Altered Stars: 10 Sci Fi drugs for space faring games

Originally Published January 22nd 2021

This started out as a thing I used for scum and villainy where I played a mystic that was obsessed with figuring out the way via the use of mind-altering substances. Expect more of these as more sci fi drugs get invented.

Airlock Glue

Ingestion Method: Huffing

Stereotypical User: The Desperate

Look: A bottle of mundane sealant that is often used to temporarily fix air lock leaks.

Effect: A few brief moments of pure euphoria, lasting typically a minute.

Over Use Effects: Brain damage and chemical dependence.

One of the cheapest and possibly one of the worst drugs out there, it’s the bare minimum of getting you high. Huffing the fumings of drying air lock glue is reserved for people who are so miserable on a spaceship that they have no standards left.

Elysia

Ingestion Method: Chewing

Stereotypical User: University Students

Look: A translucent blue cube roughly 2 cm across. Usually comes in round metal containers

Effect: A mild sedative that provides a warm calm for about 45 minutes. Wide eyes.

Over Use Effects: A staining of the teeth blue.

Extra: If swallowed instead of spit out intense nausea and paranoia will set in.

Used often by students in universities all over the galaxy it is primarily used to take the nerve off of things after important tests. Prices tend to go up around finals season. While it isn’t chemically addicting you find many frequent users.

Fung Paste

Ingestion Method: a small plate of paste is burned in a room where the users are.

Stereotypical User: Spiritual People

Look: A thick yellow paste with the consistency of potter's clay. Comes in dark glass jars.

Effect: Intense euphoria along with mild hallucinations, visions of the space between the stars is common. 1 gram will burn for 20 minutes, the effect will last for three minutes after the burning stops.

Over Use Effects: Very rarely will lead to loss of smell

While incredibly potent and pleasantly hallucinatory this drug often isn’t used recreationally due to how much of a pain it is to use. There are many better drugs out there if you want to trip in the stars. It is instead used primarily by spiritual people as they believe it to be a way to communicate with higher powers.

Lank

Ingestion Method: Dermal Patch

Stereotypical User: Asteroid belt residents

Look: A small see-through patch usually located on the stomach or arms

Effect: An intense full-body relaxation lasting roughly 8 hours and taking 20 minutes to kick in

Over Use Effects: Tooth decay and constipation

One of the most powerful relaxants on the market lank will take someone out of commission for 8 whole hours. While under the influence of lank someone is hardly capable of anything other than lying down on something soft and daydreaming.

Oil

Ingestion Method: Eye drops

Stereotypical User: Rich Party Goers

Look: A black oily substance found within individually wrapped pipettes.

Effect: A long-lasting feeling of euphoria combined with muscle-relaxing properties. Every sensation is magnified greatly while on oil.

Over Use Effects: Scleral discoloration and eventual blindness.

Used by the upper echelons of party-goers Oil is one of the most expensive drugs in the galaxy, not due to the production cost but because the dealers know they can fleece rich people.

Pitch

Ingestion Method: Smoking

Stereotypical User: NA

Look: Small cigarettes wrapped in black paper that burns with a teal tint.

Effect: Awakens and enhances psychic powers.

Over Use Effects: Unknown

One of the rarest drugs in the galaxy, pitch is highly sought out by people interested in exploring the psionic boundaries of the mind. Being relatively new, its long term impact on the mind is unknown.

Scratch

Ingestion Method: Drinking

Stereotypical User: Military Members

Look: A deep red liquid with the consistency of maple syrup.

Effect: Vivid Hallucinations

Over Use Effects: Tooth rot

This thick liquid can be found in abundance anywhere where military presence is out in great numbers. It’s often used to take the mind off of things one doesn’t want to think about. While most of the trips are good when a bad trip happens it is nightmarish enough to take someone out of commission for a while.

Spacer Chew

Ingestion Method: Chewing

Stereotypical User: Cargo ship crew

Look: Dried out grey leaves, usually in a small pouch.

Effect: Long lasting alertness. Red eyes.

Over Use Effects: Chemical dependency

Spacer Chew is a drug more powerful than caffeine that is used by cargo ship crew to stay awake to meet the demands of higher-ups at the shipping company. Some people have claimed to stay up for a week on chew. Spit buckets for the chew are found all over cargo ships but are usually put away before official inspections.

Stardust

Ingestion Method: Snorting

Stereotypical User: Business executives

Look: A rich purple dust

Effect: Intense euphoria lasting roughly an hour.

Over Use Effects: Nose rot, brain damage, and chemical dependence.

As a purely synthetic drug, stardust became an incredibly popular replacement for cocaine among business executives because the small footprint required to produce it makes it incredibly easy to fit into a private space station.

Zap

Ingestion Method: Any way you can imagine

Stereotypical User: Anti-authoritarian activists

Look: Yellow crystals that can be turned into a powder, or liquified.

Effect: A strong sedative that provides a very intense relaxation for around 2 hours. Narrowed irises.

Over Use Effects: Constipation

Zap is widely considered to be one of the most versatile drugs due to its ability to be used in nearly any way one would like.