Multiple Potion Drinking

[Grayhawk]

Apologies for asking the question but it just seems like the rules don't cover all the options logically.

I really don't see why they would have to. The rules state that drinking a potion is a standard action, even if they don't bother to explain why it's a standard action.

And if your players aren't satisfied with a 'them's the rulez' reply, I offered a possible explanation in my post above

 

[nhl_1997]

Each DM is free to run things as he or she sees fit, but keep this in mind:

If you in any way make it possible to "activate" more than one potion with a single standard action, you are making potions more powerful compared to other standard action activating items. Would you also allow someone to activate three scrolls with a single action? Would you allow someone to activate three wands at once (I think there is a feat in the Complete Arcane allowing someone to activate two wands at once.)

One option to keep things more "balanced" is to invent a feat allowing the consumption of two potions simultaneously? Perhaps, allowing multiple potions to be activated in your campaign wouldn't cause any balance issues due to the possibility for "random effects." Another option, screw balance.... just go with what makes sense (perfectly reasonable alternative.)

 

[TDRandall]

Well, official would be "you can't get the effect you want in the way you want them" and I'd go #4 using the "overlapping similar effects rule" and "sorry you wasted your two other potions". Since that detracts from the fun here and you seem to be searching for an out (though that would make it more house-rule forum fodder), let's try to whip up something "logical" instead....

If you wanted to stick closest to the rules while still having fun, I would state that the bulk of the round when imbibing a potion is due to the time it takes to actually swallow the amount of liquid volume in a typical potion. Therefore, since they are swallowing three times the volume of liquid, it takes three rounds (well, standard actions, I guess) to do so. But then be ready to field request by the players for a feat to either concentrate a potion to smaller volume with same effect or "chug" the existing larger volume quicker.

If you wanted to allow the three-at-once-in-one-round, I would lean towards #2. I would actually probably roll the amount of HPs to be gained back and then average it out per round, since the contents indeed mix. Then your logic becomes that it takes a round for the throat/stomach to ingest the typical amount of potion volume/power contained within; since you drank 3X the typical volume it takes 3 rounds to get the complete effect. You'll want to decide whether odd points go in the earlier round(s) (initial rush to the system) or later round(s) (body has more to work with in later round so gets better effect then) and then be consistent.

Glad to see someone put the "mixing potions is bad" rule back in even if it can't be used in this case. (But why not? Couldn't one say that while the effect has completed, the base of the potion is still present for "mixing" purposes? Then you end up limiting them to what, one every 10 minutes or so? ) It seemed a complete change from the old days by having everyone in a party say "ok, every one have their multiple buffing potions ready? Let's prepare for combat... 1 (gulp), 2 (gulp), 3 (gulp), ... charge!"

Sorry, rambling on with nothing official. Take it or leave it, use it or don't. I'd say I'm apathetic tonight, but I just don't care.

 

[TDRandall]

Holy smokes! I knew I had left this window open for a while before getting back to it, but 8 responses between the last one I saw and my last reply? Wow you guys are fast!

 

[Impeesa]

Here's a similar question for all of you "can't swallow that much at once" people: Say I've got a PC with the Swallow Whole ability. He's strapped a couple potion vials together beforehand, and at some point during combat he draws the bundle and tosses it back whole with a quick chew to break the vials. What effect does it have?

--Impeesa--

 

[TDRandall]

Is that purely a hypothetical? Without resorting to some rather bizarre (or high CR/EL/ECL/whatever the correct term is) monsters I can't think of any really viable PC that could ever do that.

But if you want to push the case - why doesn't a monster that swallows a PC whole get the benefit of all potions the character may be wearing? (assuming they break, which it seems at least SOME should)

 

[Herpes Cineplex]

Your DMing. The player says that they have three vials taped together. They swallow the collective contents. You as the DM say:

I, as the GM, say "What, are you TRYING to be a jerk?"


If they insisted that this is what they are going to do (never mind where they found tape in the campaign setting...), then maybe I tell them that the shape of the vials makes it hard to get the necks close enough together for simultaneous drinking, and so they spill two of them on their shirt and get to roll 1d3 to see which one they actually swallowed.

Or if they say they mix three potions in a cup and drink it? Perhaps I'd say okay, that'll take three rounds to uncap the vials, pour 'em into the cup, mix it, and drink it...and if you're not being a wanker about it, I'll probably just let all three potions work normally. If you're annoying me, then, gee, I guess the efficacy of those potions diminishes when they're exposed to the air for that long, and maybe none of them will work.

But if I wasn't in the mood to humor a bad idea, I'd probably just tell them that their idea won't work and that they should just drink one potion at a time like the rules say.


Mind you, I'm not obsessed with following the rules in every situation, but there has to be a good enough reason to make me want to bend them. This idea (chugging multiple potions simultaneously) just doesn't have any good reasons behind it. I'm not feeling especially inclined to throw out a perfectly acceptable rule stating that drinking a potion is a standard action which can invite an attack of opportunity just on a whim, and I'm certainly not interested in opening the door for characters to start taping together three cure light wounds potions instead of paying for a single potion of cure serious wounds (thereby saving as much as 600gp and only losing a few extra hit points' worth of curing, no less!).

At some point you really just need to be able to say "Sorry, but NO."

--
good ideas can get the rules bent to fit them: dumb ideas never will

 

[Li Shenron]

If one of my player insisted on being allowed swallowing 3 potions at once, from next encounter on I'll have every large/huge-sized monsters drink a barrel of potions with a standard action.

For me, this is really a matter of fair play.

 

[Kelleris]

Sheesh, some people taking a tiny bit of creativity real personal-like here.

I would say, sure, go ahead, but they won't all completely stack. If I had time (PbP game, say), I'd see how much healing the total value of the potions provides, making up some number between the two closest. Otherwise, I'd just half a random potion and quarter the last one, in terms of effects. Faster healing, then, but not a whole lot better than one potion costing the same as the set of three.

 

[Li Shenron]

Sheesh, some people taking a tiny bit of creativity real personal-like here.

I'm all about supporting a player's creativity as much as possible... but there are situations when it could possibly make a precedent that you later can't easily get rid of. Two examples coming to my mind are (1) allowing to use a leather strip on the weapon to drop/pickup as a free action, (2) allowing to store wands or small weapons in your belt to draw/sheath as a free action.

As you see, I'm not very confident when it is about changing the type of action...