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redking
Learned Scribe
141 Posts |
 Posted - 04 Dec 2016 : 11:17:34
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What are the stats for Traveler's dust, the narcotic used by the protagonist in Plague of Spells?
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Traveler's_dust
Clearly in addition to getting high, there are some other benefits to using it. For example, the dust seemed to fortify the warlock abilities of Japheth Donard.
If there are no stats, would anyone care to speculate on what the stats could be?
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 05 Dec 2016 : 01:17:22
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That wiki article appears to summarize what is known of Traveler's dust. And it keeps citing Plague of Spells as the only canon source.
It was used as a plot device in a novel, which is to say it had whatever stats and effects were needed to drive the character or the story.
I doubt WotC would ever publish game rules about it because they tend to scrupulously avoid encouraging things like pumping your character abilities up with addictive and narcotic substances.
It "seemed to fortify the warlock abilities of Japheth Donard" ... was this from Japheth's point of view or from another's? Was he perhaps using this substance because the fiend/pact/whatever providing his warlock abilities was trying to corrupt him? It could easily have been hallucinogenic or euphoric substance providing Japheth with the illusion of greater ability, it could indeed have augmented his power, it could just as easily have a debilitating effect which diminishes or suppresses his power until the next time he uses it.
I note it is described as a deadly drug. "Anyone using traveler's dust showed these telltale signs: trembling hands, sometimes slurred speech, and—most telling—eyes the color of blood. All who used the drug eventually died." I would say the drug inflicts increasingly negative penalties on the user's warlock powers (and physical and mental powers) but these penalties can be ignored while the user gets another high.
You could offer positive or bonus stats, probably those which would most interest a warlock. But I think all bonuses would be lost and many penalties would gradually accumulate once the user becomes addicted. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Cydian
Acolyte
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 05 Nov 2017 : 04:34:02
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I know this is old, but here are my stats for Traveler's Dust:
Traveler's dust
• Effect: A creature that drops a small grain into the eye gains the ability to see everything.
• They see through all illusions while still seeing them.
• They see through objects
• They can look on the surface of the moon or into someone's brain or look at microbes replicate on a microscopic scale.
• They can see Aura's around people (though learning to interpret them before you die is unlikely).
• They can see portals, and see through portals. They also see a white magical line from the portal to the nearest key
• They can see into any plane and into anywhere in any plane.
• If they close their eyes they can see into themselves.
• They can see existential connections if they focus.
• They get advantage on everything related to intelligence, wisdom or perception and all magic.
• They also feel calm and euphoria and every negative (magical or otherwise) emotional state or mental restriction is removed.
*Negative effects while high: Eyes the color of blood, minor emotional disconnection.
Time-lapse:
The effect lasts for 1 hour
Afterwards the character begins to feel worse until they start getting withdrawal symptoms at 12 hours
Withdrawal symptoms: trembling hands, sometimes slurred speech.
Addictiveness Rating: DC 12 + 1 per 12 hours of not using.
The character gains 1 level of exhaustion for every non-critical success (this exhaustion can’t be magically helped)
Characters must make this save every days for the number of day of using travelers dust. If character gains more success than failure, they live and are not addicted. If they gain more failures than successes, they become addicted. Addiction rehabilitation is covered below.
Trigger: There is always a trigger for traveler’s dust. The trigger is 1 or more events decided by the DM but usually related to the first time used. Devils can also always trigger you from here on out. If a triggering event comes up then the character must role on the addictiveness rating or seek out more dust. They must use dust if they find it, but they may keep making this roll every hour. If they fail 3 consecutive times the are fully addicted again and must go through rehabilitation again.
Note: The character always wants the dust, the feeling stays with them forever.
Each week of use permanently destroys 1 point of Con with no chance to ever recover it, save a pact with a devil. If you drop to zero Con you die - and if you die in this way your soul goes to hell (only applies to dying from Con damage from use).
Rehabilitation: DC 10 +1 per use - nonconsecutive. Must make the save each day and must keep making saves every day for the same amount of time they have been using the dust. A single incident of failure means they must drop more dust in their eye. If they fail to or are restrained they gain a level of exhaustion per day that they do not get dust. They can try again the following day but do so with an additional +1 penalty and any other disadvantages from exhaustion (this exhaustion can’t be magically helped) Standard rules about advantage apply and character’s who have supporting friends can possibly help them.
Intervention: Standard spells do not help character’s avoid the effects of travelers dust but extremely powerful magic, primordials, high planar beings and so forth may have the power to stave off the effects or to help them break the curse.
Origin: Travelers dust is part of Asmodeus’s larger plan for the prime relating to his recent elevation to godhood.
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Cydian Kauffman |
Edited by - Cydian on 05 Nov 2017 04:36:33 |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 05 Nov 2017 : 05:45:31
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quote:
Intervention: Standard spells do not help character’s avoid the effects of travelers dust but extremely powerful magic, primordials, high planar beings and so forth may have the power to stave off the effects or to help them break the curse.
Standard spells like cure poison, cure disease, heal, restoration, and wish couldn't remove this substance addiction? Only godlike interventions could?
To me that seems too much. Natural poisons and diseases, supernatural poisons and diseases (like lycanthropy and mummy rot), and Talona's divine/special poisons and diseases can all be cured with player spells. Even death and undeath and curses and insanities and Moander's rotting decay can all be cured (or reversed). Not always easy, admittedly, but always possible without direct intervention from a higher power.
