I decided with this question to actually continue the use of your example of acid burns versus a pencil to the thigh, as I figured that would be most helpful in your case.
Let's begin with acid burns. I did some research on Health Line where I found out a little bit more about acid burns. I first learned that how one reacts to acid burns really depends on how much contact they had with the chemical. A body will react differently depending on whether the acid was swallowed or if it came in contact with the skin.
If we are talking about the skin, then this is what I found:
Acid will cause
1. Blackened or dead skin, generally seen in chemical burns from acid
2. Irritation, redness, or burning in the affected area.
3. Numbness and pain in the affected area.
4. A loss of vision or changes in vision if the substance made contact with the eyes.
It's important to note that there are also levels of pain for acid burns alone, and like fire burns, they are referred to as first, second, or third degree burns which means the pain levels vary. The most important thing to know is that this pain would be not just a stab, but a burning pain. Depending on the severity, some acid burns can be treated with regular over the counter medications while others may lead to loss of limbs. There are many long-term issues that can come from acid burns, so the length of time a person would be in pain and the severity would lead me to believe that an acid burn would be much, much worse than a pencil to the thigh.
In contrast, a pencil to the thigh is basically a stab wound. From what I have read, most report that at first it doesn't feel like anything and then the pain registers and it is a stabbing pain, one could feel it all the way down the leg.
Again this all depends on the severity of the burns and wounds. If you account for the burning plus the pain itself, I would say acid burns would probably be more intolerable on the pain scale.
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