Dungeons And Dragons: 10 Abysmal Magical Items
4. Potion Of Animal Friendship
There are a litany of potions that are pre-made within the Dungeon Master's Guide; after all, they're some of the easiest magic items create. Here's a liquid, it does what this spell does, ta-da! Potion. So really, the only measurable value in different potions is comparing their usefulness to their bretheren.
Within the book are potions that can heal, can grant you the power to breathe fire, make you immune to all damage, albeit for a brief time. All of these are potent, effective, can be used well in almost every situation.
The same can't be said for The Potion of Animal Friendship. The spell itself charms an animal into believing that you do not mean them any harm. And that's...that's about it. A generous Dungeon Master might have the beast give you a little help, but that's entirely at their discretion. Beasts tend to be some of the less-challenging foes in the game, so even this isn't particularly saving you any major headaches.
Even looking at it from a resource-management perspective, the spell is only a level 1 spell offered to Bards, Druids, and Rangers which means, chances are, someone in your group already has it. Spend your money on something more useful, like a Block and Tackle. Listen to me, I don't care what adventure you're on, ALWAYS take a Block and Tackle.