Introduction	Poison usage by characters	Holy and unholy waters	Ingestive poisons	"Hitting" with ingestive poisons
Insinuative poisons	Poisonous gases	Monster venom	Antidotes	Poison potions
Final words	-		-	Dragon 81

Introduction



Why another article about poison?
That's a simple question with no quick and easy answer. For
many players of the AD&D game, the information in the rules
about poison is sufficient. For others, the articles previously published
by DRAGON® Magazine have added to the "poison system"
and made it fine for their purposes. But for others still, the definition
and use of poisons needs further work. In the final analysis, the
answer to the "Why another article" question is this article itself.
For instance, nothing of any substance is mentioned in the DMG about antidotes, contact poisons, poisonous
gas, and monster venoms. Even poison potions need more explanation.
On page 20 of the DMG, the section on poison types notes that
"Poison potions must be ingested." But, on page 127, the description
of poison potions implies that the potion could be used as an
insinuative or contact poison as well as an ingestive poison. This
shows a need for a revision of that section of the rules, at least.

Charles Sagui's article, "Poison: From AA to XX," in the
December 1979 issue of DRAGON Magazine (reprinted in the
BEST OF DRAGON® Vol. II anthology) was an excellent exercise
in overhauling the rules on poison. He presented a wide range of
poisons in four major groups, included the interaction of the Assassins
-- Guild into the distribution of poison, described the amount of
poison per vial needed to coat a weapon, told how antidotes work,
and showed how silver and magic weapons do not work with poison.
All of these points were not mentioned in the DMG and are worthy
of some consideration.

However, Sagui's system has some flaws. First, the prices are
unreasonably expensive. In the DMG, the "A" insinuative poison would
do 15 hit points of damage and cost 10 gp. A comparatively
potent poison in Sagui?s system would cost 1,800 gp. This discrepancy
is present throughout all of the different poison strengths and
types that he describes.

Second, his poisons are too dangerous to the user. No one in his
right mind would use these poisons unless he had a god-like dexterity.
An assassin with a 15 dexterity using the Sagui type of contact
poison on his sword would most likely be poisoned by his own
weapon within 3 rounds. And a character with a dexterity of 13 or
less using that poison has at least a 50% chance of poisoning himself
by simply pulling his sword out of its scabbard! Poisons, though they
should present some danger to the user, should not be so dangerous
that no one would consider using them.

Third, although Sagui’s system explains how much damage per
round is done, nowhere does it say how long the poison needs to
take effect. Some poisons are instantly effective, but most are not.
Fourth, all poisons listed in the Sagui article require a saving
throw with no adjustments. In other words, a saving throw against a
poison that does 1-3 points of damage is just as easy (or difficult) to
make as a save against a poison that causes instant-death.
Fifth — and this is probably the most important reason why further
revision is needed — page 81 of the DMG states that insinuative
poison does either full or no damage. Sagui’s article states, “If a
saving throw is made against poison . . ., the-victim takes half the
rolled damage.” In other words, there is no chance to escape all of
the poison’s effects, and this provision should be in the rules because
(as explained on page 81) it is in accordance with the spirit and the
intent of the AD&D game system. Altogether, Sagui’s article is an
honorable attempt at expanding the rules on poison, but it does not
entirely conform to the existing system.

The March 1982 issue of DRAGON Magazine contained Larry
DiTillio’s article, “Poison: The Toxins of Cerilon.” DiTillio proposed
a more “realistic” system that did try to clear up uncertainties
that others had ignored. For example, he was the first to include an
onset time for each poison — a much needed detail. He also
described greatly varying effects of poison, from insanity to paralyzation,
as well as damage and death — a total of fourteen effects.
Ironically, DiTillio’s poison system has two problems which are
nearly the opposite of certain aspects of Sagui’s system: no set cost
for either poisons or antidotes, and no mention of possible danger to
the user. Without these two points, a complete and workable system
cannot be produced. DiTillio also limits the effectiveness of his
poisons to just humanoids and normal animals. Against other creatures,
the poison has no effect. While it is true that many monsters
are immune to certain types of poisons, a poison-user should not be
prohibited from employing poisons against the majority of creatures
encountered, at least for no apparent reason. DiTillio’s article,
although it did suggest highly imaginative varieties of poisons, could
not function successfully as a complete system of poisoning.
The remainder of this article is based on one large assumption
followed by several smaller ones. It is assumed that the rules in the
AD&D game on poison and poisoning are in need of reinforcement
and reorganization, and it is further assumed that improvements can
be made to the poison system that will conform to the AD&D world
as expressed in the rules. This new system should include a detailed
but easy to use explanation of the five different groups of poison,
instructions for obtaining and using monster venom, a method of
throwing ingestive poison, a comprehensive plan of antidotes, and a
suggested plan for poison usage by characters — which is where the
discussion will begin.

Poison usage by characters
In the AD&D world, there are five separate groups of poisons:
ingestive poison, insinuative poison, contact poison, poisonous gas,
and monster venom. The first four types can be bought in any large
town or city. These poisons are manufactured, for the most part, by
and for assassins. The Assassins’ Guild in each town controls the
local use of poison. Assassins therefore have unlimited use of poison
— providing, of course, that they can pay the cost of obtaining the
poison. All non-assassin characters (excepting paladins and non-evil
clerics, who cannot use any type of poison, as stated in the Players
Handbook) may buy ingestive, insinuative, or gas sleep poisons
only, providing that they pay 1,000 gp per level per month to the
local Assassins’ Guild for this privilege (except for thieves, as
explained below). This payment is in addition to the cost of the
poison itself.

Assassins use all forms of poison with an effectiveness that gives

intended victims an additional +1 on their saving throws. Specially
trained assassins (DMG, page 20) can use poison so well that their
victims receive no additional bonus to their saving throws. All other
character types use poison (of any sort they are eligible to employ) at
a reduced effectiveness which allows their victims +2, in addition to
any other penalties or bonuses, on their saving throws.

Magic-users are allowed to buy, in addition to sleep poison, insinuative
poison of type AAA (20 vials a year) and type AA (10 vials a
year), providing that they pay their monthly dues to the local Assassins’
Guild. Thieves, since they are more akin to assassins, need
only pay 500 gp per level per month to be able to buy any sleep
poison and insinuative poison of type AAA (30 vials a year), AA (20
vials a year), and A (10 vials a year).

