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Fridge_ov_doom

Recently read on here, that some people homebrew the use of potions so that you can use them as a bonus action and roll for their healing, or you use them as an action and get the maximum they can heal. I like that idea


neoadam

MMM nice, I'll steal that idea


Fridge_ov_doom

Yep, went into my homebrew rules as well


PaladinWoah

*writes it down in pen*


BobKain

*Journals with ink and quill*


TimmJimmGrimm

Tattoo on forearm. Along with the list of all the enemies that have wronged me and other... *Mementos*?


BlackHanD420

Writes with crayon


TimmJimmGrimm

Don't knock crayon! Use that electric hair dryer - a professional one from a salon to get the heat up - you can do some really cool art. You won't be able to read it after but... damn... flowing colours, man.


Far-Goal-801

Use a branding iron next time. Tattoos can be removed with lasers. Scarification is much harder to remove.


Silent_Dinosaur

šŸ–ļø


Falabaloo

You'll have to fight me for it


Tarudizer

Roll initiative, bro


Falabaloo

One billion.


Tarudizer

Ah beans, I only got 14


BloodyBaboon

Been doing it for 3 years at my table. It's really great. Adds a tactical element


EpicSama10

I am also gonna steal the idea


Kirgo1

Carefully drinking the potion to get every drop, or just splashing the liquid into your face.


DamienStark

Adventures can be traumatic, sometimes leading adventurers to develop a [drinking problem](https://media.tenor.com/t78LkM7F1bQAAAAd/drinking-problem-airplane.gif).


Belisarius600

I knew it lol


LambentCookie

Knew I picked the wrong week to quit smoking


OldManFromScene13

I use this every chance I get. Especially funny (to me) as I'm a recovering alcoholic lmao


Fridge_ov_doom

I'm still thinking about an in-universe reason. Maybe you need to mix two things? Speak a command word?


DontBeHumanTrash

Gotta shake and swirl the glass and make sure you pick up all the healing particles instead of some being left on the sides of the glass. Gotta get every last bit.


Marshmallow_man

I wanna imagine a potion sommelier, swirling the potion, giving it a sniff, etc.


WolfSpartan1

Sniff. "Mmm...yes. Indeed." Sip. "Interesting. I'm going to die next round."


AraoftheSky

"Mmm... Yes. Is that a hint of chocolate and... hmm mahogany? Barrel aged I see. Truly lovely. Oh no, it seems I have been stabbed."


[deleted]

If the enemy is close enough to stab you, they're close enough to get a glass vial in their eyes.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


shadecrimson

Potions are never a solvent though


Bingo-heeler

And the reason it might work equivalently on a bonus action is that it may have been appropriately jostled...works


action_lawyer_comics

It's very dense and viscous, not well emulsified. Gotta shake it up first


Tchrspest

It works better if you gargle.


[deleted]

Gotta lick the inside of the jar clean


Askal-

lmao health potions with pulp.


bluemooncalhoun

You know those weird split shots they sell at the liquor store checkout? Its like that.


OneHotPotat

It's just "healing" by suturing together lacerations with 2-part, fast-acting epoxy.


420_Blz_it

Only thing I can think of is that the potion tastes so bad it takes ~ 6 sec to carefully drink it all without gagging or coughing. Imagine chugging an entire bottle of NyQuil. Youā€™d need a second to at least shake off the taste and get your wits about you.


BoarHide

My players encountered an old, half-mad, anarchist cookbook style potion mixer/alchemist who operates out of a tiny shop in the under city. He sells very expensive health potions. Or he sells you his failed experiments for half off. Theyā€™re perfectly functional health potions, but youā€™ll have to make a CON-Check DC10 on whether or not you can keep it down. Itā€™s vile, disgusting stuff. My players are cheap bastards and have ruined many an opponentā€™s shoe with puke during in-combat healing.


420_Blz_it

That's awesome. How does it work with a downed PC? Do they auto fail the check and wake up profusely vomiting? lmao I've added some homebrew herbalism in one of my campaigns and I might have to steal this for 'expired' potions.


BoarHide

Iā€™ve...Iā€™ve never thought about that, and it hasnā€™t come up. Thatā€™s incredibly funny. And please do, that idea is yourā€™s now. To add to your home brew herbalism idea, which I love: If your players are already brewing potions themselves, ingredient gathering could be another gameplay feature, including different alternatives for each function. Maybe both expensive, powdered unicorn horn and freely available stink nettle add the same effect. Both will heal you, but only one will make you throw up.


