Herbal preparations: Craft or Profession?

[Winterthorn]

Okay. I DM Kingdoms of Kalamar and I wish to incorporate some QW material (the class, the herbs, a few other things) into my game... And I'm stumped folks:

1) The Craft skill is for making things (and possibly sell them).

2) Profession is providing a service (where one could earn an income).

3) Profession (herbalist) shows up in the PH, Kingdoms of Kalamar Player's Guide and the Quintessential Witch. The KoK PG has a direct reference on page 116 to using Craft to brew herbal concoctions. Brewing and Cooking are Professions as per the PH. The QW employs Profession (herbalist) for its nice rules on conventional herbs--very nice IMHO. The KoK PG also refers to Profession (apothocary). And then there's Alchemy... maybe...

All I want to do is combine the QW rules for making herbal preparations--sounds more like a Craft to me--with the "setting specific" herbal concoction rules of the KoK PG. Here I am trying to put it all together, and I've become completely befuddled...

HELP! I 'm thinking around in circles on this

I don't want a whole house-rule tweak solution, I would like a simple solution with the rules as is... I hope. Btw, the KoK PG uses Craft (poisonmaking) to make poisons--but note that many poisons are made from plants and herbs...

Any ideas folks? Thanks a bunch for your help... I'll be lurking for your advice...

-W.

 

[Dragongirl]

I would stick to the PHB in this case. Making potions, poisons, pastes, etc is a craft not a profession. Applying said items would be a profession, such as a healer. IMO

 

[Winterthorn]

That was what I was thinking... But QW uses Profession (herbalist) for herbal preparations... And I don't know of any Craft (herbalism) rule cited anywhere--I guess by implication I'd have to make that one up? The QW was wrong then?

Hmm...

-W.

 

[Dragongirl]

The QW was wrong then?

Depends on how you want to view things. You can do whatever you want of course. Personally I try to follow WOTC's guidelines on this sort of thing. And so I interpret Craft as being any skill in which you actually make something, with at least a modicum of knowledge. Cooking, Pottery, Apothacary, etc. Profession would be like Coach driver, fisherman, nurse, etc. Again IMO.

 

[Mindcrime]

Shameless plug: Occult Lore has a section on Herbalism, which I wrote, so I can't give you an unbiased opinion on it I was pretty happy the way it turned out, though. Two prestige classes (Master Herbalist, Wylderwitch, a skill (Herbalism, which can be easily subsumed into Craft [Herbalism], and a feat, Plantbind.)

Bastion Press' Steve Schend also did a treatment of it in Alchemy and Herbalism, which to my regret I have never seen as I've been in Asia since before it was released. I really look forward to seeing how he handled the same material.

Wizards Masters of the Wild has a bit on Herbalism. It's quite useable out of the box but bare bones and minimalist.

Chris

 

[Dragongirl]

Actually . . . In the PHB those using the alchemy skill can make such things. Which I think is unfortunate that they made that skill. IMO it should just have been in Craft, and if I were DMing I would make it Craft : Alchemy.

 

[Winterthorn]

MotW's page 31...

Okay... I just checked Masters of the Wild. There's a small "aside" regarding Druids using Craft (herbalism) in place of Alchemy, which has me thinking... While the QW Witch already has Alchemy as a class skill, I'll borrow the Craft (herbalism) to specifically replace Profession (herbalist) used in QW's herbal preparation rules. This will work well with the KoK material too--albeit with a wee bit of tweaking. I think now I'm in business for the moment...

Anyone with other ideas? Or do you think I'm on the right path?

Btw, Mindcrime: I've seen Occult Lore... I'm very tempted, since I am quite pleased with some of the Atlas-Penumbra material I've added to my collection...

Craft (alchemy)? Genius, Dragongirl! (Note to self: read Dragongirl's threads--ALL of them! )

-W.

 

[Dragongirl]

Re: MotW's page 31...

Craft (alchemy)? Genius, Dragongirl! (Note to self: read Dragongirl's threads--ALL of them! )

Lol, you better get going. Start with the 1198 post thread in meta, all 30 pages. Not that you are likely to find any pearls of wisdom in that mess.

 

[Tonguez]

Profession Herbalism - the identification of herbs and application of herbal preparations

Craft Herbalism - the manufacture of herbal preparations (potions, concotions, tinctures and salves)

 

[Dragongirl]

Profession Herbalism - the identification of herbs and application of herbal preparations

Craft Herbalism - the manufacture of herbal preparations (potions, concotions, tinctures and salves)

I have a problem with that. I think that would be a waste. Anyone good at making something, will be familiar with the products. For instance, if you are a good potter, you will know the difference between different clays, be able to pick out which are best, might even know what to add to it to make it better. A good blacksmith should be able to identify (at least somewhat) what a piece of metal is made of by experimentation if nothing else. So, IMO, if someone is good at making herbal concoctions they will be familiar with the indredients and should be able to identify them.