Thank You for Smoking

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    • Thank You for Smoking

      So...I hate the smell of tobacco personally, I also don't drink alcohol compared to my younger sister who is a bit of connoisseur. My one real vice is sugar and junk food I can guzzle soda like its water and often prefer fast food cheeseburgers to 'normal' cheeseburgers

      So...One time in my life I got a bad case of bronchitis at one point my gag reflex got so sensitive I started hacking when a saw a smokey lighting up several feet away from me, I couldn't smell it but the thought triggered my gag reflex

      So...I was thinking, Dardunah obviously doesn't have the public campaign against smoking that modern society does (And it seems to be mostly Western Society at that Modern Asian Cultures still seem pretty into smoking)

      I'm imaging Si'Ni's Dad the owner of the Tea house she works at smokes regularly and Si'Ni hates it...Would it be more likely that Zoics with Tracking Scent might be turned off by the smell of smoking more so than those who don't have tracking scent

      Because I'm reminded of a story from Africa where Farmers grow chili peppers and blow chili smoke around the farm to keep elephants away from the crops
    • I totally understand what you are saying about the smell of Tobacco smoke. I can also say that I drank alcohol in the past but decided to stop indulging in its use many years ago. I also have a deep love for junk foods which contain sugar including cake of all kinds, cookies ( particularly chocolate chips ) Pies, candy, dried fruits, as well as a good burger and fries from time to time. :love:

      This is an excellent question! I would tend to answer it as follows:
      Smoking on the world of Dardunah is not quite as damaging as smoking on the world of Earth due primarily to the fact that many of the man made chemicals which are commonly found in modern cigarettes does not exist upon its surface. That being said, I would also add that, even tobacco smoke which originates purely from a natural untreated plant has the potential ability to lessen the effectiveness of several of the animal abilities the characters love and are thus able to purchase using the character creation points or the story points earned and given by the Game Master for their participation in the game's fictional story-line.

      Medical science indicates that second hand smoke can and does cause damage to those exposed to it. The damages can manifest in a number of different ways from cancer to decreased lung capacity. Obviously this will also indicate possible damage to the respiratory system and as a result to their sense of smell and as a further consequence, could impact the sense of taste and other specialized animal abilities as well.
      The senses that readily come to mind are as follows... Discriminatory Taste, Tracking Sense, Hold Breath, as well as the attribute of Vigor and all the skills related to it.

      Our own science has proven that smoking can impact the sense of taste as a result of damage to the sense of smell, and characters which possess any of the above Animal Abilities would be more sensitive to any situation which could result in damage to their natural senses. I could totally understand a character being given a low negative to a dice roll after being exposed to something which could affect its senses in any way. I would make these negatives temporary to begin with and allow it to be a reoccurring circumstance, before considering making it semi permanent to allow players to make choices which could alter the ideas they may have for their characters, who knows they may also find a way in game which allows them to avoid damage from the circumstances in question. That is how good role play happens! :thumbup:

      Natural senses are an intricate part of what makes each of these animals special and due to the importance they play in the survival potential of each animal type only the most foolish would risk loosing part or all of of one of them for any reason. That being said the same thing can be said of the humans living upon the planet earth. Although it is not rational many of us do things on an almost continuous basis which are not healthy or good for us, simply for the pleasure of doing it. This same lack of judgement would also be evident in the many societies of Dárdünah.

      My advice is to use all of the societal templates which are presented upon our own world on the world of Dardunah to paint a picture of realism and depth which can only be achieved by displaying the actions of one type versus the actions of another type. This approach would create many role-play moments and might also serve to govern which areas certain characters find pleasurable and those they choose to avoid. Much the same as I avoid smokey bars and overly noisy places.

      It would also be dependent upon the amount of tobacco a character is exposed to on a regular basis.
    • I would say that they are no more and no less inclined to enjoy some of the many relaxing herbs placed in pipes and used upon the face of Dardunah than any other Jenu. It is a thing which males of all species might enjoy as a way to socialize and unwind, while females might tend to partake a little less often.
      Stay tuned for updates about the up and coming World Guide which will have more information about the daily lives of all Janah as well as many other notable mentions...
      By the way are you enjoying the Magic and Martial Arts Guide?
    • The Zoics depicted smoking in the Animal Templates were shown doing so merely as a random gesture from our artist Jay French... It is funny that they are both amphibians of some kind, though... Heh! But Griffin is essentially correct, for the most part, smoking is merely a social habit picked up just as it might have been picked up by any race in most fantasy settings...

      When handling it in the game as a GM, I would indicate that players might only suffer from the effects of being around "too much" smoke... For example, passing another person smoking in the street for most average people who don't smoke might be annoying, but it's doubtful it would be enough to invoke a penalty...unless the character specifically had taken a Drawback of some kind of "smoke allergy"... However, an average character entering a particularly smoky tavern, teahouse, or gambling den, might have to deal with a penalty of -1 or -2 to any rolls pertaining to their sense of smell...simply because of entering an excessively-smoky environment... Likewise, players who decide that smoking is something their character does, might take a Drawback that represents minuses to the same Abilities and Skills that Griffin indicated, showing how much their senses may have been dulled over years of personally smoking...

      In any such cases, a good rule of thumb is, penalties for such behaviors or exposure should either be indicated by negatives to dice rolls only in extreme cases, or as the result of a Drawback that makes sense of why penalties are applied in average cases.

      Scottie ^^
    • I see Zoics smoking as storytelling opportunities. It is a social activity and mentioning it in a description of a social scene can add flavor. It is especially fun if player characters are invited to join an important NPC for a smoke but themselves don't smoke. Will saying no offend the NPC? Will smoking but doing it poorly (coughing, etiquette faux pas, etc) influence the NPC's decision to help the players?

      Smoking also can yield clues in the cases of NPCs with Tracking Scent or other related acuity of the senses. You find an NPC dead but he smells of a particular blend of smoking herbs that is quite rare. What is an Andhian blend doing so far south in Amnol? In the crowded city can the Wolf character track the scent to the right tea house?

      An NPC smells like a Rákbari smoke-herb blend despite saying he hasn't seen the emissaries from Rákbar since just passing them at the port two days ago. What does this mean?