Alchemy of Azeroth
Alchemical creations are commonplace on Azeroth - every city will have at least one apothecary or brewer of potions. They frequently find places both on the war torn battlefield as well as in the civilian peacetime to cure what ails ya. For every snake oil salesman there's two dozen legitimate alchemists working to perfect their craft, and included here are a selection of alchemical concoctions intended to delight and surprise.
Some of the item descriptions may reference ingredients or locations found on Azeroth - for campaigns set elsewhere, your world may have similar equivalents, or the potions may have arrived via portal, as magic items often find themselves doing.
Avalanche Elixir
Potion, Rare
Stored in a perfectly spherical bottle, the brown liquid seems to be made of dirt and mud itself, though when swallowed it goes down with surprising smoothness. This potion can be imbibed either as a bonus action or as a reaction to falling. While its effect is active any falling damage you take is reduced to zero. In addition when you impact on the ground from a fall that would have dealt falling damage, you crack the ground with such potent force that all creatures within 10ft of your impact site must make a DC15 dexterity save or take 3d6 bludgeoning damage, taking half as much on a successful save. Avalanche Elixirs last for either 1 minute or until you have fallen in such a way that you would normally have taken fall damage.
Bursting Blood Oil
Potion, Rare
The oil contained in this small vial roils and quietly pops, even when not shaken at all. When poured over a weapon as an action this oil blisters and spits loudly. When you strike a creature with a weapon attack with an oiled weapon, their blood (if they have any) bursts out, dealing 1d4 acid damage to the target and all adjacent creatures other than you. This oil lasts for 10 minutes.
Camouflage Elixir
Potion, Uncommon
A perfectly clear liquid that were it not for its visible top you might look through the vial and see naught but clear air. After drinking this potion your footsteps are quieter and your presence suppressed. For 1 hour you leave behind no tracks or trace of your passage when you move, and you cannot be detected by divination magic or have your location perceived by scrying sensors.
Catseye Elixir
Potion, Uncommon
This elixir gives off a soft yellow glow, allowing one to find it even in the dead of night. When drunk this potion makes your irises turn thin and your eyes glow like that of a cat's. You gain darkvision out to 120' if you didn't already have it, and you gain advantage on Perception ability checks to notice Hiding creatures. This lasts for 10 minutes.
Concealment Potion
Potion, Rare
So absolute is the hiding properties of this potion that even its bottle is rendered invisible, and the original craftsmen are forced to affix special magical tags to the bottle to avoid it getting lost - or worse, broken. When you drink this potion your body vanishes, and you are completely undetectable under any circumstances. The keenest nose, physical touch, magical divination and even the eyes of a god itself cannot find you. This lasts for 10 minutes, or until you move or take any action, bonus action or reaction. In order for the magic to maintain itself, you must remain still.
Deadly Grace Potion
Potion, Rare
No one's quite sure why this white-green potion tastes faintly of limes, but no one has yet found a way to replicate the effect without the taste. This potion may be consumed as a bonus action. For 1d4+1 rounds whenever you cast a spell that expends a spell slot, you may also cast Magic Missile at 1st level as a bonus action, bypassing the normal restriction on bonus action spells. If a hostile creature moves adjacent to you at any time during the duration of this effect it ends immediately.
Deceptive Elixir (Minor)
Potion, Common
Created from the crushed remnants of an Orb of Deception, this purple elixir drastically alters your body chemistry and make up for one hour. When you imbibe it roll on the table for the spell Reincarnate. Whatever result you receive, you are changed into that race, with your racial traits changing accordingly, for 1 hour.
If your campaign is set in Azeroth, the DM may wish to enforce which race you are changed into to your factional 'opposite', as below. Pandaren would change into a random race, as normal, as they have no 'opposite'.
| Alliance Race | Horde Race |
|---|---|
| Human | Orc |
| Dwarf | Troll |
| Night Elf | Forsaken |
| Gnome | Tauren |
| Draenei | Blood Elf |
| Worgen | Goblin |
| Void Elf | Nightborne |
Deceptive Elixir (Major)
Potion, Uncommon
This operates the same as a Deceptive Elixir (Minor), but the effect lasts for 24 hours instead of 1 hour.
Deceptive Elixir (Master)
Potion, Very Rare
This operates the same as a Deceptive Elixir (Minor), but the effect is permanent.
Demonslaying Oil
Potion, Uncommon
When poured over a weapon as an action this red oil seethes to strike against demons. Whenever you strike a Fiend type creature with an oiled weapon attack, you deal additional damage equal to your proficiency bonus. This oil lasts for 10 minutes.
