Author Topic: Refining Poisons and Acids  (Read 2575 times)

Offline ways and means

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Refining Poisons and Acids
« on: August 08, 2011, 12:34:41 AM »
A while back I tried to stat an anime style ninja and came to wonder about the refinement of poisons and acids. The question I want to ask the board is what skill would people suggest for the mixing and refining of complex chemicals (scholarship or crafting) ? and what would be the effects of applying poison or acid to a weapon (venomous damage mechanics, extra poison stress or a free aspect)?   
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Offline polkaneverdies

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Re: Refining Poisons and Acids
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2011, 12:43:13 AM »
I would look at the poison upgrade of claws for a starting point on how the mechanics might work in the game.

Offline Haru

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Re: Refining Poisons and Acids
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2011, 12:52:38 AM »
Creating poison is about knowledge so it should be scholarship. I would treat creating poison as a scholarship stunt, similar to the venomous upgrade for claws, only based on scholarship instead of fists. Provided, the character has reasonable access to substances that can create poison, and he declares before a fight, that he poisoned his weapon, he can perform an attack to poison his opponent with a successful weapons roll. However, after that I would declare the poison gone, at least there wouldn't be enough left to poison a second enemy.

At the GMs discretion, he could do less potent poisons, if he does not have sufficient access or outright deny it.
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Offline JayTee

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Re: Refining Poisons and Acids
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2011, 12:55:17 AM »
Agreed, In the case of Scholarship vs crafting, use whichever one you feel you would get the most use out of, then add a stunt that lets you include the other.

So if you're setting lots of poisonous traps, coating your weapons and applying it technically, Craftsmanship with a Scholarship stunt. Vice versa if you're using poisons in less proactive way.

Offline Taran

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Re: Refining Poisons and Acids
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2011, 08:54:32 PM »
I'd go with Craftmanship modified by scholarship.  My reasoning is that scholarship covers the knowledge of what ingredients go into making a good poison while craftsmanship covers the actual brewing/creating the poison.  Is a stunt necessary?  I'm also not sold that venomous is the way to go.  What if the poison is designed to disorient the victim?  I think it's a case-by-case situation depending on the type of poison you're trying to design.  Acid would be a single attack that could use the "tazer" rules where the damage is based on the extra shifts while the potency of the acid causes a maneuver like "blinded" or "intense pain" etc...  Poison could use those same rules, for that matter.  I wouldn't disallow venomous, but it might be harder to make.

Offline polkaneverdies

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Re: Refining Poisons and Acids
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2011, 09:38:31 PM »
I think a poisoner stunt would be required for the same reasons that demolitions is required to play with bombs.

Offline Taran

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Re: Refining Poisons and Acids
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2011, 09:59:00 PM »
I think a poisoner stunt would be required for the same reasons that demolitions is required to play with bombs.

Fair enough.  Demolitions is a Craftsmanship stunt which, for me, supports that Poisoner should also be craftmanship.

Offline Rubycon

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Re: Refining Poisons and Acids
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2011, 12:46:35 PM »
Brewing a poison would be craftin IMO, but knowing which ingredients to use for certain effects should be knowledge.
basically the same for demolitions. Aüpplying demolitions to a building should be crafting, but knowing which explosive is the best for a special purpose and doing the math is knowledge, potentially with a stunt...

Offline Masurao

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Re: Refining Poisons and Acids
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2011, 07:17:04 PM »
Brewing a poison would be craftin IMO, but knowing which ingredients to use for certain effects should be knowledge.
basically the same for demolitions. Aüpplying demolitions to a building should be crafting, but knowing which explosive is the best for a special purpose and doing the math is knowledge, potentially with a stunt...

Simply put: here it boils down to practical or theoretical knowledge.

I would say that taking a stunt implies you have read the textbooks, so to say. Know if a character suddenly wants to do something outrageous with his poisons or explosives, you could easily modify with Scholarship or Lore or whatever you feel is appropriate. The car mechanic doesn't need to take Scholarship 5 to know all the parts in and out? The engineer who draws up, creates and adapts such parts would, on the other hand. (Though also a healthy bit of Craftsmanship IMHO)

A simple example: I could repair a plasma TV, as long as I know which part goes where, which is Craftsmanship. Additionally, I could declare that I know what a part does, as part of my practical knowledge. However, I do not know how that part does what it does, which is the domain of physics and all that mumbo-jumbo, otherwise known as Scholarship. The man who invented the plasma TV, could, in my view, declare that, seeing as how he invented the damn thing, he quite well knows how to put one together, can deduct something about other similar types of TV (LCD), but little to nothing about older or different types of image equipment (CRT or projectors).

I hope that makes some sense :)

Offline Taran

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Re: Refining Poisons and Acids
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2011, 07:40:11 PM »
Brewing a poison would be craftin IMO, but knowing which ingredients to use for certain effects should be knowledge.

Which is why I think it should be Crafting MODIFIED by Scholarship

Offline Rubycon

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Re: Refining Poisons and Acids
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2011, 07:58:30 PM »
@Masurao: I see your point, indeed. So, probably I would handle it your way as a GM... :)

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Refining Poisons and Acids
« Reply #11 on: August 10, 2011, 07:37:24 PM »
Either Craftsmanship or Scholarship, if the character has an appropriate stunt.

Mechanics would be like those of the power, but with less frequent damage and a limited duration.