Potion-making (sage ability)

Potion-making is an expert-status sage ability in the studies of Alchemy and Magic Fabrication, enabling the character to prepare magical potions. At first, the ability gives the character access only to the most common forms of potion-making, these being the potions whose recipes are least demanding and whose requirements are most readily understood. Then, as further knowledge is acquired, more difficult varieties become possible, until every known form of potion falls within the character's grasp.

Potion-making inherently includes obstacles that ordinary sage abilities do not. Though the character may know the recipe, the ingredients themselves may not come easily to hand. Some must be cured or refined in ways that can take weeks or even months, while any single additive may require steeping, drying, grinding, soaking, rendering, distilling, fermenting, macerating, clarifying or reducing. These processes may be unpleasant, unnerving or even dangerous, depending upon the desired end product.

Nonetheless, some success is nearly always certain. Batches of 7-12 flasks are quite normal, and even if a recipe is spoiled in some way, it is still likely that some part of the product can be saved and put to use. Potion-making is not a boondoggle in which the character spends six months rolling dice only to come away with nothing. Rather, it is a series of feasible hoops that can be jumped through, with the assurance that the time spent will not be wasted, at least not wholly. Further, each time the same recipe is attempted, the maker is presumed to become better at it. This improvement does not remove the need for rare ingredients, lengthy preparation or difficult handling, but it does mean that repetition has value, and that practice steadily increases the maker's command of the work.

Potion Advancement

Potions Familiar by Knowledge Points

Knowledge Points (hp)	Potions
60	healing, philter of love, sweetwater
66	animal control, clairaudience, delusion, fire resistance, levitation, plant control, polymorph self, speed
69	clairvoyance, climbing, diminution, extra-healing, growth, invisibility, invulnerability
72	flying, gaseous form, heroism, oil of slipperyness, philter of persuasiveness, super-heroism
76	ESP, human control, longevity, oil of etherealness, treasure finding, water breathing
88	frost giant strength, hill giant control or strength, stone giant strength, undead control
97	cloud giant strength, fire giant control or strength, frost or stone giant control
105	black, blue, brass, bronze, copper, green or white dragon control, storm giant strength
111	cloud giant control, red or silver dragon control, evil dragon control
118	gold dragon control, storm giant control
120	good dragon control

When the character gathers sufficient knowledge, 60 points, the potion-making sage ability permits just those potions for which sufficient points are had. With each level gained, it's probable that the ability to make more potions will be gained in turn, at least until the difficult of certain potions become greatly more difficult to make. Including the actual recipes for these potions here would be counterproductive, as many are dense and involved, requiring uncommon substances, exacting preparation and circumstances that vary widely from one potion to another. Therefore, each potion's manufacture is given within that potion’s own description, where the recipe can be treated in full.