House Rules - Black Market Items and Poisons

Black Market Items and Poisons

Item	Cost	Weight
Amber Fugue	250 shillings	¼ lb.
Blackwind	400 shillings	¼ lb.
Brittlebone	30 shillings	1 lb.
Chakar Root	750 shillings	¼ lb.
Dessicator Poison	2,750 shillings	¼ lb.
Ebon Fungus	500 shillings	¼ lb.
Embalming Fire	50 shillings	1 lb.
Liquid Night	150 shillings	1 lb.
Mindfire	200 shillings	¼ lb.
Night Venom	500 shillings	¼ lb.
Notch Seep	130 shillings	¼ lb.
Oakdeath	100 shillings	¼ lb.
Punicieus Mortis	3,750 shillings	¼ lb.
Stillwater	90 shillings	¼ lb.
Sweltering Mist	1,800 shillings	¼ lb.
White Sanguine	100 shillings	¼ lb.

Some items are banned in almost all civilized realms, as being the implements of thieves, assassins, spies, and necromancers. In many cases, the mere possession of such items is considered to be evidence that the owner is engaged in some sort of nefarious activity. The most obvious of these substances are poisons, but there are a number of poison enhancers that are banned as often as the poisons themselves. Also almost universally banned are alchemical substances that have necromantic uses for enhancing undead, or that may be used by undead creatures to overcome their weaknesses. To acquire these items, a potential purchaser would almost certainly have to resort to using black market contacts, and being in possession of many of these items is often considered to be tantamount to the crimes of assassination or grave robbing, and those caught with them are usually subjected to the same punishments that would be meted out to those actually caught undertaking such acts.

This list uses several abbreviations to show what sourcebook the entries were drawn from. For guidance as to what sourcebooks these abbreviations reference, see my key to Sourcebook Abbreviations.

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Item Descriptions

Amber Fugue: In some coastal areas, fell creatures maintain large pens in which they keep ebon eels. The vile caretakers mild the blinding amber secretion that constitutes the eel's main form of defense and distill it to enhance its potency and enable it to better cling to weapons. Injury, Fortitude DC 14, initial damage blindness for 1d6 minutes, secondary damage 1d4 Dexterity.

Blackwind: Derived from the black bracket fungus - a common growth in marshes - blackwind is usually delivered via grenade of through means of a bellows. When inhaled, it causes stupendous giddiness to overwhelm a victim, impairing judgment and reason. Ratmen often partake of blackwind in small doses as a euphoric drug and as a flavoring agent in their brews and liquors. Inhaled, Fortitude DC 20, initial damage 1d6 points of Intelligence, secondary damage 1d6 Intelligence and 1d4 Wisdom.

Brittlebone: This unguent must be spread over a set of bones before it is animated as a skeleton. The ointment reduces the skeleton’s natural armor bonus by 2 (to a minimum of 0), but when an affected skeleton is destroyed, its bones splinter and fly apart, sending shards in all directions. Any creature within the skeleton’s normal reach when this occurs takes 1 point of piercing damage per Hit Die of the skeleton, rounded up (DC 15 Reflex save for half damage). Craft: Alchemy DC: 20.

Chakar Root: Chakar is a strange and beautiful plant that produces fragrant blooms and emits a glow visible only to those using darkvision. While the plant is admired for its unsettling beauty, the roots of the plant have proven the most prized part by assassins. Chakar root has a light, pleasant taste, and it is commonly mixed into a victim’s food. When ingested, chakar causes a warm and pleasant sensation that runs throughout the entire body. Ingestion, Fortitude DC 16, initial damage paralysis for 1d3 hours, secondary damage 2d6 Dexterity. Craft: Poisonmaking DC: 17.

Dessicator Poison: The result of a successful use of the dessicator – a gruesome torture device – is a viscous substance that contains the vital essence of a sentient being. By combining this essence with a mixture of monstrous spider venom, alchemists have learned how to make extremely deadly poisons that target specific races. It requires an Alchemy check (DC 20) as well as the normal Craft: Poisonmaking skill check to create a single vial of dessicator poison. Failure indicates that the ingredients have been wasted, necessitating another use of the dessicator. Dessicator poison is tailored for a specific race. Contact, Fortitude DC 19, initial damage 3d6 Constitution, secondary damage 3d6 Constitution damage if used against a member of the same race that was used to make the dessicator poison. If the poison comes into contact with a different race, it is not nearly as effective dealing 1d2 initial Constitution damage, and secondary damage. Craft: Poisonmaking DC: 25.

Ebon Fungus: Ebon fungus is commonly found near pools of water that are completely devoid of life. Animals that stumble into a patch of ebon fungus begin to become withdrawn, lethargic, and disinterested in the world around them. If left unattended, the animal soon dies from ennui, refusing to even seek food or water. Ebon fungus attacks in two different ways. First, creatures that inhale the spores feel a loss of self-confidence and worth, eventually causing a spiraling depression. Second, the fungus spreads throughout the victim’s body, covering his skin with a fuzzy black substance. When used as a poison, it is ground into a fine black powder and distributed as an inhalant. Inhalation, Fortitude DC 15, initial damage 1 Charisma, secondary damage 2d6 Charisma. Craft: Poisonmaking DC: 15.

