The 5e Player’s Handbook doesn’t give you a lot to go on other than “you need an Herbalism kit to make Potions of Healing”, so here’s a system for finding potion ingredients. It is loosely based off of Procedural Metapharmacology at the Retired Adventurer.

Most magic is outlawed in Midgard, so buying potions is risky, even if you know where to do it. It is far easier to make them yourself. Making a potion requires an Herbalism kit and two ingredients. There is not a set list of recipes for potions; instead, when a would-be potion maker mixes two ingredients, they roll on the appropriate table to determine what the resulting potion is. 

  • Two Common ingredients yield a Curative
  • Two Unusual ingredients yield a Prophylactic
  • Two Rare ingredients yield a Transformative
  • One Unusual and one Common ingredient yield a Poison
  • One Rare and one non-Rare ingredient yield a Philtre

Do not tell players which combinations of ingredient categories yield which types of potions. Do not tell players there are types of potions. In any case, this process reveals what what the recipe was all along; now, whenever someone wants to make that potion, they combine the same ingredients. It is possible for two sets of ingredients to produce the same potion. It is the player’s responsibility to keep track of recipes.

There are two ways to acquire potion ingredients; one is to find them in dungeons or the wilderness, and the other is to search for them. When a character searches for ingredients, they roll Wisdom (Survival).

  • If they make a DC 10 check, they acquire d6 ingredients of their choice from their list of known Common flora.
  • If they make a DC 15 check, they acquire d4 ingredients of their choice from their list of known Unusual flora or d8 Common ingredients.
  • If they make a DC 20 check, they acquire 1 ingredient of their choice from their list of known Rare flora, d6 Unusual ingredients, or d10 Common ingredients.

Searching for ingredients takes 8 hours. In order to add a plant to their known list, a character must have encountered it before, discovered it in a book, had it described to them, or succeed on an Intelligence (Nature) check to identify it based off of appearance, name, or properties.

When a drinker is tries to resist the effects of a potion, they must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 8+brewer’s Intelligence modifier+herbalist’s proficiency bonus in order to succeed.

Unless they are making a potion based on a recipe, characters do not know what potions do when they mix ingredients. They must drink it (or get someone else to drink it) to find out. All potions must be consumed in order to work. A potion bottle counts as an encumbering item.

This is not a complete list of ingredients. Characters can use any esoteric substance as a potion ingredient (with GM’s permission, naturally). The category of such ingredients is determined by how hard they are to acquire (fox bones would be Common ingredients, while imp bile would be Uncommon and gargoyle hearts Rare. Substances like dragon blood or balrog heart have unique properties).
Common Ingredients

  1. Amanita
  2. Amaranth
  3. Dandelion
  4. Duckweed
  5. Honeysuckle
  6. Mogwart
Unusual Ingredients

  1. Anemone
  2. Black Lily
  3. Hyacinth
  4. Lobelia
  5. Nightshade
  6. Wolfsbane
Rare Ingredients

  1. Aglaophotis
  2. Mandragora
  3. Moly
  4. Olieribos
  5. Petrichor
  6. Silphium

Curatives

DC 10 to brew
last 10 minutes
require two Common ingredients

  1. Antitoxin: advantage on saving throws against poison
  2. Autonomy: advantage on saving throws against paralysis
  3. Healing: drinker can spend a hit die
  4. Lubrication: advantage on rolls to escape grapples
  5. Ocularity: advantage on saving throws against blindness
  6. Phobophagy: advantage on saving throws against fear
  7. Sarcofaction: advantage on saving throws against petrification
  8. Sophogenesis: advantage on saving throws against charm
  9. Stimulation: advantage on saving throws against sleep
  10. Vivification: restores a character at 0 HP to 1 HP

Prophylactics
DC 15 to brew
last 1 minute
require two Unusual ingredients

  1. Cryotropaic: gain resistance to Cold damage
  2. Electrotropaic: gain resistance to Lightning damage
  3. Hierotropaic: gain resistance to Radiant damage
  4. Nootropaic: gain resistance to Psychic damage
  5. Phonotropaic: gain resistance to Thunder damage
  6. Praxotropaic: gain resistance to Force damage
  7. Pyrotropaic: gain resistance to Fire damage
  8. Terratropaic: gain resistance to Acid damage
  9. Thanatotropaic: gain resistance to Necrotic damage
  10. Venitropaic: gain resistance to Poison damage

Transformatives

DC 20 to brew
last 1 hour
require two Rare ingredients
drinker acquires the attributes of the animal, but retain their memories and personality

  1. Canis: transform into a dog
  2. Daimon: transform into a sprite
  3. Felis: transform into a cat
  4. Herpeton: transform into a frog
  5. Ichthyon: transform into a fish
  6. Ophidia: transform into a venomous snake
  7. Ornithon: transform into a raven
  8. Reptilia: transform into a crocodile
  9. Ursa: transform into a black bear
  10. Vermis: transform into a rat
Poisons
DC 15 to brew
last 1 hour
require one Unusual and one Common ingredient

  1. Adhesion*: disadvantage on checks to escape grapples 
  2. Cryohemia: gain weakness to Cold damage 
  3. Disoculation*: disadvantage on saving throws agains blindness 
  4. Edema: gain weakness to Piercing damage 
  5. Electrohemia: gain weakness to Lightning damage 
  6. Envenoming*: disadvantage on saving throws against poisons 
  7. Fatuity: disadvantage on saving throws against charm 
  8. Hemophilia: gain weakness to slashing damage 
  9. Hierohemia: gain weakness to Radiant damage 
  10. Neurasthenia*: disadvantage on saving throws against paralysis 
  11. Noohemia: gain weakness to Psychic damage 
  12. Phobia*: disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened 
  13. Phonohemia*: gain weakness to Thunder damage 
  14. Praxohemia: gain weakness to Force damage 
  15. Pyrohemia: gain weakness to Fire damage 
  16. Solidification*: disadvantage on saving throws against petrification 
  17. Soporification*: disadvantage on saving throws against sleep 
  18. Terrahemia: gain weakness to Acid damage 
  19. Thanatohemia: gain weakness to Necrotic damage 
  20. Venihemia: gain weakness to Poison damage

*these do not allow a saving throw to resist
Philtres
DC 20 to brew
last 1 hour
require 1 Rare and one non-Rare ingredient

  1. Cacoherpeton: transform into a frog and lose personality and all memories 
  2. Cataraction: blinded 
  3. Dysichthyon: transform into a fish and lose personality and all memories 
  4. Dysphidia: transform into a poisonous snake and lose personality and all memories 
  5. Dysvermis: transform into a rat and lose personality and all memories 
  6. Fixture: paralyzed 
  7. Hemotoxin: suffer 2d10 Poison damage (instantaneous) 
  8. Love: charmed by herbalist 
  9. Malacanis: transform into a mastiff and lose personality and all memories 
  10. Maladaimon: transform into a sprite and lose personality and all memories 
  11. Malafelis: transform into a cat and lose personality and all memories 
  12. Malcorax: transform into a raven and lose personality and all memories 
  13. Malareptilia: transform into a crocodile and lose personality and all memories 
  14. Malursa: transform into a black bear and lose personality and all memories 
  15. Oneiros: put to sleep 
  16. Petrification: petrified 
  17. Stupefaction: stunned 
  18. Terror: Frightened of herbalist 
  19. Venefaction: poisoned 
  20. Weakness: disadvantage on all Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution rolls

Published by jacinto