Junkies in D&D?

[Arameus]

Is this in the rules, at all? I was thinking the other day what an interesting character aspect and bizarre group dynamic might be created if one of the characters was addicted to powerful psychotropic drugs.

I figured that if there weren't any rules for it, it could just be a 'Sherlock Holmes' type addiction that only takes root in the extreme downtime between active adventuring, but if it were more truly defined could be either an established or encroaching dependence even while currently fighting the forces of badness.

Are there any rules governing this? I would think not; just seems like one of those things that, if you want it that badly, you can just homebrew.

Just imagine the implications:

"What's going on here?!"
"Jarmott, you're a true freind, and a crackerjack cleric, but the group and I have been talking; you've got to realize that you have a problem!"

[Tsotha-lanti]

Do you need rules for it?

There's something in the Book of Vile Darkness, and probably something in Lords of Darkness.

Doubt there's any drug rules in the 4E core books.

[kamikasei]

You could always model it as like a geas or other effect that applies penalties unless some condition is repeatedly met.

[nagora]

Is this in the rules, at all? I was thinking the other day what an interesting character aspect and bizarre group dynamic might be created if one of the characters was addicted to powerful psychotropic drugs.

I figured that if there weren't any rules for it, it could just be a 'Sherlock Holmes' type addiction that only takes root in the extreme downtime between active adventuring, but if it were more truly defined could be either an established or encroaching dependence even while currently fighting the forces of badness.

Are there any rules governing this? I would think not; just seems like one of those things that, if you want it that badly, you can just homebrew.

Just imagine the implications:

"What's going on here?!"
"Jarmott, you're a true freind, and a crackerjack cleric, but the group and I have been talking; you've got to realize that you have a problem!"

Well, one thing you need to decide is: is the addiction a disease or insanity or curse that a cleric can fix/heal?

1e had some rules for alcoholism and it was treatable by clerics as a disease.

[DemonSlayer]

There's variant rules for it in Unearthed Arcana, but he can also read it here.

You can try looking under Substance Abuse Disorders, but there's a lot more to be found under Drugs and Sanity.

Of course these rules were written within the context of the Sanity variant, but you should be able to use it without using the sanity rules.

[Arameus]

I figured that, in a game so heavily ingrained with tavern-going, the mechanics of alcohol would have to have been discussed at some point. It's surprising to me that it hasn't been addressed since 1st, though, if indeed it hasn't.

That really is a problem, though; you would have to have rules not only for the effects of the drug itself, but also rules for how the character reacts to his addiction to the substance. That's to different sets of concurrent rules needing integration to serve this system, so I can understand why WotC has been reluctant to address it in any meaningful way.

[Starsinger]

Do you need rules for it?

Yes, it's fairly standard practice for D&D players to have everything meticulously statted out, or it cannot exist. That's why paper has a hardness score.

[Dan_Hemmens]

Yes, it's fairly standard practice for D&D players to have everything meticulously statted out, or it cannot exist. That's why paper has a hardness score.

That's fairly standard practice for 3.X players. Those posters who play older editions would (I am sure) argue that it's not universal to D&D. As would those of us who like the fact that 4E has moved away from that assumption.

On the addiction thing, our local LARP system has rules for addiction to magical potions, on the grounds that you can only rebuild your body by magic so many times before it starts to really mess you up.

[Starsinger]

That's fairly standard practice for 3.X players. Those posters who play older editions would (I am sure) argue that it's not universal to D&D. As would those of us who like the fact that 4E has moved away from that assumption.

This is true, I was specifically talking about 3.5 players. I just didn't want to bring edition drama here.

[Morty]

Yes, it's fairly standard practice for D&D players to have everything meticulously statted out, or it cannot exist. That's why paper has a hardness score.

And of course, liking to have everything statted out means you're a pedantic moron.
On-topic: it depends on the drug, but I think the simplest way would be to make an addict roll Fort saves to avoid being forced to consume alcohol or a drug s/he's addicted to. The longer an addict drinks, the harder the saves become. In case of failed check, I'd swap a withdrawal penalty on the person until a dose is applied. As for addiction itself, I'd have the character make Fort checks to avoid being addicted after taking the substance for a long time, the time depending on the type of substance. I took those rules from another system where they were used for drug addiction, so I guess it only works for really heavy alcohol addiction.

[ColonelFuster]

"Jarmott, you're a true freind, and a crackerjack cleric, but the group and I have been talking; you've got to realize that you have a problem!"


Awesomeness. Can't say i've ever bothered with this kind of thing- I live in an area with alot of drugs, and my players are the types who play for the escapism aspects. Anyone who did try to do drugs or such, I treated harshly- nonmagical drugs give you corruption after a month of abuse, magical drugs give you depravity.

Players usually don't want to have to deal with these kinds of rules. I offer them Pipeweed if they just want to roleplay a light addiction, or Ehllsdy root for heavy addictions. No game mechanics, just makes you feel happy or invincible.

What was your original question? Oh yeah! Well, check out the Book of Vile Cheese for all your offensive tastes, and I beleive there's some drugs floating around the Heroes and magic chapter of Sharn: City of towers.

[Arameus]

Eh, if it comes to having to check out obscure sourcebooks, I'll just take a pass. After all, the only thing I really wanted to know was, What would it be like of the party's tank showed up to the dungeon crawl only a half-hour away from peaking on mescaline?