Just because almost everyone is allowed to buy poison, even if it’s
“only” sleep poison, does not mean that all characters should buy
and use it. No character of good alignment would use any type of
poison without endangering his standing in that alignment. Even
lawful neutral characters would quite possibly have alignment problems
from using poison, for to do so would be in violation of the
(usually) unwritten law of society which says that only assassins may
use poison. Evil characters would unflinchingly use poison, since
they have no reservations about causing pain and suffering to others.
However, evil clerics may find it very difficult to put insinuative
sleep poison on their blunt weapons.

Characters might try to get around the rule about the limited
poison
market by having an assassin buy the more effective poisons
for them. To combat this, the DM must consider the assassin’s loyalty
to the Assassin's Guild. A LE assassin would never consider
going against the rules of his guild. He would promptly turn
this subversive info in to the Guildmaster, who would deal
in his own way with the problem. The NE Asn would only
consider the deal if the guild, as a whole, was weak and unorganized
and if he could make $ from the deal. The CE Asn
would always consider such a deal (esp. if he has a low WIS),
and might co-operate. However, because of his chaotic nature,
he might turn-in the character to the guild or even attack the character with the poison that the character wished to obtain. Dealing with
assassins of any alignment is a particularly dangerous business.

All creatures normally affected by poison will be affected by any of
the poisons mentioned in this article. Creatures that can only be
damaged by silver and/or magic weapons cannot be harmed by
normal weapons that have been envenomed, because no wound can
be made by the normal weapon, and thus the poison can never enter
the creature’s system. However, envenomed silver or magic weapons
can affect most creatures. Undead creatures, demons, and devils
cannot be affected by sleep poisons at all, but elves and half-elves
can be put to sleep by these poisons. (Their resistance is mainly
against forms of magical sleep). Monks, at 11th level and higher, are
immune to all forms of poison. Demons and devils, though most
poisons fully affect them, have a resistance against poison gas so that
it does, at most, half damage. In addition, the DMG (page 81)
stipulates that certain creatures are resistant or immune to certain
types of poisons in special circumstances; the DM is obligated to rule
on what constitutes a “special circumstance” when the occasion
arises. Other than the noted exceptions, all creatures who eat poisoned
food, are struck by envenomed weapons, touch a poison-trapped
chest, or breathe poisonous gas must roll a saving throw to
negate or partially negate the effects of the poison, or else be subjected
to the full effect of the poison — no matter how strong or
weak the afflicted creature is.

Holy and unholy waters
Holy water and unholy water are known for their special corrosive
effect upon the enforcers-of evil (such as undead, demons, and devils)
and-the minions of good (such as paladins, devas, and lammasu)
respectively. The DMG adds in the glossary (page 228), almost as an
afterthought, that these waters are “useful . . . to slow the effects
of poison.” The following details will be helpful in defining that
statement in game terms.

Holy and unholy waters have separate, but not opposite, effects
on poisoned creatures who drink them. Holy water acts as if the
drinker was the beneficiary of a slow poison spell cast by a lst-level

cleric, and the effect has an onset time of 2-5 (d4+1) segments. (In
other words, the effect has a duration of 1 hour, and the holy water
must be administered within 1 turn minus 2-5 segments of the time
of poisoning to have the desired effect.) Effects of multiple applications
of holy water are cumulative with respect to duration; a double
dose will make a creature poison-resistant for 2 consecutive hours, as
long as the second dose is administered before the first one wears off.

This beneficial effect works on evil creatures as well as non-evil ones;
however, the holy water will also have its usual harmful effects on an
evil creature who touches it or consumes it; thus, evil characters and
creatures will not voluntarily use it and will avoid it if possible.
Unholy water acts as a poison enhancer. If one vial of unholy
water is ingested by a poisoned creature before the poison has taken
effect, it will cause the remaining amount of the onset time of the
poison (any type) to be halved. Additional vials of unholy water
consumed before the onset time expires will cause the poisoned
creature?s saving throw to be taken at a -1 penalty (cumulative) for
each vial ingested beyond the first. Characters of good alignment
will not use unholy water and will avoid it if possible. Even though
their effects are not opposites, holy and unholy waters will neutralize
each other on a vial-for-vial basis when being used to affect a poisoned
creature in the above-described manner.

Ingestive poisons
These are poisonous substances in a liquid or powder form that
are only dangerous when swallowed. Normally they are added to
food or drink. Occasionally characters use them as missiles and
attempt to throw the poison containers into the mouths of monsters
(as detailed below). Ingestive poison comes in one-dose containers
--about 4 oz. apiece. This type of poison, in comparison to the
others, is relatively inexpensive. Generally, they have a long onset
time, and some damage is done even if a saving throw is successful.
All ingestive poisons placed in food or drink leave telltale signs.
These signs, no matter how slight, give the targeted creature a
chance to detect the poison before he is affected (as detailed below).
The accompanying table lists ingestive poisons and the statistics that
govern their use. Each type (AAA, C, S, etc.), has three different
strengths, for which are given various adjustments on the victim?s
saving throw.

In this table and the ones that follow, the saving throw adjustments
given in the first three columns for each type are in addition
to any bonuses or penalties already allowed to victims, including the
bonus related to the character type who is administering the poison
(+1 for untrained assassins, +2 for non-assassins).

"Onset time," usually expressed in rounds or segments (1/10 of a
round), is the amount of time that passes after the poison is ingested
or contacted and before the effects of the poison begin to be felt by
the victim; this is usually a random number within the stated range,
but it may be a constant amount of time for certain poison types.
?Run time? is expressed either as a constant length of time or as a
number of hit points per round, and represents the duration of the
poison's effect. The specific run time can usually not be known until
after the amount of damage to be taken is determined; for instance,
type AAA ingestive poison causes 3-18 (3d6) points of damage per
dose ingested and has a run time of 3 hp/round. If a victim is determined
to take 7 points of damage from one dose, the damage will be
subtracted at the rate of 3 points per round for two rounds, with the
final point being lost in the third round after the poison takes effect.
Ingestive poisons (as well as monster venoms and, to some extent,
contact poisons; see those sections) all have different characteristics.
Some are fairly easy to detect; others are nearly colorless, odorless,
and tasteless. That is why the probability to detect different poisons
varies. Generally, ingestive poisons of relatively weaker potency are
easier to detect. The chance to detect poisoned food, if actively
searching for the poison, is twice as great as the chance to merely
accidentally discover poisoned food or drink. The intelligence of the
person or creature being poisoned is also a factor in being able to
detect the poison, as spelled out in the following paragraph. A highly
intelligent creature would be more liable to wonder about a slight
change in the taste of food than a non-intelligent creature would. If
the creature being poisoned has encountered the same poison before,
the chance is greater for detecting and recognizing the poison for
what it is.

