History Main / PoisonedWeapons

Poisoned weapons are typically [[GoodWeaponEvilWeapon used by villains]], since they allow an easy victory or a spiteful revenge despite losing, especially in a duel. TheHero is usually too {{honor|BeforeReason}}able or [[LawfulStupid stupid]] to use it himself. Heroes down the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism and {{Combat Pragmatist}}s sometimes use poison.

A literary device as old as time is to have a confrontation involving a poisoned weapon which the audience knows is poisoned, but the [[DramaticIrony characters involved do not]]. Expect from such a weapon to ooze a [[PoisonIsCorrosive stone-melting ]] [[TechnicolorToxin purple liquid]]. The poison acts instantly, or is timed to the FinalSpeech.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has Daimyo Kubota utilizing a poisoned ring to kill [[spoiler: Therkla after she decides to act in a way that is not in his best interests]]. Con damage is a bitch, isn't it? He's even DangerouslyGenreSavvy enough to avoid [[HoistByHisOwnPetard the typical downside of this trope]]: instead of carrying the antidote when the time comes to use the poison, he drinks the antidote in advance, so he'll be immune to the poison just in case he gets scratched, but his intended victim won't be able to obtain a cure in time. And just to not be beaten in GenreSavvy, [[CrazyPrepared Elan learns Neutralize Poison afterwards]].

** Violetta also uses a variation. Zola has amped herself up on the SuperSerum "Movit #[[UpToEleven 11]]", but when she turns her back on Violetta, she receives a blowdart in the back. Zola mocks the attempt to invoke this trope, until Violetta explains the nature of the poison.

* A common battle tactic in medieval times was to fire a bag of feces,dead animals or even dead humans over a castle gate, as a quick and easy way to spread pestilence and sicken the defenders. Sticking your sword in some pig shit and then running it through a guy also worked wonders, since it dramatically reduced the likelihood he'd recover and come back to fight you again later.

* During TheVietnamWar the Viet-Cong would smear human feces on Punji sticks (a simple spike, made out of wood or bamboo, generally placed upright in the ground). The injury, normally to the foot or lower leg, would almost instantly swell up with infection. Unless treated quickly, loss of limb or death would occur.

\\
Worst still are higher end bullets made of tungsten carbide and depleted uranium. Tungsten carbide is rather toxic, but has excellent ballistic properties due to its high density. However, most military forces prefer the much cheaper depleted uranium (a left over from nuclear programs thats of no use for bombs or in reactors, and unlike tungsten doesn't need to be heated to 3000 degrees Celsius to melt into shape), which is almost as dense, slightly radioactive, self sharpens upon breaking (leading to better armor penetration), makes for a fairly good incendiary weapon, and on top of all that is still very toxic in the conventional chemical way.

* Quite common in ''{{Manga/Naruto}}'': Sasori tips every weapon he has with poison (which is a lot of weapons), Shizune and one of Kankuro's puppets have poison needles, the Demon Brothers that Team 7 run into on the way to the Land of Waves used poison claws, Sakura is once stated to have put poison on a kunai (and that she apparently learned to make it from Shizune), and [[PoisonousPerson Hanzo]] put some of his poison on his kusarigama.

* A common battle tactic in medieval times was to fire a bag of feces or dead animals over a castle gate, as a quick and easy way to spread pestilence and sicken the defenders. Sticking your sword in some pig shit and then running it through a guy also worked wonders, since it dramatically reduced the likelihood he'd recover and come back to fight you again later.

-->-- '''Otho''', ''StargateAtlantis'', after [[HoistByHisOwnPetard getting nicked]] [[LastWords with his own knife]].

Poisoned weapons are typically [[GoodWeaponEvilWeapon used by villains]], since they allow an easy victory or a spiteful revenge despite losing, especially in a duel. TheHero is usually too [[HonorBeforeReason honorable]] or [[LawfulStupid stupid]] to use it himself. Heros down the the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism and {{Combat Pragmatist}}s sometimes use poison.

* ''Franchise/IndianaJones'': Poisoned blowdarts are feature twice.

* In ''[[JamesBond From Russia With Love]]'' Rosa Klebb has a poisoned dagger in the toe of her shoe. At the end, she has a kicking fight with James Bond who pushes her against the wall with a chair until Tatiana Romanova shoots her. (Compare with the novel)

* In ''{{Pirates Of The Caribbean}}: On Stranger Tides'', [[spoiler: Barbossa]] poisons his sword in order to insure even more suffering when he attempts [[spoiler: (and succeeds) to kill Blackbeard]].

