Potions & Oils

Contents

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Oil of Etherealness

Potion, rare

Beads of this cloudy gray oil form on the outside of its container and quickly evaporate. The oil can cover a Medium or smaller creature, along with the equipment it’s wearing and carrying (one additional vial is required for each size category above Medium). Applying the oil takes 10 minutes. The affected creature then gains the effect of the etherealness spell for 1 hour.

Oil of Sharpness

Potion, very rare

This clear, gelatinous oil sparkles with tiny, ultrathin silver shards. The oil can coat one slashing or piercing weapon or up to 5 pieces of slashing or piercing ammunition. Applying the oil takes 1 minute. For 1 hour, the coated item is magical and has a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls.

Oil of Slipperiness

Potion, uncommon

This sticky black unguent is thick and heavy in the container, but it flows quickly when poured. The oil can cover a Medium or smaller creature, along with the equipment it’s wearing and carrying (one additional vial is required for each size category above Medium). Applying the oil takes 10 minutes. The affected creature then gains the effect of a freedom of movement spell for 8 hours.

Alternatively, the oil can be poured on the ground as an action, where it covers a 10-foot square, duplicating the effect of the grease spell in that area for 8 hours.

Philter of Love

Potion, uncommon

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.

Potion of Animal Friendship

Potion, uncommon

When you drink this potion, you can cast the animal friendship spell (save DC 13) for 1 hour at will.

Agitating this muddy liquid brings little bits into view: a fish scale, a hummingbird tongue, a cat claw, or a squirrel hair.

Potion of Clairvoyance

Potion, rare

When you drink this potion, you gain the effect of the clairvoyance spell. An eyeball bobs in this yellowish liquid but vanishes when the potion is opened.

Potion of Climbing

Potion, common

When you drink this potion, you gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed for 1 hour. During this time, you have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks you make to climb. The potion is separated into brown, silver, and gray layers resembling bands of stone. Shaking the bottle fails to mix the colors.

Potion of Diminution

Potion, rare

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.

Potion of Flying

Potion, very rare

When you drink this potion, you gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed for 1 hour and can hover. If you’re in the air when the potion wears off, you fall unless you have some other means of staying aloft. This potion’s clear liquid floats at the top of its container and has cloudy white impurities drifting in it.

Potion of Gaseous Form

Potion, rare

When you drink this potion, you gain the effect of the gaseous form spell for 1 hour (no concentration required) or until you end the effect as a bonus action. This potion’s container seems to hold fog that moves and pours like water.

Potion of Giant Strength

Potion, rarity varies

When you drink this potion, your Strength score changes for 1 hour. The type of giant determines the score (see the table below). The potion has no effect on you if your Strength is equal to or greater than that score.

This potion’s transparent liquid has floating in it a sliver of fingernail from a giant of the appropriate type. The potion of frost giant strength and the potion of stone giant strength have the same effect.

Type of Giant Strength Rarity
Hill giant 21 Uncommon
Frost/stone giant 23 Rare
Fire giant 25 Rare
Cloud giant 27 Very rare
Storm giant 29 Legendary

Potion of Growth

Potion, uncommon

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 Healing

Potion, rarity varies

You regain hit points when you drink this potion. The number of hit points depends on the potion’s rarity, as shown in the Potions of Healing table. Whatever its potency, the potion’s red liquid glimmers when agitated.

Potion of Rarity HP Regained
Healing Common 2d4 + 2
Greater healing Uncommon 4d4 + 4
Superior healing Rare 8d4 + 8
Supreme healing Very rare 10d4 + 20

Potion of Heroism

Potion, rare

For 1 hour after drinking it, you gain 10 temporary hit points that last for 1 hour. For the same duration, you are under the effect of the bless spell (no concentration required). This blue potion bubbles and steams as if boiling.

Potion of Invisibility

Potion, very rare

This potion’s container looks empty but feels as though it holds liquid. When you drink it, you become invisible for 1 hour. Anything you wear or carry is invisible with you. The effect ends early if you attack or cast a spell.

Potion of Mind Reading

Potion, rare

When you drink this potion, you gain the effect of the detect thoughts spell (save DC 13). The potion’s dense, purple liquid has an ovoid cloud of pink floating in it.

Potion of Poison

Potion, uncommon

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.

If you drink it, you take 3d6 poison damage, and you must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. At the start of each of your turns while you are poisoned in this way, you take 3d6 poison damage. At the end of each of your turns, you can repeat the saving throw. On a successful save, the poison damage you take on your subsequent turns decreases by 1d6. The poison ends when the damage decreases to 0.