Intelligence as a factor in poison detection: Non-intelligent creatures
(intelligence score of 0) have a -40% modifier to their chance
of detection. Those of animal intelligence (score of 1) can detect at
-30% ; semi-intelligent (2-4) at -20% ; low (5-7) at -10% ; and creatures
of average intelligence (8-10) have no modifier. On the other
end of the scale, very intelligent creatures ( 11 - 12) can detect ingestive
poison at a bonus of +5%; high intelligence (13-14) at a +l0%
bonus; exceptional (15-16) at +15%; genius (17-18) at +20%; supragenius
(19-20) at +30%; and godlike (21+) at +40%.

Any creature that has encountered the same poison before,
regardless of intelligence, gains an additional 25% to detect. (Treat
all results of 0% or less as no chance to detect, and all results of
100% or more as automatic detection .)

"Hitting" with ingestive poisons
How often are you able to feed a monster in a dungeon? Most
adventurers are not going to sit down and enjoy brunch with a troglodyte.
Though unlikely, it is not impossible to trick some monsters
into eating poisoned food. How about offering a hungry-looking rust
monster some spiked spikes? Or, if you?re being chased by a purple
worm or shambling mound, take out the canned shrieker that you
luckily remembered to bring along and drop it on the floor after
spicing it with some delectably deadly herbs.

Types AAA through E are damage-causing poisons of the standard sort, varying in potency and damage potential according to type and
strength. Type S is a sleep-inducing poison that causes the victim to be slowed if the save is made.
Type R ingestive poison is a three-part poison which can be added to food or drink. All three stages must be applied to the victim within 1
month, and the victim must only roll one saving throw, after the third stage is applied. If this save is successful, the victim takes no damage; if
it is failed, the victim will die. The onset time is 1 to 10 days after the third stage is administered. For pricing purposes, each dose contains all
three stages.
 

INGESTIVE POISONS

                            Cost (gp) per dose/
                            Saving Throw Adjustment
                            Strength    Strength    Strength

Type	1	2	3	Detect,  active  search	Detect,  no search	Onset  time  (rds.)	Run  time	Damage,  fail  save	Damage,  if save
AAA	5/+4	10/+2	25/+0	80	40	2-20	3 hp/rd	3-18 hp	1/2
AA	10/+4	25/+2	50/+0	60	30	1-2	4 hp/rd	12 hp	0
A	10/+4	25/+2	50/+0	60	30	2-8	3 hp/rd	3-36 hp	1/2
B	50/+2	100/+0	250/-2	40	20	2-5	4 hp/rd	4-48 hp	1/2
C	100/+2	250/+0	500/-2	20	10	1-2	6 hp/rd	6-60 hp	1/2
D	500/+0	1,000/-2	2,500/-4	4	2	1/10	10 hp/rd	Death	25 hp
E	1,000/+0	2,500/-2	5,000/-4	4	2	1-4 hrs.	1 round	Death	30 hp
S	100/+2	250/+0	500/-2	20	10	1-4	1 round	Sleep, 3-18 rds.	Slow, 3 rds.
R	500/+2	1,000/+0	2,500/-2	10	5	Special	1 round	Death	0

Those are, like it says, possible uses of ingestive poisons against
monsters. But a more likely way of using them (including the sleep
versions) is to hurl those vials into the monsters? jaws. The general
rule is that to be able to throw a poison vial into a monster?s mouth,
the player must state beforehand that his character is trying to do so,
and then the character must score a missile hit against the monster
at an armor class four places better than the normal armor class of
the monster, because of the difficulty of hitting such a specific and
(relatively) small target. (This also assumes that the target creature
is stupid enough, or angry enough, to be standing or approaching
the thrower with its jaws agape. Creatures with at least moderate
intelligence will realize what?s about to happen just before the vial is
thrown, and will probably close their mouths immediately. And
obviously, this tactic will not work at all against creatures with no
?mouth? as we know it.)

Example: If Herman the second-level fighter wished to throw a
vial of sleep poison (only ingestive poison and monster venom will
work) into Tug the bugbear?s mouth, he must score a missile hit
upon an armor class of 1 instead of the bugbear?s normal AC5. If
Herman had a 16 dexterity (?1 to hit with missiles) and was 15 feet
away (in a dungeon, medium range -2 to hit; see DMG, page 64),
then he would need a roll of 19 or better to successfully throw the
poison vial into Tug?s mouth. Then, if Tug failed his saving throw
vs. poison, he would fall asleep, right? Well, maybe. If Herman
remembered to unstopper the vial before he threw it, then no problem.
But if the vial was still stoppered, then for Tug to be affected by
the poison, the delicate vial must fail a saving throw against a normal
blow. Otherwise, all that will happen to Tug is a stomach ache
caused by swallowing the vial whole.

Insinuative poisons

These are also known as blade venoms. They can be used only to
coat weapons in order to give the weapon more damage potential.
Insinuative poison is bought in 4-oz. doses, but only in liquid form.
Generally, swords, pole arms, arrows, darts, and the like can be
coated with poison. Blunt weapons (such as those used by clerics)
cannot be envenomed.

This type of poison, since it is water-based, can be washed off.
However, prolonged use of this poison can be dangerous. Every time
an envenomed weapon is sheathed or unsheathed and during every
round the weapon is used in combat, there is a chance, depending
on the wielder's dexterity, that the character could be nicked by his
own weapon and affected by his own poison. If a character using
blade venom is determined to have nicked himself accidentally, then
a normal saving throw vs. poison is required -- and accidental
poisoning does count as one full usage of the poison (see below).

When a character draws an envenomed weapon, in every round
when the weapon is being used, and when a character puts the
weapon back in its sheath or scabbard, the DM should roll to see if
accidental poisoning occurs. The chance is 15% for those with a
dexterity of 3 or less, 12% for dexterity 4, 9% for dexterity 5-6, 7%
for dexterity 7-8, 5% for dexterity 9-14, 3% for dexterity 15-16, 2%
for dexterity 17-18, and 1% for dexterity 19 or higher.

