Follow TV Tropes

Following

History Main / OneDoseFitsAll

Go To

OR

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* In general, if a game features any kind of poison or sedation mechanic it's likely to be an example of this trope, assuming the enemies the poison or sedative can be used on are of diverse sizes and constitutions. This could probably be considered an example of an [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality acceptable break from reality]] or an [[AntiFrustrationFeatures Anti-Frustration Feature]], as enemies responding differently to drugs depending on their size wouldn't exactly be a [[FakeDifficulty meaningful test of the player's relevant skills]], and would be likely to annoy them more than anything.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

[[/folder]]

Added: 550

Changed: 612

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[AC:{{Film}}]]

to:

[[AC:{{Film}}]] [[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:{{Film}}]]




[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

to:

\n[[AC:{{Literature}}]] [[/folder]]

[[folder:{{Literature}}]]




[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

to:

\n[[AC:LiveActionTV]] [[/folder]]

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]




[[AC:TabletopGames]]

to:

\n[[AC:TabletopGames]][[/folder]]

[[folder:TabletopGames]]



[[AC:VideoGames]]

to:

[[AC:VideoGames]] [[folder:VideoGames]]




[[AC:Webcomics]]

to:

\n[[AC:Webcomics]] [[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]




[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': As a bear wanders through Springfield, Chief Wiggum tries to shoot it with a tranquilizer dart. The first shot hits Barney instead, while the second shot connects. Both Barney and the bear react the same (despite the differences in time of administration, body mass, constitution and ''species''), and there is no indication that the tranq shot into Barney gave him any long-term ill effects.

to:

\n[[AC:WesternAnimation]] \n[[/folder]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': As a bear wanders through Springfield, Chief Wiggum tries to shoot it with a tranquilizer dart. The first shot hits Barney instead, while the second shot connects. Both Barney and the bear react the same (despite the differences in time of administration, body mass, constitution and ''species''), and there is no indication that the tranq shot into Barney gave him any long-term ill effects. effects.
[[/folder]]

Added: 1467

Changed: 1224

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Zig-zagged in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', due to GameplayAndStorySegregation. This game is the first in the series to feature a tranquillizer pistol (and also a tranquillizer sniper rifle, which works exactly the same way), with which enemies can be dispatched non-lethally. Tranquillizer darts will be equally effective on any regular enemy regardless of size, provided they are not wearing full body armour, making this a straight example. In boss fights, however, it's played with. Bosses can also be defeated non-lethally, but rather than knocking them out with a single dart to the head, they instead have a "stamina" bar (much like their regular health meter) which depletes the more they get hit by tranquillizer darts. However, this stamina bar is based not on the enemy's size, physical fitness or constitution, but rather simply scales up linearly as part of the game's difficulty curve. So it's averted, but in the interests of gameplay rather than realism (could be considered an AcceptableBreakFromReality, as the boss fights would be very anticlimactic if the bosses reacted to tranquillizer darts the same way the regular enemies do). This also goes for the [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 third game]] in the series.

to:

* ''Franchise/MetalGear'':
**
Zig-zagged in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', due to GameplayAndStorySegregation. This game is the first in the series to feature a tranquillizer pistol (and also a tranquillizer sniper rifle, which works exactly the same way), with which enemies can be dispatched non-lethally. Tranquillizer darts will be equally effective on any regular enemy regardless of size, provided they are not wearing full body armour, making this a straight example. In boss fights, however, it's played with. Bosses can also be defeated non-lethally, but rather than knocking them out with a single dart to the head, they instead have a "stamina" bar (much like their regular health meter) which depletes the more they get hit by tranquillizer darts. However, this stamina bar is based not on the enemy's size, physical fitness or constitution, but rather simply scales up linearly as part of the game's difficulty curve. So it's averted, but in the interests of gameplay rather than realism (could be considered an AcceptableBreakFromReality, as the boss fights would be very anticlimactic if the bosses reacted to tranquillizer darts the same way the regular enemies do). This
** The above description
also goes for the [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 third game]] in the series. series.
** It likewise applies to ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid: The Twin Snakes'', a VideoGameRemake of the first game which essentially remade the first game but with all of the mechanics featured in ''Metal Gear Solid 2''.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* The tranquillizer rifle in the original ''VideoGame/{{Manhunt}}'' will knock out all enemies practically instantly, regardless of size.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Lampshaded in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' with an inversion of the poison aspect of this trope, as Miko tells her summoned warhorse Windstriker that [[YouAreFat it's fortunate that healing potions don't need to be adjusted for body mass]] (in fairness, most people are not in the best mood after having a horse land on them).

