Potion making and you! - A guide to making potions

[dastmo]

I actually had an idea of developing an RP system for potion making... not exactly a guide actually, but what do you think?

Potion System
by d@$tmo

1. Definition of potion - any consumable liquid, increasing (or decreasing) your physical and mental skills.


2. Tools and materials needed to create a potion:

2.1. Herbs (details can be found lower)

2.2. Vials (details can be found lower)

2.3. Camp/Cooking Fire (not for all potions, depends on igredients)

2.4. Liquid (to serve as dispersion medium)

2.5. Additional ingredients (anything that you could ever need for a potion)


3. Skills (The one who is making the potion requires Alchemy only. Another Herbalist or gatherer (for 2.5.) could provide his materials)

3.1. Herbalism

3.2. Alchemy

3.3. Anything else that could get the additional ingredients


4. Herbs

4.1. Primary bonuses - [+Health (Healing); +Mana (Recharging); + Attack Rolls (Increasing the physical/mental skills for limited amount of attacks); + Defense Rolls (Increasing the physical/mental skills for limited amount of rolls); - Recharge Roll (Increases the concentration for limited amount of recharge rolls)]
This bonus system is used when creating custom potions (details lower), so you can find the optimal combination.

4.2. Overuse - [-Health (Recieving Damage); -Mana (Clouding the mind); - Attack Rolls (Clouding mind/decreasing physical skills); - Defense Rolls (Clouding mind/decreasing physical skills); + Recharge Rolls (Decreases the concentration for limited amount of recharge rolls)]
The overuse depends on herbs, ingredients, some vial materials and liquids. For example, a herb that is taken more than 3 times in one event decreases your Attack Rolls for let's say 10 attacks. If this herb is contained 2 times in a potion, drinking two potions of these will get you in an Overuse, decreasing your Attack Rolls for 10 attacks. Because 2 potions, each containing 2 pieces of the herb = 4 pieces of the herb. If the user is suffering the effect of Overuse already, when taking more of the same Overuse, it will add up on his Overuse time. For example, if we take three potions from the past example, the overuse will add up for the third, fourth and fifth pieces of the herb. 3x10=30 Decreased Attack Rolls.

4.3. Sources - Herbalism rolls (every 10 minutes spend in a place when herbs can be found maybe? For example in Elwyn Forest one does Herbalism Roll. 1-10=Nothing; 11-35=Peacebloom; 36-70=Silverleaf; 71-100=Earthroot. After 10 minutes he has the right to do Herbalism Roll again); Some mobs (maybe?); Market (At big prices though, so we can use the Herbalism rolls more often and still have a backup option)

4.4. Herb list - not yet started, this will take some time. To create a list and do bonuses/overuse for all of them.


5. Vials

5.1. Primary bonuses - same as 4.1., depending on material of the vial.

5.2. Overuse - same as 4.2., depending on vial material.

5.3. Sources - Market; Caster humanoid mobs (maybe?)

5.4. Vials list - 5-10 vials will be more than enough

5.5. Vial breaking - While in battle someone who has potions in his IC inventory gets hit. It will be unrealistic if vials don't get exposed to the risk of breaking, so the one who carries potions could do Vial Break Roll (1-5=All vials break, therefore all potions lost; 6-40=One vial breaks, therefore one potion lost; 41-100=No vials break)


6. Liquids

6.1. Primary bonuses - same as 4.1.

6.2. Overuse - same as 4.2.

6.3. Source - rivers, lakes, seas, brews, tears, anything that is liquid and sounds like it can be used for a potion

6.4. Liquids list


7. Potion inventing system

7.1. Herbs - Maximum of three. The bonuses and the overuse effects get summed, so you can get the final effect of the potion. For example, [Peacebloom - Bonus: +1 Health, Overuse (1): -1 Mana; Silverleaf - Bonus: +1 Health, Overuse (1): -1 Mana; Earthroot - Bonus: +1 Mana, Overuse (1): -1 Health]
When combining the three herbs in one potion:
Health = 1 + 1 - 1 = +1
Mana = -1 - 1 + 1 = -1
Overuse (num) - num is the amount needed for the overuse effect to start. Of course, in the example it is way too small for simple herbs like these, but it was just an example.

7.2. Liquid - only one can be chosen. Its bonuses/overuse are added to the ones of the herbs.

7.3. Additional ingredients - maximum of 2. Their bonuses/overuse are added to the previous ones.

7.4. Vial - Only 1. Its material bonuses/overuse are added to the previous.

7.5. Forbidden combinations - These are combinations of Herb+Herb, Herb+Liquid, Additional+Herb and all+all that are forbidden from putting in one potion, because they might become dangerous.

7.6. To boil or not to boil? - Choosing if you will use fire depends on your ingredients. Some herbs are not safe to be used raw, others - not safe to be used cooked. Same as liquids and additional ingredients. The choise how to do the potion is all up to the Alchemist.


This was actually created to match The Coalition's rolling system, which I believe is the best around here, but since it's too complex, it will not be used in our events. I decided to put it here, so anyone who likes Alchemy could get some ideas. The lists are not even started yet. If there is interest, I might do them too.