Crystallize Potion. Critique please

[Corbert]

Oooh, I just had an evil thought! A crystallized potion would probably be a lot more fragile than a potion bottle, so the DC to keep one intact in the event of a failed save would be ridiculously high. Any suggestions?

 

[Vrecknidj]

When I first glanced at this thread, I thought that the suggestion was going to be to let the water from a potion evaporate (or use the Craft(alchemy) skill to 'evaporate' the water more quickly), leaving behind a crystalline rock or powder of the original potion. My next thought was that this could produce a lozenge that either quickly or slowly dissolves, or could be chewed.

Dave

 

[JimAde]

Actually, that's part of the plan. Several times I've had PCs go unconscious (especially the cleric) when I expected the battle to be a cake walk, and it would be nice to have some way the other PCs can help. I suppose a crystallized potion would have a break DC of about 5 or so? It would have to really low so it doesn't just bounce off, maybe right into the hands of the enemy

You also have to account for things like "Potion of Shocking Grasp" or "Potion of Fireball." There's nothing in the rules preventing you making such a potion (except that it would be stupid) and the ability to have the potion affect an unwilling target makes them viable items.

Actually I have something a lot like this in my game. It's called a Spell Jar. It's a glass object that releases a spell when broken. Fireball Spell Jars are very popular, but I don't have any PCs with the feat to make them. I'm still not sure if they're balanced. If you're interested in the write-up it's in this document that describes the nature of glass in my game:

http://home.comcast.net/~jim.ade/ilium/GlassAndGloinne.doc

 

[Staffan]

Arcana Evolved has "detonations", which are single-use items (like potions) that you can throw with a range increment of 10 ft, and take effect either on the area or the target hit. If the spell in the detonation is a touch spell, increase the cost by 50% to account for the increased range.

 

[Dog Moon]

Originally posted by DungeonmasterCal
Suppositories??? EWWW!! I'll just live with the damage, thanks.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought. So what's worse? You needing the potion and doing it yourself or falling unconscious and needing someone else to give it to you?

IIRC, Frostburn had crafted skulls which were similar to potions under the theory that in the cold north, potions would be frozen and thus undrinkable. If you really wanted, you could just have a feat called Craft Singe-Use Item [Clever name, I know] where they can create potions, wafers, or similar items, allow each Crafter to choose their own variant.

 

[GreatLemur]

There was a really nice little article on this subject on Diamondthrone.com. (Arcana Evolved, after all, has "single-use magic items" which can be made in any form, instead of just potions, which is damned cool.)

But as for potions that can be administered to the unconscious--or the unwilling--there was a d20 steampunk suppliment that came up with the brilliant and obvious concept of injectable potions.

 

[Vrecknidj]

A potion of fireball is a perfectly good potion to make. Especially if the user is immune to fire but the things around him aren't. Well, provided it's legal to make them.

Dave