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Universal Poison: Difference between revisions
Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.UniversalPoison 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.UniversalPoison, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license
(Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.UniversalPoison 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.UniversalPoison, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license) |
(Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.UniversalPoison 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.UniversalPoison, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license) |
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In [[Real Life]], there are many types of poisons. Variations exist that will affect nearly any organ or system. Poisoning can manifest itself as nearly any symptom known to man. Different individuals and (especially) species are not affected by poison in the same way; chocolate and caffeine are toxic to dogs and cats, but relatively harmless to most humans. Capsaicin can seriously irritate human skin and mucous membranes, but is completely unnoticeable to birds. The dosage is also important, if you care whether the victim gets mildly nauseated or dies quickly. As Paracelsus pointed out, even life-sustaining substances become toxic in excessive amounts. Essentially, poison can be any substance that a particular body can't deal with at that particular dosage.
However, in fiction -- especially [[Video Games]] -- poison is treated as some sort of mysterious mass that saps the life force out of the poisoned one. There's one type of poisoning (not counting stronger versions of the usual), and any antidote will cure it. Usually presented as '''{{color|Green|
The default traits of poison are:
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'''As a [[Standard Status Effects|Standard Status Effect]]:'''
* There is only one kind of poison in the world. All venomous creatures and poison-elemental spells use this same kind of poison.
* While they come from many different places and are made out of vastly different materials, toxic waste, radioactive waste, chemical waste, sewer waste, heavy-duty pesticides, and even oil all cause the same kind of damage or condition, and usually look the same, being either '''{{color|Green|
* Poison is often the same thing as disease or sickness. Venomous creatures, gooey and/or acidic enemies, and poison-elemental spells will inflict the condition on you, but often times, so will attacks from rotting zombies, wild/rabid animals, and filthy creatures.
* This universal poison has only one effect - it will slowly sap the life force out of any living creature inflicted by it, but will not hinder them in any other regard. This damage is caused at a constant rate, often a percentage of the victims total [[Hit Points]], and is completely unaffected by things such as dosage or the body mass of the creature poisoned.
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'''Both elemental and status effect poison: '''
* It is typically liquid or gelatinous in nature, and is usually '''{{color|Green|
* Acid is often mistakenly classified as a poison. Universal poison will almost always be [[Poison Is Corrosive|highly corrosive]]. Although it is worth noting that the vast majority of acids also happen to be toxic, and in toxicology corrosion is a perfectly legitimate mechanism of action for a poison (bee venom, for example, is a type of poison that is acidic while wasp venom is a strong base). So there is some truth to this, just not to the extent normally portrayed.
** In fiction, poison also tends to be highly corrosive when spilled (because it's wonderfully dramatic for the [[Big Damn Heroes]] to knock the poisoned goblet from the victim's hand in the nick of time and watch as the poisoned wine eats a hole through the banquet table.)
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