as a result of kalma, the character loses consciousness for the duration of the drug’s effect.

A matched failure on a Resistance roll results in the character developing the Drug Addiction – Kalma psychological disorder.

Lungrot is a cheaper, less potent, alternative to bloodfire, yet is still capable of taking thousands of victims if used correctly. Like most gas weapons, lungrot is used in artillery or mortar shells. It is commonly deployed shortly before an infantry or vehicle assault, where (hopefully) the gas will have incapacitated large numbers of enemy troops

A character affected by lungrot loses 2D6 hit points, and is stunned for a round. A Resistance test must be made at the start of each of the victim’s subsequent rounds, until successful. Each failed test causes the character to lose another 2D6 hit points and be stunned for a round.

A matched failure on any Resistance test causes the character to lose consciousness for D10 minutes. Unconscious characters will still suffer damage from the lungrot.

The Inquisition regularly comes into contact with religious fanatics, insane followers of Chaos and others who are reluctant to give information under interrogation. Although torture is often an effective means of loosening the tongue (sometimes literally), some interrogators prefer more subtle strategies. This is where meta-veritas comes in. Meta-veritas may cause lasting neurological damage, but it is still one of the most effective truth drugs available.

A character under the influence of meta-veritas will experience pain every time he lies. This imposes a –20 Willpower penalty when subjected to interrogation or torture.

An effective dose of meta-veritas permanently reduces a character’s Initiative, Willpower and Sagacity by D10 points each.

Obscura is, without a doubt, the most popular narcotic in the Imperium. As humanity spread across the stars, so did the obscura cartels, and now virtually every Imperial government has been forced to develop a policy regarding the drug – either regulation, restriction or legalisation. It is highly addictive, and long-term use has a degenerative effect on mental functions. Normally obscura is smoked in cigarettes or through a pipe or hookah, but sometimes it is burnt in braziers or the smoke is pumped through air conditioners.

Each dose of obscura increases the user’s Willpower and hit points by the margin of failure, divided by ten. Hit points may be taken above the user’s Toughness. When the drug’s effect comes to an end, these hit points are lost again, which may potentially cause unconsciousness or even death.

A dose of obscura temporarily reduces Initiative, Sagacity, Nerve and Leadership by a number of points equal to the margin of failure, divided by ten. If the Resistance test was a matched failure, the character gains the Drug Addiction – Obscura psychological disorder.

Onslaught (aka ‘slaught’) is an illegal or restricted combat drug used by gladiators and gang fighters to boost their combat abilities. Unfortunately, it is also highly addictive and eventually turns long-term users into drooling, jerky-limbed, mental deficients.

Onslaught enhances the user’s alertness and reflexes. In the user’s mind, time slows down, which can prove disorientating for first time users. Weapon Skill and Initiative are both increased by a number of points equal to the margin of failure.

Although multiple doses have increased effects, each dose taken after the first causes D6 damage (so a character taking three doses at the same time will suffer 2D6 damage, for example). This also applies to subsequent doses while a dose of onslaught is still in effect. Each subsequent dose also causes an Insanity point, unless a Nerve test is passed.

If the Resistance roll was a matched failure, the character develops the Drug Addiction – Onslaught psychological disorder.

Polymorphine is one of the most astonishing drugs created by Imperial science. It somehow stimulates the user (possibly by enhancing parts of the mind also used by certain biomancers) into transforming the shape, colour, and even the weight, of his or her body. It is possible for a user to impersonate another person, even of the opposite sex, although surgical bio-implants are required to imitate a member of another sub-species or an alien.

The only official user of polymorphine is the Callidus Temple of the Officio Assassinorum. Non-Imperially sanctioned users are so rare as to be virtually non-existent.

For some reason, females are far more susceptible to polymorphine, which is the reason for the imbalance in the Callidus Temple’s recruitment practices.

A character must have the Use Polymorphine ability and several years of physiotherapy and training in order to handle an injection of polymorphine. Any character not so trained will become horrendously twisted under the effects of the drug, developing D6 mutations and gaining 3D10 Insanity points.

A trained character (almost always a Callidus Assassin), can morph her features into any member of either sex. This does not have to be a real person, as many Assassins will change their features to look as inconspicuous as possible when they are not actively impersonating anyone.

While impersonating another person, the Assassin retains her original characteristics. The Assassin has a +20 modifier to any attempts to Bluff anyone into believing that she is the subject being impersonated, although this can be modified upwards if the other character is not familiar with the subject, or downwards if the other character knows the subject well (a lover, family member or lifelong friend, for example).

Psychic probing, fingerprinting, retinal scans, DNA tests, voice patterns and so on will always reveal the fake, although most Assassins are well-trained and will avoid this kind of situation.

It is possible for an Assassin to imitate an abhuman or alien of one particular human-sized species or sub-species provided she has undergone surgery to have the necessary bio-implants for altering the human form to such a degree. Regardless of the species imitated, the Assassin retains her normal characteristics and abilities.

The implantation procedure takes 2D6 major surgical operations at a Callidus outpost.

Psychon is a more stable combat drug than onslaught and is widely used by Penal Legions and criminal gangs alike. A fighter doped up on psychon is a crazed killing machine, immensely strong and resistant to pain.

The character’s Strength is increased by a number of points equal to the margin of failure, and hit points are temporarily increased by the same amount (this can take hit points above the character’s Toughness). Unfortunately, the character also becomes frenzied.

When the drug’s effects wear off, the loss of the additional hit points may well send the character into unconsciousness, or even death, if he has been injured while crazed.

Some medical procedures involve the ingestion of radioactive materials – typically scans that require certain areas of the internal system to be highlighted in some way. However, some materials are far more radioactive than can safely be ingested, and characters affected by them may contract radiation sickness. There is an additional negative modifier to the severity roll equal to the margin of failure.

The most potent of all recreational drugs in wide circulation within the Imperium, smashout can leave a user in a blissful state for days at a time. It is, however, incredibly addictive and highly dangerous.

The user reduces Initiative, Willpower, Sagacity and Leadership by the margin of failure, but increases Nerve and hit points by the same amount (this can take hit points above the user’s Toughness). If any characteristic reaches 0 as a result of smashout, the character slips into a coma for the duration of the drug’s effects.

If the Resistance test was a matched failure, the character develops the Drug Addiction – Smashout psychological disorder.

If the Resistance test result was 00, the character suffers a massive heart attack and will die unless successful emergency medical treatment is received within minutes.

Spur

Spur is a powerful combat drug, rarely used because of its unpredictability and harmful side effects.

One of the user’s characteristics is increased by a number of points equal to the margin of failure. Roll a D6 to determine the characteristic: 1-2 = WS, 3-4 = S, 5-6 = I.

However, at the start of every round, the user must take a Toughness test. Failure means that the user suffers D6 damage as his system overstretches itself.

If the Resistance test was a matched failure, the character develops the Drug Addiction – Spur psychological disorder.

Stun is used incapacitate victims so that they can be taken alive, or eliminated in some other manner. It does not have a particularly long period of effect, so poisoners must act quickly if they don’t want their victims to recover.

The victim is stunned for a number of rounds equal to the margin of success, divided by ten.

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