* In ''TheLordOfTheRings'', the Witch-King stabs Frodo with a Morgul-blade. If Elrond hadn't cured him, the poison of the blade would have turned him into a wraith. It's also mentioned in the books that orcs sometimes put poison on their blades.

* ''ASongOfIceAndFire'': Oberyn Martell (aka The Red Viper) is infamous for using poisoned weapons, and it allows him to deliver a quasi-fatal wound to the [[TheBrute Brutish]] CompleteMonster Gregor Clegane.

* In ''TheWheelOfTime'', a form of dueling is mentioned as having existed shortly before [[CataclysmBackstory the collapse of the Age of Legends]] which involved DualWielding daggers laced with a slow-acting poison. Most duels ended with both participants dying.
* ''SherlockHolmes'': The villain of ''The Adventure of the Dying Detective'' is a doctor who has killed his nephew by surreptitiously injecting him with a deadly illness. He later on tries to do Holmes in the same way by sending him a package with secret spring-loaded, virus-tipped needles, but Holmes is able to see through his scheme. (Having a lot of enemies tends to make the detective overly cautious of the mail he receives.) Holmes pretends to be infected, and he soon manages to lure the evil doctor over to his apartment and trick him into a confession in front of witnesses.
* When the anti-hero protagonist of ''{{Altered Carbon}}'' goes to the armorer, among the weapons he buys is a poison-coated knife.

* Hercules had arrows poisoned with hydra blood. {{Sophocles}} is the first author to mention this, making this one OlderThanFeudalism. Similarly, a poisoned arrow was used to finally kill the otherwise BoringInvincibleHero Achilles towards the end of the Trojan War.

* In ''[[JamesBond From Russia With Love]]'', Rosa Klebb had a poisoned dagger at the toe of her shoe. She nicks James Bond with it and he passes out from the poison in seconds. The novel ends at that point. (Compare with the film)
* In ''MemorySorrowAndThorn'', [[MagicalNativeAmerican Binabik]] carries a hollow walking stick, a small roll of poisoned needles, and a bundle of loose wool. When combined, these make a blowgun that shoots poison darts, allowing the diminutive [[OurTrollsAreDifferent troll]] to pack a lethal stealth attack.

[[folder: Theater]]
* Poisoned weapons featured in a number of Shakespeare's plays, perhaps most prominently in ''{{Hamlet}}''.

* In a flashback of ''SuikodenII'', it is revealed that a previous border-skirmish between the Highlands and the Jowston Alliance was to be settled with a contest of champions - a duel between the greatest hero of both sides. That those two happened to be personal friends was supposed to make it into an honorable fight. However, when the battle was joined, the hero of Jowston, Genkaku, refused to even lift his sword. Eventually, Highland's hero had no choice but to simply disarm him and claim victory. Genkaku was condemned as a traitor and banished to Highland... but later, it was revealed that the Major of Jowston had surreptiously poisoned Genkaku's weapon in order to ensure a victory - but Genkaku had realized this. If he had let this subterfuge be known, it would have triggered renewed hostilities between Jowston and Highland, so instead, he simply refused to swing his poisoned blade...
* In ''SuikodenV'' [[spoiler:Lyon]] is stabbed and near-killed with a poisoned dagger.
* Some weapons in the ''FinalFantasy'' series inflict the "Poisoned" [[StandardStatusEffects status effect]] on enemies when they hit.
** In ''FinalFantasyV'', Sword Mages/Mystics can enchant their swords with the poisonous Bio spell, adding magical poison to their attacks.
** In ''FinalFantasyVII'', any weapon with two linked materia slots could be associated with an element or status effect, including poison.
** In ''FinalFantasyIX'', the Rune Tooth and the Poison Knuckles can both inflict poison, while the Scissor Fangs can inflict the more dangerous venom.
** In ''FinalFantasyX'', you can give any weapon this ability.
** ''FinalFantasyXI'' has poisoned weapons as well, but they're generally [[AwesomeButImpractical not that useful.]]
** In ''FinalFantasyMysticQuest'', {{ninja}} Tristam's shuriken are imbued with poison and paralysis abilities.
* [[KarmaMeter Possible]] hero example: [[MassEffect Commander Shepard]] can equip his/her weapons with Polonium rounds (if you can handle enemies breaking down into [[NightmareFuel green vapor]] after death).