to:

* Lampshaded in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' with an inversion of the poison aspect of this trope, as Miko tells her summoned warhorse Windstriker that [[YouAreFat it's fortunate that healing potions don't need to be adjusted for body mass]] (in fairness, most people are not in the best mood after having a horse land on them).
them).
** V also invokes a similiar sentiment (with snark about how it belies logic) when s/he feeds a giant T-Rex an assortment of potions.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


A sub-trope of ArtisticLicenseMedicine, ArtisticLicenseBiology, and ArtisticLicensePharmacology. See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey, and TamperingWithFoodAndDrink. If the same drug affects people the same way despite differences in species (including, for example, humans and aliens in SpeculativeFiction works), this trope overlaps with NoBiochemicalBarriers.

to:

A sub-trope of ArtisticLicenseMedicine, ArtisticLicenseBiology, and ArtisticLicensePharmacology. See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey, and TamperingWithFoodAndDrink. If the same drug affects people the same way despite differences in species (including, for example, humans and aliens in SpeculativeFiction works), this trope overlaps with NoBiochemicalBarriers.
NoBiochemicalBarriers. For a more violent and equally unrealistic means of rendering someone unconscious, see TapOnTheHead.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' features a drug called "Essence of Nightshade". It's not seen being used, but Pycelle (the setting's equivalent of an apothecary) claims one drop is a powerful sleeping agent while ten is fatal, which ignores both the difference in body mass of the user.

to:

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' features a drug called "Essence of Nightshade". It's not seen being used, but Pycelle (the setting's equivalent of an apothecary) claims one drop is a powerful sleeping agent while ten is fatal, which ignores both the difference in body mass of the user.
victim.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Actually, a \"drop\" is an antiquated imperial unit of volume (see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_%28unit%29), although given the fantasy setting that may not be relevant. In any case, the important thing is that the show ignores the body mass of the victim.


* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' features a drug called "Essence of Nightshade". It's not seen being used, but Pycelle (the setting's equivalent of an apothecary) claims one drop is a powerful sleeping agent while ten is fatal, which ignores both the difference in body mass of the user and that "drops" are not fixed measurements.

to:

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' features a drug called "Essence of Nightshade". It's not seen being used, but Pycelle (the setting's equivalent of an apothecary) claims one drop is a powerful sleeping agent while ten is fatal, which ignores both the difference in body mass of the user and that "drops" are not fixed measurements.
user.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' features a drug called "Essence of Nightshade". It's not seen being used, but Pycelle (the setting's equivalent of an apothecary) claims one drop is a powerful sleeping agent while ten is fatal, which ignores both the difference in body mass of the user and that "drops" are not fixed measurements.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Lampshaded in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' with an inversion of the poison aspect of this trope, as Miko tells her summoned warhorse Windstriker that it's fortunate that healing potions don't need to be adjusted for body mass, snidely implying he's been getting fat (in fairness, most people are not in the best mood after having a horse land on them).

to:

* Lampshaded in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' with an inversion of the poison aspect of this trope, as Miko tells her summoned warhorse Windstriker that [[YouAreFat it's fortunate that healing potions don't need to be adjusted for body mass, snidely implying he's been getting fat mass]] (in fairness, most people are not in the best mood after having a horse land on them).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''Series/BreakingBad''. In "Salud", Gus proffers Don Eladio of the Mexican cartel a bottle of poisoned tequila, which he serves to Gus and his men, and also takes a shot himself (Gus has already taken an antidote to minimize the effects, and shortly afterwards makes himself sick). Sometime later, the Don and all of his men drop dead within a few seconds of each other, despite the differences in size between them (the man standing guard outside the bathroom when Gus is making himself sick is easily twice the size of the Don himself, for example).

