It isn’t hard to learn the basics of brewing potions, but truly mastering the art of distilling magic into liquid form is a far more complicated process. Many alchemists and wizards experiment with their own unique methods for brewing potions with exotic and ingenious effects; indeed, some devote their whole livelihoods to this pursuit. For others, potion brewing is a passionate hobby to which all their free time is devoted.
The results of this hard work are generally closely guarded secrets, but students of the magical brewing arts can often glean these skills for themselves through book learning, a generous mentor, or any number of other studious ways. Some brewers even take pride in the number of students who use and spread their personal, meticulously tested brewing techniques, though such training is often not cheap or easily obtained except in cities where alchemists are plentiful or alchemy is particularly highly regarded.
This section provides a variety of tools for potion brewers who want to hone their skills, including feats that allow for more versatile brewing, spells perfect for making into potions, and a reference guide of existing spells that are commonly made or purchased as potions or oils.
VERSATILE BREWING
The following feats allow potion brewers to concoct unusual variations in their potions, altering the potions’ effects in strange and useful ways. These feats function similarly to metamagic feats, though they affect the creation of potions instead of the normal casting of spells. Level limits for potions apply to their level after the application of any relevant metamagic feats (if the feat affects the component spell’s level).
Delayed Potion
You can brew potions whose effects are delayed slightly.
Prerequisites: Brew Potion, caster level 5th.
Benefit: When you brew a potion, you can have the potion’s effects be delayed by up to 10 rounds after a creature consumes it. Once you decide how many rounds the potion’s effects will be delayed by, that decision cannot later be changed. When a delayed potion is imbibed, it has no effect for the chosen number of rounds, and then it affects the imbiber as normal. The rounds in which the potion’s effects are delayed do not count against the duration of the potion’s effect. A spell brewed into a potion this way does not use up a higher-level spell slot than the spell’s actual level.
Healing Potion
You can infuse a healing spell into a potion that produces a different effect.
Prerequisites: Brew Potion, ability to cast cure serious wounds.
Benefit: When you brew a potion, you can add the effects of one of the following spells to the potion’s effects: cure light wounds, cure moderate wounds, or cure serious wounds. When imbibed, the potion has the effect of both the chosen cure spell and the spell used to
brew the potion. When brewing the potion, you must expend both spells as though you were creating two separate potions. Due to the intricacies of making such a carefully blended potion, you must use particularly fine and rare ingredients, meaning you must pay twice the cost of creating each potion separately. The combined spell levels of the cure spell and the other spell used in the potion must be
level 3 or less (for example, you could combine cure light wounds with a 2nd-level spell to create a healing potion, or cure moderate wounds with a 1st-level spell, or cure serious wounds with a 0-level spell).
Vaporous Potion
You know how to brew potions that can be delivered as a gaseous cloud.
Prerequisite: Brew Potion.
Benefit: When you brew a potion, you can brew it in such a way that when exposed suddenly to air and force, it diffuses into a cloud of vapor that can be inhaled. The potion can still be consumed normally, but it can also be delivered by throwing it at another creature as a splash weapon. The potion vial has a range increment of 10 feet and is considered an improvised weapon. On impact, the vial breaks and a cloud of barely visible potion vapor fills the square it lands in (this vapor does not obscure normal sight in any way). If a creature is in that square, it gains the benefits of the potion immediately as though it had imbibed the potion.
Otherwise, the vapor persists for 1d3+1 rounds in only that square before dissipating, and the first creature to enter the square before the vapor dissipates gains the potion’s benefits. A creature entering the vapor’s space can hold its breath to refrain from inhaling the potion. No more than one creature can benefit from a potion’s vapor, and if more than one creature is in the potion’s space after it is thrown, the potion is wasted and has no effect. The thrown potion deals no damage to creatures or objects it hits. A spell brewed into a potion this way does not use up a higher-level spell slot than the spell’s actual level.
POTABLE SPELLS
Spellcasters who regularly brew potions make frequent use of the following spells.
