Treasure Thine NPC

[ArmorArmadillo]

So, as background: there's a feat, Delay Potion, from Complete Mage, which, in a nutshell, let's you drink a potion and use it later.
I'm going to be using an NPC villain in my campaign (BBEG Minion)
He's an Artifcer 4 with Delay Potion and a Homebrew Feat:
Spitfire Alchemist [Tactical]
Requirements: Brew Potion, Delay Potion, Use Magic Device 6 Ranks, Craft (Alchemy) 4 Ranks, Con 12+
Benefit: You gain the use of three tactical maneuvers:
Ignition Mixture: If you have a potion delayed, you can "quaff" a bottle of Alchemist's Fire to catalyze the mixture and create a gout of flame, spitting the potion back out in a 10 ft. Cone of fire which deals 1d6 Fire Damage for each level of the Potion, with a Reflex Save (DC=10+Potion level+Con Modifier) to halve the damage.
Corrosive Mixture: If you have a potion delayed, you can "quaff" an Acid Flask to catalyze the mixture and create a small glob of acid, spitting the potion back out as a ranged touch attack which deals 1d4 Acid damage for each level of the Potion with no save. This damage repeats again on the next turn, with no save.
Ionized Mixture: If you have a potion delayed, you can "quaff" a bottle of Alchemist's Spark to catalyze the mixture and create a charged burst of energy, spitting the potion back out in a 15 ft. line which deals 1d4 Electrical damage for each level of the Potion, and Slowing the opponent (as the spell) for 1 round. A successful Reflex halves this damage and negates the Slow effect.


So, my question is:
This character is going to need a lot of potions to consistently use this feat. (Which I want him to) But, if I give him a lot of Potions, that means a lot of treasure for the PCs. More than I may be wanting to give them.

However, if I balance the rest of the treasure to the number of potions he has, and the encounter lasts for a while, the NPC could use a lot of the potions, leaving comparatively little treasure for the encounter.

Anyone have an idea how to balance this?

[Fax Celestis]

No, but you might want to look at Shiny's Miscibilist.

[blue_fenix]

Lay out the treasure for him based on how much you want to give the party, then give him lots of potions. When they kill him, say his body falls to the floor and lands directly on top of his Handy Haversack full of potions, breaking the bottles, or better yet, have his body explode when he dies from all the crazy chemical interactions. Most of his magic items remain unharmed, but the potions don't become an issue. Another option would be to put ALL the treasure in the form of potions, but only put some of those potions actually on him. The rest go in his stock room in the back, which he'll try to run away to if he runs out of potions during the fight.

[Jasdoif]

That "Curative Mixture" seems misnamed and overpowered.

As for the other two...Use cure minor wounds potions, heightened to level 3. They'll work just fine for the ignition mixture and corrosive mixture since they're based on the level of spell in the potion, yet they don't have a significant value for normal use.

[Quietus]

That "Curative Mixture" seems misnamed and overpowered.

As for the other two...Use cure minor wounds potions, heightened to level 3. They'll work just fine for the ignition mixture and corrosive mixture since they're based on the level of spell in the potion, yet they don't have a significant value for normal use.

A cure minor wounds potion heightened to level 3 would have the exact same spell level and minimum caster level as a potion of Cure Serious Wounds. You might as well just make the Cure Serious potion.

I agree that the curative mixture seems overpowered, though.

[Jasdoif]

A cure minor wounds potion heightened to level 3 would have the exact same spell level and minimum caster level as a potion of Cure Serious Wounds. You might as well just make the Cure Serious potion.

In general, sure, but look at the original post. The question was how to make a potion-reliant villain without having a ton of variance in how much treasure might be available.

Now, you'll have a very hard time finding someone to pay more then standard cost for a heightened cure minor wounds, since its effects are the same as a regular cure minor wounds. So you can't really expect to get more then 25gp for each such potion if you were to try selling them. A lot easier to deal with when it comes to treasure value.

[ArmorArmadillo]

In general, sure, but look at the original post. The question was how to make a potion-reliant villain without having a ton of variance in how much treasure might be available.

Now, you'll have a very hard time finding someone to pay more then standard cost for a heightened cure minor wounds, since its effects are the same as a regular cure minor wounds. So you can't really expect to get more then 25gp for each such potion if you were to try selling them. A lot easier to deal with when it comes to treasure value.

I've changed Curative Mixture to something a little bit more reasonable, and I think more in flavor.

Frankly I don't want to face the wierd looks from players when they identify 15 Heightened Potions of cure minor wounds.

I think one possible solution, building from what I've seen here, would be to have "treasure" listed for him and not touch that. Every time he wants to use a potion, he generates one from an infinite supply, randomly chosen from level 1-3. Once he gets offed by the PCs, they find his "remaining" potions, which just happen to be the treasure he had listed to begin with.

[Thanatos 51-50]

The potions disappear in a puff of discontinuity.

[Fax Celestis]

I think one possible solution, building from what I've seen here, would be to have "treasure" listed for him and not touch that. Every time he wants to use a potion, he generates one from an infinite supply, randomly chosen from level 1-3. Once he gets offed by the PCs, they find his "remaining" potions, which just happen to be the treasure he had listed to begin with.

Good call. If your PCs ask, say he was pulling them from a specially designed handy haversack that only works for him.

[ArmorArmadillo]

Good call. If your PCs ask, say he was pulling them from a specially designed handy haversack that only works for him.

"Ret-Con Industries: Best if used 6 Seconds Ago"

Well, my hope would be to avoid having to say "he had tons of treasure, but you can't have it," In fear of my campaign turning into a webcomic plot about stealing the "Handy Haversack that Only Works for the Villain" and the player's quest to get the treasure out of it.
Although...they COULD actually do that. Then, for some future sidequest I could give them the method to "unlock" the personalized handysack and the potions within as the reward. I like ideas.

But, I may go with the "He explodes from unstable chemicals when he dies" solution though; just because it's fun to see gnomes explode.

[Jasdoif]

I like ideas.

OK then, you can have the ones I came up with explaining the "who the crap HEIGHTENS cure potions?" idea

Our alchemist guy has discovered an elaborate, yet inexpensive in terms of additional components, process that can heighten existing potions to 3rd level, including bumping the caster level up to 5th...but so far he's only gotten it to work on cure minor wounds potions. Not directly useful, but since he only needs a 25gp investment (plus whatever the process consumes) to pick up a level 3 potion for his breath mixtures, compared to the 750gp he'd need otherwise...he keeps a bunch for those purposes while continuing research, hoping to eventually find a "gold mine" through potion reselling.

Doesn't lend itself too well to further adventures though, unless you want to go the route of "know a wizard who'd be interested, who'll then send us on 'errands' to find exotic potential focuses". Or if you later allow one of your PCs takes the Spitfire Alchemist feat themselves, they might appreciate this.


But you're right, exploding gnomes are fun. Maybe that's what inspired the elixir of reckoning.