Potion of Resistance

Potion, uncommon

When you drink this potion, you gain resistance to one type of damage for 1 hour. The GM chooses the type or determines it randomly from the options below.

d10 Damage Type
1 Acid
2 Cold
3 Fire
4 Force
5 Lightning
6 Necrotic
7 Poison
8 Psychic
9 Radiant
10 Thunder

Potion of Speed

Potion, very rare

When you drink this potion, you gain the effect of the haste spell for 1 minute (no concentration required). The potion’s yellow fluid is streaked with black and swirls on its own.

Potion of Water Breathing

Potion, uncommon

You can breathe underwater for 1 hour after drinking this potion. Its cloudy green fluid smells of the sea and has a jellyfish-like bubble floating in it.

Potion Miscibility (3pp)

[Source]

Most potions are produced following carefully tested and studied procedures handed down through generations of alchemists and brewers.

These produce specific effects when used as intended, and few are willing to risk the potential chaos of using potions in any way sages and scholars have not examined for decades, or even centuries. However, skilled (or reckless) alchemists can combine potions together to form a potent, new creation with wildly varying effects—some potentially helpful and others potentially harmful.

A character can mix two or more potions together as long as they have the skills, materials, tools, and time needed to mix them together. They must be proficient with and have an appropriate toolkit (such as alchemists’s supplies, brewer’s tools, or a poisoner’s kit). Mixing the potions requires a successful DC 20 Intelligence (arcana) or Wisdom (medicine) check. The GM attempts this check in secret for you.

Regardless of the result of your ability check, the two potions combine into an admixture, which functions in all ways as a standard potion. If your ability check is successful, the admixture provides one effect from Table: Beneficial Admixtures when consumed, plus one additional effect for every 5 by which the result of your check exceeded 20. If your ability check failed, the admixture provides one effect from Table: Harmful Admixtures when consumed or injected into a creature, plus one additional effect for every 5 by which the result of your skill check failed. These effects replace those of the component potions, though some results on either table might allow an admixture to provide some or all the benefits of the potions that were used to create it. The GM rolls which effects your potion gains in secret unless you accepted a penalty to perform a risky admixture (see below).

When determining which effects your admixture gains, roll 1d20 and use the result from the appropriate table to determine the effect.

Risky Admixture

An average alchemist only mixes potions as a last result, but particularly brace or foolish crafters can work to guide the chaotic randomness of the admixture process to synthesize the perfect potion for their needs. Before attempting your ability check to admixture potions, you can accept a -5 penalty to the check. If you do and your check is successful, not only are you aware of each effect that your potion gains from the admixture, but you roll each effect that your potion gains from Table: Beneficial Admixtures twice and choose which effect your potion has. If you accepted this penalty and fail, the GM allows you to roll for which effects your potion gains as if you had succeeded, but in truth they roll on Table: Harmful Admixtures as normal.

Table: Beneficial Admixtures
d20 Effect
1 All According to Plan
2 Liquid Expertise
3 Eureka Moment
4 Feat Comprehension
5 Spell Comprehension
6 Mind Guard
7 Shape Shifter
8 Telepath
9 Walking on Sunshine
10 Karmic Blessing
11 Reimagine You
12 Return to Normalcy
13 Good for What Ails You
14 Symbiotic Booster (Strength)
15 Symbiotic Booster (Charisma)
16 Symbiotic Booster (Wisdom)
17 Symbiotic Booster (Constitution)
18 Symbiotic Booster (Intelligence)
19 Symbiotic Booster (Dexterity)
20 Liquid Luck
Table: Harmful Admixtures
d20 Effect
1 Liquid death
2 Spontaneous Combustion
3 Critterification
4 Instant Statue
5 Mind Erasure
6 Yessir
7 Inconvenient Shrinking
8 Species Reassignment
9 Toxic Admixture
10 Karmic Reversal
11 Necrotic Serum
12 Ramble Tonic
13 Hero to Zero
14 Desynchronization
15 Intoxicating Admixture
16 Horrendous Blemishes
17 Deep Sleep
18 Addling
19 Vulnerability
20 All According to Plan

Effect Descriptions

Descriptions of each outcome described on Table: Beneficial Admixtures and Table: Harmful Admixtures are listed here in alphabetical order.

Addling

Harmful

The admixture muddies several of your thoughts and memories, causing you to lose some of your skill. Instead of one of the potions’ effects (chosen randomly), you remove all skills and tool proficiencies for 1d4 hours.

