All,

In my campaign, we are about to start 490. One of my players has approached me about trying to hire a poisoner, specifically, one of the Saxon Kings leading one of the armies. I know what I plan on doing, unless the replies to this post changes my mind, but I am curious about repercussions in glory, honor, exilement, etc if and when he is found out.

Unless he is Sicilian, poisoning is not very honourable. I'd say that he would lose 1-3 honour in my game and it would be likely that most honourable knights would get a +5-10 suspicious of him in the future. I would still give him the glory, after all he will be infamous because of it. I wouldn't have him exiled. But he may feel that would be better punishment when his manors are raided and he can't get any support from his fellow knights or even his lord.

As you can see, a knight using poison in my game is inconceivable. ;)

I must disagree! If u are caught being responsible for poisioning you lose an immediate 10 honor minimum, maybe more. anyone that knows certainly gain large directed traits on suspicious and maybe even vengeful. Some might gain Hate passions of u. And I must say that I would probably have u declared outlaw, and strip you of knight status. All this is assuming that u were caught red handed without a doubt. It is very serious, and no knight would have anything to do with u. That is why I think in Malory that it is GOOD that sir Marhaus died fighting Trystan, because they soon discover that he was fighting with a poisoned lance. He would have been shunned if he had survived anyway,. at least among the Round table knights that he so belonged to. It is among one of the most dishonourable acts a knight could ever commit.

Oh boy - poison and fraternizing with the enemy. This might be the period of might is right, but this smacks of cowardice and downright unknightly behaviour... I think checks in cowardice and loss of honour at least. I also think the suggestions of directed traits against him (suspicious etc.) are certainly apropriate. If I were a lord and he was one of my knights, I would have a long hard think about whether or not I'd want him serving me. Are we looking at a lordless knight in the making with the prejudices and complications that can cause?

Oh boy - poison and fraternizing with the enemy. This might be the period of might is right, but this smacks of cowardice and downright unknightly behaviour... I think checks in cowardice and loss of honour at least. I also think the suggestions of directed traits against him (suspicious etc.) are certainly apropriate. If I were a lord and he was one of my knights, I would have a long hard think about whether or not I'd want him serving me. Are we looking at a lordless knight in the making with the prejudices and complications that can cause?


No, the player just ended up with a notable trait in Hate Saxons and Cruelty (went raiding, plundering, pillaging, and scouring against the Saxons). So, he's playing his new passions to the hilt and brought this as a suggestion. I was making sure my thoughts are in line with other GMs.

:-[ Misunderstood - thought he was hiring a Saxon poisoner!

I misunderstood too. i thought the same. Well hell..............theres nothing at all wrong with poisioning Saxons. They poison everyone else right! And hell... they have no honour either. What a good chap. Seriously though.... It might seem arbitrary but I wouldnt be as hard on the honor loss, etc.... because he is not using it against other Knightly foes, but he would still lose honor and gain a reputation among saxons and britons if it were discovered. The fact that he is poisoning saxons makes it more uncertain. certainly there will be knights who see the saxons as inhuman scum( a lot of knights too since so many have Hate:saxons), but there will no doubt be plenty of knights who are too honourable for that sort of behaviour. It has been a bit of a joke in our campaign that the Roman knights of Britian are all poisoners and plotting backstabbers by nature. At least that is the viewpoint our knight characters share. just like an IRISH Prince is just the equivelent of a normal british knight. Why? Why, because he's Irish man... whaddda you mean?! ;D

Definitely a loss of Honor, possibly a Cowardice check (though I'd see how this was played; if poisoning was done to weaken the enemy before breaking them on the field, as opposed to stopping a fight, then it's not worth a cowardice check). A few Britons will look at him suspiciously, several Saxons with hate.

And his lord will probably give him a quiet clap on the back while publically keeping his mouth shut.