Tonics
(Addiction cost: 3/level)
This type of drug is the latest thing to hit the
streets: it's going to be a while before the corporeal
authorities can properly assess that it's anything
more than a particularly odd version of cocaine,
though. That's not too surprising, however, as the
DEA isn't exactly set up for the analysis of
supernatural and alchemical substances.
OK, that last bit is a lie: the DEA has the largest
proportion of outsiders aware of the War of any
American government organization outside of the Secret
Service and the Library of Congress. It's just that
every one of those outsiders is still trying to make
up their minds about whether they should wreck their
careers by talking to somebody else about all the
weird stuff that they're coming across. It should be
amusing to see the inevitable cascade of mutual
realization...
Tangents aside, not even the DEA has yet officially
(or fully) recognized what precisely Tonics are: the
official opinion is still that the drug is cocaine
mixed with carbonated sugar water, caffeine and
various compounds. Not quite as potent a kick as the
snorted version, but addictive in it's own right and
worth keeping down, especially since it's getting a
reputation among the under-25 crowd as being both Cool
and less destructive than regular cocaine. All of
that is true (except for the less destructive kick),
but there's more to the story than that, and mostly
involves the "various compounds". The marketers have
a secret ingredient, you understand, which can only be
acquired from one place.
Celestial vessels.
Tonics are an alchemical product that uses special s u
bstances only found in angelic or demonic vessels.
The harvesting process inevitably vessel-kills the
celestial; however, as a general rule the people
working in the Tonic trade try to only use
already-dead vessels (not through any sort of decency;
they're trying to keep a low profile, which has
special complications in a universe where victims can
come back from the dead). The harvesting/refinement
process is a fairly straightforward alchemical process
that takes one day to perform: each level of the
vessel processed will result in 20 doses for the final
mixture. As per the regular Alchemy rules, Tonics
retain their special potency for (Alchemy CD roll)
weeks. The final results are bottled in standard 20
ounce plastic bottles: depending on the venue, they
may be disguised as regular brands of soda.
Tonics are generally considered to be a Very
Difficult, Easy Withdrawal (5 days) drug. The cocaine
present is sufficiently attenuated to both not affect
Characteristic rolls (except for a base +2 to Will
rolls to avoid falling asleep) and to not act as a
poison: however, taking three Tonics in less than an
hour will have the same game effect as a dose of
cocaine. What makes this drug so interesting (and
dangerous) is that the supernatural ingredients give
their own 'kick'. All types of Tonics give a +1 to
Will rolls to avoid feeling the effects of pain and
discomfort for the next hour: this includes all uses
of Songs, Attunements and/or a demonic resonance
designed to elicit such an effect. 'Stacking' the
doses has no cumulative effect. Also, someone under
the influence of a Tonic will not need to eat, urinate
or defecate. Finally, Tonics come in specific
'flavors', based on the vessel's original owner.
Below is a list of the possible variations.
Beefcake (Stone): Consuming this Tonic gives the user
a +3 (instead of the regular +1) to Will rolls to
avoid feeling pain/discomfort; also, any Fighting
rolls are at +1 to Power. Unfortunately, the strain
on the system is usually sufficient to cause 1 Body
Hit per use.
Belch (Gluttony): This Tonic makes anything eaten
while under its influence taste good (it also gives a
+2 to the target number and CD of a successful
Strength check to avoid the effects of Poison). The
user will also suffer from Gluttonous/3 for the next
day. Incidentally, the street name comes from the
fact that the Tonic is extra carbonated, not from any
supernatural additions.
Double Take Tea (The Wind/Theft): This Tonic causes a
general personality reversal. Inhibited people will
become exhibitionists, lives of the party will go off
and sit by themselves for a while and so forth. The
DEA really wants to stop production of this particular
Tonic: aside from other things, on the right subject
Double Take Tea makes a horribly effective date rape
drug.
Double Take Tea requires both angelic and demonic
ingredients to make.
Edge (War/The War): This Tonic was what got the
attention of the DEA in the first place, thanks to the
fact that it was the first one of its kind available
on the street. Edge has a trace of PCP in it (as well
as cocaine): not enough to make an actual difference,
but quite enough to confuse the analyzers. Users of
Edge will have a very casual attitude towards
violence, plus a +1 to the target number of combat
rolls, plus a temporary Toughness of 2.
Unfortunately, they also get the Murderous/3
Disadvantage for the duration, which can complicate
matters.
Edge requires both angelic and demonic ingredients to
make.
