Discussion Main / AcquiredPoisonImmunity

• There was an episode of an old show (can't recall the name), where a child was bitten by a rare breed of a snake. It turned out that there was just enough anti-venom available for a single dose. Unfortunately, a doctor ends up accidentally also getting bitten by the same snake. She chooses to let the child have the anti-venom. Luckily, there's a hermit snake wrangler, who has developed an immunity to the same venom, and he eventually allows his blood to be drawn and distilled into an impromptu anti-venom for the doctor.

This one needs the show's name.

I remember this plot, but I can't remember the show's name. I do remember the snake wrangler wasn't immune to the same venom as presented on screen. He was immune to another species of snake the show claimed had a similar venom. It seemed silly to me at the time because the snakes were cobras and coral snakes -which are Naja naja and Micrurus fulvius, respectively. I don't think their poisons are that close.

Is this immunity Acquired via slow exposure, per the trope description?

The following was deleted because it isn't an example of this trope. It does not have "increasing doses of a poison over time gives immunity", which is what this trope is about. A D&D character's resistance to poison increases with their level even if they're never exposed to poison in play.

• To an extent, D&D in general models this with its improving saving throws (or non-AC defenses in 4th edition) for higher-level characters and monsters; the more badass you are, the less likely poison is to affect you, period. (This is particularly true for earlier editions in which a character's save vs. any and all poisons regardless of source or type was pretty much the same as determined by class, level, and miscellaneous modifiers.) Also subverted, however, in that this mechanic alone doesn't model building up resistance or immunity to any specific poison; even a character who's successfully saved against, say, rattlesnake venom throughout multiple encounters may still fall victim to a natural 1 right on the next roll.

Does the Pokemon Immune ability come about due to exposure, or is it innate?

The following was deleted from the Dungeons And Dragons example because it's innate, not acquired.

• ...and Dwarfs have an innate resistance.

You need to add in The Vampire Diaries to this as well, since in season 2 Stephen knocks Katherine out with Vervain and chains her up. At the end of the episode Katherine just breaks the chains, telling Stephen that after what happened in 1865 she has built up an immunity to vervain.