Drugs

Shadowrun Fifth Edition Core Rulebook has some difficult to parse sentences in the rules for Addiction Tests.

Replace the second paragraph under Addiction Tests with:

Every time a character uses an addictive substance, they must make an Addiction Test against the Threshold from the Addiction Table.

• On a failure, they gain the Addiction Quality for that drug. If they are already addicted, the Addiction Quality increases by one level.
• On a success, they do not gain the Addiction Quality or increase any existing quality.

They are not out of the woods yet, however. Taking an addictive substance puts the character on a clock. They must make another Addiction Test 11-(Addiction Rating) weeks after the initial dose. If they haven't used the drug since the initial dose, reduce the Threshold by 1.

• On a failure, they gain the Addiction Quality for that drug. If they are already addicted, the Addiction Quality increases by one level.
• On a success, they do not gain the Addiction Quality or increase any existing quality.

My interpretation of it is as follows. You use a drug, thereby entering "week 1". (The rules aren't clear on where in the week you are. though: the first day? the last day? If you use the drug again 6 hours later, is that in "week 2"? Perhaps Sunday is Addiction Test Day?) "Decision week" is set as week (11 - Addiction Rating): that can range from week 10 for soykaf, all the way down to 2 for Kamikaze and Nitro. (Technically, it's every multiple of that number, by the way - so weeks 2, 4, 6, etc. for Kamikaze/Nitro, and weeks 10, 20, 30, etc. for soykaf.) At the end of each week, you follow a few steps: Did I use the drug at any point during this week? Yes: reset Addiction Threshold to the initial value. Carry on with the next step. No: the Addiction Threshold goes down by 1. Is it 0 now? Yes: you're in the clear! No need to keep track anymore. No: carry on with the next step. Is this a "Decision week"? Yes: Make an Addiction Test (2 if the addiction type is both psychological and physiological). Did you pass the test (or both tests)? Yes: congratulations! You didn't get hooked this time, but until the Threshold hits 0 or you get hooked, you'll have to continue keeping track of this. See you next week! No: you're now (even more) hooked. No need to keep track anymore. No: see you next week! I hope that makes things a little more clear. Of course, since a picture is worth a thousand words, you could flowchart it and rub the flowchart in people's faces when they get confused (or when you want to go "Look! I have a flowchart!"), if you want.

Remove Alcohol and Soykaf from the Addiction Table. If they were addictive in the same way drugs are, with the same eventual slide into Burnout, they would be among of the leading killers in the Sixth World.