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Katasi
2007-09-07, 02:29 AM
Yes, I know other people have created rules for drunkenness and drinking before, but here's my attempt at it.

First off let's point out what's needed:

1. It has to be reasonably realistic, but not to complex for new players.
a. Constitution represents your character's stamina and health, thus drunkenness should be tied in some way to CON score.
b. Drunkenness usually effects a character's decision making ability, so this has to be dealt with as well.
2. This system has to be consistent for ALL alcoholic drinks.


Now, to deal with 1.a I had though of using Fortitude saves, but when I thought about it again I realized that doing so would be giving a major advantage to Fighter and Barbarian types, and honestly flavor wise, while yes a Fighter or Barbarian would be quite able to hold his brew and spend alot of time in bars, the class that probably frequents suck places most is rogues, and they should probably be able to hold their drink just as well as most Fighters, or at least as well as a Barbarian.

So next I came up with the idea of using a simple CON check. This is much closer to what I had in mind. Your average rogue has about the same, or a little less CON than your average fighter, especially using dice or arrays to determine scores, though it depends a bit on build. Even most casters don't lag TO far behind. This should work quite well as a base for the system.

Ok, here is the base for my system. Each drink will have 2 numbers to go with it. One is the base DC to the CON check to avoid getting drunk(er), and one is a penalty to each CON check afterwards. Failing a save moves you up a stage of drunkenness.

For example, basic Beer I'm giving a DC of 8 [not very hard, but sometimes one beer is enough to get a person drunk.] and a +1 penalty to future checks.

So for example:
Mumbo the fighter has a +2 CON bonus and drinks a beer. He rolls a 10 on his d20, so he avoids getting drunk. He drinks another beer. This beer has a DC of 9 because of the one he drank before it. He rolls a 6. He is now into the first stage of drunkenness.

Failing a check by more than 5 not only moves you up a stage, but incurs double the normal penalty to future drinks.

In our example, Mumbo drinks another beer, at a DC of 10 now. He rolls a 2. He is now at the second stage of drunkenness, and his next beer will be at a DC of 12.

a character looses 2 points of built up DC per hour, even while still drinking. He looses stages of drunkenness a very different way, which I will describe using charts later on. Both his built up DC and all stages of drunkenness go away after a full 8 hours of sleep or it's equivalent.

[could someone please tell me how do do a 2*x chart?]

Tormsskull
2007-09-07, 08:06 AM
So next I came up with the idea of using a simple CON check. This is much closer to what I had in mind. Your average rogue has about the same, or a little less CON than your average fighter, especially using dice or arrays to determine scores, though it depends a bit on build. Even most casters don't lag TO far behind. This should work quite well as a base for the system.


Honestly, I would probably just say you can drink as many typical alcoholic drinks (beer, mead, etc) as you have points of Con. After that you pass out.

If you want to add a little more randomness into it, say that for every drink after your points in Con, you make a Fort save DC = Your Con score, and for each additional drink after your total Con points the DC is +2.

So for example, Thodar the dwarf has a Constitution of 16. He can drink 16 beers and still operate (though heavily intoxicated). If he drinks a 17th drink, he has to make a Fort save DC 18. If he passes and drinks another, DC 20, then DC 22, etc.

I would probably give dwarves a +4 racial bonus on that Fort save.

Mr. Moogle
2007-09-07, 08:22 AM
Honestly, I would probably just say you can drink as many typical alcoholic drinks (beer, mead, etc) as you have points of Con. After that you pass out.

If you want to add a little more randomness into it, say that for every drink after your points in Con, you make a Fort save DC = Your Con score, and for each additional drink after your total Con points the DC is +2.

So for example, Thodar the dwarf has a Constitution of 16. He can drink 16 beers and still operate (though heavily intoxicated). If he drinks a 17th drink, he has to make a Fort save DC 18. If he passes and drinks another, DC 20, then DC 22, etc.

I would probably give dwarves a +4 racial bonus on that Fort save.

I would make it HALF your con score (6 beers can really mess people up). and some drinks should count double.

Umarth
2007-09-07, 01:44 PM
If you can find a copy the d20 EQ system has rules on drunkenness, an alcohol tolerance skill, and magical alcohols.

Basics, from memory, is you make a skill check when you drink. If you drink enough to get drunk you giant a bonus to Str/Con and penalty to mental stats. If you fail your skill check the mental penalties are higher.

Various drinks also provide metabolic bonuses to stats, magical abilities, or make you smell funny.

I personally think every game is improved with things like Skunk Breath Ale, Bootbeer, and Armadillo Ale.

smart thog
2007-09-07, 02:07 PM
Honestly, I would probably just say you can drink as many typical alcoholic drinks (beer, mead, etc) as you have points of Con. After that you pass out.