Detect Demon Elixir
Potion, Uncommon
Mashing Gromsblood leaves into a fine paste results in this green-red elixir. A simple sip is enough that you can taste the cursed fel magic on your tongue. For 1 hour after drinking this you sense any Fiend-type creatures who are not behind Total Cover, within 200' of you.
Detect Undead Elixir
Potion, Uncommon
The brewing process for this crimson liquid uses Stratholme Lilies, a rare flower in the modern era. Perhaps infused now with the corruption of the plaguelands, it heightens the senses when it comes to locating undead. For 1 hour you sense any Undead-type creatures who are not behind Total Cover, within 200' of you.
Divine Grace Potion
Potion, Rare
Using holy water and consecrated Peacebloom, this potion is oft used to help combat medics, along with general priestly duties. For 10 minutes after drinking this potion your capacity to bring succor to the injured is enhanced. Your spells that restore hit points heal an additional 1d8 additional hit points. If they heal someone below 50% health, this increases to 2d8+5 additional hit points.
Dreamless Sleep Potion
Potion, Uncommon
Straining a purple lotus flower results in this sickly green coloured potion that tastes vaguely of aspirations unfulfilled. By consuming this potion you instantly fall unconscious for 10 minutes. This ends early if you take damage or someone uses an action to shake or slap you awake. If you remain unconscious for the full duration you gain the benefits of a short rest. You can only benefit from a dreamless sleep potion once per long rest.
Earthen Elixir
Potion, Very Rare
Using elemental earth in your elixirs is a guarantee of two things: Terrible taste and incredible magic. After drinking this potion your skin becomes craggy and hard for 10 minutes. Whenever you take damage, reduce the amount taken by 1d4+3.
Empowerment Elixir
Potion, Very Rare
By combinging primal elements into a single bottle this elixir charges your insides, allowing you to push your spells and attacks beyond their limit and harm that which should be unharmable. For 10 minutes after drinking this potion any damage you deal ignores all damage resistances and immunities, regardless of source.
Energy Protection Potion (Minor)
Potion, Uncommon
Azeroth is a magical realm and spellcasters are frequently deployed both on large scale battlefield and small, and to answer this alchemists have cooked up a number of potions to help protect their people. Energy Protection Potions cover a single damage type determined by rolling on the table below or by the DM.
| d10 | Energy Type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fire |
| 2 | Cold |
| 3 | Radiant |
| 4 | Necrotic |
| 5 | Acid |
| 6 | Lightning |
| 7 | Thunder |
| 8 | Psychic |
| 9 | Force |
| 10 | Roll twice, gain both damage types |
When you drink the potion you gain a special pool of temporary hit points for 10 minutes, which is separate to normal temporary hit points. This pool only protects against, and can only be reduced by, the damage type(s) rolled on the table. The size of the pool is equal to 1d8+2, and it lasts for 10 minutes or until the pool is reduced to 0.
Energy Protection Potion (Major)
Potion, Rare
This functions as its Minor counterpart, but the pool of special hit points is increased to 3d8+6.
Fire Power Elixir
Potion, Uncommon
The magic inside a dragon's flame sack, properly pulped, powers this poton. It can be consumed as a bonus action. For 1d4+1 rounds, any spells you cast that deal fire damage add your proficiency bonus to one damage roll that you make.
Flask of the Titans
Potion, Legendary
The pinnacle of alchemical creations, thrice distilled and filtered for the utmost purity, this elixir created from only the finest and highest quality lotus flowers offers powers undreamed of. After consuming this potion all your ability scores are increased by 2, and their maximum is likewise increased by 2, to a maximum of 30. This effect is permanent.
Free Action Potion
Potion, Rare
The viscosity of the bright green liquid inside this vial seems almost impossibly low, such that it's a wonder if it feels any friction at all - a disconcerting feeling replicated when you swallow it. For 1d4+1 rounds you gain immunity to the Stunned, Paralyzed, and Restrained conditions. You also cannot be grappled. This immunity does not extend to any pre-existing grapples or restrains on you, only to future effects. You are also unaffected by difficult terrain.
Frost Oil
Potion, Rare
A gleaming ice-blue-white liquid that emanates a chill even through its glass container. When poured over a weapon as an action this oil freezes with magical power. When you strike a creature with a weapon attack with an oiled weapon, roll a d10. If you roll a 9 or a 10 the target takes 2d6 cold damage the next weapon attack they make before the end of their next turn has disadvantage. This oil lasts for 10 minutes
Frost Power Elixir
Potion, Uncommon
The condensed chill of Northrend has been bottled into this small vial, and when swallowed you feel your belly turn to ice. This potion can be consumed as a bonus action. For 1d4+1 rounds, any spells you cast that deal cold damage add your proficiency bonus to one damage roll that you make.