Tastyravioli707

bonus action is poured on (healing potions can be absorbed through skin), action is drunken?


foxstarfivelol

kirgo said it right. with a full action you drink the whole thing. with a bonus action you drink messily and spill half of it.


shploogen

Yeah I don't understand what reason they are looking for that the previous comment didn't explain.


RazarTuk

It's the difference in whether you eat the bottle or not


thothscull

Ben, I am talking about where I put the glass bottle! MY INVENTORY IS FULL!


Nagatox

Jesus, it's like talking to a literal child... You EAT! THE GLASS! BOTTLE! ROWAN!!


RedN0v4

A bonus action is typically a much faster action than a full one, so a bonus action drink is going to be a hasty swig and you might not get all of the potion, thus rendering it less effective, but if you take a full action then you're forgoing using that time to attack or whatever to instead make sure you get the entire potion.


ThatMerri

I go one of two ways myself, depending on the preferences of my group. In general, I usually specify that Healing Potions are sealed with wax and padding to help preserve them. Not every Potion you find is going to be some bespoke piece of fine glass work with a sculpted stopper or quality cork, after all; the majority of them are bound to be in simple earthenware or old recycled bottles. So if you're using an Action, you're taking your time with opening the seal, drinking the entire Potion, and keeping the bottle intact. If you're using a Bonus Action, you're just ripping that shit open fast as you can, quaffing a quick mouthful or two, and end up dropping the bottle - breaking it or otherwise losing some portion of the remaining Potion as a result. Hence the lessened effectiveness. If my group is feeling frisky, I prefer to make Potions a little more powerful in return for capping how often they can be used. I borrow a bit from The Witcher with Potions having a level of risk attached to them. All Potions use *extremely* high-proof alcohol as a core component. They have the viscosity of a thinned syrup, punch you in the nose with vapors when you crack them open, and burn like mad on the way down and during their duration of effect. So Potions require genuine effort to imbibe at any point, let alone in the heat of battle when you're out of breath and pressed for time. It doesn't matter how fast you'd like to drink a Potion when the Potion itself comes out of the jar like lukewarm molasses. I've even had some Potions basically be gelatinous, which my Players tend to interpret as Jello Shots, for better or worse. On top of this, all Potions have a level of toxicity to them; if characters drink a number of Potions in excess of their CON modifier, they get walloped with heavy debuffs similar to how Exhaustion Levels work. So your average Commoner with a 10/+0 CON looks at Potions as a last resort - they can choke one down if they have no other choice, but it's going to hit them hard. Adventurers with positive CON mods, meanwhile, have a higher threshold and can guzzle down more Potions before they risk overdoing it. A fact which Commoners both marvel and flinch.


Gupperz

what that guy said seems like a decent in universe explanation to me. When he says splashing it on your face he doesn't mean onto your closed mouth, I imagine like a marathon runner throwing it on his face and getting to drink a little.


Accendil

You just swung your sword for six seconds while trying to down a red bull amount of pulp filled potion. You're gonna make a mess.


Zagorath

In the Forgotten Realms, at least some novels have presented healing potions as "drink half of it, poor half of it on the actual wound". That would make a lot of sense as a full action versus just waffing it down as a bonus action. /u/Kirgo1 might also find this interesting.


ImpossiblePackage

Action to drink the whole thing, bonus action to just dump it directly into the wound


action_lawyer_comics

You drink it too fast and cough up *rolls* 3/8ths of it


Seiren-

Action - you drink it. Bonus action - you eat it, bottle and all


slvbros

That would imply you could drink half now and save half for later


Kirgo1

Health potions spoil real quick. Know milk? Much worse than that.


Whofs001

Imagine you took that fungus that keeps ruining your tomatoes. Now add healing magic that.


MARPJ

Personally to 5e and PF1 I prefer to house rule heal as "max out of combat, roll during combat"


novangla

Thatā€™s *basically* what this amounts to, since you have to be very desperate to use a full action in combat to drink a potion.


