Can a player craft potions of healing during a short or a long rest?

Hi there!

So one of my players can craft potions of healing using the Herbalism Kit. My question is: can she craft them during a short or a long rest?

Thanks in advance!

Rules for crafting basic healing potions can be found here.

Since it takes 8 hours, it can't be completed during a Short Rest, but I suppose they could work on it during a Short Rest.

Quote from wagnarokkr >>

Rules for crafting basic healing potions can be found here.

Since it takes 8 hours, it can't be completed during a Short Rest, but I suppose they could work on it during a Short Rest.

Yeah, that's what I meant. It says it takes 8 hours to create one healing potion, so could they craft it throughout several short and long rests?

Thanks for answering.

I'd say (or I'm ruling) you can't split the minimum "1 day / 8 hours" requirement across several days, or at least that's how I understand the rules in the PHB and DMG:

• Crafting Nonmagical Items: "To determine how many days (working 8 hours a day) it takes to make an item [...]"
• Brewing Potions of Healing: "[...] Doing so requires using that kit and 25 GP of raw material over the course of 1 day (8 hours of work)."
• Scribing Spell Scrolls: "[...] For each day of inscription, you must work for 8 hours. [...]"
• Crafting Magic Items: Time and Cost: "Work per Day. For each day of crafting, you must work for 8 hours. If an item requires multiple days, those days needn’t be consecutive."

That said, I'd allow crafting during a Short Rest.

Quote from Tarod_ >>

I'd say (or I'm ruling) you can't split the minimum "1 day / 8 hours" requirement across several days, or at least that's how I understand the rules in the PHB and DMG:

• Crafting Nonmagical Items: "To determine how many days (working 8 hours a day) it takes to make an item [...]"
• Brewing Potions of Healing: "[...] Doing so requires using that kit and 25 GP of raw material over the course of 1 day (8 hours of work)."
• Scribing Spell Scrolls: "[...] For each day of inscription, you must work for 8 hours. [...]"
• Crafting Magic Items: Time and Cost: "Work per Day. For each day of crafting, you must work for 8 hours. If an item requires multiple days, those days needn’t be consecutive."

That said, I'd allow crafting during a Short Rest.

Oh, I see! But how are they supposed to craft a healing potion then? Should the character stay 8 hours at the inn crafting it while the others wait or do other stuff?

How would you roleplay that situation? I'm a little bit lost here.

Thanks for answering. ❤️

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein>>

Quote from Tarod_>>

I'd say (or I'm ruling) you can't split the minimum "1 day / 8 hours" requirement across several days, or at least that's how I understand the rules in the PHB and DMG:

• Crafting Nonmagical Items: "To determine how many days (working 8 hours a day) it takes to make an item [...]"
• Brewing Potions of Healing: "[...] Doing so requires using that kit and 25 GP of raw material over the course of 1 day (8 hours of work)."
• Scribing Spell Scrolls: "[...] For each day of inscription, you must work for 8 hours. [...]"
• Crafting Magic Items: Time and Cost: "Work per Day. For each day of crafting, you must work for 8 hours. If an item requires multiple days, those days needn’t be consecutive."

That said, I'd allow crafting during a Short Rest.

Oh, I see! But how are they supposed to craft a healing potion then? Should the character stay 8 hours at the inn crafting it while the others wait or do other stuff?

 I guess every DM has their own way, but I'd say it depends on what you are crafting.

In the specific case of a simple Potion of Healing, I'd allow brewing those, for example, at a campsite, at an inn as you said, or when traveling peacefully in a wagon or on a ship.

Other members could use that time for other activities: crafting too, investigating, shopping... or just enjoying life :D

Thanks for answering. ❤️

 No problem at all :)

If they're interesting to you, here are some threads about crafting:

- 2024 DMG - Rules for Crafting Magic Items 
- Clarification on crafting potions with 2024 rules 
- Does anyone know what a workweek is? 
- Potion of Healing Crafting Question

Quote from Tarod_ >>

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein>>

Quote from Tarod_>>

I'd say (or I'm ruling) you can't split the minimum "1 day / 8 hours" requirement across several days, or at least that's how I understand the rules in the PHB and DMG:

• Crafting Nonmagical Items: "To determine how many days (working 8 hours a day) it takes to make an item [...]"
• Brewing Potions of Healing: "[...] Doing so requires using that kit and 25 GP of raw material over the course of 1 day (8 hours of work)."
• Scribing Spell Scrolls: "[...] For each day of inscription, you must work for 8 hours. [...]"
• Crafting Magic Items: Time and Cost: "Work per Day. For each day of crafting, you must work for 8 hours. If an item requires multiple days, those days needn’t be consecutive."

