When the cook was gone he brought out all of the crystal bowls stored in the kitchen. One of them would be used to serve the Rodian a special dish of steamed grubs that he enjoyed. Since he didn't know which one he had to poison them all. He brushed on a special intoxicant that would elicit only a mild stimulation in the bulk of the crowd, but the Rodian would suffer paralyzing chest pains and slump dead of respiratory failure. The poison dried clear and he placed the bowls back in their respective places. It was only a matter of time.

The Malkite Poisoners are a special class of highly paid assassins that learned their trade through a unique trade guild on the planet Malkini. They are regarded as among the most disreputable of individuals, trained to have no scruples or regard for sentient life. Despite their reputation, the only Malkite Poisoner to have appeared thus far in the Star Wars universe was a walk-on character who appeared and died in the novel Han Solo's Revenge.

Before now, there was no details available to the gaming public about the Poisoner's profession, the planet they come from, or the skills they use to get the job done. I recommend that Game Master's not allow players to have a Malkite Poisoner as a character, or use the poisoning skill, unless they are extremely competent and mature. This material is primarily intended for use as an unusual new type of bad guy to pit characters against.

The Planet Malkini:

The planet Malkini has as sordid a history as the school that has made it famous. Throughout its written history, the Malkites have solved political differences through the use of bribery, subterfuge, espionage, sabotage, and assassination. They've also made frequent use of mercenaries, thieves, and pirates. None of this changed when they were discovered by Old Republic scouts and welcomed into the galactic community.

The social structure of Malkini's inhabitants are divided into Houses and Guild's. The Houses are extended families that constantly vie for political dominance of the planet, and nearby systems. Small houses are often absorbed by larger houses through marriage contracts, and large houses constantly divide when differences occur, or by economic necessity. Most of the individuals in a house are considered members of a large family, and are frequently related by blood. Marriages always occur within the confines of a house, unless it is considered part of a contract or treaty between two houses. Individuals can leave the houses they are born to swear allegiance to another house, or to a trade guild.

Guilds were formed initially by the joining of like-minded individuals from a variety of houses. Guild members can be members of any House, but swear loyalty to the Guild first to avoid conflicts between members. Guilds concern themselves with economic and social control over their areas of expertise, and often influence, but do not directly control, the political conflicts between the houses. They are organized into specific trades and regulate almost exclusively the commerce of that trade. For example, the Shipper's Guild assumes control of transporting goods and cargo between the various Houses and Guilds. The Mercenaries Guild regulates the placement and pay rates of mercenary forces. Each Guild not only regulates their trade, but recruits and trains new apprentices for the trade. In return, the Guild takes a percentage of any trade the guild members do with the other Houses and Guilds.

Since the Guilds have opened their doors to off-world students they allow some members to buy their way out of the Guild by either a lump sum payment, or a few years indentured servitude to the Guild.

The Malkite has no formal legal system. Social order is mainly preserved by the various contracts, treaties, and agreements between the various Houses, Guilds, and individuals. There is nothing that is considered illegal on Malkini unless it involves breaking such agreements, and then the matter is only enforced by the parties involved in the contract. What keeps the individuals on the street safe and keeps the planet from reverting to total anarchy is that any crime committed against an individual is generally investigated and avenged by the House or Guild that that individual belongs to. Disputes between members of the same House are Guild are handled by the rulers of that organization. Off-worlders are quickly encouraged to sign an alliance pact with an important House or Guild to avoid becoming easy prey.

Malkini has had three Imperial Governors. All died under mysterious circumstances. It was then decided by the sector Moff that the Houses and Guilds would pay taxes directly to the sector government in return for autonomous rule. Since the New Republic took over control of the sector the Houses and Guilds could not arrive at a consensus regarding whether or not to join the Republic. In the meanwhile the Republic maintains a presence on Malkini only in the form of an ambassador.

The Poisoner's Guild:

The Poisoners are the most well known of all the Malkite Guilds. Because the Houses used assassination to settle their differences for thousands of years prior to Malkini's introduction to the galactic community, the Poisoners have had plenty of time to develop their work into a form of subtle artistry. Since Malkini joined the Old Republic, over a thousand years ago, the Poisoners have expanded their knowledge to an impressive degree, and are adept in the assassination of all the most common forms of alien life through the use of toxic substances.

Apprentices are accepted both from Malkini and off-world, often serving 5-12 years learning to identify, collect, prepare, and administer all manner of poisonous materials from across the galaxy. Once they have graduated from this extensive training, the expert Poisoners are given small poison kits that serve as both a tool and a badge of their trade. Poisoners can then work as Guild members for the rest of their lives, or purchase their freedom from the Guild. Those who have left the Guild without paying appropriately for their education rarely live a month.

Poisoner's are trained to have a complete disregard for life, both others and their own, as a necessity for their position. They must be able to kill, without hesitation, any individual or animal they are instructed to kill. And, they must be prepared to prevent their own capture by suicide if necessary to preserve their secrets.