If you want to add a little more randomness into it, say that for every drink after your points in Con, you make a Fort save DC = Your Con score, and for each additional drink after your total Con points the DC is +2.

So for example, Thodar the dwarf has a Constitution of 16. He can drink 16 beers and still operate (though heavily intoxicated). If he drinks a 17th drink, he has to make a Fort save DC 18. If he passes and drinks another, DC 20, then DC 22, etc.

I would probably give dwarves a +4 racial bonus on that Fort save.

I like that Idea, but I think that maybe you should add this rule, "every time you drink more than your con modifier +2 you have to roll a fort save (DC= number of times you have to roll this save + 10) or take 1d4 points of Wis and must make a will save (DC equals 15) or you have to get another Drink, after which you must start the process over. Even if you make the save, all Int and Wis checks are at a -4 penalty, and all non combat decisions you make have a 5 percent chance of being irrational (these are made by the DM). I think that this system is more realistic for the mental effects of booze, especially when combined with Tormsskulls's system for finding the limits of what the body (and mind) can take.

BisectedBrioche
2007-09-07, 05:37 PM
Off the top of my head, what about giving a character a "base limit" based on their constitution score (perhaps a number of "sobriety points" equal to their Con modifier) and then have drinks reducing their sobriety by varying amounts. Then the lower their SP get (as a percentage) they suffer more negative effects (which stack);


{TABLE]% of Max SP remaining|Effect
>75%|No effects
<75%|Intoxicated
<50%|Drunk
<25%|Very Drunk
<10%|Alcohol poisoning[/TABLE]

Every hour the character may make a DC 15 fortitude save, they regain a number of SP equal to whatever they succeed by (they may not, however, lose SP this way). The effects of the varying levels of intoxication are shown below;

Intoxicated Character takes a -2 penalty of all dex, cha, int, and wis scores as well as reflex and will saves. Speech is slurred giving a -2 penalty to the speak languages skill sense motive checks take a -1 and bluff checks -2. Disguise checks fail automatically.

Drunk As indicated but the penalties are doubled. The player must now make a balance check every time they attempt to walk (DC 10) or fall prone.

Very Drunk The DC to stay standing is now 15. All skills which are attempted immediately fail. The player must make a fortitude save (DC 15 - remaining SP) every 10 minutes or fall unconscious.

Alcohol Poisoning The alcohol has now started to cause serious damage to the character's system rendering them unconscious (no save). They take 1d4-1 con damage every hour that they remain in this state. If they take more than half their con score in damage they must make a fortitude save. If they succeed then the damage is negated, if they fail then their maximum SP is reduced by 1 due to liver damage. A character's constitution may not be dropped below 1 unless they have less than 5% of their SP remaining.

If a character becomes intoxicated (<75% of their max SP) then they gain an extra point of maximum SP (to a maximum of 20). Creatures with resistance to poisons may add their bonus to their maximum SP.

As soon as a character's SP regenerates to >75% they are considered hungover. Treat them as nauseated until they regain 80% of their SP they are then merely sickened until all their SP has been regenerated.

As a rule every two units of alcohol (about the amount found in a pint of normal beer) drains 1 SP.

I can't help but feel that I've left something out.

knightsaline
2007-09-08, 02:47 AM
Bisected, How about ways of magically regenerating SP? I'd say delay poison would allow you to drink without losing SP, but when the spell wears off, you get hit with 1 1/2 times the SP damage. Remove poison restores all SP, but makes you hungover for half your CON modifier. What about a penalty to listen and hide checks? Listen because your sense of hearing is distorted, hide because you are shouting when you speak. Dwarfen clerics of Moradin get a spell called "inhibit alcohol" which allows them to drink twice as much, yet only get half as drunk. Elves get a penalty to Fort saves regarding alcohol, due to their slender build and inability to process anything worse than elven wine.

We need a list of intoxicating drinks. If the drunkenness rules were based solely on Fort saves, a 20th level barbarian could drink pure alcohol and only get a mild tingle, while a wizard of the same level would be nursing a lemon water.

If you make rules for Drunkenness, you have to make rules for the morning after.

Katasi
2007-09-08, 10:32 PM
Well, one thing I want to include for sure is something totally left out in other systems I've seen. And that's the fact that if you drink enough, it won't just knock you out, it will kill you.

Mewtarthio
2007-09-08, 11:06 PM
Well, one thing I want to include for sure is something totally left out in other systems I've seen. And that's the fact that if you drink enough, it won't just knock you out, it will kill you.