Fireball (Infernal Fire): This Tonic is sold in shot
form: the cocaine is replaced with crank and the sugar
water with grain alcohol. It's also traditionally
drunk right after being set aflame. While under its
influence, the user becomes immune to feeling pain
from fire (and gets a Toughness of 1 towards
fire-based attacks): he or she also becomes Angry/3.
Combining Fireball and Muse (see below) is
contraindicated.
Free Ride (Drugs): The Tonic is sold almost openly, as
it in itself does not have any conventional controlled
substances in it. What it does do is temporarily
mask the presence of any drugs in a person's system:
aside from the uses for evading drug tests (the drugs
actually disappear from the person's system, which
means that a test will continue to show negative even
after the Tonic's end of duration), Free Ride is
useful as a temporary "sober pill".
Godshouter (Faith): Users of Godshouter prize it for
its ability to give a visceral sense that their God
(or favorite god) is present, watching over them and
pleased with their actions dedicated to the service of
their deity. Any action that is so dedicated (no
matter how normally heinous) will be engaged in
without later regrets and/or guilt. Interestingly, a
user of Godshouter also gets a base +2 to resist any
demonic resonance.
Guard Dog (Protection): This Tonic is usually
purchased to give to other people. While under its
effects, the substance in this one is THC,
not cocaine (it's also decaffeinated and sugar free,
although it tastes sweet). Drinking it causes the
user to fall asleep after a half-hour of incredibly
pleasant languor: once asleep, the user cannot be
woken by anything less than direct infliction of pain
on his or her body. It also has the effect of curing
2 Body Hits per use. Of all Tonics, this one is
probably the most accepted, as it has the street
reputation of being an incomparable palliative for
terminal cancer and AIDS patients (a very
well-deserved reputation, in fact).
Heterodyne (Technology): Use of this Tonic unlocks
the user's creativity (+4 to all design rolls);
however, it also suppresses any ethical and moral
qualms about using questionable materials and/or s u
bstances in said design. There is also a broad
tendency to cackle madly at appropriate moments.
Elements of the DEA are very interested in keeping
this particular subject duty for a period no less
than six months.
Illumination (Destiny/Fate): Someone who drinks this
Tonic will find that everything for the next hour
suddenly makes sense. It all fits together, the Big
Picture can be suddenly seen and there are no more
mysteries. As one could imagine, it is fiercely
addictive, although it has almost no supernatural
powers at all... except for one. Someone under the
influence of Illumination has a chance to recognize
that someone is a celestial, ethereal, Saint, Soldier
or Undead: the user gets to roll against a target
number of 5. Under no circumstances will the user be
told just what the unusual person is.
Illumination can be made with either angelic or
demonic ingredients, or a blend of both.
Ineffability (Revelations/Secrets): A user of
Ineffability will get a sense of what can only be
described as pleasant paranoia. Every event will seem
to be the result of unfathomable, indescribable and u
n seen forces - but said forces will seem to be well
disposed towards the user. The frightening thing is
that this sensation may be correct; unfavorable
Interventions do not seem to plague the user quite as
often. If an unfavorable Intervention is rolled on a
user of Ineffability, reroll the CD: if the new CD is
the same as the original CD, no Intervention has
occurred. Otherwise, the Intervention takes place as
normal.
Jade (Dark Humor): Everything becomes funny to the
user of Jade, no matter how depressing or sorrowful he
or she might usually find something. Indeed, the
worse the tragedy, the funnier it will become.
Habitual users develop a facial expression somewhere
between a smirk and a sneer.
Kaos Kola (Creation): This Tonic acts as a mild
hallucinogenic; it heightens senses and makes
everything seem more dramatic. This is good for a
general +1 to Perception rolls, but it also gives a -2
to Will rolls to avoid doing something entertaining
yet dangerous.
Mosh (Hardcore): This is a sensory stimulant. Sounds
and lights become more pronounced and the user's
adrenal system goes into overdrive, delaying his or
her need to sleep for six hours after a dose of Mosh.
Contrary to popular belief, this Tonic does not
directly impose violent behavior patterns: it is
merely a side effect of over-stimulation of the
adrenal glands. The distinction is admittedly minor.
Muse (Divine Fire): Most of this Tonic's users are
artists, who swear by its inspirational qualities (+2
to any Artistry, Dancing, Emote, Musical Instrument
and/or Singing roll). The -2 to reactions towards
anyone demonstrating Cruelty in the user's presence
has not yet been widely noted.
Combining Muse and Fireball (see above) is
contraindicated.
Poker Face (Judgement/The Game): This Tonic gives a +2
to Detect Lies (including default use). However, the
user also gains an intense dislike (-3 to reaction
rolls) to cheaters.
Poker Face can be made with either angelic or demonic
ingredients, or a blend of both.
