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Hey everyone,
Our group is going to be playing a drunken party in an upcoming adventure (Jade Regent,) and as I was researching I discovered the drinking rules to be not only woefully inadequate, but also potentially crippling.
Clearly I understand the terrible real-world consequences of alcohol abuse, but we're going for a lighthearted fantasy about a bunch of tavern regulars who find out Ameiko is an Empress and decide it's their duty to escort their favorite bar owner to far-off lands.
We'll have a drunken monk and a drunken barbarian in the party, as well as a "Friar Tuck"-like halfling cleric of Cayden,and an Alchemist whose brews are all alcohol-themed (magic beer extracts, molotov cocktail bombs, mutagen is just his "special brew" that turns him into a mean, fightin' drunk, etc.)
The reason drinking rules are important is to offer a balance to the drunken monk and barbarian, to place limits on an otherwise potentially unlimited resource pool.
So here's what I came up with, based on research into BAC levels by weight (lightly converring weight categories to Con) and the various stages of drunkenness:
Tipsy:
You become tipsy after consuming a number of alcoholic beverages equal to 1 + your Con modifier.
A tipsy character gains a +1 alchemical bonus on all Str- and Cha-based skill and ability checks, but takes a -1 penalty on all Dex- and Wis-based skill and ability checks.
Buzzed:
You become buzzed after consuming an additional number of alcoholic beverages equal to 1 + your Con modifier.
The bonuses and penalties to skill and ability checks granted by being tipsy increase to 2.
Drunk:
You become drunk after consuming an additional number of alcoholic beverages equal to 1 + your Con modifier.
A drunk character is sickened. Any effect that would cause a drunk character to be sickened causes them to be nauseated for the same duration instead. The bonuses and penalties from being buzzed continue to apply.
Stupor:
You enter a drunken stupor after consuming a number of alcoholic beverages equal to 1 + your Con modifier.
A character in a stupor is fatigued. Any effect that would cause a character in a stupor to become fatigued causes them to be exhausted instead. The bonuses and penalties from being drunk continue to apply.
Blackout:
A character blacks out after consuming an additional number of alcoholic beverages equal to 1 + his Cin modifier.
A character in a blackout is unconscious, loses all memories from the past hour, and is unable to make new memories for an hour. If somehow brought conscious, a character in a blackout is nauseated and exhausted.
Sobering Up:
Every hour, a character is treated as having consumed one fewer alcoholic beverage.
Poison Resistance and Immunity:
A character with poison resistance is treated as having a higher Constitution score equal to the amount of their poison resistance for the purpose of determining how much alcohol they can consume.
A character with poison immunity is immune to the effects of alcohol, both beneficial and detrimental.
Characters with a low Constitution:
Whenever a character with a negative Con modifier consumes an alcoholic beverage, they are treated as having consumed an additional number of alcoholic beverages equal to their negative modifier.
Hangovers:
After a night (or day) of drinking, a character risks a hangover the following morning.
The character must make a Fort save upon waking based on how inebriated they were.
A character who was tipsy must succeed on a DC 5 Fort save.
A character who was buzzed must succeed on a DC 10 Fort save.
A character who was drunk must succeed on a DC 15 Fort save.
A character who was in a stupor must succeed on a DC 20 Fort save.
A character who was in a blackout must succeed on a DC 25 Fort save.
For each hour spent drinking beyond the first, increase the DC by 1.
A character may add their poison resistance to this Fort save.
A character who succeeds on this save suffers no ill effects from their carousing.
A character who fails this save is sickened and fatigued for 1d4 hours.
A character who fails this save by 5 or more is nauseated and exhausted for 1d4 hours and then sickened and fatigued for 1d4 hours after that.
A character who engages in habitual drinking may develop a minor addiction.
The problem with alternate drunk rules is that they're often so complicated that no one remembers them and no one will bother busting out the rule books to find out what they are. PF's rules are simple and easily remembered. You can handle a number of drinks equal 1 + your Con modifier. Afterward, you're sickened.
