I started creating some homebrew potions, and each potion requires crafting ingredients. My players really love the concept so far, and are having a wonderful time so far. So this is what I want to start a discussion about;
I wanted to ask what sort of ideas you would have for a potion and what ingredients would it entail? Here are some concepts of how the crafting works:
+1 Ingredient from a Custom Brew Common Potions = 3 Ingredients (Available at all levels) Uncommon Potions = 4 Ingredients (Level 3+ required, however) Rare Potions = 6 Ingredients (Level 5+ required however) Very Rare Potions = 8 Ingredients (Level 7+ required, however) Legendary Potions = 10 Ingredients. (Level 12+ required, however)
I'm mostly looking into some Common Potions. I'm having a hard time coming up with some.
I strongly advise against this lol - custom potions adds a layer of complexity that you do not need in a session.
Allow players to craft a potion that replicates a mechanic already in place - web - mm - at higher level fireball - BUT make the ingredients hard enough to find and make the potions take long enough to craft that basically - effectively - your players are only getting like an extra spell slot or two per session.
Otherwise you could go down a rabbit hole of debating a potion and burning 30 min of a 4 hour session on a thing 4 of the 5 players at the table will be rolling their eyes at.
Homebrew is great - simplicity in homebrew is amazing.
I'm assuming you're asking for homebrew potion ideas, OP? If you and your table enjoy the crafting and foraging, go nuts. Consumables aren't all that hard to balance.
Most of mine have been buffs rather than offensive spells in liquid form:
Common Blush - advantage on CHA checks for 1d4 hours Blitz - nerfed Haste spell (speed doubled, no AOOs triggered, lasts 1 min. Side effect after it wears off is poisoned condition until next short rest) Firewater - add extra 2d6 damage to dragonborn's breath weapon, single use
Uncommon Shimmer - 1d4 + 2 rounds of what is effectively Wild Shape Flutter - 1d4 + 2 rounds of the Blink spell
Alchemy plays a huge role in my current campaign, as do shapechangers, so magical reagents and things like doppelganger hair and changeling blood are possible ingredients for the potions above. Also, because alchemy labs are ubiquitous in my setting, these potions are not hard to find.
Rare Pearly Potion - regain one spell slot of level 2 or lower (basically a liquid Pearl of Power) Potion of Chromatic Smite - bonus action to dip/coat your weapon in this liquid. For the next minute, all attacks deal extra 2d6 elemental damage of your choice
Very Rare I had a Faustian apothecary create bespoke potions for my players that were crazy strong (one gave resistance to all damage for a minute AND temp HP equal to twice the character's level), but at a very high cost. The side effect of the resistance potion was not knowing how much damage you were taking, and the price was "a few moments of your time" - which ended up in the character getting teleported away at incredibly inconvenient times just because the apothecary wanted to chat.
Legendary The level 11 trickster cleric, preparing to face the BBEG, convinced a dragon to donate his blood. The cleric took that blood to the apothecary and had him create a potion that gave him permanent resistance to the dragon's elemental affinity. It was basically a liquid Wish spell. The price he paid was "his perspective" - he lost his eyesight permanently, except for the 60ft of darkvision his deity had bestowed upon him earlier in the campaign.
A freezing potion with the effects of freezing sphere but only the striking water part. That on it's own could be uncommon but if you think it needs more you could say that if you hit with an attack with it then it freezes the person in place like rime's binding ice . I wouldn't give it damage i think this is nice as a no damage utility item
If the Potion strikes a body of water, it freezes the water to a depth of 6 inches over an area 30 feet square. This ice lasts for 1 minute. Creatures that were swimming on the surface of frozen water are trapped in the ice and have the Restrained condition. A trapped creature can take an action to make a Strength (Athletics) check against your spell save DC to break free.
If a medium or small creature is hit with the potion using an attack then it is hindered by ice formations for 1 minute, or until it or another creature within reach of it uses an action to break away the ice. A creature hindered by ice has its speed reduced to 0. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and isn’t hindered by ice
Common potions for the effects of pyrotechnics so smoke and dazzling light when ignite or thrown in flame.
Fireworks.The target explodes with a dazzling display of colors. Each creature within 10 feet of the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become blinded until the end of your next turn.
Smoke.Thick black smoke spreads out from the target in a 20-foot radius, moving around corners. The area of the smoke is heavily obscured. The smoke persists for 1 minute or until a strong wind disperses it.
