The Art of Potion Brewing

Introduction

This document discusses the creation of potions in the Rolemaster System. It discussed how herbs and other substances can be useful in magical potions, introduces the potion brewing skill, goes into spell mastery techniques for potion brewing, and gives recommendations about potions.

Herbs and Magical Potions

Certain Herbs have properties which product effects on living creatures. It is possible if correct prepared that they can produce effects normal produced by magic or extending periods of time (such as healing).

By incorporating herbs that have properties associated with the spell effect desired by a magical potion, it is much easier to craft magical potions.

Certain minerals, non-herbal plants, and animal parts (particularly magical animals) can have similar effects.

How the organism was raised/cultivated can make a difference on its potency and effects.

Likewise how the substance is prepared and mixed with other substances can also make a difference.

Potion Brewing Skill

Potion Brewing is a new skill in the Crafts Category focused on brewing potions, magical and non-magical. It entails understanding how to select substances as components for the potion based on their properties and the desired effect of the potion, how to mix the components to best gain the desired effect, how to incorporate alchemist magics into the process to incorporate certain spells into the potion, and how to make multiple doses simultaneously.

For non-magical potions, this builds upon successful herb preparation (and possibly alchemy) to properly create a potion from the substances. A successful potion brewing roll indicates a good mix of ingredients to achieve the desired effect. Better rolls indicate a greater potency in the potion, generally resulting in more doses. Non-magical potion brewing takes between twenty minutes and a number of hours depending on the effects desired.

For magical potions, this expands the alchemist potion creation process to allow for the effects of the ingredients, potentially resulting in multiple doses and decreased time to create the potion. In addition, when considering potency for ingredients, an ingredients that makes it easier to imbed and enchant is a valid potency consideration.

Tomes of Formulae for Magical Potions can be very useful in the process to provide specific directions and component lists, and may list alternative components that can be used if the desired component is not available and the effects of such substitutions.

Additional Spell Mastery Uses in Potion Making

Spell Mastery on a spell can be used to reduce the apparent level (down to half of the original level) of the spell, making it easier for other spells to interact with it. In the context of potion making, this means needing a lesser Imbed and Potion spells may be required to imbed certain spells.

Spell Mastery on an alchemist enchanting spell can increase its potency letting one day equal multiple days. The same potency modifier should be applied to all alchemist spells cast.

Note: These uses of spell mastery can be applied to non-potion item creations by alchemists as well. Reduce Effect Spell Level can be useful when working with other spells that affect spells as well.

Expanded Alchemist Potion Spells

Given knowledge of the spell list, casters should be able to cast intermediate spells between lists to better balance magic item creation cost and time.

Different Forms of Potions

Potions are normally liquids but can be prepared in other forms as well.

• Gas: This represents that the magical potion is a gas form. This requires the Gaseous Potion spell to be part of the enchantment process.
  
  
• Salve: This represents some form of lotion or paste, such as burn cream, that is applied to the area that is effected. For magical salves, it only has to be applied in its full dosage to an area that is affected. For non-magical salves, it should be applied to the entire area to be affected.
  
  
• Solid Consumable: This represents some form of cooked good, such as bread, wafers, etc., that must be consumed, instead of a liquid that must be drunk. For magic solid consumables, that results in a round delay in the effect occuring. For non-magic solid consumables, this can increase the digestive time significantly depending on the form it is in.
  
  

Potion Recommendations

1. To permit lots of healing potions, herbs associated with specific healing should be available to those who brew healing potions (both magical and non-magical).



2. I would recommend herbs with non-healing properties be much rarer than ones with healing properties, making them and non-healing potions rarer.



3. Also remember that most herbs require or prefer specific growing environments and will be much rarer away from their natural environment. Many gaming worlds provide a list of normal herbs, what environs they may be found in, and how rare they are.



4. Remember that if the brewer is attempting multiple doses, that they need to use more ingredients to increase the potency. By limiting the availabilty of ingredients you limit the amount of doses that can be produced.



5. Finding a Tome of Potion Formulae can make an entire adventure worth the effort.



6. Likewise, finding a Tome of Alchemy that lists the properties associated with various substances can be a good find as well.



7. If a character wants a specific potion made, part of the cost of getting it done, can be acquiring the special components needed to make it work.

Sample Potion Brewing

1. Hilda the Animist is brewing a batch of her "Stop Bleeding" (non-magical) potion. She is using potency-enhanced herbs of Fek and Harfy, as well as other ingredients. She has sized her batch with enough ingredients to get a potency of 9.75 which allows her to produce 40 doses (1+9.75*4). She has cultivated and prepared the herbs well (+50), is using a proven formula of normal quality (+20), is using fair equipment (+0) in her clean workshop. Her skill bonus is +65 and her static manuever roll was 37. She succeeds (172), a bit disappointed that it doesn't smell a little bit better. She now has 40 doses of her "Stop Bleeding" potion which takes 1 round to take effect, but permits the patient to move after the bleeding stops.



2. Ludwig the Healer (with some Alchemist spell lists) is brewing a Major Fracture Repair True Potion. This is a 9th level spell on the Bone Ways List. He is using a proven formula (normal quality) that uses a number of different herbs that affect bone healing as well as a potion base designed for rapid absorption of healing spells by the drinker. He has a good spell mastery ability, and will spellmaster the Major Fracture Repair True spell to act as a 5th level spell, permitting him to use a Potion V and an Imbed V spells with it which he will spellmaster to increase alchemical potency to 3.5 times normal. The ingredients used give him a potency of 4, giving him 16 options. He uses 8 options on time reduction, and 8 options on additional doses.
   
   His expected time is (15 (Potion V) +11 (Imbed V) + 9 (Major Fracture Repair True) = 35/4 weeks (per Treasure Companion). This is divided by 3.5 for alchemical potency, and divided by 5 for the potion potency options spent on time reduction, giving 3.5 days expected to brew and magically enchant the potion.
   
   He spends his 3.5 days working magically on the potion and succeeds in his potion brewing. He now has 9 doses of a Major Fracture Repair True potion.