Virulent (weapon quality)

The virulent weapon quality was one that hastened the speed at which poison delivered by the weapon affected the victim.

Description
A virulent weapon was always a light weapon. Its surface was not even but dotted with oozing pits.

Powers
A virulent quality did not affect any of the weapon's other qualities, like sharpness. Instead, it affected contact or injury poison coated on it. Poisons on the weapon became harder to resist. Apart from that, poisons usually caused initial and secondary reactions from the body it was delivered into. The virulent quality doubled the speed at which a poison's secondary reaction affected the target's body.

As mentioned above, a virulent weapon seeped a fluid from the pits that dotted its surface. This fluid was also a poison that hurt those that were hit by the weapon.

Creating such a weapon required a poison spell.

History
The virulent quality was a weapon quality associated with the drow. Most such weapons had imagery of spiders, spider webs, or demons.