* The Assassin class in ''[[BaldursGate Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn]]'' can poison their weapons. There are also poisoned arrows.

* The Hrunting in ''{{Castlevania}}: Aria of Sorrow'' is an example of a poisoned sword.
** If you have the right combination in ''{{Castlevania}} Circle of the Moon'' (Manticore and Mercury), you can make your whip poisonous. Another combination (Manticore and Mars) turns it into poisonous claws.
* In ''WorldOfWarcraft'', rogues gain the ability to create and apply poison to their weapons for extra damage or other effects.
* Players in ''{{RuneScape}}'' can create poisons to use on daggers, arrows, spears and a few throwing weapons using the Herblore skill. There are three poisons, each stronger than the previous, and they're made from a herb and a dragon scale, a cactus spine and spider eggs, and poison ivy berries and belladonna respectively, from weakest to strongest. Belladonna is potent enough to strongly damage the player just when it's touched with bare hands.\\

* Poisoned weapons are featured frequently in ''FireEmblem''. There's usually no way for you to get one though, making them UnusableEnemyEquipment (or rather, Unobtainable Enemy Equipment). In games that allow you to steal or otherwise obtain an enemy unit's equipment, the poisoned weapons are converted into [[GoodWeaponEvilWeapon plain old iron weapons]] when in your possession.
** In [[FireEmblemTellius Radiant Dawn]], you can disarm an opponent and steal them and they'll still be poisonous. Not really worth it, since they do less damage than iron weapons, but it is still possible should one want to use them.
*** A unique weapon of this type is the Valaura from the same game, a poisonous [[LightEmUp Light]] [[HolyHandGrenade Magic]] tome. Explained that it's corrupted magic.
* Arrows in ''{{Nethack}}'' can be poisoned, which can lead to much frustration since poison can sometimes cause instant death.
* {{Magicka}} has several poisoned weapons. They also are the only way to create poison elementals.
* ''[[{{Diablo}} Diablo 2]]'' allows low-level Necromancers to enchant daggers with poison. Poison enchantments on weapons was also quite common, even though these enchantments were generally far from lethal in any way.
* Bruno's poisoned daggers were a plot point in ''QuestForGlory V''. The hero could obtain and even use one. Not recommended if you're playing a paladin.

* ''[[TheElderScrollsIV The Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion]]'' lets you poison your weapons. Any potion you make (or find) which only has negative effects will be treated as a poison and be applied to your weapon (delivering its effects to the next enemy you strike with a melee weapon or applying them to the next arrow you fire). This causes some confusion as to how a [[DropTheHammer warhammer]]-[[ImprobableUseOfAWeapon or other blunt weapon,]] which [[DidNotDoTheResearch has no method of actually transmitting the poison into the host's body]]-can be poisoned in the same manner as, say, [[HeroesPreferSwords a sword]] or [[AnAxeToGrind battleaxe/waraxe]].
** In skyrim poison returns, but further testing one's WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief, a master of pickpocketing can reverse pickpocket a poison vial into their posession to poison them without the recipient noticing
* ''BattleForWesnoth'' has a Poison weapon special, used (in mainline) on Orcish Assassins' throwing knives, and Ghouls' claws. This ability turns both, especially Orcish assassins into DemonicSpiders
* The Dart Gun from ''[[{{Fallout}} Fallout 3]]'' contains Rad-Scorpion poison, and will instantly cripple the victim's legs as well as causing damage over time. Interestingly enough, a sting from an actual Rad-Scorpion does not cause either of these effects to you or [=NPCs=], it just deals damage. They did poison you in the prequels, though.
** ''FalloutNewVegas'' ups the ante, by allowing you to craft numerous types of poison and apply them to any melee weapon. It wears off after one use, making it less useful on standard weapons, but kickass on thrown ones.
* ''{{Myst}}'': According to Achenar's journal in the fourth game, he used poisoned spears to kill the two large sea monsters (known as Cerpatees) in Haven.
* In the second {{Assassins Creed}} game, Ezio can get a poison upgrade for his hidden blade. It's the quietest weapon in the game, and because it has a delayed effect, you can poison a target and then get long gone before the target finally dies.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series: Poisoned weapons do exist, but they behave a little differently from the norm. First, each monster has its own tolerance to poison -- Bnahabra die instantly from poison smoke, while bigger monsters tend to resist it more readily. Also, each monster takes a given amount of damage maximum from the poison, and no weapon can inflict more or less. That said, a weapon's Poison attribute is in fact its virulence - a higher attribte means that the poison starts doing damage with fewer blows. Neurotoxins (paralysis) and sleeping agents (sleep) behave in the same way.
* ''{{Exile}}'' and ''{{Avernum}}'' give players the ability to poison melee weapons or arrows. Handy for taking out that nasty spellcaster hanging out in the back, as multiple hits from poisonned weapons makes the poison worse. There's also the Alien Blade, which constantly drips poison.

