Drakevarg
2022-08-27, 02:43 PM
Hello Playground, been a bit.
Lately I've been working on a pet project of mine, developing potions that have multiple effects depending on how you used them. It was based on some extremely flexible holy water I made for a low-magic campaign, intended to turn it from a fairly mediocre splash weapon to an indispensable tool for fighting the undead. Now that I'm working on a more high-magic setting (still well below the normal standard, don't worry, I haven't completely seen sense) I want to expand that from a low-magic tool to something that can remain useful to those with a lot more tricks up their sleeve.
To that end, I did a lot of pouring through books to put together a list of spell effects I felt suitable, eventually putting together five potions that I felt covered most of the essential properties one might expect from such consumables, categorized by their 'element,' so to speak: holy and unholy water, as well as flasks of acid/fire/frost. Each potion has a different effect depending on if it's consumed, applied to an object, or used on a creature (some also have a reusable effect if shaken). They also come in four tiers: a 'nonmagical' T0 which isn't too far removed from their mundane equivalents, and three magical tiers in line with the 0-3 level spells used in potions.
Anyway, all the necessary research and decision-making is done for this project, and all that was left was to write them up as items. That's where I hit a snag. Finishing up the holy water entry, I realized it was wordy. Like really wordy. Like "takes-six-Discord-messages-to-transcribe" wordy. So I could use some help parsing that down into something manageable before I move on to the next entries, so that I can use the clarified version as a new standard to work from. I'll of course post the other potions as I finish them, since I intended to put them up here for review anyway even before I realized the writing problem. So, without further preamble, my take on holy water:
Holy Water
Commonly found in temples and shrines all over the world, holy water is mostly used in simple blessings, but is a useful tool for those who choose to do battle with darker forces.
Tier 0
When consumed as a potion, the basic blessings of a common vial of holy water are enough to stabilize a dying creature, but does not heal their wounds. If used to anoint a weapon, for the next minute that weapon is treated as good-aligned for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction (though the weapon is still not magical, and does not overcome DR/Magic). If poured into a container of equally- or less-potent unholy water, the two cancel each other out and leave behind a container of normal water.
The most dramatic effect of holy water is seen when it comes into contact with the undead or evil-aligned spirits, who take 1d8 damage on contact as the water burns them like an acid. If they should be fully immersed in holy water, the subject takes 20d8 damage per round of immersion, plus an additional 10d8 damage per round for the next 1d3 rounds after immersion. In addition, the subject reacts as if turned, fleeing for 10 rounds or cowering if unable to do so. Intelligent victims may make a Will Save equal to 10 + the damage taken to resist fleeing (making a new save each round they take additional damage from that exposure, increasing the DC cumultatively).
Tier 1
When brewed with the right rituals and sufficiently powerful blessings, the power within a vial of holy water is apparent even to a layman. Simply shaking its container prompts the waters to glow with a silvery light, bright as a torch, for about ten minutes before fading back to its normal state. This can be done as many times as needed as long as there is enough holy water left in the container. If needed, this more potent holy water can be diluted with normal water to produce twice as much of the common variety. If used to neutralize less-potent unholy water, the remaining liquid will still retain some blessing, serving as the common variety of holy water.
Those who consume properly blessed holy water have described it as tasting like liquid song, spreading through their body and restoring their vitality, massaging their wounds closed and relieving their exhaustion. Imbibers regain 1d8+1 hp and do not feel the effects of exhaustion or fatigue for ten minutes after drinking (though this latter effect is only temporary and any relieved exhaustion returns one those ten minutes are up). During this period, they also ignore the first ten points of damage from negative energy, though not any related effects (such as those from being splashed with unholy water).
Anointing a weapon - crafted or natural - with such blessed holy water not only renders it good-aligned, but shrouds it in a magical aura that causes any edges to shine in the light. This enchantment lasts for one minute and gives the weapon a +1 on attack and damage rolls, as well as bypassing DR/Magic (in addition to DR/Good). Anointing a deady body will protect it (or the spirit it once housed) from reanimating as an undead for 24 hours.
This enhanced holy water burns undead and evil spirits more harshly than the common sort, dealing 2d8+1 damage on contact, plus an additional 1d8 per round for the next 1d3 rounds. Immersing the subject entirely in more strongly blessed holy water (if one even has access to such quantities) doesn't damage them any worse than the common variety, nor is the undead or evil spirit turned more significantly (beyond, of course, the increase in damage raising the Will Save's DC).
Tier 2
More learned alchemists and priests are capable of producing even more potent holy water. Like its lesser counterpart, stirring this refined holy water causes it to glow with a silvery light, though it lasts for half an hour before fading back to its normal state. Like any holy water, it can be used to neutralize unholy water or be diluted into a less-potent form.
