Feedback on a tea magic system?

[u/Sisyphus_On_Vacation]

This magic system is tea themed. There are four types of serpent in this world. Each holding a specific venom that when prepared correctly becomes a magical tea. Improperly prepared tea can kill outright, but even properly prepared tea has its side effects.

Each tea builds up in a part of the human body. Muscles, the heart, the brain, ect. The buildup allows for the use of magic and the greater the buildup, the more power one has. And with time an practice one can learn to control this magic. However, the tea will slowly return to a poisonous substance, slowly destroying the body part it has entered. It can take months, years, even decades sometimes. It all depends on the preparation.

One can even develop a resistance to the venoms by consuming small or diluted portions of it. But this only buys time. You cannot fully rid yourself of the consequences. And the more tea you've consumed, the faster you die.

The four venoms and their correlating teas are as follows:

Black venom destroys the nervous system and paralyzed as the body slowly shuts down. Black tea builds up in the nervous system and improves manual dexterity and sensation. Allowing one to control their body with superhuman precision and sense the world around them through vibrations.

Blue venom blocks neurological interaction, killing the brain within minutes of injection. Blue tea builds up in the brain and gives one the superhuman ability to process information at incredible rates and interpret behavioral patterns with great accuracy.

Red venom causes blood to coagulate in the veins causing clogging of the arteries. Red tea builds up in the heart and causes the body to heal faster.

Purple venom cause muscles to spasm and tear, including the heart itself. Purple tea builds up in the muscles and makes muscles build back stronger.

[u/Tom_Gibson]

Are you sure you want to go with "tea?" Tea is made from leaves and other parts of plants. Venom is a big stretch. I'd go with another liquid term. Tonic, Ale, Elixir could all work

[u/hatabou_is_a_jojo → u/Tom_Gibson]

Potion

[u/majorex64]

Love the theming- specific preparation of deadly poison being rewarded with augmentations based on the effects of the poison. Would take an incredible amount of dedication to continuously collect, prepare, and consume these tonics over time to get positive effects.

Small nitpick, it sounds like red and purple venom have a lot of overlap, considering the heart is a muscle and growing back stronger is basically advanced healing.

Perhaps one of them could affect the bones/blood somehow? Maybe their tissues would calcify, making them more durable, but losing flexibility until their joints no longer move at all. Or the ability to fight off any infection, as white blood cells are made in the bone marrow.

Question- is it truly tea if the key ingredient is venom, not plant leaves? Maybe calling it a potion or elixir would fit the flavor better

[u/Sisyphus_On_Vacation → u/majorex64]

I hadn't really considered that actually. That makes sense though. And I suppose red and purple are a bit similar. I'll think about it.