* ''CommandAndConquerGenerals'' allows the [[{{Qurac}} GLA]] to infect their tank shells with toxins given the proper upgrade. [[MadScientist Dr. Thrax]], in the ''Zero Hour'' expansion, takes it UpToEleven and places poison on ''everything'' in his arsenal.
* ''DarkSouls'' has some poisoned weapons, throwing knives, and arrows. Also, enemies in Blighttown use poison darts and giant clubs.
* In ''LeagueOfLegends'' [[BadassAdorable Teemo]] uses a blowgun with poisoned darts, [[RodentsOfUnusualSize Twitch]] uses poisoned crossbow bolts, and [[{{Pirate}} Gangplank]] soaks his blades in grog - which is apparently pretty strong stuff, because it deals damage over time and slows enemies it hits. [[SnakePeople Cassiopeia]] and [[MadScientist Singed]] cut out the middleman and simply blast people with contact poison or gas.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* The [[OurElvesArebetter Dark Elves]] in ''Warlords Battlecry'' will use poisoned weapons.
* Poisoned weapons are a game mechanic in ''{{Warhammer}}'' and ''{{Warhammer 40000}}''. The latter has guns which fire ninja stars coated in a poison so horrible it ''makes the target's blood explode''. Generally used by the [[BlackAndGreyMorality even more evil races]], though in ''Warhammer'' they're a speciality of the close-as-you-get-to-good Lizardmen.
** Representing their love for this one, the Dark Eldar have poisoned weapons as an upgrade in ''{{Warhammer 40000}}: DawnOfWar [[{{Sequelitis}} Soulstorm]]''. Note that according to the fluff it's usually nonlethal, as Dark Eldar want to take [[FateWorseThanDeath prisoners]]. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation In-game, it just makes their weapons deadlier]].
** This sometimes seems a little unnecessary, given the tech levels in {{Warhammer 40000}}. For example, the Callidus Assassin is armed with a gun that rips your brain apart, a sword that can cut through anything in the universe except the Great Old Ones who invented it... and a poisoned knife. Which in some circumstances is [[RockBeatsLaser exactly what you need]].
* ''{{GURPS}}: Ultra-Tech'' has a shuriken made of "coherent sound" that can be used to deliver poison when it attacks.
* ''{{Exalted}}'': [[GreenThumb Wood Aspected]] Dragon-Blooded are capable of producing a magical plant toxin from their [[BattleAura anima]]. They can poison you with a simple touch or unarmed attack, or with a very basic Charm can also channel this toxin through a weapon.
* Essentially, virtually every action adventure-based tabletop [=RPG=] (which is to say, most of them) will have at least a few paragraphs on the effects of poison on player characters -- from a simple "save or die" to lovingly detailed descriptions of a given poison's exact effects over time. Some systems (notably early editions of [[DungeonsAndDragons (A)D&D]]) then promptly go out of their way to make the use of poison ''by'' player characters in turn as impractical as possible or even ban it outright, while others won't bat an eye.
** In D&D Fourth Edition, poison use is one of the main shticks of the Executioner Assassin player class. The class makes a certain number of uses of poison each day (determined by level) which can be applied to weapons or used directly on enemies. Other classes have access to poison-based powers as well, but since the poison damage type is resisted by more creatures than any other damage type, it's not the best type of damage to specialize in.
** 3rd Edition has a 5% chance of accidentally poisoning yourself when applying acid to a blade, although certain classes, such as Assassins, are trained to avoid this. It's still not very practical, however, as the good stuff is expensive, and by the time you can avoid it in mass quantities, most enemies will make their Saving Throw easily.

