I voted no and we haven't considered it because recreational drugs don't fit especially well with my current campaign (where the players are agents of a church of good). We've had commonplace recreational drug use in other darker-themed campaigns. It just has never come up in this one. My current crowd of heroes like their ale and firewater but that's about it.
Do recreational drugs feature in your campaign?
- Thread starter Rev. Jesse
- Start date
wingsandsword
Legend
Yes, but not regularly, or even often.
In the last D&D game I ran, a PC was being courted for membership by a Yuan-Ti cult, who offered the PC a powerful hallucinogen. When the PC realized what was happening, he refused the offer and fled. If he'd taken it, I had the addiction rules (BoVD) sitting behind the DM screen.
I've put caches of recreational drugs into treasure hoardes, like if they raid a bandit lair they may find some narcotics. PC's in my games have always destroyed them immediately (but save the wine, and try and find buyers for any particulary valuable wines they may run across).
They aren't a regular part of the campaign, and certainly not something that PC's are encouraged to use, but they are present in the campaign world, typically as something used and dealt in by villains.
Now, if I'm running Star Wars, of course recreational drugs are a part of the setting, Spice is a key part of Star Wars. Ryll, Glitterstim and Avabush Spice are expensive, dangerous, and popular throughout the galaxy, people smuggle them (most people ignore that Han Solo was in modern terms, a drug smuggler), wars are fought over them, and if people overindulge in them, very bad things happen. (Then there are the stranger drugs, like how Arconans are intoxicated by simple sodium chloride).
In the last D&D game I ran, a PC was being courted for membership by a Yuan-Ti cult, who offered the PC a powerful hallucinogen. When the PC realized what was happening, he refused the offer and fled. If he'd taken it, I had the addiction rules (BoVD) sitting behind the DM screen.
I've put caches of recreational drugs into treasure hoardes, like if they raid a bandit lair they may find some narcotics. PC's in my games have always destroyed them immediately (but save the wine, and try and find buyers for any particulary valuable wines they may run across).
They aren't a regular part of the campaign, and certainly not something that PC's are encouraged to use, but they are present in the campaign world, typically as something used and dealt in by villains.
Now, if I'm running Star Wars, of course recreational drugs are a part of the setting, Spice is a key part of Star Wars. Ryll, Glitterstim and Avabush Spice are expensive, dangerous, and popular throughout the galaxy, people smuggle them (most people ignore that Han Solo was in modern terms, a drug smuggler), wars are fought over them, and if people overindulge in them, very bad things happen. (Then there are the stranger drugs, like how Arconans are intoxicated by simple sodium chloride).
TheAuldGrump
First Post
Depends very much on the setting.
For my 1887 OGL Steampunk game they were available because in the real world morphia could be bought over the counter, the pills kept in a big class jar on the counter itself... cocaine was also legal.
However, the public views of those who became addicted to the crap was extremely negative.
For games with a medieval setting there are actually very few that are known in most of Europe, with a few odd, and dangerous, exceptions.*
The Auld Grump
*Look up the ointment used by 'witches' to fly...
For my 1887 OGL Steampunk game they were available because in the real world morphia could be bought over the counter, the pills kept in a big class jar on the counter itself... cocaine was also legal.
However, the public views of those who became addicted to the crap was extremely negative.
For games with a medieval setting there are actually very few that are known in most of Europe, with a few odd, and dangerous, exceptions.*
The Auld Grump
*Look up the ointment used by 'witches' to fly...
Guldensupp
First Post
PCs have encountered alcohol, tobacco, melange (spice from Dune ), and hashish (when fighting hasassins), as well as, magical drugs like angel dust and demon dust. In the campaign with melange, one of the characters was an addict. They were trying to break the ring dealing in angel dust and demon dust in another campaign.
Gregory
Gregory
Aust Diamondew
First Post
Mushrooms are used by berserkers and seers in my current campaign. In prior campaigns weed, opium and hashish have been used by some of the characters (both PC and NPC).
And of course alcohol.
And of course alcohol.
MrFilthyIke
First Post
Rev. Jesse said:
Yeah, it appears and can be a theme, I try to bring realism into my games, and drugs and other addictions are a part of life. They just don't take center stage.
BullMarkOne
First Post
I've had a few of my own characters who dabbled in various drugs, More in sci-fi/cyberpunk games than fantasy. Having a fair bit of experience with a good many recreational chemicals (legal and otherwise) I feel fairly adept at roleplaying such things. My last D&D PC did dabble in a few of the drugs from the Book of Vile Darkness, and they featured slightly in his eventual slide to evil alignment.
