Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals

Every society has managed to develop drugs. Some simply use crude plant materials and extracts; others have taken the art to the level of a science, literally. The presence of drugs has both positive and negative impacts upon the well-being of society and tends to require regulation. Some drugs are refined as treatments in the interest of good health, others as recreation and an escape from reality.

Drug Name	Form	Classification	Side Effects	Drug Strength Rating	Onset/Duration	Cost
Alacrity	Liquid	Stimulant	Cardiac Arrest, Twitch	2	1 min/30 min	5 wafers
Guromy	Inhaled	Depressant	Light Sensitivity	2	3 min/1 hour	3 chips
Lennards’ Piss	Liquid	Depressant	Light Sensitivity, Dehydration, Nausia	3	1 min/4 hours	5 wafers
Lithe Tonic	Liquid	Ability Boost; Dex	Internal Bleeding	1	1 min/1 hour	3 wafers
Mosaq	Powder	Hallucinogen	Reduced Awareness	3	1d10 rounds/ 2 hours	1 stick
No Doze	Pill	Stimulant	Nightmares	1	3 min/1 hour	3 sticks
Umassa	Plant	Stimulant	None	1	3 min/4 hours	2 chips
Workers Comp	Pill	Ability Boost; Str	Impotence	1	3 min/1 hour	3 wafers

Alacrity

Alacrity is more a brand name product rather than a specific compound. Developed for use in situations where every advantage is needed (military applications) Alacrity comes in bright-orange bottles sporting a bland but clear label stating the product name and patents. In smaller print upon the back the side effects are stated: “Users may experience some loss of coordination and minor involuntary muscle movements. Those with a family history of a weak heart or personal heart defects are advised to avoid use of product.”

Formulated and produced by Aventis Industries, a Tricrokran company, Alacrity is only available from discovered stock after the aforementioned cities’ crisis. For those seeking this product it is fortunate that due to the intensified combat leading up to the end of Tricrikra large supplies of Alacrity were produced and shipped ensuring that it is not so rare a commodity even in modern times. As Alacrity has proven to remain potent and effective even several hundred years after its manufacture it is unknown just how long the product shelf-life is.

Form: Liquid

Type: Stimulant

Benefits: One bonus partial action per round

Drawbacks: Cardiac Arrest, Twitch

Strength Rating: 1

Onset Time/Duration: 1 minutes/30 minutes

Side-Effect/Duration: 30 hours – CON

Addiction/Dependency: Fortitude save (DC 10) after every eight uses

Next Dosage: 1d12 hours

Withdrawal Period: 1d6 hours

Withdrawal Symptoms: No effect other than cravings, irritability, and minor sickness

Legality: Restricted

Purchase Cost: 5 wafers
Overdosing: Fortitude save (DC 20) or die from cardiac arrest

Game Effects: Permits one extra partial action per round for the duration. During this time the user suffers a -2 penalty to Dexterity and Charisma-based checks. Sometime during the drug duration a Fortitude save DC 15 must be made; failure indicates heart failure.

Guromy

Guromy is a short herb that grows well in sheltered places with at least a little moisture. While common in the wild guromy is cultivated in many societies as a recreational and medicinal product. The leaves are slender and thin allowing them to be crumbled by hand when dry for easy smoking or even lacing food as one would with a spice.

The use of guromy induces calm and a slight improvement in mood. The rather mild side effect of light sensitivity does little to offset the use of guromy for recreation or shortly before sleeping. Due to the mild effects exhibited, guromy is generally accepted in most societies given responsible use. Many societies frown on the influence of guromy in the work place as it can reduce productivity and the ability to read clearly because of light irritation. Guromy addiction is not seen so much as a problem as simply pathetic. The drug is cheap and fairly easy to produce at home, so most addicts can take steps to feed their addiction without spending much extra money.

Intensified production of guromy in agriculture often leads to the plant coerced to grow quickly and a swift harvesting. The potency and quality of farmed guromy tends to be seen as inferior to the wild or home grown variety for this reason and so a small cottage industry is encouraged.

Technical methods have been employed to concentrate the active compounds of guromy for use by the medical sector and for research. This industrial grade extract is considerably more dangerous before dilution to standard levels, enough so as to be classified as a new drug entirely. What is called simply “guromy extract” in the areas that produce and use it legally; samples that make it to public market are referred to as “Lennards’ Piss”.

Form: Depressant

Type: Plant

Benefits: Calm, Reduced Addiction

Drawbacks: Light Sensitivity

Strength Rating: 2

Onset Time/Duration: 3 minutes/1 hour

Side-Effect/Duration: 30 hours – CON

Addiction/Dependency: Fortitude save (DC 13) one in three uses

Next Dosage: 1d10 hours

Withdrawal Period: 1d8 hours

Withdrawal Symptoms: User fatigued

Legality: Legal, common

Purchase Cost: 3 chips
Overdosing: Fortitude save (DC 20) or fall into a coma for 2d12 hours

Game Effects: Users receive a +2 bonus on saves or checks against fear or stress, but also suffer a -2 penalty to initiative checks. Also grants +4 bonus on Concentration checks and Will saves against fear. Guromy is slightly less addictive than it could be and so only requires Fortitude save against DC 14 instead of 15. For the duration of the side effects the user suffers a -1 penalty to all actions while in bright light without eye protection.

