Some friends and I were discussing how to make consumables more interesting/more used.
To summarize the isses we have: we feel on-level consumables are too expensive for their benefits. There may be times when low level ones end up being very useful at high levels, when the cost is a drop in the bucket. But the majority of time consumables are vendor items for gold.
One person had a joke about a subscription server for consumables, but looking at it it starts to seem like an interesting idea (and is pretty close to the PFS Training/Schools freebie consumables).
What's needed to make this work
a) Remove the resale values from consumables (maybe drop to 10% sellback, instead), this gives the inventive to use rather than convert to gp for permament items any consumables found in situ, and prevents laundering of money from part c).
b) (optional) reduce the cost by about a factor of 4, for on-level this puts things into the expensive but maybe still usable/purchased
c) Add a potion of the month club/talisman of the month club from a local vendor. In exchange for guaranteed business you get N consumables of your choice and maybe 1-2 of the merchants choice at some level-determined price (or you pick which level you're subscribing at). We've been bouncing numbers around, but nothing I'm confident of yet for price/quantity. But as a ballpark something like 1gp for 2 level 1 items, per month. one character choice, one vendor choice)
Thoughts on how to fine tune it? Of course its highly dependent on a campaign where adventures are short enough with downtime in the same city (or a magical network of payment/delivery).
Tbh I use talismans fairly frequently as is - or at least, I carry a few on me at all times, and some backup.
Personally it's more a matter of looking at what's useful for me, but generally a couple levels past. I wore Owlbear's Claws from level 3 to late level 6 (Warpriest gets specialisation later) for the occasional axe crit, I carried a saviour's spike for ages because I am paranoid, and later on I'll likely switch to Iron Cubes, Grim Trophies and other fancy little toys. Fortifying Pebbles are also pretty cheap after a while.
It's a free slot which you don't need to invest. See what qualifies, pick whatever's useful. Wealth scales at a more than fitting rate.
A few ideas.
Make them reusable, once per month.
Make them reusable, for a price.
Get some money for expended ones.
Each time you use one, you get a random one 2 level lower. (Probably as a magic bag or something).
Really anything that reduces the gap between selling and using.
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Sort of going along with the second option:
Could have talismans when used, lose their magic, and become raw materials of half the original value of it. So someone can sell the talisman after being used for similar to the price they'd get for an active one. Or someone who can craft talismans, could re-craft the talisman for basically half price, as the starting raw materials would be provided.
That would encourage people to hang onto them and go ahead an use them if they can. And if they find they like it, if they can get the formula for it, they can re-craft it for an affordable cost or time.
Another option, use the wand over-charge rules for talismans for first use. When it gets used, flat check is made, 10 or higher the talisman is broken but can be fixed. On below that, it is burnt out and destroyed completely.
The idea of getting back talismans of a lower level than you used is kind of strange idea. Almost like a Wand of Wonder. It brought strange ideas. You are dangerous. ---laugh---
Sort of going along with the second option:
Could have talismans when used, lose their magic, and become raw materials of half the original value of it. So someone can sell the talisman after being used for similar to the price they'd get for an active one. Or someone who can craft talismans, could re-craft the talisman for basically half price, as the starting raw materials would be provided.
Using crafting to "repair" a talisman would work out pretty good.
DC is the same as the craft DC is, but you don't need the formula.
Critical success: Repaired at 1/4 cost.
Success: Repaired at half cost.
Critical failure: Talismans is destroyed.
You are dangerous. ---laugh---
Yes... I am.
But I kind of like having shifting bonuses. So you don't just spam the same talisman over and over.