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

[Mercurius]

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.

 

[Mind of tempest]

leftover from when things were less fantastic, personally giving everyone healing potions will not end the setting.

 

[Mort]

I suppose it would depend on how common magic is in your campaign - but a healing potion isn't just an herbal tincture. It gets you from injured to fine in seconds.

Now granted, if you're a big time adventurer it will only get you a fraction of health back; for a commoner, near dead to healthy - immediately.

But the real issue here is resource management. If you can get healing potions for 5gp, then you will significantly affect the resource capabilities of a low-mid level group which will have an impact on the campaign (by high level 50gp isn't much but neither is 2d4+2 HP).

Will it break anything? Doubtful, but there will likely be a clear impact on resource management.

 

[tetrasodium]

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.

Potions of healing are pretty instant. Your average person would probably visit an herbalist or some other kind of magewright in an emergency to get something that worked over a period of hours days or more in a setting like eberron while in one like FR they just hope they don't die before it heals. Unfortunately rather than adding anything like the old 3.5 blessed bandages or something wotc twisted the whole system around magic hit dice doing it free so it's difficult to change much without structurally making changes to 5e

 

[Daraniya]

and 50GP could heal 4 HP or 10 GP... Shame there's not a 'quality' modifier... 50 GP for a guaranteed 8 HP, or 65GP for 10HP.

Supreme healing pots require a ton of time and effort... you should be able to include a 'quality rating' for alchemists to guarantee that you'll get 40 HP for 250GP for 'normal' quality, or "excellent quality" (70HP) for 300GP.

 

[Shiroiken]

I think it's a question of assumptions, since I consider 50 gp to be way too cheap! Although IMO comparing gp to $ is an effort in futility.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The cheapest magic potions need a time like a long rest to be effective. That is enough for a farmer who has suffered an accident but too slow for an adventurer in the battlefield.

 

[BlivetWidget]

IMHO the absurd market value and crafting time/resources were likely chosen because -despite having item rarities- rarities aren't handled well in this game, especially at higher levels of play. Everyone expects that a "common" potion of healing should be available in unlimited quantities, so if the price is low, any sensible character would wear a bandoleer of healing potions at all times. This conflicts with the ambiance the designers wanted, so they jacked the prices up. Add it to the list of ways the designers ham-handedly attempted to maintain a medieval economy in a world with magic that gets described as rare but presented as common.

The cheapest magic potions need a time like a long rest to be effective. That is enough for a farmer who has suffered an accident but too slow for an adventurer in the battlefield.

I think potions requiring a short or long rest would have actually fit the medieval fantasy tropes a lot better anyway. I like the idea of a healing potion that automatically stabilizes the creature and then restores x HP after some period of time. More rare potions could grant x HP immediately and y HP after a rest or something.

 

[Mercurius]

I suppose it would depend on how common magic is in your campaign - but a healing potion isn't just an herbal tincture. It gets you from injured to fine in seconds.

Now granted, if you're a big time adventurer it will only get you a fraction of health back; for a commoner, near dead to healthy - immediately.

But the real issue here is resource management. If you can get healing potions for 5gp, then you will significantly affect the resource capabilities of a low-mid level group which will have an impact on the campaign (by high level 50gp isn't much but neither is 2d4+2 HP).

Will it break anything? Doubtful, but there will likely be a clear impact on resource management.

Well remember, HP aren't really or only "body points." And in a fantasy world, an herbal tincture isn't necessarily just an herbal tincture. I would hold the view that certain herbs would have magical qualities and/or an herbalist would embue them with a kind of "nature magic" that any decent herbalist would be somewhat versed in.

 

[RangerWickett]

Honestly, 50gp comes out to, what, $1000? Maybe we're adventuring in America where if someone shoots you, you'll probably owe the hospital ten thousand dollars (plus another few hundred for the ambulance ride there).

It's a seller's market, I suppose.