Radiation and Electricity

[blackbloodtroll]

Are there rules for radiation poisoning?

Is it possible to build/acquire a Tesla Coil in Pathfinder?

Can one obtain Tungsten, Uranium, or Cadmium in Golarion, and at what cost?

How does Pathfinder deal with poisonous metals rules wise?

[wraithstrike]

1. Nope. It would probably be flavoured using the disease or curse rules.

2. That is up to the GM, and if so it would be in Numeria. Technology is not that advanced in PF other what is specially mentioned, such as guns.

3. Anything naturally occurring should be available, but it is not in the rules, because they are used for technology advanced things. GM Fiat once again.

4. GM Fiat again.

[Gorbacz]

Actualy, there was some radioactive-ish hazard in Into the Darklands, but then again it's a 3.5 book.

[Trikk]

These are probably outside the scope of Pathfinder. Your best bet is doing some conversion or looking through 3PP offerings.

[wraithstrike]

Gorbacz wrote:

Actualy, there was some radioactive-ish hazard in Into the Darklands, but then again it's a 3.5 book.

Was that what helped transform the drow?

[Bandavaar the Brave]

Plutonium, electrics and thanks to Ultimate Combat we now have mechanical weapons/vehicles.

I see where this is going. Watch out for the Libyans, as I don't want to go back in time to tell you you'll be shot by Libyans for stealing their plutonium in a game of Pathfinder.

Great Scott!

Jokes aside, I'm pretty certain there are no such rules and that if you're going to be GM'ing, I'd suggest you make a homebrew version of radiation poisoning that stays around like bleed damage until healed, but gets consistently worse, the more exposed to the radiation you are. :)

I dunno, it seems logical to build something like this from the way bleed damage works.

Edit: Thinking about it I recall friends of mine playing D20 Modern, so maybe that has something that could help you?

[Gorbacz]

wraithstrike wrote:

Gorbacz wrote:

Actualy, there was some radioactive-ish hazard in Into the Darklands, but then again it's a 3.5 book.

Was that what helped transform the drow?

Not exactly sure, but I looked up my book and it has a Radiation Hazards section with three hazards: Caphorite (CR 1/4), Blightburn (CR 7) and Lazurite (CR 1).

[wraithstrike]

I just checked darklands. That radiation is not like our radiation. It is magical in nature.

Excerpt:
Caphorite is magical radiation that exudes a faint aura
of transmutation.

Another excerpt
The deadliest of the radioactive Darklands substances is lethal blightburn, a crystal that grows in isolated locations........
In addition, the radiation poisons anyone within 60 feet with blightburn, a deadly disease (Fort DC 22, Incubation instantaneous, 1d6 Con/1d6 Cha); victims of this sickness grow increasingly frail as sores erupt on their bodies, hair falls out, and bones grow shockingly brittle.

As you can see it is treated as a disease mechanically.

[blackbloodtroll]

These are things for an Inquisitor of Cixyron, and I want to have all that I can to meet that flavor.

As far as Radioactive materials in Pathfinder, I know there is Lazurite, Caphorite, and Blightburn.
Some of those have rules, but are noted as magical radiation, and use 3.5 rules.
They do not, however, have a price.

Uranium, or Cadmium has no rules either.

Also, it seems weird that there are revolvers, but no rules for archaic electrical devices, much like the Tesla Coil.

[wraithstrike]

Pathfinder with the exception of very specific things does not use technology. Other than the printing press and guns you pretty much have low level(no electricity era) technology. Most sword and magic fantasy is like that.

[blackbloodtroll]

I was thinking of the giant Tesla Coils you see in Frankenstein movies.
Maybe Ustalav, or Alkenstar?

How would one price Lazurite, Caphorite, Blightburn, Uranium, or Cadmium?

I would love some Cadmium or Blightburn bullets or sling stones.

[Corlindale]

I agree with others that it makes most sense to treat is as a disease, flavour-wise. However, if you are making a character that weaponizes these materials, keep in mind that inflicting disease is usually a very poor option for player characters, because they act so slowly, and most of your enemies will be dead within less than a minute anyway.

It might be more mechanically useful to treat it as a poison instead, for this reason. If so, just look a pricing for poisons that have effects similar to what you seek, and refluff as necessary. One blightburn bullet might then have similar cost to 1 dose of con poison.

It will be a little hard to explain why these materials won't be a hazard to yourself and your companions, though, as radiation is obviously much more difficult to contain than regular poisons.

Instead of looking for radioactive materials, you might look into poisonous metals in a more traditional sense. How about crossbow bolts made of quicksilver, kept in a magical container that keeps them below freezing temperature? As they pierce enemy skin, they quickly melt and spread the quicksilver into their bodies - would be much more easy to justify this acting like a traditional poison, I suspect.

[blackbloodtroll]

Are there any rules for poisonous metals, such as Cadmium?

[King of Vrock]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

I was thinking of the giant Tesla Coils you see in Frankenstein movies.

Maybe Ustalav, or Alkenstar?

In Trial of the Beast the second chapter of the Carrion Crown AP there is a Dr. Frankenstein set up called the Bondslave Thrall and the Storm Caller that act much like a Tesla Coil but are magic devices. You're not going to find mundane equipment or such high technology that isn't somewhat magical in Pathfinder. The same will be true with modern real world substances.

--Vrocket Science

[blackbloodtroll]

Well the Tesla Coil was 1891, and the revolver was 1856, so I can see the time difference.

How long has revolver been available in Golarion?

[Ganny]

I am in a campaign where the GM used rules similar to Fallout for Radiation poisoning. Depending on the amount of rads you take, you slowly develop radiation poisoning. Smaller creatures need less rads to develop Radiation poisoning, while larger creatures need more.

It runs on a scale of 0 to 1000, with increasing effects every 200 rads. These effects usually involve lowering of Con Score, the Sickened Condition, and similar effects.

[Knight Magenta]

I think radiation poisoning should be modelled with Con drain. I would not use a disease or poison unless you actually ate something radioactive. In real life, radiation damage does not heal naturally, but it does not become worse if you leave the radioactive area.

Are there rules for cancer?

[Ganny]

Wouldn't cancer be treated as a disease?

[Drength]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Are there any rules for poisonous metals, such as Cadmium?

Most heavy metals have similar symptoms so I would use similar rules to arsenic...though I believe cadmium is slower acting and requires a larger dose.

The big issue that heavy metals are associated with is chronic exposure. This is because they tend to stay in you body for a long time allowing a little every day the ability to do you in.

I also think it would be very unlikely that any heavy metal would have an effect in a timeframe that would be useful in combat.

[blackbloodtroll]

Well, it would be nice to have something to price the existing "magically radioactive" materials. Lazurite, Caphorite, and Blightburn have in, and out of combat possibilities.
Examples:
Blightburn is dangerous enough that ammunition, including siege weapon ammunition, is an idea worth exploring.
Caphorite has a plant life destroying/altering properties that can be used against plant based foes.
Lazurite has a 30% chance of raising nearby corpses as ghouls, and would be a boon to any Necromancer.

[blackbloodtroll]

Ganny wrote:

I am in a campaign where the GM used rules similar to Fallout for Radiation poisoning. Depending on the amount of rads you take, you slowly develop radiation poisoning. Smaller creatures need less rads to develop Radiation poisoning, while larger creatures need more.

It runs on a scale of 0 to 1000, with increasing effects every 200 rads. These effects usually involve lowering of Con Score, the Sickened Condition, and similar effects.

Do you have a write up of the system you use for radiation?