[[folder: Television ]]
* In ''XenaWarriorPrincess'', Gabrielle gets hit by a poisoned arrow. Xena has to look after her and find the antidote in time whilst fighting off an entire army.
* One episode of ''Series/GetSmart'' had some YellowPeril villain with long, poison coated fingernails. It probably best summarized that show, too, with him getting defeated because Agent 99 randomly had a bottled mosquito in her purse, which she used to get him to accidentally scratch himself upon swatting it.
* In ''StargateAtlantis'' episode "The Tower", Sheppard ends up with the EvilChancellor trying to kill him in the climax. When Sheppard disarms him, Otho is cut with his own poisoned dagger and dies in moments, after providing the quote up above.
* {{Buffy The Vampire Slayer}} Faith poisons Angel by shooting him with a poisoned arrow.
* [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Monroe]] uses an elephant gun with bullets coated in a special poison to take a [[OurOgresAreHungrier siegbarste]] in {{Grimm}}.
* It's mentioned in BabylonFive that the [[TheReptilians Drazi]] often poison their blade tips.

[[folder: Anime ]]
* In {{Noir}}, Shaoli delivers deadly poison with a mere scratch of her fingernails.
* In ''BloodPlus'', Saya's sword has a little groove in it for her blood, which is fatal to most chiropterans.
* Quite common in ''{{Naruto}}'': Sasori tips every weapon he has with poison (which is a lot of weapons), Shizune and one of Kankuro's puppets have poison needles, the Demon Brothers that Team 7 run into on the way to the Land of Waves used poison claws, Sakura is once stated to have put poison on a kunai (and that she apparently learned to make it from Shizune), and [[PoisonousPerson Hanzo]] put some of his poison on his kusarigama.
* In ''{{Bleach}}'', LittleMissBadass Lolly's zanpakutou is a dagger that releases poison.
** [[HeroicSociopath Evil bastard]] Mayuri Kurotsuchi's ''zanpakutou'' also poisons its target upon wounding them; befitting his extraordinarily sadistic personality, it paralyzes the victim's limbs enough to prevent movement without affecting their ability to feel pain.
** 2nd Division Captain Soi Fon gets in on the act too. Her own ''zanpakutou's'' poison won't kill the target outright unless it strikes the same area twice, which is helpfully pointed out by the enormous butterfly marks it makes on a wounded opponent.
** More recently, [[spoiler: Gin's Bankai true power has been revealed as this. Not only his sword can grow very long and in a short amount of time, but it secretes a deadly poison which he can activate at will.]]
* In ''OnePiece'' Crocodile's trump card is a poisoned hook-hand.
** Brook and his entire crew were killed by pirates with poisoned weapons.
** In the same fashion, Don Krieg's most powerful weapon is a cannon ball filled with (oddly) white coloured poison Gas, and Wanze from the [=CP7=] wields a huge poisonous kitchen knife as his last resolve.
** Thanks to the Doku-Doku Fruit (Poison-Poison Fruit), Impel Down's Chief Warden Magellen can use his '''entire body''' as a poisoned weapon.
** In a non canon example, Wapol's brother Musshul ate the Noko Noko fruit (stands for kinoko, mushroom) and can manipulate poisonous spores. This includes bullets, a [[ThisIsADrill drill like fungus on his arm]] and poison clouds.
* In ''DigimonAdventure'', [=DemiDevimon=] tries to kill Sora with a poison dart, but Biyomon TakesTheBullet for her. Thankfully for her, while the poison is lethal to humans, it only makes Digimon severely ill for a time. Which is rather unfortunate because [[BigBad Myotismon]] shows up directly after that...