Lennards’ Piss

Lennard’s Piss is an extract of the guromy plant concentrated to research-grade levels. The small half-ounce vials the extract comes in are eight-hundred percent stronger than a dose of standard dry guromy leaves. Savvy users and even less than honest researches know they can get a quick does of guromy in a glass without having to spend the time smoking. Simply dilute one-eighth of the vial with water (or any chemically mild liquid) and drink for a very comparable effect to that of a standard dose of guromy. It is reported that some even go so far as to use the extract as a food additive when preparing meals, as cooking does not seem to inhibit the effects.

Addicts and the unwise employ the extract at full strength more often than not and the results are more extreme. Full exposure to a vial of the extract causes not only a longer effect (4 hours) but also more side effects (Dehydration and nausea) which also last longer.

It is reported that the nick-name is derived from the first person to seriously begin research on guromy extract, Lennard Imgaro. Not only did he run tests with the extract he also frequently used it himself leading to frequent urination. Lennard made such frequent trips to the bathroom that his assistants started to comment that “he must be into the piss again” out of frustration at his irresponsibility. It also does not help that the extract has a bright-yellow hue.

Form: Liquid

Type: Depressant

Benefits: Calm, Reduced Addition

Drawbacks: Light Sensitivity, Dehydration, Nausea

Strength Rating: 3

Onset Time/Duration: 1 minute/4 hours

Side-Effect/Duration: 90 hours – CON

Addiction/Dependency: Fortitude save (DC 18) once out of every three uses

Next Dosage: 1d8

Withdrawal Period: 1d10

Withdrawal Symptoms: User exhausted, user suffers 1d3 points of Con damage (Fort DC 15 save negates)

Legality: Provisional/Experimental

Purchase Cost: 5 wafers
Overdosing: Fortitude save (DC 20) or fall into a coma for 2d12 hours

Game Effects: Users receive a +2 bonus on saves or checks against fear or stress, but also suffer a -2 penalty to initiative checks. Also grants +4 bonus on Concentration checks and Will saves against fear. Frequent users of this drug suffer a -2 penalty to all Constitution-based checks for the duration of this drug or chemical agent’s side effects. A Fortitude save DC 15 must be made each hour or the user becomes nauseated for one hour. Even if he passes the save, the must make another save (also DC 15) any time he sees food or hears food mentioned in more than passing detail.

Lithe Tonic

Developed for use by those who perform delicate tasks, Lithe Tonic can greatly improve the coordination of the average person long enough for them to perform well beyond their natural limits. Sold over-the-counter everywhere in blue round bottles this tonic is for the most part safe to use with mild side effects. Due to having the side effect of promoting excessive blood loss and internal hemorrhaging Lithe Tonic is best used in calm and safe settings and work places where the user is not under physical stress. Lithe Tonic finds use from gem cutters, lock smiths and others who find a steady hand to be invaluable while not suffering needlessly from the tonics’ side effect.

Produced, bottled and shipped by AlchePharma Distributing, a Tricrokran company, Lithe Tonic is no longer in production. Any supply of the tonic is from recovered crates or forgotten exported stock around the world. Once quite common the tonic is now rather rare and more expensive to use than ever, but not so rare as to be unreasonable in important cases.

Form: Liquid

Type: Stimulant

Benefits: Ability Boost, Dex (2d4 – Current Dexterity modifier)

Drawbacks: Internal Bleeding

Strength Rating: 1

Onset Time/Duration: 1 minute/1 hour

Side-Effect/Duration: 30 hours – CON

Addiction/Dependency: Fortitude save (DC 10) every eight uses

Next Dosage: 1d12 hours

Withdrawal Period: 1d6 hours

Withdrawal Symptoms: No effect other than cravings, irritability, and minor sickness

Legality: Legal, Common

Purchase Cost: 3 wafers
Overdosing: Fortitude save (DC 20) or die from cardiac arrest

Game Effects: For the duration of the drug the user has his Dexterity score increased by 2d4 – Current Dexterity modifier. While the drug is in effect the user suffers one extra point of damage from all slashing and piercing attacks. Frequent users suffer 2 points of damage, and 1 point of Constitution damage each time an attack triggers a massive damage save. Lennards’ Piss is slightly less addictive than it could be and so only requires Fortitude save against DC 18 instead of 120. For the duration of the side effects the user suffers a -1 penalty to all actions while in bright light without eye protection.

Mosaq

Mosaq is a vice of the industrialized societies. Produced from a few herbs and materials meant for industrial processing, mosaq is a potent and less than gentle drug. While considered to be of little positive benefit and the side effects dangerous when used by the wrong people the fact it is illegal is offset by its surprisingly low cost. Easy to make and in large batches with even expended industrial materials, mosaq is a dominant drug almost exclusively based on its affordability and abundance.

While under the effects of mosaq a user experiences a decline in their own ability to perceive reality while the hallucinogen slowly creeps in and fills in the blanks. The hallucinations are often amusing and funny but wholly inappropriate in a civilized setting. Users often shut themselves off in their own homes alone or with friends or other users. The users often comment aloud about what they are experiencing and these outbursts can be disturbing for witnesses (“I saw my face reflected in the couch, and a steam-roller burst out of it!”). Individuals under the effects of mosaq should not be permitted to operate machinery or vehicles at the very least due to the danger they pose themselves and others while hallucinating.

Mosaq is typically illegal in places it is produced due to the possibly dangerous side effects. The side effects are seen to be mostly inconvenient to society so while use, position and trafficking of mosaq is illegal the punishment is normally a fine and confiscation of the material and any means of production. The use of mosaq is hard to conceal and so use in more affluent areas is rare or reserved to a solitary practice. Export of mosaq to less sophisticated areas has found greater success among traders and merchants. Individuals ignorant of the production methods or proper regard for the dangers of harder drugs are more accepting of mosaq and if addiction sets in, very enthusiastic about its purchase.

