Potion question

[Hubbaman]

Hello!
This question might have been answered before, but I could not find the answer.

So, on d20prsrd it says the following sentence under potions section of magic items:
"The drinker of a potion is both the effective target and the caster of the effect (though the potion indicates the caster level, the drinker still controls the effect)."

Does this mean that the effect of the potion is based on the level of the person drinking it?

[Manly-man teapot]

Hubbaman wrote:

Hello!

This question might have been answered before, but I could not find the answer.

So, on d20prsrd it says the following sentence under potions section of magic items:
"The drinker of a potion is both the effective target and the caster of the effect (though the potion indicates the caster level, the drinker still controls the effect)."

Does this mean that the effect of the potion is based on the level of the person drinking it?

No, the effect is based on the caster level of the potion. But it means you can make a potion of Resist Energy; when you cast Resist Energy, the caster decides which type of energy it protects against. Therefore, when you drink a potion of Resist Energy, you decide which type of energy you're protected against - because you count as the caster.

[Hubbaman]

Alright, thanks.
As higher level potions had a pricerange, I was guessing that this was the case, just wanted to be sure.

How do you handle the alchemist wanting to buying a +5 Magic weapon, greater as soon as she has level 2 extracts?
Should this be available in the nearest store in the metropol? I know PFS has a rule that all potions bought is minimum level, is there anything like that in the core rules?

[Rub-Eta]

Nothing is available by default. What's available is what the DM says is available. A guideline is to provide what can be created by the NPC:s in the village/town/city (meaning that a village with only farmers and pesants will have close to no magic items at all while a town with a local Wizard/Witch/Priest(Cleric) could have potions with spells up to their appropriate caster level. It doesn't matter if the Alchemist has access to level 2 extracts or not.

Though I'm guessing you're refering to the Alchemical Allocation extract, since you're specifically noting level 2 extracts?
A +5 Greater Magic Weapon will have a caster level of 20 by default, any lower and it isn't +5 anymore. This would mean that an Alchemist with the Alchemical Allocation extract could buy one for 3000 gp and could start every day with a 20 hour +5 Greater Magic Weapon potion without expending it (only the extract).
However, this also means that there has been a 20th level caster who created the potion. Such high level casters are very rare, even in the biggest of cities (and probably earns a living by granting wishes and creating magical artifacts to sell, not petty potions for a very select few adventurers to pay for).

If you're the DM, you have full right to say no. If you're the player, accept if your DM says no.

[VampByDay]

Rub-eta has the right of it, but there's a few more pieces of information.

1) greater magic weapon does very little for an alchemist. Note that it normally comes in an OIL, so that you spread it on your sword/gun/gnomish bomb-chucker. As a potion, YOU become the target of the spell (not your weapon). And unless you are a monk/brawler/sacred fist warpriest, you don't count as a weapon (your unarmed attacks can't benifit from weapon enchants). Alchemical allocation only works on potions, not oils.

2) sometimes Paizo will publish city stat blocks for cities. When they do, you will find that they list what magic items are always on sale in the city (for example, any item up to 1000 gp), but also the highest level spellcaster in the city willing to provide spell casting services (it is assumed this guy has all the item creation feats, or has access to friends with said item creation feats). So if a city has an 'always available' cost of 4,500 gp (such as the new Hell's Rebels adventure path) but the highest level caster is 7 (also like Hell's Rebels) then No, you can't buy that 3,000 GP potion that requires a caster level 20 guy.

[Goth Guru]

Go on a friggin adventure. Find a friggin humongous lost city that at the center has a friggin ancient, hidden, cache of high level potions guarded by a friggin alchemist golem.