Prepare Insinuative Poisons (sage ability)

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Prepare insinuative poisons is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of Poisoning, providing the capacity to concock and formulate "insinuative" poisons, those that are introduced into the body through a blade that breaks the skin. The skill incorporates a deep understanding of both poison alchemy and the anatomy of potential targets.

To clarify, insinuative poisons are not your conventional toxins, which might be ingested, inhaled, or applied topically. Instead, they are a cunning and covert category of poisons specifically engineered for a more surreptitious approach. By leveraging the knowledge of dosing weapons, practitioners of this art can prepare insinuative poisons tailored for use in conjunction with blades, ensuring that these poisons are administered discreetly in the midst of combat or subterfuge.

Poisoners must calculate precise dosages to ensure that the effects of the insinuative poison are potent enough to incapacitate or eliminate a foe swiftly and efficiently. Additionally, the practitioner must possess expertise in selecting the appropriate blade type, considering factors such as blade sharpness, length, and the ease with which it can breach the skin, all while minimizing the risk of detection.

The skill also allows the formulation and distillation of acids, opening a wide array of strategic and nefarious possibilities, including acid traps and projectiles, traps that employ time-delayed acid, burglary and disabling of dangerous mechanisms and locks, as well as substances designed to render existing acids inert.

Amateur-made Poisons

Characters with the ability who have between 10 and 29 points of knowledge are able to create two forms of poison, carroder and suurbite; the effects of each can be found on their respective pages. Each is prepared and contained in a vial containing 4 fluid ounces of the substance.

Physical Characteristics

These poisons are specifically designed for application on either a dagger or a scimitar. The reason for this restriction is that swords, with their larger blade surfaces and dual edges, cannot effectively concentrate enough poison to achieve the desired effects, due to the somewhat crude nature of these concoctions. A substantial dose must be delivered into the target's wound, a task more suited for the smaller, more precise blades.

Furthermore, for the poison to take effect, the inflicted damage upon the target must meet specific criteria. When using a dagger with carroder, the damage dealt must be a minimum of 3 points; when using a scimitar with suurbite, the attacker must inflict at least 5 points of damage. This threshold ensures that enough of the blade's poisoned surface comes into contact with the victim's skin, facilitating the transfer of a sufficient quantity of poison to activate its effects.

There is a crucial caveat to bear in mind. Both carroder and suurbite poisons possess a limited lifespan once applied. These toxins begin to dry and lose their potency within a mere 2 minutes, equivalent to 10 combat rounds in game time. Beyond this point, the poison becomes inert and entirely ineffective, so timing and precision in the application are of paramount importance to ensure that the poison remains potent when the blade strikes its target.


See also,
Harvest Poisonous Herb (sage ability)
Prepare Ingestive Poisons (sage ability)

Additional content needs to be added regarding authority and expert-made poisons, when this information is needed.