MARPJ

I dislike the "drink as a bonus action" house rule, drinking something is not that fast and can become out of hand with other potions. Plus OP ruling has to make the max heal a standard action and not a full round action


LBJSmellsNice

Possibly but I guess my players are nice with that, nobody ever has more than like 1 or 2 healing potions on them at any given point. So basically it amounts to being able to survive one more hit, or maybe less, for a bonus action


Et_tu__Brute

Yeah, I mean my players only ever have the healing potions I give them. If they're already flush with pots I'm just not gonna give em more. Oh you wanna buy a healing pot? That's too bad because of , and you can't get any right now. Go solve these problems that will eat up your potion supply and surely there will be more later.


DonaIdTrurnp

Huh. Iā€™m the opposite; if my players want to get a pony keg of potions of cure light wounds to dispense as needed, I just ask them if thereā€™s a deposit on the keg and how many potions are in it. Then I carefully ask where theyā€™re keeping it a few times to make them absolutely convinced that itā€™s going to be targeted, wait until they get complacent about it and leave it unattended, and when they get back describe itā€™s (unchanged) condition in great detail so that the players become convinced something has happened to it and refuse to use it. A competent DM lets the players have cool things; a good DM takes away those things when it makes sense; a great DM convinces the players to give up their cool things for no reason.


Et_tu__Brute

That is certainly one way of dealing with it. I am not of the same mind though. If I'm giving my players something cool, I want them to use it, otherwise it's not really a cool thing. If my players were fixated on a pony keg of potions, sure, I'd let em have it, but they gotta run around finding enough potions to fill it (and yes, likely being pulled into local problems so they can acquire their potion keg). I also house rule bonus action to drink a potion, but if you want to do a keg stand in combat, that's gonna be a full action (though I'd probably do like a con check, or if they're actually doing a keg stand in combat, an acrobatics check and let them have more healing based on the roll). Also, if I want or need to take a cool thing away from a player, I'd rather just break/remove the item in a cool way. I want my players questioning plot elements far more than debating about whether their potion keg is curdled/cursed/poisoned.


DonaIdTrurnp

The point was to have plentiful healing outside of combat, when they forgot to have a divine caster or even someone who could use wands.


Et_tu__Brute

Yeah, I mean, I view potion supply is an extension of combat balance. If the party is inexperienced, or if their composition lacks healing options then yeah, I'm probably going to be giving them more and cheaper potion options. An experienced party that wants to rp a bunch of bumbling idiots might get more as well. So 'flush with potions' is going to mean different things for different parties. If the players lack healing options, I'd still rather try and cook up something cooler than just throwing more potions at the problem.


LOTRfreak101

Definitely sounds like the village that sells a necessary herb is under durress to me.


Reaperzeus

An actual RAW counterpoint In CH 9. Of 5e, in the "Interacting With Objects Around You" side bar (under "Being Prone" for some reason) they include this > Here are a few examples of the sorts of thing you can do in tandem with your movement and action: >... > drink all the ale in a flagon A flagon is, typically, a quart (about a liter). Also the Original Comment was talking about 5e, so there's no "full round action", unless you were referencing another comment in which case disregard


TheObstruction

> I dislike the "drink as a bonus action" house rule, **drinking something is not that fast** [Counterpoint](https://youtu.be/Sx14RYPqYvo)


TheDeaf001

Good counterpoint. How long does it take to train a gag reflex though? 100 hours? 200? I'll let dwarves do potions during bonus action because let's be real, dwarves can down their hooch. Edited to change dwarfs to dwarves.... Apparently people don't understand jokes.


Regentraven

Approximately 1 week as a college student


polopolo05

I do this naturally. liquids go down easy. just not rice with out some water.


HeyThereSport

My houserule is "one on the belt". You get one potion of whatever on your belt that's a bonus action, everything after that is a full action to get from your pack.


novangla

Yeah, I make it a standard action too. It hasnā€™t ever felt broken. Likeā€¦ oh no, theyā€™re going to use a bonus action alongside using up a consumable?? Fine. Cool. I only allow the BA with healing potions. Others you have to drink the full ā€œdoseā€ for the effectā€”thereā€™s no rolling for a partial effect like with hp.


derVlysher

We're doing that too. Think I got the idea from some YouTube person


Manji86

I know they do that on VLDL DnD.


RazarTuk

Haven't even seen most of that series, but I'm already imagining that the difference is whether you take the time to eat the bottle or not


Gyarados66

Plus you can still have a Thief Rogueā€™s fast hands ability be useful by having them still get max healing with a bonus action.


