Addiction

Drugs are a special kind of poison that grant a beneficial effect right away but also move the user a single step down the associated poison track. However, the user doesn’t lose Hit Points, even if the drug functions as a Constitution poison. Taking a drug also exposes the user to the addiction disease (see page 418), with a DC that depends on how addictive the drug is. If a character is dosed with a drug against his will, he can attempt a Fortitude save against the drug’s DC. If he succeeds, this negates both the drug’s beneficial and negative effects, as well the chance for addiction. Immunity to poison or a similar effect prevents a character from experiencing the drug’s beneficial effects, and removing or suppressing a drug’s negative effects with restorative spells also cancels the benefits.

Poison Tracks

Strength

Weakened

The victim takes a –2 penalty to Strength-based ability checks, attack rolls, damage rolls, and skill checks, and the DCs of his spells and special abilities decrease by 2. The victim’s total carrying capacity is reduced by two-thirds (minimum 1 bulk), and he gains the encumbered condition regardless of how much he is carrying.

Dexterity

Sluggish

The victim takes a –2 penalty to Reflex saves and Dexterity-based ability checks, attack rolls, and skill checks; the DCs of her spells and special abilities decrease by 2; and she becomes flat-footed.

Constitution

Weakened

The victim takes a –2 penalty to Fortitude saves, Constitution checks, and Constitution-based DCs. Every time the victim attempts a Fortitude save against the poison—whether he succeeds or fails—he loses Hit Points as per on initial exposure.

Intelligence

Weakened

The victim takes a –2 penalty to all Intelligence-based ability checks and skill checks, and the DCs of her spells and special abilities decrease by 2. If she has 1 or more levels in a spellcasting class whose key ability score is Intelligence, she can’t cast her highest level of spells from that class.

Wisdom

Weakened

The victim takes a –2 penalty to Will saves and Wisdom-based ability checks and skill checks, and the DCs of his spells and special abilities decrease by 2. If he has 1 or more levels in a spellcasting class whose key ability score is Wisdom, he can’t cast his highest level of spells from that class.

Charisma

Weakened

The victim takes a –2 penalty to Charisma-based ability checks and skill checks, and the DCs of her spells and special abilities decrease by 2. If she has 1 or more levels in a spellcasting class whose key ability score is Charisma, she can’t cast her highest level of spells from that class.

Diseases are typically inhaled contagions (though these are usually filtered out by a standard space suit or suit of armor) or injury contagions. Page 417 explains the details of each method of contagion. If a disease lacks a Cure entry, its progression may be irreversible without powerful magic or technology, but a successful casting of remove affliction usually prevents further deterioration. Physical and mental diseases have separate tracks.

Addiction

Type: disease (drug use)

Save: see specific drug

Track: physical, mental, or both (see specific drug);

Frequency: 1/day when not using the drug

Effect: If a creature takes a drug while it has progressed beyond healthy on the drug’s progression track, the DC of the saving throw against addiction increases by 2. A creature can attempt a save against an addiction only on a day when it hasn’t taken the drug. Each day spent without using the drug decreases the addiction’s DC by 2, to a minimum of the starting DC, but using the drug again, even once, returns the DC to its highest value. Each drug addiction is a separate disease.

Cure: 3 consecutive saves

Mental Disease Track

Latent

The victim can pass on contagious diseases but suffers no ill effects.

Weakened

The victim is shaken, and the DCs of his spells and special abilities decrease by 2. He can no longer cast his highest level of spells (if any).

Impaired

The victim is flat-footed and no longer adds his mental ability score modifiers when calculating number of uses per day of abilities dependent on those scores, including bonus spells per day. The DCs of his spells and special abilities decrease by an additional 2. He can no longer cast his 2 highest levels of spells (if any).

Befuddled

The victim begins losing his grasp on thought, reality, and self. He has a 50% chance each round to take no relevant actions, instead babbling randomly, wandering off, or talking to unseen parties.

Disassociated

The victim is almost entirely disconnected from reality. His mind filters and twists all external stimuli into strange forms. He can no longer tell friend from foe and can’t willingly accept any aid (including healing) from another creature unless he succeeds at a Will save against the disease’s DC.

Comatose

A victim rendered comatose by a mental disease has lost all grip on reality and entered a dream world. He can’t be woken.

Dead

The victim is dead, and his corpse may still be contagious.

Physical Disease Track

Latent

The victim has contracted a disease. She suffers no ill effects yet, but if the disease is contagious, she can pass it on.

Weakened

The victim is sickened and fatigued.

Impaired

The victim is exhausted. Whenever she takes a standard or full action, she must succeed at a Fortitude save at the disease’s DC or lose the action and become nauseated for 1 minute.

Debilitated

Strenuous actions cause the victim pain. If she takes a standard action, she immediately loses 1 Hit Point.

Bedridden

The victim is awake and can converse, but she can’t stand on her own or take any other actions or reactions.

Comatose

The victim is unconscious and feverish, and can’t be woken.

Dead

The victim is dead, and her corpse may still be contagious.

Diseases, drugs, and poisons can be cured if they are treated before the victim reaches the end state. In the case of a disease, the victim must fulfill the conditions in the disease’s Cure entry (usually succeeding at one or more consecutive saving throws). Each time she does so, she moves one step back toward healthy; once she reaches healthy, she is cured. Poisons and drugs work differently—fulfilling the cure condition (or reaching the end of a poison’s duration) removes a poison from the victim’s system, but she remains at the same step on the track and recovers gradually. For every day of bed rest (or two nights of normal rest), a victim moves one step toward healthy. This rate of recovery is doubled by successful Medicine checks (see Long-Term Care on page 143), though tenacious poisons might require a longer recovery period.