Anaesthetics

Anaesthetics are drugs that knock the victim out. Anaesthetics are dangerous and unpredictable ... too much will kill the victim, too little has no effect. Anaesthetics always take some time to take effect - it takes a few seconds for drugs introduced directly into the bloodstream to circulate into the central nervous system.

The game stats of a dose of anaesthetic depends on the TL - later TL drugs are safer and more effective. The following table gives the effects per dose:

6: 1d Fatigue attack (Onset (10 seconds), Resistable (HT), Cyclic (10 second cycles, 10 cycles), Symptoms (1/2 FP, Drowsy), Symptoms (full FP, Unconsciousness)).
7: 1d Fatigue attack (Onset (10 seconds), Resistable (HT), Cyclic (10 second cycles, 7 cycles), Symptoms (1/3 FP, Drowsy), Symptoms (2/3 FP, Unconsciousness)).
8: 1d Fatigue attack (Onset (10 seconds), Resistable (HT-1), Cyclic (10 second cycles, 5 cycles), Symptoms (1/5 FP, Drowsy), Symptoms (1/2 FP, Unconsciousness)).
9: 1d Fatigue attack (Onset (5 seconds), Resistable (HT-2), Cyclic (5 second cycles, 5 cycles), Symptoms (1/5 FP, Drowsy), Symptoms (1/2 FP, Unconsciousness)).
10: 1d Fatigue attack (Onset (3 seconds), Resistable (HT-3), Cyclic (3 second cycles, 3 cycles), Symptoms (1/10 FP, Drowsy), Symptoms (1/3 FP, Unconsciousness)).
11: 1d Fatigue attack (Onset (3 seconds), Resistable (HT-5), Cyclic (3 second cycles, 2 cycles), Symptoms (1/10 FP, Drowsy), Symptoms (1/5 FP, Unconsciousness)).

A successful HT roll to resist does not prevent any future damage, it only stops the victim from taking fatigue on that cycle. Failure on the HT resistance check by 5 or more causes an additional 1d fatigue. Multiple doses taking effect on the same cycle do not cause any more fatigue, they only change the HT roll to resist.

Anaesthetics can either be delivered as a blood agent or as a respiratory agent. Future tech anaesthetics or the probably fictional "mickey fin" may be delivered as a digestive agent. In adventuring situations, they are often used in dart guns, or soaked into a rag held over the nose, or at higher TLs, discharged into the air as a cloud of sleep gas. As a digestive agent, seconds become minutes for both onset times and cyclic periods. If injected directly into a vein or artery, both onset time and cyclic period become 3 seconds at all TL.

The anaesthetics listed are "combat" drugs, with the idea the main interest is to rapidly incapacitate without killing. Medical anaesthetics can use the same stats, but can be more varied (such as an Affliction giving High Pain Threshold) and are usually carefully administered by a trained anaesthesiologist (with a successful Physician check, there is no danger of killing the patient through an overdose if the patient's vital signs are closely monitored).

Anaesthetics are LC 3 and cost $2 per dose.

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