The Apothecary ยท Chapter 6
Tags and Conditions
Tags are printed in the last field of an entry. This chapter gives each in full, then the conditions this book uses.
Substance Tags
Lethal
While this poison is running and its victim is incapacitated by Wounds, each failed resist check inflicts a Critical Injury in place of its Wounds. See Chapter 3.
A poison without this tag cannot kill.
Subtle X
Add X Bane Dice to checks made to notice this substance before it is taken, to notice that a victim has been poisoned, and to find it in a body afterwards.
A substance with no Subtle rating has a taste, a smell, a colour, or symptoms that give it away to anyone who checks.
Persistent
The substance stays where it was put. A coated object or a contaminated area exposes everyone who touches it for a week, and a victim's skin and clothing expose anyone who handles the victim without gloves until washed.
Keyed
The substance is shaped for one species or one person, named in the entry. It has its listed effect on that target only. The entry says what it does to anyone else.
Obscuring X
For a cloud. Add X Bane Dice to Perception checks and to ranged attacks made into, out of, or through the cloud. Where an armory gives its own rule for smoke against a kind of weapon, that rule also applies.
Habit X
The drug is habit-forming. X is the difficulty of the Habit check, a check of will, and the Strain Points lost in Withdrawal. See Chapter 5.
Fantastical
The substance works by alchemy or magic. It exists only in a Universe that has such things.
Weapon and Gear Qualities
Poison X
A weapon quality, first published in the Ix Player's Guide. On a hit that inflicts at least 1 Wound, or as the weapon's entry specifies, the target suffers X Wounds at the start of each of its turns, ignoring Resistance, until it succeeds on an Average Fortitude check.
In this book's terms the weapon delivers Blade Venom with X Wounds as its Effect: Potency 2, Interval Round, Course 5, ending on the first success. It can be treated and it answers to a general antidote.
A natural weapon with Poison X delivers it on every qualifying hit. A coated weapon delivers it once.
Filtered
A quality of masks and helmets. The wearer is not exposed to Inhaled substances or to Contact (eyes) substances. Add 1 Bane Die to the wearer's Perception checks and to checks that depend on being heard clearly.
A filter lasts four hours in a cloud. It does nothing against Bad Air.
Sealed (duration)
An armour quality from The Armourer and The Stellar Armory, reprinted here. The suit is airtight and carries air for the listed time. A hit that inflicts a Critical Injury breaches it.
While sealed, the wearer is not exposed to Inhaled or Contact substances, and breathes normally in Bad Air.
Conditions
This book uses six conditions from the core rules without change.
| Condition | In brief |
|---|---|
| Disoriented | Add 1 Bane Die to all checks |
| Staggered | Cannot perform Actions this turn |
| Immobilized | Cannot perform maneuvers that involve movement |
| Restrained | Held; see the core rules |
| Bleeding | Ongoing Wounds until an action and an Average Medicine check stop it |
| Burning | Ongoing Wounds until an action ends it |
It adds four.
Blinded
Add 2 Bane Dice to every check that relies on sight. A Blinded character cannot make ranged attacks beyond Short range.
Paralysed
The character cannot perform Actions or maneuvers and cannot speak. The character is awake and aware unless the entry says otherwise.
Asleep
The character is unconscious and helpless. A sleeper wakes on suffering any Wounds, or when another character spends an action to rouse the sleeper, unless the substance that caused the sleep says otherwise.
Withdrawal
Add 1 Bane Die to all checks. Reduce Strain Points by the Habit rating of the drug. See Chapter 5.
