Monday, July 11, 2011

In A Handful of Dust

In the markets of Interzone or certain exclusive shops in the City, one might find gray dust. It’s an extraplanar substance, acquired in the Realm of Despair, the outer plane called the Wasteland or the Gray Gloom. The beings called the Faceless Mourners are rumored to trade it to the other worlds in exchange for tears of abandoned children or the captured last breath of suicides.

The gray dust has psychoactive properties, introducing the influence of its plane of origin into the mind of one who ingests or inhales it.

A failed saving throw results in one of the following effects (roll d6):

1 Fear - as per spell.
2 Anhedonia - the victim has a distinct lack of interest. They will take no action other that they aren’t forced, and are at a -1 to rolls when they do. Others react to them at a -2.
3 Despair - an intense low mood. Victim acts as if dazed, and has a -2 to initiative..
4 Anergia - Victim is exhausted.
5 Pain - pervasive aches and pains, effects as per Inflict Pain power.
6 Anxiety - effects like the shaken condition.

All effects last for 24 hours.

10 comments:

Porky said...

Hot stuff, and chilling. I like how it's not outright lethal, but sets up more complex interactions.

The Faceless Mourners and their goods are a great weird concept too.

Jim Shelley said...

>>The gray dust has psychoactive properties, introducing the influence of its plane of origin into the mind of one who ingests or inhales it.<<

Might some of the psychoactive properties be the power to cloud men's minds or other similar effects?

The Angry Lurker said...

Stay away from the grey.

Trey said...

@Porky - Thanks. We may hear more about them at some point.

@Jim - I certainly call some of the listed effects mind clouding. :)

@Angry Lurker - Truer words were never spoken.

Chris C. said...

I like the idea not just of the gray dust itself, but also the trading of substances; the imagination reels at what the tears of abandoned children and the captured last breaths of suicides might be used for.

Trey said...

Maybe it's best we don't know. ;)

Anonymous said...

I really wish I had a quarter of the imagination that you have. I really love the William S. Burroughs vibe going on with this.

Trey said...

Thanks, Bat--though I have to say that from looking at your blog you've got imagination to burn. I do like to slip a little Burroughs in (either Edgar Rice or William S. ;) ) when I can.

Needles said...

I'm getting the vibe that this dust might be addictive? Naww did I just see a little grey man over my shoulder? Perhaps only the hell syndicate might have a cure? For a small fee of course!

Needles said...

I forgot to put I love this! Very nice stuff trey!