All According to Plan

Neutral

The admixture turned out exactly as you intended. When you imbibe the potion, you gain the benefits of both component potions as if you had consumed each potion independently.

Biotoxin

Harmful

The specific combination of potions you used to create your admixture produces induces instant necrosis, killing off large swaths of your body’s cells. Instead of the potion’s usual effects, roll 1d6 and gain the listed effect (1: You suffer extreme internal bleeding, taking 4d6 damage; 2: You lose an eye, taking disadvantage on all sight-based Perception checks or becoming blinded if you’ve lost all your eyes; 3: You suffer vital organ failure, reducing your maximum hp by 1 per level; 4: Your hand atrophies, reducing the total number of hands you have by 1; 5: A locomotive limb atrophies, reducing your speed for all movement types that rely on that limb by half, or removing the speed entirely if all necessary limbs are atrophied; 6: You suffer serious brain damage, causing you to become permanently slow, as the spell). These effects can only be removed by effects that regrow ruined organs, or can restore life to the dead.

Critterification

Harmful

The potions cause a disastrous backlash that warps your body, transforming you into a harmless animal. Instead of both potions’ usual effects, you are affected as if you had failed your saving throw against a polymorph spell. This lasts 1 hour.

Deep Sleep

Harmful

The two potions you combined into your admixture have an awful side effect; they produce a sleeping draught. In addition to the effects of both potions, you fall asleep for 1d4 hours. During this time, the only effect that can awaken you is heal or similarly powerful magic.

Desynchronization

Harmful

A mishap with your admixture has caused you to partially tumble outside time. Instead of one of the potions’ effects, you are slowed for 10 minutes as the slow spell.

Eureka Moment

Helpful

You’ve gained a temporary flash of understanding about something as a result of the potions’ effects on your brain chemistry. Choose one skill. The next time you use that skill task within the next 24 hours, you gain advantage.

Feat Understanding

Helpful

The potions have unexpectedly imparted knowledge of a specific feat into your mind. Instead of one of the potions’ usual effects, for 24 hours you gain one randomly determined feat you could take.

Good For What Ails You

Helpful

One of the potions reacts positively to the other, curing you of potential afflictions. Instead of one of the potions’ effects, you are instantly cured of all conditions affecting you that could be removed by a heal spell.

was to heal Hit Point damage, you take Hit Point damage instead. If a potion’s purpose to grant you advantage to certain checks, you take disadvantage to them instead. The durations are unchanged/

Liquid Death

Harmful

The combination of potions you chose to mix produced a perfect sampling of death. Instead of both potions’ usual effects, your current Hit Points are reduced to 0.

Liquid Expertise

Helpful

The admixture enhances your usage of a specific skill. Choose one skill. You gain advantage in that skill for 8 hours.

Liquid Luck

Helpful

The potions combine in order to produce liquid luck, a rare substance that imbues its drinker with supernatural luckiness. In addition to both potions’ usual effects, you gain a +1 bonus to all rolls and checks for 1 hour. In addition, the GM provides you with a useful piece of advice pertaining to your current goals, acting as a divination spell. This advice takes the form of a “gut feeling” that you can’t shake for the potion’s duration.

Mind Erasure

Harmful

The potions produce a potent mind-wiping effect that bestows amnesia upon you. Instead of both potion’s usual effects, you become afflicted with amnesia. This effect lasts until an environmental stimulus you encounter jogs your memory, at the GM’s decision, requiring a successful DC 15 Wisdom check. You gain a +1 bonus to such Wisdom checks for every 1d6 hours that you are affected by this effect.

Mind Guard

Helpful

The potion strengthens your mind against mental assaults as an unexpected byproduct. In addition to both potion’s usual effects, you gain advantage to all Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws for 24 hours.

Necrotic Ruining

Harmful

The potion’s effect causes tremendous damage to your body. You take 3d10 points of damage.

Ramble Tonic

Harmful

One of the potions in your admixture reacted poorly to the other, causing you to become unable to hold your tongue. Instead of one of the potions’ effects (chosen randomly), you become unable to lie for 1d6 days.

Hero to Zero

Harmful

One of the potions backfires spectacularly when consumed, dramatically reducing your capabilities.

Instead of one of the potions’ effects, the GM chooses one of your ability scores at random. For 24 hours, you have disadvantage on all checks with that ability.

Horrendous Blemishes

Harmful

One of the potions reacts poorly to the other, causing your body to break out with grisly, painful blemishes. Instead of one of the potions’ effects, rashes, blotchy skin, acne, and similar blemishes form all across your body, causing you to take disadvantage on all saving throws for 24 hours.