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

* The Bandar Pygmy tribe, allies of ComicStrip/ThePhantom, are infamous for their envenomed arrows. A [[FantasticSlur less polite term for them]], used by their neighbours, is The Poison People.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* In ''RiceBoy'', T-O-E (one of the good guys) carries a poison blade, possibly anticipating that he would have to fight Golgo, and that poison was the only thing that could kill Golgo.
* ''OrderOfTheStick'' has Daimyo Kubota utilizing a poisoned ring to kill [[spoiler: Therkla after she decides to act in a way that is not in his best interests]]. Con damage is a bitch, isn't it? He's even DangerouslyGenreSavvy enough to avoid [[HoistByHisOwnPetard the typical downside of this trope]]: instead of carrying the antidote when the time comes to use the poison, he drinks the antidote in advance, so he'll be immune to the poison just in case he gets scratched, but his intended victim won't be able to obtain a cure in time. And just to not be beaten in GenreSavvy, [[CrazyPrepared Elan learns Neutralize Poison afterwards]].
* ''GirlGenius'' not only [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20110907 hints]] that [[McNinja Smoke Knight]]'s weapons are poisoned, but shows how it can be used for an insult (what with those poisononus frogs and all):
--> '''Tarvek''': Violetta -- have you been licking your ''knives'' again?
** Violetta also uses a variation. Zola has amped herself up on the SuperSerum "Movit #[[UpToEleven 11]]", but when she turns her back on Violetta, she receives a blowdart in the back. Zola mocks the attempt to invoke this trope, until Violetta explains the nature of the poison.
--> '''Violetta''': Tsk, I know that. That wasn't poison, that was more Movit #11. Now all I have to do is [[ExplosiveOverclocking watch you combust.]]
* In {{Strays}}, [[http://www.straysonline.com/2011/10/page-191/ Feral's foe uses them.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* ''SurvivalOfTheFittest'': Blood Boy's assigned weapons are an Ida (an African sword) and a vial of poison meant to be applied to the blade.
* Phase (Ayla Goodkind) of the ''WhateleyUniverse'' is now carrying some poisoned throwing darts. When chided for it by an instructor, she shows she also carries a syringe of antidote.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* In one episode of ''TheSimpsons'' with Homer's brother, Herb, Bart is given a membership card to the NRA as a present from Herb so Bart can buy a machinegun when he's older. He asks if he can get armour piercing cyanide-tipped bullets to go with it. Herb replies, "It's in the constitution, son."
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Sandokan}}'', one evil tribe uses poisoned spears.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* Poisoned weapons are used to this day by South American tribes, who use blowdarts smeared with the secretions of poisonous frogs.
* Back in the day, Chicago gangsters were known to use poisoned bullets. Can be useful if you miss the enemy's vitals. Yeesh.
* A school superintendent was murdered in the 70s. He was shot eight times, and the coroner found traces of cyanide on the bullets. Somewhat unsurprisingly, though, the official cause of death was ''being shot eight times''.
* Poisoned bladed weapons in real life have always been uncommon and not very effective because successful strikes make almost all the poison bleed out almost as soon as the wound is made (not to mention that with such a weapon, simply damaging a major organ or fatality via blood loss works with greater speed and reliability). Blowdarts, throwing spikes and the like are exceptions because they cause very little bleeding, and do manage to inject useful amounts of poison into the body.
* The word ''toxic'' comes from the Greek ''toxikon'', a poison made from yew extract for use on arrows (''toxa'').
* A common battle tactic in medieval times was to fire a bag of feces or dead animals over a castle gate, as a quick and easy way to spread pestilence and sicken the defenders. Sticking your sword in some pig shit and then running it through a guy also worked wonders, since it dramatically reduced the likelihood he'd recover and come back to fight you again later.
* Similarly, nomadic peoples of the steppes sometimes employed this method or its variant on their arrows.
* British scientists during WorldWarTwo worked upon a grenade shooting dozens of poisoned needles instead of your common shrapnel. The project was scrapped, it had too big [[AwesomeButImpractical sadism-to-usefulness]] ratio.
* During the VietnamWar the Viet-Cong would smear human feces on Punji sticks (a simple spike, made out of wood or bamboo, generally placed upright in the ground). The injury, normally to the foot or lower leg, would almost instantly swell up with infection. Unless treated quickly, loss of limb or death would occur.
* Georgi Markov, assassinated by the KGB with a poison dart filled with ricin.
* Early bullets usually consisted entirely of lead, and sometimes copper (if it was more widely available in the region). Both are toxic metals, and often caused secondary poisoning in the man they shot, assuming he lived long enough for that to be an issue. Modern bullets often utilize both. Its not that they're intended to be toxic, its just that they're cheap and have good ballistic properties (due to high density); their toxicity is more of a beneficial side effect.\\
\\
Worst still are higher end bullets made of tungsten carbide and depleted uranium. Tungsten carbide is rather toxic, but has excellent ballistic properties due to its high density. However, most military forces prefer the much cheaper depleted uranium (a left over from nuclear programs thats of no use for bombs or in reactors, and unlike tungsten doesn't need to be heated to 3000 degrees Celsius to melt into shape), which is almost as dense, slightly radioactive, self sharpens upon breaking (leading to better armor penetration), makes for a fairly good incendiary weapon, and on top of all that is still very toxic in the conventional chemical way.
** A recent development is called Dense Inert Metal Explosive(DIME) that mixes powdered tungsten into explosives to make the explosion more localized(tungsten being the inert metal) in order to limit collateral damage and increase targeted destruction. One unintentional consequence is the medical side effects of this are that the victims are poisoned with tungsten powder and there is no surgical way to treat this condition.
* Some monitor lizards' bites are essentially a natural version of this; they harbor enough infectious bacteria that their saliva is toxic even to large animals. There is speculation that a monitor lizard also produces a small amount of true venom, but usually infection is what kills their prey, and captive monitor lizards have a cleaner mouth and therefore a less deadly bite.

