Caffeine Plus (••• Life, •• Time, • Dimensional

Science, • Mind)

If the thought of bolting down Mountain Dew, Surge,

Jolt or even Erg Cola seems a little weak, then allow us to

market our latest product. Take a hit of Caffeine Plus. You'll

be so wired, you'll see into other dimensions. Any more

caffeine, and you'd start vibrating off sound waves. Caffeine

Plus is destructive to the human body, addictive to the mind,

poisonous to the soul and sheer heaven with a pack of smokes.

Through Synthetic Ritual, a chemist lovingly reconstructs

a series of caffeine molecules with as much devotion as

a Kabbalistic scholar deconstructing geamatria. By processing

ordinary everyday cola through a series of arcane chemical

reactions, he can create a substance that far exceeds PDA

regulations. The result? Bootleg batches of this stuff are as

unstable as the people who use it.

[The Storyteller should pick and choose resultant benefits

and drawbacks from the following list. For each benefit

the resulting mixture grants, one side-effect should be incurred.

Personal experiences of the Storyteller and players

can be used to determine which of these are coincidental.

Benefits (choose one):

• Sleep is no longer necessary. For as long as the Effect

lasts (check the duration table), the user needn't worry about

fatigue. In fact, he can stay alert for days, if necessary.

• Concentration increases. Any Empower Mind Effect

is at a -2 difficulty.

• The user is wired enough to see things that aren't

there... including entities in the Penumbra and Shadowlands.

• Tasks can be performed 50% faster, although complex

tasks are at a +2 difficulty.

Drawbacks (choose one):

• The user is edgy and easily disturbed. All Willpower

rolls are at a +2 difficulty; any rolls to avoid emotional

outbursts are at a +3 difficulty.

• The user begins wearing out his body's supply of Primal

Energy, burning off one point every hour. When the Primal

Energy is gone, start marking off health levels until someone

intervenes with medical help.

• If the user is enhanced in any way for at least an hour

by a Benefit, he will be unconscious for twice as long afterwards.]