poison gas rules suggestions?

[commando cody]

I havent checked d20 modern yet, but i am trying to run a pulp/serial kind of adventure and need some good poison - sleep - knockout gas type rules......that work .........

 

[Mordane76]

Well... there are plenty of poisons in the DMG and BoVD (althought not necessarily d20 Modern, a good place to start). Treat the sleep gas as a poison. Require a Fort Save on it every round that the character is exposed without benefit of a sealed respirator or gas mask rated to handle the gas.

 

[commando cody]

thanks for the heads up........had thought about using it as regular posion or a sleep spell.......just thought maybe someone had actually thought about gases with all the superhero, pulp, modern types of game around........

 

[Morgenstern]

There is a big section on poison gas in the new Spycraft Season Book (adventure) Gentleman's Agreement, as there is a rules apendix for dealing with natural disasters, and the poison gas flows of volcanoes is in it. Did you mean strictly as part of traps in small enclosed rooms, or were you interested in more massive volumes of poison gas?

 

[commando cody]

actually in all forms of gas........ my game is a pulp/serial 1930's type.......right now some of the party is trapped in a lost world adventure and the others are returning to chicago , but i am interested in rules for all kinds of gas......from volcanic to the gas pens of the 40's, and from laughing to deadly........thanks i will have to check out the spycraft rules

 

[Scott Lynch]

Howdy!

There are actually three different mechanisms I used for knockout gas in my own *Deeds Not Words.*

1. Traditional: "Fort Save DC <x>, Initial/Secondary Damage unconsciousness," although this is the rarest sort.

2. Depressant chemicals reduce Dex temporarily-- upon reaching 0 Dex, a character passes out. Consider it a non-lethal Dex poison ala fantasy d20. This is the most common sort of incapacitory agent encountered in DNW. I like this approach because a character can suffer some impairment from a partial dose without passing completely out, which is how anesthetics function in the real world.

3. The anti-superbeing knockout gases used by the Special Executive for Parahuman Affairs (SEPA) in the *Veritas, Vigilantia, Necessitas* supplement deal subdual damage on a per-round basis if someone in the cloud fails a Fort Save. They're nicknamed "horse gas" and "elephant gas" for their relative potency. An ordinary human (and most 1st level characters) exposed to such stuff is going to last about one point five seconds.

I should add that these two potent chemicals cause unfortunate side effects in beings with less-than-superhuman Con scores, due to respiratory arrest and system shock when large, uncontrolled doses are taken in. The Russian theater assault with Fentanyl gas a few months back is a perfect illustration of why the "magic knock-out gas" ubiquitous in the comics is rarely used by law enforcement agencies in real life.

*Veritas, Vigilantia, Necessitas* deals with the trouble of using powerful sedative gases in tactical situations and offers a variety of equipment for dispersing it, though it's all intended for use in a contemporary-era campaign.

Cheers!

SL

 

[Krail Stromquism]

Poison Gas from Uranus

C.Cody,

first what you need to do is determine the effect you want the gas to have on your PCs, which Im sure all but one will succumb to. Then try and find its relative counter part in spells or poisons.

I would try and make them all have the same rough effect, say a Fort save at varying DCs, if they make it they are able to escape the area of effect (what ever theat may be) but are Nauseated for one round, as they are coughing and teary eyed or sleepy or whatever.

Decided how long that gas lasts for, Id say a Minute for most gas grenades and the like, maybe just a single round or two for the gas pen. If they are outside in a strong breeze they dissapate more quickly say in a few rounds. In a slight breeze the effect area shifts 5' every round and dissaptes in half the normal time.

Pick an effect for the gas to have, if its a Knock-Out gas, which we all know is ineffective against Iowanians, make it have similar saves as SLEEP or HOLD PERSON, as well as cost perameters.

Maybe theres a cooky scientist with a Gas that petrifies people, well look up Flesh to Stone to set the DC for it.

Then get crazy, and make it a Gas that works on exposed flesh to trick your gullible players after they read your post and all buy Gas Masks for their characters.

anyway,

Good Luck with the gas in all its glorious and horrific incarnations,

Krail Stromquism
aka the Wall of Freedom!

 

[commando cody]

more gasssssssss

scott and krail.......thanks alot for all the great suggestions........i am working on a set of standards for gases........and will check out the supplement -*Veritas, Vigilantia, Necessitas* , as a matter of fact i started reading the Deeds not Words rules last night, having bought them awhile back.......since of course strange gases can also give strange and sometimes super-human powers to the unsuspecting also......... so is the mad scientist just trying out his formula for super human strength on a PC un-volunteer or is it really the madeupium death gas he wishes to use on the entire world
again all suggestions are greatly appreciated............. but who knows what evil lurks in the mind of an old GM......hahahahaahahahhah