Topic: Rolemaster Potions

[Terry K. Amthor]

As I recall, there is nothing in original Rolemaster (RM2) about potions. Are there rules about creating/using them in the companions or RMSS? I am including a potion-maker as an NPC in an upcoming Shadow World module, and may include potions in Artifacts & Lost Tech (also for SW), and wondering what the history is. Do they work like in the old TV show Charmed (that show actually had some fun ideas), where you just throw the vial, it shatters and has the spell effect, or drink them for the effect?

[Cory Magel]

I know nothing about it, but there is the Alchemy Companion from RM2
http://www.amazon.com/ALCHEMY-COMPANION-ROLEMASTER-Tim-Taylor/dp/1558061614

There is the Treasure Companion from RMSS that may be useful to you.

[rdanhenry]

RM2 Spell Law included the Alchemist as a core profession. The "Liquid-Gas Skills" list is for making potions. The general guidelines for item creation in Spell Law Stock #1200, Copyright 1981, 1984, exact printing unlisted, for which a "Terry K. Amthor" has credits under "Design" and "Graphics" begin on p.17, section 9.92 "Alchemical Research".

Alchemy Companion had further options.

For RMSS/FRP, see the Treasure Companion.

Drinking potions is standard, though there isn't much on usage. I think % activity and second-by-second round options included quaffing times, but I might be wrong. The spell item chart lists potion use as "ingested". Certainly, this is the traditional concept of a potion. By Alchemy Companion, however, there was the Gaseous Potion option, which releases a magical cloud of the embedded spell.

[Terry K. Amthor]

Oh, indeed there are potion spells, I see now. I considered RM2 to be the 'red-spine' books, and I found the Alchemy potion spells on page 89. There are all kinds of rather vague spells involving not only potions but poisons there...

I may have been a co-author of Spell Law but I had little or nothing to do with the Alchemy lists. I was mostly involved with Mentalism and some of the Monk and Bard spells.

[Marrethiel]

Potions in RM2 (as I understand them) is more using herbs (page 28 Ch&CL) and brewing them to give the magical effect.
eg
644 Tradurs Moss/Brew +10 to disease resistance for d10 days.
639 Athelas (copy right anyone?) Leaf/Brew Capable of curing anything while patient sill alive, but healing only as effective as the healer. (ie skill roll) Full effect only in the hands of an ordained king.

As an aside, on of my favourite characters of all time was an orc healer (barbarian drug lord to some) who used herbs to keep the party up and running.

[OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol]

The C&Ts have potions that don't have equivalent in either actual spells or herbs, though...

[rdanhenry]

Section 3.3 of C&T magic items were written for another game* and in many cases do not match the item creation system, except for "Lord Research", which could create anything, theoretically, but was so vaguely defined that GM fiat was really the only option.

* - See p. 69 RM2 C&T, ICE Stock #1400: "An independent designer, Lee Short, originally designed it for use in his own game, ICE has developed it and modified it slightly for use with the Rolemaster system."