…not a musical group
The Doclopedia #2,423
Facts About Potions: Testing
Once your potion is completed, it must be tested. There are several potential ways to do this.
First of all, if possible, you may test it on an animal. Rats, chickens, mice, frogs…all of these and many more can prove useful, IF the potion does not require intelligence. Be aware that the Guild strongly suggests that you not allow any animal affected by permanent potion effects to escape. All such animals should either be kept in a stout enclosure or given an antidote.
Testing on intelligent creatures is a far more problematic thing. The best bet here is often a condemned prisoner awaiting death, or a person that is terminally ill. With the former, you will probably not be allowed to test a potion that might let them escape. With the latter, you will be expected to, and should, provide either a followup cure for their malady, or compensate them and their family generously.
Testing on prisoners of war is most often limited to the more benign potions, unless they are sentenced to death.
You can try a call for volunteers. This often works quite nicely, if you pay well. A big advantage is that you can ask for volunteers of a specific age, sex, weight, etc.
The last resort for testing is, of course, yourself or your apprentices. If you must do this, be as sure of your potion as you can be. Good luck!
The Dociverse Blog 