One of my players has this in their possession, but they don't know that its a potion of poison, they think its a beneficial item. So if they drink it, do I tell them that they have specifically taken poison damage or do I let them work it out on their own if they fail the Constitution saving throw?
You can keep it narrative, let them know the potion tastes awful and nauseating, and ask them to make the CON save. Regardless if they succeed or fail, they should be able to make 1+1 and get that it was a silly idea to drink it :)
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Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
You don't need to give them all sorts of Narrative clues beforehand that it is poison, although you can - and there's nothing wrong with handling it as LeKsuggests, if you wish.
However, not all poisonous substances smell, or taste bad - lead, for example, was used as a wine sweetener by the Romans. I would probably use a random potion/substance appearance generator like this one.
I would handle the foreshadowing differently based on why they thought it was a beneficial item.
Did the player find a random, unlabeled vial of some mystery substance and conclude that it must be beneficial, without testing it, or using Identify? Then I think they're on their own, and I don't have any responsibility to shield them from stupid behavior. Down the contents, make your Con saving throw, take your poison damage.
Were they given the substance by someone they trust ( perhaps unbeknownst to the giver ), or do they have reliable and believable ( although clearly mistaken ) information that this is a beneficial substance, or do they believe this is something they are familiar with? Then as they go to consume it, I might give them a Perception check to be able to detect something wrong: as you go to down the vial, you detect a faint coppery bitter odor in the background that you don't remember from the last time you drank one of these ...
I would absolutely be very descriptive about the effects they were experiencing. You can find the symptoms of poisoning online easily enough, but here's some:
Burns or redness around the mouth and lips
Breath that smells like chemicals, such as gasoline or paint thinner
Vomiting
Difficulty breathing
Drowsiness
Confusion or other altered mental status
You don't need to tell them "hey, you were poisoned', but play up these poison symptoms. That, coupled with the Con save and the damage, and they can figure out what just happened.
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According to the DMG, a potion's effect can be determined with a taste, I might throw an arcana check in there (DC 10 +2 for each rarity above common) for good measure.
Oh boy, the unknown potion, those are fun situations based on player reactions!
I'll leave the "What if my player quaffs the entire potion?" answers to the guys above. Instead I'll offer a simple solution that I've used at my table for decades on how to handle identifying an unknown potion:
The Pinky Test
A character may use a pinky finger, or whatever digit they prefer, to dab it into the potion and taste a few drops of the potion to get a very general idea of what the potion might do. This does not use up any discernible amount of the potion nor does it grant more than a very simple explanation of what the potion does when it touches the tongue or finger. This will allow the players to begin to understand what potions, salves, and other bottled fluids may do based on the description of it's contents. This also creates the gradual knowledge that would come from adventuring from zero to hero to where they know, on sight, the probability that an unidentified elixir is probably a certain type.
You see a bottle with a liquid that has separated into brown, silver, and gray layers resembling bands of stone and as you move the bottle around the layers don't mix together. Then when the player dips their finger into the potion. You feel as though their arms and legs feel as though they're slightly more energized, their grip on the bottle feels much more firm, and the cracks and crevasses on the stone wall across the way seem to light up with foot and hand holds. The taste of the drops is also very similar to licking mud.
You see a bottle with a liquid that has separated into brown, silver, and gray layers resembling bands of stone and as you move the bottle around the layers don't mix together. Then when the player dips their finger into the potion. You feel the liquid course down your throat, it's almost like licking mud. As it courses through you, you feel a strange convulsion, your stomach gets a bit uneasy. You let out a bit of a belch and feel an acrid taste in your throat, your head spinning a little.
As the Potion of Poison takes on the appearance and taste of a different potion you start off with the same descriptions, but that last little touch of detail is where the player learns something might not be right. It's not enough to tell them "This is poison", but it is enough to let them know that it's not the same as the other potion you've had before.
If the players haven't had that type of potion before then it gets really interesting. They'll probably avoid that type of potion, or use it to poison someone. Then, by the nature of illusions, they watch as the would be victim now gains the ability to climb like a spider monkey.
