2012-08-14

Mind Spices of the Lanthanide Wastes

Mind Spices
Change of Addiction: 5% per use, cumulative
Cost: 800 gp

These brown clumps of vegetable matter grow a few inches beneath the surface of the Lanthanide Wastes.  Occasional windstorms will reveal the spices to lucky prospectors, who bring them back to the drug markets of Denethix.  The spices are eaten to produce their effects.

Effects:
Nausea for the first hour (-4 on all attack rolls, and unable to cast spells)
Clairvoyance for 1d3 hours (after nausea passes).  User is comatose during this period.  Scenes viewed are nearby (within 10 miles) but attempting to focus on a particular area has only 25% chance of success.
Extra-planar viewing for 1d3 hours (after clairvoyance passes).  Attempting to focus on a particular plane has only 25% chance of success.  User is comatose during this period.
User awakes knowing a random spell (1st level for non-casters, of a level one higher than the caster is currently capable of for spell-casters)
5% per use, cumulative, of attracting unwanted attention (roll 1d6):

  1. An angel has noticed the user.  He hears voices whispering that he must mend his evil ways, learn to love others, and stop using those abominable mind spices.
  2. A demon has noticed the user, and manifests invisibly to torment the spice-eater.
  3. A devil has noticed the user, and offers a diabolical deal.
  4. An ethereal parasite has been attracted to the spice-eater.  Lose 1 INT per day until the parasite is slain.
  5. The Hounds have spied the user from the angles between time.  They are relentless and remorseless.  Good luck!
  6. The spice-eater has attracted the attention of the demi-lich.  The demi-lich’s tomb appears in the vicinity (within 10 miles), and each day comes closer to the user’s location, until one morning he opens the door to the inn and the tomb entrance is staring him right in the face.  Moving to different towns only slows down the inevitable.

Addiction
:  Individuals afflicted with mind spice addiction have a "third eye" visible on their forehead to other mind-spice addicts.  Non-addicts cannot see this.

Withdrawal
:  Once addicted, the addict feels compelled to take the mind spices once per week.  Failing that, he will be helpless and comatose as he goes through a five-day withdrawal period.  His agonized extra-dimensional cries have a 50% chance of attracting unwanted attention on the table above.

4 comments:

  1. I like this, but then I generally like weird, trippy environs and effects to through at players.

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  2. I wann be a mindspice addict when I grow up!

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  3. These strange drugs are great and very Denethix. I will be sure to include them as "treasures" where appropriate in my campaign.

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  4. Man this reminds me of some trippy and seriously creepy 80's horror movies like The Beyond and Phantasm, I was listening to music of Nightsatan when reading this blog entry and I have to say I hesitated to open the door to get coffee for a while.

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