Potions 5e DnD

Your party has entered a strange and wondrous cave filled with treasures of all kinds. Gold and gemstones sparkle from the piles stacked high with scrolls, books, lovely robes, and glass bottles. You wander over to one such bottle and examine its contents. A heavy, mercurial liquid slowly sloshes inside. As you hold it up to the light, you can see how strangely the green glitters.

Without arcane knowledge, it’s almost impossible to know what the liquid might do, but you know that without a doubt, it is a potion. Potions are one of the most common (and fun!) magical items in Dungeons & Dragons. Besides all the extent potions from the books, DMs love taking the opportunity to homebrew weird and wild effects for their potions.

Roleplaying with Potions

Potions are the perfect way to help players hone their role-playing skills.

Do they take the chance and guzzle it when the chips are down?
Will they try to seek out an arcane practitioner to identify it first?
Or would they rather test it out themselves during some downtime?

However you take a potion, it’s always a fun time, so we’re breaking down some of the published potions below.

Best Potions

These are some of the best potions available. If you can get ahold of one of these, you should save it for a dire emergency when it’ll come in handy. Otherwise, you could probably sell it for a lot of money. We don’t recommend selling them, though; gold isn’t nearly as valuable as magical items in DnD.

Elixir of Health

Rarity: Rare
Rulebook: Dungeon Master’s Guide

When you drink this potion, it cures any disease afflicting you and removes the blinded, deafened, paralyzed, and poisoned conditions. The clear red liquid has tiny bubbles of light in it.

Potion of Possibility

Rarity: Very Rare
Rulebook: Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount

When you drink this clear potion, you gain two Fragments of Possibility, each of which looks like a Tiny, grayish bead of energy that follows you around, staying within 1 foot of you at all times. Each fragment lasts for 8 hours or until used.

When you make an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you can expend your fragment to roll an additional d20 and choose which of the d20s to use. Alternatively, when an attack roll is made against you, you can expend your fragment to roll a d20 and choose which of the d20s to use, the one you rolled or the one the attacker rolled.

If the original d20 roll has advantage or disadvantage, you roll your d20 after advantage or disadvantage has been applied to the initial roll. While you have one or more Fragments of Possibility from this potion, you can’t gain another Fragment of Possibility from any source.

Potion of Dragon’s Majesty

Rarity: Legendary
Rulebook: Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons

This potion looks like liquid gold, with a single scale from a chromatic, gem, or metallic dragon suspended in it. When you drink this potion, you transform into an adult dragon of the same kind as the dragon the scale came from.

The transformation lasts for 1 hour. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying melds into your new form or falls to the ground (your choice). For the duration, you use the game statistics of the adult dragon instead of your own, but you retain your languages, personality, and memories. You can’t use a dragon’s Change Shape or its legendary or lair actions.

Worst Potions

On the other end of the spectrum, these potions are what you’re crossing your fingers that your friend isn’t gulping down. There aren’t any potions that immediately kill you in the published books, but they can cause severe setbacks for anyone unfortunate enough to drink them. Remember that all potion effects are temporary, so whatever happens, won’t be forever.

Potion of Poison

Rarity: Uncommon
Rulebook: Player’s Handbook

This concoction looks, smells, and tastes like a potion of healing or other beneficial potion. However, it is actually poison masked by illusion magic. An identify spell reveals its true nature.

Philter of Love

Rarity: Uncommon
Rulebook: Player’s Handbook

The next time you see a creature within 10 minutes after drinking this philter, you become charmed by that creature for 1 hour. If the creature is of a species and gender you are normally attracted to, you regard it as your true love while you are charmed. This potion’s rose-hued, effervescent liquid contains one easy-to-miss bubble shaped like a heart.

Weirdest Potions

These potions aren’t necessarily bad or good, just strange. The effects likely won’t hinder or help you, except in highly specific situations. For example, you might have blue skin for the next 24 hours, become a sheep for 60 minutes, or sneeze out feathers for a week. These potions are perfect for playing practical jokes on your friends!

Potion of Growth

Rarity: Uncommon
Rulebook: Player’s Handbook

When you drink this potion, you gain the “enlarge” effect of the enlarge/reduce spell for 1d4 hours (no concentration required). The red in the potion’s liquid continuously expands from a tiny bead to color the clear liquid around it and then contracts. Shaking the bottle fails to interrupt this process.

Potion of Diminution

Rarity: Rare
Rulebook: Player’s Handbook

When you drink this potion, you gain the “reduce” effect of the enlarge/reduce spell for 1d4 hours (no concentration required). The red in the potion’s liquid continuously contracts to a tiny bead and then expands to color the clear liquid around it. Shaking the bottle fails to interrupt this process.

