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Which herbs must be in your fantasy game?
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<blockquote data-quote="Shades of Eternity" data-source="post: 9593822" data-attributes="member: 10869"><p>of course, this set off a brainstorm; here's a quickie that only somewhat reinvents the wheel. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /></p><p></p><p>Here are 11 herbs with unique properties for a setting, with some real-world inspiration:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Garlic</strong> – Wards off spirits, undead, and vampiric creatures. It is essential in many protective potions and infusions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Fennel</strong> – Enhances perception and wards against illusions; useful in scrying spells.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Mandrake</strong> – Boosts vitality and acts as a powerful sleep aid; also used in necromantic rituals.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Wolfsbane</strong> – Poisons werewolves but also helps control lycanthropy when adequately prepared.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Mugwort</strong> – Helps with prophetic dreams and astral projection.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Yarrow</strong> – Enhances courage and fortitude in battle, often used in warrior’s poultices.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Belladonna</strong> – Deadly poison in high doses but used in small amounts for shadow magic and invisibility potions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Bloodroot</strong> – (a tweaked Real tree, Prunus spinosa) Staunches bleeding and aids in rituals related to ancestry and divination.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Dragon’s Nettle</strong> – Causes slight fire resistance when chewed but burns the mouth raw if overused.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Starflower</strong> – Glows faintly in the dark and aids with fae magic and teleportation.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Blackthorn</strong> – A Variant of Basil. Starflower has deep purple leaves that shimmer under the moonlight and delicate white flowers that faintly glow in the darkness. The plant’s glow intensifies near ley lines or strong magical fields. Used for cursing magic, hex-breaking, and strengthening the willpower of spellcasters.</li> </ol><h3><strong>Guidelines for Herbal Material Components in Spellcasting</strong></h3><p>Each spell requires one or more herbs, depending on the effect. You can use these guidelines to replace or supplement standard material components:</p><p></p><h4><strong>1. Protective & Warding Spells</strong></h4> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Garlic</strong> (repels spirits and undead)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Yarrow</strong> (enhances courage and fortitude)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Blackthorn</strong> (hex-breaking, protective wards)</li> </ul><h4><strong>2. Divination & Scrying Spells</strong></h4> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Fennel</strong> (enhances perception)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Mugwort</strong> (astral projection, prophetic dreams)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Starflower</strong> (reveals hidden truths, enhances intuition)</li> </ul><h4><strong>3. Healing & Restoration Spells</strong></h4> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Yarrow</strong> (wound healing)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Bloodroot</strong> (stops bleeding, connection to ancestors for revivify-type effects)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Basil (Starflower variant)</strong> (enhances vitality and purifies magical corruption)</li> </ul><h4><strong>4. Offensive & Damage-Dealing Spells</strong></h4> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Dragon’s Nettle</strong> (fire resistance, combustion catalyst)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Belladonna</strong> (deathly poison, used in necrotic magic)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Blackthorn</strong> (curse-weaving, amplifies force and shadow magic)</li> </ul><h4><strong>5. Enchantment & Illusion Spells</strong></h4> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Mandrake</strong> (mind-affecting properties, dream-walking)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Belladonna</strong> (trickery, shadows, seduction magic)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Mugwort</strong> (induces hallucinations, astral magic)</li> </ul><h4><strong>6. Transmutation & Shapechanging Spells</strong></h4> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Wolfsbane</strong> (transformation properties, particularly with lycanthropy)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Bloodroot</strong> (ancestral ties, shaping and molding)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Blackthorn</strong> (shape magic, resilience)</li> </ul><h4><strong>7. Summoning & Conjuration Spells</strong></h4> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Mandrake</strong> (channeling spirits, animating life)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Starflower</strong> (connecting to the fae and other planes)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Yarrow</strong> (binding energy to physical forms)</li> </ul><p>[HR][/HR]</p><h3><strong>How It Works in Practice</strong></h3> <ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Casters must gather or purchase these herbs</strong> (similar to how some spells already require components with a gold cost).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>If a caster lacks the required herb, they must find a suitable substitute</strong>—possibly at a higher cost or with reduced effectiveness (e.g., using Mugwort instead of Fennel might result in distorted visions).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Rare spells require more exotic versions of common herbs</strong> (e.g., a rare albino Mandrake for summoning powerful spirits).