Drug Use in Dungeons and Dragons - Old School Role Playing

“Black Lotus Street Peddler : Hey… black lotus… Stygian… the best!

Subotai : This had better not be Haga!

Black Lotus Street Peddler : I would sell Haga to a slayer such as you?”

This was one of my favorite scenes from the Arnold version of Conan the Barbarian. Street peddlers in major fantasy cities and towns would offer all kinds of strange and exotic things to the people passing by in the streets. It is only logical that drugs of some kind would be among the offerings. Yet rarely is it mentioned in the rules of Dungeons and Dragons.

I say rarely…. But there are a few places in which drugs are mentioned. But the discussion of them in relation to Dungeons and Dragons is hardly exhaustive. It is hardly illuminating at all. For good sources of information on this subject one needs to look to outside sources for inspiration. There are many articles on the web regarding drugs.

The Black Lotus seller from Conan the Barbarian

Drug Use in Dungeons and Dragons is an obvious oversight

Most of the rules of Dungeons and Dragons have mirrored those issues in which we see in real life. Alcohol is discussed in various editions of the game. And it is a common enough issue that one would likely encounter it on just about any visit to a city or town. Taverns are, of course, everywhere in Dungeons and Dragons. And they certainly are not serving milk to their patrons. But medieval fantasy worlds should mirror what medieval life was like in the real world.

Opium, Hashish and other substances have been around a very long time. Certainly adventurers in a medieval type fantasy world will have heard of such substances and may have encountered them.

This hobbit has had too much happy weed for one day

Drug Use in Dungeons and Dragons can help set the atmosphere of a shady fantasy city

No. I do not mean you should give your players drugs. I am talking about making a seedy city or town come to life be showing those things that we know from our own experiences. The Black Lotus seller from Conan is a good example. He offers the substance to Conan and Subotai but is doing so in a quiet whispering voice. He knows that it is either illegal or at least frowned upon by the local officials. He also gets defensive when it is suggested that the product might be only Haga. This suggests that, like today, drugs are sometimes watered down by other substances in order to make it more profitable to sell. Sounds kind of familiar right?

Some hobbits handle their pipeweed better than others

Some important considerations for Drug Use in Dungeons and Dragons

Introducing drugs into your game comes with a number of other issues. These issues will affect the characters that take these drugs over the long term. Such issues might include:

The immediate effects might be depressive, hallucinatory, mind altering, stimulating, etc….
The character might become dependent on the drug
The character might become addicted to the drug
After the drug wears off the character might become suddenly exhausted
The character might overdose on the drug

Even some wizards enjoy Hobbit Weed from time to time

Some possible drugs and their effects

Well. We already know there is a Black Lotus right? But what does it do? And what other drugs might there be in the cities (or dungeons) of the land? I am going to give you some suggestions (with 1st Edition Stats but these should be easily convertible to 5th or other editions as needed)

Black Lotus – Poisonous if taking in large quantities this drug. This mind altering substance can sometimes create temporary psionic ability. The dungeon master should roll for psionics (again if it has been done before) with a bonus to the probabilities of 50%. The duration of this effect is 1 to 4 turns (10 to 40 minutes). An overdose should be treated as a type D ingestive poison. But when the drug wears off the person will be torn from the astral plane and then thrown back into their world of origin again. The person using this drug will take 1day to recover after it’s use. No spell use or combat is possible until this rest period is over.

Blue Lotus – This drug causes hallucinations. It also sometimes imbues the ability to see into the astral plane. The effects of this drug last 1 to 4 turns. On rare occasions (10% chance) one also gains the ability to actually visit the astral plane while under the influence of the drug. But when the drug wears off the person will be torn from the astral plane and then thrown back into their world of origin again. The person using this drug will take 1-3 days to recover after it’s use. No spell use or combat is possible until this rest period is over.
White Lotus – This drug causes the user to feel very cold. While under the influence of the drug the person is impervious to cold weather or cold magic. But the person becomes very susceptible to fire and will take double the normal damage from such effects. The effect of this drug wears off after 1 day. The recovery time is one hour.
Red Lotus – This drug is the reverse of the white lotus. The user will feel hot and will be immune to heat damage while under it’s influence. The same duration and effects apply.
Green Lotus – The user of this substance takes on a green appearance and can pass through plants at will. The user can speak with plants but will find that humans, and animals, cannot hear them at all. The duration is 1 day and the recovery time is 1 hour.

