Potion Description Generator

Before I move on to other topics, I'd like to post a tool I built to help DMs easily create potion descriptions (taste, color, odor and texture) unique to a particular campaign. You can download my Potion Description Generator, which is an Excel spreadsheet that lets you generate random descriptions for all potions covered by the Open Gaming License.

Unfortunately, limitations of the license prohibit me from adding potions for spells from other books, such as the Spell Compendium, but you can easily add them to your downloaded copy of the generator. Then you'll have them for all your campaigns going forward. Feel free to change any of items on the four lookup tabs if you don't like them or add your own. The formulas should pick up your additions as long as you enter an ID number and keep those tabs sorted by ID number (rather than by the description column).

Instructions are at the top of the first sheet. Basically, you just double-click a cell to enter edit mode, then press Enter without making any changes to create brand new descriptions. You can copy and paste these descriptions (Edit, Paste Special, Values) onto another sheet to preserve these random descriptions and use that tab for your campaign. If you later start another campaign and want new descriptions, just generate a fresh set on the first tab. And of course you can insert rows to add more potions or create multiple descriptions for the same potion, if you like.

There's also a Symbol column that is almost never filled in that you can use to enter a description of a symbol that might – I'd say 60% to 100% of the time depending on where the PCs find the potion – carry another visual clue as to the identity of a potion. You might want to use this hint because clever players might be able to figure out what a potion does the first time they find it. Using color, taste, odor and texture won't help players identify a potion the first time they encounter it.

Have fun, and let me know what you think!

Identifying Potions: Addendum

So I was poking around online, and it turns out someone has taken the time over on DnD Wiki to develop a list of standard potions, along with descriptions of color, smell, texture and flavor. I have just a few follow-up thoughts on this:

• Potions can, and probably should, have multiple descriptions, as crafters develop their own signature blends and to represent different crafting methods. This also gives DMs flexibility to mix things up a little, even if only occasionally or slightly (for example, just give that potion's taste a hint of cinnamon and leave everything else the same). After all, if every Cure Light Wounds potion is clear, smells faintly of flowers and tastes sweet, wouldn't someone somewhere just publish a potions guide that anyone could use to identify any potion where the crafter didn't take steps to conceal its nature?
• I copied the DnD Wiki chart to an Excel spreadsheet, changed a few of the descriptions and did some random sorts to give my campaigns a unique potions guide that can't be found online. The spreadsheet makes it easy to keep track of and add new potion descriptions.
• As I eyeballed the chart, it looks like each combination of physical characteristics is unique. This may or may not be what you want. At first blush, I thought I'd want each combination of characteristics to be duplicated at least once, but this would sort of defeat the purpose of having descriptions in the first place because ultimately it means players can't definitively ID a potion once they've found and identified one for the first time.
• Then again, duplication can add a fun factor: you're in a pitched battle and desperately need to gain back some hit points. Your senses tell you the potion clutched in your hand probably is Cure Moderate Wounds, but it also could be Owl's Wisdom. This could be a nice curve ball, but only if the DM doesn't use the trick too frequently and is willing to keep track of misidentified potions. (In my last post, I talked a little about serializing magic items as a useful tool not only for tracking misidentified magic items, but also for keeping track of the party's haul of magical items overall.)
• No one likes to have roleplaying forced down their throats, so if your players don't seem interested in figuring out potions from their physical descriptions, just let it go. I'm pretty sure some of the players in each of my campaigns would get a kick out of creating their own potion charts as they find and examine potions, however. Attach a little roleplaying XP bonus for players who are this resourceful, and they'll be hooked. After all, each potion they figure out means an extra 100 g.p. for beer!
• The DnD Wiki page also lists some attributes for elixirs and poisons. As for poisons, a lot of them probably aren't tasteless and odorless, but would-be poisoners would make some attempt to conceal a poison's bad taste or odor, probably by utilizing a medium with a stronger taste or smell. A DM could allow a Wisdom check (maybe with a 1/2 bonus for total ranks put into Spot and Listen (or straight-up Perception, if you're playing Pathfinder)) for the imbiber to notice a strange taste, odor or texture/residue. The DC should be fairly high, probably at least 20 to 25, though it could be lower for a particularly cheap poison. Similarly, the DM certainly can utilize tasteless, odorless poisons that would allow no chance of detection.

One more addendum to my last post: I forgot to mention a common tactic a buddy of mine frequently uses (and I sometimes steal) in his campaigns for identifying potions: Visit an alchemy shop. This isn't as much fun as players trying to identify potions themselves, but if your players just want to ID a potion and move on, this is an easy way out. He often charges just a gold piece or two for this service, though sometimes one of us bumps this charge up to 5 or even 10 gold pieces per identification.