Yeah, technically, Yuan-Ti Purebloods and Grung cannot get drunk.
So technically a Drunken Master can’t get drunk once they hit 10th-level. 🤣
I'm playing a 9th level Drunken Master Monk right now. I've had a few conversations regarding that with my DM lately since I suspect we'll reach 10th level here in the next few sessions. Technically, Drunken Masters don't need to be drunk to utilize any of the features granted to them, however that is part of the fun for some people so my DM and I settled on saying that a Monk could willingly get drunk or "poisoned" for that matter if they choose to.
RAW though I agree at 10th level Monks (the only class with an explicit drinking based archetype) can no longer get drunk, which is pretty funny to me.
I'm only a rules lawyer in the good sense. I know the rules, and like to make sure that other people do as well. It just makes my life easier if people know the rules.
Most rules lawyers only lawyer over the rules when the result benefits them. They're not fighting for it when the result they want would be a bad consequence to them. I'm not one of those. The rules exist for a reason, so they should be known and followed.
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Yeah, I understand that as well. There are rules that I'm sure Wizards of the Coast aren't aware work how they currently do. RAI and ROC are awesome, as long as they are clearly not trying to avoid following the flow of 5e. Rule of Cool is great, Rules as intended are great, but people tend to try to twist them to their benefit. You wouldn't believe some of the examples I've seen people try to argue for RAI before. The intention of the rules is easily twisted, so I just try to make sure people understand what the rules are supposed to do.
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I think only alcohol poisoning would really be a poison effect-when the alcohol causes you liver to shutdown and potentially kills you. Drunkenness itself is more akin to suffocation-as the alcohol fills your bloodstream and prevents oxygen from reaching your brain-if I'm not mistaken. So technically poison immunity/resistance doesn't prevent you from getting drunk, it would just protect you from killing yourself with it. It also won't stop a hangover either since that's mostly the symptoms of dehydration caused by the alcohol.
What they’re sposta do is be clear. They’re sposta be easy to read, with consistent language to make it so that RAW and RAI are as close as humanly possible to each other. Sposta is a very dangerous concept. That’s why I picked it for my gamer tag.
If drunkeness is just applying poison, then not only can a level 10 Drunken Master Monk no longer get drunk, but no Paladin can get drunk either.
Drunken style martial arts was not actually based on a martial artist fighting drunk. It was actually a sober martial artist using drunk-like movement in their fighting. So, a Drunk Master being unable to get drunk makes no difference. Even the subclass description says the Monk is only using the movements of a drunkard - it never says they must drink or be drunk.
And officially yes, poison resistance and immunity affects alcohol, which is why Dwarves are so famous for their drinking in D&D - they can drink more than most thanks to their resistance to poison damage and advantage to saving throws against poison condition.
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Personally I think the poisoned condition is all you need mechanically, and leave the rest as roleplay. If you're concerned about battles - the poison condition is fine, as even in real life actual fights can sober a person up (adrenaline boosts the body's ability to process the alcohol).
Unless the party are getting absolutely hammered to a legless level of drunk on a nightly basis, I think inventing systems for levels of mechanical penalty is overkill and unnecessary.
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I subtract 2 AC, subtract 3 melee damage (Unless they can pass a DC 13 save [in which case they get what I call "Drunken Fury" where all melee attacks deal 2 extra damage for 2 turns] ), and subtract 5 from any action involving dexterity or intelligence. However, I use these effects on low-level drunk enemies and don't know how well they would work on PCs.
You're not wrong, but I think what people are trying to get at is the degree of intoxication and impairment can vary depending on how much is consumed, instead of an all-or-nothing approach.
You have an intoxication threshold that is equal to your Constitution score +1. Once a player reaches this threshold they are granted "Liquid Courage".
Drinks have 6 levels of strength:
Watered = It's watered down, requires 2 to gain 1 level of intoxication.
Weak = 1 level of intoxication.
Moderate = 2 levels of intoxication.
Strong = 3 levels of intoxication.
Very strong = 4 levels of intoxication.
Deadly = 5 levels of intoxication and a Constitution save DC 10 vs automatically falling unconscious for 1d6 x 10 minutes.
Furthermore, you must make a Constitution saving throw save after each drink consumed past their threshold. The DC is equal 8 + the strength of the drink + your level of exhaustion. If you fail, you gain one level of exhaustion. If you fail the save by 5 or more, you fall unconscious for 1d4 hours.
Your levels of intoxication are decreased by 2 at the end of a short rest and reset at the end of a long rest. If you have 1 level of exhaustion gained from intoxication and no levels of intoxication, you have a hangover.
While you’re hungover, you are vulnerable to thunder damage and have disadvantage against being blinded. You lose 4 levels of intoxication from a use of lesser restoration.
You lose your hangover at the end of a long rest or from a use of greater restoration (must be used after exhaustion is cured).
A quick and easy way to deal with characters getting drunk:
A character can imbibe a number of units of alcohol equal to Constitution modifier (or 1, if lower) x 4, without getting drunk. After that, they will be treated as Poisoned until they finish a long rest. 1 unit = half a pint of beer or 1 small glass of wine, or one shot of liquor.