Form: Powder

Type: Hallucinogen

Benefits: None

Drawbacks: Reduced Awareness

Strength Rating: 3

Onset Time/Duration: 1d10 rounds/2 hours

Side-Effect/Duration: 30 hours – CON

Addiction/Dependency: Fortitude save (DC 20) once out of every three uses

Next Dosage: 1d8 hours

Withdrawal Period: 1d10 hours

Withdrawal Symptoms: User exhausted, user suffers 1d3 points of Con damage (Fort DC 15 save negates)

Legality: Illegal, use possession or trafficking

Purchase Cost: 1 stick
Overdosing: Lifelong but rare hallucinations that seamlessly integrate into perceived reality

Game Effects: User “suffer” from nonsensical hallucinations that correspond to what they can perceive of their surroundings. For the duration of the drug and its side effects the user suffers a -2 penalty on Listen, Search, and Spot checks, and his maximum Dexterity bonus to Defense is reduced to +3, as if the character were wearing armor

No Doze

No Dose is a brand name for what is a very old and simple herbal preparation. The original formula has been refined and purified to remove impurities and then produced in pill form at a standard strength. This pill is found all over the world and its original herbal (and less reliable) compound is found in the less developed settlements and among nomadic peoples.

Originally used to stave off the effects of fatigue and the need for sleep for an hour or so during times of stress such as war or eluding predatory beasts, No Doze has been the subject of increasing abuse. In more developed societies No Doze has been used for trivial purposes such as squeezing in another hour of work or even to avoid the nightmares brought on by the side effects of other drugs (even No Doze itself) for just one more hour.

While No Doze is widely available and easy to obtain it is not a lightly recommended product. The side effect of No Doze is restless sleep and disturbing nightmares that prevent peaceful sleep. Once the drug has worn off the subsequent nightmares make the sleep that it was used to avoid almost worthless and so is not an easy fix.

Form: Pill

Type: Stimulant

Benefits: Removes the need for sleep and associated fatigue effects for one hour

Drawbacks: Nightmares

Strength Rating: 1

Onset Time/Duration: 3 minute/1 hour

Side-Effect/Duration: 30 hours – CON

Addiction/Dependency: Fortitude save (DC 10) every eight uses

Next Dosage: 1d12 hours

Withdrawal Period: 1d6 hours

Withdrawal Symptoms: No effect other than cravings, irritability, and minor sickness

Legality: Legal, common

Purchase Cost: 3 sticks
Overdosing: Fortitude save (DC 20) or die from cardiac arrest

Game Effects: No Doze relieves the user of the effects of fatigue caused by lack of sleep for one hour per dose (Characters that are fatigued cannot run or charge and suffer an effective penalty of -2 to Strength and Dexterity. A fatigued character becomes exhausted by doing something else that would normally cause fatigue). Once the drug has worn off the user must make a Will save (DC 15), if he fails he will not be able to sleep well for 1d4 days. During this time he cannot regain hit points through rest and will remain fatigued.

Workers Comp

Easily one of the most prevalent and used drugs openly available, Workers Comp has a history of success and abuse stories. Used by individuals in all walks of life for a myriad of reasons Workers Comp is there for anyone who needs a touch of brawn that they do not possess on their own merits. Just a few tablets of this drug can significantly increase an individual’s strength and permit them to perform heavy tasks around the home, workplace and even war-zone. The side effect, while frustrating, does not impact work production at all and so is even backed and provided by some companies to their working staff.

Developed, made and sold by AlchePharma Industries, a Tricrokran company, Workers Comp is surprisingly common even in modern times. While all existing supplies are salvaged from ruins or just old but as of yet unsold stock, people around the world can still purchase this drug if at rather inflated price.

Form: Pill

Type: Stimulant

Benefits: Ability Boost Str (2d4 – Current Strength modifier)

Drawbacks: Impotence

Strength Rating: 1

Onset Time/Duration: 3 minuts/1hour

Side-Effect/Duration: 30 hours – CON

Addiction/Dependency: Fortitude save (DC 10) every eight uses

Next Dosage: 1d12 hours

Withdrawal Period: 1d6 hours

Withdrawal Symptoms: No effect other than cravings, irritability, and minor sickness

Legality: Legal, common

Purchase Cost: 3 wafers
Overdosing: Fortitude save (DC 20) or die from cardiac arrest

Game Effects: The users Strength score is increased by 2d4 – Current Strength modifier for the drugs duration. The user suffers an inability to perform sexually for the duration of the side effect.

Umassa

Umassa is a vine with large, broad leaves that is suitable for a herbivorous diet. The majority of the plant is green but its veins are stark white. Unlike smaller, more easily handled plants, umassa is difficult to cultivate as other vine plants it tends to wander was it grows. Umassa leaves are sometimes collected by herbivores for short-term use from the wild, or cultivated in small numbers by those with the extra land area to support them.

Umassa acts as a mild stimulant when ingested, inducing a pleasant mood and a bit more energy. The effects very mild and in fact several of the leaves are needed to experience anything at all. The leaves are often used in salads and other dishes that do not require much cooking as the process renders umassa inert.

The use of umassa is not illegal anywhere but in the strictest of societies as the dosage is so high one almost needs to make a meal out of it and the effects are so mild. As there are no side-effects other than cravings for more and irritability when more is not forthcoming there is little reason to discourage its use if it is plentiful.

