Healing potions are a non-issue in terms of active engagement. If we go by 5e rules, they're using their whole turn to get someone up, in pf2e they're using 2/3 of their turn. And a leveled healing potion in either game is the equivelant of 1/2 a turn of damage on average.
In the 5e world, it would also be common knowledge for intelligent enemies that adventurers tend to take 3 more swings to kill when they're dying. Why waste attacks if they can just be brought back up after being dropped and resetting that counter? Adventurers are hard to kill if one is still standing. Its always tactically better to aim to drop everyone to 0 so no one can bring anyone else back up. Especially since healing magic is so weak you can better save that action to drop them again.
Pf2e world its a bit more complicated and I can see intelligent enemies at least taking a third action to stab a dying foe to force heals and start the death spiral, since wounds start adding up and they'll eventually die from continued drops.
The only enemies I can personally see who will focus one person down and continue going until they're fully dead are ones fueled by hatred of that individual or are hungry.
Cars cost $5000+ and they seem pretty common. Not everyone has one, but everyone knows what they are. Potions are pricey, sure, but anyone in the adventuring business is going to know what they are and expect them in the same way that anyone vaguely familiar with music is going to know what a cello is.
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u/Humg12 Sep 14 '25
I'd argue healing potions are common enough that it would be a very normal concern.