Can an Unseen Servant administer a potion during combat?

Question

If I have a Unseen Servant, could I leave a bucket of potions of healing in the back and direct him to administer them to people?

For example, could an unseen servant execute the command "Pour this potion of healing into the mouth of that unconscious party member?" As Unseen Servant lasts an hour and doesn't require concentration, some extension to this might be the following:

1. "Pour this potion of healing into the mouth of that unconscious party member"
2. "Pour this potion of healing into the mouth of any unconscious party member"(including the spellcaster)
3. "Pour a potion of healing from the bucket in the back into the mouth of any unconscious party member"

As mentioned in the referenced post, there are no if/then, but the main question is how much skill is required to administer a potion, or is it just as simple as "pouring wine?"

Answer 1

Unseen Servant Interacting With An Object

Per page 284 of the PHB, 5e, second paragraph of the spell description.

"Once on each of your tuns as a bonus action, you can mentally command the servant to move up to 15 feet and interact with an object. The servant can perform simple tasks that a human servant could do, such as fetching things, cleaning, mending, folding clothes, lighting fires, serving food, and pouring wine. Once you give the command, the servant performs the task to the best of its ability until it completes the task, then waits for your next command.

It is reasonable to rule "Yes, the Unseen servant can pour healing potion into the mouth of another party member" who is not actively engaged in melee combat(moving about, swinging weapons, blocking, dodging) since that is:

1. No more complicated than pouring wine into a glass
2. Within the complexity range of tasks described, and even simpler than mending clothes.

Note:

• The spell description looks to limit this to one bonus action per potion delivered. Issuing "standing orders" and assuming that the Unseen Servant will do it each round without further instruction looks to be beyond the scope of this spell.
• With a Strength of 2, the Unseen Servant's carrying capacity is 30 pounds. (p 176 PHB) If a pint is a pound (good rule of thumb based on the weight of water) ... add X for what each potion container weighs to arrive at a case, a twelve pack, or a six pack of potions. Work with your DM.
• If using variant encumbrance, it can carry 10 pounds with no movement penalty, and up to 20 pounds with speed reduced by 10 to, and up to 30 pounds with speed -20. (p. 176 PHB). With a speed of 15, the max that it can carry will be a bit less than the 30 pound max. (Speed = 15 is based on 15 foot move in one turn from spell description). Again, work with your DM to determine how many bottles or flasks of healing potion is a workable load.

Your DM may rule (reasonably) that the Servant cannot pour the potion into the mouth of the party member if the member is actively engaged in melee. That "moving wine glass" (the PC's mouth) can be missed, spillage, etc.

Work with your DM. You should be able to arrive at "go" and "no go" situations where this service could be provided. I think it's a great idea personally, and would be open to that service at my table.

See also this discussion of the spell