[[/folder]]
----

* One episode of ''GetSmart'' had some YellowPeril villain with long, poison coated fingernails. It probably best summarized that show, too, with him getting defeated because Agent 99 randomly had a bottled mosquito in her purse, which she used to get him to accidentally scratch himself upon swatting it.

* Poisoned weapons are featured frequently in ''FireEmblem''. There's usually no way for you to get one though, making them UnusableEnemyEquipment (or rather, Unobtainable Enemy Equipment). In games that allow you to steal or otherwise obtain an enemy unit's equipment, the poisoned weapons are converted into [[GoodWeaponEvilWeapon plain old iron weapons]] when in your possession.\\
\\
In the 10th game you can disarm an opponent and steal them and they'll still be poisonous. Not really worth it, since they do less damage than iron weapons, but it is still possible should one want to use them.

* ''IndianaJones'': Poisoned blowdarts feature twice.

* ''[[{{Belgariad}} Mallorean]]'': Sadi, one of the heroic party members carries a variety of poisons, and his major weapon in battle is a poisoned dagger. When Belgarion asks the group to minimize casualties during a fight with {{Mooks}}, he's responsible for two of the three deaths at its close - "It's a little hard to unpoison a knife." (The third was Silk taking out an ambusher.)
* ''[[{{Shannara}} The Sword of Shannara]]'': Menion Leah, a heroic protagonist, poisons some arrows when the opportunity arises, just in case. He uses them in the very next scene.

* In ''PiratesOfTheCaribbeanOnStrangerTides, [[spoiler: Barbossa]] poisons his sword in order to insure even more suffering when he attempts [[spoiler: (and succeeds) to kill Blackbeard]].

* ''[[Literature/AgentPendergast Cabinet of Curiosities]]'' reveals that the [[DiscOneFinalBoss thought to be]] BigBad was [[spoiler: poisoning weapons, clothing, and other objects in an effort to find an effective means of destroying humanity, research he stopped only because he felt the creation of Hydrogen Bomb made him think the rest of humanity was perfectly capable of destroying itself on its own]].

* Essentially, virtually every action adventure-based tabletop [=RPG=] (which is to say, most of them) will have at least a few paragraphs on the effects of poison on player characters -- from a simple "save or die" to lovingly detailed descriptions of a given poison's exact effects over time. Some systems (notably early editions of (A)D&D) then promptly go out of their way to make the use of poison ''by'' player characters in turn as impractical as possible or even ban it outright, while others won't bat an eye.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Sandokan'', one evil tribe uses poisoned spears.

* In ''TheWheelOfTime'', a form of dueling is mentioned as having existed shortly before [[{{Gotterdammerung}} the collapse of the Age of Legends]] which involved DualWielding daggers laced with a slow-acting poison. Most duels ended with both participants dying.

* ''[[AgentPendergast Cabinet of Curiosities]]'' reveals that the [[DiscOneFinalBoss thought to be]] BigBad was [[spoiler: poisoning weapons, clothing, and other objects in an effort to find an effective means of destroying humanity, research he stopped only because he felt the creation of Hydrogen Bomb made him think the rest of humanity was perfectly capable of destroying itself on its own]].

* The Bandar Pygmy tribe, allies of ThePhantom, are infamous for their envenomed arrows. A [[FantasticSlur less polite term for them]], used by their neighbours, is The Poison People.

* Hercules had arrows poisoned with hydra blood, making this one OlderThanDirt. Similarly, a poisoned arrow was used to finally kill the otherwise BoringInvincibleHero Achilles towards the end of the Trojan War.