Poisoners must also swear, upon joining the Guild, that they will never be captured alive - and must take every precaution to prevent this. The Guild considers its teachings very secret, and realizes a captured member could reveal the identities of other Poisoners. All Poisoners, except a few of the ruling members of the guild, hide their identities and/or profession from outsiders. When visitors are present in Guild quarters, or when a Guild member is acting as a Guild representative in public, the Guild member will usually wear a black hood or mask, and loose, black robes.

Much of the Poisoner's trade on Malkini is done by Poisoners working in the permanent employ of the various Houses. A House will sponsor one of its own to become a Poisoner, and pay off the Guild for their independence. Houses will contract the Guild for use of a Poisoner if the House does not have a resident Poisoner, or in circumstances where the House or Guild they wish to use them against may be aware of the identity of their House Poisoner.

Since the introduction of Malkini to the galactic community the Poisoner's Guild has also trained a number of Poisoner's for various Hutt clans, families of Twi'leks, and other criminal organizations - for instance: the Black Sun.

New Skill:

(Technical) Poisoning
Time Taken: minutes to days
Specialties: One type of poison or race of victim
Advanced Skill - requires first aid of at least 3D and alien races of at least 3D. This skill covers all of the basic abilities associated with acquiring, preparing, and administering poisons to all manner of alien races. Some of the basic abilities that are included in their skills are detailed below:

1. Identifying Poisons: This includes telling the difference between various forms of poisonous and non-poisonous fungi, plants, animals, minerals, etc..
2. Collecting Poisons: This includes safe collection techniques to maximize the quantity, usability, and quality of a substance while minimizing the danger to the user. Failing a collection roll could mean that the character is poisoned.
3. Preparing Poisons: This includes preparing the various forms in which poisons may be administered. This includes milking venomous animals, mixing oils, grinding powders, drying plants and fungi, and every other way of getting a poison ready for use. This also includes synthesizing new poisons from the proper chemicals.
4. Calculating Dosages: This includes a knowledge of a variety of alien biologies, and their resistance and vulnerabilities to various substances. A substance may kill a human with a 100mg dose, but may be considered no more than a food seasoning to a Trandoshan.
5. Administering Poisons: This includes basic tactics for poisoning food, drinks, eating utensils, poison weapons and darts, etc.. Successful use of this ability often requires a modicum of creativity. Using poisoned weapons also requires skill with that particular weapon. Poisons can be ingested (eaten or drunk), injected (with a needle or weapon), inhaled (as a gas or steam), or absorbed (on contact with skin).

Different poisons available for the Poisoner's use include fungi, plants (seeds, flowers, fruit), animal (venom, blood, excretions, saliva, skin, meat), minerals, and synthetically produced. The Poisoner will usually carry a small selection of general poisons with him at all times for expedience, but has a number of ways to procure poisons - harvesting or manufacturing it themselves or relying on black market and over-the-counter sources - to fill specific requirements. Keep in mind that almost every substance is toxic, but lethal dosages vary heavily between species. Table salt adds flavor to human meals, but in massive amounts it can kill. On the other hand salt is a highly addictive narcotic to Arcona, and requires a much lower dosage to kill them. Another species may die instantly upon ingesting just a few grams of salt.

A skill roll should be made whenever the GM feels appropriate based on the type of action being performed. It should be rolled when poisoning a blade, but not necessarily when the blade is used in combat. Skill rolls should be made for determining poisons and dosages to be used, and when poisoning food and drinks, as well as when performing any of the actions listed above (identifying, collecting, preparing, etc.). Poison can be detected by either a Medicine skill roll, or by specialized skills like Food Tasting, or Chemical Analysis.

Skill Modifiers:
These modifiers are intended as guidelines only, and will need to be tailored to each situation.

Identifying:
+10 Unique appearance
+5 Unusual looking
-5 Looks similar to non-poisonous plant, animal, etc.
-10 Looks identical to non-poisonous plant, animal, etc.

Collecting:
(+5 to +15) Protection (gloves, armor, etc.)
(-5 to -15) Hazardous (fangs, thorns, etc.)

Preparing:
(+5 to +15) Protection (gloves, armor, etc.)
(-5 to -15) Hazardous (fangs, thorns, etc.)

Calculating Dosage:
-10 Unusual race
-5 Unfamiliar race
+5 Familiar race
+10 Same race as character

Administering Dosage:
+5 Obvious poisoning
-5 Hard to detect poisoning
-10 Difficult to detect poisoning
-15 Virtually undetectable poisoning

Poison Effects:
While Poisoners have little regard for life, they are not bloodthirsty either, and should not be played as such. he effects of poisons range from diarrhea and discomfort, to vomiting, convulsions, delirium, and death. Poisoners will not always be concerned with killing a victim, they may simply want to induce symptoms that would occupy the victim at a key time.

