Blog

D&D Ideas — Potions

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is potions, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST on Nerdarchy Live to talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Potions offer a potentially unlimited variety effects and creative Game Masters can get a lot of adventuresome mileage from these consumable magic items. Tonic of Hair Growth is a potion that puts a bit of beardomantic power in anyone’s hands. Bad haircuts are a thing of the past with a bit of this arcane tonic and practitioners of the beardomantic arts can find the added length and volume useful foci for weaving their magic. Originally created for our Beardomancy book this potion more recently became one of our monthly Magic Item Cards. Find out more about it here. You can get the Nerdarchy Newsletter delivered to your inbox each week, along with updates and info on how to game with Nerdarchy plus snag a FREE GIFT by signing up here.

Nerdy News

Take in the week that was with all your senses! Transform an impairment into a powerful asset, call to the grave for a patron and create the meatiest swarm plus new live chats with creative folks and industry pros and live game play rounding out this week’s Nerdy News. Check it out here.

Delving Dave’s Dungeon

Potions are an iconic part of fantasy stories and they are pervasive in fantasy gaming spaces now. Could you even conceive of playing a video game without using health and mana potions at this point? Fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons isn’t much different.

Potions are usually the first magic item a 5E D&D character comes across. Many Dungeon Masters allow characters to shop for and buy potions even when they don’t allow for the purchase of other types of magic items. There something truly special the first time a character encounters a vial containing a strange liquid inside. Only in a game like 5E D&D do we decide to blindly taste the oddities we come upon in hopes its secrets will be revealed to us.

Who hasn’t uttered the words, “I take a tiny sip. What happens?”

Does your character suddenly grow or shrink, regain 1 hit point, disappear for a second, begin to float in the air or any number of strange things that can only happen in an RPG? These are super exciting moments for players.

I remember having a moment like this when I was playing as a teenager. We found a cache of potions and without thinking I blurt out, “I sip them all to see what they do.” I knew I messed up when the DM told me to roll percentile dice. I was still new to the game and didn’t know about the Potion Miscibility table. But heck, how would my character with their limited experience know the dangers of mixing potions? So I snatch up my trusty d10s and let them fly.

If you think rolling dice and dropping natural 20s is exciting it’s nothing compared to rolling the double zero on those d10s. A one in 100 chance — now that is magical. In earlier editions it seemed like when the DM wasn’t sure of an outcome they’d have you roll a d100 to figure out what twist or turn the story is going to take. Sometimes the outcome was determined by rolling really high and other times by rolling really low. It was a strange time for gaming. Anyway, thanks to my roll of double zeroes one of the effects became permanent. The DM interpreted this to mean my character could now use cure light wounds as a spell-like ability once a day.

Ever since then it has been one of my favorite tables in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. In 5E D&D there are only eight results so there is plenty of room for expansion. Like this!