That said, I'd allow crafting during a Short Rest.

Oh, I see! But how are they supposed to craft a healing potion then? Should the character stay 8 hours at the inn crafting it while the others wait or do other stuff?

 I guess every DM has their own way, but I'd say it depends on what you are crafting.

In the specific case of a simple Potion of Healing, I'd allow brewing those, for example, at a campsite, at an inn as you said, or when traveling peacefully in a wagon or on a ship.

Other members could use that time for other activities: crafting too, investigating, shopping... or just enjoying life :D

Thanks for answering. ❤️

 No problem at all :)

If they're interesting to you, here are some threads about crafting:

- 2024 DMG - Rules for Crafting Magic Items 
- Clarification on crafting potions with 2024 rules 
- Does anyone know what a workweek is? 
- Potion of Healing Crafting Question

Thank you again for your answer. 😊

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

Quote from Tarod_ >>

I'd say (or I'm ruling) you can't split the minimum "1 day / 8 hours" requirement across several days, or at least that's how I understand the rules in the PHB and DMG:

• Crafting Nonmagical Items: "To determine how many days (working 8 hours a day) it takes to make an item [...]"
• Brewing Potions of Healing: "[...] Doing so requires using that kit and 25 GP of raw material over the course of 1 day (8 hours of work)."
• Scribing Spell Scrolls: "[...] For each day of inscription, you must work for 8 hours. [...]"
• Crafting Magic Items: Time and Cost: "Work per Day. For each day of crafting, you must work for 8 hours. If an item requires multiple days, those days needn’t be consecutive."

That said, I'd allow crafting during a Short Rest.

 

Oh, I see! But how are they supposed to craft a healing potion then? Should the character stay 8 hours at the inn crafting it while the others wait or do other stuff?

How would you roleplay that situation? I'm a little bit lost here.

 

Thanks for answering. ❤️

Potions I think of like cooking - you wouldn't start cooking something, take it off the heat to carry around with you for a couple hrs while you do other stuff, and then put it back on the heat to finish it. So potions need an uninterrupted 8hrs to brew. RAW, it takes 8hrs of work, which I interpret to mean you'd need to stay with your potion for the 8hrs "working on it." My table has some house rules on brewing potions of healing:

If they have a secure/permanent setup they don't necessarily need to be there for the entire 8hrs, like cooking in a slow-cooker. So, if they're in a place with an actual lab (like in a city where they could rent lab space say at an alchemist's shop, or have an alchemy lab setup in their house/keep) I let them start it and then leave it to brew for 8hrs while they go do other stuff. But there is a 10% chance that something goes wrong while they're not keeping an eye on it. (I have them roll a D20, on a 1 or 2 the potion fails if they aren't there for the full 8hrs). AND they have to go pick it up at the end of the 8hrs to "finish" the potion. If they leave it longer than the 8hrs it's ruined. So there's risk involved if they don't want to stay with the potion for that 8hrs, but I give them the option.

I don't let them do this with a portable alchemy kit while camping on the road/staying in an inn, they have to stay with it, but I do let it go during a long rest if they set a watch, and the person on watch is proficient in either Arcana, Herbalism, or Alchemy kits to keep an eye on it the entire time. And I only allow them to do this for basic healing potions - anything else they'd need to actually stay with it for the duration of the brewing time.  

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

 Oh, I see! But how are they supposed to craft a healing potion then? Should the character stay 8 hours at the inn crafting it while the others wait or do other stuff?

How would you roleplay that situation? I'm a little bit lost here.

The crafting rules are really intended to be used as a "downtime activity" between adventures, rather than something you do while you're in the middle of an adventure.

