Drug use has four stages:
Clean
Habitual User
Dependent
Addict
Drugs have a Drug Die: roll it when you’re using, -1 (Cumulative Penalty) for each dose beyond the first. If you roll the minimum value or lower, it degrades, advancing to the next stage. When your die degrades you experience the drug’s standard effects at your addiction level—otherwise,experience the drug’s standard effects.
Deeper drug addiction stages, from Clean to Addicted, requires greater doses for the same high, determined by the drug’s Tolerance Value (drug dependent, additive or multiplicative). After addiction, you are a recovering addict and your tolerance value reflects this.
Weaning off drugs: take at least one less than your required dose and roll the maximum drug die result to lower your addiction level by one—rolling the minimum results in succumbing to withdrawal. You cannot overdose when taking less than your required dose. The cumulative drug die penalty for taking additional doses doesn’t apply when weaning off or quitting cold turkey. Take the difference between your required dose (A) and the doses you take (B) deriving “C”. Add “C” to your withdrawal range on your drug die. When rolling your drug die, roll an additional “C” dice. If you roll the maximum result of your drug die at least once, your addiction level steps down. If you roll between your maximum value and your withdrawal value, you just experience the normal effects of the drug. The less drugs you take weaning off, you’re more likely to lower your addiction but are more likely to experience withdrawal.
Quitting cold turkey follows the same procedure—it’s just harder, shittier and more likely to kill you.
Overdosing: with the minimum result on a drug die, the die degradess, your addiction track advances, roll the new stage’s die. If you are “Addicted” and roll the minimum value, you overdose and suffer the effects (including possible immediate death). If the drug’s overdose effects are non lethal you’ll live—just ride the wave. If the effects are lethal follow your DM’s death and dying rules—hopefully you get a death save!
Drug Information:
Cost: Rough, varies by quality, region, reaction roll with dealer and other factors.
Duration: How long the effects last.
Upside: Why you’re taking the drug.
Downside: Why you wish you weren’t.
Tolerance Modifier: How much more you need than you did last time.
Withdrawal Effects: What happens when you don’t get enough.
Overdose Effects: What happens when you get too much.
Required Dose: How many doses you need.
Example:
Aligheri is a young fighter looking to set out on this new chapter, so he spends what coin he has on a few doses of Pump and signs up for the local fight pits.
The day of the fight, Aligheri shoots four doses of Pump. He rolls the drug die for his current state of addiction (clean) and rolls a 20. A drug die degrades on a minimum roll so he’s safe and gets the normal effects of the drug—positively: +4 HP, +4 Strength, +20’ Speed but -4 to mental saves and -4 to reaction rolls.
Aligheri wins his fight easily, making quite a few silver and a name for himself. Why shouldn’t he press his luck with Pump, though a little bit less from now on—he doesn’t want to win too easily.
The next time he uses Pump, his drug die roll is a 1—the die degrades (d12) and he rolls again: 3! He’s safe, but a habitual user, checking the tolerance modifier, +1 so he requires 2 doses. Aligheri now needs to take 2 doses to get the effect of 1 dose.
Next bout, Aligheri rolls another 1—his die degrades (d10) and he rolls again rolling another 1! Aligheri is a full blown addict (d8) and in serious danger of overdosing each time he uses. Rolling again: another 1—Alighieri overdosed! Referencing the Overdose entry, an overdose causes a permanent reduction of HP and Strength by 1d4 and 1d4 x 5’ loss in speed. He rolls a 4, so Aligheri permanently reduces his HP and Strength by 4 and loses 20’ of movement speed. Other than these effects, he can continue to use the drug and adventure.
If Aligheri narrowly avoided an overdose and his greater dependency put some fear into him, so he wants to get off the drugs. He’s pretty tough after winning several fights in a row, so he’s going cold turkey.
Aligheri needs 4 doses to avoid withdrawal and takes none! Aligheri rolls his drug die and subtracts doses he took from how many he needs—his drug die (d8) requires 4 doses—taking none increases his withdrawal and weaning off chances by 4. With a 5 (or lower), he’ll experience withdrawal but on an 8 his drug die degrades and his dependency decreases. Because he’s quitting cold turkey, he rolls 5 drug dice Unfortunately, none show an 8, and at least one is a 2 so he experiences withdrawal. Ordinarily, he’d go on a rampage searching for Pump but he uses some rolling his drug die like normal.
Trying cold turkey again the next day, he rolls an 8! He becomes a dependent user (d10). He takes some time off the fight circuit, remaining cold turkey, but still needs three doses (+3) and rolls 4 drug dice with his withdrawal range expanded by 3. He rolls all sixes—no withdrawal but still dependent. The next day he rolls an 8, reducing his drug die and becoming a (much safer) habitual user. However, as he’s been addicted, he cannot step down to “clean”—he’ll always crave Pump, need more than a fresh user and quickly succumbs to addiction.
That's it.
I've stolen from a few sources and mashed them all together to make this abomination.
I'd also like to thank Oblidisideryptch for his perspective and help refining my version one rules to version two rules.