List of Potions in 5e:

Name	Rarity	Min Level	Crafting Time	Crafting Price	Min Crafting Level	Effects
Elixir of Health	Rare	5	40	1,000	6	This potion cures all diseases and removes the blinded, deafened, paralyzed, and poisoned conditions.
Oil of Etherealness	Rare	5	40	1,000	6	This potion can cover a medium or small creature. The target gains the etherealness effect for one hour and it takes 10 minutes to apply.
Oil of Sharpness	Very Rare	11	400	10,000	11	Gives a +3 bonus to attack and damage. Each vial can coat 1 slashing or piercing weapon or 5 pieces of ammunition.
Oil of Slipperiness	Uncommon	1	4	100	3	Gain the effects of the Freedom of Movement spell for 8 hours or can be poured on the ground to produce the effects of the Grease spell. Takes 10 minutes to apply and each potion has enough for 1 medium or small creature.
Philter of Love	Uncommon	1	4	100	3	Whatever creature drinks this will be charmed by the next creature it sees within 10 minutes. Effects lasts 1 hour.
Potion of Animal Friendship	Uncommon	1	4	100	3	Allows the recipient to perform the effect of the Animal Friendship spell with a DC save of 13. Lasts 1 hour.
Potion of Clairvoyance	Rare	5	40	1,000	6	Allows the recipient to perform the effect of the Clairvoyance spell.
Potion of Climbing	Common	1	1	25	3	Gain climbing speed equal to walking speed for 1 hour. Gain Advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks for climbing.
Potion of Cloud Giant Strength	Very Rare	11	400	10,000	11	Increases Strength score to 27 for 1 hour.
Potion of Diminution	Rare	5	40	1,000	6	Gain the Reduce effect from the Enlarge/Reduce spell for 1d4 hours.
Potion of Fire Breath	Uncommon	1	4	100	3	Can exhale fire as a bonus action (30ft.). Target can attempt DC13 Dexterity (for 1/2 damage). Lasts for 1 hour or 3 attacks.
Potion of Fire Giant Strength	Rare	5	40	1,000	6	Increases Strength score to 25 for 1 hour.
Potion of Flying	Very Rare	11	400	10,000	11	Gain Flying speed equal to walking speed for 1 hour.
Potion of Frost Giant Strength	Rare	5	40	1,000	6	Increases Strength to 23 for 1 hour.
Potion of Gaseous Form	Rare	5	40	1,000	6	Gain the effect of the Gaseous Form spell for 1 hour.
Potion of Greater Healing	Uncommon	1	5	100	3	Regain 4d4 +4 hitpoints.
Potion of Growth	Uncommon	1	4	100	3	Gain the effects of the Enlarge portion of the Enlarge/Reduce spell for 1d4 hours.
Potion of Healing	Common	1	1	25	3	Regain 2d4 +2 HP
Potion of Heroism	Rare	5	40	1,000	6	Gain the effects of the Bless Spell (10 temporary hitpoints for 1 hour.)
Potion of Hill Giant Strength	Uncommon	1	4	100	3	Increases Strength to 21 for 1 hour.
Potion of Invisibility	Very Rare	11	400	10,000	11	Become Invisible (including anything being carried or being worn). Effet lasts until an attack is made or a spell is cast.
Potion of Invulnerability	Rare	5	40	1,000	6	Gain damage resistance to all types for 1 minute.
Potion of Longevity	Very Rare	11	400	10,000	11	Reduces a creature’s age by 1d6 +6 years (up to 13 years old.) When drank for the 2nd time there is a 10% cumulative chance that the potion will instead age the drinker.
Potion of Mind Reading	Rare	5	40	1,000	6	Gain the effects of the Detect Thoughts spell with a DC save of 13.
Potion of Poison	Uncommon	1	4	100	3	The drinker takes 3d6 poison damage. They make a DC 13 Constitution Save. If they fail the save they are poisoned and take 3d6. Each successful save reduces the poison damage by 1d6 until it’s reduced to 0. Identity Spells will reveal the poison.
Potion of Resistance	Uncommon	1	4	100	3	Gain resistance to one damage type for an hour. Damage type is determined by the DM.
Potion of Speed	Very Rare	11	400	10,000	11	Gain the effect of the Hase spell for 1 minute.
Potion of Stone Giant Strength	Rare	5	40	1,000	6	Increase Strength to 23 for 1 hour.
Potion of Storm Giant Strength	Legendary	17	2,000	50,000	17	Increase Strength to 29 for 1 hour.
Potion of Superior Healing	Rare	5	15	1,000	6	Regain 8d4 +8 hipoints.
Potion of Supreme Healing	Very Rare	11	20	10,000	11	Regain 10d4 +20 hitpoints.
Potion of Vitality	Very Rare	11	400	10,000	11	Cures Poisons & Diseases and removes exhaustion. For 24 hours regain the maximum number of hitpoints per hit dice spent.
Potion of Water Breathing	Uncommon	1	4	100	3	Gain the ability to breathe underwater for 1 hour.

We hope you enjoyed this Potions 5e guide, why not check out Weapons 5e or Point Buy 5e.