ANAGATHICS
Anagathics are longevity drugs. They help prolong life and prevent aging. If successfully located and if the supply can be maintained, the character will age ever so slowly. With luck, the character may reach an age of 100 or more before old age finally begins to take its toll.
Finding Anagathics: Upon reaching age 30 (the end of the third term of service), but never before age 30, a character may try the following task:
To locate a source of anagathics:
Formidable, Int, Streetwise (hazardous).
Referee: If character’s homeworld starport type is A or B, decrease difficulty one level. If character’s homeworld tech code is Avg. Stellar+, decrease difficulty one level. For characters in the Noble career, this task is hazardous and fateful.
For each term in which a character attempts this task (whether successful or not) his eligibility for mustering out benefits is forfeited for that term. This represents some of the great expense involved in maintaining a steady supply of anagathics.
Furthermore, once a character has attempted the above task at any time, the maximum number of rolls on the mustering out Cash Table becomes two instead of the usual three. This restriction is permanent even if the character later gives up taking anagathics. This represents the great financial burden associated with even attempting to find a reliable supply of anagathics.
Effect of Anagathics: On a successful attempt to locate anagathics (which must be rolled each and every term in which the character wishes to take them), the character automatically succeeds at the aging avoidance tasks for two characteristics of his or her choice. In effect, the character selects the one characteristic (Str, Dex, or End) which to risk in an aging avoidance task. The age 66 line of the Aging Table requires four avoidance tasks, so upon reaching the age 66 line, two characteristics of choice must be risked in aging avoidance rolls.
It takes a while for the total effects of anagathics to be felt. On the first term of taking anagathics, advance to the next line of the Aging Table as usual.
However, for each subsequent term in which a supply of anagathics is maintained, the character can remain on that line of the Aging Table instead of advancing. So, if a character begins taking anagathics at age 30 he will advance to the age 34 line normally but can then stay on the age 34 line as long as a constant supply of anagathics is maintained.
If the character ever loses the supply of anagathics for a term (by failing the availability task), roll aging tasks twice for each characteristic (but do not yet advance a line on the Aging Table; it also takes a while for the effects of anagathics to totally go away). Both tasks must succeed or the characteristic is lowered by the indicated amount on the table. This represents withdrawal effects from interrupting the supply of anagathics.
If the character continues to abstain from anagathics in subsequent terms, normal Aging resumes (advance one line per term on the Aging Table as usual). The double task-roll withdrawal effects occur only at the end of the first term in which the character stops taking anagathics.
If the character later regains the supply of anagathics, the term in which he begins retaking anagathics is treated again as a first term on anagathics: the avoidance task benefits are received, but the character must still advance one line on the Aging Table. Obviously, anagathics are most effective if they are taken long-term without interruption. A continually disrupted supply can have devastating effects.