Each 4-oz. dose of insinuative poison can coat a various number
of different types of weapons; in some cases, multiple doses are
required to completely cover a blade. The table below should be
used as a general guide:
 

Weapon	Coats/dose
Dart	6
Arrow	4
Spear head	3
Pole arm	2
Hand axe	2
Dagger	2
Short sword	1
Scimitar	1
Broad sword	1/2
Long sword	1/2
Bastard sword	1/2
2-hd. sword	1/3

These figures mean that the same dose of insinuative poison could
coat six darts or one-third the blade area of a 2-handed sword. To
properly and completely envenom a 2-handed sword, three vials of
insinuative poison are needed, no less (no more, either, for extra
poison will not stick to the weapon; it will quickly drop off).

Any weapon that requires one dose or less to be fully envenomed
must be completely covered, or it will provide no poison damage
whatsoever. For weapons that require more than one dose to fully
coat them (i.e., the broad sword through the 2-handed sword),
partial coating does the following:

2) If half or more of the blade is coated, but it is not completely
covered, the victim of a hit from this weapon gains an additional +4
on his saving throw, and the poison will be used up after just one hit
(or evaporated after one full day).

1) If less than half of the blade is covered, the weapon is so ineffectively
envenomed that the poison will have no effect.

On normal weapons (steel or iron, not magical), insinuative poison
evaporates fairly quickly; on the first day that the poison is in
use, very little evaporates and it does full damage. After one full day,
evaporation loss takes its toll, and the poison does only half damage.
After two full days, the poison and its extra damage are completely
gone. Each hit on an opponent by an envenomed weapon has the
same effect as one day of evaporation: The first hit does full damage,
the second hit half damage, and the third hit no damage. No damage
would occur from the poison after partial evaporation and partial
usage (such as after one full day and one hit). Partially
evaporated or used E, F, G, or S insinuative poisons would not give
half damage (what would be a half-death?), but instead the victim
receives a bonus of +4 on his saving throw. Magical and silver weapons
do not hold insinuative poison as well as normal weapons do.
(Magic weapons slowly ?burn off? the poison, and blade venom
simply does not stick very easily to silver weapons.) Therefore, an
envenomed weapon which is silver or magical will only do poison
damage on the first day after it is coated, and only on the first hit;
however, this blow will always cause damage, with no saving throw
allowed to the victim in such a case.

Magic swords that possess unusual capabilities (i.e., intelligence)
and are of good alignment will not allow themselves to be envenomed
without taking some sort of counter-measure, and they will
unmistakably communicate this feeling to the holder of the weapon
before that character makes any attempt to use blade venom. A
good-aligned, intelligent sword held against its will and forced to
"swallow" blade venom may cause an ?accident? to happen to the
unfortunate character who insists on trying to coat the blade.
As stated in the Players Handbook (page 29), "Poisoned weapons
used run the risk of being noticed by others." Normal envenomed
weapons have a 10% cumulative chance per round of being
 

INSINUATIVE POISONS

                            Cost (gp) per dose/
                            Saving Throw Adjustment
                            Strength    Strength    Strength

Type	1	2	3	Onset  time  (rds.)	Run  time	Damage,  fail  save	Damage,  if save
AAA	10/+4	25/+2	50/+0	1-8	3 hp/rd	3-12	0
AA	25/+4	50/+2	100/+0	1	4 hp/rd	8	0
A	25/+4	50/+2	100/+0	1-6	5 hp/rd	5-20	0
B	100/+2	250/+0	500/-2	1-4	5 hp/rd	5-30	0
C	250/+2	500/+0	1,000/-2	1-3	5 hp/rd	5-40	0
D	1,000/+0	2,500/-2	5,000/-4	1	5 hp/rd	5-60	0
E	2,500/+0	5,000/-2	7,500/-4	1/10	10 hp/rd	Death	0
F	2,500/+0	5,000/-2	7,500/-4	1-2	1 round	Death	0
G	5,000/+0	7,500/-2	10,000/-4	1/10	1 seg.	Death	0
S	250/+2	500/+0	1,000/-2	1-2	1 round	Sleep, 3-18 rounds	0

detected, as stipulated in that rule. In addition, silver and magic
weapons which are envenomed have a 15% cumulative chance per
round of being detected due to their special nature.
The sheathing of weapons has a considerable chance of totally or
partially removing the insinuative poison placed on the weapon.
Normal weapons that are fully coated and then sheathed have a 40%
chance of a partial loss of poison from being sheathed, meaning
either half damage or +4 on victim?s saving throw. Normal weapons
with poison that is partially evaporated or partially used, and silver
or magic weapons that are fully coated, have a 33% chance of losing
all of their poison effectiveness due to sheathing.

Contact poisons
These are poisons that cause damage upon contact with the
unbroken skin. They cannot be used on weapons, and are most
generally employed in traps. Contact poison is made in either a
powder or a liquid form. This poison, like ingestive poison, blends
in with its surroundings; for example, gold powder contact poison
may be placed on a few gold coins, or a grease-like liquid may be
applied to a lock or a hinge.

Unlike insinuative poisons, contact poisons evaporate very little, if
at all. However, they do slowly lose their effectiveness over a period.
of time. When first applied, contact poisons are 100% effective with
respect to damage potential. One month after its application, the
contact poison becomes 80% as effective as it was at its original
strength. From then on, its power decreases by 5% per month until
one year after application, at which time it is at 25% of its original
effectiveness. After a year and a half, the contact poison is reduced
 
 
 

CONTACT POISONS

                            Cost (gp) per dose/
                            Saving Throw Adjustment
                            Strength    Strength    Strength

Type	1	2	3	Detect,  active  search	Detect,  no  search	Onset  time  (rds.)	Run  time	Damage,  fail  save	Damage,  if save
A	25/+4	50/+2	100/+0	40	20	2-8	3 hp/rd	3-12 hp	0
B	100/+3	250/+1	500/-1	30	15	2-8	4 hp/rd	4-24 hp	1-6
C	250/+2	500/+0	1,000/-2	20	10	1	6 hp/rd	6-36 hp	3-12
D	1,000/+1	2,500/-1	5,000/-3	10	5	1/10	10 hp/rd	Death	25

to 10% effectiveness, and two years after application, the poison?s
damage potential is gone. Type D contact poison causes death automatically
during the first month after application (if, of course, the
saving throw is failed). After that, damage for failing the saving
throw vs. Type D contact poison is calculated by using 50 hit points
as the base number for damage potential.

