Rules for Drugs & Alcohol in 4E

[theodudek]

Hello everybody,

I was rereading the addiction rules in the "Book of Vile Darkness" for 3e and I've come up with a way to simulate drug and alcohol addiction in 4e. ^^ It actually works pretty well, I think... I'm going to be making many more drug descriptions like this.

The best way to handle addiction in 4e is through the Disease rules, with a few modifications. Each addictive substance has a ‘power’ just like a potion or other consumable item. However, after a certain amount of ‘exposure’ (sometimes one dose, sometimes multiple doses), the substance makes an attack vs. the character’s Will or Fortitude defense to see if they become addicted. However, instead of making Endurance checks to determine the progress of the addiction, as with a disease, the character must make Insight checks (reflecting their self-awareness of the fact that they are addicted, and their willpower and mental ability which allows them to get it under control). In some cases, for substances which have more of a physical than a mental toll, the character may choose to roll either Endurance or Insight.

Here are rules for some commonly available substances in a vaguely "ancient/historical fantasy" campaign...

ALCOHOL
Available everywhere in various strengths. These rules reflect extreme drunkenness. Price varies (cheapest: 1 sp to get drunk).
Power (Consumable): Standard action. You gain -2 Will defense and +1 Fortitude defense until the end of the encounter.
Attack: +4 vs. Fortitude. Roll once for each hour of heavy drinking.
Endurance or Insight: improve DC22, maintain DC 12, worsen DC11 or lower
Initial Effect: Entering a state of semi-permanent inebriation, you gain -2 Will defense and +1 Fortitude defense. If prevented from drinking, you lose the +1 Fortitude defense and instead take -2 Fortitude defense. These effects apply until the target is cured.
Effect #2: You gain -2 Reflex defense as you become unsteady on your feet. Your +1 Fortitude defense bonus rises to +2 Fortitude defense (unless prevented from drinking). These effects apply until the target is cured.
Final State: You gain -2 on all attacks and -2 to all Dexterity-based skill checks. Each time you become bloodied, you must make an Endurance check (DC15) or vomit, causing you to be Dazed until the end of your next action.

OPIUM
Usually processed into hashish. Opium is cultivated in many places, particularly Egypt, Asia and Mesopotamia, where it is called Hul Gil (the “joy plant”). There are opium dens in many cities. It can be smoked or ingested (usually smoked). Price 25 gp per dose.
The description of opium’s effects also applies to kykeon, a hallucinatory Greek drink used in rituals by the priests of Dionysos, made from barley contaminated with ergot.
Power (Consumable): Standard action. You behold strange visions of beauty and wonder, causing you to become Dazed until the end of the encounter. In addition, during this time period, you gain the ability to see invisible creatures. Once per encounter as a free action, you may also make an Insight check (DC 20) to receive a vision which may, at the DM’s discretion, contain a clue or prophecy about your current situation.
Attack: +8 vs. Will. Roll once for each dose.
Insight: improve DC 22, maintain DC16, worsen DC15 or lower
Initial Effect: Entering a semipermanent distracted dream state, you gain -1 on all attacks. Once per encounter as a free action, you may make an insight check (DC 20) to receive a vision which may, at the DM’s discretion, contain a clue or prophecy about your current situation. If prevented from taking opium, you gain -2 Will defense. These effects apply until the target is cured.
Secondary Effect: You gain vulnerable 5 psychic. You also gain the ability to see invisible creatures. These effects apply until the target is cured.
Tertiary Effect. You gain -2 Will defense. If prevented from taking opium, you gain -4 Will defense. This effect applies until the target is cured.
Final State: You are Weakened and Dazed. Whenever you are struck by an attack which targets Will, you take an additional 5 points of psychic damage. Once per encounter as a free action, you may make an Insight check (DC 18) to receive a vision which gives you a +2 to your next Charisma, Intelligence or Wisdom-based attack or skill roll. (The normal opium-induced -1 to all attacks does not count on this roll.) The vision may also, at the DM’s discretion, contain a clue or prophecy about your current situation.

CANNABIS (MARIJUANA)
Available in various strengths. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, the ancient Scythians cleaned themselves by ‘bathing’ in clouds of hemp smoke. Price 6 gp.
Power (Consumable): Standard action. Until the end of the encounter, the user gains a +1 to all Charisma or Wisdom-based attacks and skill rolls, a -2 to Reflex defense, and a -2 to Initiative. If the user is bloodied by an attack which targets Will, they become Stunned until the end of their next action.
Attack: +4 vs. Will. Roll once for every dose.
Insight: improve DC20, maintain DC12, worsen DC11 or lower
Initial Effect: Entering a semipermanent stoned state, the user gains a +1 to all Charisma or Wisdom-based attacks and skill rolls, a -2 to Reflex defense, and a -2 to Initiative. If the user is bloodied by an attack which targets Will, they become Stunned until the end of their next action. If prevented from smoking or ingesting cannabis, the user loses the +1 to Charisma and Wisdom-based attacks and skill rolls. These effects apply until the target is cured.
Secondary Effect: The user gains a -4 to Initiative. Before they act on the first turn of combat, they grant combat advantage to all attackers. If the user makes a critical hit or rolls a 20, in or out of combat, they must make an Insight save (DC15) or become so awed by what they have done that they are Dazed until the end of their next action. These effects apply until the target is cured.
Final Effect: The user becomes Slowed.

