Vitamin Chews

Vitamin Chews is a consumable item classified as food that functions as a preventive medicine for Duplicants. It does not primarily restore calories like ordinary food items; instead, its main purpose is to reduce the chance that a Duplicant will contract an illness. Vitamin Chews occupy the niche of prophylactic healthcare in a base’s medical strategy rather than acting as a cure or a rapid recovery booster.

Vitamin Chews are manufactured at the Apothecary. Production converts Coal directly into Vitamin Chews at a one-to-one rate: 1 kg Coal = 1 unit Vitamin Chews. Crafting requires a Duplicant who has the drug/medicine formulation skill and access to an operational Apothecary. The item is intended for routine use to lower infection risk among the population rather than to treat active maladies; it functions similarly to the removed Placebo in concept, but its effect is preventative rather than restorative.

• Recipe and production: produced at the Apothecary by a duplicant with the medicinal formulation skill; consumes Coal at a rate of 1 kg Coal per 1 Vitamin Chews.
• Intended use: give to Duplicants as a prophylactic to reduce the chance of contracting illnesses. Vitamin Chews do not primarily speed up recovery of an existing disease.
• Logistics: store and dispense alongside other medical supplies so that duplicants in high-risk roles or frequently exposed areas can receive them on schedule. Because production depends on Coal, maintain Coal supply lines to ensure steady availability.
• Strategic notes: prioritize stocking Vitamin Chews for early- to mid-game when infections from germs on new biomes are common and before advanced cures or vaccines are established. They are particularly useful for duplicants who perform many outside tasks or who enter contaminated environments frequently.
• Crafting constraints: ensure an Apothecary is built and staffed by a duplicant with the required medicinal formulation skill to enable production.

Vitamin Chews provide a simple, resource-efficient way to reduce downtime from illness and help maintain a healthy workforce while more advanced medical infrastructure is developed.