Would it be mean for me to have Potions of Inflict Serious Wounds as treasure?

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Go ahead and do it. If they die as a result, well, that just shows them that you aren't going to always be on their side. Sometimes the Gm needs to be the players worst enemy...

 

[Shadowslayer]

I'd say for a one shot, or an every once in a while...sure.

Wouldn't want to pull that TOO often though, IMO. Its fun to get them a little paranoid...but long term severe paranoia can make a game drag, in my experience.

On the other hand, like someone else said, through magic or sipping, they'll probably figure it out. (Depends if your guys tend to just chug every potion they find.)

Very creative and cool idea though!

 

[Faradon]

I try to have most items I place into an adventure make sense... however, in the dungeon of an intelligent undead creature, he/she/it may have all sorts of cause wounds effects, potions, scrolls, etc... seeing as they act as cure for an undead.

Just a thought.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

I try to have most items I place into an adventure make sense... however, in the dungeon of an intelligent undead creature, he/she/it may have all sorts of cause wounds effects, potions, scrolls, etc... seeing as they act as cure for an undead.

Just a thought.

Yup - I like my placed treasure to make sense most of the time (although my players are still trying to figure out why an evil Treant had a massive tapestry as treasure). Mislabelled potions are an old chesnut that never really wears out its wlecome. Just be sure not to over use it or you'll have the players throwing their 'potions' (read: pop cans) at you !

 

[Henry]

Ye Olden Days used to have a lot nastier treasure than that... I'll never forget Lew Pulsipher's article, about what to do with a new magic item, checking coins in a horde for numismatic value, clearing parties of hidden dopplegangers, and thinking, "MY GOD! HOW DO THEY EVER GET TO THE ADVENTURE!?!"

 

[StupidSmurf]

I'm thinking of a one-shot where the villain is a ghoulish illusionist, and, as an undead, he is healed by negative energy. However, he makes sure to keep up illusions to make himself look alive, as a good preventative tactics. The PCs will see him chug a 'healing potion' in the middle of combat, and when they loot him they'll find more potions, all conveniently labeled -- fox's cunning, jump, and cure serious wounds.

I wonder if I might kill a PC this way.

What a BRUTAL, NASTY, MEAN thing to do!!!!!!

::::adds it to my DM Bag O' Tricks, laughing in that sinister mad villain fashion::::

BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[luke_twigger]

What about some Sovereign Glue stored in a potion bottle

 

[WayneLigon]

I wonder if I might kill a PC this way.

I did. I had a vampire assassin who carried several Inflict Critical Wounds potions with her. They saw her use a couple of them and heal right up and must have forgotten what must be happening. When the fight was over and the badly damaged PC's were regrouping, the worst-wounded guy rips a potion off her belt and downs it.

Thunk, dead.

 

[Conaill]

A ghoulish *Illusionist*, eh?

Depending on whether he was expecting any trouble over the past couple of days, and on how many potions he tends to carry around, there's a good chance he may have cast Magic Aura on at least a few of them, to make them *look* like Cure potions. So much for doing the "sip" test...

 

[Bloodsparrow]

Brilliant! *hop*