Addiction

[Steelblood]

I was thinking about introducing a substance into my campaign thats somewhat along the lines of the magic restoration potions used in Dragon Age. I was wondering if anyone has the base rules for things such as addiction. The substance would function to restore wizard spell slots for the day, and basically be as addictive as opium.(pathfinder)

[imp_fireball]

Will save to initially overcome addiction, autohypnosis check to override negative effects of addiction, that sorta thing?

[Last_resort_33]

I'm pretty sure that the BoVD provided 3.X rules for substance abuse...

[bosssmiley]

I was thinking about introducing a substance into my campaign thats somewhat along the lines of the magic restoration potions used in Dragon Age. I was wondering if anyone has the base rules for things such as addiction. The substance would function to restore wizard spell slots for the day, and basically be as addictive as opium.(pathfinder)

"Black Lotus. Stygian. The best!"

Addiction: Will save or willingly transgress alignment to obtain object of desire. DC and frequency of save varies by drug.

[hamishspence]

Yes- Lords of Darkness (faerun book) introduced the rules, BoVD updated (reprinted?) them.

I think its possible that one of the class books (Song and Silence, Masters of the Wild, etc) also had the rules before BoVD did.

[Steelblood]

alrighty i'll have to find a copy of that, i think the DC should be pretty decent though.

[Steelblood]

i need to work out good pros and cons for this elixer though. i was thinking somthing along the lines of 1 does replenishes 1 spell slot of that lvl. So taking 2 doses replenishes one 2nd lvl spl slot so on and so forth. Disadvantage of -1 con per dose for 24hrs. With a will save DC 35 not to become addicted.

[pffh]

How about:
Lesser: restores one 2nd level slot or two 1st level slots DC15
Normal: Restores one 3rd level slot, two 2nd or 3st Dc 20
Greater: restores one 4th level, two 3rd, three 2nd or four 1st DC25

Everytime you use a potion the DC to become addicted goes up by 1 for lesser, 2 for normal and 3 for greater.

So if you use one lesser the DC for a lesser potion becomes 16, normal: 21 and greater 26.
If you've used two normal, one greater and 1 lesser then the DC for lesser: 21, normal: 26 and greater: 31.

Each month without using a potion lowers it by 1 DC to a minimum of the original numbers.

[Harperfan7]

So, would posting the BoVD rules on here be a no-no?

[Telonius]

Since they're not OGL, it would be a no-no.

I'd put some sort of a cap on how many you can use per day or per hour. Otherwise, pffh's list sounds about right.

[Steelblood]

I figured taking -con would limit the use of the item outright. ODing causes massive magic surge but can kill you.

[Telonius]

I figured taking -con would limit the use of the item outright. ODing causes massive magic surge but can kill you.

There are ways to get around CON damage (being undead comes to mind), though if the players aren't optimizing I'd agree that it should be enough.

[pffh]

You can also limit the use with con modifier = how many you can use per day (the stronger the potion the more uses it counts as, with the list I posted up there it would be lesser = 1, normal = 2 and greater = 3) and if you go over your con modifier then you roll a %d with 25% per use (one use 25%, two 50% etc) you go over to take a permanent - to something (con? wis? cha?).

I don't have BoVD with me at the moment so I don't know how they handle addiction in there.

[Totally Guy]

That's how you check that the potion the dealer wants to sell is any good.

You check the Vial Darkness.

[jiriku]

Also, decide what effects withdrawal will have if an addicted character tries (or is forced) to quit.

[Harperfan7]

There are ways to get around CON damage (being undead comes to mind), though if the players aren't optimizing I'd agree that it should be enough.

If they are immune to con damage, they are immune to the drug.

[Steelblood]

Well i was gonna kinda make that a plot hook, get the wizard addicted and then have a shortage of the supply. Sending the party on a quest to reopen the supply channels.

[JaronK]

i need to work out good pros and cons for this elixer though. i was thinking somthing along the lines of 1 does replenishes 1 spell slot of that lvl. So taking 2 doses replenishes one 2nd lvl spl slot so on and so forth. Disadvantage of -1 con per dose for 24hrs. With a will save DC 35 not to become addicted.

Of course, a clever player just binds Naberius and gets addicted without caring, and handle any supply problems the old fashioned way (Major Creation!).

JaronK

[Totally Guy]

Introduce a Green Star Adept...

I tried playing one. But I messed up and now he's a pile of green rubble.

[golentan]

Sharn's sourcebook from eberron also includes Da Rules.

[Foryn Gilnith]

As does the System Reference Document.

[Curmudgeon]

One thing I haven't been able to figure out from the Book of Vile Darkness rules is whether a straightforward Remove Curse will counter addiction. The spell description would seem to make this possible, and the BoVD text doesn't make a counterstatement.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Introduce a Green Star Adept...

I tried playing one. But I messed up and now he's a pile of green rubble.

No, turning Wizards into piles of green rubble is basically the point of that PrC.

[FoE]

"Black Lotus. Stygian. The best!"

This better not be Haga.

I wonder if 4E would simulate addiction ... maybe building it as a disease with worsening symptoms, but eventually faded on its own?

[taltamir]

Even though as people have said WOTC has published addiction rules, i wouldn't trust WOTC to make a proper set of addiction rules... just make something up.

[Totally Guy]

No, turning Wizards into piles of green rubble is basically the point of that PrC.

He was actually going to be ok for our party.

He started off as a Bard 6, went into Green Star Adept 4, he had enough skill points to qualify for Sublime Chord at eleventh which is when most straight bards qualify. I know thou shalt not lose caster levels but the build would have caught up at 11th and not suffered greatly from spell loss until later. We never end up playing at those high levels anyway, so optimising for levels 10-13 is how I do it..

[Mike_G]

I'm pretty sure that the BoVD provided 3.X rules for substance abuse...

People using the BOVD/BOED provides me with an excuse for my substance abuse.

[LibraryOgre]

I was thinking about introducing a substance into my campaign thats somewhat along the lines of the magic restoration potions used in Dragon Age. I was wondering if anyone has the base rules for things such as addiction. The substance would function to restore wizard spell slots for the day, and basically be as addictive as opium.(pathfinder)

Well, how hard do you want it, and how nasty?

I would probably steal from Psionics and make each dose worth a certain number of points, which restored spell slots as if those points were psionic powers... so a 17 point potion could restore a single 9th level slot, or some combination of lower slots that add up to 17. I would then make the saving throw be Base + Number of points restored + number of doses taken.

Maybe something like this:

Each dose is worth X points, depending on size and purity. With each dose, you take X nonlethal damage, and must make a Fortitude save with a DC of 15 + X + remaining non-lethal damage to avoid addiction (meaning folks who use a lot of it are more likely to get addicted). I make it a fortitude save because we're talking about Wizard slots, and I want to represent physical addiction. Wizards will have a good Will save, but a poor Fort save. You might go with a Con check, instead, to represent that anyone, of any level, can get just as addicted.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

He was actually going to be ok for our party.

He started off as a Bard 6, went into Green Star Adept 4, he had enough skill points to qualify for Sublime Chord at eleventh which is when most straight bards qualify. I know thou shalt not lose caster levels but the build would have caught up at 11th and not suffered greatly from spell loss until later. We never end up playing at those high levels anyway, so optimising for levels 10-13 is how I do it..

IIRC, he shouldn't have even qualified for GSA until 8. Bards don't get 3rd level spells until 7.

And your build would have been better simply by replacing every instance of 'GSA' with 'Eldritch Knight'. That's not an argument for the GSA, it's an argument for the awesomeness of Sublime Chord.