As a DM I wouldn't tolerate too much of a lighthearted attitude toward the use of potentially addictive/destructive substances in my game. Not that I'm against featuring them, or even using them as plot or character building devices. I'd just expect the player to roleplay the lows as well as the highs.
The potential anachronism of synthetic type drugs (as opposed to mushrooms, Marijuana, or other 'natural' drugs) in a medieval setting doesnt bother me too much either. At least not when alchemists can make concussion grenades, web grenades, matches, napalm (yes I know about greek fire), or a good variety of other temporaly displaced toys.
As a DM I wouldn't tolerate too much of a lighthearted attitude toward the use of potentially addictive/destructive substances in my game. Not that I'm against featuring them, or even using them as plot or character building devices. I'd just expect the player to roleplay the lows as well as the highs.
The potential anachronism of synthetic type drugs (as opposed to mushrooms, Marijuana, or other 'natural' drugs) in a medieval setting doesnt bother me too much either. At least not when alchemists can make concussion grenades, web grenades, matches, napalm (yes I know about greek fire), or a good variety of other temporaly displaced toys.
diaglo
Adventurer
edit: at least in the campaigns i've played in or refereedPsionicist said:
nope. murder is still illegal.
god of murder is evil in most books.
god of justice is usually lawful good in most books.
so most towns, cities, and such have laws... and they have illegal "contraband". slaves, some drugs, some Doomsday devices, etc...
No, they don't feature in the game. But neither do cookies, cake, pie, or trips to the outhouse.
"Features" are things that are relevant to the story. I have felt no need to make recreational drugs relevant. If and when I feel a story calls for it, I will have no problems including them.
"Features" are things that are relevant to the story. I have felt no need to make recreational drugs relevant. If and when I feel a story calls for it, I will have no problems including them.
Vraille Darkfang
First Post
Do Recreational Drugs feature in my games?
By drugs I'll assume you mean not only Alchemical Concoctions, but also simple botanical brews (teas, willow bark, Toad Licking, etc).
The key word is Recreational drugs have a BIG impact in my games, See the skills: Alchemy & Profession (herbalist). These tend to be the minor boon, or moderate boon with a penalty type. They aren't used for Recreational purposes (unless you put troll killing under Recreational). I also have nasty drugs, but they did to be some addict NPC Villian the party is tryiung to defeat.
The PC's have also been hired to be 'drug minotaurs' to sneak illegal substances into a kingdom (usually via their Bags of Holding; THE MAGIC ITEM PEOPLE) where they are outlawed (sometimes they knew what they were carrying, sometimes not). They've also been hired to track down drug runners.
But, in terms of Recreational (non-combat time Role-Playing) drug use, 90% of the time it goes down to "I go to the Inn to have some Dwarven Ale" or "Does the merchant have any pipe-weed for my pipe?" lines. Occasionally I have a player that decides to give his PC a vice like alcholic or drug addict. It usually doesn't work out well. The barbarian drinking himself into a stupor then Raging & using Whirlwind Attack/Great Cleave in a Inn full of 1st level commoners doesn't end well. Or the Cocaine addict running out on level 6 of the dungeon, also does not bode well for party survival.
Recreational Drug Use exists, but it's much more of a background element I use to help detail a region's moral/ethical/religious/legal structure than anything else.
By drugs I'll assume you mean not only Alchemical Concoctions, but also simple botanical brews (teas, willow bark, Toad Licking, etc).
The key word is Recreational drugs have a BIG impact in my games, See the skills: Alchemy & Profession (herbalist). These tend to be the minor boon, or moderate boon with a penalty type. They aren't used for Recreational purposes (unless you put troll killing under Recreational). I also have nasty drugs, but they did to be some addict NPC Villian the party is tryiung to defeat.
The PC's have also been hired to be 'drug minotaurs' to sneak illegal substances into a kingdom (usually via their Bags of Holding; THE MAGIC ITEM PEOPLE) where they are outlawed (sometimes they knew what they were carrying, sometimes not). They've also been hired to track down drug runners.
But, in terms of Recreational (non-combat time Role-Playing) drug use, 90% of the time it goes down to "I go to the Inn to have some Dwarven Ale" or "Does the merchant have any pipe-weed for my pipe?" lines. Occasionally I have a player that decides to give his PC a vice like alcholic or drug addict. It usually doesn't work out well. The barbarian drinking himself into a stupor then Raging & using Whirlwind Attack/Great Cleave in a Inn full of 1st level commoners doesn't end well. Or the Cocaine addict running out on level 6 of the dungeon, also does not bode well for party survival.
Recreational Drug Use exists, but it's much more of a background element I use to help detail a region's moral/ethical/religious/legal structure than anything else.
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