D&D 5E Question about potions

[CTurbo]

So my group is currently inside a Wizard's house looting the place. The wizard is dead, but potions were his specialty so there are numerous potions to be found.

My question is, what is the best way for me to let the group find out what each potion does? Just roll checks for every one or make them take them into a town and pay a mage to find out what they are?

 

[Gwarok]

Lol, murderhobos gonna murderhobo.

Don't tell em anything until they drink em. Serve em right for killing an old guy in his house and drinking rando stuff they find there

 

[Simonb1]

And I vaguely remember the old mixing potions rules, that could cause random effects to happen.

 

[CTurbo]

Hahahaha it's not like that. They didn't murder him at his house haha. They actually didn't murder him at all. He died by accident but none of that matters to what I'm asking.

I need a way for them to figure out at least what most of them are. I'll leave at least a few up for surprise haha

 

[Ganymede81]

"At the end of the rest, the character learns the item's properties, as well as how to use them. Potions are an exception; a little taste is enough to tell the taster what the potion does." - DMG Pg. 136

 

[Hawk Diesel]

Make them find an apothecary that can identify the potions. Otherwise they would need either the Alchemist feat, identify (if it's magical and not completely mundane with big effects) or some other means that would allow them to identify the potions (such as labels on the vials or a card catalog that the old guy used to keep track of his supplies). If the guy was a potion specialist, I don't think it likely he would have his potions or ingredients unlabeled or have some means to quickly identify them. That would be like expecting a chemist to quickly tell the difference between sugar and salt, or citric acid and hydrochloric acid. Different potions are likely to look similar even with vastly different effects.

"At the end of the rest, the character learns the item's properties, as well as how to use them. Potions are an exception; a little taste is enough to tell the taster what the potion does." - DMG Pg. 136

The person that wrote that part was clearly not a chemist. "Is this water, vinegar, or acid?"

"I don't know. What's it taste like?"

"Bleach."

"Yea, time to call 911..."

 

[Rya.Reisender]

This is not the real world, it's the D&D world and there you can tell a potion's effect by tasting it, apparently. And this is also the best way to play, because having tons of unidentified items is not only less fun but also a lot of trouble for the DM because he needs to keep track of all those items and somehow need to communicate with the player what item is what.
PC: "I want to drink this potion I found earlier."
DM: "Uh, which one?"
PC: "The first unidentified potion in my inventory."
DM: "Where did you find it again?"
PC: "Not sure, I think it was in that cave."
DM: "Okay, let me read through that cave section quick and see if you could have found a potion there..."

Also potions of healing don't need to be identified because they are listed under adventuring gear and consequently don't count as magic items.

My group always makes a funny scene out of identifying potions because it's all like "You taste it!" "No, you!"

 

[Immoralkickass]

My DM just made me rolled Arcana check on the potion. Thank goodness I rolled well, because it turned out to be a potion of poison that was disguised as a potion of healing.

 

[Ovinomancer]

Make them find an apothecary that can identify the potions. Otherwise they would need either the Alchemist feat, identify (if it's magical and not completely mundane with big effects) or some other means that would allow them to identify the potions (such as labels on the vials or a card catalog that the old guy used to keep track of his supplies). If the guy was a potion specialist, I don't think it likely he would have his potions or ingredients unlabeled or have some means to quickly identify them. That would be like expecting a chemist to quickly tell the difference between sugar and salt, or citric acid and hydrochloric acid. Different potions are likely to look similar even with vastly different effects.



The person that wrote that part was clearly not a chemist. "Is this water, vinegar, or acid?"

"I don't know. What's it taste like?"

"Bleach."

"Yea, time to call 911..."

To be fair, the person that made that potion of flying probably isn't a chemist, either.

 

[Ancalagon]

turns out that potions of healing are cancerous, drinking one is like smoking 3 packs of cigarettes

"oh we make them with arsenic and benzene, excellent at promoting tissue growth!"