D&D 5E (2014) Primeval Thule: How will you handle addiction?

[Corpsetaker]

In the world of Primeval Thule there is a city called Imystrahl where it is ruled by a society of elves who are addicted to a narcotic called the "Black Milk".

Besides roleplay, how are you going to handle the addiction? I think it would be nice to have a mechanic for being addiction to something so that it could come into play during combat or NPC interaction.

I would imagine them being rather susceptible to mind influence due to the natural of substance abuse.

How are you going to handle this in your Thule game?

 

[Agamon]

I know you ask, "besides roleplay," but I think that's the best way to handle it. Make it the character's flaw, and award inspiration when the player uses it as a drawback.

 

[Wik]

I know you ask, "besides roleplay," but I think that's the best way to handle it. Make it the character's flaw, and award inspiration when the player uses it as a drawback.

This. IN 5e, it seems like addiction would fall under the same format as madness, which basically gives a PC an additional flaw to work out.

The great thing about this system is that for players that want to have this take a major effect, they can do so - and get rewarded for it in play based on how they act on it. But they don't ever have the GM say "no, that's not what your character does. He does x instead", which is frustrating in a game.

Anyways. It's how I'd do it. It's light, it's easy, and it's entirely in the player's control and ball court, which takes the onus off the GM. Anything else that adds rules just seems too heavy and formulaic for a game as loose in play as 5e seems to be.