Form: Plant

Type: Stimulant

Benefits: None

Drawbacks: None

Strength Rating: 1

Onset Time/Duration: 3 mintues/4 hours

Side-Effect/Duration: 30 hours – CON

Addiction/Dependency: Fortitude save (DC 10) every eight uses

Next Dosage: 2d12 hours

Withdrawal Period: 1d6 hours

Withdrawal Symptoms: No effect other than cravings and irritability

Legality: Legal, common

Purchase Cost: 2 chips
Overdosing: None

Game Effects: Users gain a slight mood improvement granting a +2 bonus to Charisma based skill checks and a +1 bonus to initiative rolls.

Physical Drug Form Descriptions

Direct Contact: This type of drug is absorbed directly through the skin of the user. Many direct contact drugs are used with a dermal patch, better known as a “slap patch.”

Capsule: This is a form of pill which is coated, often flavored, to make it easier to swallow.

Inhaled: Drugs in this form are usually burnt, or “fired up,” and then inhaled into the user’s body.

Injected: Drugs in this form are ready to be introduced directly into a user’s bloodstream, either via a hypodermic needle or a coated slashing, piercing, or ballistic weapon. Many powerful drugs can be easily liquefied so that they can be injected.

Liquid: Drugs in liquid form are usually swallowed or absorbed directly into the skin. Several liquid drugs can be mixed with another substance or liquid to improve the drug’s taste.

Pill: Small and come in various shapes, pills are a generic form over-the-counter drugs take.

Plant: Plant based drugs are injected directly, inhaled, or processed into direct contact patches.

Powder: Powered drugs are normally inhaled and make their way to the sinuses, lungs, and mucous membranes, where they are absorbed by the body.

Rock: Drugs or chemical agents in this form are normally sold in a solid, powdery form, which is referred to as a rock. Rocks can typically be either inhaled or orally injected. Drugs or chemical agents in this form are often broken down into powdered from before being used.

Tab: A piece of paper or other material has been soaked in a concentrated liquid form of the drug and then dried. When ready to use, the individual places the paper or material on his tongue and sucks on it or applies it directly to his skin until it takes effect.

General Drug Classifications

The effects of drugs on the body are vast and complex. Certain compounds can have beneficial properties while others can be disastrous after a single use. Below is a list of common drug classifications and their general effects.

Anticoagulant: This type of drug is used to prevent blood from clotting and causes extreme blood loss in a wounded individual who uses it. The drug can be used as an antidote for a coagulant overdose.

Overdosing: Overdosing on an anticoagulant causes hemophilia. Even small cuts will bleed remarkably. The user of this drug will suffer an additional 1 point of damage per round any time he takes damage from slashing, piercing, or ballistic damage until the drug expires or the wound is attended too. This effect is cumulative for each wound suffered.

Antidote: Antidote are used to negate the effects of or reduce the effective intensity of poisons or other various toxins. Antidotes by their nature can be poisons themselves and can cause damage to those that overdose on them. This type of drug or chemical agent grants the user a +4 bonus on his next save against the appropriate type of poison.

Overdosing: Those antidotes that were made using a sample of the original poison will suffer the effects of the poison the antidote is meant to cure in the case of an overdose.

Aphrodisiac: This type of drug was created to increase the user’s libido and sexual drive. An aphrodisiac can help those with a problem in this area to perform up to expected standards. The particular characteristics of any one aphrodisiac can vary greatly from that of others and may need to be handled specially.

Overdosing: The effects of an overdose are as varied as the effects of the agents themselves. Is it not uncommon for overdose effects to be along the lines of urges that cannot be satisfied and state of arousal not diminishing for up to 12 days.

Coagulant: This type of agent is used to help with the clotting of blood, thus reducing or stopping blood loss. If a coagulant is used on an uninjured person, he suffers 1 point of damage per turn until the drug expires or the coagulant is attended to with an anticoagulant. A does of coagulant can automatically stabilize a dying character, or negate damage from any effect which causes damage from bleeding.

Overdosing: An overdose of coagulants can cause large amounts of blood to clot inside a healthy body. The overdosing character must make a DC 25 Fortitude save or suffer a massive heart attack which inflicts 3d10 points of damage and leaves the character stunned for 5 minutes.

Depressant: This type of drug is used to “bring someone down” from a high. A depressant reduces stress and tension, and makes it easier for a person to relax. Characters under the effects of a depressant receive a +2 bonus on saves or checks against fear or stress, but also suffer a -2 penalty to initiative checks, as the drug makes the user listless and lethargic.

Overdosing: An overdose of depressants forces the user to make a Fortitude save (DC 20) or slip into a deep coma for 2d12 hours.

Euphoric: These types of agents are created to make the user feel happy. They produce an incredible “high” that lasts for as long as the drug’s duration. The user gains a +2 bonus on Charisma-based checks, but suffers a -2 penalty on Wisdom-based checks as the agent dulls their common sense.

Overdosing: An overdose of a euphoric drug will make the user incredibly sick. The overdosing character must make a Fortitude save (DC 20) or be nauseated for 1d3 days.

Hallucinogen: These types of agents make the user see things that are not there. While under the influence of such an agent the user is prone to see anything the GM’s imagination can cook up. Such hallucinations depend on the mood of the GM, but are not usually terrible unless the drug itself is quite nasty.

Overdosing: An overdose of a hallucinogenic drug has very detrimental effects on the user, at the GM’s vicious discretion. Suggestions include a permanent loss of anywhere from two to four points of Wisdom, some form of insanity, or even recurring flashbacks that persist years after the character has stopped taking the drug.

