The Apothecary · Chapter 13
Gas, Smoke, and Chemical Agents
A gas is a place. This chapter covers what a cloud is, how to be in one safely, and the agents that fill it.
Clouds
Every gas entry has a Cloud row giving its size and its life.
| Size | It fills |
|---|---|
| Engaged | The point of impact and everyone Engaged with it: a doorway, a cabin, a trench bay |
| Short | Everything within Short range of the point of impact: a large room, a courtyard, a deck |
Life is given in rounds for an enclosed space and for the open. Wind, a fan, or an opened hatch moves a cloud one range band a round and halves its remaining life.
Exposure. A character is exposed on entering a cloud and at the start of each turn spent in it. For a gas with a Course of In cloud, each exposure is one resist check, and the checks stop when the character leaves. For a gas with a numbered Course, the first exposure starts the clock, and each later exposure resets the Course without raising the Potency.
Throwing. A gas grenade or pot is a Light Ranged attack at Short range against a point, at Easy difficulty. On a failure it lands one range band away in a direction the GM chooses.
Holding Breath
A character who knows the gas is coming may hold breath. This is not an action.
The character can hold breath for a number of rounds equal to Might. Each round after that takes a Fortitude check, Average on the first round and one step harder each round. On a failure the character breathes.
While holding breath a character is not exposed by the Inhaled vector, cannot speak, and cannot take a second maneuver in a turn. Holding breath does nothing against a Contact vector.
Protection
| Protection | Against Inhaled | Against Contact (eyes) | Against Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet cloth | Add 1 Boon Die to resist checks | Nothing | Nothing |
| Beaked Mask, Smoke Hood | Add 2 Boon Dice to resist checks | Protected | Nothing |
| Gas Mask (Filtered) | Protected | Protected | Nothing |
| Gas Mask and Protective Suit | Protected | Protected | Protected |
| Sealed armour | Protected | Protected | Protected |
Chapter 14 prices each of these. Putting on a mask that is carried ready is a maneuver. A suit takes two minutes.
The Agents
Smoke
Smoke pot, smoke candle, screening smoke
1 None Round In cloud
Inhaled 30 Common Old World Obscuring 2
Cloud Short. 5 rounds in still air, 2 in wind
Effect In an enclosed space only: 1 Strain
Stops it Any mask, or a wet cloth
Burning pitch in the Old World, a coloured canister in the Modern. It is here to hide people. In The Stellar Armory a beam weapon cannot attack through it at all.
Stink Smoke
Stinkpot, sulphur ball, burning pepper
2 None Round In cloud
Inhaled 15 Common Old World Obscuring 1
Cloud Engaged. 5 rounds enclosed, 1 in the open
Effect 2 Strain
Resisted 1 Strain
Stops it A wet cloth adds 1 Boon Die; a mask stops it
Sulphur, pitch, and something rotten in a clay pot, thrown onto a deck or down a mine gallery. This is the load of the Stinkpot in The Black Powder Armory.
Poison Smoke
Arsenic smoke, wolfsbane candle, the siege fume
2 None Round In cloud
Inhaled 80 Military Old World Obscuring 1
Cloud Engaged. 4 rounds enclosed, 1 in the open
Effect 2 Wounds
Resisted 1 Strain
Stops it A wet cloth adds 1 Boon Die; a mask stops it
Poisons ground into a slow-burning powder and packed in a paper ball. Besiegers pumped it into tunnels with bellows. It is as dangerous to the side using it when the wind turns.
Quicklime
Burnt lime, blinding powder, lime pot
2 None Round 3
Contact (eyes), Inhaled 10 Common Old World None
Cloud Engaged. 1 round; it settles
Effect 1 Wound and Blinded until the next resist check
Stops it Goggles or a visor. Washing with oil or a great deal of water, an action, ends it
A caustic white powder flung from a pot upwind of an enemy deck. It burns wet eyes and wet lungs.
Pepper Spray
Defence spray, bear spray, capsicum
3 None Round 4
Contact (eyes) 20 Common Modern None
Use A Light Ranged attack at Engaged range against one target; the bear-sized can reaches Short. No damage. Five uses
Effect 2 Strain and Blinded until the next resist check
Resisted Add 1 Bane Die to the victim's next check
Stops it Goggles or a gas mask
A hand-sized can that anyone may carry in most places. It stops most people and makes a few very angry.
Tear Gas
Riot gas, lachrymator, the white cloud
2 None Round In cloud +2
Inhaled, Contact (eyes) 40 Restricted Industrial Obscuring 1
Cloud Engaged from a grenade, Short from a launcher shell. 3 rounds enclosed, 1 in the open
Effect 3 Strain, and Blinded until the end of the victim's next turn
Resisted 1 Strain
After Checks continue for 2 rounds after the victim leaves the cloud
Stops it A gas mask
First used in 1914 and the standard riot agent ever since. This is the load of the Tear Gas Grenade in The Modern Armory.
