Can you drink potions under water?

[LuisCarlos17f]

What? Where?

Complete Arcane Excerpt

Complete Arcane Excerpt

archive.wizards.com

Potions

The standard potion is, of course, a vial filled with a magical libation, designed to be consumed by anyone and having the following characteristics.

* Single-use only -- once consumed, the potion is gone.

* Limited to spells of 3rd level or lower.

* No special magical training required -- anyone can drink a potion and gain the benefit of its magic.

* Must be physically manipulated in some way (unstoppered or broken, then consumed).

* Must be in the user's hand to be used.

* Use provokes attacks of opportunity.

Within these broad guidelines, though, a number of alternate potion forms might be possible.

Magic Fruit: Apples and pomegranates with magical properties are commonplace in mythology. A potion-fruit might consist of a slice or section of a fruit steeped in a magical libation that produces its effect when consumed.

Magic Tiles: A small ceramic tile inscribed with a magic rune could hold a potion-type effect. When it is snapped or broken in one's hand, the effect is released.

Skull Talismans: The skull of a small animal (a bird, mouse, or rat, for example) is enchanted with a single spell. When crushed in one's hand or underfoot, the skull talisman releases its stored effect.

Spell Wafers: A thin wafer of specially prepared bread or dough, stamped with a holy or arcane symbol, can hold a spell as well as a potion bottle can. When the wafer is consumed, the stored magic takes effect

 

[CapnZapp]

Lol. Serves me right for asking about rules in a necro thread

By that I of course wish to thank you for your response, but maybe just because the thread is from 2003 doesn't mean people are playing 3.x anymore... (I assumed you were talking about PF2 or 5E)

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I seriously doubt any version of D&D has specific rules for drinking potions underwater. Maybe naval sourcebooks or the like. So I doubt it matters whether someone is playing 3.x or some other edition.

I say yes, you can drink a potion underwater, but if the water (or other liquid) is gross, you are exposed to that too.

 

[jasper]

WTF??? who the hell would make a carbinated potion?

And then jasper had an idea. A perfectly Evil IDea. Then marketing heard of it.
jasper is now living off the profits in a first world kingdom.

 

[PumpkinGhost]

The closest to an official ruling I found was in the description of the potion sponge item. The text makes it look like you're not allowed to drink regular potions while underwater.

Clothing & Containers – d20PFSRD

www.d20pfsrd.com

Here's the full text.

This egg-sized sponge is covered in a layer of waterproof edible wax, designed to absorb 1 dose of a potion. Chewing a potion sponge and swallowing its liquid contents is a full-round action. A creature of at least Large size can swallow the sponge in its entirely; other creatures must spit out the sponge once it’s depleted (a free action). Unlike a potion that is drunk from a vial, a potion sponge can be used underwater. A potion can be poured from a vial into a sponge potion (or squeezed from a sponge into a vial) as a full-round action. The potion sponge is immune to attacks that specifically target crystal, glass, ceramic, or porcelain, such as shatter. It otherwise works like a potion vial.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

That... is a bit shocking.

I wonder how many PCs have avoided drowning by drinking a potion of Water Breathing?

 

[CapnZapp]

That... is a bit shocking.

I wonder how many PCs have avoided drowning by drinking a potion of Water Breathing?

Many, I gather.

Although most of those would probably have drunk the potion before jumping into the pool

 

[CapnZapp]

The closest to an official ruling I found was in the description of the potion sponge item. The text makes it look like you're not allowed to drink regular potions while underwater.

Yeah, well, the rule is there, and not by the potion entry in the core rulebook.

To get straight to the point: I see no practical use case where the official rules doesn't allow you to gain the benefits of potion contents one way or another.

In other words, no group that would have found outlawing regular potion underwater usage should be inconvenienced, since the same source that suggests such a ban also introduces a workable alternative.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

I am reluctant of banning the driking of a potion underwater. Mostly, because it can be done by free divers (and a regular character unable to breathe water would probably only do this to drink a water breathing potion) and even more easily by scuba divers over the world (starts at 2:08 : or )

What makes you think it's difficult to drink underwater?

 

[CapnZapp]

I am reluctant of banning the driking of a potion underwater.

What makes you think it's difficult to drink underwater?

Who are you referring to? The OP asked an open question (sixteen years ago!) Most posters have replied they see no problem.