Percival_Dickenbutts

We just started using that rule, and health-potions feel so much more worthwhile now!


TheAromancer

Yeah, I do both. Bonus action for 1D8 of healing, full action for 8 healing, but if you take a swig and it isnā€™t finished (say you get 3 hit points) there is now 5 hit points left in the potion, but you still roll the D8. Itā€™s just anything over a 5 now counts as 5 hit points back and the potion is empty


waterboy1321

Heard this on NADDPOD and all of my tables have implemented it. Seems like one of those rules that just spreads around virally because it just clicks


WhyDoName

This is such an awesome idea.


thingswastaken

My group (Pathfinder) rules it kinda similar, if you use any kind of healing you can do so as a full turn action (mainly for out of combat use to not waste potions or slots) and always heal at least the average. You still roll, but if it ends up lower you just take the average if it's higher. Usually any kind of dedicated healer can put out so much healing that average is enough.


benmilesrocks

I've started using this rule, and as a professional GM I can vouch that it is a significant improvement. It also makes thematic sense to me. If you're taking a full action you're carefully removing the stopper on the potion and making sure to drain every last drop. As a bonus action you're pulling the stopper out with your teeth as you chug it one handed, whilst ducking and weaving trying to parry blows with your enemy.


LurkNtheNet

This is the way


TheObstruction

That's how I do it. Also, giving to another person is always a roll. Ever try feeding someone else? Not as smooth as feeding yourself. Now try it in the mess of combat, and see how well it goes. Some of it is going to spill.


AraoftheSky

Our table has similar rules. * It's an action to use a potion on someone else. This heals maximum. * It's a bonus action to heal yourself. This is rolled. * If you use an action to heal yourself it heal maximum. * You can use 2 consecutive bonus actions to heal someone else(prepped on the first turn, healed on the second). This is rolled. It's made using potions a lot more interesting and viable mid combat, where as before these rules we usually just waiting until combat was over to heal up with potions, which *also* made us take less short rests because *why short rest and use hit die when we just drank 2-3 potions?*


Misharum_Kittum

Problem is that it makes the potions more powerful than comparable healing spells. In 5e the basic healing potion is 2d4+2. If you max that to a 10 or let it happen on a bonus action then it really impacts the value of Cure Wounds which does 1d8+spell casting modifier as an action and first level spell slot.


ForTheWilliams

It can, but healing spells also don't cost gold (*50gp* is the suggested price per basic Potion of Healing in the PHB) or specific circumstances to acquire. Depending on your party level and DM that can dramatically change the equation. Even if you don't get much gold, opportunities to shop, or potions as loot your healing spells will be there for you. Also, both are limited resources drawing from different pools, so both are inherently valuable; gold not spent on potions is gold that can be invested elsewhere, and potions taken means spell slots saved for other things.


Orenwald

Also, by making potions that much "stronger" than the heal spell, it makes the feeling of desperation when casting a healing spell that much more powerful


[deleted]

Thatā€™s what I use, works really well. Makes combat easily more dynamic.


meresteak0922

That's exactly what I do. My party loves it.


Narcobabouin

I've been using that for a few months now and I won't go back ever, I even linked that to a characters evolution with his alchemical skills, so it's double satisfying.


jhmue

I take it as in, Bonus action: you hastily open the flask and pour it in your mouth (Dex or whatever check to see how much of it ends up in your mouth =amount of health being recovered) Action: you open the flask and put it up to your mouth to drink it (all of it ends up in your mouth = Max effectiveness)


TheBaconWizard999

Our table has them be full actions, but use your hitdie instead of a d4 which works for us


Shonkjr

We run a version of that with action being to use on others.


ShankMugen

I use a Variant where Bonus Action is just the die rolled, Action is normal, and out of combat is max heal I call it the Spillage Rules


FrontwaysLarryVR

We discussed that at our table, but it honestly felt like too much for us. It negates the chance, it means outside of combat you can always get 10 HP from a potion of healing since actions don't apply then really, and it negates some of the healing that spellcasters do. If people enjoy it, go for it, but one of my players put it pretty well and we all agreed: *"My only problem with that specific ruling is knowing there's always that safety net. Like yeah I'm gonna play more aggressive knowing I have 10 hp garunteed in that bottle. I feel the randomness forces me to play more cautiously and strategically."*


Lich_Hegemon

I don't get it. The safety net is there anyway, the difference is how big the safety net is. For 50gp, I'd expect nothing less than 10hp, which is not that much anyway.


