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

[UngeheuerLich]

Nah, methamphetimine. All you potion drinkers are basically huffing ice.

Most probably a mix of this and morphine and cocaine... Most probably adrnaline too.

 

[Democratus]

It makes more sense if you treat potions like perishible items.

In my world, potions go inert after a certain amount of time. So you can't just buy one and hold onto it for years, in case the need comes up.

This also drives up the price, since the supply of potions won't last forever.

 

[Dausuul]

Pricing healing potions like that ensures that they remain an emergency backup, not a source of limitless healing. It's important to the "attrition-based dungeon crawl" adventure model that 5E is built around.

I think 5E leans way too hard on that model, but that's a separate issue.

As for realism, nothing remotely like D&D healing potions existed in medieval times. Hell, nothing like them exists today. A substance that could be dumped down the throat of a patient and reliably stabilize that person, guaranteeing that they live long enough to reach the hospital? And a dose fits in a small vial and can be stored at room temperature? EMTs would be lining up around the block.

 

[Mort]

HP don't stand for HP that need to be healed by magic.
You can heal more by just take 1h rest usually. Or have a good night's sleep.

A potion takes away you tiredness.
So it is more like a shot of coffeine or a cocaine which might be equally expensive in real world. (The former is cheaper, the latter probably more expensive).

A somewhat mean trick to pull on the players.

A vendor introduces new healing potions 10gp each rather than the 50gp found elsewhere.

PCs use them.

What's not disclosed. These "healing potions" are a different formula and wildly addictive. After having just one, if you don't have another one within 24 hours - you get 1 level of exhaustion.

If your nice - have a Con save to avoid the exhaustion and recover from the addiction.

Thoughts?

 

[Chaosmancer]

A somewhat mean trick to pull on the players.

A vendor introduces new healing potions 10gp each rather than the 50gp found elsewhere.

PCs use them.

What's not disclosed. These "healing potions" are a different formula and wildly addictive. After having just one, if you don't have another one within 24 hours - you get 1 level of exhaustion.

If your nice - have a Con save to avoid the exhaustion and recover from the addiction.

Thoughts?

I prefer not to pull mean tricks on my players, and addiction is never modeled well in games

 

[Maxperson]

Maybe it is just how I envision them, as either little vials of blessed water or herbal tinctures, but 50 GP seems a bit much. I mean, I would imagine that in every sizeable village there is an herbalist who sells various ointments and tinctures, and I don't see why they couldn't also sell potions of healing. Consider that in your typical health food store, an herbal tincture is usually $10-15.

Or should I say, in my campaign world they are variable in price depending upon availability, but usually in the 10-20 GP range, maybe even sometimes as low as 5 GP but rarely more than 20.

See, I'm the opposite. I view them as magical healing and needing special, rare herbs as well as spells to make. 50g seems cheap to me.

 

[Mort]

I prefer not to pull mean tricks on my players, and addiction is never modeled well in games

It all depends on the group and the context.

But if I were to actually do this, I would likely not actually pull it on the players themselves. It would be a mystery adventure. Local adventurers (and possibly nobles) are coming down (and possibly dying) of exhaustion - characters have to figure out what the heck is going on.

 

[Maxperson]

If you look at the prices of food and lodging 1 GP is more like $80, so 50 GP is more like $4,000. Also, D&D settings have third world economies and thus many people do not earn 50 GP ($4,000) per year.

An unskilled laborer makes 2sp/day, so assuming a 5 day work week, he's making 4g a month. 48g per year. A skilled laborer is 2g/day. I'm sure that many fall in-between, let's call them semi-skilled, so a lot of people will make 50+ gold per year, but many will not.

 

[MichaelSomething]

To prevent "wand of cure light wounds: the next generation."?

 

[tetrasodium]

To prevent "wand of cure light wounds: the next generation."?

Short rests already do that, they were easy to just say sold out & none in stock back then though