Two questions

[Felnar]

Drinking a potion or using an oil on an item of gear is a standard action.

so there's a chance i could beat the dragon in a drinking contest?

That's when you get out your old Dungeon Master's Guide (1st? Edition) and start to roll...

Bye
Thanee

my favorite use for treasure finding potions

 

[Starglim]

1) It is a standard action to drink one potion. If a creature finds some way to open two dozen other potion containers in the round, they all spill out, have no effect and are wasted. Yes, that includes extra potions physically inside the creature's mouth.

2) By the DMG, it depends what sort of NPCs they are. Allies count as player characters and take a full share of XP. Cohorts do not take a share of experience but get a reduced amount of XP anyway (essentially, they get free XP, over and above the total worth of the monster). Followers and hirelings do not count against XP nor do they earn any XP.

 

[Li Shenron]

#1 What would you do with a dragon/bear/whatever that tried to eat (and chew) multiple potions at once? In this case it's an NPC (dragon), and his allies have a huge number of healing potions (28 CMW potions between the lot of them). The dragon's hurt and the NPCs what to get him ship-shape as quickly as possible.

By the rule it just isn't possible: the dragon can drink a barrel of water but cannot drink a barrel of healing potions otherwise it goes against the law of the universe, the universe collapses, the game is over, why are you still sitting at the gaming table?

I just had an idea for a small house rule that would allow doing this, but actually makes it worthless.

"If a character drinks more potions at once (apply a limit by size), the potions take effect one per round, but the character is nauseated from the second round until the last one."

Nauseated: Experiencing stomach distress. Nauseated creatures are unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.

Being nauseated fits with the idea of drinking too much magic stuff at once, and mechanically it is basically "using up" all your standard actions in the following round, just like you would do if you were drinking one potion every round.

With minor differences (e.g. not being able to do AoOs) it makes it almost irrelevant whether you drink all potions at once or one after the other, so there shouldn't be any balance problem. But at the same time it doesn't leave the players with the feeling that something realistic (the dragon swallowing a bucket of liquid) has to be forbidden outright.

What do you think?

 

[Jdvn1]

I agree. So what happens when someone _does_ try to eat a bunch of them? I mean they fit into the dragon's mouth. Heck, a big one could eat something carrying all of the potions.

Maybe damage from eating glass would balance out the rest of the healing?

I'd say that only one of the potions takes effect (or, alternately, the highest roll from each of the potions--they overlap not stack) for the sake of game balance.

So, "Drinking a potion or using an oil on an item of gear is a standard action. Any other potions or oils used yield no extra effect."

As if to say that applying a magical effect to yourself (or having it applied to oneself) takes a little time for the magical energies to work.

 

[airwalkrr]

It requires a full-round action to give a potion to an unconscious character. It might be reasonable to allow a standard action to give a potion to a conscious character. However, depending on your perception of balance, it might be just as reasonable to rule that a character can only benefit from one potion a round.

 

[brehobit]

1) It is a standard action to drink one potion. If a creature finds some way to open two dozen other potion containers in the round, they all spill out, have no effect and are wasted. Yes, that includes extra potions physically inside the creature's mouth.

Yep, I think that's how it has to go.

2) By the DMG, it depends what sort of NPCs they are. Allies count as player characters and take a full share of XP. Cohorts do not take a share of experience but get a reduced amount of XP anyway (essentially, they get free XP, over and above the total worth of the monster). Followers and hirelings do not count against XP nor do they earn any XP.

So RAW, if 10 low-level NPCs try to help out in a fight, the XP is spread evenly among the NPCs and the PCs? (I ain't gonna do that, I just want to understand the actual rules here...)

Oddly, one of the NPCs is likely to _become_ a follower. So RAW the EXP rules would change at that point. Odd...

Thanks!
Mark

 

[brehobit]

Dup, move along...

 

[Bagpuss]

So RAW, if 10 low-level NPCs try to help out in a fight, the XP is spread evenly among the NPCs and the PCs? (I ain't gonna do that, I just want to understand the actual rules here...)

Oddly, one of the NPCs is likely to _become_ a follower. So RAW the EXP rules would change at that point. Odd...

Thanks!
Mark

Well followers and cohorts come from the Leadership feat, so are really an extension of the PCs abilities so they shouldn't steal XP form the players. Hirelings are the same only this time the PC has paid for their abilities with cash rather than a feat.

Allies basically make the encounter easier, either by soaking up attacks by the enemy (even low-level ones) or doing damage, but aren't an extension of the PC since he's not paid for them with cash or a feat. If a 3rd level ally takes an attack and takes damage he's still stopped that attack damaging a PC as well as a 10th level one that is attacked but it misses. Besides really low level allies won't survive to collect a share of the XP. Hence if they survive they get a full share of XP, taken from the player lot.