So a Con 6 character gets drunk on a sniff of alcohol, Con 10 on his third pint of beer, a tough Con 16 fighter can handle 6 pints or 12 shots of whisky and the next one puts him over, and the mighty Con 20 barbarian can really handle her liquor, knocking back 10 pints of beer or a whole bottle of vodka before really feeling it.
A quick and easy way to deal with characters getting drunk:
A character can imbibe a number of units of alcohol equal to Constitution modifier (or 1, if lower) x 4, without getting drunk. After that, they will be treated as Poisoned until they finish a long rest. 1 unit = half a pint of beer or 1 small glass of wine, or one shot of liquor.
So a Con 6 character gets drunk on a sniff of alcohol, Con 10 on his third pint of beer, a tough Con 16 fighter can handle 6 pints or 12 shots of whisky and the next one puts him over, and the mighty Con 20 barbarian can really handle her liquor, knocking back 10 pints of beer or a whole bottle of vodka before really feeling it.
The shots and beer should be other way round. It often takes 5 to 6 pints for even an average drinker to get drunk or only a few shots of liquor. A person who could handle 10 pints of beer, would still be drunk by half as many shots. Liquors are specifically designed to get you drunk quickly. Beers are designed to get you drunk slowly.
10 pints of beer isn't even that impressive.
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For every mug of ale drank, make a Constitution saving throw, DC 10. On a failed role advance one level of inebriation chart. Effects of inebriation are cumulative. A roll of 1, counts toward two levels of Inebriation. Treat alcohol as a poison related to resistance.
Level of Effect
Disadvantage on Persuasion and Deception; Advantage against Frightened
Disadvantage on Ability Checks; Roll Hit Dice and gain temporary hit points
Disadvantage on Saving Throws; Make a Dex ability check or fall prone if standing each round; Cannot dash or move more than 10′ in the same direction.
Disadvantage on Attack Rolls; Damage Resistance
Become Unconscious; Disadvantage on all rolls during the following day (Hangover)
Spell Casting:To cast a spell, Make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or the spell fails. At level 3 inebriation or high roll with disadvantage. The spell is not wasted.
Recovery:A short rest removes one level of inebriation; a long rest removes all effects of inebriation.
I like the idea of using a character’s Con score to determine their tolerance, because I (despite being overweight) have pretty much zero tolerance (One lemon drop, on a full stomach, will make me dizzy and sick!). I think I’ll probably combine it with Sposta’s idea, and with poison mechanics, if the issue ever comes up, because I like the idea of using numerous factors to influence the saves, mimicking real life. My real-life Con score would probably be a four. 🙄
Of course, using multiple factors may or may not be too complicated, but I’m definitely going to try!
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I live with several severe autoimmune conditions. If I don’t get back to you right away, it’s probably because I’m not feeling well.
I'm playing a 9th level Drunken Master Monk right now. I've had a few conversations regarding that with my DM lately since I suspect we'll reach 10th level here in the next few sessions. Technically, Drunken Masters don't need to be drunk to utilize any of the features granted to them, however that is part of the fun for some people so my DM and I settled on saying that a Monk could willingly get drunk or "poisoned" for that matter if they choose to.
RAW though I agree at 10th level Monks (the only class with an explicit drinking based archetype) can no longer get drunk, which is pretty funny to me.
Check out my latest homebrew: Mystic Knight (Fighter) v1.31
Kind of ironic, isn't it.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
You guys are awesome.
Wish you guys were there when the rules lawyers were bumming me out in my grung topic...freaking rules lawyers, man!
I'm only a rules lawyer in the good sense. I know the rules, and like to make sure that other people do as well. It just makes my life easier if people know the rules.
Most rules lawyers only lawyer over the rules when the result benefits them. They're not fighting for it when the result they want would be a bad consequence to them. I'm not one of those. The rules exist for a reason, so they should be known and followed.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Rules awareness is great, but there also has to be room for RAI, and ROC (Rule of Cool).
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Yeah, I understand that as well. There are rules that I'm sure Wizards of the Coast aren't aware work how they currently do. RAI and ROC are awesome, as long as they are clearly not trying to avoid following the flow of 5e. Rule of Cool is great, Rules as intended are great, but people tend to try to twist them to their benefit. You wouldn't believe some of the examples I've seen people try to argue for RAI before. The intention of the rules is easily twisted, so I just try to make sure people understand what the rules are supposed to do.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
I think only alcohol poisoning would really be a poison effect-when the alcohol causes you liver to shutdown and potentially kills you. Drunkenness itself is more akin to suffocation-as the alcohol fills your bloodstream and prevents oxygen from reaching your brain-if I'm not mistaken. So technically poison immunity/resistance doesn't prevent you from getting drunk, it would just protect you from killing yourself with it. It also won't stop a hangover either since that's mostly the symptoms of dehydration caused by the alcohol.
What they’re sposta do is be clear. They’re sposta be easy to read, with consistent language to make it so that RAW and RAI are as close as humanly possible to each other. Sposta is a very dangerous concept. That’s why I picked it for my gamer tag.
