Ryshyl...

Ryshyl is an Anglicization of an Atlantean word, referring to a psi
drug the Atlanteans derived from several natural sources. Sometimes
referred to as 'ryshyl herb', the drug is in fact a synthesis of
several herbs and fungi, which grew in Atlantis and elsewhere. Most
of the ingredients of ryshyl are in fact relatively common in the
north temperate zone of Earth, though they don't always grow
conveniently close together, and some of them are highly seasonal (and
not all the same season for harvest).

Someone with the appropriate foraging skills can locate those
ingredients that grow in a given season fairly readily in the north
temperate zone, usually enough can be gathered to brew one dose after
about 1D6 hours of searching, though this can vary considerably
depending on local conditions. Since not all the necessary
ingredients are available for harvest at the same time, the
ingredients must either be safely stored until ready for use or else
the drug can only be brewed at certain times of the year.

The fungal ingredients of ryshyl are actually easier to deal with,
because the three different sorts of mushroom that go into the drug
can be dried out and powdered and will retain their potency for a year
or more if stored in a cool dry and very dark place. Several
different herbs also go into the mixture, however, and these don't
store well, so absent either proper technological and/or psionic
storage means, ryshyl is usually brewed in late summer or early
autumn, when the necessary herbs are available and fresh. [1]

The actual brewing process is time-consuming and requires a good deal
of skill and knowledge, outside a laboratory it takes a full day of
labor once the ingredients are assembled, and because the fungal
ingredients are susceptible to bright light (inducing chemical changes
that will ruin the end product), it has to be done in dim light
(candle-light intensities for practical purposes). The mixture must
be mixed in the proper order and proportions, at the right temperature
with the right amount of moisture, slight errors can ruin the mix with
dangerous consequences.

The finished drug is a thin red-gold liquid, almost tasteless, a dose
is an ounce or so ingested. If the drug is properly prepared, it will
take effect in 1D6 + HT minutes, and the effects will last 3D6
_hours_.

A danger exists, because one of the mushrooms used in the drug is
deadly in its natural state, the preparation process and the other
ingredients neutralize the poison, if everything is done right. If
not, the subject will experience an agonizing reaction that will last
1D6 hours (minimum two hours), and every hour requires a roll vs. HT
at -6, failure resulting in death. If the subject survives s/he will
be weak and disoriented (-3 to all rolls) for several days. [2]

If the drug is properly prepared, it has some very useful effects.
All psionic abilties increase by two levels of Power for the duration
of the drug, with no skill penalties. Psychic endurance also
increases, in effect the user gains 1D6 'free' Fatigue points usable
for psionic activity only.

Ryshyl also confers a couple of secondary benefits, it stimulates the
nervous system in such as way that the user either gains the Alertness
advantage, or gains an extra level of it if s/he already had it, and
the drug suppresses the need to sleep for the duration of its effects,
with no immediate negative effects.

The drug, if properly prepared, is actually fairly safe, and confers
useful benefits. The reason it is not more widely used is threefold:
first the chance of a badly prepared dose and the high consequent risk
of death, second it tends to make the user jittery and shaky (-1 to
DX) while the drug is working, and the user experiences hot and cold
flashes and other physical discomforts that can be distracting, and of
course the problem of addiction.

Ryshyl generates a tremendous 'high' that lasts throughout the
duration of the drug's effect, and which intensifies when psi power is
actually used. It is not physically addictive but it is _very_
psychologically addictive, often producing dependency on the first
dose. All attempts to 'get clean' from ryshyl are at -4, and use of
psionic Power increases the cravings even when the drug is not in the
user's system.

A ryshyl addict in the throes of withdrawal must roll vs Will at -6
every time s/he has a chance to use the drug, any failure resulting in
a berserk determination to have the drug at any cost.

Perhaps fortunately, the 'recipe' for ryshyl is held by very few
people after the Downfall of Atlantis. [3]


[1] In a high-tech setting, the ingredients can be preserved for long
periods (weeks to months) by refrigeration, the Atlanteans used
cryokinesis for the same end.

[2] Ryshyl users tend to be _very_ picky about who they trust as
suppliers.

[3] The key word being 'few', not 'none'.

Addendum:

Ryshyl has a few other properties and drawbacks.

First of all, it interacts with epilepsy in dangerous ways, _any_
epileptic who ingests a dose of ryshyl risks an immediate seizure
(roll vs HT, seizure on any result but critical success), and if this
occurs any psionic powers the epileptic might possess immediately
manifest and go out of control for the duration of the seizure, this
can be extremely dangerous if the subject has high levels of Power.

Ryshyl combines badly with many other drugs, including alcohol, the
interactions are unpredictable.