Sage Advice: Drinks and D&D

The topic today is adult beverages, both in the game and at the table.

Greg points out that Jeremy worked until 2 AM last night, handling some super-secret project.

Jeremy mentions that most campaigns start in a tavern. In medieval times, taverns were like restaurants and since water was not safe to drink, fermented beverages were safer to drink.

A pub is a public house, where people could congregate and adventurers can get quests.

Greg mentions that, recently, he was DMing and drinking wine, and it actually improved his roleplaying because the group was in a tavern.

Poisoned Condition: Jeremy says that there are no specific rules on inebriation in D&D, but there are ways to represent it. The poisoned condition is a great way to model that. This is why they gave dwarves resistance to poison - because they drink so much and can drink ale like water.

Drinking Games: In a recent holiday-themed session that Jeremy ran, he had a brand new player join his group. The player's story was tied to taverns - they drank too much, trying to escape their dark past. Jeremy had a drinking game take place in the tavern. They made a CON save each round. The people who could last the longest would go to the final round, quite like the contest in Raiders of the Lost Ark. How much can you drink before you pass out or your "stomach objects."

Effects on Skill Checks: Jeremy talks a bit about a study where a person who has had exactly one drink is seen by others as more attractive. Being "buzzed" is a good social lubricant. Being wasted, not so much. In Jeremy's game, being buzzed might give a character advantage on charisma checks. Being wasted might give disadvantage.

Exhaustion: Exhaustion is another way to deal with hangovers. You might wake up with one level of exhaustion.

Sensitive Subjects: Jeremy is always conscious of alcoholism, which is a sensitive subject for some people. Jeremy tries to always describe drinking as social and light. If someone has drank too much, their behavior is jolly. Jeremy doesn't have mean drunks in a game - maybe if it's a villain, but even then he tries not to bring something up that might tap into family history.

Jeremy points out that there are a lot of things in life that get us down. He tries not to have those things in his game unless the group is going to face it or overcome it. Jeremy tries to avoid things that make people uncomfortable. He tries to tap into the delightful aspects of drinking in different cultures. Drinking isn't about getting drunk, it's about the flavor, how it pairs with your food, and the family coming together.

It's about elves wanting you to sample their ambrosia that has been sitting in a bottle for 1,000 years. Ale dwarves bring up from the depths. A mushroom concoction that gnomes want you to sample.

Jeremy says when drinking at the table, pair it with food. Greg suggests Cheetos. Jeremy says his group often goes out to dinner after the game, because he believes booze goes with food.

That's it! Good show.

Thoughts

I've had a few problems with players drinking at the table, but for the most part drinking doesn't seem to affect the game in a negative way.

I did know of one group who drank so much when they played, that they had a standing rule that anything that occurs after they've been playing/drinking doesn't actually count in continuity.

Alcohol in-game is a fascinating topic. Almost every D&D product has a special drink, sometimes magical, sometimes not. I try to catalogue them in my Great List of Food and Drinks.

I'm pretty sure that at some point in D&D Next (the playtest version of what became 5th edition) had intoxicated as an actual status effect. It seems like the 5e "poisoned" condition handles it well enough.

They changed the format of this show from 'flipping through the rulebook' to covering a specific topic. Either way is fine with me, as I can always use a brushing up on the rules.