A review copy of “Bert’s Potion Shop” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.
Designed by: Jia Jian Tin
A goblin is the last person one would expect as owner of a high-end, luxury shop. Bert is not only honest and sophisticated, but he has some truly excellent and creative potions.
Bert’s Potion Shop features more than 75 potions organized into four categories: rejuvenation, protection, offense, and utility, as well as a full page dedicated to the shop and its fun-loving, yet honest owner.
The store is located in Hillsfar, though other franchises could certainly pop up elsewhere. Customers are treated to a magically temperature controlled store, with live music (by a goblin band!), top-class appetizers, and private lounge rooms, where they can relax and order their gift-wrapped goods.
All of the store details are delightful (and apparently drawn from the designer’s own AL adventures), but what really matters are the potions. In all four categories you’ll see standard and not-so standard ideas. Even the most basic Potion of Healing is given the upgraded treatment: Bert’s Potion of Healing always heals at least the average amount of health restored, in case of a low roll.
Other rejuvenation potions can regenerate health over time, consistently or in emergency uses (which then decay to dangerous levels). There are potions to restore healing ability scores, end conditions, and suppress diseases or poisons.
Protection and offense potions are the most exciting. Hurl the Potion of Aegis to create a wall, drink the Potion of Gale to protect from ranged attacks, or imbibe the Potion of Indemnity to create a literal save point, where you can respawn exactly as you are upon an untimely death. That potion will set you back a cool one million gold, however.
I won’t comment too much on potion pricing; the designer borrows the general range from the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Every DM stocks their magic items and gold payouts differently. But I did a few double-takes with potion prices that climbed up to hundreds of thousands of gold.
Most of the offense potions are more like grenades or deployable traps, creating lighting fields, ice vortexes, and explosive missiles or bombs. The Potion of Insults creates magic mouth for one minute that spews insults at enemies a la Vicious Mockery.
My favorite potions were the nilbogs. These rare potions contain the essence of a creature, and come in several different flavors, all granting long-term buffs, shorter-term combat applications, and ongoing role-playing notes to play around with.
The Potion of Fire Nilbog, for example, grants fire resistance for 10 days. For the next eight hours, a tiny fire nilbog appears on your shoulder, firing flaming stones at enemies on each of your turns, with damage equal to your proficiency bonus. As a side effect, you grow more irritable and are quick to anger. Some of the nilbog potions are more defensive or utility-oriented, but all offer interesting, creative effects.
The utility potions are the least creative, with many potions that you’d expect to find: darkvision, beast speech, comprehend languages, magic weapon, and detect traps. The most interesting grants a vision of the last person to touch an object, which has some potentially great uses during an investigation.
With so many wonderful potion ideas in a detailed store, Bert’s Potion Shop succeeds at being a one-stop shop for adventurer’s looking to spend their hard-earned gold.
Pros:
- Over 75 potions, ranging from common to legendary.
- Rejuvenation, protection, offensive, and utility potions offer a range of uses and effects, from standard to wacky.
- Fun details on Bert’s unique, high-end, goblin-owned potion shop.
Cons:
- Need art or text to fill several large, blank spaces.
The Verdict: Bert’s Potion Shop brazenly breaks the mold of conventional potions, offering unique, powerful, and interesting concoctions worthy of its sophisticated store.
A review copy of “Bert’s Potion Shop” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.
RogueWatson 