d100 Roll — Effect

• 01 — The mixture creates a magical explosion dealing 6d10 force damage to the mixer and 1d10 force damage to each creature within 5 feet of the mixer. One of the potions becomes permanent in a detrimental way.
• 02 — One of the potions becomes permanent in a detrimental way.
• 03 — The mixture creates a magical explosion dealing 6d10 force damage to the mixer and 1d10 force damage to each creature within 5 feet of the mixer. One of the potions becomes a long lasting detriment for 1d6 days. (Example: A potion of healing might reduce maximum hit points by the amount it would have healed for that many days.)
• 04 — One of the potions becomes a long lasting detriment for 1d6 days. (Example: A potion of healing might reduce maximum hit points by the amount it would have healed for that many days.)
• 05 — The mixture creates a magical explosion, dealing 6d10 force damage to the mixer and 1d10 force damage to each creature within 5 feet of the mixer.
• 06 — The mixture becomes an ingested poison of the DM’s choice. One of the potions becomes permanent in a detrimental way.
• 07 — The mixture becomes an ingested poison of the DM’s choice. One of the potions becomes a long lasting detriment for 1d6 days. (Example: A potion of healing might reduce maximum hit points by the amount it would have healed for that many days.)
• 08 — The mixture becomes an ingested poison of the DM’s choice.
• 09-20 — Both potions lose their effects.
• 21-25 — Both potions lose their effects. As a permanent minor side effect your skin, hair, or eyes take on the color of one of the potions.
• 26-30 — Both potions lose their effects. As a long lasting minor side effect n your skin, hair or eyes take on the color of one of the potions 1d6 days.
• 30-49 — One potion loses its effect.
• 50-54 — One potion loses its effect. As a long lasting minor side effect n your skin, hair or eyes take on the color of one of the potions.
• 55-60 — One potion loses its effect. As a long lasting minor side effect n your skin, hair or eyes take on the color of one of the potions 1d6 days.
• 61-65 — Both potions work but with their numerical effects and durations halved. A potion has no effect if it can’t be halved in this way.
• 66 — Both potions work but with their numerical effects and durations halved. A potion has no effect if it can’t be halved in this way. As a permanent minor side effect your skin, hair, or eyes take on the color of one of the potions.
• 67 — Both potions work but with their numerical effects and durations halved. A potion has no effect if it can’t be halved in this way. As a long lasting minor side effect n your skin, hair or eyes take on the color of one of the potions 1d6 days.
• 68-73 — Neither potion works and instead they create a new potion effect. The DM rolls randomly or picks a different potion effect.
• 74 — Neither potion works and instead they create two new potion effects. The DM rolls randomly or picks two different potion effects.
• 75-94 — Both potions work normally.
• 95 — Both potions work normally. Gain one long lasting boon for 1d6 days. (Example: If one of the potions was a potion of healing anytime you regain hit points you regain 1 additional hit point up to your max.)
• 96 — Both potions work normally. Gain one permanent boon. (Example: If one of the potions was a potion of healing anytime you regain hit points you regain 1 additional hit point up to your max.)
• 97 — The numerical effects and duration of one potion are doubled. If neither potion has anything to double in this way, they work normally.
• 98 — The numerical effects and duration of one potion are doubled. If neither potion has anything to double in this way, they work normally. Gain one long lasting boon for 1d6 days. (Example: If one of the potions was a potion of healing anytime you regain hit points you regain 1 additional hit point up to your max.)
• 99 — The numerical effects and duration of one potion are doubled. If neither potion has anything to double in this way, they work normally. Gain one permanent boon. (Example: If one of the potions was a potion of healing anytime you regain hit points you regain 1 additional hit point up to your max.)
• 00 — Only one potion works but its effect is permanent.

From Ted’s Head

Potions are great items to hand out in 5E D&D. Potions are consumable so even if one is powerful it likely only lasts for one encounter before it’s gone. I have seen a barbarian turn into a shark, a wizard cast extra spells and all kinds of ridiculous things all because potions were held onto until the exact moment they are super helpful.

It is for this exact reason I am going to create a stupidly powerful potion for 5E D&D. I fear even the idea of this potion. I tend to think of rewards to give out to characters and what it could do for the bad guys and other villains could be catastrophic. Consider yourself warned if you are thinking about putting this potion in the hands of adversaries. Tread carefully!

Sleep in a Bottle

Potion, legendary

The vial shimmers in a variety of contrasting light and dark colors. If you stare intently at the contents you see darkness chased away by a beautiful sunrise. When you consume this potion all weariness flees from your body and mind. While it does not restore any hit points you receive all the other benefits of a long rest even if it has been less than 24 hours since you finished your last long rest. You may not change your list of prepared spells.

This dangerous potion is made from many dangerous ingredients harmful to the body. If you consume a second such potion within 30 days of drinking this potion, the following happens:

• You gain no benefit from the potion.
• You gain 3 levels of exhaustion
• You lose all but 1 hit point.
• You are stunned for 1 minute. At the end of each of your turns you can make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, ending the stunned condition on yourself on a success.

The concept of the long rest is fantastic and initially I considered making this be a full rest, but having a potion restore you to full and do other things is something I feel is too game breaking. Even restoring spell slots is huge, and if you feel a further limitation is needed consider restricting this to only spell slots of 5th level and lower. Even this still would fall into a legendary status.

