How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

Hi,

I almost feel bad posting yet another thread, but I couldn't find a good answer on making a search. Do I read things right that your run-of-the-mill assassin would always have to use a double dosage of cyanide to make sure he kills his victim? Because the 4d of the normal dosage are hardly a guaranteed kill for normal people, much less for adventurers.

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

As far as I can tell, cyanide is 4d per dose. And, you're right, that isn't enough to kill the average person. On the other hand, this way, someone might get an accidental dose of the stuff (they use it in rat poison, I think) and not have it be an automatic "you're dead, come up with a new character."

For gas, it doesn't matter, since you're breathing the stuff and you'll take a fatal dose very quickly.

Just make sure your assassin uses two or three doses per attack.

Mark

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

Since not everyone exposed to cyanide die, having the 'single serving size' less than automatically lethal makes perfect sense.

Cyanide was never used as rat poison. People would prefer to use toxins that are more dangerous for the pest than some dumb human accidentally ingesting it.
Modern poisons use blood thinners that are oderless and tasteless requiring multiple doses works.
They used to use arsenic as a toxic amount normally causes violent vomitting in humans. But as rodents can't purge...


Edit to say oops. The next poster called me on my misinformation.

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

A quick Google found this :
Miscellany
Cyanides are used as insecticides for fumigating ships. In the past cyanide salts have also been used as rat poison.
Whilst Wikipedia isn't always right , I have heard of cyanide as a rat poison in the past myself and the author/s of this Wiki entry obviously have too .

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

Thanks for the answers, that's exactly what I was thinking.

It IS pretty cheap, isn't it? I'd like to fact-check that as well, but I couldn't find any cyanide capsules on amazon... ;)

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

No, but you will probably be receiving a visit from Homeland Security and/or the local police fairly soon... :)

Mark

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

The cyanide dosage was chosen to be sublethal but incapacitating on average (average on 4d is 14 HP) and potentially lethal at its maximum (24 HP). This is because most delivery systems used by crazy adventurers really aren't very efficient, and deliver a tiny quantity in the first place or a tiny percentage of a large quantity. I'm thinking of cyanide jets from trick cigarette lighters, tiny drops of cyanide solution in hollow-point bullets, and all that other action-movie badness. A teaspoonful in the coffee, Jodie Foster-style, is probably dozens of doses, and basically a plot device: "Yer dead!"

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

My group jokes that since I used the university computers to look up the Call of Cthulhu PCs NFA item prices and all other kinds of hardware like that...

"It's just a game, Mr. Homeland Security Man, it's not real! Really!"
"I'm not a terrorist! I'm a GM!"

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

Well, I think to avoid that sort of trouble, doses should've been indicated in the posions' descriptions. At least that's what my terrorist/assassin player says, and most other players (and me) agree.

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

There are perfectly workable rules for varying dosage right there on the same page. At some point, people do have to read the book. Assuming that the target will be a normal human is probably a bad idea in a generic game -- which means that the dosage has to be equally generic, not pegged to some specific reference.

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

I know about the rules on how increased dosage affects damage/saves/etc. However, there should be appropriate doses written up in terms of posion_mass/body_mass, and probably the LD-50% dose calculations as well (I'm more concerned about the former, our terrorist/assassin player about the latter).

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

Sounds like a great Pyramid or e23 article. Git bizzy.

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

Yeah . . . technical information like that doesn't belong in the Basic Set. We described firearms as "Auto Pistol, 9mm," too, and didn't describe any specific types of armlocks under Arm Lock, for similar reasons.

Re: How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?
 

Definitely far too technical for the average game, but would make for a great article, box-out or sidebar. Or write up a 4-page to 16-page supplement, GURPS Poisons, and sell it on E23 :D - include your more advanced rules and dosage information, and a catalog of various common poisons in game terms, mebby with little bits of historical trivia, and badaboom badabing. Product.