Drugs & Medicine
Drugs and Medicine.
Get a copy of SLA.
Drugs
Many operatives make use of the drugs SLA manufactures,
gambling on avoiding addiction for the rewards of increased
combat effectiveness or just being able to blot out the things
they see and do during the course of their employment. SLA
drugs come in three types: combat, soft and medical.
Combat drugs provide the most dramatic results but are highly
addictive. Soft drugs are designed largely for relaxation or, at
least, not to be used in the field, and it’s rare to become
addicted to them unless use is very heavy. Finally, medical
drugs are barely addictive at all and are the only type of drug
allowed to civilians.
The Hit
Drugs do not take effect immediately, even injected drugs
taking a few seconds to circulate in the operative’s
bloodstream. The time a drug takes to become effective
depends on the delivery method, as follows:
Ingested: 10 rounds
Smoked: 5 rounds
Injected: 1 round
These are full round delays. After injecting UV, for example, a
character must wait until their next action before feeling the
effects (and so doesn’t get to ignore their wound penalties
when making the addiction roll). Needless to say, waiting for
your KickStart to kick in while taking punishment from a
Thresher powersuit or mob of carriens can be a terrifying
experience.
It is not possible to take cocktails of drugs or to increase
the effects by taking multiple doses.
Any time a character takes a new drug while still under the
effects of another, the previous drug is immediately
neutralised.
The only exception to this rule is KickStart, which works in
addition to existing drugs and where multiple doses allow
multiple Vigour rolls to heal wounds when it kicks in.
Addiction
Every time a dose of a drug is taken, the player should make a
Vigour roll for their character with a bonus that depends on the
type of drug being taken.
Combat: 0
Soft: +1
Medical: +2
If the Vigour roll is failed, the user has become addicted. Once
addicted, one or more doses of the drug must be taken every
day or the character is plunged into Withdrawal (see below).
How many doses depends on the drug and is listed on the
addiction line of the drug’s description. Some, such as Rush and
Ultra Violence, are marked as Continuous.
They must be taken for at least 12 hours out of every day once
addiction sets in.
Withdrawal
Upon entering into Withdrawal, a character immediately
becomes Fatigued, receiving a single level of ‘Withdrawal
fatigue’ for soft or medical drugs, or two levels for combat
drugs. Fatigue caused by Withdrawal may only be removed in
one of two ways. Either the character takes the drug again, in
which case all Withdrawal fatigue from that drug is
immediately removed, or they manage to ride out their cold
turkey by removing their Withdrawal fatigue levels with Vigour
checks.
At the end of each week of Withdrawal, the character makes a
Vigour check (modified by the drugs addictiveness modifier and
any fatigue or wound penalties) to remove a level of
Withdrawal fatigue, only breaking their addiction when the last
fatigue level has been successfully removed. Spending a long
time in Withdrawal can affect a character permanently. A
natural 1 on the Vigour dice when rolling to remove
Withdrawal fatigue gives the recovering addict the Habit
hindrance, lowering their Charisma by 1. ‘Snake eyes’ instead
gives them the Mean (Haggard) hindrance, lowering their
Charisma by 2.
Optional Rule: Building Up Resistance
Once a character is addicted, GMs may wish there to be a
chance they grow resistant to the drug they’re taking. At the
end of each session, the character should make a Vigour roll for
each drug they’re addicted to. On a failure, the number of
doses they need to take for it to have an effect (and to count as
satisfying their addiction) increases by one, rising to 2 on the
First failure, then 3, and so on.RUGS
Combat Drugs
These drugs are the most powerful, but also the most addictive.
Rolls to avoid addiction (and to recover if you do become an
addict) receive no bonus. Withdrawal causes 2 fatigue levels.
Barezark (200)
Ever wondered what happens when an adrenal gland is
accelerated by a factor of 50?
Duration: 1 hour
Addiction: 4
Effects:
1) +2 damage, +2 armour piercing in close combat
2) Fearless: Automatically pass all Guts checks and immune to
Intimidation tests of wills.
Metaboost (250)
All the benefits of Stormer regeneration in a handy pillform.
Humans/frothers only.
Duration: 10 minutes
Addiction: 10 (!)
Effects: Gain a free soak roll to remove a wound every 30
seconds (5 rounds). Also, should the user need to roll on the
Permanent Injury Table, he gains +2 to his Vigour check when
seeing if the injury is permanent or not.