Gift of Arthas
Potion, Rare
A somewhat ironic name, this relatively recent alchemical concoction is brewed from Arthas' Tears flowers, though you feel no sorrow or despair when you drink it - merely cold emptiness. For 1 hour after drinking, you gain necrotic resistance. In addition if you are struck with melee attack, the attacker must make a DC14 Con save or be infected with Arthas' Gift, a persistent disease that weakens the body. While infected they take an additional 5 damage from each individual source of damage. They may make a new save to end the effect after the end of a long rest. Once they have made a save against the disease, they gain immunity to it for the next month.
Immolation Oil
This blazing oil is intended not for a weapon but instead splasing over a creature, which you can do as an action either on yourself or an adjacent, willing, creature. For 1 minute at the end of each of your turns the affected creature bursts with flames, dealing 1d6 fire damage to all creatures adjacent to the bursting creature.
Invisibiliity Potion (Minor)
Potion, Uncommon
A potion intended to allow the stealthy to slip by when they have no alternatives, its short duration makes it difficult to plan around. For some reason, it tastes of gold. When you drink this potion you gain the effects of the Invisibility spell for 1d4+1 rounds which ends as normal should you attack or cast a spell.
Invisibiliity Potion (Major)
Potion, Very Rare
This potion's invisible potency is greater than one might expect. When you drink it the magic spills forth beyond you. All creatures that do not have total cover within 15' of you are affected by the Invisibility spell for 1d4+1 rounds. It affects each creature individually, so one creature attacking will not break the Invisility for another.
Lightblood Oil
Potion, Very Rare
Shards of lightforge steel are mixed into this oil to ensure it is anathema to demon-kind. You can coat a weapon with it as an action. When you strike a creature with a weapon attack with an oiled weapon, you deal 1d8 additional radiant damage. This is increased to 2d8 if the creature you hit is a Fiend-type creature. This oil lasts for 10 minutes.
Limited Invulnerability Potion
Potion, Rare
A potion intended to safeguard those who hold the line against a rampaging horde, its primary ingredient is Steelbloom, a flower which has since become a token often given to soldiers before deployment. Its refreshing blue colour may call to mind images of the sky above one's home, far from the battlefield. By consuming this potion as an action you gain Immunity to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage until the end of your next turn.
Lion's Strength Elixir
Potion, Rare
Originally this potion was distributed among the troops of Stormwind as a regular supplement - something they drank three times a day when training, and even more when actually deployed on missions. Prolonged use revealed some concerning side effects though, and eventually it was scaled back to only be used when necessary. When imbibed this increases your current and maximum Strength and Constitution scores by 2 (to a maximum of 30) for 10 minutes
Luck Potion
Potion, Very Rare
Distilled from the purest Golden Lotus plants from the shores of Pandaria, this gleaming golden liquid promises a boon to whomever drinks it. For 24 hours after consuming it, you have +2 to all rolls you make.
Mageblood Potion (Minor)
Potion, Uncommon
Not actually created from the blood of a mage, but instead a flower bearing the same name, this dirty green liquid grants mages additional power - though they must be careful not to over indulge. When imbibed this potion restores spell slots with a combined level equal to a roll of 1d4. This cannot restore spell slots above 3rd level. If you drink more than one Mageblood potion (regardless of quality) before completing a long rest you instantly trigger a Wild Surge (as the sorcerer feature) and your next spell also triggers a Wild Surge.
Mageblood Potion (Major)
Potion, Rare
This functions the same as its minor counterpart, but it restores 2d4 levels of spell slots, and can restore up to 5th level slots.
Old War Elixir
Potion, Rare
Using the powdered bones of the dead for a potion is frowned upon greatly...when they're friendly dead. Most alchemists harvest corpses from the opposing faction for the crafting of this elixir. It can be consumed as a bonus action. You pour half of it in your mouth, and the other one the ground. When you do so, two spectral ghosts appear to assist you for 1d4+1 rounds. While these ghosts are active they strike with you. Whenever you make a weapon attack roll a 1d4. On a roll, the ghosts both attack your target with a +6 to hit and dealing 1d8+3 force damage on a successful attack roll. The ghosts remain for 1d4+1 rounds.
Petrification Flask
Potion, Rare
By powdering gargoyle stone from a still live gargoyle, alchemists can create this murky grey liquid. When consumed, it applies the Petrified condition to the imbiber for 1 hour.
