Potions
It’s the end of Potion Week, so get ready for our list of top ten potions: bull’s strength, cat’s grace, fly, invisibility, water breathing, alter self, resist energy, reduce person, mage armor, and protection from evil.
What’s that? You’re not satisfied? You want more than a list of potion names? Well, how about we pull the labels off these potions and give you their descriptions, instead?
1. Green with gold flecks. The liquid in this potion is still and tranquil, not bubbling or smoking. It smells faintly of black licorice, but when consumed, the taste is much stronger, nearly overpowering, and there is an aftertaste of banana.
2. Bright pulsating orange. As long as this potion is stored in something airtight, it remains still, although its color does periodically shift from a dull orange to a very bright orange every five seconds or so. However, when exposed to air, a chemical reaction causes the potion to fizz audibly, with dozens of tiny bubbles rushing to the surface, a process it continues indefinitely. While fizzing, the potion remains a much brighter shade.
3. Yellow and red layers. When shaken or jostled, this potion forms a sort of creamy light-red color, but if allowed to sit for a few minutes, the two main components separate, with a runny layer of yellow liquid on top, and a slightly thicker layer of red liquid below. Traditionally, these potions taste strongly of raspberries, but this flavor is added, and utilitarian alchemists are unlikely to bother with it. Without the artificial flavor, it tastes chalky.
4. Milky white. This potion smells like mint and honey, but tastes incredibly foul. Some have likened the taste to ash, others to zombified flesh, and some insist that it is best described as tasting “like a burnt zombie.” A small, visible cloud of thin white mist escapes from the bottle whenever it is opened, but quickly dissipates.
5. Blue and purple swirls. This potion must be handled carefully before it is opened, because if it is particularly jostled or shaken, it will erupt upon contact with the air, overflowing out of the vial in a hissing, bubbling mess. Although the liquid is completely safe to consume, a chemical reaction causes it to create instant rust (if only in very small quantities) when it comes into contact with certain metals, which makes some wary of consuming it.
6. Black with red blotches. This potion is so thick that it is nearly gelatinous, and vials of it often contain a spoon, in case it proves difficult to get out of the vial. Occasionally, a single large bubble will rise to the surface of the goo, but for the most part it is still. The majority of the potion is black, and tastes like grape jam, while the red blotches taste like raw poultry, for an overall less-than-appetizing effect.
7. Prismatic special. This potion is comprised of no less than seven different layers, each one of the colors from prismatic effects, although if it is shaken thoroughly, they all mix together into a sort of dark brown color, but eventually they separate again. The coloration is purely for cosmetic effect, and nearly any potion can be made as a prismatic special, although it costs nominally more to do so, and they are generally sold for substantially more than other potions, because of the artistry inherent in their creation.
8. Lifeless gray. Slightly soupy, this dull grey liquid begins to smoke intensely when exposed to oxygen, with great plumes of the stuff rising up from the mouth of the vial. The smoke is thick and black, but smells of peaches and caramel. Sadly, the potion itself is all but tasteless. Some who use these potions prefer to let them smoke for a bit before consuming them, in order to enjoy their scent, while others prefer to open the vial with their teeth and trap as much of the smoke in their mouths as possible.
9. Luminescent green. This potion glows with faint green light which is otherwise like that of a candle, but only when it is exposed to air. It also creates constant streams of tiny bubbles, which cause it to make a constant, low hissing sound once opened. By default, it tastes of cabbage, but some enterprising alchemists mask the taste with other flavors, most commonly beer.
10. Translucent blue, with things inside. This potion is a nearly-clear liquid that can be seen through, and has a pleasant sky-blue hue. Floating in the potion are two or three different ingredients, which can vary depending on the exact nature of the potion, but typically include a cinnamon stick or similar, for flavoring, the eyeball of a newt or small lizard, and two or three crushed rose petals.