Tainted Atmosphere

A Tainted Atmosphere is a type of atmosphere known for posessing irritants that make it difficult or impossible for conventional sophonts to tolerate respiration for any length of time.

Description (Specifications)

Tainted requires a filter mask. The atmosphere contains an unusual taint such as such as disease, a hazardous gas mix, pollutants, or sulfur compounds which requires the use of a filter mask.

Tainted: Tainted atmospheres contain some element that is harmful to humans, such as an unusually high proportion of carbon dioxide. A character who breathes a tainted atmosphere without a filter will suffer damage every few minutes or hours, depending on the level of taint.

Basic Atmospheric Taints

Atmospheric taints are also known as irritants:

1. Atmospheres with an imbalance of Ammonia (NH3)
2. Atmospheres with an imbalance of Carbon Dioxide (C02)
3. Atmospheres with an imbalance of Chlorine (Cl2)
4. Atmospheres with an imbalance of Methane (CH4)
5. Atmospheres with an imbalance of Organic Taints
6. Atmospheres with an imbalance of Oxygen (02)
7. Atmospheres with an imbalance of Nitrogen (N2)
8. Atmospheres with an imbalance of Sulfur Compounds

History & Background (Dossier)

Tainted: Tainted atmospheres contain some element that is harmful to humans, such as an unusually high proportion of carbon dioxide. A traveller who breathes a tainted atmosphere without a filter will suffer damage every few minutes or hours, depending on the level of taint.

Selected Atmospheric Taints

1. Ammonia Taint
   1. Ammonia – NH3
2. Carbon Dioxide Imbalance Taint
   1. Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
3. Chlorine or Fluorine Taint
   1. Carbonyl Fluoride – (COF2)
   2. Chlorine – (Cl2)
   3. Chlorofluorocarbon – (CFC)
   4. Fluorine – (F2)
   5. Hydro Chlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)
4. Hydrogen Taint
   1. Hydrogen (H)
5. Inert Gas Taint
   1. Argon, Radon, Xenon, etc.
   2. Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
6. Methane Taint
   1. Swamp Gas – CH4
7. Nitrogen Compound Taint
   1. Nitrogen Trichloride (NCl3)
   2. Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF3)
   3. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
8. Organic Toxin Taint
   1. Biologicals, bacteriological vectors, viruses, etc.
   2. Pollen, Spores, Disease-causing microorganisms, Complex airborne toxins, etc.
   3. VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds)
9. Oxygen Imbalance Taint
   1. Oxygen compounds
   2. Ozone (Trioxygen = O3) atmospheric holes
10. Pollutant Taint
    1. Acid Rain, Particulates (Smog), Unburned Hydrocarbons, etc.
    2. Heavy-metals, Radioactive dust, Toxic smoke from volcanism or industrial pollution, etc.
    3. Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides, etc.
    4. Lead, Heavy Metals, Radioactives, etc.
    5. Silicates (very fine dusts)
11. Sulfur Compound Taint
    1. Disulfur dichloride (S2Cl2)
    2. Hydrogen sulfide
    3. Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
    4. Sulphur Tetrachloride
    5. Sulfur Trioxide

References & Contributors / Sources

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Marc Miller. Worlds and Adventures (Game Designers Workshop, 1977), 5.Marc Miller, Robert Eaglestone, Don McKinney. Worlds and Adventures (Far Future Enterprises, 2019), 5.
• J. Andrew Keith. Exotic Atmospheres (Game Designers Workshop, 1983), 1-16. (Special Supplement 2 from the periodical Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society 17)
• Marc Miller. Referee's Manual (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), 22.
• Geir Lanesskog. World Builder's Handbook (Mongoose Publishing, 2023), 64-68.Joe Fugate, J. Andrew Keith, Gary L. Thomas. World Builder's Handbook (Digest Group Publications, 1989), 64-68.
• Terrance McInnes, Dave Nilsen. World Tamer's Handbook (Game Designers Workshop, 1994), 11-17.
• Jon F. Zeigler. First In (Steve Jackson Games, 1999), 70,72.
• Paul Drye, Loren Wiseman, Jon F. Zeigler. Interstellar Wars (Steve Jackson Games, 2006), 125-6.
• Citation Missing - Mongoose Traveller Main Rulebook
• Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), 409.
• Paul Elliott. The Universal World Profile (Zozer Games, 2016), TBD.
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master Scout Emeritus Adie Alegoric Stewart of the IISS
• Author & Contributor: Jonathan Sherlock
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science