[DF] How to drink multiple potions

[Onkl]

Hi guys

In DF1:29 there's the sentence:"Only one dose of a given potion can affect someone at a time, except as noted." The expection being that you can take several doses of some potions, but AFAIK you can't mix the effects.

I would like my players to be able to drink a ST and a DX potion, but this should not be without risk. I'm unsure how to model that and am looking for ideas.

The first thing that comes to mind is a roll vs. modified HT whenever a second potion is swallowed:

Bambam the Barbarian drinks a ST potion and decides to drink a DX potion as well. In this case I would rule, that Bambam would have to roll vs HT minus ST gained from the first potion.
If the roll succeeds, Bambam gets the ST and the DX buff from boths potions, if the roll fails - both the effect of the ST and the DX potion vanish. If the roll critically fails, the GM gets to be evil ("You grow a tentacle/your arm falls off/you transpire an unbearable stench... better read the package insert next time").

To only subract the gain from HT might not be enough... I guess you should apply a flat -X to every attempt to drink a second potion. How high should that flat "minus" be?

What do you think? Do you have other ideas on how to do this?

[Gef]

Shaken, not Stirred: You can quaff mixed drinks - of potions - without ill effect, albeit no guarantee that you'll gain any benefit. This is a variant of the Immunity perk in Power-Ups 2.

Off the top of my head, I'd nominate a flat -5 penalty to HT to get the benefit, and a roll higher than unmodified HT has bad consequences:
1 - replaces original potion
2 - cancels original potion
3 - induces nausea
4 - cancels original AND induces nausea
5 - induces nausea and inflicts some damage (say 1d-4, 1d cycles every 10min)
6 - As 5, plus cancels original potion

-GEF

[PseudoFenton]

Originally Posted by Onkl

What do you think? Do you have other ideas on how to do this?

I run a very similar setup for my DF campaign (mostly because its been ported across from that other game), it uses my own version of the old school potion miscibility rules.
In short, two potions which have not been made with the intention of mixing, (so buying from known vendors who brew their own with the design of having some of them mixed is okay) wont always mix properly. One might just shut down (randomly chosen) or perform the opposite intention, or if you're very lucky you might get boosted gains from one or both potions! You may even get the potions effects permanently! Which could be good or bad depending on what you just drank really...

But overall I'd be disinclined to have HT rolls or Will rolls etc to alter the outcome, for if nothing else it highly benefits one profession over another when it comes to drinking multiple potions. I’d allow those rolls to resist/defend against negative results from drinking multiple potions (as apporpriate to the effect), but not to simply allow them to function as desired.

[Onkl]

Originally Posted by PseudoFenton

...for if nothing else it highly benefits one profession over another when it comes to drinking multiple potions.

That's exactly the point I was trying to make but failed miserably... Professions with high HT are simply better at quaffing potions than those without.

That's why I was asking for your help, as you might have come up with better solutions. And I very much like what you have written so far. I think I will go with GEFs system for a start and then see where it takes me.

But someone probably will make another good suggestions so I'll keep my hopes and and maybe try to find the multiple potions rules from that other game.

[PseudoFenton]

Originally Posted by Onkl

That's why I was asking for your help, as you might have come up with better solutions. And I very much like what you have written so far. I think I will go with GEFs system for a start and then see where it takes me.

But someone probably will make another good suggestions so I'll keep my hopes and and maybe try to find the multiple potions rules from that other game.

Ah right, yeah I'm a fan of just making it an intrinsic of the potion itself, you can roll against fixed values (6, 9, 12, 15 are always good ones to go with) for differing miscibility if you want different types/sources of potions to mix better than others. For instance I never use the miscibility table/rules for healing potions, those always work and never interfere with each other. I'm away from my own computer, and thus all my notes and rules, but I'll dump them by here when I get back to them if you like.

As for looking for rules from that other game, look at the older editions, third ed doesn't care about mixing and forth I'm pretty sure uses MMO styled cooldowns for the potions which wont help at all.
But gygaxian styled systems tend to have some fun rules for playing with magic, and thus potions, they really do produce that "You grow a tentacle/your arm falls off/you transpire an unbearable stench" style you're looking for. From puking up vaporous broth than spawns monsters (friendly and foes) to spontaneous glowing, exploding bellies, accidental alcoholic beverages and permanent effects... they had the bucket list of 100 reasons why you shouldn't mix your potions and drive.

[Faolyn]

I seemed to remember that there was an old Dragon magazine article on that. I did a search and found this, which it says it adapted from 1st edition D&D. It's a bit silly in places (and a bit old-school-the-DM-hates-you in others) but hey, so is DF.

[cbower]

I adapted the AD&D Potion Miscibility Chart to GURPS for my fantasy games. Here it is, hope you find it useful. Sorry about the formatting, this is from an Excel file.

Roll (d,d,d)	Result
1,1,1 or 1,1,2	DISCOVERY! The two potions have created a special formula which will cause one of the two potions to become permanent. (Some harmful side effects could well result from this...)
1,1,3 to 1,6,6	Compatible result, and one potion (randomly determined) has 150% normal duration (1-3) or effect (4-6.)
2,1,1 to 4,6,6	Miscible. Potions work normally unless their effects are contradictory, in which case they cancel each other.
5,1,1 to 5,3,6	Immiscible result which causes the duration (1-3) or effect (4-6) of both potions to be halved.
5,4,1 to 5,6,6	Immiscible. One potion (chosen randomly) is cancelled, but the other remains normal.
6,1,1 to 6,3,6	Immiscible. Both potions totally destroyed, as one cancelled the other.
6,4,1 to 6,5,6	Mild poison: Imbimbed, it acts as as an Elixir of Death (the subject takes 4d toxic); if mixed externally, treat it as a Pastille of Death.
6,6,1 to 6,6,4	Lethal poison: Imbimbed, it acts as a triple strength Elixir of Death (the subject takes 6d×2 toxic.)  If mixed externally, treat as a Pastille of Death with triple normal radius (6 hexes.)
6,6,5 or 6,6,6	EXPLOSION! If imbimbed, the subject suffers an internal 3d crushing explosion.  Mixed externally, it's a 6d cr explosion.

[ajardoor]

Thaumatology has a few rules suggestions about stacking potions - one was using the Body Control skill.

[Grouchy Chris]

Originally Posted by Onkl

Hi guys

In DF1:29 there's the sentence:"Only one dose of a given potion can affect someone at a time, except as noted." The expection being that you can take several doses of some potions, but AFAIK you can't mix the effects.

The rule from DF1 p. 29 applies to drinking multiple doses of the same type of potion. There's nothing there about drinking single doses of different potions.

I would like my players to be able to drink a ST and a DX potion, but this should not be without risk. I'm unsure how to model that and am looking for ideas.

Fine if you want it, but per RAW, potions do not have interactions.

[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by Onkl

That's exactly the point I was trying to make but failed miserably... Professions with high HT are simply better at quaffing potions than those without.

That's why I was asking for your help, as you might have come up with better solutions. And I very much like what you have written so far. I think I will go with GEFs system for a start and then see where it takes me.

But someone probably will make another good suggestions so I'll keep my hopes and and maybe try to find the multiple potions rules from that other game.

Immunity advantage to mixed potion mishaps