Hypnotic: Hypnotic agents can work well in both lower and higher intensity doses. In lower dosages, they can be used to produce sleep during medical surgery. In higher doses, they could be used as a truth serum, causing users to speak about guarded subjects that they would hide under normal conditions. In game terms, a mild hypnotic drug puts the user into a deep sleep suitable for performing surgery, while a high intensity dose inflicts 2 points of temporary Wisdom damage unless the user makes a DC 20 Fortitude save.

Overdosing: An overdose of a hypnotic agent causes a user to fall unconscious for 2d6 hours.

Pain Reducer: Pain reducers lessen the intensity of pain felt. These agents grant the user a temporary +2 to Constitution for as long as the drug lasts. The user gains all the benefits of his new, temporary Constitution score, including 1 additional hit point per level and a +1 on Fortitude saves. Note, however, that these extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.

Overdosing: An overdose of pain reducers requires the user to make a Fortitude save (DC 20) or slip into a coma for 1d12 hours.

Soporific: Soporifics, better known as “sleeping pills” or “tranquilizers”, are used to put a patient to sleep or render them unconscious. To resist the effects of these drugs, a user must make a DC 15 Fortitude save for each dosage. If a user fails his roll, he falls unconscious for the duration of the drug.

Overdosing: Overdosing on soporifics can cause death. The user must make a DC 20 Fortitude save, and if he fails the roll, he dies. If the user passes the roll, he falls into a coma for 2d12 days.

Stimulant: Stimulants, better known as “uppers,” possess the ability to increase the user’s feelings of natural energy and endurance. In game terms, the drug grants the user a +4 bonus on Initiative checks and the benefits of the Endurance feat.

Overdosing: Overdosing on stimulants will cause a sever heart attack, and more often than not, death. The user must make a DC 20 Fortitude save, failure indicating death.

General Benefits

Many drugs have advantages gained by their use. Benefits range from treatment of disease to calming of the nerves. Below is a list of general positive effects that a drug may have.

Ability Boost: A drug or chemical agent with this benefit gives its user a +2 equipment or alchemical bonus on any one ability score (dependant on the drug). This benefit may be present multiple times, each time applying to a different ability score.

Calm: Drugs or chemical agents with this benefit grant the user a +4 moral bonus on Concentration checks and Will saves against fear.

Extended Duration: Any drug or chemical agent that possesses this benefit lasts twice as long as normal. This benefit may be present multiple times stacking the duration increase.

Fast Burnout: A character under the influence of a drug with this benefit suffers side effects for a lesser period of time than normal. Side effects have their duration cut by 2/3 when suffered by a character under the influence of a drug with this benefit. For example, a drug with a side effect duration of 12 hours would be reduced to 4 hours.

Ignore Pain: A character under the influence of a drug with this benefit does not suffer adversely from excess pain. For as long as the drug lasts a character may continue to act normally while at negative hit points until they are reduced to their lethal amount (typically -10). This does not stabilize the character and he will continue to lose 1 hit point per round until he dies or is treated, which he may do himself if able.

Immunity: The drug in question confers immunity to a specific form of poison, toxin, environmental hazard (freezing or sweltering temperatures) or disease. In cases where the hazard may be of mild or intense levels, rather than immunity a certain amount of tolerance might be granted (resistance to fire 5 points, for example).

Increased Healing: This drug or chemical agent benefit speeds up the body’s natural healing process. While under the influences of this drug, the character’s natural healing rate is increased. The user recovers 2 hit points per character level in hit points per evening of rest (one sleep cycle), or 3 hit points per character level in hit points per day of complete bed rest.

Iron Will: This drug or chemical agent benefit gives the user a +2 bonus on Will saves.

Reduced Addiction: Individuals who use a drug or chemical agent with this benefit become addicted to it less easily. Reduce the DC of the addiction save by 2.

Reduced Withdrawal Symptoms: This drug is treated as having a drug strength rating 1 lower than its actual rating for determining withdrawal symptoms and duration. Any drug or chemical agent with the Severe Withdrawal Symptoms side effect cannot also have this benefit.

Side Effects

Drugs and other agents usually have positive, negative or both effects on their users. Agents with mild or no side effects and positive effects can normally be obtained over-the-counter or by recommendation by a physician. Those that have harsh side effects or a tendency to ruin its user physically or mentally with little or short term benefit are typically outlawed or simply hard to find.

Side effects, if any, typically last for 30 hours minus the Constitution score of the user. Note that some agents may have longer side effect durations while some reduce their uses ability scores which may in turn artificially increase the duration as well.

Frequent use is defined as more than one time per week per point of Constitution modifier with a minimum of 1.

Ability Drain: Users of this drug or chemical agent will suffer severe damage to their system. Each time a user takes this drug or chemical agent he must make a Fortitude save (DC 20). If the roll fails, the user suffers 1d4 points of permanent ability drain to one ability score.

Acid Indigestion: The drug or chemical agent causes an excess production of stomach acids. While this is uncomfortable, it is rarely serious, though it can result in ulcers in the stomach and esophagus. Frequent use of the drug or chemical agent causes a serious acid indigestion problem to develop and incurs a -2 penalty on Concentration checks and another other skills requiring focus and concentration.

Addiction Tolerance: Those who use this agent build up immunity to its effects. For each week that the character takes the drug, he must double the dosage in order to gain its effects. While the effects of the drug remain normal, the user suffers overdose chances according to the actual dose he is taking.

