D&D 5E Why are potions of healing so expensive?

[Mercurius]

First, the discussion was about being able to heal up fully between every battle. That's as much healing as you need. If you want to characterize it as that instead of unlimited healing, go ahead.

Second, you absolutely said things that lead to restricting how DMs can run, you just didn't realize that was the consequence of always being able to heal up full between battles. I was letting you know those consequences, that you were removing one of the main tools DMs had for doing attrition-based adventures, thereby restricting them to a different style.

I said nothing about how DMs can run - that's your imagination working. If anything, I'm advocating for DMs adjusting things to serve their campaign, not rigidly adhering to the RAW.

 

[Blue]

Well, I think it is open for interpretation and each DM can skin it how they want to. I personally like the idea that herbs themselves are imbued with the life-force of the world...sort of like how herbalists in our world see it, although augmented due to being in a magical world.

Sure ... as long as you still characterize "magic that heals you" as "healing magic".

You can have the source of that healing being anything you want. Just realize that it's potent healing. It can return 99% of the people in your setting from unconscious to fully healed.

 

[Blue]

I said nothing about how DMs can run - that's your imagination working. If anything, I'm advocating for DMs adjusting things to serve their campaign, not rigidly adhering to the RAW.

Please reread what I wrote.

I didn't say you said you "said" you were for restricting how DMs run. I said that the outcome of what you said - characters being able to heal fulling after every combat - restricts how DMs run because it takes away a major tool of attrition-based adventures.

Please try to understand the difference. I'm letting you know the consequences of what you said, not saying you said it directly.

 

[Mercurius]

Sure ... as long as you still characterize "magic that heals you" as "healing magic".

You can have the source of that healing being anything you want. Just realize that it's potent healing. It can return 99% of the people in your setting from unconscious to fully healed.

Yes. As can a successful skill check and a good night's sleep.

 

[Mercurius]

Please reread what I wrote.

I didn't say you said you "said" you were for restricting how DMs run. I said that the outcome of what you said - characters being able to heal fulling after every combat - restricts how DMs run because it takes away a major tool of attrition-based adventures.

Please try to understand the difference. I'm letting you know the consequences of what you said, not saying you said it directly.

OK. But still, I don't see it as all that restrictive, if we're talking about lowering the price of healing potions from 50 to 20 GP.

 

[Blue]

Yes. As can a successful skill check and a good night's sleep.

No, neither of those can restore HPs in 6 seconds, which is the context we're talking about. A successful skill check and a use from a Healing Kit can restore HPs, but that's a limited resource both in uses and in time, as it can not heal the same target again until a rest.

OK. But still, I don't see it as all that restrictive, if we're talking about lowering the price of healing potions from 50 to 20 GP.

I wasn't talking about any particular price. You responded to my comment about I wanting price to be high enough that the party can't heal fully after every encounter. That's the context I have been arguing in - I don't want healing to be that plentiful.

 

[Mercurius]

No, neither of those can restore HPs in 6 seconds, which is the context we're talking about. A successful skill check and a use from a Healing Kit can restore HPs, but that's a limited resource both in uses and in time, as it can not heal the same target again until a rest.

You said nothing about 6 seconds, just "characters being able to heal fulling after every combat" (direct quote). And a PC can only take one HP in 6 seconds, so unless we're talking 1st level or a minor damage, that's not full healing.

I wasn't talking about any particular price. You responded to my comment about I wanting price to be high enough that the party can't heal fully after every encounter. That's the context I have been arguing in - I don't want healing to be that plentiful.

Cool, then don't - that's the great about D&D: it is infinitely customizable. I'm not suggesting that you do anything that you don't want to do.

 

[S'mon]

OK. But still, I don't see it as all that restrictive, if we're talking about lowering the price of healing potions from 50 to 20 GP.

You can lower the price to 30gp and still stay well within the XGTE RAW, which is that it takes 25gp of components & 1 day of work to make a healing potion (DMG is a lot harsher). If a herbalist is making one per day they can be living a 'wealthy' lifestyle. In fact they can sell at 26gp and be living a 'modest' lifestyle.

To sell at below 25gp they would have to be gathering/making/growing components themselves as a separate activity to potion-crafting, so the whole process would take a lot longer, but it's quite easy to see a herbalist doing that and maintaining at least a Modest lifestyle.

Personally IMC it takes most herbalists a work-week to make a basic healing potion, and they do often gather their own ingredients. The typical herbalist IMC does live a 'modest' lifestyle; which at 1gp/day expenses is still pretty sweet compared to the baseline 'poor' lifestyle of 2 sp/day. 50gp is the typical market rate for a healing potion IMC, but in the game last night the PCs visited a famous herbalist and were able to snap up potions at 30gp each. If employing a herbalist at the skilled retainer rate of 2gp/day they might make you a potion a day for the 25gp components cost, so net 27gp/day.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

I use the long rest = 1 week rules in my homebrew, so as a result healing potions are highly valued and a good way of draining gold from the players!

 

[S'mon]

I use the long rest = 1 week rules in my homebrew, so as a result healing potions are highly valued and a good way of draining gold from the players!

Me too!