Magical potions are a common type of dungeoneering equipment. They are a great tool for giving your players a temporary power boost, letting them explore weird and wondrous magical effects, and adding occasional silliness to an encounter. All potions are single-use magic items. That means that an adventurer can use them only once. Potions are commonly presented as a glass bottle containing 8oz of colored liquid. For a little added campaign flavor, we often describe a potion as a berry or mushroom. Whatever the form it takes, the mechanics of drinking a potion remain the same. It takes a player’s full action to consume a magical potion.
Players have four methods of identifying potions:
Identify Spell: Casting an Identify Spell will allow the player to know its exact properties.
Taking a sip: Players can instantly identify the exact type of potion with a small sip. This is a great method, except that monsters long ago started adding bottles of poison to their potion treasure hoards as a way of discouraging overeager adventurers. Taking one tiny sip of poison triggers the effect (Potion of Healing, Potion of Invisibility, Potion of Fire Breath).
Spending an hour: An adventurer who spends an hour of careful investigation per bottle can determine the exact nature of a magical Potion.
Arcana: An adventurer with a more scientific bent can make an INTELLIGENCE (Arcana) check of 16 or higher to instantly identify a potion.