Aggressive Behavior: Any agent with this side effect causes its user to become hostile to those around him. Users will not back down from confrontation, and will even attempt to initiate them on a more frequent basis. Such users have no respect for authority, rebelling against it at almost every opportunity. Frequent users become edgy and aggressive, suffering a -2 penalty to their Defense as they become more recklessly combative.

Asthma: Users will experience a tightening of the diaphragm muscles, shortness of breath, and other asthma-related problems. Each time this drug or chemical agent is used, make Fortitude safe (DC 15). If the user fails he cannot breath, and will begin to suffocate unless medical attention is administered. Frequent users must make a Fortitude save at DC 18 instead.

Bad Breath: This side effect indicates that halitosis develops with repeated use of the drug in question. Casual users suffer from a minor case of bad breath, but frequent user’s breath will be incredibly rank, incurring a -2 penalty on all Charisma-based checks for direct, face-to-face communication.

Bloody Nose: Users that suffer from this side effect will randomly develop a bloody nose through the drug’s side effect period. These nosebleeds are annoying, messy, and disconcerting for casual users, but frequent users suffer 1 point of damage per hour until the side effect period expires.

Bloodshot Eyes: The user who takes this drug or chemical agent will develop puffy, bloodshot eyes. The user’s vision is not normally impaired by this side effect, but frequent users suffer a -2 penalty on spot checks.

Bruising: Even small bumps and thumps leave large bruises on the user that tend to be painful and noticeable. All bludgeoning attacks against the user inflict 1 extra point of damage from bruising. Frequent users suffer 2 extra points of damage, and a point of damage from general bruising whenever they make a Climb, Jump, or Tumble check.

Cardiac Arrest: This is particularly deadly side effect indicates that the drug or chemical agent puts massive strain on the user’s heart, risking a severe heart attack. After each use of this substance, a user must make a Fortitude save (DC 15). Failure of this roll indicates that the user suffers a fatal heart attack. Frequent users increase the DC to 20.

Cold Sweats: This side effect causes the user to sweat for no apparent reason. The user easily sweats through clothes and normal attire after an hour and no amount of antiperspirant will stop the effect. Frequent users sweat so profusely as to suffer a -2 penalty on Charisma-based checks; in addition, users require twice as much water as normal for the duration of this effect.

Coma: By using this agent, a character risks falling into a deep coma. When the drug or chemical agent is taken, the user must make a Fortitude save (DC 20). Failure of this roll indicates that the user becomes comatose for 1d10 days times the drug’s strength rating. Unless properly cared for, the user will likely die of starvation and dehydration before waking up.

Constipation: This drug or chemical agent causes constipation, preventing the character from performing normal bowel movements for the duration of the side effect. Casual users suffer extreme discomfort, but frequent users suffer a -1 penalty on all actions involving physical action, including initiation rolls and attacks.

Cowardice: The user of this drug or chemical agent will exhibit the most passive side of his personality. Any time the character tries to accomplish any tasks that may cause him physical harm, he must make a will save (DC 15) or run from trouble.

Dandruff/Eczema: The user’s skin will crack and peel away. This side effect could be confined to the user’s scalp, or it could affect his body as a whole. Frequent users receive a -2 penalty to Charisma-based checks. In addition, the user tends to leave little bits of dead skin behind.

Death: Any drug with this side effect is little more than a deadly poison. Each time this drug is used the user must make a Fortitude save (DC 20). Failure indicates the character dies.

Dehydration: The user cannot retain water, and suffers from symptoms such as cottonmouth and dry eyes. Cold sweats, diarrhea, and nausea usually accompany these side effects. Frequent users of this drug suffer a -2 penalty to all Constitution-based checks for the duration of this drug or chemical agent’s side effects.

Delusions: Anyone suffering from delusions is under the impression that something that is highly unlikely is actually happening. Delusions can be as minor as hearing voices or as serious as believing that they have non-existent abilities. Every hour, the user must make a Will save (DC 15) or succumb to the effects of his delusion. Roll 1d4 to determine the effect of the delusion: On a 1, the character is cowering, on a 2, the character is dazed, on a 3 the character is panicked, and on a 4, the character is shaken.

Depression: The user becomes depressed and doesn’t feel like doing anything. The user suffers a -1 penalty on all attacks, saves, and checks for the duration of the side effect. Frequent users suffer severe cases of depression which can cause feelings of hopelessness, and users who are normally unstable may feel like committing suicide.

Diarrhea: The drug or chemical agent causes sudden, painful, explosive diarrhea. The user will be unable to control his bowels for more than a few moments at a time. The user will feel as if he must use the restroom at least once per ten minutes, and suffer a -1 penalty on all actions involving physical action, including initiative rolls and attacks.

Diuretic: The drug or chemical agent increases the amount of urine produced by the body. The user affected by this will exhibit excessive urination, and must visit the restroom at least twice per hour of the effect’s duration.

Dizziness: The drug or chemical agent causes severe dizziness. A user suffering this effect will have trouble walking in a straight line, or even standing. This side effect causes the user to reduce his Dexterity and base speed by half for the duration of the side effect.

Headaches: The drug or chemical agent causes blinding, painful headaches to plague its users. A user cannot focus on anything for long periods of time because of these episodes. In game terms this side effects incurs a -2 penalty on Concentration checks and any other skill requiring focus and concentration.

Impotence: While the user might desire to have sex, they are physically incapable of doing so for the duration of the side effect

Insomnia: The user cannot sleep, no matter how tired he might be and can at best try to relax. Users suffering from lack of sleep tend to be cranky and have difficulty concentrating. The user suffers a fatigued state until the side effects of the drug or chemical agent wear off.