to:

* ''Series/BreakingBad''. In "Salud", Gus proffers Don Eladio of the Mexican cartel a bottle of poisoned tequila, which he serves to Gus and his men, and also takes a shot himself (Gus has already taken an antidote to minimize the effects, and shortly afterwards makes himself sick).induces vomiting to get rid of what he could). Sometime later, the Don and all of his men drop dead within a few seconds of each other, despite the differences in size between them (the man standing guard outside the bathroom when Gus is making himself sick is easily twice the size of the Don himself, for example).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
It\'s still unlikely because of how random people\'s brains work, but not because of random/same dosage—they had to specifically get a specialist to measure the proper amounts of sedatives.


* TheCaper in ''Film/{{Inception}}'' depends on six people with a fairly wide range of body types reaching the dream state within a couple seconds of one another. Either they're playing this one straight, or someone is doing some very complicated math behind the scenes.

to:

* TheCaper in ''Film/{{Inception}}'' depends on six people with a fairly wide range of body types reaching the dream state within a couple seconds of one another. Either they're playing this one straight, or someone is doing some very complicated math behind the scenes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': As a bear wanders through Springfield, Chief Wiggum tries to shoot it with a tranquilizer dart. The first shot hits Barney instead, while the second shot connects. Both Barney and the bear react the same (despite the differences in time of administration, body mass, constitution and ''species''), and there is no indication that the tranq shot into Barney gave him any ill effects.

to:

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': As a bear wanders through Springfield, Chief Wiggum tries to shoot it with a tranquilizer dart. The first shot hits Barney instead, while the second shot connects. Both Barney and the bear react the same (despite the differences in time of administration, body mass, constitution and ''species''), and there is no indication that the tranq shot into Barney gave him any long-term ill effects.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* TheCaper in ''Film/{{Inception}}'' depends on six people with a fairly wide range of body types reaching the dream state within a couple seconds of one another. Either they're playing this one straight, or someone is doing some very complicated math behind the scenes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Zig-zagged in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': drugs, toxins, and other chemicals affect every character equally with the same nebulous quantity of a single dose, whether it be an ordinary human, an ork built like a pro linebacker, or a two-and-a-half meter, three-hundred kilogram troll. The only concession made for different body sizes is that the subject's Body attribute reduces the duration of the effect to a minimum specified in the chemical's description; the troll ''will'' fall asleep when läes'd, even if it's the same size dose as the human got, but he'll wake up sooner and remember more.

to:

* Zig-zagged in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': drugs, toxins, and other chemicals affect every character equally with the same nebulous quantity of a single dose, whether it be an ordinary human, an ork built like a pro linebacker, or a two-and-a-half meter, three-hundred kilogram troll. The only concession made for different body sizes is that the subject's Body attribute reduces the duration of the effect to a minimum specified in the chemical's description; the troll ''will'' fall asleep when läes'd, laës'd, even if it's the same size dose as the human got, but he'll wake up sooner and remember more.

Added: 623

Changed: 78

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


This trope refers to those FridgeLogic-y moments in which a poison (or sedative, tranquillizer, medicine etc.) is administered to several different people and takes effect on all of them after roughly the same period of time and with the same effects, despite differences in body mass, how much of the substance was administered and constitution. In particularly glaring examples such as the one above, the poison is administered near-simultaneously to everyone concerned, all of whom drop dead within seconds of each other. It can also apply if the different individuals are of different species, such as a poison simultaneously administered to both an adult male and a dog, who nonetheless react identically to any poison administered. Supposing that in our example above Bob is a human whereas Carol is a three-headed Martian whose species evolved under entirely different circumstances to our own. How could we possibly expect Carol to react to being poisoned (sedated etc.) in the same way as Bob?

to:

This trope refers to those FridgeLogic-y moments in which a poison (or sedative, tranquillizer, medicine etc.) is administered to several different people and takes effect on all of them after roughly the same period of time and with the same effects, despite differences in body mass, how much of the substance was administered and constitution. In particularly glaring examples such as the one above, the poison is administered near-simultaneously to everyone concerned, all of whom drop dead within seconds of each other. It can also apply if the different individuals are of different species, such as a poison simultaneously administered to both an adult male and a dog, who nonetheless react identically to any poison administered. Supposing that that, in our example above above, Bob is a human whereas Carol is a three-headed Martian whose species evolved under entirely different circumstances to our own. How own, how could we possibly expect Carol to react to being poisoned (sedated etc.) in the same way as Bob?
Bob to being poisoned (sedated, etc.)?