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Yeah, I agree. I kind of derailed the discussion, so if anyone else has any comments on drunkenness in 5e, go right ahead.
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Old topic, but.
If drunkeness is just applying poison, then not only can a level 10 Drunken Master Monk no longer get drunk, but no Paladin can get drunk either.
#OpenDnD
Drunken style martial arts was not actually based on a martial artist fighting drunk. It was actually a sober martial artist using drunk-like movement in their fighting. So, a Drunk Master being unable to get drunk makes no difference. Even the subclass description says the Monk is only using the movements of a drunkard - it never says they must drink or be drunk.
And officially yes, poison resistance and immunity affects alcohol, which is why Dwarves are so famous for their drinking in D&D - they can drink more than most thanks to their resistance to poison damage and advantage to saving throws against poison condition.
-
Personally I think the poisoned condition is all you need mechanically, and leave the rest as roleplay. If you're concerned about battles - the poison condition is fine, as even in real life actual fights can sober a person up (adrenaline boosts the body's ability to process the alcohol).
Unless the party are getting absolutely hammered to a legless level of drunk on a nightly basis, I think inventing systems for levels of mechanical penalty is overkill and unnecessary.
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Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
You guys are looking at drunken master all wrong. They still get drunk, they just suffer no penalties from it. Fits the theme just fine IMO.
The same interpretation can make for some very interesting paladin builds as well!
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
I subtract 2 AC, subtract 3 melee damage (Unless they can pass a DC 13 save [in which case they get what I call "Drunken Fury" where all melee attacks deal 2 extra damage for 2 turns] ), and subtract 5 from any action involving dexterity or intelligence. However, I use these effects on low-level drunk enemies and don't know how well they would work on PCs.
https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Drinking_(5e_Variant_Rule)#:~:text=You%20have%20an%20intoxication%20threshold,have%206%20levels%20of%20strength%3A&text=Deadly%20%3D%205%20levels%20of%20intoxication,for%201d6%20x%2010%20minutes.
Drinking (5e Variant Rule)
Contents
Intoxication Threshold[edit]
You have an intoxication threshold that is equal to your Constitution score +1. Once a player reaches this threshold they are granted "Liquid Courage".
Drinks have 6 levels of strength:
Liquid Courage[edit]
Liquid courage grants you one of the following effects for 1 hour: roll a d4
as well as:
After the Threshold[edit]
Furthermore, you must make a Constitution saving throw save after each drink consumed past their threshold. The DC is equal 8 + the strength of the drink + your level of exhaustion. If you fail, you gain one level of exhaustion. If you fail the save by 5 or more, you fall unconscious for 1d4 hours.
Detoxing and Hangovers[edit]
A quick and easy way to deal with characters getting drunk:
A character can imbibe a number of units of alcohol equal to Constitution modifier (or 1, if lower) x 4, without getting drunk. After that, they will be treated as Poisoned until they finish a long rest. 1 unit = half a pint of beer or 1 small glass of wine, or one shot of liquor.
So a Con 6 character gets drunk on a sniff of alcohol, Con 10 on his third pint of beer, a tough Con 16 fighter can handle 6 pints or 12 shots of whisky and the next one puts him over, and the mighty Con 20 barbarian can really handle her liquor, knocking back 10 pints of beer or a whole bottle of vodka before really feeling it.
The shots and beer should be other way round. It often takes 5 to 6 pints for even an average drinker to get drunk or only a few shots of liquor. A person who could handle 10 pints of beer, would still be drunk by half as many shots. Liquors are specifically designed to get you drunk quickly. Beers are designed to get you drunk slowly.
10 pints of beer isn't even that impressive.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
drunkards' rules
- Disadvantage on Persuasion and Deception; Advantage against Frightened
- Disadvantage on Ability Checks; Roll Hit Dice and gain temporary hit points
- Disadvantage on Saving Throws; Make a Dex ability check or fall prone if standing each round; Cannot dash or move more than 10′ in the same direction.
- Disadvantage on Attack Rolls; Damage Resistance
- Become Unconscious; Disadvantage on all rolls during the following day (Hangover)
Spell Casting: To cast a spell, Make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or the spell fails. At level 3 inebriation or high roll with disadvantage. The spell is not wasted.Discord: MasterWitch#2965
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I like the idea of using a character’s Con score to determine their tolerance, because I (despite being overweight) have pretty much zero tolerance (One lemon drop, on a full stomach, will make me dizzy and sick!). I think I’ll probably combine it with Sposta’s idea, and with poison mechanics, if the issue ever comes up, because I like the idea of using numerous factors to influence the saves, mimicking real life. My real-life Con score would probably be a four. 🙄
Of course, using multiple factors may or may not be too complicated, but I’m definitely going to try!
I live with several severe autoimmune conditions. If I don’t get back to you right away, it’s probably because I’m not feeling well.
updated level 5. I decided death might be too much. So switch it to a hangover. Disadvantage on a roll the next day.
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My World Anvil account if you're interested. Work in progress.
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