Despair infused Potion

From: Accursed Rune of Desolation

Lore: The Despair-infused Potion has a dark and ominous origin steeped in ancient legends of despair and desperation. It is said that the recipe was discovered by a sorcerer known as Morvain the Cursed, who sought to harness the power of the Accursed Rune of Desolation. Morvain, consumed by his own despair and desolation, sought to inflict the same anguish upon his enemies.

To create the potion, Morvain gathered ingredients that amplified the essence of despair. The Accursed Rune of Desolation, a symbol of eternal sorrow, formed the core of the potion’s power. Dried Nightshade, a toxic herb associated with death and melancholy, intensified the potion’s effect. Essence of Forsaken Hope, extracted from forsaken souls, contributed to the sense of hopelessness. Shadowroot Extract, derived from the roots of shadow-dwelling plants, added an aura of darkness. Moonshadow Petals, harvested under moonlight, granted an eerie luminescence to the potion.

Use: The Despair-infused Potion is a weapon of psychological warfare. When thrown or ingested by a target, it inflicts a profound sense of despair, sapping their morale and diminishing their combat effectiveness. The potion targets the psyche of the individual, clouding their thoughts and inducing a state of hopelessness, making them more susceptible to fear-based effects and decreasing their ability to resist intimidation or mental manipulation.

Tier One Stats:

• Morale Drain: Decreases the target’s combat effectiveness and resistance to fear-based effects by -2 for 1 minute.

Skills:

• Intimidation: The Despair-infused Potion enhances the imbiber’s ability to instill fear and despair in others, amplifying their intimidation attempts.

Preparation: To prepare the Despair-infused Potion, follow these steps:

• Crush the Accursed Rune of Desolation into fine powder using a mortar and pestle.
• Combine the Accursed Rune powder, Dried Nightshade, Essence of Forsaken Hope, Shadowroot Extract, and Moonshadow Petals in a cauldron or enchanted vessel.
• Heat the mixture over a controlled flame while stirring counterclockwise, allowing the ingredients to blend and infuse.
• Allow the potion to simmer and reduce until it reaches a concentrated state.
• Filter the potion to remove any solid particles and transfer it to vials or containers for storage.

Cost: Due to the rarity and potency of the ingredients, the Despair-infused Potion carries a high cost. It is considered a specialized and dangerous concoction, making it challenging to find in conventional marketplaces. The price of a single vial of the potion can range from 50 to 100 gold pieces, depending on the availability of the ingredients and the reputation of the seller.

Process Tags:

• Alchemical Brew: The creation of the Despair-infused Potion requires alchemical knowledge and precise manipulation of ingredients.
• Curse-inflicting: The potion’s effects tap into the power of the Accursed Rune, inflicting a curse of despair upon the target.
• Additional: Nefarious, Psychological, Debilitating, Clandestine, Forbidden, Manipulative, Shadowy, Sinister

The Despair-infused Potion serves as a potent tool for those who wish to sow despair and weaken their foes through psychological manipulation. Its ability to drain morale and diminish combat effectiveness can be advantageous in battles where the psychological state of opponents plays a crucial role. However, its usage also carries ethical considerations, as it inflicts intense despair upon the target. It is a choice often made by those willing to embrace the darker aspects of magic and warfare to achieve their goals.

The Despair-infused Potion is not a potion commonly found in legal or reputable establishments. Due to its dark nature and the ethical concerns surrounding its use, the recipe for this potion is typically sold and circulated in the clandestine underworld of black markets, secretive occult shops, or among unscrupulous individuals who specialize in forbidden or dangerous artifacts.

These shadowy sellers operate in discreet and hidden locations, such as hidden alcoves within larger cities, underground networks, or even in remote and forbidden places. The environment in which the recipe and potion are sold reflects the secretive and dangerous nature of their trade. Dimly lit rooms adorned with occult symbols, shelves filled with arcane artifacts, and the presence of mysterious and enigmatic individuals set the tone for the transactions that take place.

Potential buyers seeking the Despair-infused Potion may need to navigate through a web of connections, rely on whispers and rumors, or establish contacts within the shadowy corners of the world. It is an item sought by those who are willing to delve into dark arts, villainous individuals seeking to manipulate or subdue their enemies, or desperate individuals willing to resort to extreme measures to achieve their objectives.