But once you hit 10% SP, you fall unconscious. You can't actually die unless you're at less than 5% SP (or damaged beforehand). With the regular human SP of 10, 1 SP is unconsciousness and 0 SP is potentially fatal, while for an inhuman SP of 20, 2 SP is unconsciousness and 1 SP is potentially fatal. I just don't see how you're going to get in the "fatal" range (unless, of course, some drinks can incur penalties of more than 1 SP).

Also, I'm not sure I like the auto-failing skills, particularly Disguise. If you're hiding your identity, being drunk's going to be risky, but you're not going to be shouting your real name across the bar. Besides, it conjures up the rather funny image of suspected fugitives being forced to consume large quantities of alcohol until the disguise breaks.

NecroRebel
2007-09-09, 12:05 AM
But once you hit 10% SP, you fall unconscious. You can't actually die unless you're at less than 5% SP (or damaged beforehand). With the regular human SP of 10, 1 SP is unconsciousness and 0 SP is potentially fatal, while for an inhuman SP of 20, 2 SP is unconsciousness and 1 SP is potentially fatal. I just don't see how you're going to get in the "fatal" range (unless, of course, some drinks can incur penalties of more than 1 SP).

Also, I'm not sure I like the auto-failing skills, particularly Disguise. If you're hiding your identity, being drunk's going to be risky, but you're not going to be shouting your real name across the bar. Besides, it conjures up the rather funny image of suspected fugitives being forced to consume large quantities of alcohol until the disguise breaks.

The former point is fairly easy to counter... Treat alchohols as a poison, with both primary and secondary SP damage. This mimics real life: first off, the alchomohols ARE in fact a poison, and second, the alchohol takes several minutes or hours to become fully absorbed into the system. Treating alchohol as a poison also quite naturally allows dwarves to imbibe significantly stronger (read: higher DC) beers due to their natural poison resistance.

The latter point I'm forced to agree with. Auto-failing skills just seems a bit silly, even when you're fall-down-drunk. Sure, it would be much harder to succeed on most of them, but not impossible. I'd probably make Intoxication give a -2 penalty to DEX, WIS, INT, and CHA and -2 to all skills, Drunkeness -4 to the same, and Heavy Inebriation -6. This mostly just makes it so that a 3-WIS Commoner can't see through the epic-level Rogue's disguises just by slipping him a few drinks, but it still gives a major penalty against equal-level creatures.

Altair_the_Vexed
2007-09-09, 08:01 AM
In my game I treat alcohol and other intoxicants as subdual poisons: they deal subdual damage to your ability scores which is healed at a faster rate that normal damage.

I established an Intoxicant Unit (one glass of wine = 1/2 pint of beer = one measure of vodka, etc, etc = one IU - this is based on the British legal measurement system), which one compares with one's CON. You don't get any bonuses from being intoxicated, no matter what drunk people might tell you.
Imbibed alcohol takes ten minutes to affect a character, with secondary damage after one hour. This is the Onset Time.
When IU = CON / 2 (i.e. half your CON), one must make a FORT save DC 10 + IU to avoid subdual damage to certain ability scores (I used 1d3 WIS, with secondary damage of 1d3 DEX). Each drink beyond this state prompts a new FORT save at the same (revised) DC.
When IU = 3 x CON / 4 (three quarter of your CON), one must a FORT save as above to avoid subdual damage - possibly to more ability scores. (I used 1d3 DEX, and secondary damage of 1d3 INT.)
When IU = CON, one must make a FORT save against more damage (1d3 WIS and DEX, secondary damage of 1d3 INT and CHA - no-one listens to a drunk), and a FORT save against the same DC every ten minutes to avoid becoming sickened.
A Lethal Dose of alcohol is IU = 3 x CON - at this level, the damage from the IU = CON stage is lethal, not subdual. (I applied the lethal damage as 1d3 CON for both primary and secondary damage.)
FORT saves are required for each additional drink, and this lethal damage applies as well as the subdual effects. It heals at the normal rate. This reflects the longer term effects of excessive drinking.

Alcohol units disapear at a rate of one unit per hour. This is the Decay Time.

So drugs and alcohol have an Onset Time, three stages of damage, possibly a lethal dose level, and a Decay Time. Make up your own effects for alcohol or other drugs if you like.

Zoraciel Ivtel
2007-09-09, 08:41 PM
I don't have the rules I've been using for drunkeness in front of me, but if one of my PCs gets so drunk they pass out, they have to fight a pink elephant, or they take hangover damage the next morning....:smallbiggrin:

knightsaline
2007-09-10, 09:38 PM
Want some drinks? heres some for you....