Internal Bleeding: The chemical agent causes the user to hemorrhage and bleed. Blood may show up in the user’s stools, urine, or vomit. All slashing and piercing attacks against the user inflict 1 extra point of damage from bleeding. Frequent users suffer 2 points of damage, and 1 point of Constitution damage each time such an attack triggers a massive damage save.

Irrational Fear: Anyone suffering this side effect will develop a sudden intense fear of a random object, thing, or circumstance, determined by the GM. The user will stop at nothing to put as much distance between himself and the situation or object he fears. If escape is impossible, he will fight like a cornered beast to rid himself of the object of his fear. In game terms, the user becomes panicked any time he is within 20 feet of the object of his fear.

Kidney & Liver Failure: A drug or chemical agent that has this side effect will cause remarkable damage to a user’s kidneys and liver. Users must make Fortitude save (DC 20) or suffer from kidney or liver failure. Unless proper medical attention is sought, the user will die within twenty-four hours due to poisons not being filtered out of his blood.

Light Sensitivity: The drug or chemical agent cripples the user’s pupils which cause his eyes to become bloodshot and very sensitive to bright lights. The user suffers a -1 penalty to all actions in bright light, unless he is wearing eyewear that sufficiently reduces light.

Loss of Appetite: The user of this drug or chemical agent will not eat and does not feel hungry as long as this side effect is active. Users addicted to a drug or chemical agent with this side effect tend to be emaciated and skinny. Characters that don’t eat will starve within days to weeks if not given treatment.

Nausea: A character that takes a drug with this side effect must make a DC 15 Fortitude save every hour or be nauseated for an hour. Even if he passes the save, the must make another save (also DC 15) any time he sees food or hears food mentioned in more than passing detail. [Experiencing stomach distress. Nauseated creatures are unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move (or move equivalent action) per turn.]

Nerve Degeneration: This side effect is among one of the most dangerous. Each time the user takes this drug or chemical agent, his Dexterity is permanently reduced by 1d6 points. If the user’s Dexterity reaches zero, he is paralyzed for life.

Nightmares: This side effect causes the drug’s user to suffer terrible nightmares. Each time a drug with this side effect is used the user must make a Will save (DC 15). Failure indicates that the user will not be able to sleep through the night for 1d4 days. This will prevent the individual from regaining hit points each night, and cause him to be fatigued the next day.

Numbness: This drug causes the user’s extremities to become numb and devoid of feeling. The character suffers a -2 penalty to Defense and all Dexterity-related checks. In addition, frequent users experience no pain to all; the GM should secretly keep track of such a character’s hit point total.

Pain Sensitivity: This side effect causes the pain of injuries to be intensified for the user of the drug; the more intense the pain, the more debilitating the effects. For every 5 points of damage the user suffers, he suffers 1d3 points of nonlethal damage as well.

Paralysis: A drug with this side effect causes extreme paralysis in the user, who then cannot move and has trouble speaking and even breathing. The paralysis may manifest as an excruciatingly painful tightening of all the muscles in the user’s body or the total relaxation of the user’s muscular system. While paralyzed, the user is completely helpless and can perform no actions. The user may make a DC 20 Fortitude save to avoid this paralysis but even on a successful save, his Dexterity is reduced by 6 points and his speed is halved.

Physiologically Addictive: Drugs with this side effect are very physiologically addictive. Anyone using a drug with this side effect must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or become instantly addicted. This is in addition to the standard addiction checks described below.

Rage: Any drug or chemical agent with this side effect causes the user to become embroiled in all types of conflict, and forces them to become physically violent at the slightest provocation. Any time the user perceives an insult or threat, he must make a Will save (DC 15) or attack the person offering the insult. If the GM feels that a player is overlooking slights against his character, the GM is free to require a Will save to prevent the character from attacking the next person he sees.

Reduced Attribute: The side effect reduces a random ability score by 1d4 for its duration. If a physical ability is reduced below zero, the character dies, as normal for ability damage. If a mental ability is reduced below zero, the character suffers a total nervous breakdown and goes permanently insane in a manner decided by the GM.

Reduced Awareness: The user of this drug or chemical agent feels as if his senses have been dulled or as if his head is filled with cotton. The user suffers a -2 penalty on Listen, Search, and Spot checks, and his maximum Dexterity bonus to Defense is reduced to +3, as if the character were wearing armor.

Ringing Ears: Due to severe tinnitus, the user of this drug or chemical agent has trouble hearing soft to medium volume sounds. As such, he suffers a -2 penalty on Listen checks and any other check related to hearing (such as a Sense Motive to pick up a character’s vocal intonation).

Sense Reduction: The drug reduces the user’s sense of touch, smell, hearing, taste, or sight or the duration of the side effect. All skill checks related to the affected sense suffer a -2 penalty.

Severe Withdrawal Symptoms: This side effect makes all withdrawal symptoms even more intense than normal. All withdrawal symptoms last twice as long as normal. Drugs with the Lessened Withdrawal Symptoms benefit cannot have this side effect.

Sleepy: This drug or chemical agent causes the user to fall asleep. A user that is affected by this side effect is overwhelmed with a felling of extreme sleepiness. Each hour, he must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or fall into a deep, dreamless sleep for 1d8 hours (or until the side effects wear off). Soporifics with this side effect induce a coma-like state that lasts for an additional 1d10 days.

