Summary
Potions are an often underrated magic item category that can optimize your character build inDungeons & Dragons. If you’re able to brew potions either through an Herbalism Kit or Alchemist’s Supplies, you should take advantage of the ability and talk to your DM about using various ingredients to homebrew your own unique potions with powerful abilities.
But if you’ve never homebrewed potions before, you might be wondering where to start and what kinds of potions you may make. That’s why we’ve created this list. Here are some of the best homebrewed potion ideas you can use for your Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
Key Effect
Stealth & Damage Resistance Benefits
This potion mimics some of the effects of stone melding, which is a feature found in certain Dungeons & Dragons spells and other species-based features. When you consume this potion, for the next hour, you can physically meld your form with the material of a solid surface, such as a wall or other structure.
Your skin and body assume the material of the surface, whether it be stone, granite, or any other kind of substance. Once melded, you can still hear normally, but you cannot see. However, you are considered hidden when in this form, and have resistance to all damage when melded.
Telepathic Bond
Up to three different creatures may take a sip from this potion, which grants a minor telepathic connection to any who consume it for the next hour. When a creature consumes this potion, they form an ongoing telepathic link with any other creature that imbibes this potion.
From there, any creature who has consumed the potion can cast the Message cantrip with an expanded range of 240 feet. They can also waive the components necessary to cast the spell. Like message, this telepathy can be blocked through various solid surfaces.
Gain the Benefits of Blink Spell
Any creature who consumes this potion immediately gains the benefits of the Blink spell for the next minute, granting them temporary access tothe Ethereal Plane. However, when you consume this potion, the effect lasts for the full minute and cannot be halted midway through.
When it comes to crafting unique homebrew potions like this, mimicking spells is a great way to start. Talk to your DM about what kinds of ingredients you might need to homebrew a potion that mimics a spell. This can also be a great way for non-spellcasters to get access to certain spells.
Advantage on Survival Checks
For players who find themselves in exploration-based campaigns, this next potion can prove incredibly helpful. When you consume this potion, you gain several navigation-based benefits that can prove useful whether you’re traveling by air, land, or sea.
When you consume the Potion of Navigation, for one hour, you gain advantage on all Survival checks to determine direction, the best path forward, and checks to look for traps or other environmental hazards. Plus, you always know inherently which way is north, and your passive perception temporarily increases by three, meaning it’ll be a lot harder for enemies to get the drop on you.
Blocks Divination Magic
Similar to the effects of various magical circlets found inthe 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, the potion of psychic abjuration can help players block out divination magic that might otherwise reveal their location, thoughts, and more. This potion is extremely powerful and rare, meaning that it’s going to prove far more expensive to craft than most of the others on this list.
However, when you consume this potion, you gain the following benefits for eight hours. First, you cannot be Scryed on except through the benefits of a Wish spell. Additionally, you are immune to the effects of a Detect Thoughts spell or any other magical effect that allows players to read your mind. However, in turn, you also cannot cast Scry or spells like Detect Thoughts.
Damage Transmutation
This potion is great if your character build has pre-built-in damage resistances, or if you’re trying to avoid inborn damage vulnerabilities you might have. When you consume this potion, for one minute, you gain the ability to transmute different damage into another type of damage of your choosing.
This means, for example, if you are a dragonborn who has resistance to lightning damage, and you are hit with fire damage, with this potion consumed, you can transmute the damage into lightning damage, thus potentially halving the impact of a spell. However, if the damage you transmute exceeds 30 points, you must roll a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, or risk the effects of the potion failing temporarily.
Insight Advantage
For players playingin a roleplayor social deception-based campaign, this next potion can prove incredibly useful, and should be labeled as uncommon, meaning it is relatively easy to craft. When you consume this potion, you first gain advantage on all Insight checks against NPCs or other players for one hour.
Additionally, if an NPC or other player is charmed by you, you’re able to extract information from them as needed without having to make an Insight roll to determine the truth or validity of their information. This can prove incredibly helpful if you’re trying to find ways to circumvent combat in your game.
Advantage on Perception
Once again, for exploration-based campaigns or potentially even dungeon crawls, this next potion can be incredibly useful. When you consume this potion, you gain the following benefits for the next hour.
One, you have advantage on all Perception checks made to determine the location of danger, enemies, or any other hazards that your party might encounter while traveling. Additionally, you gain Darkvision if you don’t already have it, and cannot be blinded or deafened except through the benefits of a Wish spell.
Avoid Opportunity Attacks
This next potion is great for martial classes that don’t have access to monk or rogue abilities that allow you to circumvent opportunity attacks. When you consume this potion, for one minute, you may expend your bonus action to move out of melee range from an enemy combatant without having to run the risk of an Opportunity Attack.
Once you do so, you also gain an additional movement speed of ten feet. However, when the effects of this potion wear off, your speed is temporarily reduced to zero for one round of combat, similar to the effects of the Haste spell wearing off. However, after one round, your speed returns to normal.
Extra Action Economy
This incredibly powerful potion, even athigher levels of play, mimics some of the effects of the Time Stop spell. When you drink this potion, you can move at an incredibly fast speed, thus simulating the feeling that time has slowed around you.
Roll 1d4. Whatever number you roll is the amount of extra turns you have in one given round. For example, if you roll a two, you gain two actions, two bonus actions, and double your movement speed for your current turn. If you use one of your actions to attack or affect another creature, they get the opportunity to react and take their turn before you may resolve additional actions.