The same system used for detecting ingestive poison is used for
checking for contact poison. Intelligence and previous experience
with the same type of contact poison do help in detecting this poison.
Each dose of contact poison can coat various objects in different
amounts. Below are listed some common articles that could be
coated with contact poison, and the extent to which one dose will
cover them:
 

Article	Coats/dose
Needle	8
Coin	5
Gem	3
Dagger hilt	2
Sword hilt	1
Chest handle	1
Doorknob	1
Shield handle	1
Lock	1
Helmet	1/2
Robe	1/3
Suit of armor	1/4

Any object that is not completely coated with contact poison will,
in many circumstances, have a chance of not causing any poison
damage. This chance is equal to the percentage of the surface area
that is covered with poison. For instance, one dose of contact poison
used on the outside of a suit of armor will coat the armor over only
25% of its surface area, so that there is only a 25% chance of an
intended victim touching the armor where the poison is applied.
This chance for no poisoning only applies when the object is just
touched briefly and only in one or two specific locations (such as
when the armor is grasped in one or two hands and held or lifted; if
the victim touches the armor repeatedly, or runs his hands over it,
the poison will always be contacted). Also, this chance does not
apply if, for instance, the inside of the suit of armor is coated and
the armor is put on. The poison will do its normal damage in such a
case, since there is no way for the victim to avoid touching the poison
even if it only extends over a portion of the inside surface area.
Contact poisons may only be bought by assassins, and only assassins
and thieves (if a thief can somehow obtain the poison) may set
mechanical traps using contact poison (for example, a chest with a
poisoned-needles trap, as mentioned on page 20 of the DMG).
Mechanical traps involving contact poison do not allow characters to
detect the presence of poison directly, but, of course, trap detection
is allowed.

Poisonous gases
The fourth and last type of poison that can be bought on the open
market is poisonous gas. Poisonous gas is bought as a liquid in a
4-0oz. vial, which contains one dose. Upon exposure to air the poison
turns to gas which will expand to fill 125 cubic ft. (5? x 5? x 5?). Up
to 6 size S creatures, or 4 size M creatures, or 2 size L creatures can
be affected by one dose. Combinations are possible (1 L and 3 S, 2
M and 3 S, etc.). If less than the maximum number of creatures is
affected immediately, the noxious vapors will remain in the 125-
cubic-ft. area until air movement (gust of wind, for instance) causes
them to dissipate, until the maximum number of creatures is
reached (if others move into the area), or until 5 rounds have
elapsed since the gas was released; at that point, the poison?s effectiveness
is lost. A creature may not be affected by the same dose of
poisonous gas more than once; moving out of the affected area and
then back into it does not increase the damage suffered. As with
contact poisons, any mechanical trap using poisonous gas must be
set by an assassin or a thief.

When using poisonous gas in melee, one major problem must be
overcome: how to set it off. The most logical way is to unstopper the
vial and quickly toss it toward your enemies. That?s a good solution.,
unless the heads of your enemies are more than 5 feet off the
ground. (The area of effect of the gas cloud is 5? x 5? x 5?) and
since the vial will fall to the floor and the gas is heavier than air, the
poison cloud will not rise high enough to affect the breathing apparatus
of a very tall humanoid creature.) One possible solution would
be to toss or place the stoppered vial on a ledge or other elevated
place and then try to break it with some sort of missile; the gas will

disperse starting from a higher point, and would affect taller victims
before the cloud settles to floor level.

POISONOUS GASES

                            Cost (gp) per dose/
                            Saving Throw Adjustment
                            Strength    Strength    Strength

Type	1	2	3	Onset  time  (rds.)	Run  time	Damage,  fail  save	Damage,  if save
A	100/+4	250/+2	500/+0	1-6	3 hp/rd	3-12	0
B	250/+4	500/+2	1,000/+0	1-3	5 hp/rd	5-30	0
C	1,000/+2	2,500/+0	5,000/-2	1-2	5 hp/rd	5-50	0
D	5,000/+0	7,500/-2	10,000/-4	2-5	6 hp/rd	6-72	0
E	5,000/+0	7,500/-2	10,000/-4	1	10 hp/rd	Death	0
S	1,000/+2	2,50/+0	5,000/-2	1-4	1 hp/rd	Sleep, 3-18 rds.	0

Monster Venom
This term describes all poisons extracted directly from venomous
monsters. This venom is exceedingly valuable because it can be used
as ingestive or insinuative poison -- two weapons in one. But
obtaining monster venom is not an easy job. Poison from a giant
scorpion and venom from a giant poisonous snake are high-priced
and hard to locate. To buy them in the marketplace, even in a large
town, would be almost impossible. It is possible for characters to

take the poison from the monsters themselves; however, normal
combat damage will most likely destroy the monster's poison sac and
the character's hopes of obtaining the poison along with it. Destructive
spells (such as fireball, lightning bolt, and flame strike), if used
indiscriminately, will practically ruin any chance for the recovery of
venom. Killing the monster with blunt weapons in a normal combat
situation will enable characters to collect its venom 50% of the time.
If a monster is incapacitated before being killed, characters stand
a greater chance of being able to collect its venom. An incapacitated
creature, for this purpose, is defined as any creature that is magically
sleeping, being held, or otherwise helpless. Good spells for this

MONSTER VENOMS
 

Type	Available  doses in  monster	Cost (gp)/ dose	Detect,  active  search	Detect,  no  search	Saving  throw  adj.	Damage,  fail  save	Damage,  if save	Onset  time  (rds.)	Run  time  (rds.)
Ant, gt.	1	250	40 %	20 %	0	3-12	1-4	1	1
Centipede, gt.	1/2	1,000	50 %	25 %	+4	Death	0	2-5	2-5
Couatl	33	6,000	30 %	15 %	0	Death	0	1	1-4
Eel, weed	1	3,000	70 %	35 %	0	Death	0	2-5	1-4
Frog, poisonous	1/2	1,000	80 %	40 %	+4	Death	0	2-5	2-8
Imp	1	5,000	50 %	25 %	0	Death	0	1-2	1-4
Masher	5	6,000	20 %	10 %	0	Death	0	1-6	1
Medusa	3	4,000	80 %	40 %	0	Death	0	1	1-8
Naga, guardian	4	5,000	40 %	20 %	0	Death	0	1-4	1-4
Pseudo-dragon	1	5,000	50 %	25 %	0	*	0	1-3	1-4
Purple worm	7	5,000	70 %	35 %	0	Death	0	1	1-3
Ray, pungi	5	5,000	60 %	30 %	0	Death	0	1	2-5
Ray, sting	2	6,000	30 %	15 %	0	**	0	1-3	1
Scorpion, gt.	3	10,000	50 %	25 %	0	Death	0	1/10	1/10
Snake, amphis.	3	7,000	80 %	40 %	0	Death	0	1/10	1
Snake, poisonous	5	7,000	40 %	20 %	0	Death	3-18	1-2	2-5
Snake, spitting	3	4,000	80 %	40 %	0	Death	0	1-3	1-3
Spider, gt.	5	5,000	40 %	20 %	0	Death	0	1-4	1-2
Spider, huge	3	3,000	50 %	25 %	+1	Death	0	1-6	1-4
Spider, large	2	2,000	60 %	30 %	+2	Death	0	2-5	2-5
Spider, phase	6	10,000	10 %	5 %	-2	Death	0	1-3	1
Spider, gt. water	3	4,000	70 %	35 %	0	Death	0	2-4	1-3
Toad, poisonous	3	5,000	40 %	45 %	0	Death	0	1	1
Wasp, gt.	4	6,000	20 %	10 %	0	***	0	1-4	1
Wyvern	6	5,000	70 %	35 %	0	Death	1-6	1-6	1-3

