Potions

After scrolls, potions are the next most popular choice for magical creations. The little bottles of fluid are relatively easy to make and can be given to companions. They even make good gifts for local knights and servitors of greater lords. Of course, all that hard work can go down the drain (literally) in the hands of one butterfingers, or up in steam too close to a dragon. Potions are primarily a wizard specialty, although some—particularly healing—can be created by priests.

A spellcaster must have a formula before brewing can actually begin. Wizards cast contact other plane, spend hours poring over mildewed books, and perform risky experimentation to gain these formulae. Priests resort to commune spells and prayer for their knowledge. The process takes 1d3 + 1 weeks, but can be interrupted for other activities. Fortunately, this step only has to be done once because the formula is then set.

Of course, the spellcaster could try to use someone else's formula, but like trying to copy a restaurant's secret recipe, the result is never quite the same. Just as every cook adapts recipes to suit their tastes, a spellcaster must personalize every potion formula. Working from someone else's formula does make the job easier, however, reducing the number of weeks needed by 1.

Not every potion can be made by every specialist mage or priest. Table 8: Potion Schools lists the school or sphere needed to create a particular potion. Specialists unable to use the particular school of magic or priests without access to that sphere cannot create the potion named. Oils are marked by an asterisk, and those items that are in bold type are found in the Tome of Magic.

Although no spells are cast in the process of brewing a potion, the level of the spell the potion duplicates is added to the base difficulty of the spell. The 3rd level fly spell matches the effect of a potion of flying, resulting in a difficulty modifier of 3. If no spell matches the desired effect, the difficulty modifier is equal to the combination of spells that best approximates the effect. There is no spell equivalent for a potion of fire breath, so the DM chooses the 3rd level flame arrow and 4th level shout spells as roughly equivalent effects, for a total difficulty modifier of 7.

Potions are either single or limited use items. If the entire potion must be drunk, as in the case of a potion of flying, it is a single-use item. However, there are many potions that can be partially consumed and still provide a benefit, making them limited-use. A potion of fire breath, for example, can be used up to four times.

For every 5 points of difficulty a potion possesses, one special ingredient must be supplied for it. Potion ingredients can be virtually anything, although it should include at least some form of exotic liquid. This does not have to be the bodily fluids of some monster, as any liquid that is hard to get will do. Melted snow from the peak of the highest mountain, water from the depths of the ocean, or wine from a tyrant's cellars are all perfectly acceptable demands.

Aside from fluid, at least one ingredient should embody the property of the potion, whether the material is mundane or exotic. For a potion of growth, a ground acorn could be used. ("From the little acorn grows the mighty oak.") A potion of fire breath could require kerosene or red dragon's spittle. Table 9: Potion Materials offers suggestions as to what might be appropriate. These are only suggestions; the DM is free to decide upon what seems appropriate to the individual campaign. These suggestions run the gamut from absurdly easy (acorns and fleabane) to near impossible (bottled essence of the Ethereal Plane). Not all of them involve slaughtering some creature— characters may have to use cunning, trickery, and persuasion to get some of the materials suggested.

Wizards. In addition to ingredients, wizards must spend time in the laboratory blending and brewing the ingredients together for the potion. Every 10 points of difficulty require the completion of one special process to create the potion. The DM chooses the process required, remembering to add 1 point to the base difficulty for this step (which may, in turn, require another step). Suggested steps include:

distillation infusion
evaporation fermentation
extraction of vital oils separation
leaching purification

Whatever steps are chosen, the wizard's total cost for all steps is 100 gp per point of difficulty. This money is spent on the reagents, weird fuels for alembics, and other minor exotics needed to brew the potion. The total processing takes a number of days equal to the difficulty rating of the potion. When the time has passed, the DM secretly checks for success.

Priests. Disdainful of the laboratories of wizards, priests are spared the arcane processes of potion blending that wizards must go through. Instead, the ingredients are gently mixed and placed upon the special altar to receive the deity's blessing. The priest must fast and pray. Simple liquids and 4 hours of rest per night are all that are allowed to the priest during this time. After the priest prays for a number of days equal to the potion's difficulty rating, the DM secretly checks for success.

