Shadow Veil Potion

From: Abyssal Shard

Lore: The Shadow Veil Potion is a mystical concoction born from the arcane arts, utilizing the Abyssal Shard’s chaotic essence alongside other ingredients associated with darkness and shadows. Legends speak of an ancient order of shadowmages who delved deep into the realm of shadows to uncover the secrets of stealth and deception. Through their research, they crafted the recipe for the Shadow Veil Potion, enabling its drinkers to harness the power of shadows to their advantage. The Abyssal Shard’s inclusion in the potion is believed to enhance its shadow-wielding capabilities and imbue it with an unpredictable element.

Use: When consumed, the Shadow Veil Potion allows the user to tap into the essence of shadows, temporarily granting them abilities associated with stealth and darkness. The potion’s effects are twofold: First, it causes the drinker to blend into shadows, becoming partially invisible to the naked eye. This grants them a significant advantage on stealth checks, making it easier to move undetected and remain hidden from enemies. Second, the potion enhances the drinker’s resistance to light-based magic, granting them an advantage on saving throws against spells that rely on light or illumination.

Tier 1 Stats:

• Partial Invisibility: Grants advantage on stealth checks, making it easier to hide and remain unnoticed.
• Light-based Magic Resistance: Provides advantage on saving throws against spells that utilize light or rely on illumination.

Skills:

• Stealth: Allows the character to utilize the Shadow Veil Potion’s effects effectively, improving their ability to move silently and remain hidden.
• Arcana: Enables the character to understand the intricacies of the potion’s creation and potential variations in its effects.

Preparation: Crafting the Shadow Veil Potion requires a skilled alchemist or shadowmage familiar with the recipe. The process involves carefully combining the following ingredients: Abyssal Shard (1), Ghostly Essence (3 drops), Nightshade Extract (1 vial), Moonlight Dew (1 teaspoon), and Shadowroot Powder (1 pinch). These components must be blended under specific lunar phases or within the presence of shadows to ensure the desired infusion of shadowy energies. Once prepared, the potion is stored in a vial or container that shields it from direct light.

Cost: The rarity of the Abyssal Shard and the specialized nature of the potion’s ingredients contribute to its value. Additionally, the potion’s useful effects make it highly sought after by rogues, assassins, and those who value stealth. As a result, the Shadow Veil Potion can be quite expensive. In a typical market, it may cost around 500 gold pieces. However, its price may vary depending on the availability of ingredients, local demand, and the reputation of the seller.

Tags: Consumable, Stealth Enhancement, Light-based Magic Resistance, Partial Invisibility, Rare, Shadowmeld, Arcane Obfuscation, Darkness Infusion, Lunar Alchemy, Concealment Booster, Lightbane Resistance, Phantom’s Grace, Subterfuge Aid, Veilcraft, Nocturnal Elixir

The Shadow Veil Potion, with its unique properties and sought-after effects, can be found in select locations and sold through specific channels. Here’s more information on where and how the recipe is sold, as well as its usage and the environments in which it is employed:

Sale and Acquisition:

• Underground Black Markets: The recipe for the Shadow Veil Potion is often coveted by those operating in the shadows, including rogues, thieves, and assassins. It can be found in clandestine black markets, hidden from the prying eyes of authorities. Characters may need to establish connections with informants, delve into the criminal underworld, or gain the favor of shadowy figures to access these secretive markets and purchase the recipe.
• Shadowmages’ Sanctums: The knowledge and recipes for crafting the Shadow Veil Potion are closely guarded by shadowmages, an enigmatic order or secretive practitioners of shadow magic. To acquire the recipe, characters may need to seek out and gain the trust of a shadowmage, undertaking quests, proving their worth, or becoming an apprentice to one of these skilled practitioners.
• Mysterious Occult Shops: Occult shops that deal in arcane and forbidden artifacts, relics, and potions may occasionally have the Shadow Veil Potion or its recipe for sale. These shops are often found in shadowy corners of cities or hidden within mystical locales. Characters might need to seek out these elusive shops, solve riddles or puzzles, or offer rare magical items or services in exchange for the recipe.

Usage and Environment: The Shadow Veil Potion is primarily used in situations where stealth, subterfuge, or evasion are crucial. Here are some scenarios in which the potion’s usage and environment come into play:

• Infiltration and Espionage: The Shadow Veil Potion is invaluable for characters seeking to infiltrate secure locations, spy on targets, or gather information discreetly. By consuming the potion, characters can partially blend into shadows, granting them enhanced stealth capabilities and making it easier to bypass security measures undetected.
• Assassinations and Covert Operations: Assassins and covert operatives often rely on the Shadow Veil Potion to carry out their missions. Its effects allow them to move silently and unseen, providing a tactical advantage when striking from the shadows or avoiding detection during sensitive operations.
• Mystical or Haunted Environments: Characters exploring mystical or haunted environments may encounter areas cloaked in darkness or haunted by light-sensitive creatures. The Shadow Veil Potion can provide protection against light-based magic and make it easier to navigate these perilous surroundings while remaining unseen.
• Counteracting Light-based Adversaries: When facing enemies who utilize powerful light-based magic or possess abilities that rely on illumination, the Shadow Veil Potion becomes a valuable tool. By consuming the potion, characters gain an advantage on saving throws against these light-based attacks, increasing their chances of resisting or mitigating the effects.

