Tonics of the Deep Forest

The tinctures of the deep forest grant vigour and health. These preparations use alcohol as a base, and are usually very strong tasting. They are especially popular among the Varushkans, who mix them with raw spirits and flavour them with strong honey. They are a staple for many warriors who rely on them in preference to, or in conjunction with, crafted armour that enhances their endurance.

Some Freeborn Kohan are leery of using the Winterskin and Ironblood tinctures due to the way they dampen strong passions. By contrast, many Landsknecht and Schlacta appreciate the way these elixirs help them suppress feelings of fear, empathy or compassion.

Temporary Hits

These preparations grant temporary hits. These are the first hits lost when a character takes damage, and cannot be restored with healing. Temporary hits never stack; if you drink a potion that gives you +1 temporary hit and potion that gives you +2 hits, you have +2 hits not +3 hits and the first potion is effectively wasted.

Oakenhide Tincture

This potion helps the drinker to shrug off the effect of minor wounds; a swordblow that might otherwise have resulted in a significant wound instead inflicts a nasty bruise, for example. The preparation is also valued for it's positive effect on an imbiber's fighting spirit; while it will not make a cowardly fighter any braver, it helps to reduce the fear of danger in a way that grants valuable confidence, especially to untried troops.

Effect: The drinker gains 1 temporary hit. The temporary hit fades at sunrise or sunset if it has not been lost before then. Roleplaying Effect: The drinker feels confident in their ability to survive dangerous situations.

Recipe: One dram of True Vervain and one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine.

Winterskin Tincture

This cool elixir deadens sensations of pain, allowing a warrior to shrug off an assault that might fell an untried combatant. It also cools the blood and distances the drinker from their emotions, which can be both a positive and a negative side-effect.

Effect: The drinker gains 2 temporary hits. Any remaining temporary hits fade at sunrise or sunset, whichever comes first. Roleplaying Effect: The drinker feels distanced from their emotions, as if they are being experienced at one remove.

Recipe: One dram of True Vervain, one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine and one dram of Bladeroot.

Ironblood Tincture

This potent elixir reduces the effect of wounds but also numbs the heart. The preparation has a bad reputation, and has on occasion been criminalized in the Empire because it encourages violent and cruel individuals to express their antisocial tendencies. Some violent criminals claim that it is the effect of this tincture that drives them to excessive cruelty, but this argument does not gain much traction with the magistrates. Excessive and extended use of Ironblood Tincture can permanently damage an individual's ability to relate to others.

Effect: The drinker gains 3 temporary hits. Any remaining temporary hits fade at sunrise or sunset, whichever comes first. Roleplaying Effect: The drinker finds it very hard to care about the feelings of other people, and tends to take the most expedient course of action regardless of who it might hurt or kill.

Recipe: Two drams of True Vervain, one dram each of Cerulean Mazzarine, Bladeroot.