I think this looks pretty balanced. Since y'all are going to playing a heavily booze-themed adventure, I do agree that this deserves some more expansive drinking rules. I think the numbers you've come up with, at a glance, seem both tolerably realistic and to exist within such a range that they will allow profuse drinking while still reining in the two alcohol-themed archetypes somewhat. I also like the new conditions; they're minimalistic but still manage to convey the right feel for different levels of inebritation.
The only thing I feel is lacking (unless I've missed some obvious mechanical problem) is a way of simulating different "kinds of drunks". Although I suppose that might be zooming in too much for it to be worth the hassle. Arguably, this is also somewhat handled by class features. For instance, I think we all know what "kind of drunk" a drunken brute barbarian is.
Cheers,
- Gears
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The problem with alternate drunk rules is that they're often so complicated that no one remembers them and no one will bother busting out the rule books to find out what they are. PF's rules are simple and easily remembered. You can handle a number of drinks equal 1 + your Con modifier. Afterward, you're sickened.
The problem with these rules is that is doesn't really reflect how a person gets smarter, tougher, and better looking the more they drink.
The problem with alternate drunk rules is that they're often so complicated that no one remembers them and no one will bother busting out the rule books to find out what they are. PF's rules are simple and easily remembered. You can handle a number of drinks equal 1 + your Con modifier. Afterward, you're sickened.
Actually, it's a number of drinks equal to 1 + 2 x Con modifier.
Just like drugs, alcohol can be abused and have significant negative effects. In general, a character can consume a number of alcoholic beverages equal to 1 plus double his Constitution modifier. Drinks consumed in excess of this total cause the character to become sickened for 1 hour per drink above this maximum. Particularly exotic or strong forms of alcohol might be treated as normal drugs. Those who regularly abuse alcohol might eventually develop a moderate addiction.
It wouldn't be gamebreaking to create a High Tolerance trait or feat increasing that amount.
One thing that always puzzled me about the drug mechanics is that they aren't treated as poisons, even if they follow the same rules. I assume that was deliberate, to ensure that high-level alchemists still can get wasted.
One thing that always puzzled me about the drug mechanics is that they aren't treated as poisons, even if they follow the same rules. I assume that was deliberate, to ensure that high-level alchemists still can get wasted.
High level alchemist sit around half the day drinking polypurpose panacea extracts, as well as higher level versions of their own design.
The problem with alternate drunk rules is that they're often so complicated that no one remembers them and no one will bother busting out the rule books to find out what they are. PF's rules are simple and easily remembered. You can handle a number of drinks equal 1 + your Con modifier. Afterward, you're sickened.The problem with these rules is that is doesn't really reflect how a person gets smarter, tougher, and better looking the more they drink.
The sickened condition does penalize Perception, Sense Motive, and Charisma/Wisdom checks!
Thanks all!
I tried to make something that would be simple and quick in play.
My issues with the basic drinking rules were manifold:
1 + twice Con mod seems okay, but the problem really comes into play with the Moderate Addiction penalties, as well as the strange fact that rum will straight-up kill you (1d3 Con damage per shot of rum?) Not only that, but 1 + twice Con is pretty poorly defined. Per hour? Per day? How long do you stay sickened? If it's per hour, that's insane - a character with a 20 Con could drink 10 drinks per hour without getting sick. If it's per day, that's equally silly - a drunken barbarian can only drink 1 beer an hour for the whole day or risk being sickened the rest of the day?
Certainly for many characters/groups, a drinking system as defined as mine is a little excessive - most groups won't ever have to worry about it - roleplay and GM adjudication will be more than sufficient.
But when archetypes have been introduced to the game that rely on drinking, it just seemed odd not to have something a little better defined.
Thanks much for the constructive feedback, support, and criticism!
One thing that always puzzled me about the drug mechanics is that they aren't treated as poisons, even if they follow the same rules. I assume that was deliberate, to ensure that high-level alchemists still can get wasted.High level alchemist sit around half the day drinking polypurpose panacea extracts, as well as higher level versions of their own design.
Lol, actually, my alcoholemist will probably have to have potions of Polypurpose Panacea (Sobriety) handy for when the party gets too trashed :)