Drinking this refined holy water heals 2d8+3 hp, as well as dispelling any magical effects reducing one of the drinker's ability scores, or curing 1d4 points of temporary ability damage to one attribute. It also eliminates any fatigue suffered, and improves an exhausted condition to fatigued. The initial surge of vitality suppresses that remaining fatigue for half an hour, and relieves the symptoms of any other negative status effects for three minutes (though any such conditions return once that duration has expired). They are also enjoy the same protection from negative energy damage granted by less-refined holy water for half an hour. Finally, if the imbiber dies within three hours of drinking, they will not be affected by any taint that would raise them as undead, such as ghoul fever or a vampire's bite. This does not protect them from further necromancy post-mortem, only against afflictions already present at the moment of death.
A weapon coated in refined holy water not only becomes a good-aligned magical weapon for three minutes, it even bursts into golden flames for the first three rounds, gaining the flaming property (or, if the wielder is using the judgement ability with all of their bonuses active, flaming burst). These flames do not harm the wielder in any way, even if applied to a natural weapon. Alternatively, it can be dispersed over an entire siege engine, which will not gain the flaming benefits but will gain the good-aligned magical aura. If instead used to anoint a corpse, the body will not only be protected from undeath for three days, it will also not decay during that period.
Finally, if this refined holy water comes into contact with the undead or an evil spirit, it will burn them for 4d8+3 damage on contact. Like its lesser counterpart, immersing the subject in it will not deal any more damage than the basic variety, nor is the turning effect changed beyond the increased damage providing a corresponding increase in Will Save DC.
Tier 3
The holiest of alchemsists are able to create truly blessed holy water. While appearing as simple clear water like any other sort, when stirred this perfected holy water glows like the sun for 50 minutes bright enough to disorient those with sensitive to light, providing bright light out to 60 feet and shadowy light out another 60 feet beyond that. Like lesser forms of holy water, it can neutralize unholy water or be diluted into a more modest potency.
Drinking the most potent form of holy water restores 3d8+5 hp, otherwise mostly providing the same benefits as lesser versions, albeit with more long-lasting benefits (suppressing fatigue and protecting from negative energy for 50 minutes, relieving other negative status effects for five minutes, and protecting against undead taint for five hours). It also wards against further exhaustion or ability score loss for the next five minutes. Finally, the imbiber is so blessed that those within ten feet of them (themselves included) who share their faith gain a +2 to AC and all saves.
Weapons anointed in this perfected holy water behave much as they do with other varieties, albeit for longer (becoming magical good-aligned weapons for five minutes and burning for five rounds). But in addition, such weapons glow like a torch with a golden light, causing creatures sensitive to light to suffer those penalties and dealing an additional 1d6 damage to undead and creatures harmed by sunlight. Finally, undead and evil spirits are burned for 6d8+5 damage by direct contact with this strongest form of holy water, with all related effects remaining the same as with lesser potencies.
Lately I've been working on a pet project of mine, developing potions that have multiple effects depending on how you used them. It was based on some extremely flexible holy water I made for a low-magic campaign, intended to turn it from a fairly mediocre splash weapon to an indispensable tool for fighting the undead. Now that I'm working on a more high-magic setting (still well below the normal standard, don't worry, I haven't completely seen sense) I want to expand that from a low-magic tool to something that can remain useful to those with a lot more tricks up their sleeve.
To that end, I did a lot of pouring through books to put together a list of spell effects I felt suitable, eventually putting together five potions that I felt covered most of the essential properties one might expect from such consumables, categorized by their 'element,' so to speak: holy and unholy water, as well as flasks of acid/fire/frost. Each potion has a different effect depending on if it's consumed, applied to an object, or used on a creature (some also have a reusable effect if shaken). They also come in four tiers: a 'nonmagical' T0 which isn't too far removed from their mundane equivalents, and three magical tiers in line with the 0-3 level spells used in potions.
Anyway, all the necessary research and decision-making is done for this project, and all that was left was to write them up as items. That's where I hit a snag. Finishing up the holy water entry, I realized it was wordy. Like really wordy. Like "takes-six-Discord-messages-to-transcribe" wordy. So I could use some help parsing that down into something manageable before I move on to the next entries, so that I can use the clarified version as a new standard to work from. I'll of course post the other potions as I finish them, since I intended to put them up here for review anyway even before I realized the writing problem. So, without further preamble, my take on holy water:
Holy Water
Commonly found in temples and shrines all over the world, holy water is mostly used in simple blessings, but is a useful tool for those who choose to do battle with darker forces.
Tier 0
When consumed as a potion, the basic blessings of a common vial of holy water are enough to stabilize a dying creature, but does not heal their wounds. If used to anoint a weapon, for the next minute that weapon is treated as good-aligned for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction (though the weapon is still not magical, and does not overcome DR/Magic). If poured into a container of equally- or less-potent unholy water, the two cancel each other out and leave behind a container of normal water.
The most dramatic effect of holy water is seen when it comes into contact with the undead or evil-aligned spirits, who take 1d8 damage on contact as the water burns them like an acid. If they should be fully immersed in holy water, the subject takes 20d8 damage per round of immersion, plus an additional 10d8 damage per round for the next 1d3 rounds after immersion. In addition, the subject reacts as if turned, fleeing for 10 rounds or cowering if unable to do so. Intelligent victims may make a Will Save equal to 10 + the damage taken to resist fleeing (making a new save each round they take additional damage from that exposure, increasing the DC cumultatively).
