Advanced Rules for Longevity Potions

Unique Ingredients

Creating a Longevity Potion requires one season to investigate and determine its necessary ingredients (as described on page 89 of 4th edition rules), and obviously before the actual potion can be created, these ingredients must be gathered. Most ingredients are relatively commonplace, but some ingredients will be of such a unique nature that their inclusion gives the potion added vitality and eases the burden of its creation. Examples might include milk from a particular breed of cattle, acorns from a specific oak tree, water from a specific village well, or even dew from the headstone of the grave of the imbiber's father (ingredients need not be edible, as a baby's tooth or clod of dirt might suffice). Normally such ingredients manifest aspects of the imbiber's youth, birth, or individual nature. For example, the aforementioned oak tree might be the tree they frequently climbed as a child. Although these unique ingredients are never required for the manufacture of a longevity potion, they are desireable, because for each unique ingredient included in the potion, the amount of necessary vis to create the potion is reduced by one pawn.

Acquiring the various unique ingredients should involve a story event (e.g., a journey to the village where a Magus was born). The imbiber should cherish these unique ingredients and carefully protect them from harm once they are acquired, because they may be necessary to fashion another potion in the future (once a unique ingredient is brewed into a potion, it is 'burned' just like vis, and not possible to recover for multiple uses). Due to the transient nature of life, sometimes these ingredients are impossible to attain (the necessary oak tree may have burned for example, and no more acorns will ever be produced). When this occurs, the ingredient is lost, and cannot be replaced or magically conjured (raw vis must suffice in its stead). Assume that a maximum of one unique ingredient exists for every five years of the current age of the Magus (or every 10 years for a non-Magus). Further, the maximum number of unique ingredients that can be identified by a Magus when he researches a longevity potion is equal to his Magic Theory + Int + Corpus/5 score (if these scores increase in the future, the Magus cannot discern additional unique ingredients without devoting the necessary season). Note that since these unique ingredients are merely substituted for vis in fashioning the potion, their absence can be averted with the use of vis.

*If a Magus employs longevity charms or similar devices other than potions, the nature of the charm will vary according to the personal history of the imbiber, and implementation of these rules for unique ingredients must be discussed with the storyguide or troupe.

Exempli Gratia: Gustav of House Merinita spends a season researching a longevity potion for himself. At age 40, he currently has 8 possible unique ingredients (40/5 = 8), and since his Magic Theory + Int + Corpus/5 total is 9, he can easily discern all of the ingredients. Discussing the matter with the Storyguide and assembled Troupe, the following unique ingredients are assigned to Gustav:

Gustav documents these unique ingredients in his personal grimoire, and if he can acquire any of them prior to brewing his longevity potion, their incorporation in the potion may ease its creation. Note that Gustav may attempt to use magic to facilitate the acquirement of these ingredients (e.g., using a spontaneous Rego Animál spell to summon a snake to a graveyard, or induce a hen to lay eggs on Mayday), but such manipulation often renders the ingredient ineffectual (perhaps even ruining the longevity potion). The surest way to acquire unique ingredients is to find them in their natural environment, without the intercession of magics.

Standard Ingredients

Longevity potions must include sulferous water, which is traditionally known for its power of preservation. This ingredient could be replaced with another similar agent (discovered through research), though it is so common throughout Europe that to do without it is the exception. Powdered lead is also essential (and easily attained in mid- to southern Europe), known for its stalwart nature. To assure its purity, the lead should be reduced to this form in the brazier of the Magus' Sanctum, situated on the south side of the room in accordance with the alignment of the elements.

According to Hermetic tradition, it is also necessary to include a stone soaked in the blood of the intended imbiber. The specific stone is determined according to which particular planet was in ascension at their time of birth. The stones associated with the planets are as follows...

Mercury

mercury

Venus

copper

Mars

iron

Moon

silver

Saturn

lead

Jupiter

tin

Sun

gold

Once the particular stone is acquired, it is immersed in a vessel and soaked in the blood of the intended imbiber, then 'planted' within the ground for at least one moon. Preferably, this should be put into the ground in the late summer or early autumn, and dug up again with the spring equinox (apply a suitable bonus to the resulting effectiveness of the potion). The resulting stone should then be powdered and added to the elixir. Note that mercury is a liquid rather than a stone, thus it must be mixed with the blood of the imbiber in a suitable vessel.

Longevity Potions and the Law of Contagion

One additional method in the manufacture of Longevity Potions has come to be known through parts of the Order, though it has fallen into some disrepute, and is discouraged by the Quaesitori. It involves including the blood of a young, vibrant person within the potion. The person must have died a premature death (often by violence), and the blood must be taken from them while their heart still beats (for the final few moments). This vibrant blood is added to a completed longevity potion with appropriate ceremony, and may increase its effectiveness many-fold (depending upon the blood). The blood's presence gives the imbiber some of the vitality of the deceased victim. This blood will lose its effectiveness with time, and should be drunk with the potion when it is still warm (within minutes of the poor soul's death). Although this ingredient is never necessary in a potion, it has been known to re-energize the imbiber, giving their pale skin a rosy glow, and though it has not reversed the effects of natural aging, it is the closest to breaking the laws of magic Hermetic Magi have come. (Some Magi also add a mother's milk to their potions though the effectiveness of this is still debated.) Alas, this disreputable ancient tradition is also quite dangerous, as legends persist about how it is possible to acquire any weaknesses, diseases, family curses, or other residual effects which accompanied the deceased. Generally the younger the deceased, the better. Alas the only sure way to acquire such a gift is to be quite ready for their impending accidental demise, so rare an event that unscrupulous Magi have been known to slay their victims and drain their blood right into their potion, downing it while the dying youth lay miserable before them. A Magus willing to attempt such devious acts would certainly be a likely candidate for demonic attention.

This page last modified 8/16/97.

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