Quote from DNavarette0819 >>

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

Quote from Tarod_ >>

I'd say (or I'm ruling) you can't split the minimum "1 day / 8 hours" requirement across several days, or at least that's how I understand the rules in the PHB and DMG:

• Crafting Nonmagical Items: "To determine how many days (working 8 hours a day) it takes to make an item [...]"
• Brewing Potions of Healing: "[...] Doing so requires using that kit and 25 GP of raw material over the course of 1 day (8 hours of work)."
• Scribing Spell Scrolls: "[...] For each day of inscription, you must work for 8 hours. [...]"
• Crafting Magic Items: Time and Cost: "Work per Day. For each day of crafting, you must work for 8 hours. If an item requires multiple days, those days needn’t be consecutive."

That said, I'd allow crafting during a Short Rest.

 

Oh, I see! But how are they supposed to craft a healing potion then? Should the character stay 8 hours at the inn crafting it while the others wait or do other stuff?

How would you roleplay that situation? I'm a little bit lost here.

 

Thanks for answering. ❤️

 

Potions I think of like cooking - you wouldn't start cooking something, take it off the heat to carry around with you for a couple hrs while you do other stuff, and then put it back on the heat to finish it. So potions need an uninterrupted 8hrs to brew. RAW, it takes 8hrs of work, which I interpret to mean you'd need to stay with your potion for the 8hrs "working on it." My table has some house rules on brewing potions of healing:

If they have a secure/permanent setup they don't necessarily need to be there for the entire 8hrs, like cooking in a slow-cooker. So, if they're in a place with an actual lab (like in a city where they could rent lab space say at an alchemist's shop, or have an alchemy lab setup in their house/keep) I let them start it and then leave it to brew for 8hrs while they go do other stuff. But there is a 10% chance that something goes wrong while they're not keeping an eye on it. (I have them roll a D20, on a 1 or 2 the potion fails if they aren't there for the full 8hrs). AND they have to go pick it up at the end of the 8hrs to "finish" the potion. If they leave it longer than the 8hrs it's ruined. So there's risk involved if they don't want to stay with the potion for that 8hrs, but I give them the option.

I don't let them do this with a portable alchemy kit while camping on the road/staying in an inn, they have to stay with it, but I do let it go during a long rest if they set a watch, and the person on watch is proficient in either Arcana, Herbalism, or Alchemy kits to keep an eye on it the entire time. And I only allow them to do this for basic healing potions - anything else they'd need to actually stay with it for the duration of the brewing time.  

You gave me very interesting ideas! Thank you. 😊

I just think it breaks a little bit the pace of the adventure if you stay 8 hours just crafting a healing potion (if you need to stay there all the time, I mean). I find it kind of boring for the players.

If the party is spending a whole day in town and not getting into combat encounters, I expect most DMs will let you say that they fit the 8 hours in there somewhere without demanding an itemized itinerary of the day. But yeah, anything longer than that is generally intended as something that fills time between adventures rather than being a project a character is actively working on as they’re in the middle of the plot.

The article "Help Your Players Get Crafty With the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide" has the next ideas:

In-Session Creativity. Crafting gives players a chance to prepare for situations—or even MacGyver their way out of them—as long as they have the tools, raw materials, and time necessary. For example, if the characters are heading into an environment they think will be filled with poisonous creatures, they can use Brewer’s Supplies to craft Antitoxin. Or, if your party is trapped in a chasm, a character could use Weaver’s Tools to fashion some Rope by breaking down the party’s Bedrolls for raw materials.

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

I just think it breaks a little bit the pace of the adventure if you stay 8 hours just crafting a healing potion (if you need to stay there all the time, I mean). I find it kind of boring for the players.

Different adventures have different paces but most have some opportunity for downtime or at least activities that are not classical adventuring.

Sometimes all the players want their characters to have downtime, whether for crafting, learning a language or maybe you would allow them to train to be proficient in a skill. If this is the case when they get into the city after a long journey they might be happy to spend a day or two doing such activities.