purpose are hold monster, command (if you know the monster?s
language), and sleep. Successful assassinations and backstabbings (if
that single backstab kills the creature) also count as rendering the
creature incapacitated before death, because the killing blow is wellaimed
and the victim is essentially helpless to prevent the blow.

As a set of general guidelines, the DM can use the following list to
help moderate the chance of recovering venom from a poisonous
creature that has been vanquished:
 

Monster is . . .	% Chance for  slayer(s) to  recover venom
Wounded and killed by sharp weapons and/or destructive spells; not incapacitated before death.	10%
Wounded and killed by sharp weapons and/or destructive spells; incapacitated when it had 1% to 50% of its full normal hit points.	35%
Wounded and killed by sharp weapons and/or destructive spells; incapacitated when it had 51% to 99% of its hit points.	60%
Wounded and killed by sharp weapons and/or destructive spells; incapacitated wehn it had all of its hit points.	85%
Wounded and killed by blunt weapons only; not incapacitated before death.	50%
Wounded and killed by blunt weapons only; not incapacitated before death.	50%
Wounded and killed by blunt weapons only; incapacitated when it had 1% to 50% of its normal hit points.	65%
Wounded and killed by blunt weapons only; incapacitated when it had 51% to 99% of its hit points.	80%
Wounded and killed by blunt weapons only; incapacitated when it had all of its hit points.	95%

A successful roll means that all of the monster?s venom can be
recovered; failing the roll means no venom can be recovered. (This
is strictly an all-or-nothing deal.)

Of course, monster venoms vary as much as monsters do. Many
different kinds of poison can be recovered. The price given on the
accompanying table is what an NPC would pay for it on the black
market. The Assassins? Guild will buy monster venom, but only for
no more than half the listed price ? and the guild will not sell monster
venom to anyone. Also, characters should know (or they will
soon be made aware) that selling poison to anyone besides the Assassins
? Guild is a risky business; the guild doesn't like anyone interfering
with their monopoly on poisons.

All of the rules that apply to ingestive and insinuative poisons
apply also to monster venoms when they are used in the same manner.
The great weapon potential of monster venoms is balanced by
their inaccessibility and the danger in obtaining them, whether they
are purchased or procured by combat.

Antidotes

The purpose of an antidote is to counteract poison in a victim?s
system; antidotes do not restore hit points already lost because of
poison. Antidotes are always in liquid form when used, and are
always ingested. They come in 4-oz. doses, just like poisons do.
Antidotes come in five basic types, corresponding to the five types
of poisons:anti-ingestive, anti-insinuative, anti-contact, anti-gas,
and anti-venom. All antidotes except for anti-venom can be bought
from any major alchemist. Generally the cost of the antidote is the
same as the Strength 1 variety of the poison type it counteracts.
Each type of antidote neutralizes a set amount of possible damage,
roughly equivalent to the average amount of damage that the same
type of poison causes. Stronger antidotes may sometimes, but definitely
not always, neutralize weaker poisons. The cost per dose of
each type of antidote, the damage it prevents, and the chance that
the antidote may neutralize a weaker poison are given in the charts
on the facing page.

ANTI-INGESTIVE ANTIDOTES

Type	Cost/ dose	Damage  prevented	Other poisons  neutralized
AAA	5	10	none
AA	10	12	none
A	10	20	AAA (5%)
B	50	25	AAA (45%), A (20%)
C	100	35	AAA (60%), A (35%), B (15%)
D	500	50	AAA (70%), A (45%), B (25%), C (10%)
E	1,000	Death	none
S	100	Sleep or slow	none
R	500	Death	none

ANTI-GAS ANTIDOTES

Type	Cost/ dose	Damage  prevented	Other poisons  neutralized
A	50	10	none
B	100	20	A (25%)
C	500	30	A (45%), B (20%)
D	2,500	40	A (60%), B (35%), C (15%)
E	2,500	50 (death)	A (70%), B (45%), C (25%), D (10%)
S	500	Sleep	none

 

ANTI-INSINUATIVE ANTIDOTES

Type	Cost/ dose	Damage  prevented	Other poisons  neutralized
AAA	10	10	none
AA	25	8	none
A	25	15	AAA (25%)
B	100	20	AAA (45%), A (20%)
C	250	25	AAA (60%), A (35%), B (15%)
D	1,000	35	AAA (70%), A (45%), B (25%), C (10%)
E	2,500	50 (Death)	AAA (75%), A (50%), B (30%), C (15%), D (5%)
F	2,500	Death	none
S	250	Sleep	none

ANTI-CONTACT ANTIDOTES

Type	Cost/ dose	Damage  prevented	Other poisons  neutralized
A	25	10	none
B	100	15	A (25%)
C	250	25	A (45%), B (20%)
D	1,000	50 (death)	A (60%), B (35%), C (15%)

Lesser antidotes do not affect, in any way, stronger poisons. If an
AAA insinuative poison is determined to do 12 hit points of damage
(the maximum), and the poisoned creature takes an antidote for
AAA insinuative poison before any damage is realized, he will still
suffer 2 hit points of damage. But if an E insinuative poison causes
10 hit points of damage per round until death and the poisoned
creature takes an E anti-insinuative before or after some damage has
been taken (it matters not which), he will lose no more hit points

from that time onward, unless he had more than 50 hit points
remaining at the time the antidote took effect. In that latter case, he
will (in effect) keep taking damage until reaching 50 hit points, and
will recover from the poison with 50 hit points.

