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<blockquote data-quote="TanithT" data-source="post: 5770342" data-attributes="member: 87695">If memory serves, when medicines (or herbs with pharmacological effect) are discussed, the mechanics are handled similarly to magical effect.&nbsp; I don't think they make a clear rules distinction.I suppose that would depend on the individual substance.&nbsp; We could postulate a magically created poison in which magic substitutes for science during the process of creation, concentrating an existing substance to a potency well beyond that which could be achieved with the current tech level of the campaign.&nbsp; The end substance would be magically created, but might be functionally identical to a concentrated toxin that could be made in the real world with modern scientific technique and equipment.&nbsp; Or, who knows, it could even be more potent than that, because &quot;magic&quot; amplified its effects.Or you could postulate a magical poison which was basically a magical item that cast a spell of sorts, or that had a magical effect on contact.&nbsp; In that case, sky's the limit for what you're imagining.&nbsp; I don't see any reason you couldn't make &quot;hot ice&quot; an interesting alchemical plot hook, actually.&nbsp; Or magical poison, for that matter.&nbsp; IMO, it's DM's choice.This said, I would personally tend to err on the side of magical poisons making more real world sense, eg, they were created and distilled using magical methods as a straight substitute for the scientific technique and equipment that doesn't exist at your assumed tech level.&nbsp; Not everyone is going to want to tackle the thorny question of what exactly IS your campaign's tech level, and how much the existence of magic has essentially substituted for scientific advancement by making it impractical to invest a lot of resources in.&nbsp; When it's cheaper to hire a mage, and you don't have a high enough level of national unification to have a major budget to spend on non magical R&amp;D, you won't necessarily have tech - but you probably have a lot of low level &quot;commercial mages&quot; who can make a very reliable living casting cantrips and first level spells to solve common industrial problems and produce useful goods.Consider a &quot;wood preservation&quot; cantrip that slightly changed wood grain and structure to make it a bit more durable and resistant to marine and terrestrial parasites.&nbsp; Not very highly powered in game terms, but oh so economically viable.&nbsp; I could see medicine and poison creation working similarly, with alchemical techniques getting a boost from relatively simple magic.&nbsp;&nbsp; I can also see where total realism on this level would start impacting game mechanics, so it's not a line of thought that most DM's are likely to want to follow.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="TanithT, post: 5770342, member: 87695"] If memory serves, when medicines (or herbs with pharmacological effect) are discussed, the mechanics are handled similarly to magical effect. I don't think they make a clear rules distinction. I suppose that would depend on the individual substance. We could postulate a magically created poison in which magic substitutes for science during the process of creation, concentrating an existing substance to a potency well beyond that which could be achieved with the current tech level of the campaign. The end substance would be magically created, but might be functionally identical to a concentrated toxin that could be made in the real world with modern scientific technique and equipment. Or, who knows, it could even be more potent than that, because "magic" amplified its effects. Or you could postulate a magical poison which was basically a magical item that cast a spell of sorts, or that had a magical effect on contact. In that case, sky's the limit for what you're imagining. I don't see any reason you couldn't make "hot ice" an interesting alchemical plot hook, actually. Or magical poison, for that matter. IMO, it's DM's choice. This said, I would personally tend to err on the side of magical poisons making more real world sense, eg, they were created and distilled using magical methods as a straight substitute for the scientific technique and equipment that doesn't exist at your assumed tech level. Not everyone is going to want to tackle the thorny question of what exactly IS your campaign's tech level, and how much the existence of magic has essentially substituted for scientific advancement by making it impractical to invest a lot of resources in. When it's cheaper to hire a mage, and you don't have a high enough level of national unification to have a major budget to spend on non magical R&D, you won't necessarily have tech - but you probably have a lot of low level "commercial mages" who can make a very reliable living casting cantrips and first level spells to solve common industrial problems and produce useful goods. Consider a "wood preservation" cantrip that slightly changed wood grain and structure to make it a bit more durable and resistant to marine and terrestrial parasites. Not very highly powered in game terms, but oh so economically viable. I could see medicine and poison creation working similarly, with alchemical techniques getting a boost from relatively simple magic. I can also see where total realism on this level would start impacting game mechanics, so it's not a line of thought that most DM's are likely to want to follow. [/QUOTE]

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