There will be time in an adventure where time is of the essence in order to stop the current immediate threat but this doesn't have to be the whole campaign. Maybe they have defeated one agent of the BBEG maybe they found something that identified the bad guys would be in City Y in two weeks time. The party spend one week to travel there and then have one week to wait for the bad guys to turn up. Maybe they found they found references to an obscure god or cult which the party need to research. Even campaigns I have been in with little downtime there will be days spent in a city where the wizard might look for information in the library, the cleric spends the day making a potion and bard wanders round the inns trying to get information from the patrons. (One thing I would say splitting the party this way is keep it brief, spending an hour of gametime having conversations between the bard and a dozen locals while the rest of the party members are not there is boring for them, just have them describe what information they are trying to get and how, ask them to roll and tell them what they find out. 

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

 

You gave me very interesting ideas! Thank you. 😊

I just think it breaks a little bit the pace of the adventure if you stay 8 hours just crafting a healing potion (if you need to stay there all the time, I mean). I find it kind of boring for the players.

 It will depend on the kind of adventure, but a lot of times, having a couple days in town can actually help the adventure. It gives the story a chance to breathe and the characters to indulge in other activities. 
If you don’t want to role play it, you can use the Xanathar’s rules for downtime activities. It usually just involves a couple rolls as and call it done. It can be resolved pretty quickly.

But you can also just give them free rein. So one person wants to brew a potion. Maybe the wizard and/or sorcerer wants to scribe a scroll, maybe the barbarian wants to join an underground fighting pit, the rogue wants to pick some pockets, the cleric visits the local temple, etc. maybe a couple get together and just go drinking. Each player gets a few minutes to describe what they do. And if you’re good at improving, maybe they get into some trouble and now you’ve got a plot hook for a side quest.

Quote from Xalthu >>

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

 

You gave me very interesting ideas! Thank you. 😊

I just think it breaks a little bit the pace of the adventure if you stay 8 hours just crafting a healing potion (if you need to stay there all the time, I mean). I find it kind of boring for the players.

 It will depend on the kind of adventure, but a lot of times, having a couple days in town can actually help the adventure. It gives the story a chance to breathe and the characters to indulge in other activities. 
If you don’t want to role play it, you can use the Xanathar’s rules for downtime activities. It usually just involves a couple rolls as and call it done. It can be resolved pretty quickly.

But you can also just give them free rein. So one person wants to brew a potion. Maybe the wizard and/or sorcerer wants to scribe a scroll, maybe the barbarian wants to join an underground fighting pit, the rogue wants to pick some pockets, the cleric visits the local temple, etc. maybe a couple get together and just go drinking. Each player gets a few minutes to describe what they do. And if you’re good at improving, maybe they get into some trouble and now you’ve got a plot hook for a side quest.

Yeah, in adventures where you are not in a rush, that's actually a very cool thing to do (expend some time in the town doing other activities). I loved the Barbarian part hahaha Fight club! 😂

By the way, I think I've been using the wrong verb all the time, haven't I? It's brew a potion, not craft a potion, isn't it? Please, correct me if I say something wrong. 🙏🏻

Thank you Jegpeg and Xalthu for your answers. They've been so useful to me. ❤️

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

[...] By the way, I think I've been using the wrong verb all the time, haven't I? It's brew a potion, not craft a potion, isn't it? Please, correct me if I say something wrong. 🙏🏻

Thank you Jegpeg and Xalthu for your answers. They've been so useful to me. ❤️

 I would say both are completely correct:

- From the article I linked: "while in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, players will find rules for crafting nonmagical items, Potions of Healing, and Spell Scrolls.", or "Potions of Healing and Spell Scrolls are the two magic items that characters can craft using the rules from the 2024 Player’s Handbook."

- From the PHB: Herbalism Kit : Craft: Antitoxin, Candle, Healer’s Kit, Potion of Healing

Quote from Tarod_ >>

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

[...] By the way, I think I've been using the wrong verb all the time, haven't I? It's brew a potion, not craft a potion, isn't it? Please, correct me if I say something wrong. 🙏🏻

Thank you Jegpeg and Xalthu for your answers. They've been so useful to me. ❤️

 I would say both are completely correct:

- From the article I linked: "while in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, players will find rules for crafting nonmagical items, Potions of Healing, and Spell Scrolls.", or "Potions of Healing and Spell Scrolls are the two magic items that characters can craft using the rules from the 2024 Player’s Handbook."

- From the PHB: Herbalism Kit : Craft: Antitoxin, Candle, Healer’s Kit, Potion of Healing

Oh, thank you. 😊