Rush (150)
Be harder, faster, better, stronger (as the drug’s tagline goes)
with SLA’s first, and some would say best, combat drug. Rush is
still widely used by operatives and SLA troops (especially those
put off by the two year life expectancy of UV users – not that 7
years is much better).
Duration: 6 hours
Addiction: Continuous
Effects:
1) +2 bonus to recovering from Shaken
2) Ignore up to ‐2 of multi‐action penalties.
Ultra Violence (150)
The breakfast of champions. Ultra Violence is the ultimate
combat drug. Its post effects are deadly serious, and few UV
addicts survive for more than two years, but many consider
that a small price to pay for fame.
Duration: 12 hours
Addiction: Continuous
Effects:
1) Tireless: Ignore all Wound and Fatigue penalties.
2) Fearless: Automatically succeed all Guts checks and immune
to Intimidation tests of wills.
3) Rabid: +2 to Intimidate tests of wills, ‐2 to Charisma.
4) Hardy: If you are Shaken and take another Shaken result, you
don’t take a Wound (although you do remain Shaken).
Blaze UV (100)
All the power of UV but without spending half the day as a
ravening psychopath. Psychosis when and where you need it.
Duration: 10 minutes
Addiction: 1
Effects: As Ultra Violence, but with only 10 minutes’ duration.
Bass (100)
The bigger your pecs, the harder they fall.
Duration: 1 hour
Addiction: 2
Effects:
1) Strength increases two die‐types (above D12 add +1 per dietype)
but cannot exceed the racial maximum.
2) +2 to Athletics rolls.
Pineal Stim (200)
A glowing green liquid that is injected into the bloodstream. It
aids the user in the use of Enhancement Ebb abilities.
Duration: 6 hours
Addiction: 2
Effect: This is the Science Friction item for the Enhancement
Ebb affinity.
Shatter
[D‐Notice]
Soft Drugs
Alice (100)
Live your fantasies. Or, for some, your nightmares. Have a nice
trip.
Duration: 6 hours
Addiction: 1
Effect: Automatically remove a Stress fatigue level. Any
character with a hindrance relating to mental instability instead
automatically gains another fatigue level as they sink helplessly
into the darkest pits of their own subconscious imagination.
Beat (50)
The ultimate relaxant. Well, unless it turns you into a
hyperactive, hyper‐aggressive psychopath. Still, after a hard day
at ‘the office’, many are willing to take the risk.
Duration: 6 hours
Addiction: 1
Effects:
1) Roll at +1 to remove a Stress fatigue level. A 1 on your Spirit
dice instead gain a major hindrance for the 6 hours duration.
Roll randomly between Bloodthirsty, Overconfident, Phobia
(Major) or Vengeful. Alternately, GMs may wish to use the
Cracking Up optional rule.
2) +2 to Guts checks.
Drum (30)
This light blue capsule than induces feelings of complete calm
in the user followed by a long and extremely restful sleep. For
Ebons it causes an increased recovery of flux.
Duration: 1 hour
Addiction: 1
Effect:
1) Roll to remove a Stress fatigue level.
2) +2 to Guts rolls for 2 hours after waking. Ebons instead
double their Flux regeneration rate for the hour the Drum is in
effect as well as their first 6 hours of sleep if they drop off to
sleep during that hour.
Flip (40)
The smoke to end all smokes. A must have for all rebels without
a cause.
Duration: 2 hours
Addiction: 1
Effect:
1) Roll to remove a Stress fatigue level.
2) +2 to Guts rolls.
Lumo (40)
Why choose flesh tones when you can select one of Lumo’s
1774 skin colour options?
Duration: 12 hours
Addiction: 1
Effect: Changes skin colour.
NiteLite (100)
UV night‐vision without the need for expensive electronics.
Duration: 1 hour
Addiction: 1
Effects: Ignore penalties for Dim or Dark conditions. Normal
daylight, however, causes a ‐1 penalty to all trait rolls, while
bright lights such as strobes or fluorescent bulbs increase this
penalty to ‐2. The user also receives a ‐2 penalty against
blast/concussion grenades.
Personal Interest (50)
Sex in a pill. An hour of orgasm for the price of a pizza without
the stains left by either.
Duration: 1 hour
Addiction: 1
Effect: Mm‐hmmm. Roll at +2 to remove a Stress fatigue level.
