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Kaiyanwang
2010-03-13, 12:13 PM
Is there any guide for potion brewing?

I mean, additional feats, magic items to support the activity, prestige classes (IIRC, in MoF and Eberron should have something), additional rules..

What I'm looking for is mainly increasing efficency, and mainly about crafting time.

Moreover, I know that there is a Prestige Class able to increase the level of the spell you can put in the potion.. is there a way to do this without a prestige class?

Thanks in advance.

Darrin
2010-03-13, 02:38 PM
What I'm looking for is mainly increasing efficency, and mainly about crafting time.

Moreover, I know that there is a Prestige Class able to increase the level of the spell you can put in the potion.. is there a way to do this without a prestige class?


The easiest way is to use Craft Wondrous Item to create a one-shot item and don't call it a potion. An elixir, balm, pellet, infusion, suppository, etc. You can get around the "no Range: Personal" problem that way, too.

Craft Skull Talisman (Frostburn) works much like this, although you pay double the cost of a similar wondrous item.

There are a variety of other magic items or spell storing items that can be used in a similar way. Glyph Seals (MIC) can be used over and over again, and can be activated as a free action (just stick them on a pouch/pocket that contains ammunition or spell components). Chardalyn (Silver Marches Web Enhancement, prices vary by spell level) can store a spell, and then releases it when you throw it against a hard surface. Shallantha's Delicate Disk (Lost Empires of Faerun) is a 6th level spell with a 200 GP material cost that creates a ceramic disk which will store up to a 6th level spell and can be thrown/broken to release it.

But while all that may be well and good, we haven't completely broken the game open yet, so let's just take a stroll through Expedition to Undermountain and take a look at this wonderful little item called Gremma's Cauldron. For 5000 GP, it offers a variety of things you can do with potions:

1) Brew a potion in 4 hours instead of 8. I assume you're still limited to one potion per day, though.

2) If you don't have the Brew Potion feat, the cauldron lets you brew potions as if you did, but at the standard 8 hour rate. (I'm not sure how this works with SLAs, but Factotums/Warlocks/DFAs may be able to convert their SLAs into potions this way.)

3) Once per day, the cauldron can produce a potion of cure light wounds by putting in 25 GP worth of ingredients and brewing for 4 hours. This doesn't appear to count against the "brew one potion per day" limit, and no mention that the user has to be a spellcaster, so it looks like even a meatbag could take advantage of this. But it gets even better...

4) Anyone (and it does seem to mean anyone, because there's no mention of any restriction against non-spellcasters) can use the cauldron to convert a scroll into a potion by paying the difference between the cost of the potion minus the cost of the scroll. Only there's no mention of a limit per day or any time involved, so it apparently produces a potion instantly once you dump in the necessary ingredients, and there doesn't seem to be a daily limit to the number of scrolls you can convert this way. And here's the kicker... it doesn't restrict the scroll by spell level, range, or target. Potion of meteor swarm anyone?

Kaiyanwang
2010-03-13, 02:51 PM
Excellent. Thank you Darrin, your Cauldron saved my DM **s.

*bows*

balistafreak
2010-03-13, 03:03 PM
Potion of meteor swarm anyone?

To be thrown for massive damage?

Brings new meaning to FRAG OUT!

Starbuck_II
2010-03-13, 03:12 PM
. And here's the kicker... it doesn't restrict the scroll by spell level, range, or target. Potion of meteor swarm anyone?

That would be called oil because it affects the area.

Sinfire Titan
2010-03-13, 04:10 PM
The reason there isn't a Brew Potion guide is because potions are not worth using (especially for healing). They're overpriced, and never worth the AoO they provoke. Wands are generally considered superior to potions.



The only advantage potions have is no UMD required, but that is meaningless if a caster is using the right wand.

Kaiyanwang
2010-03-14, 05:12 AM
The reason there isn't a Brew Potion guide is because potions are not worth using (especially for healing). They're overpriced, and never worth the AoO they provoke. Wands are generally considered superior to potions.



The only advantage potions have is no UMD required, but that is meaningless if a caster is using the right wand.

True. These are the general criticism my players raised.. I needed some way to pimp the brewing because I needed that particular item for campaign needs.

Actually, I needed something not subjected to UMD.

But, thanks for the advice, and thanks everybody. Expecially Darrin!

EDIT: just seen the cauldron. I think that the part of "any scroll" is an overlooking, but the cauldron is anyway what I needed.