Whispering Shadows’ Gift

Long before the sun first kissed the mountains and the stars wove their tapestry of light, there was a world veiled entirely in shadow. In this world, beings of pure darkness roamed, neither hostile nor kind, but ever-watchful, their forms shifting like smoke on a restless wind. The most curious of these beings was called Na’reth, a shadow who yearned to understand the world beyond its endless night.

Na’reth wandered the shadowlands, seeking fragments of light that dared to breach the veil. One day, it stumbled upon a shard unlike any other—a jagged fragment that pulsed with chaotic energy, defying both shadow and light. Na’reth knew it had found something extraordinary, yet dangerous, for the shard hummed with whispers that clawed at its mind, offering knowledge and power at a terrible cost.

Guided by the shard’s voices, Na’reth gathered the dew from leaves untouched by sunlight, the essence of moonlight captured in silver pools, and the powdered root of a plant that only grew in places where no shadow dared fall. Over years that passed like moments, it concocted the first potion, one that could bind a mortal to the veil of shadows, granting them the gift of invisibility and the power to resist the piercing rays of light.

Na’reth presented this creation to the first shadowmages, a secretive order of mortals who sought to balance the realms of shadow and light. They drank of the potion and found themselves cloaked in near-invisibility, able to walk undetected even in places where light reigned supreme. Yet, as the potion took hold, some whispered of strange dreams—dreams of Na’reth watching, of the shadowlands encroaching upon the waking world.

The potion became a sacred secret, its recipe passed down through cryptic riddles and hidden glyphs. The shadowmages warned of its price, for the shard’s chaotic nature could never be fully tamed. Those who consumed the potion too often or too greedily found themselves lost in the veil, their forms dissolving into shadow, their names forgotten by the living.

Moral: To walk unseen is to tread the edge of oblivion; what protects in darkness may consume in kind.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Shadow Veil Potion

• Type: Mystical Consumable
• Description: A swirling, dark potion crafted from the Abyssal Shard, enhancing stealth and resistance to light-based powers.
• Effects: Upon consumption, the user gains the following benefits for 1d10 minutes:
  • Partial Invisibility: Grants a bonus die to all Stealth rolls, making the user harder to detect.
  • Light Resistance: Grants a +20% bonus to resist effects or spells involving light or illumination.
• Sanity Cost: 1/1d3 when consumed, as the chaotic essence of the potion briefly connects the user to an otherworldly realm.
• Crafting Requirements: A successful Occult or Alchemy roll and access to rare ingredients, including an Abyssal Shard.

Blades in the Dark

Shadow Veil Potion

• Type: Alchemical Formula
• Description: A dark liquid with silvery tendrils, granting stealthy advantages and protection against light-based effects.
• Mechanics:
  • Effect: When consumed, the potion grants:
    • Cloaked in Shadows: Gain potency on rolls involving stealth or concealment for the duration of the scene.
    • Light Ward: Gain resistance (reduce effect) against any action or harm caused by light-based attacks or supernatural illumination.
  • Stress Cost: Using this potion causes 2 stress due to its chaotic influence.
  • Duration: Lasts for one scene or until disrupted.
• Crafting: Requires Tier II resources and a downtime activity with a clock (4 segments) to produce.

Dungeons & Dragons (5e)

Shadow Veil Potion

• Wondrous Item, Rare
• Description: This potion’s inky black liquid swirls with faint silver wisps. When consumed, it cloaks the user in shadows and enhances resistance to light-based effects.
• Properties:
  • Partial Invisibility: The user is considered lightly obscured even in bright light and gains advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks for 10 minutes.
  • Light Resistance: The user gains advantage on saving throws against spells or effects that deal radiant damage or rely on illumination for 1 hour.
• Use: Consuming the potion is a bonus action.
• Crafting Requirements: Proficiency in Alchemist’s Supplies or Arcana, Abyssal Shard, and materials worth 500 gp, with a successful DC 16 Arcana check.

Knave

Shadow Veil Potion

• Item Slot: Consumable
• Description: A potion that grants stealth and resistance to light-based effects for a limited time.
• Effects: When consumed, the potion provides the following benefits for one exploration turn:
  • Stealth Enhancement: +2 to all Stealth rolls.
  • Light Resistance: The user reduces damage from light-based attacks by 1 point (minimum 1 damage).
• Usage: Takes up one inventory slot and is consumed after use.
• Acquisition: Rarely found, typically in shadowy dungeons or through dealings with alchemists skilled in the arcane.

