The Tea of D&D Continued

If you missed it before I am tea obsessed to put it lightly, my partner might claim differently but you know I claim ignorance there. I am also very much in love with all things TTRPGs, and have been playing D&D for 15+ years. So I very much enjoy combining these two things! I do it all the time privately, I find it fun to mix things based off of spells and monsters. In fact I've talked about it previously in 'The Tea on the Monsters of D&D' post. During quarantine its become something of a fixation of mine to kind of deal with the abysmal state of this year that I hope to eventually share with the rest of you in small batches for your enjoyment. Until then I want to first quote myself from the last post -

But I decided to take on the challenge, self assigned as it is, to create tea blends that I thought represented the D&D monsters we all know and love. Now this post itself isn’t going to be an exhaustive tea book for those monsters though if Wizard’s wants to reach out and talk about one I’m right here. See me, here with the thing on the web. I will do a freaking Tea Time with the Monsters of D&D pairing book, heck I’ll just do a general drinks and food one if you want. Just saying.

But lets talk about some fun themed tea things here! Cause that is what we are all about, all day everyday. If you need a crash course on tea types at the speed of life I suggest checking out the first Tea on Monsters post to catch you up. Last time we focused on Celestials and Fiends as well as some damage types to help get you started blending teas. Honestly the best part of playing with tea in this way is experimenting, I love how diverse and infinite tea is despite being all from the same plant. Mind blown!

This time around I just want to talk about a new thing I have been exploring - making tea blends that I feel mimic or embody different potions in the game. I have alot of time to think about things like this in the current social distancing landscape we live in. I love trying to get a flavor that matches the mood of the potion as well as the typically coloring shown in the art work. Also I can't wait to be able to pull some of these out the first time we have an in person game again to wow my players! If you are reading this dear players please let me know any potion in particular that you'd like me to try and tackle for you to try. I miss you all~.

My approach to these have been a bit looser though still encompassing the base principles of how I approached the monsters and damage types. It has come from some guessing at what things go into making that potion, often ending with me figuring that out myself for an in game herbalist. It has come from what the potion is used for, what it might taste like to invoke the magic it was suppose to do. It has come from what the potion looks like and what the bottle its stored in is shaped as. Something in a heart vial is going to taste different the a plain small vial.

Pretty much at this point this is me just ranting and rambling about tea blend applications but lets have some fun with it. With 36 potions on D&D Beyond I will likely be busy for awhile with it. But have some thoughts on a fan favorite of my D&D party and yours - Potion of Healing! I haven't nailed down a formula to my satisfaction with it as of yet the I feel is balanced enough to regular consumption BUT here is where I am so far with it. Each step up in the Potion of Healing (Greater, Superior, and Supreme) each need to be stronger then the last. We want that traditional red coloring, I'd prefer it to be deep and rich. Personally I also want the things in this particular brew to give some health benefits to my players too cause you know, staying in theme. From most art work the base Potion of Healing typically is in one of those bulb or round potion vials. Which means if we fill it halfway we can leave room for a scent that will reach the drinker before the potion touches their lips. This lets as add depth to the experience and possibly something unexpected for them to enjoy.

If you'd like me to just chat away more on the topic of tea pairings and blends with TTRPGs - first, be prepared for a long haul. Secondly let me know down in the comments or on Twitter! I'd love to make this a series to spread the joy and give me the kick in the pants I need to start offering my tea blends to the internet for ya'll to enjoy.

With that little rambling over with, I’m JustKay your regular DM Dalliance on the web and I’ll see you next post.