D&D 5E Your homebrew uncommon consumables?

jgsugden

Legend
I thought it might be fun for us to share some of the fun uncommon (cheaper) consumable magic items (potions, dusts, oils, scrolls, tokens, etc...) that we've created for our games to inspire other DMs with fun things to make available in places where magic is sold that the DM wants make distinct and fun. I like to have items tht PCs have not encountered, that require some thought on how to use them, and can be really cool when used ingeniously. Here are a few of my own from my vaults that I have used in the 5E era (all are consumed when used as described, although a few have minor uses before they are consumed):

Potion of Polymorph - Squirrel: As the spell, but you can only turn into a squirrel. You must maintain concentration, and as per the spell, have the mental capabilities of a squirrel.

Restore Stone: You drop this stone and speak a command word (both as a free action). At the end of the current turn you teleport back to where the stone is.

Echo Shell: As an action you can activate this sea shell. When you do so, you can specify a specific time within the past 24 hours.You can listen to the horn and for 5 rounds the shell will emit the sounds that were made within 5 feet of the shells current location. If thunder damage was dealt during that time, that will also be echoed, although any attack rolls are made with a 0 bonus and all saves are against a DC 10.

Potion of Resilience: Each potion os Resilience is aligned to one of the 6 attribute scores. For 10 minutes you gain proficiency with that attributes saving throws. If you are already proficienct, you gain a bomnus equal to half your proficiency bonus to that saving throw.

Oil of Contact: Over 1 minute you rub this oil into a target object or creature with your hands, claws or tentacles. For the next 72 hours you know the direction and distance to that target so long as it is on the same plane and so long as it is substantially whole.

Arrow of Force: When you fire this arrow, it performs as a normal arrow except that it is treated as a magical weapon and it can't be fired beyond short range. However, it leaves behind it a 1/2 inch wide column of force similar to a very thin and very long wall of force that will remain until the end of three rounds (ending at the end of the current creature's turn, three rounds later).

Platform Shoe Grips: While worn, these bone footwear attachments work like crampons. As a bonus action, the wearer can speak a command word and consume the shoe grips to have them transform into a 20 foot tall and 5 foot wide square tower made of bone and wood. Theuser's beat are bound to thetop of the tower until an acton is used to detach from them. The tower has AC 15, 18 hps, and is vulnerable to thunder and force damage.

Light Stones: When found there are typically 3d6 stones found together. They function as magical ammunition, but when they come to rest after being shot with a sling, they generate the light spell for 1 minute.

Redux Potion: You may consume this potion as a bonus action. If you do, the last several seconds are undone, returning everything to how it was at the start of your turn. However, you are stunned until the start of your next turn.

Lightning Speed Snap: You may break this small wooden bar as an action. Once you do so, you may begin moving in a straight line using normal movement (not flight, climbing, crawling, burrowing, etc...). So long as you keep moving in a straight line and do not use a reaction or action (including bonus actions) or engage in any activity other than movement, your movement does not count against your movement limit for the round. You may not use this object if your speed is zero, and standing up from prone breaks the effect. Changes in elevation of more than 1 foot within 5 feet of travel also end the effect.

Mechanical Spider: This 6 inch wide spider toy can be activated using an action. Once activated, it will climb straight forward until it reaches an obstacles. Once it does, it will change direction randomly and continue. It moves 20 feet per turn and has a climb speed of 20 feet. It will treat liquids as obstacles and will not choose to enter liquids. It stips moving after 10 feet.
 

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Loren Samne's Edible Burn Balm

This jar of gray glass has a breathable hide cover held on with twine holding a dull orange ointment.



Loren Samne’s Edible Burn Balm heals 4d4+4 hit points when applied to wounds as long as you have taken any fire damage since your last long rest.

If eaten, the bitter paste provides fire resistance for 10 minutes.
 

