Potions

Right now, bad potions have little use (other than when used in conjunction with evaporation). I suggest that all potions can be thrown and, when they collide with an object, they shatter into a 'splatter of X'. If they collide with a monster, there should be a chance for the monster to take (a weaker) effect of the potion. This would let us throw potions of berserk rage at friendly summons, potions of poisoning at Orcs, &c.

Also, potions should turn into 'empty vials' when quaffed. You should be able to fill these vials with water (from water tiles), gas (from mephitic clouds, poisonous clouds, miasma, &c), and the liquid from fountains. If a player finds a fountain of healing, the lucky player would be able to fill their empty vials with liquids from this source. This will mean Fulsome Distillation and Bottle Blood will require empty vials for use, which solves a dillema (why do vampires get an unlimited supply of vials?).

And these vials should also appear randomly in the dungeon.

You could also give a conjuration skill called “Conjure Vial” and allow Sandblast to use it (since glass is partly made of sand). As a further extension of Sandblast, allow normal potions to be blasted to again give the possibility of a (weaker) effect of the potion to the monster. — studiomk 2010-07-24 23:07

The vial thing sounds to me like nothing but tedious micromanagement. Potion throwing is something that should have an effect of some sort IMHO, but it should be wholly unreliable so that potions couldn't be used for serious fighting, but for a latch-ditch effort to save oneself like a wand of random effects. A potion of poison might have a 1/4 chance to poison an enemy, or potions might be really inaccurate when thrown, for example. — coolio 2010-07-24 23:56

Yeah, maybe too much. I'd just like a way to capture the essence of a fountain and somewhere in the documentation or in-game the game it should say where all your potion bottles are coming from (eg. you carry many of them from the surface, or you conjure them magically). — studiomk 2010-07-25 00:05

Throwing potions is a regular FR that won't be done. The Evaporate spell already exists and is enough in the game for this sort of use of the potions. The vials idea would result in needless micromanagement. I really don't think it's required to explain where vampires get the bottles; we can just assume whatever. — evktalo 2010-07-26 10:46

There is another way to use potions: dip items into them (or pour their contents on them). Similar system exists in ADOM. Some interesting uses:

• Dip a weapon into potion of poison/paralysis/confusion - it gets a temporary poison/confusing/paralysis brand.
• Dip a chunk of special meat(i.e. Queen Bee) into potion of mutation - receive an appropriate mutagen potion, i.e. potion of gain poison resistance.
• Dip contaminated meat into potion of water - get a clean meat.
• Dip a weapon into any unidentified potion to make a test subject out of the closest monster - a chance to identify this type of potion. (experiment on others, and not on you!)
• Dip a wand into potion of magic - recharge it.
• Dip a vampiric weapon into potion of blood - wield it safely once, without hunger.

— SinsI 2011-04-05 20:43 None of these are happening. — Eronarn 2011-04-05 19:00

How about ability to destroy potions, to pour them out? I don't like to leave potions of heal wounds, speed and healing lying around for monsters to use against my mummy characters that don't worship Nemelex. — SinsI 2011-04-08 23:03

There are already ways to destroy potions: Shatter or freezing cloud will destroy potions on the ground. They can be thrown into lava, deep water, or a teleport trap. You can leave them in a portal vault. I think you can hold them and target yourself with almost any ice conjuration to shatter them. You can awkwardly toss them at jellies or leave them where something popcorny like a kobold will pick them up. — jejorda2 2011-04-09 20:21

Potions of strong poison don't behave differently enough from regular poison potions to justify their existence. Usually by the time you find one, you're strong enough to heal back the poisoned hp, or just use a healing potion.

For users of fulsome distillation / evaporation, they just make an already difficult inventory situation worse. By the time you start making strong poison, you generally already have a surplus of regular poison potions, so the only gameplay effect there is to take up yet another inventory slot, or force the player to dump them, which is just more boring inventory management. — xyblor on 2011-05-14 16:00 ===== New Potion Proposals ===== None yet.