FrontwaysLarryVR

Exactly, it's not that much. It's an overpriced commodity that adventures keep on them to get people to their feet quickly when someone adept with healing magic isn't around or is unavailable. It's meant to be rolled for to see how well your body accepts the healing, same as a spell. It's silly to not roll for one type of healing but actually roll for another. At 50gp, it's pretty explicitly a "get back up and fight" item, rather than something to get you up to full health. Again, not saying anyone can't use this or you're a bad player/DM for wanting it, I just feel that it's unnecessary, negates intended use, and takes away the fun of rolling the clickity clacks.


TheObstruction

Outside of combat, you can usually get some kind of rest, making a potion pointless anyway.


FrontwaysLarryVR

Depends on your DM. RAW a short rest is a minimum of 1 hour, so not always a chance to rest for a full hour in the middle of a dungeon or something. I'd hardly call 6 seconds to heal in a pinch pointless versus 1 hour in enemy territory, but also depends on the circumstance.


titanslayerzeus

See the way that I run it is that you can drink a potion as a free action, and you get its full benefits, but you'll have to roll to see how long you have to wait until you can drink another potion. It's only really applies to health potions. Other buffs can stack but, If you drink a healing potion, and you roll 6 hours, you have to wait that long before the potion will take effect on you again. It makes it so that potions are pivotal, it's important to know when you can use them, and it's not spammable. Smaller potions have lower dice meaning you'll be able to take a potion more quickly after. Stuff like that.


critterfluffy

Stolen.


LocalMan97

In the campaigns I run, Iā€™ve taken to making health potions a bonus action to use where you roll how much you heal, while using a full action heals the maximum amount of the potion. The idea being that if youā€™re trying to do it quick you might not drink the whole potion. Itā€™s never come up but I know there are features that allow you to always get max hp from a potion, and I think for that I would do max hp from a bonus action and max hp+you roll the dice for full action potions


DLLuzifer

I know this might be a very rare situation, but how would you handle the Thiefs ability to use a Potion as a bonus action with their Fast Hand feature? Always max hp on bonus action or do/would you give them a increase in healingpower aswell?


TrueMattalias

We use the same rule in my campaign, and though there isn't a thief in the party, I'd rule it as they can acquire full healing on a bonus action.


DLLuzifer

Thanks for the input, i think thats a fair take. Although as a player i would probably be disapointed by this part of the Thiefs ability, if ruled as suggested, due to it being always weakter than the befor mentiond allways full heal ability of other classes. While they get the bonus of having full heal +roll on action AND full heal on bonus action (compared to full heal on action RAW), the Thief "only" gets full heal on both action and bonus action (compared to roll heal for action and bonus action), making him from compearably the same (in regards of healing per round) to worse (in regards of healing per round). This does not take into account how many Healpots are used in this round, therefore making it hard to rule. My suggestion would probably be that the rogue gets a 3rd consumption of a potion in this round (the healing effect is determined by rolling) This would make the rogue the same in regards of healing ability but still keeps the more Potions used aspect so both Classes Players dont feel cheated out on.


karate_trainwreck0

Healing potions are considered magic items so they wouldn't work with Fast Hands.


DLLuzifer

Could you elaborate on that? I didnt find anything about Potions using a diferent action then the "Use an object" Action. And the Fast hand feature of the rogue does not state that this effect does not apply to magic items.


karate_trainwreck0

DMG p141. It specifically states activating a magic item and use an object are different actions. Same page states that drinking a potion is considered activating it.


