Magical Addiction

Zeth

New Member
Is it possible to become addicted to enchanted items or spells? For example if a spell made a character smarter or a ring made a character stronger could they become addicted to using it? If so what would be the negative side affects?
 
I think it depends on the situation and the character, but it's very possible for an addiction to a magical item or spell. The possible side effects can vary. The movie Covenant is a good example of magical addiction. After the witch ascended at the age of 18, the use of the magic was very addictive, making them want to use their power more, but the drawback was that the more they used, the more life it took away till they would die. The magic itself was tied into their life energy. Even if their life grew shorter, and they aged accordingly, the power itself remained just as strong.

One character's dad was in his early 40's, but looked as though he were around his late 90's cause he used his power that extensively.

So yes I'll say again, it is possible for an addiction to occur, and the side effects will vary.
 
I think it depends upon the side effects of magic use. If the long term use of magic actually changes you in some way, then I think it would. I read a book last year in which magic comes from a substance called Aether, and the more you use it, the more your body becomes mutated until you become what they called a changeling. That was definately a problem from relying on magic too much.

If there arn't any side effects, then you'd only become addicted to it in the way you might become addicted to using the TV remote control.
 
I like this question. As for magical addiction to spells that one I have a harder time saying one way or another, but as for enchanted objects I feel the case can and has been made before. For instance In J.R.R. Tolkiens the Lord of the Rings, and other collected works he showed how the magic of an enchanted item slowly stripped away a characters personality and common sense. The One ring initialy was a boon for Bilbo Bagins where as he was quiet and stealthy the ring allowed him to be invisible a trick he eventualy came to depend on when it was mearly for convience. Where as similarly in the Chronicals of Narnia humans became enchanted by the magical world itself, and were over come with a need to return to that world or feel a connection to it.

As for becomming addicted to say a fire ball spell, I would say it could happen, yet it would be rather strange. Unless using magic caused a pleasureable experience. Like a massive release of endorphins.
 
Is it possible to become addicted to enchanted items or spells? For example if a spell made a character smarter or a ring made a character stronger could they become addicted to using it? If so what would be the negative side affects?

Awesome question.

There are no hard and fast rules for this in any game I'm familiar with, so its really up to the player and their DM(if its that kind of game) to decide how they
want to proceed.

The side effect should really depend heavily on the item itself and how its being used. In the example of a ring of strength, there are two possible effects. The first is that the owner wears the ring all the time, but never does any strenuous activity. This causes his body to rely on the magic of the ring for physical tasks, and the natural muscle slowly decays away. Its the same principle as if you spent a year on the moon. Because your body doesn't have to fight so hard against gravity, your muscles would become weak, and when you came back down to earth, you would have a very hard time standing up.

In this scenario, it would only progress so far. We assume that the person performed the same daily tasks day after day before obtaining the ring as he did after. In that case, body would let its own muscle decay to the point where the person would have to use the ring in order to have the same amount of strength now that he had before he got the ring.

However, if he increased the amount of daily tasks or excersice he does in an amount proportionate to the amount of increase in strength provided by the ring, he would see no side effects.

These are a very natural array of effects. The same thing would happen if you suddenly found yourself on the moon.

There could also be side effects that come from the constant influx of magic to the body. Perhaps the person develops an immunity to the type of magic, the same way his immune system will develop an immunity to chicken pox after having it. Perhaps the ring stops working on him after awhile. Or perhaps all magic stops working on him after awhile.

Or there could be the other method of the body adapting to the constant influx of magic. It could learn to use that same magic in new and interesting ways. Perhaps you learn how to cast a Strength enhancing spell on yourself, even when not wearing the ring. Perhaps you learn how to cast the spell on others while you are wearing the ring.
 
I love magic questions, Considering that I've used a few roleplays involving magic and magical enchanted items.

I've also read several set's of books that talk about magical items.

For example, in the Illearth war, Ur-Lord Thomas Covenant is called back in order to aid the lands. Well his "beloved" is the ruler of good and holds the staff of law. Well, despite the fact she get's to this point near the end where she can call up any power in order to help her. She chooses(foolishly I might add despite the warnings of the ghost in question) to call forth Keven the landwaster. Who happens to have his soul held by lord foul.
Anyway, Kevin is forced to battle her, and they fall into a chasm, never to be seen again.

Another example, in J.R.R tolkien's lord of the rings. Frodo baggins starts to suffer terrible strain, the longer he holds the ring. The sorceress of the forest, quite nearly herself becomes enchanted by the powerful one ring. And even Gandalf himself warn's frodo that though he would use the ring for good, the ring through him, would turn his good to evil.

And then think about Golem, the poor "Former" hobbit that was changed so far, that his own hobbit-humanity was destroyed.

And then in margret wies and Tracy Hickman's tales of Raistlin majere, He eventually is drawn to the overwhelming "need" for power.
He gets it in the end, but at a very heavy cost.
 
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I should amend my response. Yes, anything, everything, or nothing could happen. But what does happen should have some sort of logical reason for happening. You should be able to explain why it happened OOC, even if your character has no idea why it happened.
 
{agrees with SJ on his points, including those in his last post. Pulls the ice-pick from his eye and jabs it into the bartender's temple}

I myself would agree that having side-effects and addictions is pheasable and workable within rp, it makes the character seem more easier to work with from other rp'ers. I've seen a lot of characters roaming the rooms in previous days before the Yahoo shut down of user rooms, many of them carrying and using magical items with no ill effect upon them. These are also the same breed of people that claim that with those items, nothing can hurt them.

It makes it more realistic when someone portrays an item having an ill-effect upon them, or does an example of what has already been posted.

Now I'll stop my rambling before the bartender decides to get another ice-pick. {vanishes before any ill actions happen upon him}
 
I'm not a magic guy by any means, but I recently read a Shadowrun book that addresses this question. The story focused around a powerful magic user who had been stripped of his ability to channel and use mana by another magic user. He basically experienced the symptoms of psychological addiction, and turned to drugs to simulate the same feeling of vitality and power he had through magic. So you could also say that using magic, evven if it isn't physically addicting, could be mentally so. Your character could grow used to having it, using it, feeling the power it gives him.

The Shadowrun book was called "Drops of Corruption" if you want to check it out.
 
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