Penan Blowpipe

Statistics
1840, Malaysia, Range 2/5/10, Capacity 1, Rate of Fire 1/2, Damage 1+ poison, Rare.

Description
This exotic weapon was brought to Kingsport by Captain Arthur Illsley Jr., who claimed it was a present from James Brooke, the “White Rajah” of Sarawak. Crafted by the Penan people of Malaysia, the blowpipe is a 20”-long tube used to fire bamboo darts dipped in poison. The blowpipe itself was tipped with a metal spear, but Silas Grimble removed the spearhead so he could conceal the gun in his walking stick. The bamboo case is engraved with the face of a woman, her ears elongated in typical Penan fashion. It contains five bamboo darts poisoned with Grimble’s Hammer.

Grimble’s Hammer
Band: Mild; Speed: 1 round if injected under the skin, 5-15 minutes if ingested; Effects: Dizziness followed by muscular paralysis, 1D10 damage.

An accomplished poisoner, Silas Grimble has developed several toxins designed to anesthetize, paralyze, or kill. In Macao he learned to make a powerful paralyzing agent similar to curare or tetrodotoxin. Upon arriving in Kingsport, he was forced to make some local substitutions in the recipe, but his ability to speak Cantonese has ensured a modest supply of the active agent—the venom of an aquatic salamander native to the Pearl River. He calls his concoction “Grimble’s Hammer.” In low doses, it acts as an anesthetic, and Grimble himself has used it to dull the pain of being tattooed. In higher doses, it causes paralysis. While not as lethal as the Chinese original, it has the advantage of working through ingestion as well as direct contact with the bloodstream.

Notes
Upon being poisoned, the victim is permitted a Constitution roll. A failed roll brings 1D10 hit points damage, complete paralysis, and unconsciousness for one 1D6+1 hours. A Regular success results in 1D8 damage and paralysis for one 1D4+1 hours, but the victim remains conscious. A Hard success results in 1D6 damage and paralysis for one hour. An Extreme success inflicts 1D4 damage and brings dizziness, adding a –1D10 penalty die to all rolls for one hour. A critical success shakes off the poison entirely, and adds a +1D10 bonus die to all future Constitution rolls made against Grimble’s Hammer.

White Leviathan > Chapter 1—Kingsport 1844 Handouts
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Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 5 December 2021
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]