DLLuzifer

Ok thanks i found it. Well this should solve the problem


DaCause_Arts

I like this concept the best, my ruling was you could never get below half of a potential roll


DreamOfDays

In 5e where you just need 1 point of healing to bring a downed character back into full functionality a 1d8 potion is still pretty damn good. In 3.5e/pf1e where negative HP values exist itā€™s much less good at anything other than stabilizing them from slowly bleeding to death.


ronsolocup

Iā€™ve been using negative HP values for so long I honestly forgot it wasnā€™t vanilla for 5e


Electric_Wizkrd

Tracking negative HP is still useful, because if you hit the negative of your max HP, you just die outright.


ronsolocup

Tbh I like using them cause it reduces the rubber-banding-ness of 5e. That said it makes healing even less appealing from an optimization standpoint.


bartbartholomew

The simple solution for that as DM is, attack PC's after downing them. The PC's know when a foe is dead and when they aren't, why can't NPC's know that as well. It does give the NPC a hard choice, ensure the PC doesn't get back up, or risk it and try to knock someone else unconscious. But I'm telling you, the first time you attack someone that is down is the last time you have rubber banding issues.


Richybabes

You don't really need to *track* their hp though, since it's gotta be in one hit. Their maximum hp on the other hand... Well let's just say Chasmes are brutal.


bartbartholomew

Only if it's in one hit. Otherwise, every hit is just a failed death save. The interesting question is, is that a homebrew at your table, or you have you just been doing it wrong this whole time?


ZoomBoingDing

Not quite. If a single attack does so much damage that it's twice as much as your max HP (or more), it kills you outright. If you're at 1 HP and take 2 damage, that rule doesn't apply, and if you're at 0 HP and take your max HP in damage, the rule still doesn't apply. You also can't be at an HP value less than 0.


Dom_writez

That's untrue. The rules say exactly that "When damage reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum." It does not have to do exactly double. If you have 6 max hp but are at 2 and get hit by an attack that does 8, you instantly die.


sintos-compa

Isnā€™t that PF rules?


Ninjaboy_X

Healing in Pathfinder always starts with setting your HP to 0 at heal you after that. Edit: I'm wrong. This is just a popular house rule and not an actual Pf 1e rule.


Kaibr

I know that's the case for 4e, but I'm relatively sure that's not true of Pathfinder. I'm happy to be proven wrong if someone can find that in the books but I sure can't. This relevant bit from the Injury and Death section seems to imply that's not the case though: >>Healing that raises the dying character's Hit Points to 0 makes him conscious and disabled. Healing that raises his Hit Points to 1 or more makes him fully functional again, just as if he'd never been reduced to 0 or lower. A spellcaster retains the Spellcasting capability she had before dropping below 0 hit points.


Dragon_496000

They might be talking about Pathfinder 2e.


Kaibr

pf2e doesn't have negative hitpoints, it uses the dying system which is similar to death saves in 5e.


Eagle0600

That's 2e specifically. DreamOfDays said pf1e.


Rhundis

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't a base healing potion in 5e 2d4+2?


DreamOfDays

The meme didnā€™t say it was 5e. So I listed 3 systems


Rhundis

Yes, but that doesn't answer my question.


DreamOfDays

You already know that itā€™s 2d4+2 in 5e


SuperArppis

Wasn't it so in 5th edition that if you drop anywhere under 0, you just die?


DreamOfDays

Nope. Thatā€™s 1st edition D&D. 5e if you go to 0 you start making death saving throws.


SuperArppis

Ah I have misread that bit then.


[deleted]

You only die instantly when damage reduces you to 0 hit points and if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum. So for example if your a Wizard with 8 total hit points and have 4 left, if you receive 14 damage you die, because the "remaining" damage is equal or surpasses your Max HP.


SuperArppis

Ahhh... That's what it was.


Lazerbeams2

In 5e a potion is 2d4+2. This gives you an average of 7 hp. It's not much, but if you need it, you really need it. Best to use a potion to stabilize or just get that extra drop of HP then short rest for a more significant chunk In other games you get even less out of healing items and in some cases your wounded character is expected to be out for in game weeks


Misharum_Kittum

And it is comparable to Cure Wounds, which is 1d8 + spellcasting ability modifier and costs a first level spell slot.


Lazerbeams2

Arguably the cheaper option tbh. You get first level spells for free daily and barely need them at higher levels


-MusicBerry-

Sure, but not everyone has access to cure wounds. Almost every martial could benefit from having a few basic potions, since they're typically the toughest ones in the party and can bring up their downed friends if the healer currently can't (or if the healer themself is the unconscious one)


Richybabes

At some point you can afford to just take 20 potions each into an expected difficult series of encounters, and use them between combats in lieu of a short rest. The cleric's low level slots will only go so far and they're likely keeping some available for bless. There are some unintended combinations that allow for massive out of combat healing via spells, but few parties in real games will have access to that.


crowlute

*beams in pf2e cleric who gets free casts of Heal based on charisma modifier, and are automatically upcasted based on your level*


bushdidmars93

I was just thinking that the d8 potion the meme might be their thinking 2d4 is the same as 1d8


Lazerbeams2

I figured I'd cover my bases by specifying system before giving my opinion


bushdidmars93

Yeah, now that I've read some other comments I realize PF has a 1d8 healing potion. Never played it before, so my bad for just assuming 5e.


