Harlot Sweets — Amber Court Lozenges

Harlot sweets are amber-coloured fantasy lozenges that temporarily heighten charm and agility while dulling the intellect. Their discreet form makes them particularly suited to courtly intrigue, performance, vice and social manipulation.

At a Glance

Category: Fictional ingested drug
Form: Amber lozenge
Campaign role: Social enhancer, fashionable vice, discreet contraband and intrigue prop
Rules provenance: The established mechanics below are Pathfinder 1e material.

Edition Mechanics

Pathfinder 1e

These amber-colored lozenges instill within the user a slightly increased agility and enhance both physical beauty and speech.

So named for the fact that prostitutes often abuse the drug, harlot sweets are gaining popularity among certain circles in the aristocracy as well.

Type drug (ingested); Addiction moderate, Fortitude DC 18
Effects 1 hour; +1d4 Charisma and +1 Dexterity
Damage 1d2 Intelligence damage
Price 60 gp

5.5e / 2024, 5e / 2014 and 3.5e

No mechanics are presented here as official rules for these editions. A conversion should retain the central trade: enhanced charm and agility at the cost of impaired judgement, addiction risk and eventual harm.

What Happens in Play?

The sweets are easy to conceal and consume, so their strongest role is social rather than battlefield use. They can appear before a performance, seduction, negotiation or confidence trick, especially where someone wants the benefit without being seen drinking a potion or strong spirit.

Addiction & After-effects

The PF1e version carries moderate addiction and Intelligence damage. Repeated use can therefore create the cruel impression that the user is becoming more socially capable while their judgement steadily deteriorates.

Encounters & Adventure Use

A courtier distributes the sweets before a masked feast.
A performer refuses to appear without one hidden backstage.
A packet found on a suspect connects respectable society to an illicit dealer.
A noble’s increasingly poor decisions coincide with growing dependence on the lozenges.
Counterfeit sweets provide the appearance but none of the expected effect.

Sources & Licensing

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Rival Guide. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC. Authors: Brian Cortijo, Adam Daigle, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, Colin McComb, Jason Nelson, Amber Scott, Neil Spicer, and Todd Stewart.

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