Dungeons & Dragons is filled to the brim with countless unique items players can utilize in their travels, both magical and mundane. Of these items, one of the most iconic and usefull types players can acquire are potions.

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Potions provide a huge array of useful effects, from restoration to new abilities that mimic powerful spells. While the effects of a potion are almost always temporary, countless potions can give a character the upper hand. Although none are useless, some potions stand out as more useful than others and are welcome in nearly any adventuring party.

Updated 13th July, by Isaac Williams: Potions are one of the more commonplace loot types in Dungeons & Dragons, and published materials have no shortage of them. As such, this list has been updated to include even more potions with stranger and more useful effects that players might enjoy the chance to use.

15 Potions Of Healing Are Ubiquitous For A Reason

A character being fed a potion of healing in DnD

One of the most common pieces of loot in the entirety of Dungeons & Dragons is the Potion of Healing. Its effects are very simple, and far less interesting than most of the other potions in the game: restoring a number of hit points that varies depending on the rarity and power of the potion.

Although not flashy or exciting, this is one of the most useful potions in D&D. Most healing in Fifth Edition depends on spell slots or limited-use abilities, often best-saved for the heat of combat. A Potion of Healing lets a player regain hit points without using these, whether they need to simply heal from a trap while exploring a dungeon or bring another party member back from the edge of death.

14 Oil Of Etherealness Provides A Soujourn Into Another Realm

Aether Vial Artifact from Magic: the Gathering

Many of the potions in D&D are not consumed conventionally but are instead used in other methods, such as applying them topically. One such potion is the Oil of Etherealness. As the name suggests, this potion provides a target with the effects of the Etherealness spell for one hour.

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Etherealness is a seventh-level spell, so this potion can open up access to the Ethereal Plane far earlier than players could travel there under their own steam. This also saves them needing to use one of their precious seventh-level slots on the spell.

13 A Potion Of Speed Imparts One Of The Game's Best Buffs

The Vial of Dragonfire artifact from Magic: the Gathering

A potion of speed is the perfect option for a character who needs a temporary boost to their mobility. When a character consumes a Potion of Speed, they gain the effects of a Haste spell for one minute.

This effect doubles the target's movement speed and also provides numerous extra buffs that help a character both offensively and defensively in combat. Notably, the target receives a +2 to their AC, advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and a limited additional action on each and every one of their turns.

12 A Potion Of Storm Giant's Strength Is An Epic Melee Buff

A fighter cleaving a giant in half in DnD

Many potions echo the effects of magic items for a short duration, and few echo a more powerful artifact than the Potion of Storm Giant's Strength. Based on the most powerful Belt of Giant's Strength available in the game, the potion has the rather straightforward effect of increasing a character's Strength to 29 for an hour.

Characters cannot normally go above a 20 in any Ability Score, and a 29 puts them on par with some of the very strongest beings in the entire multiverse. It provides a staggering +9 Strength modifier, vastly increasing what a character can do with sheer muscles and making their attacks much more accurate and damaging.

11 A Potion Of Invulnerability Halves All Incoming Damage

Artwork for the Alchemist's Apprentice card Magic: the Gathering

While the Potion of Invulnerability doesn't prevent a character taking damage as the name might suggest, it comes very close. Upon being consumed, this potion provides the creature that drank it with resistance to every form of damage for one minute.

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Letting a character take half damage from all sources is incredibly powerful. Ten rounds is longer than almost any combat will last, letting this potion effectively double a character's hardiness for the length of any encounter. This potion is best saved for the hardest fight of a D&D campaign.

10 A Potion Of Waterbreathing Opens Up Much Of The World

An underwater structure in DnD

Most adventures take place on dry land, safely away from from the depths. However, sometimes adventurers have to take the plunge, and there are a number of logistical issues they need to consider. Not least of this is breathing, with characters only able to hold their breath for a matter of minutes before suffocating in 5e.

There are spells and other magic items that can let characters breathe underwater, but one of the most straightforward is the Potion of Water Breathing. This potion simply lets a player breathe underwater for an hour. Even if players aren't dragged beneath the waves by a quest hook, being able to remain underwater indefinitely can open up a number of potential plans and avenues.

9 A Potion Of Mind Reading Makes Others' Thoughts Vulnerable

Art for the Vial of Poison card in Magic: the Gathering

Like the Oil of Etherealness, the Potion of Mind Reading is a potion that allows a creature to benefit from a useful spell. Aptly named, the Potion of Mind Reading allows the target to gain the effects of a Detect Thoughts spell.

Although the spell has its limitations, it is nonetheless a powerful effect. The player can rip all sorts of information from the minds of NPCs, giving it uses for finding out the truth, overcoming obstacles in their path, learning the details of a villain's plan, and much, much more.