An interesting twist to portray this as a hellish drug somehow imbued by Asmodeus. But as mighty as Asmodeus might be (or want to be), his power seems unlikely to rival the powers of Talona/etc in the Realms. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2017 : 23:03:52
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On the other hand, it does balance it nicely - those granted powers are SO OP (except for heat vision, you basically get Sumerpman's vision powers, and THEN SOME... look into other planes of existence?) 
At first I didn't like the write-up, but then I realized what he did there - no sane player will ever use that stuff. They're not supposed to; it's too OP and designed as a plot device in a novel. Thus, I totally approve of the wack mechanics.
A God of medicine could probably grant their priests a healing spell that would take care of it... too bad FR doesn't have one of those. 
You've basically just permanently poisoned yourself with material from The Nine Hells. You have a tiny bit of 'Hell' inside of you, and each time you use the stuff it just builds up (like how a person who inhales spray paint WILL eventually asphyxiate, because they are slowly clogging up their alveoli). So with each use, you die a little inside... literally. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 07 Nov 2017 23:09:47 |
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cpthero2
Great Reader
USA
2286 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2020 : 18:56:07
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Seeker redking,
It sounds like a combination of the following drugs, which are easy to look up for effects:
- Psilocybin (hallucinogenic)
- Bath salts (the violence part)
- Benzodiazepines (withdrawal)
- Demoral (euphoria)
- gamma hydroxybutyric acid (euphoria, hallucinogenic, taken in the eye)
I hope that gives a good start point on really making it realistic.
Best regards,
quote:
Originally posted by redking
What are the stats for Traveler's dust, the narcotic used by the protagonist in Plague of Spells?
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Traveler's_dust
Clearly in addition to getting high, there are some other benefits to using it. For example, the dust seemed to fortify the warlock abilities of Japheth Donard.
If there are no stats, would anyone care to speculate on what the stats could be?
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Higher Atlar
Spirit Soaring |
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Cydian
Acolyte
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2020 : 00:56:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
On the other hand, it does balance it nicely - those granted powers are SO OP (except for heat vision, you basically get Sumerpman's vision powers, and THEN SOME... look into other planes of existence?)
At first I didn't like the write-up, but then I realized what he did there - no sane player will ever use that stuff. They're not supposed to; it's too OP and designed as a plot device in a novel. Thus, I totally approve of the wack mechanics.
A God of medicine could probably grant their priests a healing spell that would take care of it... too bad FR doesn't have one of those.
You've basically just permanently poisoned yourself with material from The Nine Hells. You have a tiny bit of 'Hell' inside of you, and each time you use the stuff it just builds up (like how a person who inhales spray paint WILL eventually asphyxiate, because they are slowly clogging up their alveoli). So with each use, you die a little inside... literally.
That is what I was going for. Something OP with such major drawbacks that the players should know not to touch it but might feel some sympathy for those who have taken it and feel righteous about stopping it.
As I made it to try to come close to matching what Bruce Cordell seemed to be describing I was trying to reveal a substance that would have been only recently brought to the realms and find a reason that matched what was happening in the world at the time. Bruce didn't give a reason for its existence.
His story is right after the spellplague and very shortly thereafter Asmodeus was establishing himself as a god. This seems like the kind of power culling her might need to establish it.
From a story perspective it was backdrop of something larger in my game but it never fails to amaze me that one of the players just went ahead and tried it anyhow. 
I gave plenty of backdrop indicating that it just can't be survived.
Still
They chose poorly |
Cydian Kauffman |
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cpthero2
Great Reader
USA
2286 Posts |
Posted - 14 Sep 2020 : 00:13:01
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Acolyte Cydian,
Did you by chance try using the drugs I mentioned to see if the experience was OP in real life as an experiment? ;) lol
Kidding of course. Your idea is pretty good too. I like it!
Best regards,
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Higher Atlar
Spirit Soaring |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
971 Posts |
Posted - 14 Sep 2020 : 00:58:53
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| If traveler's dust is native material from the Nine Hells, could it transform the consumer into a baatezu (most likely lemures) even before it drains the Constitution? |
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cpthero2
Great Reader
USA
2286 Posts |
Posted - 14 Sep 2020 : 02:18:23
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Learned Scribe Delnyn,
I don't think one could transform that way: Colin McComb (September 1997). Faces of Evil: The Fiends. Edited by Ray Vallese. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 12–13. ISBN 0-7869-3430-1.
I suppose, if it changed you to that degree of evil, damn, that would be a nasty drug for sure! lol
Best regards,
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Higher Atlar
Spirit Soaring |
Edited by - cpthero2 on 14 Sep 2020 06:27:52 |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 14 Sep 2020 : 06:23:22
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quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
If traveler's dust is native material from the Nine Hells, could it transform the consumer into a baatezu (most likely lemures) even before it drains the Constitution?
If such a transformation occurs then it will certainly be into some sort of squidge - wretched suffering creatures like lemures or larvae, the currency of the Lower Planes and the best low-calorie snacks for Hags worried about their figure.
Maybe anything goes in the Abyssal realms.
But in the Infernal realms there are rules. And there are plenty of baatezu of higher station who delight in strictly enforcing the rules. You gotta start at the bottom like everyone else. Mortals trying to take shortcuts on their promotions up the diabolic hierarchy are certain to attract unwanted attentions and make unwanted enemies.
Maybe Asmodeus promised something better. Just remember that he is known across the D&D cosmos as "The Archfiend of Evil" and "The Lord of Lies". |
[/Ayrik] |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
971 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2024 : 23:42:14
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Thread necromancy:
I appreciate the part about baatezu enforcing the "No skipping ranks" policies of Hell. I never intended a promotion above least baatezu. |
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Traveler's dust