Tier 1
When brewed with the right rituals and sufficiently powerful blessings, the power within a vial of holy water is apparent even to a layman. Simply shaking its container prompts the waters to glow with a silvery light, bright as a torch, for about ten minutes before fading back to its normal state. This can be done as many times as needed as long as there is enough holy water left in the container. If needed, this more potent holy water can be diluted with normal water to produce twice as much of the common variety. If used to neutralize less-potent unholy water, the remaining liquid will still retain some blessing, serving as the common variety of holy water.
Those who consume properly blessed holy water have described it as tasting like liquid song, spreading through their body and restoring their vitality, massaging their wounds closed and relieving their exhaustion. Imbibers regain 1d8+1 hp and do not feel the effects of exhaustion or fatigue for ten minutes after drinking (though this latter effect is only temporary and any relieved exhaustion returns one those ten minutes are up). During this period, they also ignore the first ten points of damage from negative energy, though not any related effects (such as those from being splashed with unholy water).
Anointing a weapon - crafted or natural - with such blessed holy water not only renders it good-aligned, but shrouds it in a magical aura that causes any edges to shine in the light. This enchantment lasts for one minute and gives the weapon a +1 on attack and damage rolls, as well as bypassing DR/Magic (in addition to DR/Good). Anointing a deady body will protect it (or the spirit it once housed) from reanimating as an undead for 24 hours.
This enhanced holy water burns undead and evil spirits more harshly than the common sort, dealing 2d8+1 damage on contact, plus an additional 1d8 per round for the next 1d3 rounds. Immersing the subject entirely in more strongly blessed holy water (if one even has access to such quantities) doesn't damage them any worse than the common variety, nor is the undead or evil spirit turned more significantly (beyond, of course, the increase in damage raising the Will Save's DC).
Tier 2
More learned alchemists and priests are capable of producing even more potent holy water. Like its lesser counterpart, stirring this refined holy water causes it to glow with a silvery light, though it lasts for half an hour before fading back to its normal state. Like any holy water, it can be used to neutralize unholy water or be diluted into a less-potent form.
Drinking this refined holy water heals 2d8+3 hp, as well as dispelling any magical effects reducing one of the drinker's ability scores, or curing 1d4 points of temporary ability damage to one attribute. It also eliminates any fatigue suffered, and improves an exhausted condition to fatigued. The initial surge of vitality suppresses that remaining fatigue for half an hour, and relieves the symptoms of any other negative status effects for three minutes (though any such conditions return once that duration has expired). They are also enjoy the same protection from negative energy damage granted by less-refined holy water for half an hour. Finally, if the imbiber dies within three hours of drinking, they will not be affected by any taint that would raise them as undead, such as ghoul fever or a vampire's bite. This does not protect them from further necromancy post-mortem, only against afflictions already present at the moment of death.
A weapon coated in refined holy water not only becomes a good-aligned magical weapon for three minutes, it even bursts into golden flames for the first three rounds, gaining the flaming property (or, if the wielder is using the judgement ability with all of their bonuses active, flaming burst). These flames do not harm the wielder in any way, even if applied to a natural weapon. Alternatively, it can be dispersed over an entire siege engine, which will not gain the flaming benefits but will gain the good-aligned magical aura. If instead used to anoint a corpse, the body will not only be protected from undeath for three days, it will also not decay during that period.
Finally, if this refined holy water comes into contact with the undead or an evil spirit, it will burn them for 4d8+3 damage on contact. Like its lesser counterpart, immersing the subject in it will not deal any more damage than the basic variety, nor is the turning effect changed beyond the increased damage providing a corresponding increase in Will Save DC.
Tier 3
The holiest of alchemsists are able to create truly blessed holy water. While appearing as simple clear water like any other sort, when stirred this perfected holy water glows like the sun for 50 minutes bright enough to disorient those with sensitive to light, providing bright light out to 60 feet and shadowy light out another 60 feet beyond that. Like lesser forms of holy water, it can neutralize unholy water or be diluted into a more modest potency.
Drinking the most potent form of holy water restores 3d8+5 hp, otherwise mostly providing the same benefits as lesser versions, albeit with more long-lasting benefits (suppressing fatigue and protecting from negative energy for 50 minutes, relieving other negative status effects for five minutes, and protecting against undead taint for five hours). It also wards against further exhaustion or ability score loss for the next five minutes. Finally, the imbiber is so blessed that those within ten feet of them (themselves included) who share their faith gain a +2 to AC and all saves.
Weapons anointed in this perfected holy water behave much as they do with other varieties, albeit for longer (becoming magical good-aligned weapons for five minutes and burning for five rounds). But in addition, such weapons glow like a torch with a golden light, causing creatures sensitive to light to suffer those penalties and dealing an additional 1d6 damage to undead and creatures harmed by sunlight. Finally, undead and evil spirits are burned for 6d8+5 damage by direct contact with this strongest form of holy water, with all related effects remaining the same as with lesser potencies.