If one looks at Appendix J of the 1st Edition Dungeon Master Guide one will find a long list of “substances” that one might find that could have magical or “medicinal” properties. Some possible effects from this table of substances are listed below:

Abcess Root – helps with respiration according to the DMG. If one were to take this substance right after being exposed to poison gas (such as that from a green dragon) it might cure (or lessen the effect).
Wolfsbane – the DMG says it is a sedative. One taking it should, therefore, be sedated by it. Perhaps they should fall asleep for 1-4 hours.
Acorn – the DMG refers to it causing tissue hardening. Perhaps one taking it might become harder (temporary hit point gain) or perhaps it has healing power
Aloe – helps heal burns.
Belladonna (deadly nightshade) – cures lycanthropy (sometimes)
Blue flag – healing, venereal disease cure
Burdock – laxative…..perhaps one taking this drug will suffer intense stomach issues for a short duration

There are a lot of substances listed there. Many could be treated as drugs because their effects (at least the reported ones) seem to be drug like.

But there are also some substances from other sources which might be considered. From the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings one might remember that Gandalf and Bilbo were both fond of a certain “weed” that was typically smoked in the Shire.

Some other possible drugs from my own campaign are as follows:

Dreams – one taking this drug feels as if they are having an out of body experience. It is quite likely that they are indeed having one. They will feel as if they are flying high above the clouds. But this is merely a hallucination. The person taking the drug is not in the astral plane nor are they out of body at all. They are totally incapacitated during the duration of the drug. The duration is 2-5 hours. The recovery time is one turn.
Nightmares – one taking this drug will soon which that they had not. They will soon find themselves in the deepest planes of the Nine Hells itself. They will feel that they have become a lowly Lemure and are being tortured by Malebranche during the duration of the drugs. The duration is 2-5 hours and the recovery time is 1-4 turns.
Treant bark – it is not really from a Treant but from a particularly rare species of tree in the Dark Forests of Northern Zanzia. When boiled this substance becomes a thick soup like material. When imbibed it causes the user to have a barkskin like effect for the duration of the drug. The duration is 2-5 hours and the recovery time is 2-5 turns.
Opium – yes. The original. I occasionally place Opium Dens in some of my fantasy cities. The effects are hallucinatory and depressive. Duration might be 1-4 hours. Recovery might also be 1-4 hours.
Hashish – also a real life substance. It was known to exist and be used in medieval times. So it might also be found and used in a fantasy setting. It is made from the Cannabis plant and has hallucinatory effects. Duration might be 1-4 hours. Recovery time might be 1-4 turns.
Hobbit weed – I would consider this to have the effects of Cannabis. It might be slightly hallucinatory and the duration should be perhaps 1-4 turns. The recovery time should be perhaps 1 turn. Perhaps hobbit weed is more potent than the real thing and might give other minor beneficial effects such as calmness and resistance to fear.
Raindrop – This drug makes the user feel as if they are all wet. Perhaps while under the influence of the drug the user might be resistant to fire as a result. Duration is 4-24 hours. Recovery time is 1-6 hours.
Tears of Simaru – Simaru is the god of chaos in my campaign. He is represented by the Demon Idol on the cover of the 1st Edition PHB. As he loves chaos it is natural that a drug taken by him would also be chaotic in nature. The effects of taking it are random. Kind of like a liquid wand of wonder.
Pain – this drug intensifies pain suffered by the user. It is a popular drug by Torturers and Executioners that want to enhance the suffering of their victims. Duration is 1-4 hours. Recovery time is 1-4 hours.
Wyvern Venom – The poison in the tail of a Wyvern can be fatal to those stung by it. But when drained from the tail of a Wyvern the poison becomes less lethal. When imbibed by someone it can make them stronger…..or it can make them dead. Some cults in the world of Zanzia have been known to use this venom as a kind of “ascension” drug among their followers. One taking the drug will either die or be proven worthy. Survivors often report intense hallucinations while under the influence of the venomous drug. Duration is 1 to 4 days. Recovery time is 1-4 weeks. Survivors of the drug have reported an increased resistance to poisons.
Stardust – One taking this drug will find themselves floating in the Astral plane for 1-4 weeks (local time). This rare substance was scraped from a rock which fell from the sky.
Blank – The person taking this drug feels as if they are at total peace in the world. For the duration of the drug they are immune to the effects of psionic attacks. But they are unable to use psionic abilities themselves during this time as well. Duration is 1-4 hours. Recovery time is 1-4 turns.
Shriek – This substance is taken from living shriekers. Their spores are removed and ground into a white powder. A person taking this powder will attract shambling mounds like a magnet during the duration. The effects last 1 day and there is no recovery time.
Devil Weed – some batches of Hobbit weed seem to have a totally different effect than the normal weed. One batch in a thousand produces this nasty substance. The user of this weed will become enraged, chaotic and homicidal. They will attempt to attack friends and allies. They will not just jump off of the deep end but they will plan the murder and then execute it in a short period of time. Duration is 1 to 4 weeks. Recovery is instant once the drug wears off.
Dead Eye – this drug is sometimes placed in traps to spray on unwary victims. Anyone getting this into their eyes will find their vision seriously impaired as a result. It is not total blindness but they will see multiple versions of their enemies. It is kind of a “Mirror Images” effect but every one that they see will have multiple images in their mind. Duration is 1 to 4 hours. Recovery time is nominal.
Blood eyes – taking this drug will cause the user to bleed profusely from their eyes. Strength will be reduced by 2-5 points. Constitution will be reduced by 2-5 points. Duration is 2-5 turns. Recovery time is one turn.