The end results of using the Despair-infused Potion are often strategic and psychological in nature. In combat scenarios, it can be employed to weaken enemies by sapping their morale and diminishing their combat effectiveness. The target becomes more susceptible to fear-based effects, making them easier to intimidate, manipulate, or control. This can provide a significant advantage to those employing the potion, allowing them to exploit the weakened state of their adversaries.

Outside of combat, the potion may find use in certain covert operations or situations where psychological manipulation is required. It could be utilized to instill fear or despair in a targeted individual or group, causing discord, disruption, or coercion. Its effects can be used to break the will of prisoners or adversaries, extract information, or assert dominance in tense negotiations.

However, the usage of the Despair-infused Potion comes with moral and ethical considerations. Its ability to induce profound despair raises questions about the responsible use of magic and the impact on the mental and emotional well-being of the target. Characters who employ this potion may find themselves facing opposition from those who oppose such manipulative and morally questionable practices.

Due to its illicit nature and dangerous implications, the Despair-infused Potion commands a high price on the black market. The cost can vary depending on the availability of the ingredients, the reputation of the seller, and the demand for such a potent and forbidden substance. It is typically sold in small vials or containers, with prices ranging from 50 to 100 gold pieces per vial. Its restricted availability further enhances its allure to those willing to tread the dark paths of power and manipulation.

A Brew of Black-Heart’s-Want

Long, long past, in time-not-remembered, word-keepers tell of man, bad man. Name Morvain Bad-Curse. He heart full of dark, dark sad.  He want all to feel his hurt-much. He seek Rune-Hurt-Make, old, bad magic thing.

Morvain Bad-Curse, he go to places where no sun touch. He take, uh, dead-flower, hope-gone juice, root of shadow, and moon-dark petals. He mix, mix, mix.  No sing, no happy when mix. Only dark, dark words.

He make… drink.  Black like hate-anger, with purple like bad bruise. Shine cold, like sick moon. He give to enemy.  Enemy drink. Feel… nothing good. Only sad, only fear.  Easy to, uh, make do what Morvain want.

Morvain use much, this black drink. Make many fear. Make many do what he want. He… strong, yes. But more dark, more sad.  He… alone.  All fear him, no love him. He win, but… lose.

He drink black drink, more and more.  He… gone.  Fade away.  Only shadow left.  Drink… still here.  Waiting.

Moral of Story: Hurt-make on others, come back on you.  Dark-in, dark-out.  Win-by-fear, lose-all-else. Black drink make you strong-bad, but… empty.  Empty is worse than hurt.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Despair-infused Potion

• Sanity Loss: 1/1d6+1
• Potency: If thrown or used on someone they must make a Sanity roll. Failure means they lose 1d6+1 Sanity points, are filled with overwhelming despair and have disadvantage on all rolls for 1d6 rounds. The imbiber will gain +2 on all Sanity rolls for one hour but will lose 1d6+1 Sanity points. If the imbiber has more than 50% Occult skill, then no sanity is lost.
• Effect: Upon consumption or being the target, the victim gains a profound sense of hopelessness. This can be used to interrogate or to make the imbiber more persuasive, giving them a +20% to a skill of their choice for one hour.
• Charges: The potion is a single-serving vial.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: In Call of Cthulhu, the potion’s psychological effects are paramount. The Sanity loss reflects the horror of experiencing such despair. The temporary skill bonus represents the potion’s ability to manipulate others through shared misery. This is a potent and dangerous item, in line with the game’s themes.

Blades in the Dark

Despair-infused Potion

• Item Type: Alchemical
• Effect: When you use this potion on someone (via ingestion or as a thrown weapon), they suffer Level 3 harm, “Overwhelmed by Despair” (Resisted with Resolve). While suffering this harm they have reduced effect on all actions. If an NPC suffers this harm, they will likely give up or flee. If consumed, you gain increased potency on Intimidate or Sway rolls for one scene, but also take -1d to resist consequences related to reckless or cruel actions.
• Usage: A single-use vial. Can be used as part of a normal action or during Downtime to influence an NPC.
• Quality: The quality of the potion can affect the level of harm inflicted or the magnitude of the effect, determined by the roll to acquire or concoct it.
• Tier: The tier level will reduce the harm suffered by one level, per tier.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: In Blades in the Dark, the potion is a tool for coercion and intimidation. The Level 3 harm is significant, potentially taking an NPC out of a scene. The increased potency on social rolls reflects the potion’s manipulative power, while the reduced resistance to reckless actions represents the user’s descent into cruelty.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Despair-infused Potion

• Item Type: Potion, rare
• Effect: When this potion is thrown at a creature or consumed, the target must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is overcome with despair for 1 minute. While under this effect, the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If consumed the creature will have advantage on saving throws.  
• Charges: The potion is a single-serving vial.
• Tier: Add the tier level to the saving throw DC.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: For D&D 5e, the potion’s debilitating effect is represented by disadvantage on most rolls. The Wisdom saving throw reflects the target’s ability to resist the despair. The DC and duration can be adjusted for balance. This is a powerful item that can significantly weaken a foe.