Sleepytime (Dreams/Nightmares): If taken by someone
about to fall asleep (this flavor of Tonic is
decaffeinated, which eliminates the +2 to Will rolls
to fall asleep), the dreamer will have an increased
control over his or her dreams, for that night only
(Dreaming skill equal to the user's Ethereal Forces).
Depending on the original 'donor', the user will find
themselves on the appropriate side of the Vale:
however, even Beleth's side of the Marches will not
seem truly frightening.
Sleepytime can be made with either angelic or demonic
ingredients, but not a blend of both: attempting to do
so gives the user screamingly bad dreams/nightmares
for the night. Few repeat the experience.
Smooth Move (Lust): Often mischaracterized as a date
rape drug, Smooth Move is better described as a date
rapist drug. The user gains a +1 to Seduction rolls,
a +2 to reaction rolls from those that would be
normally sexually interested in the user's particular
gender identity - and a complete refusal to refrain
from engaging in any activity that would minimize or
hinder the user's eventual sexual pleasure.
Smurf Juice (Children): This Tonic regresses the user
to an emotional state similar to that of an
eight-year-old child. It is mostly popular as a prank
drug, although certain users like to consume it just
before watching Saturday cartoon shows. Smurf Juice
is usually available in a form lacking cocaine,
although stronger versions are certainly available.
Spark (Lightning): The user becomes fascinated with
electrical and electronic equipment. This does not
give a bonus to Computer Operation and Electronics
rolls, per se, but does make it very easy for the user
to, say, keep working on a project or play on a video
game (+4 to Will rolls). Spark is practically
street-legal: it contains only a trace of cocaine and
enough caffeine to raise the dead. It is also the
only Tonic usually sold in six-packs.
Splinter Soda (Factions): This particular Tonic is
often found among the role-playing and wargaming
crowd. It comes in both cocaine and cocaine-free
forms; either way, use of it gives the user a +2 to
any Emote roll to disguise his or her true feelings.
It also instills Paranoia/1, although this is only
likely to turn violent in extreme cases (usually
fueled by the cocaine version).
Superman (Free Lilim): This Tonic is the most rare of
all, and commands the highest price. Users of it are
made... free. It completely breaks down all imposed
restrictions and hindrances on a user's Will, to the
point where it is effectively doubled for all rolls.
The user also gains a +3 to all reaction rolls; the
supreme self-confidence and unstoppable force of
personality tends to overawe people. Of course, the
lack of a governor mechanism means that anyone who
thwarts the user is in deadly danger: a user of
Superman will not hesitate to act ruthlessly and even
murderously (although he or she will not lash out
blindly) in response. Someone with a steady supply of
Superman could take over entire countries...
Swap (Trade) and Swap Gold (Greed): These two Tonics
are considered related, even though strictly speaking
they are not. A user of Regular Swap can pass a drug
test without any problems, as it does not actually
contain any conventionally controlled substances.
The user gets a +2 to Knowledge: Finances rolls, can
add up numbers quickly and accurately and generally
shows a deep and abiding interest in money.
Users of Swap Gold share the deep and abiding interest
in money, but not much else. Swap Gold is heavily
laced with cocaine (the equivalent of two regular
doses); furthermore, any investment/financial decision
made while under its influence will trigger the user
to unconsciously spend whatever Essence he or she
might have to boost the appropriate roll.
Tarzan (Animals): A popular Tonic for those looking
for new experiences. The user tends to lose general
societal inhibitions and will tend to engage in
whatever activities seem most pleasurable without
regard for consequences. Users will derive great and
visible pleasure from being stroked, petted, fondled
and more carnal activities... but will think nothing
of performing any and all bodily functions in public,
or of attacking those that stand between them and
their pleasures.
Vitae (Death): This Tonic interferes with the user's s
u bconscious perception of his or her heartbeat,
breathing and pain sensors: furthermore, it also gives
the user a slight feeling of detachment towards the
universe in general. In other words, it makes a
certain class of user feel 'just like a vampire',
which explains why Vitae is found in Goth clubs across
the nation. Needless to say, Vitae has a distinctive
color, taste and smell that is reminiscent of blood -
which is, indeed, because it does have blood
(preserved by the alchemical process) as an
ingredient.
Zone (The Media): Any form of passive entertainment -
television, radio, cinema, screen savers, flies
crawling on a window - will be completely engrossing
to a user of Zone. The sensation will be one of total
and utter fascination: every word or sound will seem
to be of deep and vital relevance. Interestingly,
although the sensation will fade, the user will retain
total recall of the experience for the next day. This
is sometimes useful.
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