I like to play around with potions, especially those crafted by gnome potionmakers (primarily Piddilink Dundernoggin in one campaign and his cousin Winkidew Dundernoggin in the next) who like to take shortcuts. This ends up with a cheaper asking price, because the imbiber has to deal with things like:
  • A potion of cure light wounds that tastes so bad you have to make a successful Fortitude save just to drink it down, and then make an additional Fortitude save the next round or spend that second round doing nothing but barfing it back up.
  • A potion of spider climb where the ingredients didn't get mixed thoroughly enough, so while it still allows the imbiber to spider climb if you fail a Will save you spend the next round compulsively picking spider legs out of your teeth.
  • A potion of cure moderate wounds where they went a little heavy on the troll's blood as an ingredient and as a result the imbiber's skin becomes green and warty for 1d4 minutes.
  • A potion of mage armor that turns your skin blue for the duration.
  • A potion of cure moderate wounds that causes all wounds to scab over, and then the imbiber must make a Fortitude save or be at -2 to hit due to distraction from all the itchy scabs. This went on until you spent a whole minute pulling the scabs off.
  • A potion of neutralize poison that caused the imbiber to sweat the poison out of his pores, and as a result anyone touching him for the next minute is affected as by a contact poison (with a +2 bonus to the Fortitude save as it's in a diluted form).
  • A whole series of prank potions brewed with magic mouth spell effects added to the normal effects so that whoever drank them had a pre-programmed message blurt out (using their own voice). Typical messages included "Am I the only one who finds farm animals incredibly sexy?" and "I'm hungry - anybody got any boogers?" and "I am in desperate need of a spanking; please form an orderly line here" and "I'll bet you can't slap my face in the next 10 seconds, you big loser!"
In my current campaign, I have a gnome potionmaker named Aenus Feysputter (yes, it's pronounced "Anus Face-Butter") who sells the more boring "traditional" liquid potions but has also found a way to get the same effects out of gum and candy. Those with instant effects are generally soft candies that you chew all at once and then the effect hits (like healing potions), whereas those with longer durations are often in the form of gum or hard candies - as long as you keep chewing the gum or sucking on the candy, the potion effects continue (up to the normal duration). He also sells non-potion candies to children from his cart, so he's known as the "Penny Candy Man."

Johnathan
 
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I don't know if this fits, but i was looking into salves, tinctures and ointments for my monk/cleric healer to give him a less magical and more combat medic touch and stumbled across this GMBinder post.
Some of the stuff there seems a bit too strong for what i had in mind but I'm sure it helps to find some inspiration :3
 

Bottled Lightning 75 gp 1 lb.
This glass canister is filled with a constantly surging bolt of magic lightning and sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius, and dim light for an additional 10 feet.

When you take the Attack action, you can replace one of your attacks and throw this canister up to 20 feet, breaking it on impact. Make a ranged attack against a creature or object, treating the bottled lightning as an improvised weapon. On a hit, the target takes 2d8 lightning damage.

Puffer Balloon 25gp ½ lb. (Inspired by Scavenger’s Reign on Netflix)
A fungal spore, that when you place a hand into its “mouth” grabs your wrist, inflates, and floats away, similar to levitate. You can only rise in elevation, up to 20 feet per round. You can move only by pushing or pulling against a fixed object or surface within reach (such as a wall or a ceiling), which allows you to move as if you were climbing. A strong breeze can also push you along.

You cannot descend using the puffer balloon. You choose to release it whenever you choose, and the puffer will continue to float away. If in the air, you take falling damage. You can continue to hold onto the puffer balloon for up to 10 minutes, at which time it slowly deflates and lowers you to the ground.

Snake Oil, flask 5gp 1lb.

Snake Oil usually comes in a glass bottle that holds 1 pint.

Lamp oil made with snake blood. Keeps the shadows at bay, but gives only half the light of normal lantern oil. A lantern with snake oil spits and sputters, giving off an acrid smoke.

It is also used as a reptile moisturizer, tenderizer, and marinade.

A lantern with snake oil casts bright light in a 15-foot radius and dim light for an additional 15 feet. Once lit, it burns for 6 hours on a flask (1 pint) of snake oil.

Shadows, and creatures native to the Shadowfell need to make a DC 10 Wisdom save to come within 15-feet of a lantern burning snake oil.
 

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