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Message: <blockquote data-quote="seasong" data-source="post: 456635" data-attributes="member: 5137"><a href="http://www.orcbs.msu.edu/newsletters/December1995/mercury.html" target="_blank">General notes on quicksilver</a><a href="http://newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem00/chem00156.htm" target="_blank">Mercury poisoning</a>Overall, repeated skin exposure will have some long-term health effects, but not be immediately deadly. Breathing mercury vapors for any length of time can cause diarhea, vomiting, damage to the stomach lining and lungs, and skin sores; upon entering the bloodstream (through the lungs), it may (rarely) cause the heart to stop.I'm not sure that mercury poisoning has the right drama for D&D, however. Most D&D poisons and diseases are unrealistically heinous, but also have quick recoveries and easy cures. Mercury poisoning lasts a LONG time (the amount remaining in your body roughly halves every 60 days), and its effects do not map well to hit points or attribute damage.If I were going to poison the PCs with the mud, I'd make it something like poison ivy, with DEX -2 unless you scratch the spot, only "the spot" is everywhere the mud touched, and everywhere the touched spots touched. And scratching only makes the itching worse, long term. Will saves per hour not to scratch. Salves can cure it, of course, but where to find a salve in hell?</blockquote>