Broken Promises

Broken Promises is one of Ethel's special potions that grants both a positive and harmful effect.

A parasite swims in the bottom of this bottle, fat with strength.

Properties

 Broken Promises

Duration: Until Long rest

This is the only potion in Auntie Ethel's workshop with a short-term benefit and long-term detriment.
If the player character wants the potion's short-term benefit, its negative effect can be mitigated with the following strategies:
- Fixed-value Strength gear ( Club of Hill Giant Strength,  Handmaiden's Mace, or  Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength) and elixirs ( Hill Giant or  Cloud Giant) ignores the penalty.
- Killing the character who consumed the potion (they must actually be  Dead and not rolling death saves) and reviving them with  Withers or a  Scroll of Revivify removes the effect.
  - However, this also removes certain other 'permanent' effects, such as  Loviatar's Love.
- Respec with  Withers into a build which does not utilize strength.
- If one plans to take a story path which permanently removes one character from the party roster (such as sacrificing someone to  BOOOAL), this potion can be given to them.
  - Similarly, the potion can be given to a hireling one plans to later dismiss.
- Consume the potion after taking the final long rest at the end of the game.
Drinking the potion grants the ⁠An Acquired Taste to party members with the  Guild Artisan background.

As the short-term Strength bonus is tagged as  Cursed, but not the long-term penalty, using  Remove Curse removes only the benefit.