D&D and Drugs

LostSoul · Feb 24, 2002

Just watched Human Traffic

Made me think about the effect on society of e without a come-down. Which made me think about magic and D&D. (Because everything in this world comes with a price.)

With the power of mind-influencing spells - and thus potions - would there be a market for legal or illegal "drugs" of the same nature? Imagine a Hypnotism potion sold as an aphrodesiac, or a potion that lessens inhibitions. Or a Charm Person potion sold as a love potion. Potions of Bull's Strength and Cat's Grace might be used as some kind of performance-enhancing substance. All these might be popular with the nobility.

What do you think?

Lothaire · Feb 24, 2002

Well, people are willing to use things that are illegal, have nasty side effects and can potentially kill them.

So imagine drugs with no side effects. They will of course be very expensive. In the real world bored nobles played with opiates and the like. So in a fantasy world it would be perfectly plausible for nobles to be playing around with such things.

Weak nobles (those with low wis) could likely be easily controled by the providers of these "drugs." That local baron's court wizard might be the real power in the barony due to the control his potions give him over the baron.

There will of course be those who are opposed to these things on moral and ethical grounds. Perhaps even zealous paladins and clerics devoted to stomping such practices out.

In a theocratic nation such potions might be banned. A black market could pop up. The party could be detained for bringing banned substances into the theocracy, even if those potions were intended for "legitimate" adventuring purposes.

A caravan the party is hired to guard could be a "drug runners" convoy. A local noble might try to recruit the PCs to help him obtain banned substances.

And of course there is the other side of the issue, authorities may want to have the aid of the PCs in fighting a war on drugs. A corrupt offical might plant false evidence on the PCs.

You could basically model any aspect of the real world drug trade / war on drugs and get some very interesting adventures, and perhaps even a large story arc.

RogueJK · Feb 24, 2002

There already are drugs in D&D. The FR "Lords of Darkness" book has a whole section detailing the various drugs, including their effects, potencies, price, and origins. They even included a system for figuring out addiction, in which each drug has a certain % chance of addiction each time it is used.

Tolkien even included drugs in Middle Earth. The hobbits (and Gandalf) smoked marijuana regularly.

[Edit] The above statement about Middle Earth was based off of an article which obviously had false information.[/Edit]

LcKedovan · Feb 24, 2002

RogueJK said:
Tolkien even included drugs in Middle Earth. The hobbits (and Gandalf) smoked marijuana regularly.

No offense dude, but that statement is a bit of fantasy in itself with no grounding in reality. Pipeweed=tobacco, Tolkien was a pipe smoker as were many of the English in those days and tobacco until recent years was much more potent and more chemical free (Although pipe tobacco is still similar today as it was during those years). There is a pretty good chance that Tolkien wasn't even exposed to marijuana in those days.

However, tobacco is still an addictive drug

-W.

RogueJK · Feb 24, 2002

Tolkien refers to "the halfling's weed" in his books, and Saruman remarks to Gandalf that "His love of the halfling's weed has clouded his mind."

Somehow, I think he was hinting at something other than tobacco. Marijuana was more prevalent in England than you might think. Europeans had been smoking marijuana for centuries before Tolkien started writing. Even many of the Founding Fathers of the US smoked marijuana.

[Edit] My above statement may be slightly misleading. After doing a little internet research, it seems that in Europe, most marijuana was chewed rather than smoked, especially before the 1800s. And the British were even more likely to be familiar with marijuana, since they ruled over India, which has a long medicinal, social, and religious history involving marijuana that stretches back to around 4000 BC.[/Edit]

[Edit2] The statements about Middle Earth were based off of an article which, it seems, has false information.[/Edit2]

Bran Blackbyrd · Feb 24, 2002

I'm working on a drug for my campaign world, but use of it will only be prevalent in a small region. It's just something I don't feel the need to focus on that much.

Originally posted by RogueJK
Even many of the Founding Fathers of the US smoked marijuana.

Just so everyone knows, Dazed and Confused quotes go below this line.
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Wicht · Feb 24, 2002

pipeweed=tobacco

I am pretty sure there is at least one reference in the books to it as such, perhaps in The Hobbit. Saruman was not refering to the mind altering abilities of the pipeweed but to the fondness which Gandalf had to the substance.

Zappo · Feb 24, 2002

I recall reading somewhere in the Hobbit that pipeweed is tobacco. It could have been in one of the commentaries, though. Anyway, I'm sure it isn't anything else.