CLAY SKIN
School abjuration; Level alchemist 3, bloodrager 3, inquisitor 3, magus 3, sorcerer/wizard 3, summoner 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (clay and iron filings)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 10 minutes/level or until discharged
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes
(harmless)
The target’s skin becomes as thick and tough as clay, granting the target DR 5/adamantine. Once the spell has prevented a total of
5 points of damage per caster level (maximum 50 points), it is discharged and the spell ends.
GLIMPSE THE HIDDEN
School divination; Level alchemist 3, inquisitor 3, sorcerer/wizard 3, summoner 3, witch 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a pinch of magnesium and platinum)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes(harmless)
This spell functions as see invisibility, except as noted here. This spell cannot be made permanent.
IDENTIFIER’S EYE
School divination; Level alchemist 2, bard 2, sorcerer/wizard 2,summoner 2, witch 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a wine-stained pearl)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 3 rounds + 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes(harmless)
This spell infuses a spark of magical energy into the veins of the target, allowing it to feel the presence of magic the way one might feel the thrum of vibrations in the air. For the spell’s duration, the target gains the benefits of the spell detect magic and also gains a +5 enhancement bonus on Spellcraft checks to identify the properties and command words of magic items. Further, the target can attempt such checks untrained while under the effects of this spell. This ability does not allow the target to identify artifacts.
PHASE STEP
School conjuration (teleportation); Level alchemist 3, bard 3,
magus 3, sorcerer/wizard 3, summoner 3, witch 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one willing creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
You instantly transfer the touched creature to a point you designate within range. This otherwise functions as the spell dimension door, except that you must have line of sight and line of effect to the target’s destination for this spell’s effects to properly function.
UNDEATH SENSE
School divination; Level alchemist 2, cleric 2, inquisitor 2, paladin 2, shaman 2, sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M/DF (ashes from an urn)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 10 minutes/level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
You grant the target the ability to pick up on the subtle scents and disturbances to the natural order that are specific to the living dead, granting the target the ability to sense the presence of undead creatures. The target is constantly aware of whether there are any undead auras within 60 feet of her in any direction. If at least one undead aura is present, the target can concentrate on the spell’s effects in order to gain more information on the auras present. This functions similarly to detect undead, except the number of rounds of concentration needed to learn about the undead auras is reduced by 1 (1 round to learn the number of auras, and 2 rounds to learn the strength and location of each aura).
POTION AND OIL REFERENCE GUIDE
When creating or attempting to purchase a specific potion or oil, it is important to keep in mind the information below. In order to be made into a potion or oil, a spell must meet all of the following criteria.
• It must be a spell of 3rd level or lower.
• It must have a casting time of less than 1 minute.
• It must target one or more creatures or objects.
• It must not have a range of personal.
The tables below present spells that are commonly made into potions or oils as well as their base costs and the source book from which they originate. These tables are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all spells that can be made into potions or oils in Pathfinder; rather, they are meant as a handy reference for spells from hardcover Pathfinder books that are commonly found in potion or oil form. The following lists this table’s sources next to the abbreviations used in the table: Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook (CR), Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide (ACG), Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide (APG), Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures (OA), Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat (UC), Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Intrigue (UI), and Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic (UM).
While most of the spells in these tables are commonly made into potions, spell names with asterisks (*) after them are typically made into oils instead of potions.
