Potions are carefully prepared magical tonics which any character can use at any time; quaffing a potion requires no particular skill. Potions may have permanent effects such as stat gain or an experience bonus, give temporary benefits such as increased speed or the ability to see invisible monsters, or have an immediate effect that heals or restores the player. Potions are generally intended to affect the player, but if thrown or shattered they can in some cases also affect monsters. Since potions have no fail rates and can be reliably used even while blinded, confused or stunned, a healing potion is often the safest option in an emergency.
Potions with bad effects are rare in today’s Vanilla Angband; most of the original bad potions were removed in Angband 3.1.0, and the practical necessity of identifying potions by use-ID in Angband 4.1.0 and up makes it very unlikely that new bad potions will be added. (Sangband manages to accommodate both bad potions and use-ID by modifying the effects of potions when they’re drunk unidentified.) Bad potions were fairly common in earlier versions of Angband, especially during the early game, and many variants retain more of them than Vanilla Angband does.
Potions are consumables; with rare exceptions in some variants, a potion is fully consumed when quaffed and will disappear from the inventory.
Has the powers of the Potions of Enlightenment, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Self Knowledge; also identifies all items the character is carrying, and detects all treasure, objects, secret doors, stairs, and traps in the immediate area.
Cures 1200 points of damage, cures all stunning, heals all cut damage, neutralizes poison, and cures blindness and confusion.
Has no effect apart from providing nourishment. (Note: These are always Light Brown Potions.)
First restores to maximum any stats below maximum, then permanently increases all stats.
Grants the character berserk strength (30 temporary hit points, resistance to fear, a bonus of +24 to-hit, and a penalty of -10 to AC) for 25+1d25 turns.
Induces confusion for 14+1d20 turns, unless the character has either resist confusion or resist chaos.
First acts as a Potion of Restore Constitution, then permanently increases constitution.
Cures 6d8 points of damage, cures all stunning, heals all cut damage, neutralizes poison, and cures blindness and confusion.
Cures 4d8 points of damage, heals half of all cut damage plus another 50 points, and cures blindness and confusion.
Inflicts 5000 points of damage. Death can only be avoided if the character has magical invulnerability.
Inflicts 50d20 points of damage from massive explosions, severe cuts (+5000 to the cut counter), and stunning (+75 to the stun counter). Can also be thrown for 25d25 points of damage.
Grants either 100000 experience points, or half the current experience point total plus 10, whichever is less.
Cures 300 points of damage, cures all stunning, heals all cut damage, neutralizes poison, and cures blindness and confusion.
Grants the character heroism (10 temporary hit points, resistance to fear, and a bonus of +12 to-hit) for 25+1d25 turns.
First acts as a Potion of Restore Intelligence, then permanently increases intelligence.
Restores experience and all stats to maximum, cures 5000 points of damage, cures all stunning, heals all cut damage, neutralizes poison, stops hallucination, and cures blindness and confusion.
Removes all poison currently present in the character (i.e. the poison counter is set to zero).
Poisons the character (adding 9+1d15 points to the poison counter), unless the character has resistance to poison.
Grants the character temporary resistance to cold for 10+1d10 turns; the duration is cumulative with other magic providing temporary cold resistance.
Grants the character temporary resistance to fire for 10+1d10 turns; the duration is cumulative with other magic providing temporary fire resistance.
Restores constution to maximum if it is currently below maximum; also neutralizes poison and cures confusion.
Inflicts 10d10 points of damage and permanently decreases all stats (regardless of whether the character has any stat sustains).
Induces vomiting, which will result in severe hunger but will also clear away all poison. This will also cause 4 turns of paralysis (even if the character has free action).
Grants knowledge of all special powers (whether intrinsic, temporary, or provided by a magical item) currently possessed by the character.
Has no effect apart from providing nourishment. (Note: These are always Icky Green Potions.)
Slows the character (-10 to speed) for 15+1d25 turns; this duration is cumulative with other temporary slowing enchantments.