What’s more proper than a witch with their cauldron? And who is a more famous witch in the world ofDungeons & Dragonsthan Tasha? The Witch Queen, demonologist, archfey, and spell maker has a long and rich history in D&D lore. One of the more recent additions includes the sixth-level spell, Tasha’s Bubbling Cauldron.
Available to wizards and warlocks, this spell essentially allows you to make several potions for free, sharing their effects among your party mates. But not all spells will be worth a sixth-level spell slot. So which potions should you create?
Potions made with this spell will disappear when you cast the spell again. So creating a stockpile is not an option. You could sell the potions for a profit, but that’ll likely draw the ire of the buyer once they disappear.
Uncommon Potion
Effect
Gain the effects of the Enlarge spell (double in size, advantage on Strength checks/saves, +1d4 weapon damage).
Are you expecting a brawl? Are you the only caster in a party of martial fighters, barbarians, and monks? Then a cauldron full of Potions of Growth would do wonders.
Doubling your size, giving advantage on Strength checks, and boosting weapon attack damage, this is a sturdy way to boost the buff potential of your entire party.
Use a bonus action to gain advantage on stealth checks for one hour.
Ever want to be a chameleon? This potion emulated the technicolor creativity of such creatures, allowing the user to shift and alter their color scheme. You’re free to pick whatever colors you want, opting for fashion, social sway, or camouflage.
When using it for camouflage, the colors continue to match your environment, giving you advantage on Stealth checks. With enough potions for the whole party, this can make a world of difference for sneaking around.
Consider pairing it with Pass Without A Trace for even better stealth.
Use a bonus action to make a fire-breath attack.
Are you envious of the dragonborn in your party usingtheir elemental breath attack? Complain no longer! This potion, when drank, lets you breathe fire at a single target within 30 feet. It deals 4d6 fire damage, which is pretty impressive for a bonus action. While its 13 DC isn’t very high, it still deals half damage on a successful save.
Best of all, you can do this three times before the potion wears off (or after an hour). Pass these potions out to the entire party, and it’ll become an absolute cacophony of fire that no enemy will be prepared for.
For the next hour, the user has at least a 21 on their Strength score.
What’s better than your party tank having a 21 Strength? How about EVERYONE have 21 Strength? One casting of Bubbling Cauldron will provide enough Potions of Hill Giant Strength to give to the party, the NPCs, even the horses pulling the cart.
When everyone in the session has at least a +4 to Strength rolls, a new avenue of burly options opens up to you. And this way, no one gets left behind. It’s as functional as it is entertaining.
Common Potion
You can’t be put to sleep for eight hours and gain the benefits of a long rest without having to sleep during that downtime.
While not as fantastical as the other potion options on this list, this is my personal favorite. In short, you don’t need to sleep during a long rest. That means you’re able to spend that time working on other things, likecrafting with an artisan tool, studying, or doing other downtime actions.
What really makes this a standout choice is the fact that you can cast the spell right before the long rest, gaining the benefits of the potion, then immediately regain your spell slots after. Zero risk, all benefits.
Heal for 4d4+4 hit points
This was to be expected, right? With very few ways to heal, any spells that provide healing from a wizard are worth a look. And the Greater Healing potion is the strongest choice.
While 4d4+4 may not be a lot of health for a party of level 11 heroes, consider the volume. This will yield seven to nine potions. So we’re looking at as much as 36d4+36 health, between 72 and 180 health restored. And with the freedom of who gets that healing when, there’s a ton of value here.
For one hour, gain resistance to one type of damage, as determined by the DM
Sometimes the strongest differences can be the simplest. Potions of Resistance, as the name implies, grant resistance to a damage type for one hour. This is generally for elemental effects like fire, thunder, ice, etc. But a gracious DM might also allow for types like Slashing or Psychic.
We don’t need to explain why this would come in handy, especially since it can apply the effect to the entire party. It’s suitable for a wide variety of problems and environments and last for longer than you’ll need.
Choose one instance to have advantage on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.
Advantage isthe golden glory of D&D. When the tumble of a D20 can make or break life-or-death scenarios, having a second roll in your favor means everything. Imagine how seven of them might feel.
By the time you can cast sixth-level spells, your spellcasting modifier (which determines how many potions you get per casting) will be reasonably high. You can divvy out that good fortune to the party, or you could pile them up on one specific person you want to do REALLY well. Regardless, the benefits are clear.