Knockout Gas
Sleeping gas, the aerosol anaesthetic
3 None Round In cloud
Inhaled 400 Military Modern None
Cloud Short when released into a room or a ventilation system. Lasts until the space is aired
Effect 4 Strain
Sleep 30 minutes after leaving the cloud
Special A sleeper left in the cloud suffers 2 Wounds each minute, and the gas is Lethal to that sleeper
Antidote Naloxone
Stops it A gas mask
An anaesthetic pumped through the vents to end a siege. It works, and the people it puts to sleep must be carried out quickly, because nobody can dose a whole room safely.
Chlorine
The green cloud, bleaching gas
3 None Round In cloud
Inhaled 100 Military Industrial Lethal, Obscuring 1
Cloud Released from cylinders upwind, it rolls forward one range band a round and fills low ground. 10 rounds or more
Effect 3 Wounds
Resisted 1 Strain
Stops it A wet cloth adds 1 Boon Die. A Smoke Hood or gas mask stops it. So does high ground: the gas is heavier than air
A yellow-green cloud with the smell of a swimming bath, first released at Ypres in April 1915. It can be seen coming and it can be outwalked uphill.
Phosgene
The hay gas, white star
3 2 hours Hour 6
Inhaled 150 Military Industrial Lethal, Subtle 3
Cloud As Chlorine, but almost invisible
Effect 3 Wounds, and these Wounds cannot be recovered by rest while the poison runs
Special One exposure starts the clock whatever the time spent in the cloud. Exertion during the Onset raises the Potency by 1
Antidote None; rest, treat, and support
Stops it A gas mask
It smells of cut hay and causes a cough that passes. The soldier marches back, eats, and collapses that night. It killed more than any other gas of its war.
Mustard Gas
Blister agent, yellow cross
3 2 hours Hour 6
Contact, Inhaled 150 Military Industrial Persistent, Subtle 2
Cloud From shells: Short. The liquid stays on ground and equipment for days
Effect 2 Wounds. At the second failed check the victim is Blinded for one day
After Add 1 Bane Die to all physical checks for a week. These Wounds recover at half the usual rate
Antidote None; washing during the Onset ends it
Stops it A gas mask protects the eyes and lungs only. The skin needs a Protective Suit
An oily liquid that smells of garlic or horseradish and does nothing for hours. Then the skin blisters wherever it touched. It wounds far more than it kills, and it makes ground unusable.
Nerve Gas
The G-agents, the odourless one
5 1 round Round 5
Inhaled, Contact — Military Modern Lethal, Subtle 2
Cloud Short. 5 rounds enclosed, 2 in the open
Effect 3 Wounds and Disoriented. From the second failed check the victim is also Staggered
Antidote Atropine Injector
Stops it A gas mask stops the Inhaled vector. The Contact vector needs a Protective Suit or sealed armour
A colourless vapour made by states since 1939 and almost never used. The first sign is that the light seems to dim. It is not for sale; a character who has it has a story about where it came from.
Bad Air
Chokedamp, coal gas, engine exhaust, a dead compartment
2 1 minute Minute In cloud
Inhaled — Common Old World Lethal, Subtle 4
Cloud Fills a mine gallery, a cellar, a closed garage, or a sealed compartment
Effect 3 Strain. A victim incapacitated by this Strain suffers 2 Wounds each minute while still in the bad air
Stops it Only an air supply. A filter mask does nothing, because the air itself is the problem
Air with nothing in it to breathe, or with something in it that takes the place of breath. It has no smell. The victim feels sleepy and sits down. A caged bird, which falls first, is the oldest detector.
Vitriol
Oil of vitriol, aqua fortis, lye
— None Round Until washed
Contact 20 Common Old World None
Use A Light Ranged attack at Engaged range with a flask or a squirt. No resist check
Effect 3 Wounds on a hit, reduced by Resistance, then Burning 2 until an action is spent washing it off
Special Spend a Breakthrough to reduce the Resistance of the target's armour by 1 until it is repaired
Strong acid in a glass bottle. It is a tool of every trade that works metal, and a weapon of people who want to leave a mark.
Corrosive Fog
Suit-eater, breach mist
— None Round In cloud
Contact 250 Military Stellar Obscuring 1
Cloud Short. 4 rounds enclosed, 1 in the open
Effect 2 Wounds at the start of each turn in the cloud, with no resist check. Resistance applies
Special Sealed armour protects its wearer for 3 rounds in the cloud and is then breached
An aerosol that attacks seals, gaskets, and soft suit joints. Boarders use it to force a sealed crew to choose between the fog and the vacuum.
Restraint Foam
Sticky foam, riot glue
— None — —
Contact 120 Restricted Stellar None
Use A Light Ranged attack at Short range. No damage
Effect The target is Immobilized. Spend 2 Boons to make the target Restrained instead
Special Breaking free is an action and a Hard Athletics check. Solvent, or five minutes with a knife, frees the target without a check
A foam that sets in a second. It is in this chapter because it is sprayed from a canister like everything else here, and because it is the cleanest way in the book to stop someone.