Slow Burn: Drugs with this side effect work through the character’s body more slowly-or at least, the bad parts do. The duration of all other side effects for the drug is doubled. For example, a drug with a side effect time of 8 hours would be increased to 16 hours.

Sterility: Users of this drug can become sterile after extended usage. In game terms, sexual function is completely impaired by this side effect, and impotence can result in the long term. Frequent users must make Fortitude save (DC 20) Each time they use the drug or become impotent, incapable of any type of sexual interaction.

Suicidal Tendencies: A user of a drug or chemical agent with this side effect will become depressed or upset, and can easily be persuaded that life is so insignificant that he should end it all. The character suffers a -3 penalty on all attacks, saves, and checks for the duration of the drug’s side effects, and may seek to commit suicide if left unattended.

Temporary Memory Loss: The user of this drug or chemical agent will have no memory of what has happened while under the effects of the drug or chemical agent.

Twitch: The drug causes the users’ body to move and jerk uncontrollably. The user experiences violent tremors in his face, body, and hands for the side effect’s duration, incurring a -2 penalty on Dexterity and Charisma-based checks until the effect subsides.

Water Retention: Due to nonfunctional kidneys or other less traumatic problems, the user of the drug with this side effect will retain water for its duration. The user will not be able to urinate and will become bloated until the effect wears off. Casual users suffer extreme discomfort, but frequent users suffer a -1 penalty on all actions involving physical action, including initiative rolls and attacks.

Weight Gain: This side effect causes the user’s body to store excess energy in the form of fat. Users of drugs with this side effect tend to be quite large and overweight, while frequent users suffer from extreme obesity. Due to the extra weight, an overweight character’s base speed is reduced by 5 feet.

Drug Strength Rating

The drug strength rating encompasses a drugs’ general level of potency. This rating is used to determine the limits before an overdose as well as ease of addiction. The rating is typically a number between 1 and 5, with higher numbers rarely seen in any naturally derived substance. The following is a list of common known drugs and their strength rating.

Drug Strength Rating	Examples
1	Alcohol, Tobacco
2	Marijuana, Sleeping Pills
3	Cocaine, Methamphetamine
4	Crack Cocaine, Heroin
5	Special

Addiction and Dependency

Many things can be addictive, either physiologically or psychologically. People who are addicted to a drug or chemical agent cannot behave and function at full capacity without it. When a drug or chemical agent is used, a roll for addiction may be needed. This roll is a Fortitude save, the DC of which is determined by the drug’s strength rating.

Just when and how often an addiction roll is needed depends upon the drug’s strength rating. Drugs with a strength rating of 1 are considered to be slightly addictive, forcing an addiction roll only once for every eight times a drug is used. Drugs with a strength rating of 2 or 3 are considered to be mildly addictive, and a user must make an addiction roll every one out of three times he uses the drug. Drugs with a strength rating of 4 to 5 are considered to be highly addictive, forcing an additional roll every time they are used. Any time a character fails this addiction check, he becomes and addict and begins to suffer even worse drawbacks.

Drug Strength Rating	Fort DC
1	10
2	15
3	20
4	25
5	30+

Effects of Addiction

Once a drug or chemical agent has expired, the addict will need to acquire another dose. However, the user won’t necessarily need on right away. The following chart is a guide for the time a user can go before he is incapacitated by his need for the agent. When the user’s most recent dosage has worn off, check under Next Dosage to determine how long it will be before his cravings for the drug return. If at that time he does not get the drug or chemical agent, roll under the Withdrawal Period to determine how long withdrawal symptoms last. It is recommended that the GM roll these values and keep them secret.

Strength Rating	Next Dosage	Withdrawal Period
1	1d12 Hours	1d6 Hours
2	1d10 Hours	1d8 Hours
3	1d8 Hours	1d10 Hours
4	1d6 Hours	2d6 Hours
5	1d4 Hours	3d10 Hours

Effects of Withdrawl

A character in withdrawal suffers a -4 penalty on all attacks, saves, and checks until he gets another dose of the drug in his system. In addition, he suffers additional affects based on the drug’s strength rating, as shown below and unless otherwise stated. Multiple drug additions stack.

Strength Rating	Effect
1	No effect other than cravings, irritability, and minor sickness
2	User fatigued
3	User exhausted, user suffers 1d4 points of Con damage (Fort DC 15 negates)
4	User exhausted, dazed, and suffers d6 points of Con damage (no save)
5	User suffers hallucinations and extreme pain, loses 2d6 points of Con and Wis (no save)

Overcoming Addition

Overcoming addiction is a difficult process. The character must go through an entire period of withdrawal without partaking of the addictive substance. At the end of the withdrawal period, the addict must make a Fortitude save (DC 15 + drug strength rating + 1 per failed attempt to break the addiction). If he fails, he remains addicted to the drug. Roll another withdrawal period on the table above; the user continues to suffer withdrawal symptoms until he breaks the habit, takes the substance again, or dies.

Taking Multiple Doses

Users may take multiple doses of the same drug or chemical agent, but doing so is far more harmful than beneficial. Reduce the benefit for each further dose by half, but still double all negative effects of the drug.

Overdosing on Drugs

When a user takes multiple doses of a single drug or several drugs at once (while previous drugs are still active), there is an increased chance the user will overdose. If the total drug strength rating of the combined drug doses is greater than twice the user’s Constitution bonus, then the user will overdose. Depending on the drugs used, the effects of overdose may vary greatly. Please check the individual type of drug used to determine the results. If a drug has two or more effects, combined effects of the drug overdose will apply.