One of my players has this in their possession, but they don't know that its a potion of poison, they think its a beneficial item. So if they drink it, do I tell them that they have specifically taken poison damage or do I let them work it out on their own if they fail the Constitution saving throw?
You can keep it narrative, let them know the potion tastes awful and nauseating, and ask them to make the CON save.
Regardless if they succeed or fail, they should be able to make 1+1 and get that it was a silly idea to drink it :)
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
You don't need to give them all sorts of Narrative clues beforehand that it is poison, although you can - and there's nothing wrong with handling it as LeK suggests, if you wish.
However, not all poisonous substances smell, or taste bad - lead, for example, was used as a wine sweetener by the Romans. I would probably use a random potion/substance appearance generator like this one.
I would handle the foreshadowing differently based on why they thought it was a beneficial item.
Did the player find a random, unlabeled vial of some mystery substance and conclude that it must be beneficial, without testing it, or using Identify? Then I think they're on their own, and I don't have any responsibility to shield them from stupid behavior. Down the contents, make your Con saving throw, take your poison damage.
Were they given the substance by someone they trust ( perhaps unbeknownst to the giver ), or do they have reliable and believable ( although clearly mistaken ) information that this is a beneficial substance, or do they believe this is something they are familiar with? Then as they go to consume it, I might give them a Perception check to be able to detect something wrong: as you go to down the vial, you detect a faint coppery bitter odor in the background that you don't remember from the last time you drank one of these ...
I would absolutely be very descriptive about the effects they were experiencing. You can find the symptoms of poisoning online easily enough, but here's some:
You don't need to tell them "hey, you were poisoned', but play up these poison symptoms. That, coupled with the Con save and the damage, and they can figure out what just happened.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
According to the DMG, a potion's effect can be determined with a taste, I might throw an arcana check in there (DC 10 +2 for each rarity above common) for good measure.
Oh boy, the unknown potion, those are fun situations based on player reactions!
I'll leave the "What if my player quaffs the entire potion?" answers to the guys above. Instead I'll offer a simple solution that I've used at my table for decades on how to handle identifying an unknown potion:
The Pinky Test
A character may use a pinky finger, or whatever digit they prefer, to dab it into the potion and taste a few drops of the potion to get a very general idea of what the potion might do. This does not use up any discernible amount of the potion nor does it grant more than a very simple explanation of what the potion does when it touches the tongue or finger. This will allow the players to begin to understand what potions, salves, and other bottled fluids may do based on the description of it's contents. This also creates the gradual knowledge that would come from adventuring from zero to hero to where they know, on sight, the probability that an unidentified elixir is probably a certain type.
An example on how I use it:
Potion of Climbing
You see a bottle with a liquid that has separated into brown, silver, and gray layers resembling bands of stone and as you move the bottle around the layers don't mix together. Then when the player dips their finger into the potion. You feel as though their arms and legs feel as though they're slightly more energized, their grip on the bottle feels much more firm, and the cracks and crevasses on the stone wall across the way seem to light up with foot and hand holds. The taste of the drops is also very similar to licking mud.
Potion of Poison
You see a bottle with a liquid that has separated into brown, silver, and gray layers resembling bands of stone and as you move the bottle around the layers don't mix together. Then when the player dips their finger into the potion. You feel the liquid course down your throat, it's almost like licking mud. As it courses through you, you feel a strange convulsion, your stomach gets a bit uneasy. You let out a bit of a belch and feel an acrid taste in your throat, your head spinning a little.
As the Potion of Poison takes on the appearance and taste of a different potion you start off with the same descriptions, but that last little touch of detail is where the player learns something might not be right. It's not enough to tell them "This is poison", but it is enough to let them know that it's not the same as the other potion you've had before.
If the players haven't had that type of potion before then it gets really interesting. They'll probably avoid that type of potion, or use it to poison someone. Then, by the nature of illusions, they watch as the would be victim now gains the ability to climb like a spider monkey.
Thanks everyone, this all helps a lot