8 A Potion Of Heroism Provides A Useful Combat Buff

An Oath of Conquest Paladin from Dungeons & Dragons

One of the less obviously-named potions in the game, the Potion of Heroism has nothing to do with the Heroism spell. Instead, it puts the creature that drinks it under the effects of the Bless spell for an hour.

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Adding an additional d4 to Attack Rolls and Saving Throws without a spell slot or concentration is a major boon to any D&D character. It renders them more resilient to potentially devastating effects while boosting the accuracy of their attacks. An additional 10 temporary hit points from this potion is just the icing on top.

7 Oil Of Sharpness Turns Almost Any Weapon Into One Of The Game's Best

Artwork for the Muddle the Mixture card Magic: the Gathering

Another oil applied to the exterior rather than being consumed, Oil of Sharpness is actually applied to weapons rather than a living creature. After using it to coat a weapon that deals slashing or piercing damage, this oil provides the applied weapon with a +3 bonus to both attack and damage rolls.

This is the highest magical bonus a weapon can receive, on-par with the game's most powerful Legendary Artifacts. If they time it right, a player can go through several combats with a weapon increased this way, becoming a vastly more effective warrior.

6 A Potion Of Resistance Rewards Knowing Your Enemy

A Potion of Resistance magical item in DnD

One of the more widely-available defensive D&D potions is the Potion of Resistance. A less-universal form of the Potion of Invulnerability, it provides a character with resistance to a single damage type, such as fire or thunder, for an hour.

This renders the potion situational, but incredibly useful is the player knows what to expect ahead of time. Taking one before entering the Plane of Fire, or drinking one that corresponds to the dragon a D&D party, can make a character incredibly hardy and tip the odds in their favor.

5 A Potion Of Vitality Purges A Character Of Negative Effects

Artwork for the Mystical Tutor instant in Magic: the Gathering

Though one of the most commonplace and popular potions to include in a D&D campaign are Potions of Healing, Potions of Vitality are on par with them in their effectiveness. Its effects are more situational, but also more powerful than merely regaining hit points.

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Upon being consumed, this potion removes all exhaustion that the individual may have had, simultaneously curing all diseases they had and removing all curses they were suffering from. As if this weren't all enough, this potion even provides an amount of temporary HP equal to the creature's hit die.

4 A Potion Of Invisibility Is Invaluable For Stealth

Art for the Alchemist's Vial card in Magic: the Gathering

Stealth is often a major component of Dungeons & Dragons, with many players being just as liable to attempt to bypass their foes as they are to charge through them, weapons drawn. In order to use the Stealth skill, however, players do need some way of preventing their target from detecting them.

Incredibly useful for this is the Potion of Invisibility. With a self-explanatory name, it turns a character, and everything they are holding or wearing, invisible for an hour. Its use in combat is limited due to the effect ending if the player attacks or casts a spell, but it makes for an invaluble tool for set-up or for bypassing threats.

3 A Potion Of Flying Opens Up The Third Dimension

The Arcane Flight card from Magic: the Gathering

Few potions can match the flexible mobility provided by a Potion of Flying. Flight is an immensely powerful ability both in or out of combat in Fifth Edition D&D. With flight, characters have far more movement options, can stay out of the reach of ground-based foes, and have vastly more ways to approach nearly any obstacle.

With a Potion of Flying, a character gains a flying speed equal to their movement speed that lasts for an entire hour. This is more than enough to let them bypass numerous obstacles, and still be able to go through several fights with relative impunity.

2 A Potion Of Maximum Power Can Make A Spellcaster A Weapon Of Mass Destruction

Alternative art for the Aether Vial card in Magic: the Gathering

Introduced in the Critical Role-themed sourcebook The Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, the Potion of Maximum power has a relatively simple effect. But it is capable of making any spellcaster vastly more devastating in combat.

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After a character consumes it, the first spell they cast within the next minute does its maximum possible damage, rather than rolling for it randomly. This allows the Disintegrate spell to automatically deal with 100 damage, while it allows Meteor Swarm to deal with a guaranteed 120 damage in an area of effect.

1 A Potion Of Giant Size Provides A Day Of Overwhelming Power

Art for the Giant Growth card in Magic: the Gathering

The Potion of Giant Size is one of 5e's more obscure, only found in the Storm King's Thunder premade campaign. But it is well worth using if the party stumbles across one, particularly for a more melee-included character. Upon drinking it, a character becomes Huge if they were Medium or smaller previously

Aside from the size increase, there are a number of additional benefits. The character's Strength becomes 25, their weapons deal three times their normal damage, and they even get to double their number of hit points. Lasting an entire day, this item serves to make a character practically unstoppable.

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