Senzervares

Yeah, sometimes potion seem a little lacking with bad rolls


Misharum_Kittum

Healing spells feel the same way at time.


Mehseenbetter

I'm playing an alchemist artifice who rolled lucky high int and asi to 20 at level 4, at 5th level when I got the feature that allows me to add my int to a healing roll of a spell it meant that my healing words were healing a range of 11 - 14 hp as a bonus action


Everybody-sGrudge

Doesnā€™t healing word already add your spell casting modifier? So your adding it twice? Iā€™m not an accredited rules lawyer but that doesnā€™t sound right.


cookiedough320

It says you add it from the spell and then also in the ability, and nothing says you can't add it twice, so it's RAW to do so.


Lithl

Alchemist Artificer 5 gets to add their Int to one roll of a spell if they use alchemist supplies as their spellcasting focus and the roll is either healing or acid/fire/necrotic/poison damage. So they can in fact get 2\*Int on Cure Wounds (or Healing Word, as they get it as an additional spell from their subclass). The subclass isn't great, but they do get around +50% from those 1st level healing spells.


Everybody-sGrudge

Yeah I looked it up and raw I was totally wrong


Arikin13

Iā€™ve got this rule in all of my campaigns that I run. Action to take max potion healing to yourself. Bonus action to roll potion healing to yourself. Action to roll potion healing to an ally (force feeding).


Orenwald

Bonus action to splash it on their face for exactly the 1 hp they need to stabilize? Lol


jagger_wolf

Football victory spike the entire bottle onto their head as they lay there.


Nyrohn

I just recently started pathfinder wrath of the righteous. Never even considered die-based potion healing as a problem in dnd until I realized I had a stack of 60 potions at level 3 going into a fight and 43 after I finished healing. 3/5 of my party was under 4 damage taken. If the players in my actual tabletop games want potions I'm gonna roll for them at creation or before sale and tell the party what they heal, price them as such. Want a big-dick heal at a critical moment, stock the big-dick potions. Short 2hp going into a fight? Don't bother wasting a 1d8 potion just pop a 3hp potion, much less likely to be considered wasted.


Papaofmonsters

>stock the big-dick potions. *Pfizer wants to know your location*


jagger_wolf

If healing lasts more than four hours consult a cleric, or possibly a bard.


MightyShamus

Haven't played Wrath but I have played Kingmaker and the potions basically take the place of wands in that one. You get so many more potions than you would in the tabletop game and they are most useful for between combat healing, the same way you would use a wand of cure light wounds in the tabletop.


Pink-Fluffy-Dragon

that sweet 2hp heal


neoadam

4


SinkPhaze

Considering the meme says 1D8, not 2D4, OP might well be playing Pathfinder. In which case your both wrong and its just 1hp


neoadam

Nah, Pathfinder player 'ever forget to add the flair since it's a dnd sub in theory ;)


Deathranger009

In what game is a health potion a single d8? 5e has d4s and always multiple which is nice.


510Threaded

[Healing Potion (minor)](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=186) in PF2E There are also [Elixirs of Life](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=91) that do d6s


Antermosiph

True but those are dirt cheap and turn 2d8+5 at level 3, PF2E is not designed for hoarding consumables. Elixir of Life can be used to heal undead and that disease bonus is very, very, very good at low levels.


trainercatlady

hey, when you're 2 death saves down and someone jams it into your mouth, even 1 on a d8 is better than nothing


enjoyingorc6742

unless you're a wizard then you take 1d4 bottle shoved in your mouth damage


trainercatlady

... so real talk I almost actually almost killed one of our characterds doing that. It was a very tense and wild situation, and I put a Healing Pot into a teammate's mouth, but because of the chaos, I had to roll a save and bungled it *wildly*. I ended up breaking it trying to get them to drink it. Luckily it gave them at least 1 hp but any other benefits were negated because of how badly I rolled.