Inspiration for things like this can come from all over. The Senzu Beans from Dragon Ball Z stand out to me the most. If you are going to use this potion it should be a story element to make a combat better for the characters and it should allow them to accomplish something they would not be able to do without it. Monsters already have the ability to break the rules so I feel there’s no need to further exploit the system by giving an enemy a potion like this.

From the Nerditor’s Desk

Potions are some of my favorite magic items in 5E D&D. Brews made from enchanted herbs, water from magical fountains or sacred springs and oils applied to creatures or objects have a lot going for them for Dungeon Masters and all the other players in the game too.

For starters these consumable magic items make wonderful treasures for adventurers to discover. Because they’re one and done there’s little danger of throwing balance out of whack due to the limited duration of the effects. Even a very rare potion like oil of sharpness, which provides an amazing +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls on whatever slashing or piercing weapon a character takes 1 minute to apply the oil on only lasts for one hour. This is enough to make a tremendous impact on a combat encounter or two until the magical bonus fades forever.

A potion can also become the starting point for a grand adventure. In the adventure Harper’s Tale the premise revolves around a very special potion. Adventurers seek out the ingredients to concoct a cure for a serious affliction befallen a child — a heroic quest if I ever heard one. This particular adventure is made even more heroic because of the story behind how it came about, which we were proud to share over at Nerdarchy the Website.

The really cool thing about structuring a 5E D&D adventure this way is the freedom it allows a DM. Only the final result — the potion itself — need have a connection to the initial concept. Gathering whatever ingredients and components required can take adventurers far and wide on a quest where each step can be wholly independent.

• Adventurers visit the Frost Wyrm tribe to acquire a sampling of remorhaz blood
• A trader in unusual herbs keeps a merchant stall at Union Salon
• Special kelp grown only in the Gylathacean Isles means a tropical vacation
• Blessed water from the Forgotten Oasis takes adventurers to the desert

I enjoy these kinds of adventures the most when I’m the DM because of the flexibility, variety and if I’m honest the old school D&D nerd in me. I’m more a fan of games where adventurers begin at the quest location for one thing. A narrative journey with some player agency to add flair and get those group dynamics going is much more my comfort zone than accounting for every moment and scrambling to create connection tissue.

Even more useful though is an adventure laid out in this manner means I can make use of pretty much anything in my collection. I’ll almost certainly never play Dead in Thay in its entirety but I can definitely take the Predator Pools and stick some quest item in there somewhere for example.

You don’t have to be the DM to use potions as quest generators either. Imagine one of your character’s goals is acquiring a powerful potion, or any potion for that matter — it’s up to you to find inspiration for why your character feels compelled to get their hands on the potion. Maybe a Folk Hero needs a potion of storm giant strength to overcome the ettin they drove away from their village. A Noble might covet a potion of clairvoyance to one up a rival. The point is your character wants a potion for some reason and this is a treasure you give to the DM.

At any time during an adventure the DM can simply introduce one of the components of the potion. Consider the potion of clairvoyance. There are no rules or recipes, which means the DM can devise whatever they want, and collaborating with the character come up with some really cool ideas. The clairvoyance spell requires a focus worth at least 100 gp, either a jeweled horn for hearing or a glass eye for seeing as material components and this is plenty to get going. This noble’s potion requires the same ingredients — but not just any of them. They’ll need a particular focus, jeweled horn and glass eye. (Two ingredients simply isn’t enough!)

Now the character can inquire about such things when opportunities permit. They can stay on the lookout for them, and they may even require the assistance of an expert potion maker to put them all together too. This also begs the question who the rival is and what the character plans to do with their potion of clairvoyance once they’ve got one.

And here you thought potions were throwaway magic items without the same impact as magic armor and weapons!

*Featured image — Potions come in all sizes, shapes and colors — and their containers do too! You might be hooked on potions now but we bet not nearly as obsessed as the eccentric alchemist behind the Wyestone Horror.

Subscribe to Nerdarchy Live and get notifications for live RPG game plays, chats with creators and industry professionals and new video series and content on our second YouTube channel here