I know that back in the day I didn't have this problem on the new (well, not so new) tutorial island - but today I was getting a level 8 character on Dawnport and right when I clicked on the door of my vocation to get out of there and proceed to mainland, ALL my potions vanished, even a health potion that I got from a monster drop...
That was a very unhappy situation... Anyone knows if there is any way to keep potions that I saved on Dawnport (the ones that you get for free on each vocation-exit)?
I also lost the basic free rod and wand that you get on druid and sorcerer passages (both called Chiller and Scorch, I think), along with the basic runes that they give to Paladins there...
I must also state that there was NO message indicating that I would lose all my potions after going through the vocation door!