I have a bunch more that I want to make, I'll be putting them up on my blog as I create them. ^^

 

[Mercutio01]

I just have to point out that hashish is actually a product of cannabis and not opium.

 

[EP]

Dude!

Like...whoa.

 

[silverwhisper]

i'm developing an antagonist race in my world modeled after moorcock's melniboneans whose infantry are largely slaves that they've addicted to a combat drug. the combat drug has the effect of giving them power bonuses to attack and damage rolls, but they're at a penalty on all saves and can't spend healing surges.

but that's the end result of the disease track that i too am using for that purpose. :>

ed

 

[Roger]

So if you get hammered enough on alcohol, you never sober up? That's either terrible or awesome, depending on your point of view.



Cheers,
Roger

 

[Saeviomagy]

The alcohol one, at least, looks totally whacky. Most of what you describe as being symptoms of addiction sound more like simply the symptoms of being drunk, and addiction seems all too easy to have happen (ie - just about everyone who drinks would be addicted under your scheme).

Skimming through the others, that seems to continue.

Might I suggest that you separate out the effects of the drug, and have those apply whether you are addicted or not, and limit effects of addiction to penalties for not having it in your system?

 

[theodudek]

@Saeviomagy Hmm... you have a good point. -_-;; Thanks for the advice!

 

[Garthanos]

Alcohol and Drugs and my house rules
1) Alchohol if you bring your own be prepared to share (or have it confiscated if thou art a minor).
1b) If you show up (or manage to become) overly lubricated - entertaining things can and will occur that we may not explain later (at least to you I guarantee we will spread the knowledge elsewhere.. at minimum I have web access and I'm not afraid to use it).
2) Drugs, if you have a medical condition bring your own... the DM is not your supplier...
2b) if you dont have a medical condition... the DM is still not your supplier and do NOT bring your own....

The above is a humorous out-take not to be confused with any actual practices.

It is also about the only thing I could think of based on the title of this thread
and I had to get it out of my system move along... nothing to see here

 

[The Cartographist]

My rules for drugs are different--although also loosely inspired by the Book of Vile Darkness.

Basically, drugs are low-powered potions that, when you ingest them, have a certain small but positive effect on you. Unlike BoVD, there is no need to make a save against them taking effect--you want them to have that effect so why force you to save against it. [My logic is that if you are drinking a potion, for instance, it will work as intended, no save required. A drug is merely a 'nonmagical' potion, so no save either.]

Now, the save comes into account after you've taken the drug X times, where X is different for each drug. Thereafter, each time you take the drug, you must save or become addicted.

There are several negative effects from being addicted:

If you take a single dose of that drug enough times, it will eventually stop having that effect, UNLESS you take more and more of it as your body builds up a tolerance to it.

When you stop taking the drug, you experience some penalty that was the opposite of the positive effect. The penalties grow steeper and steeper the more addicted you are, which is tracked by the DM on an addiction chart. The only way to overcome the penalties is time (as your body slowly loses its addiction over the course of days or weeks) or by ingesting more of the drug.

I like my system, because the player himself gets 'addicted' to the benefits of having his character take the substance. The character over time is forced to purchase more and more of the drug to achieve the same bonuses or experience an ever increasing penalty when he tries to stop.

I also like this system, because the 'drugs' are never presented as such. They are just small potions that, after some number of times being used, stop providing the positive. Of course, the person supplying the potion will advise the character to "just try two or three" and the bonus will return. I'll have the player roll saves without telling him what they're for, so he won't know that the character is addicted or even in danger of becoming addicted. Then, when he grows frustrated with having to purchase more and more and decides to stop taking them, he is hit with some penalty. THEN he'll have to suffer the consequences, or purchase more.

The roleplaying possibilities are limitless.

As you can imagine, those who favor heroic, high fantasy might not like this system. I tend to enjoy grittier, dark fantasy. Even in my 4E.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Not having ever actually implemented anything like this I'd imagine the simplest and broadest way to model addiction would be:

1. Every time you take whatever substance, you make a save. It's hard to fail this save, depending on the substance.

2. You keep track of failed saves much like a disease track. A long enough period of time without taking the substance may grant you the ability to improve your disease track.

3. For each failed save you take a penalty equal to whatever benefit the substance would give. You don't get a bonus equal to any penalties however.

4. For the purposes of negating this particular penalty, doses of the substance stack.
4. a) Potentially we could also say that any other effects don't apply until you've overcome the penalty (ie - someone who's heavily addicted to drink will be more resistant to it).

So, say alcohol gives you a +1 will defense, and -2 to dex and int. Addiction might only be a failed save on a 1. Once you roll that one, your character permanently takes a -1 to his will defense. If you dry out for a week, you might get a check of some sort to remove the penalty. The next time you drink alcohol, it will take you 2 drinks to get your +1 will defense. Those two drinks will also reduce your dex and int by 4 (unless we decided to implement 4a, and ignore any additional effects until you negate your addiction penalty).