Potion Success

Potion brewing has a base 70% chance of success, with a +2% bonus for every level of the spellcaster. Wizard specialists gain an additional +5% bonus to this number. The potion's difficulty is subtracted from this and the result is the percentage chance of success. That number or less must be rolled using a d100. If the die roll is 96 or greater, the potion automatically fails and is cursed. Cursed potions are typically deadly poisons, although some may result in the effects of a potion of delusion—in this case the caster believes that the desired potion has actually been brewed. If this is the case, the DM should not reveal that a cursed potion has been made. If the check fails but the result is not cursed, the spellcaster can easily tell (by color, stench, and so forth) that the potion has failed.

Table 8: Potion Schools

Potion School/Sphere
Acid resistance* Abjuration
Animal control Abjuration Enchantment /Charm
Aroma of Dreams Abjuration Enchantment /Charm
Clairaudience Divination
Clairvoyance Divination
Curdled death Necromancy
Diminution Alteration
Disenchantment* Abjuration
Dragon control Enchantment / Charm
Elemental control Elemental
Ele invulnerability* Elemental
Ele. Plane Invulnerability Elemental
Elixir of health Necromantic (p)
Elixir of youth Time (p)
ESP Divination
Etherealness Astral (p)
Extra-healing Healing (p)
Fiery burning Invocation /Evocation
Fire breath Alteration
Fire resistance Protection (p)
Flying Alteration
Gaseous form Alteration
Giant control Enchantment / Charm
Glibness Divination (p)
Growth Alteration
Healing Healing (p)
Heroism Charm (p)
Human control Enchantment/Charm
Impact Combat (p)
Invisibility Illusion / phantasm
Invulnerability Abjuration
Levitation Alteration
Longevity Necromancy
Love Enchantment/Charm
Murdoch's insect ward Abjuration
Persuasiveness Enchantment / Charm
Plant control Plant (p)
Polymorph self Alteration
Preservation* Time (p)
Rainbow hues Alteration
Slipperiness Conjuration/Summoning
Speed Alteration
Starella's aphrodisiac Enchantment /Charm
Super-heroism Charm (p)
Sweet water Any priest
Timelessness Time (p)
Treasure finding Divination (both)
Undead control Necromancy (both)
Ventriloquism Illusion / Phantasm
Vitality Time (p)
Water breathing Elemental
 

Table 9: Potion Materials

Potion School/Sphere
Acid resistance* Wax, sap of a rubber tree
Animal control Hair of animal type
Aroma of Dreams Jackalwere spittle, musk
Clairaudience Earwax
Clairvoyance Fragments of a crystal ball
Curdled death Poison
Diminution Fairy wine
Disenchantment* Water from a nonmagical Prime Material world
Dragon control Dragon blood
Elemental control Material from appropriate Elemental Plane
Ele invulnerability* Material from appropriate Elemental Plane
Ele. Plane Invulnerability Material from appropriate Elemental Plane
Elixir of health Purified unholy water
Elixir of youth Ginseng juice
ESP Thread from a mind flayer's robe
Etherealness Essence of ethereal plane
Extra-healing Honey of giant bees
Fiery burning Tar from a tar pit
Fire breath Ash made by dragonfire
Fire resistance Asbestos, glacial ice
Flying Vapor from a cloud
Gaseous form Vampire's grave earth
Giant control Giant's fingernail clipping
Giant Strength Stew cooked by a giant
Glibness, persuasiveness A gem freely given
Growth Acorn, dried sea sponge
Heroism, super-heroism Lock of a great hero's hair
Human control A king's hair
Impact Iron from patriarch's mace
Invisibility Water from a mirage
Invulnerability An adamantine nail
Levitation Dandelion seeds
Longevity Wine poured by oldest man in the town
Love, Starella's aphrodisiac Tears of a jilted lover
Murdoch's insect ward Fleabane flowers, hair of a flea-less dog
Plant control Sap of a poisonous plant
Polymorph self Freshly shed viper's skin
Preservation, timelessness Powdered amber
Rainbow hues Water exposed to a rainbow
Slipperiness Grease from a grease spell
Speed Sweat of a fast horse
Sweet water Absolutely pure water
Treasure finding Dust of a diamond
Undead control Vampire blood
Ventriloquism Liar's sweat
Vitality Coffee beans
Water breathing Sahuagin wine

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