And I guess, in my heart of hearts, I already know the answer to that: IT WOULD BE EPIC.

[Starsinger]

And of course, liking to have everything statted out means you're a pedantic moron.

If that's how you come to interpret my words, then so be it.

Edit, after dictionary: Moron may be a bit of a strong word, but I agree with your sentiment.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Eh, if it comes to having to check out obscure sourcebooks, I'll just take a pass. After all, the only thing I really wanted to know was, What would it be like of the party's tank showed up to the dungeon crawl only a half-hour away from peaking on mescaline?

And I guess, in my heart of hearts, I already know the answer to that: IT WOULD BE EPIC.

Seems less like D&D and more like Cyberpunk 2020. Anyone familiar with Gibson knows all the PCs should have a drug problem anyway. (It's also one of the few games I can think of with drug rules in the core book; pathetically bad as they are.)

[xPANCAKEx]

book of vile darkness covered some basic rules for 3.x - but like most things covered in BoVD it was a bit shallow in how it regarded everything. The addiction will mostly be shown up b the type of character addicted, and what they're addicted to. It also depends on how heavy their substance misuse is.

Drug addictions can give good plot hooks too - run up a dept with a powerful dealer who you can't simply just bash to death, and he might offer you some... "alternative" means to pay off your debt. A means they might also use to blackmail you with in future (double plot hook ahoy!). Just tackle it all with a bit of maturity and depth and it will be an enjoyable thing to run though. Be shallow about it, and it will just feel a bit comic book.

Also remember that a lot of members of higher society will go to some lengths to hide their addictions to keep it all off the gossip circles, and some drugs shouldn't be priced for their effects, but for their scarcity/presteige (cocaine would be an obvious real world example)

If there is a drug drought, what do addicted PCs do then - do they ride out going cold turkey, or do they beg/borrow/steal to feed their addiction?

it would require a lot of decent roleplaying, so be careful about who you let get on the addiction bandwagon

[wadledo]

Ah yes, the good old fashioned druggie wizard.

"I NEED IT MAN! Don't make me fireball your face, I prepared it today!"

Teheheheheheheh.

Also, it's exceedingly difficult to play a druggie as far as I can tell.
Hard rules are difficult because if they become to "real", you take allot of fun out of it.
Fail your fort check once and all you have is a mumbling soft cover square.
But if you don't do it seriously enough, there's really no point.
I guess the biggest difficulty is that there is only room for skills, feats and magic items in D&D.

[bosssmiley]

Eh, if it comes to having to check out obscure sourcebooks, I'll just take a pass. After all, the only thing I really wanted to know was, What would it be like of the party's tank showed up to the dungeon crawl only a half-hour away from peaking on mescaline?

And I guess, in my heart of hearts, I already know the answer to that: IT WOULD BE EPIC.

"We can't stop here! This is Cloaker country!"

I do like kamikasei's geas idea though. That fits well with the compulsion aspect of addiction.

[pantoffelheld]

I believe the Eberron book Sharn: City of Towers lists some drugs and their effects.

[Corolinth]

This is already covered in Book of Vile Darkness.

Drugs, like poisons, have an initial and secondary effect. In addition, they also have overdose effects and conditions. Someone taking the drug to get high automatically fails their save against the effects (in an all-or-nothing affair, you either fail saves against both the initial and secondary effects, or you're rolling saves against both - i.e. you can't willingly get high but roll to resist the constitution damage). Save DCs are provided for people who are drugged against their will. Delay Poison, Neutralize Poison, and such, will prevent, delay, or negate the effects of a drug, but do not heal any damage caused by the drug. It is not explicitly stated whether poison immunity protects against drug use. One could infer that it does, but the option does seem to be left open in the event that a DM wishes to make the substances a potential threat to a wider variety of characters.

Drug addiction functions like a disease, and the appropriate spells will treat an addict. All drugs have an addiction rating, which measures their severity (as in the real world, some drugs are more addicting and dangerous than others). The differing levels of addiction carry with them save DCs to recover or resist withdrawal symptoms, a satiation period, and ability score damage. Each day that the addict doesn't get their fix, they roll a fortitude save or suffer the listed ability score damage (representing withdrawal symptoms). Taking the drug prevents withdrawal symptoms for a certain amount of time (the satiation period). The more severe the addiction, the longer the satiation period. Addictions do progress (except for the negligible category). For each two months that a character is addicted, their addiction progresses by one category. Two fortitude saves in a row will end the addiction. Addictions can also be ended with remove disease, greater restoration, or heal. If the character later starts taking the same drug again, they resume their previous addiction. Again, like in the real world, a recovering addict who starts using again doesn't start all over with a mild addiction.

The reason addiction rules were taken out after first edition was due to public opinion of D&D throughout the '80s. D&D was blamed for several suicides, and was painted as a devil-worshipper's training manual. A lot of unsavory elements were watered down or removed in an effort to restore the hobby's public image. This is also why the blackguard and assassin classes, the half-orc PC race, and all of the archfiends were removed in the mid-'80s, and did not reemerge until third edition (late in third edition, for some of those things). What with Reagan's war on drugs, the last thing TSR felt they needed was braindead religious zealots telling the public that D&D also taught kids about marajuana.