Embalming Fire: This bitter-smelling liquid must be poured over a corpse and allowed to soak for at least 1 minute before the corpse is animated as a zombie. If an affected zombie takes even a single point of damage, it bursts into blue flame that lasts 1 minute. The fire does no damage to the zombie, but each successful unarmed melee attack the creature makes while burning deals an additional 1d6 points of fire damage. Craft: Alchemy DC: 20.

Liquid Night: When spread upon a daylight-sensitive undead creature, this dark, sticky fluid provides temporary protection from the sun’s deadly rays. An affected undead creature can ignore its usual vulnerability to sunlight for a full hour. If subjected to a spell or magical effect that would cause extra damage to an undead creature vulnerable to sunlight (such as searing light or sunbeam), a creature under the influence of liquid night is treated as though it did not have that vulnerability. However, exposure to such a spell or magical effect burns away the liquid night, immediately ending all protection against sunlight or magical effects that simulate it. Liquid night has the distinct odor of moonflower (one of its ingredients). Craft: Alchemy DC: 25.

Mindfire: What is not commonly known is that the stem of the wild fireclover is capable of producing a powerful mind-clouding addition to a normal poison. When combined with an ingested poison, mindfire leaves the imbiber confused and disoriented. Imbibers who fail either save required by a mindfire-enhanced poison suffer a -2 alchemical penalty to Will saves. In addition, spell-casters affected by a mindfire-enhanced poison must make a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) to cast spells. The effects of mindfire last for 1 hour. Mindfire can only be combined with ingested poisons. Craft: Alchemy DC: 30.

Night Venom: The root of the orticusp is pulped and mixed with a poison to make a potent additional effect. If the victim of a night-venom enhanced poison fails the initial Fortitude save to resist the poison, she must immediately make an additional Fortitude save against the poison’s normal DC. If the victim fails this save, she falls into a fitful slumber until the poison’s secondary effect sets in. Creatures sleeping due to the effects of a night-venom enhanced poison can be awakened by normal means. Craft: Alchemy DC: 35.

Notch Seep: Derived from the secretions of the angler ooze, notch seep is a more potent, distilled form of this creature's natural defense. Contact, Fortitude DC 18, initial damage paralysis for 3d6 rounds, secondary damage none.

Oakdeath: The bark of the dwarven oak can be used to create a viscous brown liquid that can be added to any poison to increase its toxicity. Dealing in oakdeath is illegal in most places and often carries the same penalty as actually poisoning someone. If added to a poison less than 1 hour before the poison’s application, oakdeath increases the poison’s save DC by 2. Craft: Alchemy DC: 25.

Punicieus Mortis: One of the most terrible poisons in the Three Worlds, it is found in the possession of the most masterful assassins all across the lands. Distilled from noxious swamp vapors, punicieus mortis causes huge purple welts and bruises to appear all over the body as blood vessels burst and muscle fibers rupture. it is almost invariably fatal and death comes rapidly. Even those that survive often find that they never fully recover from the effects of this most potent distillation. Injury, Fortitude DC 22, initial damage 2d6 Constitution and 1d6 Dexterity, secondary damage 1d6 Constitution and 1d6 Dexterity. If the victim suffers 4 or more points of damage to either their Constitution or Dexterity, 1 point of that damage becomes permanent.

Stillwater: Nefarious swamp dwellers seek out pools of particularly stagnant and brackish water in the marshes. They tend these pools as a gardener tends a prized flower, encouraging the growth of all manner of filth. When they deem a pool ready, they harvest its water and distill it down, forming a thick, greenish toxin called stillwater. Stillwater must be ingested, but despite its brackish origins it has no spell or flavor when added to other food or drink. Consequently it is a favored method of assassination among evil nobles. Ingestion, Fortitude DC 16, initial damage 1d4 Constitution, secondary damage 1d6 Constitution.

Sweltering Mist: sweltering mist is most commonly delivered by grenade or through means of a bellows. This luminous white powder is actually quite beautiful to look at, but its effects are anything but. Where it touches flesh, it causes fearsome burns, as if a hot iron had branded the tissue. These burns rarely heal well and often leave permanent scars. The victim invariably inhales the mist as well, which causes terrible burning in the lungs and throat, and sometimes even the entire digestive system. This poison normally reduces its victims to writhing in pain, unable to function until its immediate effects have passed. Contact, Fortitude DC 18, initial damage 1d4 Constitution, secondary damage 1d6 Constitution and 1d4 Charisma. If the victim suffers 4 or more points of damage to their Charisma, 1 point of that damage becomes permanent.

White Sanguine: Powdered meadow giant stem is the principle ingredient in white sanguine, a milky, viscous substance smeared on assassin’s blades to prevent blood clotting. Wounds inflicted by a weapon coated in white sanguine enhanced poison often fail to clot. If the victim fails the initial Fortitude save to resist the enhanced poison’s effects, the wound continues to bleed for 1 minute, inflicting 1 point of damage per round in blood loss. The bleeding can be stopped with a DC 15 Heal check or the application of any cure wounds spell. White sanguine can only be combined with injury poisons. Craft: Alchemy DC: 20.

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