Brew Potion

[RadioActiveIt]

So in a up-coming game I'm making an alchemist. And I'm not so sure I know what Brew Potion does...

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

It lets you ...

... wait for it ...

... brew potions.

Potions are one-shot spells-in-a-bottle which affect the person drinking it. Any spell 3rd-level or lower, which targets one or more creatures, and which is not "Personal" can be made into a potion They cost:

Spell Level * Caster Level * 50gp

... to buy and half that much in raw materials to make.

Let's say you wanted to brew up a potion of cure light wounds, also known as the most basic "healing potion." It's a 1st-level spell, and it doesn't particularly benefit from being high caster level, so we'll make it a 1st-level caster as well.

1 * 1 * 50gp = 50gp purchase price

It costs you (50gp / 2 =) 25gp in raw materials and a couple hours of your time, and voila - anyone who drinks the potion you made is healed of 1d8+1 points of damage.

If you made a caster level 2 version, it'd cost:

1 * 2 * 50gp = 100gp purchase price

and would cost you 50gp in raw materials and a couple hours of your time. The drinker would be healed of 1d8+2 points of damage (which is why I mentioned that it doesn't particularly benefit from being high caster level - twice as expensive for +1 extra healing is not a good trade-off).

Let's say, instead, you wanted to make a potion of bull's strength (a 2nd-level spell). That'd sell in a shop for:

2 * 3 * 50gp = 300gp

... and would cost you 150gp in materials and an evening brewing to make. The drinker would get a +4 enhancement bonus to their strength score for 3 minutes.

Does that just about cover everything you want to know? If not, ask, and I'll try to help out more. :)

[RadioActiveIt]

So instead of making an extract witch I can only use, I can pay and make a potion witch everyone can use?

[Drack530]

RadioActiveIt wrote:

So instead of making an extract witch I can only use, I can pay and make a potion witch everyone can use?

Pretty much. Look up Brew Potion in SRD or in The Core Rulebook. You can make any 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level extracts into potions or oils which anybody can use.

[someweirdguy]

RadioActiveIt wrote:

So instead of making an extract witch I can only use, I can pay and make a potion witch everyone can use?

You know those potions that have been around in the game since it was created? You can make those.

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

RadioActiveIt wrote:

So instead of making an extract witch I can only use, I can pay and make a potion witch everyone can use?

You've got it in one! :)

You can also make potions of spells you can't personally cast as an extract - that just makes the die roll you need to make harder.

You need to make a Spellcraft or Craft (Alchemy) check of 5 + Caster Level of the item. For your alchemist, you'll probably be using Craft (Alchemy) all the time; the DC to craft a 1st-level potion is therefore:

5 + CL = 5 + 1 = 6

You can make that by taking 10. If you can't meet the spell prerequisite (e.g., you're crafting a potion for which you do not know the proper formulae) the DC increases by 5 (in this case, to 11) - you can probably still make that by taking 10.

[gigglestick]

We had a Hedge Witch in our ROTR campaign and she made a lot of potions for the party...they pooled their funds after every scene and she took the time to brew potions for the group...it was worth it for the group to have the things they needed and cheaper than buying them themselves...

Make sure you're not the only one paying for the potions unless you're the only one using them...

Most players would gladly chip in a few GP to have some nice potions on hand.

[Kieviel]

Potions can also be a good way to make a little extra income in between adventures in town. Even if you can't sell all of the ones you make you're just stuck with a few potions so no real loss.