Sometimes wizards find the calming effect of the weed to improve their disposition

There can be many types of drugs in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign

Some will be beneficial. Some will be harmful. Most will be illegal. An Apothecary is a likely place where one might find such substances. But city allies and opium dens are also likely places to find them. A creative Dungeon Master could come up with many more than my suggestions. And a scan of the internet can come up with many more.

Some wizards might want to cut down a little on their intake

Addiction

Use of drugs, even those with beneficial properties, should come with consequences. Using a drug once or twice should probably be safe enough. But using one many times should have negative results. The person should develop tolerance to the drug. It should work for shorter duration each time it is used. The more often it is used there should be an increased chance of dependence on it. A possible table might look like this:

1-4 uses of a drug might carry a 10% chance of dependence
5-10 uses might carry a 25% chance
11-20 might carry a 50% chance
21-30 might carry a 90% chance
every use after should increase the chance by 1% until a maximum chance of 99%

The percentages should be rolled for each occurrence in that range. For example Bruno the fighter smokes some halfling weed. Each of the 1st times he uses it roll percentiles. His chance of dependence is 10%. At use 5 it becomes 25% and so on.

Addiction for purposes of the game means that the user must get more of the substance and take it soon or suffer negative consequences. Severe illness. The “DTs”. That sort of thing. They should be unable to concentrate (or cast spells) and unable to fight at normal capacity. These symptoms of withdrawal should last for a while. Perhaps 1-4 weeks of withdrawal symptoms would be appropriate.

Beware halflings that smell like pipeweed….sometimes they have to steal to feed their addictions….were did he get that ring from?

Do we need Drug use in Dungeons and Dragons?

Of course not. Nothing is a requirement for your game. But if you are trying to make a realistic city setting for a campaign it is a logical thing to have in it. It does not have to be a major part of a game or campaign. It can add a little dressing to fantasy cities and worlds.

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Even the great Elminster enjoyed a pipe or two

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