Antidotes are good against only one poisoning, even if the victim
makes a successful saving throw. Antidotes can be taken in advance
of the poison encounter; they will retain their potency for up to 3
hours, or until they neutralize a poison. The onset time of antidotes

is almost immediate: 1 segment is needed to open the vial and drink
its contents, and the antidote takes effect in 2-5 segments, just like a
potion. Death-causing poisons which do not do a specific amount of
damage per round and are neutralized by an antidote before the run
time is completed will cause no damage to the afflicted creature.

Each type of anti-venom is good only against one specific type of
monster poison. For a skilled alchemist to create one dose of antivenom
(and only a very accomplished alchemist can do the job), one
dose of the poison it will protect against is needed, along with money
equal to the cost of one dose of that poison. If anti-venom is administered
and takes effect before the run time of the monster venom is
completed, then no hazardous effects occur to the poisoned creature.

Poison potions

As stated in the DMG, "A poison potion is simply a highly toxic
liquid in a potion flask." Therefore, while the flask itself may radiate
magic (at the option of the DM or according to circumstances), the
contents of such a flask are not magical. Poison potions either contain
liquid ingestive poison or (rarely) monster venom. Taking only
a sip from a poison potion can sometimes set off its effects, depending
on the poison's strength (see below). To determine what poison
the potion is, roll on the table below and, if needed, on the subtable.
(Note: The detectability aspect of a poison is not considered when
testing a potion of poison to determine its contents.)
 

Die roll	Type  and  strength	Chance of  effect from  one sip
01-06	AAA-1	10%
07-11	AAA-2	20%
12-15	AAA-3	30%
16-21	AA-1	15%
22-26	AA-2	25%
27-30	AA-3	35%
31-36	A-1	20%
37-41	A-2	30%
42-45	A-3	40%
46-50	B-1	30%
51-54	B-2	40%
55-57	B-3	50%
58-62	C-1	40%
63-66	C-2	50%
67-69	C-3	60%
70-72	D-1	50%
73-74	D-2	60%
75	D-3	70%
76-78	E-1	60%
79-80	E-2	70%
81	E-3	80%
82-85	S-1	40%
86-88	S-2	50%
89-90	S-3	60%
91-00	Roll on subtable,  next column	-

 
 

Die roll	Type  and  strength	Chance of  effect from  one sip
01-08	Giant ant	10%
09-15	Poisonous frog	10%
16-23	Giant centipede	20%
24-30	Large spider	30%
31-37	Huge spider	40%
38-41	Weed eel	30%
42-47	Giant water spider	40%
48-52	Medusa	40%
53-57	Spitting snake	40%
58-61	Wyvern	50%
62-65	Poisonous toad	50%
66-69	Giant spider	60%
70-73	Pungi ray	60%
74-77	Purple worm	50%
78-80	Pseudo-dragon	60%
81-83	Guardian naga	60%
84-85	Imp	60%
86-87	Couatl	75%
88-90	Masher	75%
91-93	Sting ray	75%
94-96	Giant wasp	75%
97	Amphisbaena snake	60%
98	Poisonous snake	75%
99	Giant scorpion	85%
00	Phase spider	90%

Poison potions normally contain one dose (4 oz.). Poison potions
can be sold to an NPC for the full listed cost (see poison tables) or to
the Assassins' Guild at half the listed price.
 

Final words
Characters' saves vs. Poison should be made in secret
by the DM unless the character has prior knowledge of the poison
(such as if he witnesses a blade being envenomed before it strikes
him). In non-exceptional cases, the character should not know that
he has been poisoned until the poison actually takes effect at the end
of the onset time.

The use of this system is, of course, optional. It may not be
important to go into this much detail in a campaign where characters
only use poison infrequently. But, since poisonous monsters are
always poisonous, the section on monster venoms may be useful to
almost anyone.

It has been repeatedly stated in this article, directly and indirectly,
that only assassins have the ability and the "permission" (in the
context of the AD&D social and ethical structure) to use poison
frequently and effectively. The DM is honor bound to
simulate this by making poisons difficult for most characters to
obtain and employ, and by creating penalties and dangers to be
coped with by those who try to disregard the "laws" of poison use.

*    *    *    *

OUT ON  A LIMB
-
Sleeping damage?
-
Dear Dragon,
I have a question about "Taking the sting out
of poison" (issue #82). The run-time for sleep gas <#81>
was printed "1hp/rd." Is this to imply that the
victim takes damage as well as falling asleep, or
was this merely a misprint? (All other sleep
poison had a run time of 1 round). Also, was
contact sleep poison excluded for a reason?
Brian Dvoretz
Smithtown, N.Y.
(Dragon #84)
 

The run-time figure for sleep gas should be
simply "1 round," like all the other sleep poisons
in the article. The mistake crept into Chris Landsea
's original manuscript while he was meticulously
typing out the poison gas table, and never
crept back out. I can imagine a special kind of
sleep poison that also does damage, but that
wasn't within the scope of the article, and we
didn't mean to give anyone the impression that
"sleeping damage" is possible.

I haven't checked with Chris to find out why
he didn't include contact sleep poison, but I
assume the omission was intentional. Maybe the
chemists and alchemists of the AD&D world
(Chris Landsea's version, at least) just don't
know how to make such stuff -- and maybe the
world is better off because of that.

-- KM
(Dragon #84)
 

*     *     *     *
-
-
Poison problem
-
Dear Editor:
The article on poisons in issue #81 was the best
I?ve ever seen. After reading it several times,
however, I came across one small mistake. In the
Monster Venom chart for the poisonous toad, the
chance for detecting the poison while actively
searching is 40%. However, the chance to detect
the poison when not actively searching is 45% --
better than if one was trying to find it! Considering
the price of the poison, I believe the chance
for detecting it when not actively searching
should be 20%. If, however, there was a typo in
the active search column, then that chance should
be 90% instead of 40%.

One more thing I'd like to add. Have you ever
considered publishing a listing of RPGers? I
think it would be a great way to get gamers in
touch with each other, and it would be invaluable
to those of us in the military who are always
moving. I recall that you published a similar
listing in #37, so why not now?

