Poison is a detriment that players and monsters may suffer when they are attacked by a poisoned weapon or poisonous non-player characters. The damage can range from 1 to theoretically over 10,000 (Har'Lakk the Riftsplitter's accumulating poison), and it strikes every 10 seconds or whenever an attack re-applies it. Poison can be cured by an antipoison, which is handy to have when fighting poisonous monsters.

When a player or monster is poisoned, a number appears with a green hitsplat (), indicating the amount of damage the poison has dealt to their life points.

Being afflicted by poison does not disrupt skilling, Home Teleport, or put the player into combat stance, but players cannot rest if they are poisoned. Players will not take damage from poison during cutscenes, but their health still regenerates normally.

Inflicting poison

Weapon poison

Weapon poison is made through the Herblore skill. When the poison is used, the player's attacks will become poisonous for a limited time. Any attack style can benefit from weapon poison, including magic spells. Multi-target abilities like Ricochet will have a chance to apply poison to secondary targets.

The duration for which weapons will be poisonous depends on the strength of poison used:

• Weapon poison - time limit: 2 minute 30 seconds duration - The current Grand Exchange price is 62 per dose.
• Weapon poison+ or Extra strong weapon poison - time limit: 5 minute duration - The current Grand Exchange price is 839 coins per (1) dose.
• Weapon poison++ or Super strong weapon poison - time limit: 10 minute duration - The current Grand Exchange price is 4,262 coins per (1) dose.
• Spirit scorpion - Venom shot applies weapon poison to the player for 30 seconds.

Other poison

• Cinderbane gloves - Cinderbane gloves have a passive effect that applies poison to targets while worn. If the target is already poisoned, the gloves add a chance for poison hits to refresh the poison effect and dealing an extra hit. This extra hit can do the same and so on, potentially causing a chain of rapid poison hits.
• Wyvern crossbow - Successful hits causes rapid poison bleeds that increases in damage the longer the time spent in combat against the enemy
• Emerald bolts (e) - Mithril bolts can be made with level 53 Smithing and level 54 Fletching. Emerald bolt tips can be added at level 58 Fletching, then enchanted with level 27 Magic. These poison the target when their special effect activates.
• Stranger plant - Poisonous blast has a 50% chance to inflict poison on its target.

Poison sources

Several of Gielinor's monsters are naturally venomous, inflicting the poison effect on players periodically during combat, while others have special attacks that inflict poison.

Additionally, there are other sources of poison, especially from triggering traps, that are commonly associated with the Agility and Thieving skills.

Poisonous monsters

Obstacles

Cure and prevention

Poison can be cured using various types of remedies, some of which provide an immunity. Antipoison potions are the most popular antidote and they come in various levels which provide progressively longer immunity to poisoning. All regular poisons can be cured by regular antipoison, even that inflicted upon players by K'ril Tsutsaroth.

Poison can be cured by left-clicking on the heart icon next to the health bar when it is green with poison. This requires the player to have an antipoison in their inventory.

Cure and immunity

Cure only

Miscellaneous

• Poison purge aura converts poison damage into healing
• Inoculation brace absorbs 500 poison damage before breaking
• Anti-poison totem prevents poison while equipped but will not cure it
• Venomblood perk prevents poison when its item is equipped but will not cure it

A safe alternative for players is to teleport to their Player-owned house; dying there will result in no items being lost. Additionally, leaving the house by using the teleportation methods available (e.g. mounted amulet of glory, the portal chamber, Exit Portal) will also cure poison completely.

Trivia

• Picking nettles or farmed cave nightshade barehanded will inflict poison damage, as suggested by the green hitsplat, but will only hit once, leaving the player without any poison effect.
• With the introduction of the Evolution of Combat, many significant changes to poison's mechanics were made.
  • Poison used to always slowly reduce in damage over time in a regular order.
  • Weapon poisons were used on a special weapon (arrows, daggers or spears) to make them poisonous until removed with a cleaning cloth.
  • Karambwan paste caused spears and hastae to become poisonous when the paste was applied to them. The paste no longer has any poison effect on the weapons, and weapons with karambwan paste applied to them may not be used in combat.
  • Smoke Spells from the Ancient Magicks spellbook could potentially poison targets and was the only way to do so using magic.
• Most poisonous monsters are technically venomous, not poisonous - poisons are absorbed, consumed, or inhaled by the victim, whereas venoms are injected into the victim by bites or stings.
  • In addition to poison, Old School RuneScape also has a venom mechanic. While poison decreases damage over time, venom damage increases over time. An antipoison potion turns venom into normal poison, and new anti-venom potions can completely cure it.

See also

• Karambwan paste