Trading potions in game


Pathfinder Society

Lantern Lodge

Right now I can give away anything I like to another PC. That PC can consume or use what ever given, but can not keep an item or gold beyond that module, and if used it must be removed from my inventory.

Can I take my healing potion and use it to revive a party member, and have that now recovered party member give me one of his potions to replace the one I used on him? It seems to me that what has happened is a zero sum. In order to save time, and possibly a player character's life I use a potion That I can retrieve as a move action, rather then searching a down player's back pack for that healing potion.

A second scenario, I use a healing potion on a PC, and that PC then buys a replacement and gives it to my PC at the end of the module? I am only talking about replacing one potion with EXACTLY same potion, not a substitution of a "like" item, or gold to pay for the item

Shadow Lodge 4/5 ****

Well I presume you're talking about PFS, if not I have no idea what you're talking about and please ignore.

You can hand your consumables to others or feed them to them etc.

Unfortunately they cannot replace them. My high level cleric was kinda sad about blowing money on Breath of Life scrolls until I played again with people whom I had raised previously and they started the mod by handing me a scroll of Breath of Life. Of course if they didn't die that mod they got their scroll back but at least they understood the consumable issue and were trying to help.

Grand Lodge 4/5 *

Yes, you can "lend" items or consumables to other players during PFS scenarios, and they can use those consumables, but you can't give them stuff that they leave the scenario with (and they can't give you stuff that you leave the scenario with), period. So there's no replacement in the case you note. Tell people before the scenario starts to make sure they have their own healing items. Of course, in extremis you'll still use your own potion to revive a guy, but all you get back is that warm fuzzy feeling and hopefully someone other than you for the bad guys to target.

Sczarni 4/5 RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16

Call me crazy, but that seems ridiculous. If I were GMing this, I'd let the other player give you a replacement for the same item. You don't walk away with anything you didn't have going in, after all. And the other player is out the gold for the healing potion. Nothing in that seems unreasonable.

Now, if the other guy didn't give you back the same thing, I could potentially see a problem there. But it seems like if the scenario you're describing weren't allowed, it would make it very difficult to foster a sense of "team playing" within the group.

. . . But that's just me. Your GM may vary.

Grand Lodge 4/5

Norm Roth wrote:

Right now I can give away anything I like to another PC. That PC can consume or use what ever given, but can not keep an item or gold beyond that module, and if used it must be removed from my inventory.

Can I take my healing potion and use it to revive a party member, and have that now recovered party member give me one of his potions to replace the one I used on him? It seems to me that what has happened is a zero sum. In order to save time, and possibly a player character's life I use a potion That I can retrieve as a move action, rather then searching a down player's back pack for that healing potion.

I'd say generally that if a PFS character uses up an item, say for example, an arrow, and before the end of the scenario replaces it from items found, such as arrows that defeated enemies carried, he should not have to pay for a replacement from the chronicle sheet. The same could apply here.

Norm Roth wrote:
A second scenario, I use a healing potion on a PC, and that PC then buys a replacement and gives it to my PC at the end of the module? I am only talking about replacing one potion with EXACTLY same potion, not a substitution of a "like" item, or gold to pay for the item
Guide to Organised Play, p.23 wrote:

AFTER THE SCENARIO

..
When the scenario ends (or you run out of time), your Game Master will give you that scenario's chronicle sheet.
..
Step 1: Experience
..
Step 2: Day Job
..
Step 3: Spoils of War and Buying Equipment

None of these steps allow the actions you describe to happen "at the end of the module". If the published scenario places your PCs in a town of at least 5,000 inhabitants and you convince your GM to run through this purchase in game play before the end of the module, recording the purchase as Gold Spent by the other PC, he might have a healing potion that (by the above reasoning) he could give to your character.

Lantern Lodge

The exchange would take place BEFORE the module ends, not after. I agree that a replacement AFTER the module ends would be inappropriate.

Grand Lodge 3/5

Per the Org Play Guide

The Pathfinder Society Guide to Organized Play wrote:

No Selling/Trading between Players

In Pathfinder Society Organized Play, you may never buy
items from, sell items to, or trade items with another
player. You may however, allow another player to borrow
an item for the duration of a scenario.

So you could not, by the rules, do what you are saying. However, you could "trade" a potion that was used within the scenario.

Grand Lodge 3/5

Sorry Norm, I was half-asleep when I looked at this thread earlier.

I think it is ok to do either of the things you refer to above.

Using the example of a CLW potion:
It is ok to use one of your potions to stabilize/heal a character, then ask them to give one of their CLW potions to you. As long as one potion is removed from someone's sheet.
You can even go further, and ask them to buy a replacement potion at the end of a scenario.

I remember these specific actions happening at GenCon in the past, with the org's blessing.

What you cannot do is anything beyond the specific instances you stated above. You could not get an equivalent value item. You could not get gold. You could not have them pay you back down the road. You could not just give them the item to add to their sheet. Not that you wanted to do any of those things.

Lantern Lodge

It might be a good idea to have GM's make notes of potions used, gold spent, and charges used on wands by various players during a module and have them noted on the scenario sheet when given to a player at the end of the module. As once noted a lock does not keep a dishonest person out it just helps keep an honest person honest ;-)

Liberty's Edge 4/5

This whole issue is kinda common sense. I mean the rules don't explicitly state that my character ate lunch today, but he must have.

If I have a cure moderate potion and you are down, I am going to pull my potion and not yours. Then when combat is done and you are up, you hand me the one you have. At the end of the scenario, you mark it used on your sheet.

In the same situation but if you don't have one. You buy one at the end of the mod and put it on your sheet. You hand it to me before we part ways and then mark it used on your sheet.

In both of these situations, it must be the same potion/scroll/sword/arrow/whatever.

That is how I have GM'd it for years and how I will continue to GM it. If there isn't a place to purchase the potion, RP the end of the scenario a little and don't just read the conclusion when the combat is completed.

Really...People need this crap spelled out?

The Exchange 2/5

Atrius wrote:


Really...People need this crap spelled out?

I think the reason people need this spelled out is because previous Living campaigns specifically disallowed things like this from happening, even though you would think it would be common sense. A lot of people aren't used to the common sense approach actually being the correct answer because of that.

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