Arcannyline

Researcher's Log
Day 11 of human testing 

Test subjects display abnormal arcane aptitude, although most report headaches and hair loss as side effects after its consumption. No signs of cancerous growths in any of them, so that's a plus I suppose. The other scientists and I are trying to secure a trained spellcaster for more testing. We believe it should augment their abilities.

Arcannyline is the name given to a chemical compound developed during scientific research into magic and the weave. It is a fine, crystalline powder that emits faint radioluminescent blue light. Similar in appearance and molecular structure to common table salt, subjects that consume it have reported symptoms of unusual hair loss, and medical checks indicate mild irradiation. Ingesting Arcannyline allows people to cast spells, but it can cause distortions in the weave and is also toxic to those who are already capable of magic.

Arcannyline R-II is a more potent version of the original Arcannyline compound, and has stronger effects. It appears very similar to the original formula and requires clear labelling on each vial to prevent personnel from confusing them. Testing on R-II has shown almost the same results as Arcannyline, but there have been several cases of radiation sickness in some subjects. After the relative success of R-II, a uranium-based version(Arcannyline UB) was developed. However, it has not been thoroughly tested and must be kept inside specialised vials to prevent radiation leakage. Any staff or subjects who find a black, glowing containment vial with warning symbols is asked to return it to management immediately and subsequently report to the medical department.

Arcannyline is stored inside test tubes and vials, and is usually covered in numerous danger symbols due to the potential hazards. A creature that eats a vial of the powder and that is capable of casting at least one spell must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or loses 6d10 HP and have their Hit Point Maximum be lowered by an amount equal to the damage taken. A creature that succeeds the save instead takes half as much damage, but their maximum HP is still lowered by that much. This reduction lasts until the afflicted creature successfully finishes a Long Rest.

Any creature that consumes Arcannyline and isn't a caster doesn't suffer any of these harmful effects. Instead, they learn a number of random cantrips as well as one random damaging and one random utility spell of a spell level corresponding to the type of Arcannyline consumed. The creature also gains four temporary spell slots of the same level. These spell slots cannot be regained by any means once used. They can cast these spells as normal using the spellcasting modifier granted to them, and they ignore any material components when casting these spells. This modifier replaces the caster's spellcasting ability modifier for any spells or effects that use it. However, when the creature casts any spell, there is a 30%(3 in 10) chance that they cause a wild magic surge. If a surge happens, roll for a random effect on a wild magic chart.There are many options to choose from, and you can use the same one from your campaign. There is a list of options at the end of this page in the Dungeon Master's Notes section.

The effects of Arcannyline last for 7 days before ending, and if a creature consumes it again while already under its effects, they instead gain a level of Exhaustion and the effects of the original dose wear off before being immediately replaced by the effects of the new one. For example, if a player under the effects of Arcannyline R-II takes Arcannyline they will suffer a level of Exhaustion and have to reroll for their new spells. When the effects of it wear off, the affected creature loses all spell slots and spells granted to them by the chemical, but any effects caused by their spellcasting remain. If a creature gains access to spells or spell slots while under its effects, they are not subjected to the damage caused to spellcasters by Arcannyline's consumption. The harmful effects occur only to a creature who consumes it with access to a spell.

Cantrip (d8)

1. Message
2. Mage Hand
3. Guidance
4. Friends
5. Dancing Lights
6. Resistance
7. Spare the Dying
8. Minor Illusion

  1st Level Damaging (d6)

1. Magic Missile
2. Burning Hands
3. Inflict Wounds
4. Ice Knife
5. Guiding Bolt
6. Dissonant Whispers

1st Level Utility (d6)

1. Cure Wounds
2. Feather Fall
3. Sleep
4. Mage Armor
5. Silent Image
6. Comprehend Languages

2nd Level Damaging (d6)

1. Shadow Blade
2. Mind Spike
3. Moonbeam
4. Dust Devil
5. Spiritual Weapon
6. Acid Arrow

2nd Level Utility (d6)

