Poisons
System
Poisons come in many varieties. Some, such as foxglove, hellebore, hemlock, nightshade, and mountain laurel, are herbal in nature. Others, such as bufotoxin (from the bufo toad), conotoxin (from the cone snail), or tetrodotoxin (from the puffer fish), come from the animal kingdom. Still others, such as hydrogen peroxide, ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), sodium cyanide, and strychnine, exist primarily as refined substances, though ultimately they come from natural sources. In some cases, antidotes for poisons are themselves poisonous if taken without the substance they can neutralize.
Most poisons have a toxicity rating. Many poisons fill the shelves of hardware stores due to their uses as paint stripper, moth balls, antifreeze, detergents, pesticides and other home and garden products. Others, like snake or frog venom, sometimes exist in backyards and certainly exist in natural surroundings. Still others, such as weapons-grade toxins or radioactive poisons are illegal to possess (though not impossible to get hold of). Players wanting to start the game with some of the harder-to-obtain poisons need to spend points in the Equipment Background and possibly the Contacts Background as well.