Corrosives:
Strong acids and alkalies that cause direct tissue damage are classified as corrosives. They can be used internally, on the stomach and intestines, or externally, on the skin. These poisons are designated a damage value like a normal weapon, but internal damage is handled differently. The first round damage is the D value specified, the second round it is that value -1D, the third -2D, etc. For example, lursinia is a powerful alkali that does 5D internally the first round, 4D the second, 3D the third, 2D the fourth, and 1D the fifth. GMs can modify base damage for dosage, and the race being used against.

Irritants:
Irritants act on the mucous membranes, causing inflammation often accompanied by pain and vomiting. Dilute corrosive poisons have a similar effect. Damage is sometimes limited to stun only and figured the same way that damage for corrosives are, with the modification that recovery times - such as recovering from being stunned or wounded - should be doubled. There may be additional effects such as vomiting and diarrhea at the GM's discretion.

Irritants also include cumulative poisons that can build up gradually without obvious harm until a potent, often lethal dosage is reached. Damage for cumulative poisons is related to how each dosage affects a specific individual. At minimum lethal dosage the character must make a moderate STR roll. As dosage increases they will make another roll at difficult level, and later at heroic level, and so on if they do not stop the intake of poison. If they makes the roll by 10 or more there is no noticeable effect. if they make the roll by 5-9 points they will be nauseous and pale, and suffer a -1 to their STR until they recover. If they make the roll by 1-4 they will be -2 STR and extremely ill, most likely bed ridden. If a character's STR is reduced to 0, they will be rendered comatose. A failed STR roll means death.

Narcotics:
Narcotic poisons work directly on the nervous systems, internal organs, respiratory and circulatory systems. These poisons cause convulsions, delirium, coma, and death. Damage is figured the same way that it is figured for cumulative poisons, above, but effects are much quicker as the poison doesn't build up over time so it must be administered in near lethal or greater dosages.

Asphyxiants:
Asphyxiants restrict the body's ability to absorb life-giving gasses. This type of poison is usually found in the form of a gas, though poison gasses can also be corrosives or irritants. The easiest way to handle this type of poison is to make it a cumulative stun damage. The gas does 1D stun the first round, 2D the second, etc. until the character is unconscious. Once unconscious the character will take normal damage starting at 1D the first round, 2D the second, until the character dies or is rescued from the gas.

New Equipment:

Poisoner's Tool Kit
Availability: 3, X
Cost: N/A but black market copies of the kit can cost 5000 - 25000 credits
This is the specialized tool kit all Malkite Poisoners receive upon completion of their training by the Poisoner's Guild. It serves as repository for poisons that are ready for use; it holds the tools needed in collecting, preparing, and administering most forms of toxin; and it serves as a badge that can be used to identify the holder as a Malkite Poisoner. Because of this the kit becomes a Poisoner's most guarded possession, and many Poisoners will protect the kit by placing it in another protective case when it is not directly in use. Simply being caught with such a kit is a death sentence on several worlds, and would bring loathing and suspicion on many others. Despite the variety of equipment it contains, the case and the tools are actually quite small and able to be concealed in a large pocket.

Contents:

1. 12 vials for poison storage
2. protective eyewear and gloves designed for the owner
3. retractable grip with utility attachments for gripping, slicing, sawing, shaving, and grinding
4. laser scalpel
5. 2 syringes with 5 separate gauges of needles
6. 5 membranes for use in venom collection
7. 2 collapsible clear beakers
8. small adjustable burner/torch with stand
9. pestle and mortar
10. micro-scale
11. sieve/filter
12. drying rack for plants/skins
13. inert oils/gels for use in making contact poisons

In addition to the Poisoner's Kit, most Malkite Poisoners will carry other equipment designed to aid them in their profession such as: medical kits; knives/blades with groves for holding poisons; dart weapons (blowguns or pistols); poisonous animals and plants; etc..

Character Template:

Malkite Poisoner
Species: Human
Background: You grew up on the sector capitol, the son of a wealthy political family that had represented the sector in the Imperial Senate for years. After your father protested the dissolution of the Senate by the Emperor, your planet was reduced to rubble by an Imperial torpedo sphere. You alone escaped and used what remained of your personal fortune to enroll in the Poisoner's Guild on Malkini.
Personality: Kindly and pleasant enough on the outside, but cold and ruthlessness are hidden just beneath.
Objectives: To eradicate the Imperial scum who wiped out your family, and see the death of the dictatorship.
A Quote: "Please, Moff Geary, try a taste of this - you'll never drink anything else!"
DEXTERITY: 2D+2
KNOWLEDGE: 3D+2
MECHANICAL: 2D
PERCEPTION: 3D+1
STRENGTH: 3D
TECHNICAL: 3D+1
Special Abilities:
Poisoning Skill: The character gets 2D for every 1D spent on this skill only when the character is created, the character must purchase the requirements for this skill at normal cost.
Move: 10
Equipment: 5,000 credits, Comlink, Poisoner's Tool Kit, Breath Mask, Medpac, Sporting Blaster, Grooved Knife (Very Easy, STR+1D damage)

©1998 Craig Griswold