Dwarven Ale: not really one drink, but a type of drink. The type ranges from "Pansy Elf Water" which is as strong as normal ale to the legendary "Bugmans XXXXXX" which one drink makes even the stoutest dwarf roaringly drunk to the point where they will try and solo Mr T. Anyone who drinks any of this legendary brew automatically fails the saves and takes a will penalty. Dwarven Clerics or clerics of a Dwarf god may substitute Dwarven Ale in spells that require holy water

Elven wine: Elves make their wine from what nature provides them with. It is reputed that the Elves make a wine during the celebration of Beltane that can heal wounds. The Elves deny such a thing exists, but there have been cases where the "Beltane Brew" has fallen into the hands of other races. Beltane Brew instead of causing damage, heals the drinker, as per a cure moderate wounds potion.

Arcane Ale: Arcane Ale is the most common kind of ale served in alehouses. This kind of ale is created by a variant on the Create Water spell, invented by the legendary Archmage Charlie Mopps. Arcane Ale has no special bonuses or penalties.

Mind Expander: Don't drink this. Its just water coloured to look like beer. "Created" by psions so that they could drink with their party, Mind Expander is psion code for "A glass of beer coloured water please" or "I am a pansy who can't hold his drink"

Mudslide: Mudslides were created by a young mage who liked the Maztican delecacy of Chocolate and a flavorless drink made from potatoes. A mudslide is also called a Bitch Drink by barbarians, due to its low amount of intoxicating substances. Mudslides have a lowered save to represent this.

Rum: What game with pirates and swashbucklers would be complete without rum? NONE! Rum in the D&D world comes from a place far, far away, leading the more drunken mages to think that it came from another plane or world. Legend has it that an admiral was preserved in a barrel of this stuff while at sea. when the barrel was opened, the barrel was empty of the rum. It was found that some of the sailors had drilled a hole in the bottom of the barrel to drink the rum (and the blood) in the barrel. Rum has a higher DC if drunk in a normal ale glass or a lower DC if drunk from a smaller glass.

Scumble: Made from apples (well, mostly apples), this drink is made in the more rural areas. A lot of stories are told about scumble, and how it is made out on the damp marshes, according to ancient recipes passed down rather unsteadily from father to son. It's not true about the rats, or the snakes' heads, or the lead shot. The one about the dead sheep is a complete fabrication. We can lay to rest all the variants of the one about the trouser button. But the one about not letting it come into contact with metal is absolutely true. Mostly given to outsiders as a sort of initation, Scumble tends to make people fall down. It has the ability to spontaneously turn into milk. Scumble has an extremely high DC, only topped by the Auto-fail of Bugmans XXXXXX.

Bent: Bent is made from a fruit that resembles the cresent moon. It has a creamy taste and is brewed by mashing up the fruit, adding milk and honey, seal in a glass container, then placed into a barrel, which is set on fire by alchemists fire or a fireball. Bent has the ability to heal burns, due to its unique brewing process. If a character drinks one dose of Bent after being burnt, they heal half of the damage caused by the burns. It can be given to children with no penalty, although doing so is a chaotic act. Parents of the children who are given this do not suffer from the chaotic act.

Liquid Sunshine: Made from a strange fruit taken from a large island where bears drop from trees, dogs steal babies and the elected leader is automatically incompentant, LS tastes tropical. It is considered of being in the same family as rum. LS is served in large glasses, with a little paper umbrella and a slice of lemon. LS has a strange effect where when you drink one, you must pass a will save to stop drinking. LS has a high DC that scales with how many drinks of LS the chara drinks.

Moonshine: Don't drink. Don't brew it. Its a trap. Moonshine has an extremely high DC that is quite similar to the one for halving damage for drinking the contents of a strangely warm, unlabeled bottle. Any character who drinks it dies. no save.

Cold side of the moons: Same as above, yet the bottle is extremely cold. Characters who drink it are frozen.

DanielLC
2007-09-10, 10:21 PM
How about a series expensive magical beers designed to replicate specific aspect of beer so you can get the good, but not the bad? These would be mixed, so you can have more than one in one drink.

Forget your Woes:
Anyone who drinks this gets a -1 penalty on all knowledge (worries) checks per unit in their system.

Loosen Up:
Anyone who drinks this has their ethical alignment shifted one unit towards chaotic per unit in their system. This is temporary.

Weaken:
This deals one point of strength damage per unit in the drinker's system. This is generally given on the house to powerful fighters who are drinking to much, in order to decrease damage caused by fights.

A small amount is used in each drink, and is generally added to water or a different drink with the alcohol taken out (giving it that flavor). The alcohol can be distilled, but connoisseurs prefer it when done with neutralize poison (adds 1 gp per quart to the price. I calculated this and it's a coincidence it's one.)

I don't know what prices to give these, but they're not the same. Loosen Up would be more expensive than Forget your Woes because it's more powerful.