D&D 5E (2014) Thoughts on bonus action potions?

[TiQuinn]

You can take yours as a bonus action and roll, or as your action and get max healing.

Ooh, I like this!

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I've basically always played them as a bonus action, including having a DM who's singular house rule was bonus action potions. I find it hard enough to use a hard to find and non-regenerating resource when it doesn't also have a prohibitively expensive action economy cost.

As a bonus action, Health Potions are basically just expensive, self-administered Healing Words. As an action they are expensive, self-administered, and crappier Cure Woundses. A group without a healer is already paying through the nose, they shouldn't also have to take the crappier version. If doing it as a bonus action feels too strong to the DM they still have absolute control of how many healing potions are available and how much they cost.

 

[Deset Gled]

As someone who is primarily using 2014 rules with 2024 gradually sneaking in, I can comment as someone just transitioning into using potions as a bonus action.

So far: It's stupid. I hate it. It's among the worst rules changes in the 2024 edition. Makes no sense from a simulation standpoint. Discourages tactical planning. Makes healing even easier in a game with too much healing. Also, it really hasn't made a notable difference at all, and has worked out well on the rare occasion it comes up.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Most potions just aren't powerful enough to justify spending an action to drink one, so bonus action potions is the way to go if you want potions to be useful in combat.

 

[Clint_L]

As someone who is primarily using 2014 rules with 2024 gradually sneaking in, I can comment as someone just transitioning into using potions as a bonus action.

So far: It's stupid. I hate it. It's among the worst rules changes in the 2024 edition. Makes no sense from a simulation standpoint. Discourages tactical planning. Makes healing even easier in a game with too much healing. Also, it really hasn't made a notable difference at all, and has worked out well on the rare occasion it comes up.

I'm curious how you got from "I hate it" to "it really hasn't made a noticeable difference" to "has worked out well on the rare occasion it comes up." It felt like quite a journey!

 

[AlViking]

... You can take yours as a bonus action and roll, or as your action and get max healing...

I've been doing the same thing for a couple of years now, not sure where I first heard the rule.

I allow other potions as a bonus action now as well, if people want to spend money on consumable items, it's up to them.

 

[el-remmen]

Using potions continues to be an action in my D&D games, assuming it is somewhere accessible. I can imagine it being deep in a pack and requiring an action just to get out (though that is rare). Characters still use potions during combat - but I have never had the experience where 3 round combat is the norm (more like 6 to 7 rounds minimum in my games).

Every turn does not need to be optimum.

 

[pawsplay]

I don't really get the realism argument. Assuming a six second round, with lots of circling around and casting spells and such... how long does it really take to gulp down a potion? I know characters in movies do it in a pitched melee.

 

[Distracted DM]

My potion house-rule with WotC 5e was that you could swap out an attack for drinking a potion- this gave martials a boost. When we switched to A5E, I dropped that house-rule because A5E has a martial maneuver called ?Quick Drink? that allows bonus action potions, but it costs exertion so it's a little limited.

With either of these rules, my tables have never been shy of drinking potions in a fight. But if I had to choose universal bonus action potions, or nothing, I'd go with nothing. Potions were still drunk in my old RAW 5e games, but they were more often drunk outside of combat. In fact, they're still drunk outside of combat most often! I think folk are assuming potions are only useful in combat.. but out of combat healing's quite useful when you're pressing the party's resources. Hit dice are limited!

edit: drunk or drank? damn

 

[Pale Violet Light]

Drinking as an action gives a bigger boost than a bonus action. For instant effect (healing) the action is maximum or rolled as a bonus action (bonus 2d8 -> action 16).
For ongoing effects, the duration is longer as an action (1 minute -> 10 minutes).

Presumably, the bonus action quaff involves spilling most of the potion down the front of your tunic, like a toddler who has just been introduced to sippy cups. If you don’t regularly launder your character’s gear, you can get dangerous interactions from potion mixing effects.