This trope is related to, but distinct from, InstantSedation. In InstantSedation, a drug is administered to a person or group of people and the drug takes effect after a very brief space of time (say, a few seconds). In this trope, it does not matter how long it takes the drug to take effect (from a few seconds to several days), as long as it takes effect on all of the victims after roughly the same period of time (despite differences in dosage, body mass and constitution). The two tropes can often overlap, however.

A sub-trope of ArtisticLicenseMedicine, ArtisticLicenseBiology and ArtisticLicensePharmacology. See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey and TamperingWithFoodAndDrink. If the same drug affects people the same way despite differences in species (including, for example, humans and aliens in SpeculativeFiction works), this trope overlaps with NoBiochemicalBarriers.

'''Note:''' The key element of this trope is that it shows the same substance affecting ''more than one entity'' (human, animal, alien etc.) in the same way, even if it logically shouldn't (because of differences in dosage, body mass, constitution, species etc.). If you have an example of a poison or sedative etc. affecting just ''one'' individual, it's not this trope.

to:

This trope is related to, but distinct from, InstantSedation. In InstantSedation, a drug is administered to a person or group of people and the drug takes effect after a very brief space of time (say, a few seconds). In this trope, it does not matter how long it takes the drug to take effect (from a few seconds to several days), as long as it takes effect on all of the victims after roughly the same period of time (despite differences in dosage, body mass mass, and constitution). The two tropes can often overlap, however.

A sub-trope of ArtisticLicenseMedicine, ArtisticLicenseBiology ArtisticLicenseBiology, and ArtisticLicensePharmacology. See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey SlippingAMickey, and TamperingWithFoodAndDrink. If the same drug affects people the same way despite differences in species (including, for example, humans and aliens in SpeculativeFiction works), this trope overlaps with NoBiochemicalBarriers.

'''Note:''' The key element of this trope is that it shows the same substance affecting ''more than one entity'' (human, animal, alien etc.) in the same way, even if it logically shouldn't (because of differences in dosage, body mass, constitution, species species, etc.). If you have an example of a poison or sedative etc. affecting just ''one'' individual, it's not this trope.



* ''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother''. The pills Sacker puts in the wine during the opera scene. When the various actors drink the wine, they instantly collapse.

to:

* ''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother''. The pills In ''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother'', Sacker puts pills in the wine during the opera scene. When the various actors drink the wine, they instantly collapse.


Added DiffLines:

[[AC:TabletopGames]]
* Zig-zagged in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': drugs, toxins, and other chemicals affect every character equally with the same nebulous quantity of a single dose, whether it be an ordinary human, an ork built like a pro linebacker, or a two-and-a-half meter, three-hundred kilogram troll. The only concession made for different body sizes is that the subject's Body attribute reduces the duration of the effect to a minimum specified in the chemical's description; the troll ''will'' fall asleep when läes'd, even if it's the same size dose as the human got, but he'll wake up sooner and remember more.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Zig-zagged in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', due to GameplayAndStorySegregation. This game is the first in the series to feature a tranquillizer pistol, with which enemies can be dispatched non-lethally. Tranquillizer darts will be equally effective on any regular enemy regardless of size, provided they are not wearing full body armour, making this a straight example. In boss fights, however, it's played with. Bosses can also be defeated non-lethally, but rather than knocking them out with a single dart to the head, they instead have a "stamina" bar (much like their regular health meter) which depletes the more they get hit by tranquillizer darts. However, this stamina bar is based not on the enemy's size, physical fitness or constitution, but rather simply scales up linearly as part of the game's difficulty curve. So it's averted, but in the interests of gameplay rather than realism (could be considered an AcceptableBreakFromReality, as the boss fights would be very anticlimactic if the bosses reacted to tranquillizer darts the same way the regular enemies do). This also goes for the [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 third game]] in the series.