0-LEVEL POTIONS AND OILS
Potion or Oil Price Source
Arcane mark* 25 gp CR
Guidance 25 gp CR
Light* 25 gp CR
Purify food and drink* 25 gp CR
Resistance 25 gp CR
Stabilize 25 gp CR
Virtue 25 gp CR
1ST-LEVEL POTIONS AND OILS
Potion or Oil Price Source
Adhesive spittle 50 gp ACG
Animate rope* 50 gp CR
Ant haul 50 gp APG
Bless weapon* 50 gp CR
Cloak of shade 50 gp APG
Cure light wounds 50 gp CR
Disguise weapon* 50 gp ACG
Endure elements 50 gp CR
Enlarge person 50 gp CR
Erase* 50 gp CR
Feather step 50 gp APG
Gentle breeze 50 gp ACG
Glue seal 50 gp ACG
Goodberry* 50 gp CR
Grease* 50 gp CR
Handy grapnel* 50 gp UI
Hide from animals 50 gp CR
Hide from undead 50 gp CR
Hold portal* 50 gp CR
Invigorate 50 gp APG
Jump 50 gp CR
Keen senses 50 gp APG
Mage armor 50 gp CR
Magic fang 50 gp CR
Magic stone* 50 gp CR
Magic weapon* 50 gp CR
Obscure poison* 50 gp UI
Open and shut* 50 gp UI
Pass without trace 50 gp CR
Protection from chaos 50 gp CR
Protection from evil 50 gp CR
Protection from good 50 gp CR
Protection from law 50 gp CR
Reduce person 50 gp CR
Refine improvised weapon* 50 gp ACG
Remove fear 50 gp CR
Remove sickness 50 gp UM
Sanctify corpse* 50 gp UM
Sanctuary 50 gp CR
Shillelagh* 50 gp CR
Sunder breaker 50 gp ACG
Sundering shards 50 gp ACG
Touch of the sea 50 gp APG
Vanish 50 gp APG
Wizened appearance 50 gp UI
2ND-LEVEL POTIONS AND OILS
Potion or Oil Price Source
Ablative barrier 300 gp UC
Acute senses 300 gp UM
Aid 300 gp CR
Arcane lock* 300 gp CR
Align weapon* 300 gp CR
Barkskin 300 gp CR
Bear’s endurance 300 gp CR
Blur 300 gp CR
Bull’s strength 300 gp CR
Buoyancy 300 gp ACG
Bullet shield 300 gp UC
Cat’s grace 300 gp CR
Certain grip 300 gp UC
Codespeak 300 gp UI
Companion life link 300 gp ACG
Continual flame* 300 gp CR
Corruption resistance 300 gp APG
Cure moderate wounds 300 gp CR
Darkvision 300 gp CR
Dark whispers 300 gp UI
Delay poison 300 gp CR
Disguise other 300 gp UM
Eagle’s splendor 300 gp CR
Fox’s cunning 300 gp CR
Gentle repose 300 gp CR
Hidden presence 300 gp UI
Invisibility 300 gp CR
Levitate 300 gp CR
Make whole* 300 gp CR
Obscure object* 300 gp CR
Owl’s wisdom 300 gp CR
Protection from arrows 300 gp CR
Reduce animal 300 gp CR
Remove paralysis 300 gp CR
Resist energy, acid 300 gp CR
Resist energy, cold 300 gp CR
Resist energy, electricity 300 gp CR
Resist energy, fire 300 gp CR
Resist energy, sonic 300 gp CR
Rope trick* 300 gp CR
Shifted steps 300 gp UI
Slipstream 300 gp APG
Spider climb 300 gp CR
Undetectable alignment 300 gp CR
Voluminous vocabulary 300 gp UI
Warp wood* 300 gp CR
Wood shape* 300 gp CR
3RD-LEVEL POTIONS AND OILS
Potion or Oil Price Source
Air geyser 750 gp ACG
Burrow 750 gp UM
Catatonia 750 gp OA
Contagious zeal 750 gp OA
Countless eyes 750 gp UM
Cure serious wounds 750 gp CR
Daylight 750 gp CR
Dispel magic 750 gp CR
Displacement 750 gp CR
Draconic reservoir 750 gp APG
Fire trap* 775 gp CR
Flame arrow* 750 gp CR
Fly 750 gp CR
Gaseous form 750 gp CR
Good hope 750 gp CR
Haste 750 gp CR
Heart of the metal 750 gp ACG
Heroism 750 gp CR
Keen edge* 750 gp CR
Magic fang, greater 750 gp CR
Magic vestment* 750 gp CR
Nauseating trail 750 gp ACG
Neutralize poison 750 gp CR
Nondetection 800 gp CR
Protection from energy, acid 750 gp CR
Protection from energy, cold 750 gp CR
Protection from energy, electricity 750 gp CR
Protection from energy, fire 750 gp CR
Protection from energy, sonic 750 gp CR
Rage 750 gp CR
Remove blindness/deafness 750 gp CR
Remove curse 750 gp CR
Remove disease 750 gp CR
Shrink item* 750 gp CR
Stone shape* 750 gp CR
Tongues 750 gp CR
Water breathing 750 gp CR
Water walk 750 gp CR