Knave

Despair-infused Potion

• Item Type: Consumable
• Effect: When this potion is thrown at a creature or consumed, the target must make a WIL save or be overcome with despair. While under this effect, the target subtracts 4 from their defense and attack rolls for 1d4 rounds. If consumed the creature will subtract 4 from all saves.
• Charges: The potion is a single-serving vial.
• Tier: Add the tier level of the creator to the number subtracted from the defense and attack rolls.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: In Knave, the potion significantly reduces a target’s effectiveness in combat. The WIL save represents the target’s ability to resist the despair. The penalty to defense and attack rolls is substantial, making this a potent item in Knave’s high-stakes combat. The penalty duration can be adjusted for balance.

Fate (Core)

Despair-infused Potion

• Aspect: Crushing Despair of the Utterly Forsaken
• Permission: Requires the Potion Lore aspect, and a suitable narrative justification to use or administer the potion.
• Effect: When a character uses the Despair-infused Potion on a target, they can invoke the Crushing Despair of the Utterly Forsaken aspect for free to create a situation aspect on the target like Hopeless or Fear-Stricken. They may invoke it a second time for free to succeed with a cost relating to social or mental challenges, representing the potion’s debilitating effects. If a character consumes the potion themselves, they gain a +2 to create advantages related to intimidation or manipulation for the scene but must immediately take on a new aspect, such as Marked by Despair or Haunted by Cruelty. This new aspect can be compelled as normal.
• Tier: The tier of the creator is the number of times the aspect can be invoked for free.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: In Fate, the potion’s power is in creating aspects that represent the induced despair. The free invokes reflect the potion’s potency, while the forced aspect on the user represents the moral cost of wielding such power. The specific wording of the aspects can be adjusted to fit the narrative.

Numenera & Cypher System

Despair-infused Potion

• Type: Cypher (Consumable)
• Effect: When thrown or administered to a target, they must make an Intellect defense roll (difficulty 4). On a failure, they are wracked with despair, suffering a -2 penalty to all actions for 1d4 rounds. If consumed, the imbiber gains a +4 bonus to Intellect defense rolls for one hour but immediately takes 1d4 Intellect damage (ignores Armor) as they are flooded with dark visions.
• Level: The level of the cypher is equal to the tier of the creature that created it (1d6). The tier level is added to all Intellect defense rolls.
• Form: A vial of swirling, dark liquid.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: In Numenera, the potion is a cypher that inflicts a mental penalty. The Intellect defense roll reflects the target’s ability to resist the despair. The penalty duration and Intellect damage can be adjusted for balance. The bonus to Intellect defense for the user represents a temporary hardening of the mind at a cost.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Despair-infused Potion

• Item Type: Consumable, Alchemical Elixir
• Level: 3 (Adjust based on tier of the creator)
• Usage: Held in 1 hand; Bulk L
• Activate: Interact (Consumable)
• Effect: When this potion is thrown at a creature or consumed, the target must make a DC 17 Will save. On a failed save, the creature becomes frightened 2 and takes a -2 status penalty to attack rolls and skill checks for 1 minute. A creature can reduce the frightened value by 1 each round by succeeding at a new Will save at the end of its turn. If consumed, the imbiber gains a +2 status bonus to saves against fear effects for one hour but takes a -2 penalty to Will saves for 10 minutes.
• Craft Requirements: Supply magical ingredients associated with fear and despair, with a value of at least 12 gp.
• Tier: Add the tier level to the DC of the Will save.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: In Pathfinder 2e, the potion inflicts the frightened condition and a penalty to rolls, representing the debilitating despair. The Will save reflects the target’s ability to resist the effect. The DC, penalty, and crafting requirements can be adjusted for balance. The penalty to Will saves for the user represents the potion’s corrupting influence.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Despair-infused Potion

