Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

My upcoming post-apocalyptic western horror game is TL5 and I am using the following Psi drugs (GURPS Psi-Tech p. 33-34):
Blocker, Brainstorm, Catalyst Drug, Mind-Hype, Muffler, Psi-Boosters, Shatter, Trance and Window

I need better names for them. Either patent medicine or new-age (there's a new age like religion in the setting).
Blocker, Muffler, Shatter, and Trance probably should have Patent Medicine names.
Catalyst Drug, and Mind-Hype should have New Age type names.
The others could go either way.
Boosters maybe should have different name for each Power.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

I could have swore in Biotech there was a table for making random patent names.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Patent Medicine? Like "Hamilton's Brain Tonic"?

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Yes, it's a western. Or like the Vigors in Bio-Shock:Infinite. I want names that have a western vibe instead of the genero-cyberpunk vibe that these have.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Oh for some reason I thought you meant like Oxycotin.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Bonus points for names that actually relate to what the drug does.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Banisteriopsis caapi, also known as ayahuasca, caapi or yajé is the root held by the shaman in ALTERED STATES, one of the latter names might be good for the Catalyst drug.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

So, as an example, something like "McGillicuddy's Number 7 Nerve Lubricant" for Catalyst Drug

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

For 'Brainstorm', here's an actual product:
Dr. Sawen's Magic Nervine Pills: "The Great Nerve Vitalizer"

Shatter:
East Texas's Famous Agitating Elixir

Trance:
Jack Houston's Mesmerizing Redolence

Catalyst Drug:
Astral Moon Dust

Mind Hype:
Stellular Alignment Enhancer

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

As background, you should read this: Paranormal experiences on DXM. Real world psi drugs. Really.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Yes, perfect! Thank you.

More-or-less. Catalyst Drug is probably one of the ones more commonly made by the new age-y people rather than the patent medicine people.

Those are are good, thank you!

Interesting:
a) Is DXM possible at TL5 or TL6?
b) What game effects do you reckon it has that makes it like one of the existing drugs or unlike them enough to warrant separate inclusion?

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

DXM is VERY unlike other drugs. It makes weird things happen. I'm not at all kidding - other people notice, people not on the drug. It, like ketamine, it tied to a very strange mythology centered around Coincidence Control Central. The idea is that there are these ultra-terrestrials who want humans to evolve into a similar state. But, lacking corporeal bodies, there is little they can do to help up. Thus they contact people who are zonked on ketamine or DXM and recruit them. They teach you to use your probability altering powers, and in return they use you as a lens to make coincidences happen that further human evolution. John Lilly, the Altered States guy, was all about this. In that movie, there is a piece of equipment labelled DXO, which is the demethylated and much stronger version of DXM.

Besides all that, there is a special level of DXM intoxication called 'Plateau Sigma'. In this state of mind, one has full blown indistinguishable from reality hallucinations of religious figures. I can testify - I tried it. I saw Xochipilli, the Aztec god of dance, drugs and flowers, who promptly tried to eat me. I'm not sure what other people saw, but I came out of that with bruises all over my body and a concussion. I talked with another person who encountered Erzulie, the Loa of Love, despite this person being utterly white bread and having no interest in voodoo.

DXM and ketamine are part of a family of drugs called 'dissociatives'. I had the rare privilege of being the first human to try an experimental dissociative called MK-801. I spent 10 hours consumed with involuntary telepathy. I could hear hundreds of people thinking, all at once, with no control over it whatsoever. It was *awful*.

DXM is pretty high tech, but there are two natural dissociatives, Salvinorin and Ibogaine. Salvinorin comes from Salvia divinorum. It comes with a 'plant teacher' - a persona that people often see while using the drug. She is Dama Maria Pastoral, Guardian of the Gateway Between Worlds and she's one mean bitch. Ibogaine has the ability to completely cure most addictions, by inducing a profound religion experience. There are also DMT Elves, but that's a different class of drug.

