Tell me about herbalism and poisons in your game!

Nice chart, ShadowDenizen. Maybe I'm being slow :uhoh: but what is 'Emp Disc.'? (For some reason, 'employee discount' keeps coming to mind but surely that can't be right).

And here's a couple of herbs from my game:
[sblock=Herbs]
Blackgate Mushroom—An extremely rare mushroom, the Blackgate is so named because ingesting the mushroom causes the spirit to be ejected from the body and into the Astral Plane. This uncontrolled form of astral travel generally results in the soul becoming lost on the Astral unable to find its way back to the physical body. Unlike with the spell Astral Projection, the body, back on the Prime, is not in a state of suspended animation and unless a way can be found to return to the body it will eventually die from lack of water and food.

The Blackgate mushroom can be used in an herbal concoction that replaces the silver bar component of the Astral Projection spell. The cost of 5 gp for each person to be affected remains the same.

Bonewort—A rare herb difficult to find due to its unusual preferences. It usually grows on old battlefields and in cemetaries. The plant is a pale, green color that lightens to a chalky white in the winter. In early Spring it will send out tiny blooms of purple so deep that it appears black. Bonewort is sometimes used in poultices although it has no true healing properties. Its true value is as an aid to summon the spirits of the dead. For this purpose, the herb must be formed into incense which is burnt during the ritual or casting of the spell. Bonewort is also an ingredient in potions of undead control that affect non-corporeal undead such as ghosts, specters, and wraiths.
[/sblock]

Despite my interest, players in my game have little interest in this sort of thing so I haven't needed to work out technicalities like DC to find...
 

log in or register to remove this ad

It is "Employee Discount".
One of the PC's works (or used to work) at an Apotecary shop in Cauldron. :)

And, with your kind permission, I'll add the new Herbs to my list, as well!
 

ShadowDenizen said:
We actually have a Druid interested in Herbalism in our campaign.

There's an amazing amount of information available on the net from a simple search, plus I have and use the old MERP supplement "Hands of the Healer", which lists an amazing amount of herbs and their properties, (all very flavorful) and it wasn't really that hard to 'port them to the D+D system.

Here's a (brief) summary.

Yeah, MERP is great for herbalism stuff.
 


ShadowDenizen said:
It is "Employee Discount".
One of the PC's works (or used to work) at an Apotecary shop in Cauldron. :)

And, with your kind permission, I'll add the new Herbs to my list, as well!

That makes sense. :) I guess I was trying to make the heading more convoluted than it needed to be.

Feel free to add the herbs I posted to your list.
 

Herbalism can be used for treating [thus also making] some poisons.

Most poisons and such in my game have far slower onset times, though far worse results than mere stat damage and more “secondary” effects.

Even fast acting poisons usually don’t kick in until the victim’s Con bonus in rounds. Antitoxin also takes more time to kick in as well [5 rounds].

Rather than “damage” most toxins debilitate the victim. A good fort save can still let someone “tough it out” but there usually a few more saves involved. The effects are noticeable, but let “heroic “ characters do their thing, but also make it quite clear the problem needs to be taken care of. Failing a save sends you to the next “level” of condition. Usually the saves are spaced by several minutes to an hour.

Poison Fatigued [also 1 HP nonlethal each time you act]
Poison Exhausted [also 1 HP lethal each time you act]
Poison Disabled >>>can go directly to next step though physical exertion.
Unconscious
Dying
Dead

A numbing venom follows this progression.

Numbed [works like Entangled {victim also can not track HP any longer]
Stunned
Paralyzed {some effects stop here]
Suffocating
Death
 
Last edited:

Though I like A&H, I find Atlas' Occult Lore has the best herbalism rules, bar none. It works from the plant aspect rather than the results (ie each plant is described) and each plant can be used to make non-magical substances. Each of those can then be magically infused for more powerful effects. The 2 PrCs also allow for some complex changes to the substances as well.

As for poisons, Mad Kaiser's Toxicant (a pdf) expands the effects of natural and artifical toxins. It is more "realistic" and may not be for the DM who wants minimal paperwork. It is not more lethal than the standard rules (though some examples could down a dragon in a few hours), just different.
 


Enchanted Trinkets Complete

Recent & Upcoming Releases

Remove ads

Top