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Old 09-14-2020, 01:10 PM   #1
phiwum
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
Default How common are healing potions?

I'm putting together a simple couple of adventures starting from small towns like the one in ITL. I'm wondering how common healing potions ought to be in such villages?

Obviously, it's up to the GM, but I haven't GM'ed this game too much and I want to strike a balance so that it's (1) challenging and (2) doesn't set expectations that the campaign will be awash in magic and potions. I reckon in a small town, perhaps six to eight potions on hand is reasonable, since the alchemist should be stocked for accidents and whatnot, but once that supply is exhausted, it will only slowly recover unless they import some more from neighboring cities, increasing the cost.

How've y'all settled this question?
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Old 09-14-2020, 01:24 PM   #2
Shostak
 
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Default Re: How common are healing potions?

I like for potions of all types to be rare and expensive.
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Old 09-14-2020, 01:49 PM   #3
hcobb
 
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Default Re: How common are healing potions?

It costs more to make a healing potion than you get from selling it so I suspect that very few will be available at the listed price.

https://www.hcobb.com/tft/Potion_Problems.html
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Old 09-14-2020, 02:36 PM   #4
larsdangly
 
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Default Re: How common are healing potions?

I'm cool with healing potions being more available than many magic items, but I'll generally use the search for them as an excuse to have the PC's search for and interact with an interesting NPC. I feel like you can control for the abuse of a lot of things by just integrating the getting of the thing into your game. It's one thing to declare you've purchased $2000 worth of healing potions and another to spend 3 sessions finding and striking a deal with a crazy witch or traveling charlatan
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Old 09-14-2020, 03:03 PM   #5
phiwum
 
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Default Re: How common are healing potions?

Quote:
Originally Posted by larsdangly View Post
I'm cool with healing potions being more available than many magic items, but I'll generally use the search for them as an excuse to have the PC's search for and interact with an interesting NPC. I feel like you can control for the abuse of a lot of things by just integrating the getting of the thing into your game. It's one thing to declare you've purchased $2000 worth of healing potions and another to spend 3 sessions finding and striking a deal with a crazy witch or traveling charlatan
Nice.

I'll think about that.

You mention travelling charlatans. Do you sometimes sell your players useless or mislabelled products? That could be fun, but could also get a little salty when they pour a potion of water breathing down the throat of a ST 0 ally.
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Old 09-14-2020, 03:30 PM   #6
Skarg
 
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Default Re: How common are healing potions?

I like healing potions to be sometimes available, but not common enough that a group usually has a supply of them. Especially not with the new Legacy death rules, where someone who would've been very very dead in original TFT can be saved by half a dozen healing potions within an hour.

I think healing potions are most interesting and fun when it's an unusual special opportunity when you get one, and they're rare enough that it's an interesting choice whether and when to use them and on whom, not knowing if/when you might be able to get more.

If there's lots of magic healing available, then the elements of play around the consequences of getting hurt and having to heal and the risks and decisions involved around that, can tend to evaporate, which to me degrades one of the interesting aspects of play.

I also think it makes sense that they'd be quite rare, because they're so useful and the occasions when it'd be useful to use them are so common. Everyone would like to have a supply, and every injured person would be tempted to use them.

Does a village even have an alchemist or a master physicker with a laboratory and time to brew healing potions?

And as Lars says, it's also interesting and logical if buying healing potion often means having to find and deal with interesting NPCs. That can also add another kind of interesting trade-off for people wanting magic healing, in that they need to engage NPCs which can lead to all sorts of other situations.

(Some potions are faulty when brewed, even if the seller isn't a charlatan. ITL p.145)
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Old 09-14-2020, 04:08 PM   #7
hcobb
 
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Default Re: How common are healing potions?

If Healing potions are too rare then take a team of all wizards and churn out lesser wishes. On a critical fail start over.
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Old 09-14-2020, 04:11 PM   #8
larsdangly
 
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Default Re: How common are healing potions?

Quote:
Originally Posted by phiwum View Post
Nice.

I'll think about that.

You mention travelling charlatans. Do you sometimes sell your players useless or mislabelled products? That could be fun, but could also get a little salty when they pour a potion of water breathing down the throat of a ST 0 ally.
For sure! As far as I know, Cidri doesn't have an FDA approval process...
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Old 09-14-2020, 04:31 PM   #9
phiwum
 
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Default Re: How common are healing potions?

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Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
If Healing potions are too rare then take a team of all wizards and churn out lesser wishes. On a critical fail start over.
Sounds like a dull way to play a role playing game, but to each his own.
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Old 09-14-2020, 08:41 PM   #10
Axly Suregrip
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Durham, NC
Default Re: How common are healing potions?

For me, all potions and gas bombs have a going rate of two times the listed amount. In addition, they are limited by the lack of chemists and alchemists. Healing potions on the other hand are also available from Master Physickers so they are common, but still at 2x rate.

Selling at 2x the price, makes them a bite too pricey to stockpile.

Also note, other potions may not be available due to peculiar ingredients being too hard to get. Or will only be available sold in secret and at a much higher rate.
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