• Item Type: Consumable, Special
• Effect: When a character throws this potion at a target or administers it, the target must make a Spirit roll at -2. On a failure, they suffer a -2 penalty to all Trait rolls for 1d6 rounds, as they are overcome with despair. If consumed, the imbiber gains a +2 bonus to Intimidation rolls for one hour but suffers a -2 penalty to Spirit rolls for the same duration.
• Tier: Add the tier level to all Spirit rolls, both positive and negative.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: In Savage Worlds, the potion imposes a significant penalty to Trait rolls, representing the debilitating effect of despair. The Spirit roll reflects the target’s ability to resist the effect. The Intimidation bonus for the user reflects the potion’s power to manipulate through fear. The penalty to Spirit represents the psychological cost of using such a dark concoction. The penalty duration, bonuses, and penalties can be adjusted for balance.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Despair-infused Potion

• Type: Magical Consumable (Fetish)
• Effect: This potion can be thrown as a grenade with a ( দূরের Range increment) or consumed. Upon affecting a target, they must make a Willpower + Intuition (4) Test. Failure imposes a -3 dice pool penalty to all tests for 1d6 rounds, as they are overcome by despair. If consumed, the user gains a +3 dice pool bonus to Intimidation tests for one hour but suffers a -2 dice pool penalty to all Willpower tests for the same duration.
• Availability: 14R (Restricted)
• Cost: 400¥
• Street Index: x2
• Tier: Add the tier level to the threshold of the Willpower + Intuition test, both for the target and the user.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: In Shadowrun, the potion is a magical fetish that can be used offensively or by the user. The dice pool penalties represent the debilitating effects of despair. The Intimidation bonus reflects the potion’s power to manipulate through fear, while the Willpower penalty represents the psychological cost. The availability, cost, and threshold can be adjusted for balance.

Starfinder (2nd Edition)

Despair-infused Potion

• Item Type: Technological/Magical Item (Consumable)
• Level: 3 (Adjust based on tier of the creator)
• Price: 100 credits
• Effect: When this potion is thrown at a creature or consumed, the target must make a DC 14 Will saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes a -2 penalty to all d20 rolls for 1 minute, as they are filled with an overwhelming sense of despair. If consumed, the imbiber gains a +2 circumstance bonus to Intimidate checks for one hour but takes a -2 penalty on all saving throws for the same duration.
• Bulk: L
• Capacity: 1 use
• Tier: Add the tier level to the DC of the saving throw, both positive and negative.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: In Starfinder, the potion inflicts a penalty to all d20 rolls, representing the debilitating effect of despair. The Will save reflects the target’s ability to resist the effect. The Intimidate bonus represents the potion’s power to manipulate through fear, while the saving throw penalty reflects the cost of using such a dark concoction. The DC, penalty, and price can be adjusted for balance.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Despair-infused Potion

• Item Type: Consumable (Drug)
• Effect: Upon affecting a target (via ingestion or as a thrown weapon), they must make an immediate Edu check with a DM -3. Failure means they are distracted by despair and suffer a -3 DM to all skill checks for 1d6 rounds. If consumed, the user gains a +3 DM to any Intimidation skill checks for one hour but suffers a -2 DM to all other skill checks for the same duration as they are filled with dark thoughts.
• Availability: 8+ (Rare)
• Cost: Cr100
• Legality Class: 3 (Restricted in most jurisdictions)
• Tier: Add the tier level to all DM checks.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: In Traveller, the potion imposes a penalty to skill checks, representing the distracting effect of despair. The Edu check reflects the target’s ability to resist the effect. The Intimidation bonus represents the potion’s power to manipulate through fear, while the general skill check penalty reflects the cost of using such a dark concoction. The availability, cost, and legality class can be adjusted for balance.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Despair-infused Potion

• Item Type: Potion
• Rarity: Very Rare
• Effect: When this potion is thrown at a creature or consumed, the target must make a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test. On a failure, they gain the Prone condition, and they are filled with despair, suffering a -20 penalty to all Fellowship tests for 1d10 rounds. If consumed, the imbiber gains a +20 bonus to Intimidation Tests for one hour but gains the Deafened condition for the same duration.
• Encumbrance: 0
• Availability: Very Hard (-30)
• Tier: Add 10 times the tier level to all tests.
• Suggested Adaptation Notes: In Warhammer, the potion inflicts the Prone condition and a penalty to Fellowship tests, representing the debilitating effect of despair. The Willpower Test reflects the target’s ability to resist the effect. The Intimidation bonus reflects the potion’s power to manipulate through fear, while the Deafened condition represents the user’s inward focus on dark thoughts. The rarity, availability, bonus, and Test difficulty can be adjusted for balance.