Effect of smoking pot?

[Alcamtar]

I have a PC who insists on smoking "dreadweed" every chance he gets (and generally acting like a stoner). It has been established in the campaign that this is a pot-like herb which can be smoked or mixed into food. It has somewhat mild effects like pot, although it can also cause hallucinations as powerful as a phantasmal force. Behaviorally, the character acts like Cheech and Chong, Bill and Ted, the guys on "Dark Star", etc. He's also always trying to push it on NPCs or sneak it into their food.

The player is so into it he thinks his wizard should get special magical abilities from it and wants to design a prestige class around it. OTOH I (the GM) think there should be some detrimental effect, plus I'm getting tired of the "stoner" silliness, but I don't know enough about pot to really say what it does to you.

Some things I've done in the game is draining a few points of wisdom, inflict hallucinations, having spells misfire or have unexpectedly powerful results, have the character spontaneously levitate when very stoned, lose interest in whatever he's doind and stand there in a stupor, etc.

So, what effect would pot smoking have in D&D terms? Would it affect initiative? AC? Spell memory?

Also, what magical effects might it have? I'm looking for ideas here.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Piratecat]

A preemptive comment: please keep this conversation strictly on game effects. If we get into a conversation about the pros and cons of drug use or a pro- vs. anti-drug discussion, don't be surprised if it gets closed.

Thanks!

 

[Neowolf]

Though I honestly don't know a whole lot about the scientific effects of pot (I'm straight-edge myself), here's a few suggestions:

- attack roll penalties, possibly increasing the more recently/often he used the stuff

- AC penalties, also possibly increasing

- Will save penalties

- Wis/Int loss

- subdual damage (?)

- XP penalties (memory loss)

If you'd like to curb his behavior, try doing something like having the supply (wherever it's grown) destroyed either by a natural disaster or some political event (such as an invasion). That way, it either becomes unavailable or really expensive (possibly out of his price range?).

Also, it might be a good idea to talk to this guy out of game if it's severely disrupting your campaign (as it seems to be).

Just my two coppers, hope that helps.

 

[mmadsen]

So, what effect would pot smoking have in D&D terms? Would it affect initiative? AC? Spell memory?

A large dose of cannabis sativa should reduce Wis and Dex, which would reduce perception rolls (Spot, Listen), initiative, AC, etc. A small dose should have no noticeable effect.

Historically, hashish was used to enter into a shamanistic trance, so your pot-obsessed player could decide that his character performs his divinations in a tent over a burning hemp fire (or whatever).

 

[Maerdwyn]

I agree with many of neowolf's suggestions. I would also suggest forcing occasional and unprovoked morale checks (will saves) to simulate paranoia.

Also, don't be afraid of occasionally making the drug affect the character erratically: use whatever weird or bizarre effects you can dream up. Maybe what he's taken is impure or not what he thinks it is at all. The thieves guild may be trying to increase profits, or the alchemist might accidently break a flask of Chemical X over the rolling papers, or something.

That opens up all sorts of possibilities for DM nastiness

 

[Henry]

Using the rules from Tournaments, Fairs, and Taverns, just come up with several intoxication levels of the wacky-weed, and its strength.

Dreadweed has a natural Stoning Power (Call it SP) of 8. If you intake more SP than your CON score in a unit of time (say 4 hours), then you get Happy. If you get more than 2 x CON score in that time, then you get High. Every time your SP level goes up to another increment past your CON score, you move to the next level - Stoned, Smashed, then Unconscious.

Happy - the character is happy all the time, makes light of serious situations, and generally has nothing to feel blue about. -2 to all situations involving seriousness or concentration (such as combat), and a +2 to all checks where being happy and friendly and having a light atitude would be a benefit.

High - the character is completely under the effects of the drug, and suffers a -4 on all checks as before. He must make a concentration check (with the -4 penalty) to avoid levitating at least one foot above the ground (note that this will not prevent falls from heights, but might act as a feather fall for negating damage).

Stoned -

Smashed -

Unconscious -

..and so on. match the effects to what bonuses or penalties you want the PC to have. Since I have little experience with extracurricular pharmaceuticals, I can't come up with an accurate table, but feel free to assign whatever effects make sense to your campaign.

 

[Sigma]

Hmmm...considering that marijuana really hits short term memory, I'd be inclined to go with an Int penalty instead of a Wis penalty. IMO, it should inflict 1d4 points of temporary intelligence damage and give a -2 or -4 to saves vs illusions and/or mind effecting spells. If you want to give it a positive side effect, I'd recommend a +1 caster level for divinations or illusions, and maybe a chance that those who read the characters mind suffer the intelligence damage as well.

But really, I'd sit down and chat with the player about his character. Having an exotic drug-induced power thing is a part of fantasy/sci-fi literature (Elric, the book Use of Weapons), but having someone pretend to be Cheech or Chong is just plain annoying. That's just as obnoxious as a stick-up-his butt paladin that attacks everyone he detects as evil or a druid that doesn't bathe and hugs trees.

 

[Artoomis]

In addition to any other effects (both positive and negative), consider adding this that will help control things - and maybe get the player away from this undesirable state of affairs:

Make the player roll willpower saves vs. DC 20 (or whatever) in order to act - this represents overcoming the general lack of drive to do anything other than sit around and feel good. Even if you make teh DC low, he'll fail 5% of the time.

Dying a few times because the character just decides not to do anything should cure this behavior in a hurry.

Also - make the saves occur several times in a single combat. That should do it.

 

[Alaska Roberts]

I would have to say memory loss, lots of it. Totally absent minded professor. Very smart still, just can't remember anything.

Also, if he is an addict, make it hard to get.

Thats all fer now.

 

[Artoomis]

Another possible approach if you want to eliminate this from your game - have a disease come along that wipes out the plant. Even better, make it a side effect of something the PCs have done.