Dresden Files
Register
Advertisement

A potion is an alchemical brew storing a magical effect for later use. It first appears in Storm Front.

Description[]

Potions are made with eight ingredients: a liquid base, five other to engage each of the senses, one the mind, and one the spirit. The ingredients used are often not magical in themselves, and are used for their symbolic value. The magical energy in a potion is actually provided by the alchemist brewing it. Once brewed, a potion retains its magic for a relatively short time.[1]

Different alchemists have considerable freedom in the choice of ingredients: Harry Dresden uses shredded paper money in lieu of crushed diamonds for a love potion.[1]

The effects of potions are temporary, usually lasting only a few minutes. Some last longer: the effect of a blending potion used in Fool Moon might have lasted for as long half an hour.[2]

It is potentially dangerous to consume more than one potion at a time; Susan Rodriguez gets ill for doing so.[3]

Harry Dresden starts teaching Molly Carpenter how to brew potions around the time of the events of White Night.[4]

Non-standard products[]

Most potions take the form of imbibed liquids, but ghost dust is a powder,[5] and the Gatekeeper's ointment for seeing through faerie glamour is a gel applied topically.[6]

Known potions[]

Known recipes[]

Unknown recipes[]

In the series[]

Storm Front[]

In Storm Front, Dresden brews two potions: one an escape potion, and the other a love potion (at Bob's insistence).[1] When his apartment is invaded by a toad demon, Dresden tells Susan Rodriguez to go down to the lab and take the escape potion in order to flee, but she takes the love potion by mistake. They both go down and stand in the copper circle barely in time to block the demon's acid spittle. The love potion Susan took then starts to kick in, threatening to break the circle with her cavorting. Bob throws the other potion to Dresden, which he shares with Susan, escaping outside the house and causing Susan to become sick with the combined potions until she could vomit them out.[11]

Fool Moon[]

In Fool Moon, Dresden again brews two potions: a stimulant potion and a blending potion.[12] Dresden uses the blending potion during the Loup-garou attack on the police station, successfully entering the building and getting past security, who dismiss him as part of the background.[14] However, the potion works too well, and prevents Dresden from getting anyone's attention.[15]

Dresden uses the stimulant potion just before the Streetwolves catch up to him, feeling all powerful and clear-headed for a short time. Not knowing his limits, Dresden pushes himself too far too fast, causing all of his magic to vanish when the potion expires briefly afterward. Defenseless, Dresden is then captured, beaten, and taken to the Full Moon Garage.[24]

Death Masks[]

In Death Masks, Dresden creates two antivenom potions to counteract the narcotic saliva of Red Court vampires.[25] Moments prior to Dresden's duel with Duke Paolo Ortega, he drinks one which successfully protects him from Ortega's retainers after the duel.[26]

Changes[]

In Changes, Dresden uses a flight potion to get himself, Susan Rodriguez, and Martin in and out of a secure Red Court storage facility hidden in the desert mountains, far from civilization. While infiltrating the facility, Dresden throws a glass sphere containing another potion into the path of a security dog. The glass breaks, and the dog sniffs the potion, causing its sense of hearing and smell to temporarily stop working.[23]

Skin Game[]

In Skin Game, Waldo Butters uses the escape potion to flee from Harry Dresden, Nicodemus Archleone, the Genoskwa, and Binder's Grey Suits.[7]

Peace Talks[]

In Peace Talks, Harry Dresden, Freydis Gard, Thomas Raith, and Lara Raith used Dresden's original blending potion to sneak through an entire Unseelie Accords meeting with a host of the most powerful supernatural beings in attendance. The potion was powerful enough to avoid detection from everyone there except for Vadderung and Ferrovax, but Vadderung prevented Ferrovax from revealing Dresden's location.[27]

References[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Storm Front ch. 8
  2. Fool Moon, ch. 16-17
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Storm Front, ch. 14
  4. White Night, ch. 14
  5. Grave Peril, ch. 2
  6. Summer Knight, ch. 29
  7. 7.0 7.1 Skin Game, ch. 28
  8. Skin Game, ch. 29
  9. Blood Rites, ch. 4
  10. Storm Front ch. 13
  11. 11.0 11.1 Storm Front ch. 13 and 14
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Fool Moon, ch. 7
  13. 13.0 13.1 Fool Moon, ch. 21
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 Fool Moon, ch. 16
  15. 15.0 15.1 Fool Moon, ch. 17
  16. Death Masks, ch. 9
  17. Death Masks, ch. 29
  18. Death Masks, ch. 30
  19. Storm Front ch. 25
  20. Storm Front ch. 5
  21. Storm Front ch. 12
  22. "Day Off"
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 Changes, ch. 17
  24. Fool Moon, ch. 21 and 22
  25. Death Masks, ch. 8 and 9
  26. Death Masks, ch. 29-30
  27. Peace Talks, ch. 27

See also[]

Advertisement