1. Darkness
2. Invisibility
3. Suggestion
4. Blindness/Deafness
5. Enlarge/Reduce
6. Detect Thoughts

3rd Level Damaging (d6)

1. Fireball
2. Vampiric Touch
3. Erupting Earth
4. Call Lightning
5. Hunger of Hadar
6. Lightning Bolt

3rd Level Utility (d6)

1. Fly
2. Glyph of Warding
3. Conjure Animals
4. Enemies Abound
5. Animate Dead
6. Fear

Dungeon Master's Notes

This magic item was created with more modern campaigns in mind. A drug with strange effects like Arcannyline fits snugly into a Fallout or Bioshock-style game, so if your campaign is set in a dystopian future this magic item might be a fun way to spice up the adventure for your players. But don't worry if your campaign isn't a gritty, survival-based struggle—a magic item like this could be used in a spacefaring sci-fi or even just a present-day game with magic thrown in. In fact, your game doesn't have to be anything like these at all—you could easily call it a Mana Potion and give it a new coat of paint for a more traditional setting. Arcannyline is presented here as an experimental chemical compound from cold depths of a laboratory, but that doesn't mean you have to squeeze some kind of scientific organisation into your campaign setting just to make it work.

It doesn't have to relate to the story any more than you need it to—simply leaving it in a nameless, abandoned facility for your players is enough. But if you prefer, you can make it as important to your campaign's world as you like. Something that allows mundane people to use magic would be game changing after all, so Arcannyline could be an illicit drug pumped around your ruined world's black market or an incredibly expensive scientific project for governments. In any case, it remains the same mechanically—a way to alter the flow of the game and power up your non-spellcasters. I haven't added any addiction mechanics for it, but many futuristic videogames that use chemicals like this include withdrawal symptoms and other harmful effects on the mental effects of a player's character. In a D&D game, this can be used to great effect as it offers roleplaying hooks as well as interesting choices for your players. It isn't for everyone however, so it's your choice whether or not you want to implement addiction mechanics to substances like Arcannyline. If your campaign already deals with this and has addiction mechanics, then you're already set.

Arcannyline also causes wild magic surges, so if you want to use it then you'll need to have a wild magic chart. This is an ordered list of random magical effects, and most official versions use a d100 percentile roll to determine what happens during a surge. The basics are simple—whenever a caster casts a spell with a chance of causing a surge(which in this case is 30%) you must roll to see whether a wild magic surge occurs. Here, you would roll a d10 whenever your player casts a spell and on a result of 3 or less roll on your chart to see what happens. In most games, causing a surge doesn't cancel the spell's effects, but you might rule otherwise. Most DMs have one table they like best, and I've included several options here if you don't have a preferred chart. You should be able to easily find these via Google.

• The Net Libram of Random Magical Effects (This one contains 10,000 different effects. It's large and a little intimidating, so you might opt against it.)
  
• D&D 5e: Wild Magic Sorcerer (A most traditional option—50 different effects, all rolled using a d100.)
  
• Variant 5e Wild Magic Surge Table (A more forgiving table that gives weaker effects based on the roll of a d20. It works slightly differently, so you should familiarise yourself with its rules first.)
  

Another thing to consider is the effect of this item on your world as a whole. If it's an illegal drug, does that mean your party is likely to get arrested if the Barbarian accidentally causes a surge? If it plays a role in the criminal underworld, does that mean your players have to immerse themselves in the dark underbelly of society as they take on jobs for dealers and interrupt trade deals? If Arcannyline is kept secretly contained within the walls of government facilities, do the PCs need to infiltrate them in order to obtain it? If your world is post-apocalyptic, then does that mean any raiders or unsavoury NPCs the party run into might have access to magic thanks to consumption of Arcannyline?

Considering how your world uses Arcannyline gives you many plot hooks to work with. Remember that you have free rein over how it is used in your campaign, as well as the power to change how it works in favour of your campaign or party. It is your game, after all.

You're on your own now, Dungeon Master.

Notes: Bonus: Magic, Exhaustion, Buff, Consumable