to:

* Zig-zagged in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', due to GameplayAndStorySegregation. This game is the first in the series to feature a tranquillizer pistol, pistol (and also a tranquillizer sniper rifle, which works exactly the same way), with which enemies can be dispatched non-lethally. Tranquillizer darts will be equally effective on any regular enemy regardless of size, provided they are not wearing full body armour, making this a straight example. In boss fights, however, it's played with. Bosses can also be defeated non-lethally, but rather than knocking them out with a single dart to the head, they instead have a "stamina" bar (much like their regular health meter) which depletes the more they get hit by tranquillizer darts. However, this stamina bar is based not on the enemy's size, physical fitness or constitution, but rather simply scales up linearly as part of the game's difficulty curve. So it's averted, but in the interests of gameplay rather than realism (could be considered an AcceptableBreakFromReality, as the boss fights would be very anticlimactic if the bosses reacted to tranquillizer darts the same way the regular enemies do). This also goes for the [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 third game]] in the series.
* ''VideoGame/SecondSight'' features a tranquillizer gun. Any enemy hit by a single dart will be out cold indefinitely, regardless of size or constitution. A body shot will take some time to take effect, whereas hitting them in the head or neck will [[InstantSedation knock them out instantly]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


A sub-trope of ArtisticLicenseMedicine, ArtisticLicenseBiology and ArtisticLicensePharmacology. See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey and TamperingWithFoodAndDrink. If the same drug affects people the same way despite differences in species (including, for example, humans and aliens in SpeculativeFiction works), this trope overlaps with NoBiochemicalBarriers. Often overlaps with GambitRoulette, in that whenever this trope isn't a complete physical impossibility, it nevertheless relies heavily on luck and chance to pull off successfully.

to:

A sub-trope of ArtisticLicenseMedicine, ArtisticLicenseBiology and ArtisticLicensePharmacology. See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey and TamperingWithFoodAndDrink. If the same drug affects people the same way despite differences in species (including, for example, humans and aliens in SpeculativeFiction works), this trope overlaps with NoBiochemicalBarriers. Often overlaps with GambitRoulette, in that whenever this trope isn't a complete physical impossibility, it nevertheless relies heavily on luck and chance to pull off successfully.
NoBiochemicalBarriers.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


This trope refers to those FridgeLogic-y moments in which a poison (or sedative, tranquillizer, medicine etc.) is administered to several different people and takes effect on all of them after roughly the same period of time and with the same effects, despite differences in body mass, how much of the substance was administered and constitution. In particularly glaring examples such as the one above, the poison is administered near-simultaneously to everyone concerned, all of whom drop dead within seconds of each other. It can also apply if the different individuals are of different species, such as a poison simultaneously administered to both an adult male and a dog (or an adult male and an alien, in ScienceFiction works), who nonetheless react identically to any poison administered.

to:

This trope refers to those FridgeLogic-y moments in which a poison (or sedative, tranquillizer, medicine etc.) is administered to several different people and takes effect on all of them after roughly the same period of time and with the same effects, despite differences in body mass, how much of the substance was administered and constitution. In particularly glaring examples such as the one above, the poison is administered near-simultaneously to everyone concerned, all of whom drop dead within seconds of each other. It can also apply if the different individuals are of different species, such as a poison simultaneously administered to both an adult male and a dog (or an adult male and an alien, in ScienceFiction works), dog, who nonetheless react identically to any poison administered.
administered. Supposing that in our example above Bob is a human whereas Carol is a three-headed Martian whose species evolved under entirely different circumstances to our own. How could we possibly expect Carol to react to being poisoned (sedated etc.) in the same way as Bob?