PCP is the epitomal dissociative. In the RW, it causes violent psychosis in a percentage of users. In a psi real world, I'd also have it cause a kind of psychic supernova, all kinds of wild powers to go along with the rage and insanity. It's also MUCH easier to make, maybe TL 6.

Yeah, reality is stranger than fiction. I'd tie DXM and ketamine to probability psi, and make it possible to actually summon stuff on Plateau Sigma. Note that DXM is severely incapacitating. There is no way to act normal on this drug, this coming from a person who can eat five tabs of acid and you'd never tell it.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Yes, this belief is present in the Haven religion in Blight Years, in fact, it's their explanation for the apocalypse.

Sounds like a Booster for Astral Projection, or do you reckon it has different game mechanics?

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

I tried salvia, once. First She was there, and she was terrifying. Then I was a different person in a different world with a completely separate identity. Then I was that person and me for a moment, then I was back. Never tried it again. So really, it's a kind of Jumper drug. But Astral Projection booster is much simpler.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

That's a good point, the names of naturally occurring drugs are also good for this. Thank you.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

If the campaign is at least partly historical Western, "Mormon Tea" is a plant that yields a strong stimulant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra ) related to modern meth and cold medicine. Like most stimulants it's used to sharpen the mind, reduce fatigue, and increase alertness, so it could be good for patent medicine-y or home remedy boosters, and the stronger concoctions could be the ones that cause damage or other bad side effects.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

It's post apocalytic future western, actually. But it is in California so is totally appropriate. Any of the existing drugs I could associate it with?

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

My copies of the drug effects are home while I am away at grad school. :(

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Blocker causes headaches and increases telepathic resistance.
Catalyst Drug awakens latent abilities (although I agree yajé is excellent here and being non-native can be explained by using pre-apocalyptic seed seed stocks).
Mind-Hype "focuses the user on his inner self, dissolving the boundaries between body and mind." Giving attribute and skill bonuses with Absent-Mindedness as a side effect.
Muffler shuts down all psionics.
Psi-Boosters give a 50% level bonus or a +50% enhancement to a specific ability.
Shatter causes intoxication in psis (and the effect worsens as powers are used) and has no effect on normals.
Trance lowers psi resistance
Window gives a bonus to Telepathy talent but lowers Mind Shield and inflicts Supersensitve.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

If you want a stimulant with a cool name, assume that khat has naturalized. As for the ephedra - it takes very, very low tech to turn that into methamphetamine.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Well I'm mainly worried about Psi-drugs now, I probably am not going to bother with renaming most generic TL5 pharmacology. 1887 is early TL6. Meth is therefore probably doable at double cost.

So here's what I've got:
Blocker- Chavez Sister's Thought-Shield
Brainstorm- Dr. Howard's Psychic Aide
Catalyst Drug- yajé
Mind-Hype- White Lotus
Muffler- Leo (from leonurine)
Astral Travel Booster- Salvia (S. divinorum)

Still need:
Other Psi Boosters
Shatter (note can be used as a chemical weapon to disrupt psis, so maybe something that still sounds good when you append "Gas" to it.
Trance
Window

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

These two sound most stimulant-y to me.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Shatter could be BZ, the drug the movie 'Jacob's Ladder' was based on. Street name: Buzz Kill. Of course, it's also a deliriant. Trance could easily be muscimol or thiomuscimol, call it "amanita". Interesting tidbit - muscimol doesn't really breakdown in the body, you can redose by drinking your urine. Or you could just call it 'P'.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

1961 is TL7 and it looks like pretty sophisticated chemistry.

If we use a real chemical for Shatter, it ought to be something totally non-reactive in normal humans.
That works well! Thanks!

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

If society. Has broken down into little groups, then probably the same drug from two different makers will have two different names. Also quality control may be somewhat lacking.

Just suggestions.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Sure, I just want some common names that are more suitable for the setting than the ones in Psi-Tech; not an exhaustive survey of fictional goods.

Re: Psi-Drugs in Blight Years
 

Does muscimol work for Trance? There's no hallucinatory effects. I think I need something else for this still.