Rules Conversations - Referee Questions
Anagathics
Anagathics are a pharmaceutical used to slow the aging process. These drugs work with many sophont's physiology, Bewaps being one that can use but culturally disagrees with the concept.
One dose must be taken each month to maintain the anti-aging effect. The cost of each month month dose is 20,000Cr. Synthetic anagathics become possible at TL15 but there are some natural spices and other rare compounds that have comparable effects, although all are illegal or heavily controlled on many worlds.
Anagathics Withdrawal
Anagathics are always expensive, often illegal and are based on a variety of methods. These include synthetic molecules, exotic biology and nanomachinery. All of these pause the aging process but once a Traveller begins an anagathics regimen they must remain on the same treatment.Failure to continue the treatment can have side effects beyond the resumption of aging.
If more than one month passes between doses, aging will resume on a one-to-one daily basis but the body will also begin to suffer from the absence of the age-negating substance. After 53 + 2D days has passed since the last dose, the Traveller suffers a withdrawal effect and must make a Difficult (10+) END check. Failure results in the Traveller aging a number of years equal to the negative Effect and temporarily losing END equal to the Effect. The Traveller recovers END at one per day as the body adjusts to an anagathics-free state. If the check is successful, the Traveller still continues to age but must make a subsequent check after as many months as the positive Effect. A second successful check indicates the Traveller has successfully avoided withdrawal symptoms. A failure of this second check results in milder symptoms: the Traveller still experiences the temporary END loss but only ages the number of months equal to the Effect.
As long as the Traveller resumes anagathics treatment before suffering a withdrawal effect, the only detriment to intermittent or stretched-out use of anagathics is the resumption of aging after one month. If the Traveller switches to a different method of anagathics treatment, then withdrawal effects from the previous method still occur.
- Central Supply Catalog pg92
Anagathics Availability
Anagathics are actively and openly produced by several Mega-corporation in the Third Imperium. Not all systems have the same allowances or restrictions on availability and use of anagathics. Because of the ongoing cost of such treatments most systems leave the use of anagathics up to the individual, with the provision that the individual will not have full access to the traditional health care system to maintain their status. Some systems ban the sale and trade of anagathics but not their use in non-citizens. In the occasional particularly morally strict society that does not believe in such enhancements it has been known to detain anagathic users to force the sophont into withdrawal. Travellers are advised to be discrete in their use of anagathics if they are not aware of any restrictions when entering a new system.
Significant Individuals and Systems
There are several known manufacturers of anagathics, the most well know being SuSAG, and their trading parter Ginshar-Corps.
The systems that are known to produce natural or synthetic anagathics include: Abir, Anagathica, Arcanum, Earlyu, Forboldn, Granporr, Irikrough, Knorbes, Medurma, St. George (Vl 2616), Terra (SR 1827) among others.
Individuals known or suspected to use anagathics that the Travellers interact with.
- King Oleb XVI of Drinax
