Chems & Addiction
◈ Chems & Addiction ◈ Wasteland Pharmacology ◈
The Wasteland offers a range of chemical substances - some that save lives, others that ruin them. Understanding what each chem does, how it affects the body, and what happens when you stop taking it is the difference between using a tool and becoming a slave to one.
Stimpaks
The backbone of Wasteland medicine. Stimpaks are injectable serums that rapidly accelerate the body's healing. Multiple variants exist with different potency and risk.
| Item | Effect | Overdose | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stimpak | Heals Brute, Burn, and Airloss at -2.5 per tick. Stops bleeding (-2). Grants recovery drug status (can stand from crit). | 30u: bonus healing but +0.3 poison/tick. 50u: +1.5 poison/tick (pushes to crit, cannot kill). | Primary healing item. Crafted from Broc Flower + Xander Root + Empty Syringe + Bloodpack. |
| Dirty Stimpak | Heals Brute, Burn, and Airloss at -1.5 per tick. Applies +0.1 radiation per tick. Stops bleeding (-1). | 30u: weaker bonus healing but +0.2 poison/tick. 50u: +1.0 poison/tick. | Contaminated variant. Weaker than a clean stimpak but still effective. Found in loot or purchased cheaply. |
| Super Stimpak | Heals Brute, Burn, and Airloss at -6.125 per tick. Stops bleeding (-3). Grants recovery drug status. | 30u: bonus healing but +4.5 poison and +0.75 cellular damage per tick. Also halves movement speed. | Extremely powerful. Taking two at once is near-guaranteed crit. Cellular damage is permanent. Found in elite medical kits or high-value loot. |
Other Medical Items
Non-stimpak healing items and medical supplies.
| Item | Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Healing Powder | Heals Brute and Burn at -1.5 per tick. Causes vision blur (haze overlay). Stops bleeding (-0.5). | Slow metabolism (0.1 rate). Tribal remedy crafted from Broc Flower + Xander Root. Vomiting at 30u. Standard issue for Legion and tribal roles. |
| Healing Poultice | Heals Brute and Burn at -3.0 per tick. Stops bleeding (-1.0). Causes jitter. | Faster metabolism (0.2 rate). Stronger than healing powder. Crafted from Broc Flower + Xander Root + Cave Fungus + Agave Leaf. Vomiting at 25u. |
| RadAway | Removes accumulated radiation damage. | Critical for survival in irradiated areas. Non-addictive. |
| Antidote | Neutralizes poison damage and effects. | Counter to poisoning. |
Combat Chems
Combat chems provide powerful temporary bonuses but carry addiction risk. Continued use builds dependency. Stopping use triggers withdrawal.
| Chem | Effect | Overdose | Withdrawal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jet | +10% walk and sprint speed. Removes stun/knockdown effects. | 30+ units: asphyxiation | Speed penalty (0.80×), stamina drain 5.0 |
| Turbo | +20% walk and sprint speed. Drunk effect. Removes stun. | 15+ units: asphyxiation | Speed penalty (0.70×), stamina drain 7.0 |
| Psycho | +2 melee strength. Drunk effect. | 30+ units: asphyxiation | Brute damage 0.2/tick, stamina drain 6.0 |
| Buffout | +2 strength. Minor brute healing (-0.3). | 30+ units: asphyxiation | Brute damage 0.2/tick, stamina drain 8.0 |
| Mentats | Intelligence and perception boost. | - | Stamina drain (moderate) |
| Cateye | Night vision (5 seconds per dose). | - | Stamina drain 2.0 |
| Daytripper | Visual hallucinations, rainbow vision. | - | Speed penalty (0.90×), stamina drain 4.0 |
| Buffjet | Combined Buffout + Jet effects. | Combined | Combined withdrawal effects |
| Bufftats | Combined Mentats + Buffout effects. | Combined | Combined withdrawal effects |
Overdose rule: Overdose can push you to critical but never kill you directly. Damage scales with excess chemical concentration (0.05 per excess unit).
Addiction System
Using combat chems builds chemical dependency over time. When a chem wears off, withdrawal begins.
Withdrawal Tiers
Withdrawal severity depends on how long ago the chem wore off:
| Tier | Time Remaining | Symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| Severe | > 120 seconds | Maximum speed penalty, stamina drain, health damage, mood effects |
| Moderate | 60 – 120 seconds | Reduced penalties, still noticeable performance impact |
| Mild | 15 – 60 seconds | Minor penalties, the worst has passed |
| Fading | < 15 seconds | Nearly clean. Hold on. |
Withdrawal effects tick every 15 seconds and include:
- Speed penalties - movement speed reduced (per-drug, 0.70× to 0.90×)
- Stamina drain - stamina depletes faster (2.0 to 8.0 per tick)
- Health damage - some drugs cause direct brute or burn damage during withdrawal
- Mood effects - negative mood modifiers until clean
Chem Recipes
| Chem | Recipe | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jet | Ammonia 1 + Abraxo 1 (heated to 374°C) | Requires heat source |
| Psycho | Bloatfly Acid 1 + Broc Extract 2 + Blood 1 + Antiseptic 2 | Complex recipe, rare ingredients |
| Turbo | Cazador Acid 1 + Broc Extract 1 + Jet 1 + Turpentine 1 | Requires Jet as base ingredient |
| Mentats | Abraxo 1 + Lead 1 | Simple recipe |
| Buffjet | Jet 1 + Buffout 1 | Combination drug |
| Bufftats | Mentats 1 + Buffout 1 | Combination drug |
| Hydra | Scorpion Tail 1 + Fungus Extract 1 + Nightstalker Blood 1 | Healing/stat hybrid |
| RadAway | Fungus Extract (Rad) 1 + Antiseptic 2 + Water 2 | Medical, non-addictive |
| Stimpak | Broc Extract 1 + Xander Extract 1 + Blood 1 | Medical, non-addictive |
| ◈ Crafting & Production ◈ | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crafting Hub | Bartending | Botany | Cooking | Blueprints | Materials | Medicine |