Potion of Healing 5e: How Much It Heals, Cost and Rules
A Potion of Healing restores 2d4 + 2 hit points, 7 on average and anywhere from 4 to 10. It is a common magic item that costs 50 GP. Stronger versions heal 4d4 + 4 (greater, 14 average), 8d4 + 8 (superior, 28) and 10d4 + 20 (supreme, 45). In the 2024 rules drinking one is a bonus action.
How much do healing potions heal?
Every healing potion rolls d4s plus a flat bonus. The flat part is what makes them reliable: even a terrible roll on a basic potion still gives you 4 hit points. Roll any of them on the d4 roller by setting the number of dice and typing the bonus into the bonus box.
| Potion | Rarity | Heals | Average | Range | Chance of average or better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potion of Healing | Common | 2d4 + 2 | 7 | 4–10 | 62.5% |
| Potion of Greater Healing | Uncommon | 4d4 + 4 | 14 | 8–20 | 58.59% |
| Potion of Superior Healing | Rare | 8d4 + 8 | 28 | 16–40 | 56.17% |
| Potion of Supreme Healing | Very Rare | 10d4 + 20 | 45 | 30–60 | 55.55% |
The numbers are identical in the 2014 and 2024 rules. Notice the pattern: the first three steps each double the healing (7, 14, 28), then the supreme potion adds two more dice and a +20 bonus for 45. The more dice you roll, the closer you land to the average; a basic potion rolls its maximum 10 one time in 16 (6.25%), while a supreme potion almost never hits 60.
Odds for a basic Potion of Healing
| HP healed | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chance | 6.25% | 12.5% | 18.75% | 25% | 18.75% | 12.5% | 6.25% |
Is drinking a potion an action or a bonus action?
This is the biggest rules difference between editions.
- 2024 rules: drinking a Potion of Healing, or giving it to a creature within 5 feet, is a bonus action. You can drink and still attack or cast a spell with your action.
- 2014 rules: drinking or administering any potion takes your action. A very common house rule lets you drink your own potion as a bonus action and spend your action to feed one to someone else. If your table uses it, say so at session zero.
There is no daily limit on potions. You only get one bonus action per turn, though, so in 2024 it's one potion per turn unless an adjacent ally feeds you a second with their own bonus action. Two basic potions in a round restore about 14 hit points for 100 GP.
The 2024 change turned potions from a panic button into a normal combat tool. A fighter at 9 HP can drink, swing twice and still be standing next round.
Is a potion better than a healing spell?
At level 1 it's close. A Potion of Healing averages 7. The 2024 Healing Word heals 2d4 + your spellcasting modifier, so 8 with a +3 modifier, and Cure Wounds heals 2d8 + modifier, 12 on average with +3. In the 2014 rules those spells were weaker (1d4 and 1d8 plus modifier, 5.5 and 7.5 with +3), so a potion roughly matched a 1st-level Cure Wounds.
The potion's real advantage is that anyone can use it and it costs no spell slot. When the cleric is the one who's down, the fighter's potion is the party's lifeline. Spending a Hit Die on a short rest (a d10 + Con for a fighter, 5.5 + Con on average) is the free alternative outside combat.
How much does a Potion of Healing cost?
A basic potion costs 50 GP in both Player's Handbooks and is listed with the regular adventuring gear, so most towns with a temple or an apothecary should stock it. The stronger potions are magic items that the DM prices by rarity. Under the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide, consumables cost half the usual price for their rarity, which works out to about 200 GP for greater, 2,000 GP for superior and 20,000 GP for supreme. Treat those as guidelines; your DM sets the market.
In the 2024 rules, a character with an Herbalism Kit and proficiency can also craft basic potions during downtime, a good job for a druid or ranger between adventures.
When should you drink a healing potion?
- Bring a downed ally back: any healing lifts a creature from 0 HP, so a 7-HP potion on an unconscious friend is worth far more than the same potion on a character at half health. It also stops their death saving throws.
- Don't top off: drinking at 20 of 30 HP wastes the potion. Wait until a single hit could drop you.
- Keep one on your belt: a potion buried in a Bag of Holding takes an action to fish out.
- Big potions for big hits: save superior and supreme potions for fights where enemies deal 20+ damage a turn. Using one on a goblin scratch is like paying 2,000 GP for a bandage.
For every other potion and magic item, see the full magic item list.
FAQ
How much does a Potion of Healing heal in 5e?
It heals 2d4 + 2 hit points. The average is 7, the minimum is 4 and the maximum is 10. You have a 62.5% chance to roll 7 or more.
Is drinking a potion a bonus action in 5e?
In the 2024 rules, yes: you can drink a Potion of Healing or feed it to a creature within 5 feet as a bonus action. In the 2014 rules both take your action, although many tables house-rule drinking your own potion as a bonus action.
How much does a Potion of Healing cost?
A basic Potion of Healing costs 50 GP in both the 2014 and 2024 Player's Handbooks. Higher-grade potions are rarer magic items, priced by the DM using the rarity guidelines.
Can you give a potion to an unconscious ally?
Yes. Pouring a Potion of Healing into a creature at 0 hit points heals it and gets it back up. In 2024 it is a bonus action if you are within 5 feet; in 2014 it takes your action.
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