Potion Commotion looks at a few staple potions in the game and plays around with them. We’ll taking the standard abilities and offer them with either boosts or limitations, providing new versions of these old classics for all levels of play!

This time we’re looking at another staple potion from the game: the potion of heroism.

Catch up on all the other Potion Commotion articles!

There Goes My Hero

The standard potion of heroism is quite useful. It provides temporary hit points and, more importantly, an hour of the bless spell, no concentration required. Not exciting, but worth a space in your belt pouch.

In keeping with the usual modus operandi, we’ll generate lesser and greater versions at differing item rarity. From there, we’ll branch out into versions with varying effects, as well as others that provide benefits at a cost, just to spice things up, and toss in a cursed(?) version as well.

A similarly themed item can be found in the Vault of Magic. A common item, liquid courage, provides advantage on the drinker’s next save—within the potion’s 1 hour duration—against an effect that would cause the frightened condition.

POTION OF HEROISM, LESSER

Potion, Uncommon
100 gp

This pale blue potion is lightly effervescent. You gain 5 temporary hit points when drinking this potion, lasting 1 hour. For the same duration, you have a +1 bonus on attack rolls and saves.

POTION OF HEROISM, GREATER

Potion, Very Rare
1,500 gp

This bright blue elixir gives off a faint glow, roiling in its container as if it were boiling. When you drink the potion, you gain 20 temporary hit points, lasting 1 hour. For the same duration, when you make an attack roll or save, you can roll a d6 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or save.

POTION OF SUPER HEROISM

Potion, Legendary
10,500 gp

This brilliant blue liquid shines brightly, and its container seems to vibrate with barely-contained energy. When you drink the potion, you gain 30 temporary hit points, lasting 1 hour. For the same duration, you have advantage on all attack rolls and saves. If you take the Attack action on your turn, you can take an extra attack. This extra attack stacks with any others gained from class features such as Multiattack. You can do this a number of times, while the potion’s duration lasts, equal to your PB.

Variant Effects for Potions of Heroism

These conditions and effects can be applied to the standard potion of heroism, or any others types listed here. Each specific variation notes if its application raises or lowers the potion’s rarity.

Potion of Anti-Heroism. This potion works as a standard potion of its type, but its effects only function when the drinker is engaged in ethically questionable activities, such as criminal activity or similar shady behavior (the GM has final say as to whether the current activity applies). The potion functions in combat, but only if at least one other ally is adjacent to the creature the drinker is attacking, or the creature has already taken damage this round. If this condition is not met, the potion’s effects are nullified until the condition is met. This has no effect on the potion’s duration; any time during which the potion does not function still counts as part of the potion’s duration. A potion of this type is one rarity level lower than a standard potion of its type.

Potion of Prideful Heroism. This potion works as a standard potion of its type, but only if at least one nonhostile creature is within the drinker’s line of sight and can see the drinker. If this condition is not met, the potion’s effects are nullified until the condition is met. This has no effect on the potion’s duration; any time during which the potion does not function still counts as part of the potion’s duration. A potion of this type is one rarity level lower than a standard potion of its type.

Potion of Tragic Heroism. This potion works as a standard potion of its type. However, if the drinker’s hit points are less than half their maximum hit points, or the drinker suffers from the blinded, charmed, exhausted, grappled, poisoned, or restrained conditions, it gains double the normal bonus to attack rolls and saving throws (lesser and standard versions) or advantage on attacks and saves (greater version). If the drinker gains the paralyzed, petrified, or unconscious conditions, as a reaction the drinker has any of those conditions removed and the potion’s effects end. If the drinker drops to 0 HP, it immediately gains 4d6 hit points and the potion’s effects end. A potion of this type is one rarity level higher than a standard potion of its type.

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Finally, to make things more interesting, here’s a cursed version of potion of heroism. While it does a frontline martial character no favors, some of the effects can be beneficial in keeping the drinker alive, even if they do no credit to their reputation as a brave hero.

POTION OF COWARDICE

Potion, Rare
350 gp

This concoction tastes, smells, and looks like a potion of heroism. However, it is a much different potion that overwhelms you with cowardice, but also magically enhances your survival instinct to preternatural levels. Its true abilities are masked by illusion magic. An identify spell reveals its true nature.

When you drink this potion, you gain the frightened condition for 1 hour or until magic is used to remove the condition. While frightened in this way, at the start of your turn, consider the closest hostile creature within line of sight as the source of your fear for purposes of this condition, until the start of your next turn.

While frightened from drinking this potion, you can take the Disengage or Dodge action as a reaction, with the proper conditions. If a hostile creature moves to a position where you are within its reach, you must use your reaction to Disengage and you immediately move up to your full speed away from the creature. This does not count against any movement you have already taken that round. If you are restrained or otherwise unable to move, you must instead use your reaction to Dodge.

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