This trope is related to, but distinct from, InstantSedation. In InstantSedation, a drug is administered to a person or group of people and the drug takes effect after a very brief space of time (say, a few seconds). In this trope, it does not matter how long it takes the drug to take effect (from a few seconds to several days), as long as it takes effect on all of the victims after roughly the same period of time (despite differences in dosage, body mass and constitution).

to:

This trope is related to, but distinct from, InstantSedation. In InstantSedation, a drug is administered to a person or group of people and the drug takes effect after a very brief space of time (say, a few seconds). In this trope, it does not matter how long it takes the drug to take effect (from a few seconds to several days), as long as it takes effect on all of the victims after roughly the same period of time (despite differences in dosage, body mass and constitution). \n The two tropes can often overlap, however.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


'''Note:''' The key element of this trope is that it shows the same substance affecting ''more than one person'' or animal in the same way, even if it logically shouldn't (because of differences in dosage, body mass, constitution, species etc.). If you have an example of a poison or sedative etc. affecting just ''one'' individual, it's not this trope.

to:

'''Note:''' The key element of this trope is that it shows the same substance affecting ''more than one person'' or animal entity'' (human, animal, alien etc.) in the same way, even if it logically shouldn't (because of differences in dosage, body mass, constitution, species etc.). If you have an example of a poison or sedative etc. affecting just ''one'' individual, it's not this trope.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


This trope refers to those FridgeLogic-y moments in which a poison (or sedative, tranquillizer, medicine etc.) is administered to several different people and takes effect on all of them after roughly the same period of time and with the same effects, despite differences in body mass, how much of the substance was administered and constitution. In particularly glaring examples such as the one above, the poison is administered near-simultaneously to everyone concerned, all of whom drop dead within seconds of each other. It can also apply if the different individuals are of different species, such as a poison simultaneously administered to both an adult male and a dog, who nonetheless react identically to any poison administered.

to:

This trope refers to those FridgeLogic-y moments in which a poison (or sedative, tranquillizer, medicine etc.) is administered to several different people and takes effect on all of them after roughly the same period of time and with the same effects, despite differences in body mass, how much of the substance was administered and constitution. In particularly glaring examples such as the one above, the poison is administered near-simultaneously to everyone concerned, all of whom drop dead within seconds of each other. It can also apply if the different individuals are of different species, such as a poison simultaneously administered to both an adult male and a dog, dog (or an adult male and an alien, in ScienceFiction works), who nonetheless react identically to any poison administered.



A sub-trope of ArtisticLicenseMedicine, ArtisticLicenseBiology and ArtisticLicensePharmacology. See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey and TamperingWithFoodAndDrink. Often overlaps with GambitRoulette, in that whenever this trope isn't a complete physical impossibility, it nevertheless relies heavily on luck and chance to pull off successfully.

to:

A sub-trope of ArtisticLicenseMedicine, ArtisticLicenseBiology and ArtisticLicensePharmacology. See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey and TamperingWithFoodAndDrink. If the same drug affects people the same way despite differences in species (including, for example, humans and aliens in SpeculativeFiction works), this trope overlaps with NoBiochemicalBarriers. Often overlaps with GambitRoulette, in that whenever this trope isn't a complete physical impossibility, it nevertheless relies heavily on luck and chance to pull off successfully.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


!!Examples

to:

!!Examples
!!Examples:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* In the third ''{{Literature/Redwall}}'' book ''Mattimeo'', Slagar the Cruel successfully drugs an entire abbey into unconsciousness with a toast, with apparently adult badgers, adult mice, and their children all taking the dose amount. The only two exceptions stayed awake because they were distracted during the toast [[spoiler:so Slagar's goons just murder them.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Discussed in ''Literature/JurassicPark''. Muldoon points out that the same dose of tranquilizer will knock a gazelle unconscious but make a rhinoceros angry. So he has to make an educated guess about proper tranquilizer dose for an adult ''T. rex''.

to:

* Discussed in ''Literature/JurassicPark''. Muldoon points out that the same dose of tranquilizer will knock an elephant unconscious, make a gazelle unconscious but hippo sleepy, and make a rhinoceros angry. So he has to make an educated guess about proper tranquilizer dose for an adult ''T. rex''. \n As it turns out, much more than he expected. The ''T. rex'' takes an hour to even feel the tranq shot.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey, TamperingWithFoodAndDrink and ArtisticLicenseMedicine. Often overlaps with GambitRoulette, in that whenever this trope isn't a complete physical impossibility, it nevertheless relies heavily on luck and chance to pull off successfully.