Inconvenient Shrinking

Harmful

The potion causes an unexpected arcano-chemical reaction that causes your body to dwindle in size.

Instead of both potions’ usual effects, your size category changes to Tiny for 1d8 days.

Instant Statue

Harmful

The potions produce a powerful transmutative effect that petrifies the drinker. Instead of both potions’ usual effects, you are petrified.

Intoxicating Admixture

Harmful

Combining the potions that you selected for your admixture created a potent, magic-infused alcohol that quickly knocks even the most stoic drinker to the ground. Instead of both potions’ usual effects, for 2d4 hours there is a 10% chance each round you suffer from confusion (as the spell).

Karmic Blessing

Helpful

The combination of potions you used in brewing the admixture synergized perfectly, complementing each other so astoundingly well that they enhance each others’ effects. Any effects produced by either potion with a variable component (such as rolling dice) is maximized; treat the effect as if you had rolled the highest possible result. Additionally, any effects produced by either potion that have a duration of 1 round or longer have their duration doubled. If a potion’s effect has a variable duration (such as 1d6 hours), use double the maximum result.

Karmic Reversal

Harmful

The specific combination of potions you used to brew your admixture caused each to have the opposite effect. You are affected by both potions, but they have the opposite effect on you as determined by the GM. For example, if a potion’s function

Reimagine You

Helpful

The potions’ effects combine in a way that allows you to completely reimagine yourself. You immediately fall unconscious, during which you dream of transforming yourself. You can change your race and physical appearance, acting as reincarnate, and rebuild your character from scratch to the same level with whatever class and similar choices you wish. If you choose to change nothing about yourself, you reawaken after 1 minute; otherwise you remain unconscious for 24 hours, during which your body physically alters as you dream.

Return to Normalcy

Helpful

The potions react to one another in a manner that purges harmful effects from your body. Instead of one of the potions’ effects, you are affected by a heal spell.

Shape Shifter

Helpful

The combination of potions used in your admixture has left your DNA somewhat mutable, allowing you to change your shape. Instead of one of your potions’ usual effects, you can shapechange, as the spell, for up to 1 hour.

Species Reassignment

Harmful

The reagents within the admixture’s component potions produces a violent chain-reaction within your body that magically alters your Dna, transforming you into a different kind of creature.

Instead of both potion’s usual effects, rebuild your character as a member of a random race, as if you had died and were a willing target of the reincarnate spell.

Spell Comprehension

Helpful

The potions you used in your admixture react in unusual ways, granting you a limited reservoir of magical power. Instead of one or both of the potions’ effects (your choice), you gain an innate spell. The innate spell is usable once per day, uses your level as the spell’s caster level, and can replicate any cleric, druid, or wizard spell of your choice with a spell level no greater than ¼ your character level.

Spontaneous Combustion

Harmful

The component potions react violently inside of your body, causing you to spontaneously burst into flame. Instead of both potions’ usual effects, you take 2d6 points of fire damage each round. At the end of each round you can stop the fire damage with a successful C 15 Constitution save.

Symbiotic Booster

Helpful

The component potions combine to give rise to new life, a symbiont that bonds to your body for its short lifetime. Instead of the potions’ effects (chosen randomly), you gain a +2 bonus to one of your ability scores, as shown on Table: Helpful Admixtures, for 1d4 days.

Telepath

Helpful

The potions’ strange interactions has temporarily awakened your latent psic powers. Instead of one potion’s usual effects, you gain the telepathy universal creature rule with a range of 60 feet, except you can only communicate with creatures that you share a language with. If you already have telepathy, the range of your existing telepathy doubles instead. This lasts for 1d4 weeks.

Toxic Admixture

Harmful

Catalysts within each component potion complicated with an inexperienced hand resulted in regents from each stewing into a deadly poison.

Instead of both potion’s usual effects, you take 1d12 points of poison damage each round. At the end of each round you can stop the poison damage with a successful C 15 Constitution save.

Vulnerability

Harmful

The component potions’ effects weaken your body, making you more susceptible to harm. For 2d4 hours each time you take damage, you take 1d6 additional damage.

Walking on Sunshine

Helpful

The component potions’ magic have produced a peculiar effect that allows you to walk on empty space. Instead of one of the potions’ effects (chosen randomly), you gain the benefits of a fly spell for 1d20 hours.

Yessir

Harmful

The component potions override your judgment and critical thinking, making it child’s play to manipulate you. Instead of both potions’ effects, you are charmed by all creatures able to speak your language for 1d8 days.

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