CONFLICT THESAURUS

BEING POISONED



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HELPFUL TIP:

Conflict is your story’s secret sauce, supplying tension, relationship friction, and complications to a character’s journey. It comes in a million different forms, so identify the obstacles and problems that will hit your character the hardest by using the Character Builder to uncover their primary insecurities, fears , and desires. Don’t forget to include everyday conflict scenarios that will frustrate them and keep the pressure high.
CATEGORY:
Dangers and threats, power struggles, loss of control

NOTES:
Poisonings can be deliberate or accidental. In either case, a character who doesn't know they've been poisoned may misdiagnose the symptoms, prolonging the proper treatment and making the situation more dire. 

EXAMPLES:
Munchausen's syndrome (deliberately ingesting poisons and toxins to become ill and gain attention)
Munchausen's syndrome by proxy (being poisoned by someone else who then controls the character through ongoing care)
Being given something (in food, tea, etc.) by an enemy or rival to produce illness at a critical time
The character accidentally ingesting something that makes them sick
Becoming ill from eating improperly cooked food 
Being exposed to a toxin in the environment 
Suffering from high exposure to a substance like lead (in paints and beauty products) or asbestos (in insulation)
Being poisoned through exposure to radioactive materials
Overdosing on a toxic amount of medication, drugs, or alcohol 

MINOR COMPLICATIONS:
Experiencing uncomfortable symptoms (dizziness, headaches, confusion, sweating, nausea, tremors, etc.)
Having to call in sick to work 
Having to back out of commitments, promises, and responsibilities
Attending many doctor appointments
Enduring multiple tests to figure out what's going on
Stress and anxiety interfering with sleep
Suffering from exhaustion
Struggling with responsibilities at home and work
Difficulty with cognitive tasks
Being clumsy due to muscle weakness
Having a longer-than-anticipated recovery time

POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS RESULTS:
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RESULTING EMOTIONS:
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POSSIBLE INTERNAL STRUGGLES:
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PEOPLE WHO COULD BE NEGATIVELY AFFECTED:
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NEGATIVE TRAITS THAT COULD MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE:
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IMPACT ON BASIC NEEDS:
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WOUNDS THIS COULD LEAD TO:
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POSITIVE TRAITS TO HELP THE CHARACTER COPE:
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POSITIVE OUTCOMES:
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