Sacrificial Mana Potion
Potion, Rare
This potion hyper-accelerates ones own spellcasting ability, but at the cost of their own life force, and its deep crimson - almost black - colouration should warn spellcasters to sometimes leave well enough alone. When you consume this potion your next 3 spells of 1st to 5th level cast within a minute do not consume spell slots. Instead you take 5 force damage per level of spell slot expended. This damage cannot be reduced or mitigated in any way, and bypasses temporary hit points. It occurs after the spell is cast, and therefore provokes concentration checks if the spell requires them.
Rage Potion (Minor)
Potion, Uncommon
Alchemists can use predatory body parts - fangs, claws, scales, eyes - inside this brew to grant the consumer a portion of the primal energy that the predator held in life. This potion is designed for swift consumption, and can be drained as a bonus action. When you do so you gain the effects of the Rage feature as if you were a 1st level barbarian, which lasts for 1d4+1 rounds.
Rage Potion (Moderate)
Potion, Rare
This potion functions as its Minor version, except you gain the Rage features of an 11th level barbarian, including their Relentless Rage feature. This lasts for 1 minute.
Rage Potion (Major)
Potion, Very Rare
This potion functions as its Minor version, except you gain the Rage features of a 16th level barbarian, including Relentless Rage, and Persistent Rage.
Rising Death Potion
Potion, Rare
This dark potion seems to suck in light itself, and when you drink it you feel a bit of yourself die as the necromantic magic seeps into your blood. You can consume this potion as a bonus action, and it lasts for 1d4+1 rounds. Whenever you damage a creature with a cantrip while under the effects of this potion the power of the potion lashes out and launches a shadowy bolt at the target. This bolt deals 1 necrotic damage for every 5 feet between you and your target.
Shadow Oil
Potion, Rare
A viscous oil that seems made almost of black tar. When poured over a weapon as an action taints your weapon and turns it pitch black. When you strike a creature with a weapon attack with an oiled weapon, roll a d10. If you roll a 9 or a 10 the target takes 2d8 necrotic damage and cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn. Undead creatures affected by this oil also have disadvantage on attack rolls against you for the same duration. This oil lasts for 10 minutes.
Shadow Power Elixir
Potion, Uncommon
A zombie's powdered skin went into the preparation of this elixir. It is thoroughly disgusting. This potion can be consumed as a bonus action. For 1d4+1 rounds, any spells you cast that deal necrotic damage add your proficiency bonus to one damage roll that you make.
Swim Speed Potion
Potion, Uncommon
The diametrically opposed nature of Stranglekeep and Liferoot culminates in a semi-transparent blue liquid that tastes of the sea. By consuming this potion you gain a swim speed equal to twice your normal walking speed for 1 hour.
Transmorphic Tincture (Minor)
Potion, Common
By steeping dreamleaf flowers in a boiled oil from deviate fish, the result is a curious bright purple liquid which has a taste of home. Commonly used by teens in their experimentation phase, along with those not quite rich enough to afford the major version, these potions swap your physical sex for 1 hour after imbibing. These potions are big moneymakers for those who can create them, and so they can be found in almost any major city.
Transmorphic Tincture (Major)
Potion, Rare
For those who want to be a whole new 'them', or to simply become the person they always were on the inside. Once imbibed this potion permanently changes your body to be that of the opposite sex.
Troll's Blood Potion, Minor
Potion, Uncommon
Though many alchemists will profess to using troll's blood as an ingredient, few actually do. This is an exception. By properly decanting and separating the parts of a troll's precious lifeblood an alchemist can impart some of their much-desired regeneration to other creatures, for a while at least.
After consuming this potion, you regain 1d6 hit points every ten minutes for 1 hour. Taking any fire or acid damage deactivates this effect for ten minutes.
Troll's Blood Potion, Moderate
Potion, Rare
This functions as its Minor counterpart, but heals 1d6 hit points every minute instead of every ten minutes. Taking acid or fire damage deactivates this effect for 1 minute.
Troll's Blood Potion, Major
Potion, Very Rare
This functions as its Minor counterpart, but heals 1d6 hit points at the start of each of your turns instead of every ten minutes. Taking acid or fire damage deactivates this effect for 1 round.
Troll's Blood Potion, Master
Potion, Legendary
This legendary potion is the culmination of research into a troll's regeneration and conveys permanent changes in its consumer. When you drink this potion, you become part troll yourself. You now regain 2d6 hit points at the start of each of your turns, with no duration. Taking acid or fire damage deactivates this effect for 1 round.
Wildvine Potion
Potion, Uncommon
Who originally came up with this recipe is unknown. The 'civilised' arcanists of Dalaran purport it to be the makings of a savage troll witch doctor, but it could as easily be something dreamed up in a drunken mage's laboratory. When you drink this potion roll a d100. You regain that many hit points.