Uncommon Shimmer - 1d4 + 2 rounds of what is effectively Wild Shape
I like this idea, i think it would work well as a potion prepared in advance that you add animal hair too to complete. It gives good utility but requires them to engage with what they
As for potion crafting my advice is to follow the same rules you would for crafting magic items. For a general idea of how difficult each should be you can look at this chart
Otherwise keep it flexible and reward creativity. If they have a cool idea of how to make a potion try to come up with an effect that matches the difficulty of getting the ingredients.
My players love it! And so do I. I never had any of these issues you've stated with playtesting and experimenting. I've been creating potions for years! Just not to this complexity, and started to develop some for my other campaigns. Was hoping to find some ideas to add to the pile
I try to keep my potions short, simple, and easy to understand while making them non difficult to use. Keeping affects low, or having things on board to mark as reminders are great at keeping track of things that do affects such as bleeding. Encouraging player creativity with lore-related items intended to create potions, items or equipment. Had a lot of success at my tables with it.
Plus my players love stuff like this, it's good to expand on it. But thanks for the attempted feedback. Besides if the players choose to spend time figuring and plotting things like experimentation or trying out different ideas with potions, I often let them. We are here to have fun after all! If that's what they want to do for the session then that's what they'll do. Lol
Plus my players love stuff like this, it's good to expand on it. But thanks for the attempted feedback. Besides if the players choose to spend time figuring and plotting things like experimentation or trying out different ideas with potions, I often let them. We are here to have fun after all! If that's what they want to do for the session then that's what they'll do. Lol
Yeah, I would honestly mostly leave it to players to come up with ideas for ingredients then come up with the effects as the DM. Players take action the DM adjudicates the reaction. I'd also encourage them to use magic crafting methods in addition to ingredients. For example casting spells, stirring it with magic items, crafting under moonlight ect...
In terms of looking for effects I'd advise aiming for situational ones. The value of scrolls and potions is being able to have a collection of effects that you use less than once a day. If it's a spell you cast every day then economically it's better to get a reusable item. Things like the modify memory which has allot of role play power but you never know when you need it.
Stuff like
Counters to specific types of abilities like regeneration, flight or defence to special attacks
Ways to get past certain types of obstacles like water
Traps and out of combat ways to eliminate targets like food poisons
Non lethal disabling methods
Communication and social manipulation.
For example. Take an eye of a beholder, bathe it in necrotic energy using damaging spells to dry it out. Grind it down and dissolve it in water then add a light source which is water proof like an eternal flame. Then you have a glow stick which has the effects of a death tyrant central eye that prevents healing inside the light. If they add it to a bulls eye lantern they can make it a beam. If you want some extra ingredients then maybe add some refractive gems
There is a table with different plants and their effects, suggested checks to find them, and ideas on how to use the Herbalism Kit for crafting, with references to rules in the (EDIT: 2014) DMG, XGtE, and Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos.
We were using the table in the campaign, and it added a special flavour to the exploration in the wilderness.
I started creating some homebrew potions, and each potion requires crafting ingredients. My players really love the concept so far, and are having a wonderful time so far. So this is what I want to start a discussion about;
I wanted to ask what sort of ideas you would have for a potion and what ingredients would it entail? Here are some concepts of how the crafting works:
+1 Ingredient from a Custom Brew
Common Potions = 3 Ingredients (Available at all levels)
Uncommon Potions = 4 Ingredients (Level 3+ required, however)
Rare Potions = 6 Ingredients (Level 5+ required however)
Very Rare Potions = 8 Ingredients (Level 7+ required, however)
Legendary Potions = 10 Ingredients. (Level 12+ required, however)
I'm mostly looking into some Common Potions. I'm having a hard time coming up with some.
I strongly advise against this lol - custom potions adds a layer of complexity that you do not need in a session.
Allow players to craft a potion that replicates a mechanic already in place - web - mm - at higher level fireball - BUT make the ingredients hard enough to find and make the potions take long enough to craft that basically - effectively - your players are only getting like an extra spell slot or two per session.
Otherwise you could go down a rabbit hole of debating a potion and burning 30 min of a 4 hour session on a thing 4 of the 5 players at the table will be rolling their eyes at.
Homebrew is great - simplicity in homebrew is amazing.
I'm assuming you're asking for homebrew potion ideas, OP? If you and your table enjoy the crafting and foraging, go nuts. Consumables aren't all that hard to balance.