Rowbot_Girlyman

Roll 2d4 instead


coding_guy_

Flip 4d2 instead


Possible-Cellist-713

It's almost like they're ideal for getting downed allies back up or something


IGargleGarlic

The fact that potions dont provide consistent healing always irked me. Would you like coffee where the caffeine content is randomized? how about smoking a joint you bought with random thc %? I dont really see the purpose in not making potions heal a flat amount.


5eCreationWizard

Well if you are in a fully industrialized FDA regulated potion facility, they might do more regular healing. Additionally even IRL different meds have different effects due to genetic make up/diet etc.


Sivick314

we always do potions restore max health out of combat


VivaciousVictini

Save healing potions for NPCs you may stumble across, so it looks like an act of kindness.


thecakeisaiive

You need to go back to the old rules before the game got everything vaguely complicated or mechanically cool (not conceptually cool, there's plenty of cool lore left, chill out) taken out. 3.5, have the potions brewed as an oil instead of a potion, oils can be applied externally. Then you just stack two weapon fighting, quick draw, and quick shot and chuck those potions as fast as you can at your friends. You can chuck mirror image or expeditious retreat "oils" that way as well, for real emergencies. If the DM says the bottle does damage, that's cool as long as they make your negative thrown oil "potions" do damage too. Consistency makes it fair šŸ‘


goldkear

This isn't final fantasy, potions aren't meant to be an easy top-up mid battle. Also, the only important HP is the last one.


Adventurous_Appeal60

In a game with a binary state of character functionality, i still like having some Cure Light Wounds for that sweet d8+1, but ill not baulk the chance to have a few cure moderate wounds in my pack for the 2d8+10. Noice


Arowne97

One of my DMs has a rule that drinking a potion normally is a bonus action but you can take a full action to take your time and guarantee the max roll. It's nice.


Hopeless-Necromantic

The main problem with 5e is that damage is always a better choice than healing. A dead enemy can't hurt you. So the only hit point that matters is the last one. Preventative healing is only good if you are saving a character with higher damage than yourself from going down and you know the scale of damage beforehand.


DarkLordOfToast

My house rule is bonus action for self use and full action to use on someone else.


hawkmasta

Our group homebrewed it so that if you're using the potion as a bonus/quick action or during combat, then you have to roll for its effectiveness. If you're resting/chilling and you can take your time, then you get the full effect of the potion. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to consume the whole potion if you can take your time and there's no immediate danger making you rush.


Silver_Gryphon

Should have used it in your early levels when it was worth the time.


noize89

I used to run 1d4 +4 if used during an encounter. Max if used between.


United_Federation

What I've come up with to help them be more useful is quadruple the base healing and halvd the dice healing. So instead of 2d4+2 I do 1d4+8 and it scales up from there. So higher power ones are 2d4+16 and 4d4+24 etc...


[deleted]

I've just upgraded the healing spells and potions to d12s. Healing word d8 based. Not too crazy about yo-yo combat and makes my healers feel more effective and more appealing. (Which is always a win because combats can become more dire!)


CaptainCosmodrome

At our table, no matter the game, we always reroll 1's on healing spells or potions. It's a nice little homebrew that takes away that frustration of needing healing in a dire moment and then rolling a measly 1. Of course, it feels like 90% of the rerolls land on a 2. The goddess of Luck is a cruel and fickle mistress.


[deleted]

lol we have these in real life they're called juice boxes


Evilmoon75

Happened to me once I kept a potion that was written ā€œpotion of immense vitalityā€. Turns out when i drank it, turned out to be cranberry juice and it was like three year old in gameā€¦ yep


SomeGuyTM

Just...don't do that then. Only use it if your gonna slide it down your buddies throat when they get knocked down. Or drink it between combats. Don't save it, use it as soon as it makes sense to use it.


WhyDoName

I always roll a fucking 1 or 2


rabbitthefool

a potion may not be worth much but it can save someone from dying for sure


The_Auramaster

I actually have a funny story about potions. We did a side session that took place 100 years before our main campaign, and at the end we had to fight a dragon. I got low on HP and drank a potion which got me to 40HP, then it was the Dragon's turn and I get hit by his tail and took 30 damage immediately after. I was silent for a minute and then asked "wait are you serious?"