This post was written as part of the [RPG Blog Carnival](https://ofdiceanddragons.com/rpg-blog-carnival/), hosted in March of 2024 by [VDonnut Valley](https://vdonnutvalley.wordpress.com/2024/03/01/feasts-foods-and-fancy-drinks-oh-my/). The topic was *Feasts, Foods and Fancy Drinks, oh my!* Below, I present a small table of fantastical drinks to add to your game. > [!note]- Design Notes > What's the difference between a magical drink and a potion? > > That's not a rhetorical question. At first glance, one might be tempted to think they were the same thing. After all, you drink a potion and it provides magical effects, right? > > I believe the difference lies, not in the mechanics, but in the fiction. Potions and magical drinks need to lie in different cultural spheres for there to be a useful distinction. And I believe a useful distinction is, well, useful. Consider some medieval king rolling out a barrel of magically enhanced drink that ensures his son's birthday celebration will be a party to remember. Not really a potion, right? > > Potions are tools. They are substances with a single functional purpose, crafted with that purpose in mind. Potions used frivolously are wasted. > Magical drinks are entertainment. Their primary goal is the pleasure of the drinker. Magical drinks are, indeed, frivolous by nature. > > I have deliberately aimed for 'magical drinks' with this table, so the drinks have effects that are secondary compared to taste and the enjoyment of drinking. Any of these drinks *could* be used as potions, if you so desire, but that's not the intention here. > I feel that drinks like these should be rare and potent, not generally available for purchase, but instead used as quest rewards or to enhance a story moment. > > Effects are presented in generic language and should be easily adaptable to any system. | d8 | Fantastical Drink | |----|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1 | [[1d8 Fantastical Drinks#1. Stone Drink\|Stone Drink]] | | 2 | [[1d8 Fantastical Drinks#2. Elven Travel Cordial\|Elven Travel Cordial]] | | 3 | [[1d8 Fantastical Drinks#3. Fire Cider\|Fire Cider]] | | 4 | [[1d8 Fantastical Drinks#4. Frostberry Wine\|Frostberry Wine]] | | 5 | [[1d8 Fantastical Drinks#5. Nectar of the Everbright\|Nectar of the Everbright]] | | 6 | [[1d8 Fantastical Drinks#6. Dire Mead\|Dire Mead]] | | 7 | [[1d8 Fantastical Drinks#7. Bubble Kelp Lager\|Bubble Kelp Lager]] | | 8 | [[1d8 Fantastical Drinks#8. Old Hill Mulled Wine\|Old Hill Mulled Wine]] | # 1. Stone Drink **Description**: Stone drink is a pale, slightly salty drink brewed by the finest of dwarven brewmasters. The process for extracting alcohol from the very rocks is a close-guarded secret. Stone drink is incredibly potent and is usually reserved for celebrations and special occasions. **Effect**: The drinker must immediately make a check to avoid becoming intoxicated. Whether the drinker becomes intoxicated or not, they gain a minor bonus to all physical rolls and a minor penalty to all mental rolls until they rest. **Container**: A bottle contains 3 portions. A cask contains 50 portions. # 2. Elven Travel Cordial **Description**: Brewed from the sap of the elven heartwood trees, elven travel cordial is a thick, sweet, and refreshing drink with many of the same properties as elven travel bread. Namely, a single swig can sustain a grown man for several hours journey. Most elven travelers carry Travel Cordial and it's also drunk during elven meditation ceremonies, which can last for weeks. **Effect**: A portion sustains the drinker for a full day, removing any need for rations or water. **Container**: A skin contains 8 portions. # 3. Fire Cider **Description**: Fire Cider is easy to brew, but its primary ingredients are scarce. Developed by a wizardly wine connoisseur, it requires golden apples from the Singing Forest and the essence of a Giant Firefly, along with sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and a few other components. Fire Cider is sweet and spicy and burns all the way down, making it a popular drink for special occasions in the frozen Northlands. **Effect**: The drinker can't taste anything for the next few hours and gains resistance to cold damage for the same amount of time. **Container**: A bottle contains 2 portions. A cask contains 25 portions. # 4. Frostberry Wine **Description**: Frostberry Wine is brewed according to a recipe passed from shaman to shaman among the Northern tribes. It requires many rare herbs and berries found only in desolate stretches of frozen tundra, as well as certain mystic rituals during the brewing. The result is a tart, deep red liquid with notes of spruce that is reserved for rites of passage and great feasts. **Effect**: The drinker can't feel their extremities for the next few hours and gains resistance to fire damage for the same amount of time. **Container**: A bottle contains 2 portions. A cask contains 25 portions. # 5. Nectar of the Everbright **Description**: In its pure form, the nectar of the ever-blooming wildflowers of the Everbright Plains has powerful magical properties, but tastes rather like old horseradish. Only through extensive brewing and a lot of extra sugar can it be made palatable while retaining its properties. Nectar is typically consumed during religious ceremonies, allowing the priests of the Everbright Plains to remain awake for days on end in service to their deities. **Effect**: The drinker may remain awake for the next twenty-four hours without adverse effects. **Container**: A flask contains a single portion. # 6. Dire Mead **Description**: Honey from the Dire Bees of the Golden Realm has the peculiar property of shielding the eater from fear. Mead made from this honey has the same magical effect, with the added benefit of tasting like mead. Taverns in the Golden Realm often have Dire Mead as their highest priced drink as well as a sign on the door warning guests against venturing too close to the apiary. **Effect**: The drinker smells faintly of honey for the next few hours and has advantage on saving throws against fear for the same amount of time. **Container**: A bottle contains 5 portions. A cask contains 75 portions. # 7. Bubble Kelp Lager **Description**: Bubble Kelp Lager is a dark beer popular in the taverns of Kelp Cove, the only place where Bubble Kelp grows reliably. A few rounds of Bubble Kelp Lager on a Friday night often lead to drunken swimming races in the cove. **Effect**: For the next few hours, the drinker can hold their breath for a number of minutes equal to their Constitution score. **Container**: A bottle contains 3 portions. A cask contains 50 portions. # 8. Old Hill Mulled Wine **Description**: Old Hill Vineyard is secretive about their recipe and about the mystic rituals that accompany the brewing of their Old Hill Mulled Wine, but everyone agrees that it's the best there is. Other mulled wine can be a great treat, but only Old Hill can elevate mere food into a feast. Food eaten while drinking Old Hill Mulled Wine tastes *more*; the sweet is sweeter, the savoury is richer, the sour is more astringent. Of course, this also means that bad cooking tastes worse, but at least you're drinking Old Hill. **Effect**: The drinker's sense of taste is greatly elevated for the next few hours, allowing them greater enjoyment of good food, as well as giving them the ability to identify specific tastes. **Container**: A bottle contains 3 portions. A cask contains 50 portions.