The Herbalism Kit in D&D 5e (Updated for the 2024 Rules)

Herbalism Kit

• Ability: Intelligence
• Utilize: Identify a plant (DC 10)
• Craft: Antitoxin, Candle, Healer’s Kit, Potion of Healing

A character who has proficiency with the Herbalism Kit can create a Potion of Healing. Doing so requires using this kit and 25 GP of raw material over the course of 1 day (8 hours of work).

Proficiency with the Herbalism Kit

Rules as written (RAW) being proficient with the kit allows you to:

• Craft Antitoxin, Candles, Healer’s Kit, and Potions of Healing in your downtime
• Identify plants and natural remedies more easily with a DC 10 check

For more information on crafting equipment in D&D, check out our D&D Crafting Calculator.

How to Gain Proficiency with a Herbalism Kit

Choosing the Hermit background at character creation gives you proficiency in Herbalism Kits.

Making Checks with the Herbalism Kit

If you’re proficient with a tool, you can add your Proficiency Bonus to any ability check you make that uses that tool. If you’re also proficient in a skill that’s appropriate for the check—say, Nature or Medicine—you have Advantage on the roll too.

So, if your character is proficient with the Herbalism Kit and with the Nature skill, you can make a Wisdom (Nature) check assisted by your Herbalism Kit to get Advantage on the roll to identify that plant.

Expanded Uses for the Herbalism Kit

While the 2024 Player’s Handbook streamlined crafting rules make the Herbalism Kit mechanically useful, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything expands its versatility even further—especially during exploration and investigation.

If you’re proficient with an Herbalism Kit, you’re not just good at brewing potions. You can:

• Safely harvest medicinal herbs and other natural components without contamination
• Identify plants by touch, scent, and sight—no rolls needed in most cases
• Aid magical research tied to potions or plant-based spells by applying your herbal knowledge
• Spot hidden clues in overgrown areas using Investigation, thanks to your practiced eye for botanical details
• Improve healing efforts when using the Medicine skill, supplementing traditional care with natural remedies
• Find edible or useful plants more easily while traveling in the wild, boosting Nature and Survival checks

If your DM is using the expanded rules from Xanathar’s, they might assign Difficulty Classes for certain tasks, such as:

Who Should Use the Herbalism Kit?

Any character with downtime to spare and an eye for sustainability. It’s particularly effective for:

• Clerics: Who want to support outside of combat or maintain healing potions, Healer’s Kits, and Antitoxin for the party.
• Druids: Fits thematically and functionally and can help with healing resources.
• Rangers: Survivalist flavor with mechanical value.

It’s also worth noting that this is an excellent proficiency to have for any character with the Healer feat, as it allows you to keep your supply of Healer Kits stocked.

Don’t Sleep on This Kit

The Herbalism Kit might not be a Vorpal Longsword, but it’s one of the most accessible and rewarding tools in the game—especially with 2024’s crafting rules. Whether you’re a Druid whipping up draughts in the wild or a Rogue selling bootleg elixirs to mercs in a shady tavern, this kit can add a lot of autonomy to your character.

Bring it along, give it some love, and you might just find your new favorite downtime activity.