Addiction

Drugs are a problem in some places on Valerouros. If you know where to look they can be quite easily acquired, especially for an adventurer who carries more coins in his pocket. Drugs can be fun if they are used recreational, however once one craves to take them daily and can't stop themselves then they have become addicted. On Valerouros the following drugs can be found:

Glitterdust: +5 to movement speed, advantage on Dexterity & Strength saving throws and checks. Disadvantage on Wisdom and Intelligence saves & checks. Target cannot sleep while under its effects and magical sleep will not work. Lasts 5 minutes. Use of Glitterdust triggers a Constitution saving throw DC 16, on a failure the user becomes Addicted if not already, a critical failure triggers an Overdose. Cost: around 1GP. Extra: in stage 4 the person will not be able to fall asleep unless extremely exhausted or put to sleep magically. In stage 5 Glitterdust grants none of the positive effects.

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Causes

Addiction is caused when a person has taken drugs and now feels an urge to take more of it. Not being able to fight this urge creates this rabbit hole for the addicted person, where they will fall deeper and deeper into. The further you fall into addiction, the more you need of said drugs to have the same effect, the more consequences it carries. The rate of addiction is different per drugs, with the most addictive of them being Glitterdust.

Symptoms

Your body can't stop craving this new drug. It has 5 stages that increases with use. When you are under the effect of the drug, these negatives will not apply for its duration and for the next 24 hours, unless otherwise stated.

Treatment

Characters can rise and drop up and down the various stages of use as they either go deeper down the rabbit hole while chasing the dragon, or attempt to recover from their addiction. Each day, addicted characters must roll Wisdom Saving throws to determine whether or not they resist their urges or suffer withdrawl. Characters who fail this save receive Disadvantage on Constitution saving throws and get 1 level of Exhaustion for 24 hours or until they use the drug again as the effects of withdrawl makes them sick.
Five days of sequential successes and you decrease a stage.
Five days of sequential failures followed by drug use and you increase a stage.
The permanent negatives to stats are in fact permanent, and can only be recovered through Greater Restoration as long as a character has fully recovered at Stage 0. If a character is at Stage 4, is hit with a Greater Restoration and uses again, they will incur all negatives from that stage. Addictions may be removed with a Wish spell.
There is also something called the: "tie him to a chair" method. Which means that other people can literally tie this person to a chair to help them get over their addiction. For every one week the person is tied up like this, they can make a Wisdom Saving Throw to see if they decrease one level of addiction or not. One month without using the drug and you decrease a level of addiction, regardless of successes or failures.

Prognosis

Stage 0: Not addicted

- Stage 1: Character is compelled to keep using the drug, and must make a Wisdom Saving Throw each day to not be compelled to use again.
- Stage 2: -1 to Intelligence and Wisdom permanent.
- Stage 3: -1 to Strength and Dexterity permanent. Requires twice as much of the drug to get the same high.
- Stage 4: Further -1 to Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom permanent. Recuires three times as much of the drug to get the same high.
- Stage 5: -2 to Constitution and Charisma permanent.
Overdose: You suffer a heart attack and are immediately knocked prone. You cannot get up on your own and can only be saved from healing magic, potions, or a successful medicine check.

Type

Chemical Compound

Origin

Engineered

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Rare