How deadly is Cyanide in Gurps 4e?

[Bringa]

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.

[Mgellis]

Originally Posted by Bringa

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.

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

[Flyndaran]

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.

[Mr Frost]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

...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...

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 .

[Bringa]

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... ;)

[Mgellis]

Originally Posted by Bringa

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... ;)

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

Mark

[Kromm]

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!"

[AmesJainchill]

Originally Posted by Mgellis

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

Mark

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!"

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Kromm

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!"

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.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Molokh

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.

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.