These rules are purely for fun, to be used by DMs or players who wish to add some spice to their tavern encounters.


General guidelines for PC drunkenness


PC drunkenness has the following detrimental effects:

Loss of co-ordination (motor skills, reflexes, slurred speech)

Loss of self-control and inhibitions

Loss of social graces (if the PC had any to start with of course)


PC drunkenness also has the following 'bonuses':

Invincibility beliefs

Increased metabolism (your body is trying to rid itself of the alcohol poisoning)


Effects on stats:

Loss of co-ordination: DEX stat affected, BAB affected

Loss of self-control and inhibitions: WIS stat affected

Loss of social graces: CHA stat affected

Invincibility beliefs: bonus to Fear checks, bonus to Morale checks (for NPCs)

Increased metabolism: poison resistance


System tolerance:

Based on CON score and character size

There are five stages of drunkenness (described below)




Specific rules for PC drunkenness

After a PCs minimum number of drinks (see Further Notes below), he or she must make a FORT save against DC = 12 (-3 cumulative penalty per drink thereafter). Failure takes the PC into the first stage of drunkenness. Once again, when the PC has drunk the minimum drinks for that stage he or she follows the same process to enter the next stage. The penalties to attributes and BAB are not cumulative, so a PC with a DEX of 12 will be at 6 when he reaches Stage 4.


Stage 1:
-1 to DEX, CHA, WIS, and BAB **
+1 to Fear and Morale checks, +1 to save versus Poison
Description: buzzzz

Stage 2:
-2 to DEX, CHA, WIS, -1 BAB **
+2 to Fear and Morale checks, +2 to save versus Poison
Description: "So, I says to him, I says ..."

Stage 3:
-4 to DEX, CHA, WIS, -2 BAB **
+2 to Fear and Morale checks, +2 to save versus Poison
Description: "Whooah, man. Room spinning."

Stage 4:
-6 to DEX, CHA, WIS, -4 BAB **
+2 to Fear and Morale checks, +2 to save versus Poison
Description: "huh? wha?"

Stage 5:
PC passes out as his or her body tries to save itself from alcohol poisoning
Description: "Urk" [thud]

** If one of the PCs ability scores drop to 2 or less, the victim passes out at that stage without progressing further.



Further Notes

One ounce of alcohol = one drink (one beer or ale, one glass of wine, one shot of hard liquor)

Minimum number of drinks per stage = CON/3, rounded down (e.g. A PC with a CON of 14 can drink a minimum of 4 drinks before making his saving throw to advance (deteriorate?) to the next stage)

Toughness feat = ignore first 3 drinks (before Stage 1 only)

PC Size = the above effects are based on Medium sized characters, so since Small characters are roughly half the size, the effects are doubled, assuming the size of their drinks are in proportion to those given to a Medium sized PC. Large characters are twice as resistant, again, assuming the size of their drinks are in proportion to those given to a Medium sized PC

Recovery = stats are regained at one point per hour, though a PC who passes out remains so for 6 hours minimum and then begins recovering stats