Most of mine have been buffs rather than offensive spells in liquid form:
Common
Blush - advantage on CHA checks for 1d4 hours
Blitz - nerfed Haste spell (speed doubled, no AOOs triggered, lasts 1 min. Side effect after it wears off is poisoned condition until next short rest)
Firewater - add extra 2d6 damage to dragonborn's breath weapon, single use
Uncommon
Shimmer - 1d4 + 2 rounds of what is effectively Wild Shape
Flutter - 1d4 + 2 rounds of the Blink spell
Alchemy plays a huge role in my current campaign, as do shapechangers, so magical reagents and things like doppelganger hair and changeling blood are possible ingredients for the potions above. Also, because alchemy labs are ubiquitous in my setting, these potions are not hard to find.
Rare
Pearly Potion - regain one spell slot of level 2 or lower (basically a liquid Pearl of Power)
Potion of Chromatic Smite - bonus action to dip/coat your weapon in this liquid. For the next minute, all attacks deal extra 2d6 elemental damage of your choice
Very Rare
I had a Faustian apothecary create bespoke potions for my players that were crazy strong (one gave resistance to all damage for a minute AND temp HP equal to twice the character's level), but at a very high cost. The side effect of the resistance potion was not knowing how much damage you were taking, and the price was "a few moments of your time" - which ended up in the character getting teleported away at incredibly inconvenient times just because the apothecary wanted to chat.
Legendary
The level 11 trickster cleric, preparing to face the BBEG, convinced a dragon to donate his blood. The cleric took that blood to the apothecary and had him create a potion that gave him permanent resistance to the dragon's elemental affinity. It was basically a liquid Wish spell. The price he paid was "his perspective" - he lost his eyesight permanently, except for the 60ft of darkvision his deity had bestowed upon him earlier in the campaign.
I like this idea, i think it would work well as a potion prepared in advance that you add animal hair too to complete. It gives good utility but requires them to engage with what they
As for potion crafting my advice is to follow the same rules you would for crafting magic items. For a general idea of how difficult each should be you can look at this chart
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/xgte/downtime-revisited#MagicItemIngredients
Magic Item Ingredients
19
Otherwise keep it flexible and reward creativity. If they have a cool idea of how to make a potion try to come up with an effect that matches the difficulty of getting the ingredients.
Not used to quoting via dndbeyond, sorry. Lol
My players love it! And so do I. I never had any of these issues you've stated with playtesting and experimenting. I've been creating potions for years! Just not to this complexity, and started to develop some for my other campaigns. Was hoping to find some ideas to add to the pile
I try to keep my potions short, simple, and easy to understand while making them non difficult to use. Keeping affects low, or having things on board to mark as reminders are great at keeping track of things that do affects such as bleeding. Encouraging player creativity with lore-related items intended to create potions, items or equipment. Had a lot of success at my tables with it.
Plus my players love stuff like this, it's good to expand on it. But thanks for the attempted feedback. Besides if the players choose to spend time figuring and plotting things like experimentation or trying out different ideas with potions, I often let them. We are here to have fun after all! If that's what they want to do for the session then that's what they'll do. Lol
Yeah, I would honestly mostly leave it to players to come up with ideas for ingredients then come up with the effects as the DM. Players take action the DM adjudicates the reaction. I'd also encourage them to use magic crafting methods in addition to ingredients. For example casting spells, stirring it with magic items, crafting under moonlight ect...
In terms of looking for effects I'd advise aiming for situational ones. The value of scrolls and potions is being able to have a collection of effects that you use less than once a day. If it's a spell you cast every day then economically it's better to get a reusable item. Things like the modify memory which has allot of role play power but you never know when you need it.
Stuff like
For example. Take an eye of a beholder, bathe it in necrotic energy using damaging spells to dry it out. Grind it down and dissolve it in water then add a light source which is water proof like an eternal flame. Then you have a glow stick which has the effects of a death tyrant central eye that prevents healing inside the light. If they add it to a bulls eye lantern they can make it a beam. If you want some extra ingredients then maybe add some refractive gems
I'd like to share this article I found on DnD Beyond some time ago: The Horticulturist's Guide to Plants in D&D.
There is a table with different plants and their effects, suggested checks to find them, and ideas on how to use the Herbalism Kit for crafting, with references to rules in the (EDIT: 2014) DMG, XGtE, and Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos.
We were using the table in the campaign, and it added a special flavour to the exploration in the wilderness.