Fate

Shadow Veil Potion

• Type: Consumable
• Description: A swirling, dark potion that cloaks the user in shadows and grants resistance to light-based effects.
• Mechanics:
  • Aspect: Grants the temporary aspect “Cloaked in Shadows” for one scene.
  • Invoking the Aspect: Spend a Fate Point to:
    • Gain a +2 bonus to stealth-related rolls.
    • Resist any effect or attack relying on light or illumination.
  • Compel: The GM may compel the aspect, causing unforeseen effects like attracting unnatural attention or briefly blinding the user in light-dense areas.
• Duration: One scene or encounter.

Numenera & Cypher System

Shadow Veil Potion

• Level: 5
• Description: This potion contains swirling dark liquid and grants stealth and light resistance.
• Effect: Upon consumption, the user gains the following for 1 hour:
  • Stealth Enhancement: Treat as an asset on all stealth-related tasks.
  • Light Resistance: Gain +5 to Speed defense rolls against light-based attacks or effects.
  • Chaotic Feedback: On a natural roll of 1 during a stealth task, the user suffers 2 points of Intellect damage due to chaotic interference.
• Crafting: Requires access to Abyssal Shards and a successful crafting task with a difficulty of 5.

Pathfinder (2e)

Shadow Veil Potion

• Type: Consumable, Magical
• Level: 6
• Price: 75 gp
• Traits: Consumable, Magical, Chaos, Shadow
• Activation: 1 action (Drink)
• Effects: When consumed, the user gains the following for 10 minutes:
  • Partial Invisibility: Gain a +2 item bonus to Stealth checks.
  • Light Resistance: Gain a +1 status bonus to saving throws against light- or radiant-based spells and effects.
  • Critical Failure Drawback: If critically failing a Stealth check while the potion is active, the user is dazzled for 1 round.
• Crafting Requirements: Requires Crafting (Expert), Abyssal Shard, and materials worth 50 gp.

Savage Worlds (SWADE)

Shadow Veil Potion

• Type: Magical Consumable
• Description: A potion that cloaks the drinker in shadows, granting stealth and protection from light-based powers.
• Effects: When consumed, the user gains the following for 5 rounds:
  • Stealth: Adds +2 to Stealth rolls.
  • Light Resistance: Grants +2 to resist damage or effects caused by light-based powers or attacks.
  • Backlash: On a critical failure when using Stealth, the user becomes Shaken as chaotic energy disrupts their senses.
• Cost: 200 credits or equivalent trade value due to its rarity.
• Crafting: Requires an Alchemy roll at -2 and access to rare shadow-infused materials.

Shadowrun (6e)

Shadow Veil Potion

• Type: Magical Consumable
• Description: A dark potion infused with shadowy energy, granting enhanced stealth and protection from light-based threats.
• Effects:
  • Partial Invisibility: Gain +2 dice on all Stealth-related tests for 10 minutes.
  • Light Resistance: Add +2 to defense tests against light-based magical or technological effects.
  • Drawback: On a glitch, the user is briefly blinded (1 Combat Turn) as chaotic energy overwhelms their senses.
• Duration: 10 minutes.
• Cost: ¥750
• Availability: 10F (Forbidden due to magical properties).
• Crafting Requirements: Requires a Magic skill test (Threshold 4) and rare materials worth ¥400.

Starfinder

Shadow Veil Potion

• Item Type: Magical Consumable
• Level: 6
• Price: 1,500 credits
• Bulk: L (Light)
• Description: This swirling black potion enhances stealth and grants limited protection against light-based effects.
• Effects: When consumed, the user gains the following benefits for 10 minutes:
  • Stealth Enhancement: Gain a +2 insight bonus to Stealth checks.
  • Light Resistance: Gain energy resistance 5 against radiant or light-based damage.
  • Critical Failure Drawback: If rolling a natural 1 on a Stealth check, the user becomes dazzled for 1 round.
• Crafting: Requires Mysticism (DC 20) and access to rare Abyssal-infused materials.

Traveller (Mongoose 2e)

Shadow Veil Potion

• Type: Rare Consumable (TL 14)
• Description: A mysterious liquid crafted using advanced alchemical techniques, granting stealth and resistance to light-based effects.
• Effects:
  • Stealth Enhancement: Grants +2 DM to Stealth checks for 1 hour.
  • Light Resistance: Reduces damage from light-based weapons or effects by 2 points.
  • Drawback: On a natural roll of 2, the user suffers a -2 DM penalty to all Perception checks for 10 minutes due to sensory overload.
• Cost: Cr7,500 due to its rarity.
• Crafting Requirements: Requires an Alchemy or Science skill check (Difficulty 12) and exotic materials.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4e)

Shadow Veil Potion

• Type: Magical Consumable
• Encumbrance: 0
• Price: 15 Gold Crowns
• Rarity: Very Rare
• Description: A dark liquid that enhances stealth and protects against light-based magic.
• Effects:
  • Partial Invisibility: Gain +10 to Stealth rolls for 1d10 minutes.
  • Light Resistance: Gain a +10 bonus to Toughness tests against light- or radiant-based spells and effects.
  • Chaos Drawback: On a critical failure with Stealth, gain 1 Corruption point as the potion’s chaotic energy affects the user.
• Crafting Requirements: Requires a successful Trade (Alchemy) roll (Challenging) and shadow-infused materials.