Alcoholism

-15 points or -20 points

You are an alcohol addict. Alcoholism uses the Addiction rules. It is cheap, incapacitating, and usually legal, so it would normally be a -10-point Addiction. But it is also insidious; therefore, it is worth -15 points – or -20 points if it is illegal.

Most of the time, you may confine your drinking to the evenings, and therefore function normally (for game purposes). However, any time you are in the presence of alcohol, you must roll vs. Will to avoid partaking. A failed roll means you go on a "binge" lasting 2d hours, followed by a hangover; see Drinking and Intoxication.

Alcoholics on a binge are characterized by sudden mood swings – from extreme friendliness to extreme hostility – and may attack friends, talk too freely, or make other mistakes. The other drawback of Alcoholism is that it is hard to get rid of. Should you manage to "withdraw," you no longer need to drink daily ... but you must still make a Will+4 roll whenever you are in the presence of alcohol. A failed roll does not reinstate the addiction, but does set off a binge. (Three binges in a week will reinstate the addiction.) Thus, there is no normal way to "buy off" this disadvantage.

Continued Alcoholism will steal your abilities. You must roll yearly against HT+2 until you withdraw. Failure means you lose a level from one of your four basic attributes – roll randomly to determine which.