Poisons and Potions

Adventurers, alchemists, scoundrels, witches, assassins, and great transmutors have made their names, fortunes and unfortunate ends through the crafting of magnificent potions, poisoned and magical concoctions. This ruleset simplifies the process of foraging or producing ingredients, crafting poisons and potions with Herbalist and Poisoner's Kits, and deploying these mixtures to their best effect within a battle and without.

Foraging

Any character with a foreknowledge of what they seek can search for ingredients for potions or poisons, though their prevalence in a given area is up to the DM (one cannot find what is not there.) Ingredients can be found by foraging in the environment WIS (Survival) or by procuring them through merchants, alchemists and black markets. Proficient foragers can find alternatives to common ingredients in many climates and environments, but only the best can locate the truly rarest specimens. Especially precious or illegal items will require both subtlty, persistence, and cold hard cash to procure (see notes). After foraging or locating ingredients, the DM says how much the character has procured in terms of how many doses it can produce on a successful crafting roll.

Crafting

Characters with proficiency with an Herbalism Kit or Poisoner's Kit can craft potions from these ingredients as described below. Herbalism Kits can create healing potions and spell potions with beneficial (restorative spells + buffs, ie. Guidance or Revivify) or neutral/utility (polymorph, invisibility) spells. Poisoner's Kits can create damaging poisons and spell potions with negative (damage + nerfs, ie. Blindness) or neutral/utility spells. Crafting a potion takes a minimum of 1 minute per dose, and requires the total concentration of its creator, who is incapacitated while crafting. Potions and poisons must be created under controlled conditions, if a creature takes an action or reaction or takes damage while it is crafting a potion it automatically fails.

Note: Some potions and poisons produce fumes or byproducts in their creation which can create suspicion from neighbors and authorities. Cook at your own risk!

Experimentation and Failure

All poison and potion making requires risks. The lucky ones get their rewards, the unlucky as well. Always wear eye protection. Safety first.

• If the Crafting roll fails all the ingredients and doses attempting to be created are lost.
• If the Crafting roll is a 20, the potion or poison created is one slot higher than attempted..
• If the Crafting roll is a 1, the creature immediately suffers the intended effect of the poison or potion.

Potions with Spell-like Effects

Potions may apply spell effects according to their equivalent spell level, as indiciated below. These spell effects have roughly have the roughly same rules as their referenced spell, with a save DC as shown on the chart. All potions require an Action to deploy regardless of spell casting times.

Spells which require concentration require the affected creature to maintain concentration on the spell for it to remain in affect. Only spells which have a range of Touch, Self, and can affect a single creature (no AOE) can be models for magic potions. Spell effects created by a potion can only target the affected creature. (ex: a potion of Detect Thoughts would allow the affected creature to read the mind of others, but would not allow him to cast this spell on someone else)

The DM can decide how/when to interpret intended effects into their spell equivalents and levels.

Using Potions and Poisons

Any character can use their Action to deploy a potion, or apply a poison to a weapon. Poison applied to a weapon or bolt of ammo will affect the next creature hit by that weapon. A weapon will remain effectively poisoned until it is next used. Ranged weapons apply their poison status to their ammunition, or ammunition may be poisoned in advance, but one dose of poison will only ever affect the one creature who is the next to be struck by that weapon or bolt.

If the potion applies a spell effect, that effect takes affect immediately. A creature who injests a potion or poison by eating or drinking (rather than inhaling or injected by a wound) it has Disadvantage on any saves to avoid its effects. Creatures can identify a potion or poison with a successful INT (Arcana / Nature or Tool Kit) of DC equal to its Save DC. If it is mixed with another substance, the rolls is at Disadvantage. Potions and Poisons can take many forms, including liquids, powders, salves, oils, vapors, or pills. Regardless of their form, potions must be kept sealed and free from adulteration like water and dirt. Any potion or poison that is contaminated loses all effects.

Tip: Poisons and potions are rare and valuable, and can fetch a pretty penny or catch a greedy eye if bandied about.

Basic Magical Chemistry

Every potion or poison has ingredients which must be procured and prepared, and which undergo a crafting process where they are transformed into a useful form and stored. The poisoner or cauldron tender must rely on their skill, quality ingredients, and a bit of luck to succeed.

Potions become stronger the more skilled their maker becomes, but rquire increasingly rare and expensive ingredients to achieve. Each potion has factors that come from it's rarity, volatility and potency.

Rarity

The difficulty of finding quality ingredients, or the expense of buying them from a merchant is determined by their rarity. For simple potions, a player may choose to forage or to shop for these ingredient. For the rarest items, such as those which are precious or illegal, both gold and skill must be applied.

Volatility

The difficulty of crafting a potion or poison without blowing ones self up is determined by its volatility. For simple potions, focused time can forgo the need for a Toolkit skill check, though one can do in a pinch. For harder potions, both skill, luck and patience are a must.

Potency

The potential effect of the concoction, and its ultimate value on the street, is defined by its potency. A player must choose only one effect between poison damage, healing, or a spell effect of the equivalent level. The potion's effect and potency cannot change after it is created and it remains effective for a numer of months equal to its crafting DC.

Note: Creatures affected by a poison or negative effect from a potion, and is unaware of its cause, must make a WIS (Survival) or INT (Arcana) vs the potion's Save DC or an Identify spell to determine the cause.