Minor Potions and Identify

[TheDarkSaint]

How do you guys handle PC's finding minor potions at lower levels, such as cure light wounds, barkskin, etc and using Identify? At low levels, 100 gold per item is steep to find out you just wasted it on a 50 gp potion.

I have been toying with letting them make a DC 20 spellcraft check to see if a 100 or under gp potion can be easily identified.

How do you guys handle this?

[Musco]

Spellcraft is a good idea, but it takes a bit of fun out of the game. I also used to let them do "sips", like trying a bit of the potion and seeing a minor manifestation of its effect (pretty funny as they cower in fear of being poisoned or something like that).

[inuyasha]

yeah same, i do the sips thing as well

[Fouredged Sword]

I remove the GP cost of identify for everything. Seriously, if the party is willing to wait an hour per item, that should be enough.

It still won't determine if something is cursed.

[CigarPete]

3.5 RAW Spellcraft can be used to identify any potion with a DC 25 check.

Or you can just use Pathfinder's mechanic and Spellcraft can always be used to identify a magic item, DC is 15 + CL. Identify spell just gives a boost to your skill check.

[CRtwenty]

I color code all of my potions (all healing potions are shades of blue for instance), so even without any skills or spells my PCs can usually determine the general use of a potion in my game. I also allow potions to be identified with DC 20 Knowledge (Alchemy) check.

[Diarmuid]

CigarPete is 100% correct:



Spellcraft DC Task
13 When using read magic, identify a glyph of warding. No action required.
15 + spell level Identify a spell being cast. (You must see or hear the spell’s verbal or somatic components.) No action required. No retry.
15 + spell level Learn a spell from a spellbook or scroll (wizard only). No retry for that spell until you gain at least 1 rank in Spellcraft (even if you find another source to try to learn the spell from). Requires 8 hours.
15 + spell level Prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook (wizard only). One try per day. No extra time required.
15 + spell level When casting detect magic, determine the school of magic involved in the aura of a single item or creature you can see. (If the aura is not a spell effect, the DC is 15 + one-half caster level.) No action required.
19 When using read magic, identify a symbol. No action required.
20 + spell level Identify a spell that’s already in place and in effect. You must be able to see or detect the effects of the spell. No action required. No retry.
20 + spell level Identify materials created or shaped by magic, such as noting that an iron wall is the result of a wall of iron spell. No action required. No retry.
20 + spell level Decipher a written spell (such as a scroll) without using read magic. One try per day. Requires a full-round action.
25 + spell level After rolling a saving throw against a spell targeted on you, determine what that spell was. No action required. No retry.
25 Identify a potion. Requires 1 minute. No retry.
20 Draw a diagram to allow dimensional anchor to be cast on a magic circle spell. Requires 10 minutes. No retry. This check is made secretly so you do not know the result.
30 or higher Understand a strange or unique magical effect, such as the effects of a magic stream. Time required varies. No retry.

[Slide]

I have been toying with letting them make a DC 20 spellcraft check to see if a 100 or under gp potion can be easily identified.



That's fair.

Also, my cure light wounds potions are light blue in color and smell kinda flowery.

Levitation potions are also light blue, but smell like cotton candy.

You can see where this is going when the PCs are in a hurry.

[Darrin]

Another option, if you ever have anyone acquire any followers (via Leadership or whatnot), make sure one of them is a 1st-level Dragonfire Adept with the Magic Insight invocation: at-will identify, no material cost. Or hire the DFA as a hireling, 3 SP for the day.