Poison

This article is about the detriment. For the item needed for the Ernest the Chicken quest, see Poison (item).

Not to be confused with Venom.

A player taking damage from poison

Poison is a detriment that players and monsters suffer when they are attacked by a poisonous weapon. Also, the set of spells from the Ancient Magicks cause their target(s) to become poisoned. Many NPCs are able to inflict poison. The maximum damage from this can range from 1 to over 20 depending on the type of poison.

When a player or monster is poisoned, a number appears with a green hitsplat () instead of a red or blue one, indicating the amount of damage the poison has dealt. Poison wears off over time, decreasing by a value of one for every four times it strikes.

For instance, if a player is hit by another player wielding a regular poisoned dagger, they would be hit for 4 damage every minute (four times), then 3 damage every minute (four times), then 2 damage every minute (four times), then 1 damage every minute (four times), and then the poison would be gone.

Some monsters must inflict damage in order to poison a player (snakes, spiders, etc.) while others will inflict poison regardless of damage (Cave slime). Player inflicted poison does need to deal damage to apply.

The list of poisons in terms of deadliness are as such:

• Weak thieving poison by opening some thieving chests: 1,2
• Default poison and abyssal tentacle: 4, 2
• Strong poison: 5, 3
• Super and Karambwan poison: 6, 4
• Converted venom to poison by drinking any antipoison potion once: 6
• NPC poison: 8-20

The serpentine helm while worn provides full immunity to poison, as well as venom.

Weapon poisoning

Weapons can be poisoned by weapon poisons made through the Herblore skill. There are several types of weapon poisons which deal progressively more damage. Only spears, arrows, bolts, darts, throwing knives, javelins, daggers, and hastae could be poisoned. The abyssal tentacle can also poison.

• Weapon poison - poisoning deals 4 damage initially with melee weapons, 2 damage with ranged. (p)
• Weapon poison (+) - hits for 5 damage with melee, 3 with ranged (p+)
• Weapon poison (++) - hits for 6 damage with melee, 4 with ranged (p++)
• Karambwan paste - hits for 6 damage, cannot be cured by normal antipoison. It can only be applied to spears or hastae (except the zamorakian hasta and Bone spear)
• Emerald bolts (e) - hits for 5 damage

Notes

• A weapon poison potion can only be used on 5 thrown objects before running out, e.g. 5 Arrows or 5 Darts.
• If you poisoned a monster while fighting it, you will not receive experience from the poison damage. Some monsters, such as Wall beasts, Turoths, Waterfiends, and the God Wars Dungeon bosses, are immune to poison.
• Poison can be removed from weapons with a cleaning cloth, obtained by using Karamja rum with Silk.

Curing poison

Poison can be cured through antidotes in the form of anti-poison potions. Anti-poison potions come in various levels which provide progressively longer immunity to poisoning.

• Antipoison (2 minutes)
• Superantipoison (6 minutes)
• Antidote+ (9 minutes)
• Antidote++ (12 minutes)
• Prayer book (no immunity)
• Strange fruit (no immunity)
• Guthix rest (reduces poison damage per hit by 1)
• Sanfew serum
• Cure Me (no immunity)
• Cure Other (no immunity)
• Cure Group (no immunity)

See also

• Venom
• Disease

Trivia

• If you are poisoned, you can simply left-click the hitpoints icon on the minimap to cure it, as long as you have any sort of antipoison in your inventory.
• Being afflicted by poison does not interrupt certain skilling actions, such as Woodcutting or Fishing.

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