to:

A sub-trope of ArtisticLicenseMedicine, ArtisticLicenseBiology and ArtisticLicensePharmacology. See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey, TamperingWithFoodAndDrink and ArtisticLicenseMedicine.SlippingAMickey and TamperingWithFoodAndDrink. Often overlaps with GambitRoulette, in that whenever this trope isn't a complete physical impossibility, it nevertheless relies heavily on luck and chance to pull off successfully.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey and ArtisticLicenseMedicine. Often a subtrope of GambitRoulette, in that whenever this trope isn't a complete physical impossibility, it nevertheless relies heavily on luck and chance to pull off successfully.

to:

See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey SlippingAMickey, TamperingWithFoodAndDrink and ArtisticLicenseMedicine. Often a subtrope of overlaps with GambitRoulette, in that whenever this trope isn't a complete physical impossibility, it nevertheless relies heavily on luck and chance to pull off successfully.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

Alice has decided to murder Bob and Carol, and serves them each a mug of coffee, into which she has secretly mixed a dosage of cyanide. Both drink their coffee, and five minutes later both Bob and Carol begin to dramatically cough and clutch at their chests, and die within about ten seconds of one another.

But hang on - Carol gulped her coffee back in a few mouthfuls, whereas Bob sipped his and barely drank half of it. Additionally, Bob is six feet tall and weighs nearly twice as much as the petite Carol. How can the same poison possibly have killed them both at the same time, despite the differences in body mass and how much poison each of them consumed?

This trope refers to those FridgeLogic-y moments in which a poison (or sedative, tranquillizer, medicine etc.) is administered to several different people and takes effect on all of them after roughly the same period of time and with the same effects, despite differences in body mass, how much of the substance was administered and constitution. In particularly glaring examples such as the one above, the poison is administered near-simultaneously to everyone concerned, all of whom drop dead within seconds of each other. It can also apply if the different individuals are of different species, such as a poison simultaneously administered to both an adult male and a dog, who nonetheless react identically to any poison administered.

One way to HandWave this in-universe is for the poisoner to explain that they based the dosage on the heaviest person present, and administered the same amount to everyone. However, if that was the case, the poison should presumably take effect on the lighter individuals significantly earlier than the heavier ones, rather than everyone being affected within a few seconds of each other; and you still run into the problem of the dosages being inconsistent (if, for example, Bob drank more or less coffee than Carol). Additionally, this explanation doesn't work in the case of sedatives or tranquillizers: if you base your dosage on the mass of the heaviest person present and administer the same dosage to a lighter person, it could potentially not just render the lighter person unconscious but also cause brain damage or even death (this is why anaesthesiology is such a complex discipline).

This trope is related to, but distinct from, InstantSedation. In InstantSedation, a drug is administered to a person or group of people and the drug takes effect after a very brief space of time (say, a few seconds). In this trope, it does not matter how long it takes the drug to take effect (from a few seconds to several days), as long as it takes effect on all of the victims after roughly the same period of time (despite differences in dosage, body mass and constitution).

See also InstantSedation, SlippingAMickey and ArtisticLicenseMedicine. Often a subtrope of GambitRoulette, in that whenever this trope isn't a complete physical impossibility, it nevertheless relies heavily on luck and chance to pull off successfully.

'''Note:''' The key element of this trope is that it shows the same substance affecting ''more than one person'' or animal in the same way, even if it logically shouldn't (because of differences in dosage, body mass, constitution, species etc.). If you have an example of a poison or sedative etc. affecting just ''one'' individual, it's not this trope.
----