Eric Field
New Bern, N.C.
(Dragon #86)
 

Apparently Eric, you read the article on poisons
one more time than we did. The error in the
listing for the poisonous toad was in the original
manuscript; what we published was a plain old
mistake, not a typographical error. To fix it, I
think your first assumption is better; a 20%
chance to detect it without searching seems to be
in accordance with the figures for other monster
venoms given in the chart, and that's what we
would have done to repair it if we had seen the
mistake before you did.

It's a pretty sure thing that you'll never see a
"listing of RPGers" in the magazine again.
There are many, many more gamers -- and
many, many more readers of this magazine --
nowadays than there were the last time we
printed such a list. Even then, it was a mammoth
chore to receive and catalog all the postcards from
people who wanted to be listed. In this day and
age, we couldn't afford the time to do all that
paperwork, and even if that was possible, we
couldn't spare the great number of pages it would
take to print the whole list. Maybe someday we?ll
come up with a method and a reason for printing
a big directory of gamers, but if it's ever published
it won't be between the covers of
DRAGON® Magazine.

-- KM
(Dragon #86)
 

THE FORUM

By using Chris Landsea's system ("Taking the
sting out of poison," #81), handling poison in my
campaign will be much less "painful" than it has
been.

Just one comment, however. For a contact
poison to work, it must reach a person's blood-
stream, right? Once in the blood, the poison can
travel swiftly through the body and wreak what-
ever it havoc it may (even automatic death in the
case of a type D contact poison).

As we all know, however, human skin is very
resistant to liquid penetration. In fact, it is water-
tight. Sweat pores allow liquid to escape, but
prevent it from entering directly into our tissues.
Therefore, it must be extremely difficult for a
contact poison to do its job. What am I getting at?
Simply, that a contact poison must either cause
an immediate burning sensation if it is to have a
short "onset time," or require a substantial
"onset time" if it is to affect someone without
causing this painful feeling. In other words, the
shorter the "onset time," the more likely a person
is going to feel this substance penetrating his
skin. I'm not suggesting this would cause an
effect similar to acid; that substance causes dam-
age by dissolving flesh, bone, or whatever stands
in its way. But a contact poison would only have
to force its way through a victim's skin and a few
layers of tissue beneath it to reach a blood vessel.

Since this penetration would be against the
natural defenses of the skin and happen fairly
quickly, it should be safe to assume that the
process would be painful. Upon reaching a blood
vessel, the poison would penetrate its thin wall
(since this blood vessel is presumably close to the
surface of our skin) and be immediately whisked
away to other parts of the body.

How can this be incorporated into the rules?
The values given under "onset time" for contact
poisons need not be altered. However, if an onset
time is equal to or less than 2 rounds, the
victim should feel a burning sensation where he
contacted the poison. This burning would con-
tinue for about 3 segments, after which the
poison would have completely entered the blood-
stream. Minor tissue damage would occur, along
with a slight hemorrhaging (beneath the skin) of
the blood vessels the poison encountered. If a
character makes his saving throw, the burning
sensation would still be encountered as described.

Of course, this does not apply to type A contact
poison, as the intended victim takes no damage
and presumably the poison was not touched or
simply did not work. An antidote to stop the
contact poison while it is busy penetrating the
skin and tissues probably would not work, as it
would have to be directly applied to the skin that
contacted the poison and then itself penetrate the
flesh to catch up to the poison -- a race it could
not possibly win, I believe. However, an ingested
antidote would work normally, as it would coun-
teract the poison the bloodstream.

This system gives the AD&D character the
chance he deserves to notice his plight and
quickly ingest an antidote (so long as he has it
very close at hand) for fast-working contact
poison before he begins to take any damage. As
for the contact poisons that take longer than 2
rounds to cause damage, better luck next time.

John Lester Jr.
South Darmouth, Mass.
(Dragon #83)
 

Your article, ?Taking the sting out of poison?
(issue #81), was fantastic, but there was one point
not covered. It should be possible to drink a
potion of healing or extra-healing to counteract
poison already in the system as long as the onset
time of the poison is less than the time it takes to
find, drink, and have the potion take effect. In
other words, feeding a potion to a dead adven-
turer won't work.

If the poison is fatal (e.g. types E, F, G insinua-
tive), then the adventurer will have hit points
equal to how much the healing potion healed. For
example, a fighter fails his saving throw for
insinuative type  E. He drinks a potion of healing,
and after the poison has taken effect he would
have 4-10 hit points.

It should be noted that for the poisons which
cause damage, ingesting a potion may have no
effect because even with the healing, the adven-
turer may be below -10 hit points. Healing spells
would have a similar effect, although I would
probably rule that a cure light wounds couldn?t
counteract a death poison. At most, a cure light
wounds would allow another saving throw vs.
poison and if the adventurer makes it, he would
have zero hit points.

Jeff Naiman
Woodbridge, Conn.
(Dragon #84)

*    *    *    *    *
 

Your article, "Taking the sting out of poison"
(issue #81), was fantastic, but there was one point
not covered. It should be possible to drink a
potion of healing or extra-healing to counteract
poison already in the system as long as the onset
time of the poison is less than the time it takes to
find, drink, and have the potion take effect. In
other words, feeding a potion to a dead adventurer
won't work.

If the poison is fatal (e.g. types E, F, G insinuative),
then the adventurer will have hit points
equal to how much the healing potion healed. For
example, a fighter fails his saving throw for
insinuative type E. He drinks a potion of healing,
and after the poison has taken effect he would
have 4-10 hit points.

It should be noted that for the poisons which
cause damage, ingesting a potion may have no
effect because even with the healing, the adventurer
may be below -10 hit points. Healing spells
would have a similar effect, although I would
probably rule that a cure light wounds couldn?t
counteract a death poison. At most, a cure light
wounds would allow another saving throw vs.
poison and if the adventurer makes it, he would
have zero hit points.

Jeff Naiman
Woodbridge, Conn.
(Dragon #84)
 
 

* * * *
In response to John Lester's letter (Forum,
#83), I think we should remember that there are
substances that human skin offers almost no
resistance to. The most famous one was described
on ?60 Minutes? about a year ago ? the wonder
substance DMSO. This is a liquid that not only
enters the skin without any feeling, but also will
carry with it any other substance that is on the
skin or suspended in the DMSO.

Another thing that enters the skin and cannot
be felt is nitric acid. This substance eats the nerve
endings so that there is no feeling where it en-
tered; it is noticeable, though, because it leaves a
yellow stain on the skin.

Not only is it possible for certain liquids to
enter the skin, it has happened and will continue
to happen, without even considering magic.

Flex Williams
Plymouth, Mass.
(Dragon #85)