The Apothecary ยท Chapter 5
Drugs: Dose, Crash, and Habit
A drug is a substance a character takes on purpose. This chapter covers taking one, what it costs, and the optional rule for habit.
Taking a Dose
Swallowing, injecting, or inhaling a dose that is ready to hand is a maneuver. Giving a dose to a willing or helpless character who is Engaged is a maneuver. Forcing one on an unwilling character is an attack: see Chapter 14.
After the Onset the user gains the Benefit and suffers the Side effect. Both last for the time under Lasts. When that time ends the user suffers the Crash.
A second dose taken while the first is working does not double the Benefit. It restarts the time and counts toward the Limit.
Strain and Wounds from a Crash or an Overdose are not reduced by Resistance.
The Limit and Overdose
Limit is the number of doses a character can take between full nights of rest.
Each dose beyond the Limit works normally and also forces an Overdose check: a Fortitude check against the drug's Potency, adding 1 Bane Die for each dose already taken beyond the Limit. On a failure the user suffers the Overdose row.
Where an Overdose row describes repeated checks and a sleep ("4 Strain each 10 minutes for 4 checks; sleep 4 hours"), run it as a sedative poison from Chapter 3 with the drug's Potency. If the row says Lethal, it is.
An entry with no Overdose row has no worse consequence than its Crash twice.
Mixing
| The user takes | Result |
|---|---|
| Two stimulants at once | The second counts as a dose beyond the Limit |
| Two sedatives at once | The second counts as a dose beyond the Limit, and its Overdose is Lethal |
| A stimulant and a sedative | Neither Benefit applies. Both Side effects and both Crashes do |
Strong Drink is a sedative.
Given in Secret
A character given a drug without knowing gets its Benefit, Side effect, and Crash like anyone else, unless the entry has an Unwilling row. Drugs meant to knock someone out are written as poisons, with a Course and a Sleep row.
Habit (Optional)
Some drugs carry the tag Habit X. This rule is optional. Agree before play whether the group uses it.
The Habit Check
At the end of any session in which a character took a Habit drug, the player makes a Habit check against difficulty X: Habit 1 is Easy, Habit 4 is Severe.
A Habit check is a matter of will. A Universe with a Discipline or Resolve skill uses it. Otherwise roll the Fortitude skill with Willpower in place of Might. The body's part is the Overdose check, which stays an ordinary Fortitude check.
| Circumstance | Dice |
|---|---|
| Each dose after the first that session | Add 1 Bane Die |
| Every dose was given by a healer to treat an injury | Add 2 Boon Dice |
| The character is already Tolerant | Add 1 Bane Die |
On a failure the character moves one stage along, for that drug only.
The Three Stages
| Stage | Effect |
|---|---|
| Clear | No effect |
| Tolerant | One dose does nothing. The character needs two doses for the Benefit, and both count toward the Limit |
| Dependent | As Tolerant. After a full day without the drug the character is in Withdrawal |
Withdrawal. Add 1 Bane Die to all checks, and reduce the character's Strain Points by the drug's Habit rating. Withdrawal ends when the character takes a dose, or gets clear.
A Dependent character makes no further Habit checks for that drug.
Getting Clear
At the end of each week without a dose, the character makes a Habit check against the Habit rating.
| Circumstance | Dice |
|---|---|
| Under a healer's care for the week | Add 2 Boon Dice |
| The drug was within reach during the week | Add 1 Bane Die |
On a success the character moves back one stage, and Withdrawal ends. On a failure nothing changes and the character may try again after another week.
At the Table
The player decides what the character does. Withdrawal is a penalty, not a compulsion. No result on a Habit check makes a character steal, lie, or take a dose.
The GM does not hand out Habit drugs to create a problem. A Morphine dose given by a field surgeon carries 2 Boon Dice on the check for this reason.
Adversaries do not roll. A Dependent adversary is one the GM has decided is Dependent. Offering that adversary the drug adds 2 Boon Dice to a Negotiation check, and withholding it adds 2 Boon Dice to an Intimidation check.