!!Examples

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/{{Mindhunters}}'', the killer sneaks a sedative into the pot of coffee the team is drinking from. It takes effect a few minutes later and every team member is out cold within about a minute of each other, and similarly wake up within a minute of each other several hours later. Never mind the disparities in how much coffee each team member drank or that the team includes six team members ranging from a burly ScaryBlackMan to two petite women ([[spoiler:however, one of the team members gets murdered while asleep and another is the killer himself, mitigating this slightly]]). And this is possibly the ''least'' impractical element of the killer's insanely complicated GambitRoulette.
* When the Pink Berets from Illumination Entertainment's ''Film/{{Hop}}'' are discovered near the iconic Hollywood sign by a patrolman, they shoot ''one'' blowgun dart to his neck, which drops him unconscious almost instantly. Later, when the Pink Berets encounter Fred O'Hare in the mansion's kitchen, the bunnies think that Fred has killed their charge, E.B. Fred gets a volley of ''six'' darts to the face, which ought to be fatal, or nearly so. Nope, it only keeps him in la-la land for a few hours. Somewhere, a pharmacist is crying...
* ''Film/{{Outbreak}}'' shows everyone getting the cure to Motaba in [=IV=] bags, although it's never specified whether the cure was titrated individually for each patient or if every [=IV=] bag contained the same dosage.
* In the opening scene of ''Film/TheRock'', the mercenaries use tranquillizer darts on the soldiers guarding the chemical weapons depot. All of them fall unconscious practically immediately, despite their different sizes.
* ''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother''. The pills Sacker puts in the wine during the opera scene. When the various actors drink the wine, they instantly collapse.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* It's [[ImpliedTrope implied]] that the [[InvisibilityCloak Invisibility Potion]] from ''Literature/{{Murderess}}'' works this way: Lu, Hallwad, and Aucasis have presumably the same body mass, give or take, but [[spoiler:Hallwad, and especially Aucasis, have both been injured pretty badly by the Dark Ones, and their loss of blood does not seem to be accounted for when dividing the potion Lu still has]].
* Discussed in ''Literature/JurassicPark''. Muldoon points out that the same dose of tranquilizer will knock a gazelle unconscious but make a rhinoceros angry. So he has to make an educated guess about proper tranquilizer dose for an adult ''T. rex''.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* ''Series/BreakingBad''. In "Salud", Gus proffers Don Eladio of the Mexican cartel a bottle of poisoned tequila, which he serves to Gus and his men, and also takes a shot himself (Gus has already taken an antidote to minimize the effects, and shortly afterwards makes himself sick). Sometime later, the Don and all of his men drop dead within a few seconds of each other, despite the differences in size between them (the man standing guard outside the bathroom when Gus is making himself sick is easily twice the size of the Don himself, for example).

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Played straight throughout the ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' series. Any poison or sedative administered to any NPC will be equally effective on any of them. Sedating an NPC with a given amount of chloroform will knock them out for a fixed period of time, regardless of whether they are a petite woman or a burly Russian gangster. There is also at least one instance in which a possible means to assassinate two targets is to serve them the same poisoned drink near-simultaneously, following which they both drop dead within seconds of each other despite their different sizes.
* Zig-zagged in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', due to GameplayAndStorySegregation. This game is the first in the series to feature a tranquillizer pistol, with which enemies can be dispatched non-lethally. Tranquillizer darts will be equally effective on any regular enemy regardless of size, provided they are not wearing full body armour, making this a straight example. In boss fights, however, it's played with. Bosses can also be defeated non-lethally, but rather than knocking them out with a single dart to the head, they instead have a "stamina" bar (much like their regular health meter) which depletes the more they get hit by tranquillizer darts. However, this stamina bar is based not on the enemy's size, physical fitness or constitution, but rather simply scales up linearly as part of the game's difficulty curve. So it's averted, but in the interests of gameplay rather than realism (could be considered an AcceptableBreakFromReality, as the boss fights would be very anticlimactic if the bosses reacted to tranquillizer darts the same way the regular enemies do). This also goes for the [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 third game]] in the series.

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* Lampshaded in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' with an inversion of the poison aspect of this trope, as Miko tells her summoned warhorse Windstriker that it's fortunate that healing potions don't need to be adjusted for body mass, snidely implying he's been getting fat (in fairness, most people are not in the best mood after having a horse land on them).

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': As a bear wanders through Springfield, Chief Wiggum tries to shoot it with a tranquilizer dart. The first shot hits Barney instead, while the second shot connects. Both Barney and the bear react the same (despite the differences in time of administration, body mass, constitution and ''species''), and there is no indication that the tranq shot into Barney gave him any ill effects.
----

Top