Slosh (20) Ingested
You’re my besht friend, you are.
Duration: Hard to tell.
Addiction: 2
Effect:
1) Roll to remove a Stress fatigue level.
2) Ignore one level of wound penalties
3) -2 to Smarts, Agility and both Smarts- and Agility-based
skills till you sober up. You didn’t have anything planned,
did you?
VoxPlus
(100)
Duration: 1 hour
Addiction: 2
Effects: The users natural volume becomes equivalent to
a megaphone. As well as allowing communication over
long distances or in noisy environments, this grants +2 to
Intimidation tests of wills.
Medical Drugs
Flush (50)
The recovering drug addict’s drug of choice.
Duration: Special
Addiction: 1
Effect: Provided at least one dose of Flush was taken each
day of the previous week, gain +2 on Vigour rolls when
trying to remove Withdrawal fatigue levels. In addition,
Flush can help stop infection or poisoning, granting an
additional Vigour roll (with the original modifier) for each
dose of the drug taken. A success on this roll halts the
effects for D6 hours, while a raise effectively ‘flushes’ the
body of the harmful substances. The ‘Golden Hour’ rule still
applies.
Honesty (100)
A powerful truth serum. Generally not taken voluntarily.
Duration: 30 minutes
Addiction: 2
Effect: It is impossible to lie while under the effect of Honesty.
Users are also highly suggestible and must make a Smarts roll
to resist answering questions or refuse a request made of
them.
Elixir (KickStart) (50)
An analgesic amalgamated with coagulants, this wonder drug
rapidly heals the user’s wounds.
Duration: Instantaneous
Addiction: 2
Effect: Make a Soak roll (including wound penalties). On a
success, recover a wound. On a raise, recover two wounds.
Only recently acquired wounds can be lifted this way, the
Golden Hour rule still applies.
Elixir+ (KickStart+) (70)
A more potent version of KickStart.
Duration: Instantaneous
Addiction: 2
Effect: Make a Soak roll (with NO wound penalties). On a
success, recover a wound. On a raise, recover two wounds.
Only recently acquired wounds can be lifted this way, the
Golden Hour rule still applies.
Elixir Solo (KickStart Solo) (100)
If you are going ‘Solo’, you need the World of Progress’s
number one medical drug to succeed! KickStart Solo is perfect
for the job ‐ blast your opponents like there is no tomorrow
while the most powerful nanites in Karma’s stock work hard to
keep up with your awesome kill score.
Duration: Instantaneous/30 minutes
Addiction: 2
Effect: Make a Soak roll (with NO wound penalties). On a
success, recover a wound. On a raise, recover two wounds.
Only recently acquired wounds can be lifted this way, the
Golden Hour rule still applies. In addition, for 30 minutes after
injection:
1) Automatically pass all Guts checks.
2) Ignore all Fatigue penalties.
3) +2 to Vigour rolls to resist harmful physical effects (such as
Stun or Poison).
These benefits continue for 30 minutes even if the character
takes another drug.
Karma KS (50)
It’s always nice to have the newest nanotechnology installed
(or be created with it from birth). Karma labs present a healing
drug aimed specifically at Stormers and Nuke Tendon users.
Duration: Instantaneous
Addiction: 2
Effect: This drug works like normal KickStart if you don’t have
Nuke Tendon implants installed, or like KickStart+ if you do. All
Stormers (except for vevaphons) are considered to be Nuke
Tendon users.
Pain Away (100)
The ultimate pain‐killer.
Duration: 6 hours
Addiction: Continuous
Effect: No wound penalties, or fatigue penalties from physical
sources (dehydration, heat‐stroke, hunger, etc.)
Streak (200)
A powerful brain stimulant, Streak was designed to help
treat psychosis but since its general release actually
causes more admittances than remittances across Mort’s
various asylums.
Duration: 1 hour
Addiction: 1
Effect: +2 to Smarts and all Smarts-based skills. + 2 to
recover
from Shaken.
White Noise (100)
A non‐descript blank white tablet taken orally. Prevents the
‘Dream Daemons’ that occur when an Ebon gets ‘Close’.
Duration: Instantaneous
Addiction: 1
Effect: Adds +2 to an Ebon or Brain Waster’s Smarts roll to
fight off their ‘Dream Daemons’.