When I drink something from a bottle in real life, I usually don't eat the bottle itself, but when I am finished, I still have it with me, though empty. Later on, I may fill it up with water or something else to drink again.

My suggestion is that when you use a potion, a "Magical Bottle" is created in your inventory, which is possible to brew new potions into.

sorry-- I just have to say it---

Puts labels on all bottles that says:

"Return for 2 gold credit, 5 gold at Mur"

Hahahaha!

I could see how you would get an "empty spirits bottle" but I think the "blank potions" are actually filled with something. A kind of icor that will absorb the spell that you cast on it. Once the icor it changed, and consumed, all you have is an empty bottle-- not a blank potion.

I don't like the idea of carrying around a crate of empty bottles, and I am sure there will be lots of discarded bottles laying around (why people don't put stuff in the trash cans it beyond me!)

Yes, it goes for realism and all that-- but IMO, just adds more trash I have to throw away.

^_^

I doubt that in combat your primary concern is to keep your bottles intact.

This would result in massive item bloat. People would discard the bottles on the ground which in turn would create lag. I just don't think it's desirable at all.

I've always thought of potions as coming in small, oddly-shaped vials.

I've also thought of my PC pulling the stopper out with his or her teeth, downing the contents and then discarding the teenie empty over his or her shoulder, where it smashed onto the ground in a puff of small shards.

By that token, I'm actually surprised that so few hostiles have bothered to follow a trail of smashed-up empties to the heroes, thus ambushing the heroes as they fight the Bigbadwhateveritis.

also, a potion bottle only costs 8 gold or thereabouts. That's really not much at all.

That's where the suspension of disbelief comes in, since we all know that in those games, you cannot "just eat one cookie".

When you attempt this, you end up even devouring the tray.

And you'd get people downing milk after milk so they can have cheaper potion bottles, and thus make a bigger profit.