</li> </ol><p>[HR][/HR]</p><p>This system makes <strong>spell components feel more organic and flavorful</strong> while still keeping spellcasting functional without a complete rewrite.</p><p></p><p>**********************</p><h3><strong>Bonus: A Special 11-Herb Formula</strong></h3><p><strong>"The Crown of the Old Ways" – A tea brewed from these 11 herbs.</strong></p><p><strong>Effect:</strong> When drunk under the light of a full moon, it grants the drinker enhanced foresight and attunement to the old magics. For 24 hours, they gain an advantage on Insight, Perception, and Arcana checks related to supernatural or divine matters. However, if misused (e.g., in a place of high corruption or while under the influence of certain dark magics), it instead inflicts a hallucinatory curse where the drinker sees the spirits of the dead.</p><p>**********************</p><p>Does this work, and which plants should be substituted?</p><p></p><p>I may have been playing Ultima recently. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Shades of Eternity, post: 9593822, member: 10869"] of course, this set off a brainstorm; here's a quickie that only somewhat reinvents the wheel. :D Here are 11 herbs with unique properties for a setting, with some real-world inspiration: [LIST=1] [*][B]Garlic[/B] – Wards off spirits, undead, and vampiric creatures. It is essential in many protective potions and infusions. [*][B]Fennel[/B] – Enhances perception and wards against illusions; useful in scrying spells. [*][B]Mandrake[/B] – Boosts vitality and acts as a powerful sleep aid; also used in necromantic rituals. [*][B]Wolfsbane[/B] – Poisons werewolves but also helps control lycanthropy when adequately prepared. [*][B]Mugwort[/B] – Helps with prophetic dreams and astral projection. [*][B]Yarrow[/B] – Enhances courage and fortitude in battle, often used in warrior’s poultices. [*][B]Belladonna[/B] – Deadly poison in high doses but used in small amounts for shadow magic and invisibility potions. [*][B]Bloodroot[/B] – (a tweaked Real tree, Prunus spinosa) Staunches bleeding and aids in rituals related to ancestry and divination. [*][B]Dragon’s Nettle[/B] – Causes slight fire resistance when chewed but burns the mouth raw if overused. [*][B]Starflower[/B] – Glows faintly in the dark and aids with fae magic and teleportation. [*][B]Blackthorn[/B] – A Variant of Basil. Starflower has deep purple leaves that shimmer under the moonlight and delicate white flowers that faintly glow in the darkness. The plant’s glow intensifies near ley lines or strong magical fields. Used for cursing magic, hex-breaking, and strengthening the willpower of spellcasters. [/LIST] [HEADING=2][B]Guidelines for Herbal Material Components in Spellcasting[/B][/HEADING] Each spell requires one or more herbs, depending on the effect. You can use these guidelines to replace or supplement standard material components: [HEADING=3][B]1. Protective & Warding Spells[/B][/HEADING] [LIST] [*][B]Garlic[/B] (repels spirits and undead) [*][B]Yarrow[/B] (enhances courage and fortitude) [*][B]Blackthorn[/B] (hex-breaking, protective wards) [/LIST] [HEADING=3][B]2. Divination & Scrying Spells[/B][/HEADING] [LIST] [*][B]Fennel[/B] (enhances perception) [*][B]Mugwort[/B] (astral projection, prophetic dreams) [*][B]Starflower[/B] (reveals hidden truths, enhances intuition) [/LIST] [HEADING=3][B]3. Healing & Restoration Spells[/B][/HEADING] [LIST] [*][B]Yarrow[/B] (wound healing) [*][B]Bloodroot[/B] (stops bleeding, connection to ancestors for revivify-type effects) [*][B]Basil (Starflower variant)[/B] (enhances vitality and purifies magical corruption) [/LIST] [HEADING=3][B]4. Offensive & Damage-Dealing Spells[/B][/HEADING] [LIST] [*][B]Dragon’s Nettle[/B] (fire resistance, combustion catalyst) [*][B]Belladonna[/B] (deathly poison, used in necrotic magic) [*][B]Blackthorn[/B] (curse-weaving, amplifies force and shadow magic) [/LIST] [HEADING=3][B]5. Enchantment & Illusion Spells[/B][/HEADING] [LIST] [*][B]Mandrake[/B] (mind-affecting properties, dream-walking) [*][B]Belladonna[/B] (trickery, shadows, seduction magic) [*][B]Mugwort[/B] (induces hallucinations, astral magic) [/LIST] [HEADING=3][B]6. Transmutation & Shapechanging Spells[/B][/HEADING] [LIST] [*][B]Wolfsbane[/B] (transformation properties, particularly with lycanthropy) [*][B]Bloodroot[/B] (ancestral ties, shaping and molding) [*][B]Blackthorn[/B] (shape magic, resilience) [/LIST] [HEADING=3][B]7. Summoning & Conjuration Spells[/B][/HEADING] [LIST] [*][B]Mandrake[/B] (channeling spirits, animating life) [*][B]Starflower[/B] (connecting to the fae and other planes) [*][B]Yarrow[/B] (binding energy to physical forms) [/LIST] [HR][/HR] [HEADING=2][B]How It Works in Practice[/B][/HEADING] [LIST=1] [*][B]Casters must gather or purchase these herbs[/B] (similar to how some spells already require components with a gold cost). [*][B]If a caster lacks the required herb, they must find a suitable substitute[/B]—possibly at a higher cost or with reduced effectiveness (e.g., using Mugwort instead of Fennel might result in distorted visions). [*][B]Rare spells require more exotic versions of common herbs[/B] (e.g., a rare albino Mandrake for summoning powerful spirits). [/LIST] [HR][/HR] This system makes [B]spell components feel more organic and flavorful[/B] while still keeping spellcasting functional without a complete rewrite. ********************** [HEADING=2][B]Bonus: A Special 11-Herb Formula[/B][/HEADING] [B]"The Crown of the Old Ways" – A tea brewed from these 11 herbs. Effect:[/B] When drunk under the light of a full moon, it grants the drinker enhanced foresight and attunement to the old magics. For 24 hours, they gain an advantage on Insight, Perception, and Arcana checks related to supernatural or divine matters. However, if misused (e.g., in a place of high corruption or while under the influence of certain dark magics), it instead inflicts a hallucinatory curse where the drinker sees the spirits of the dead. ********************** Does this work, and which plants should be substituted? I may have been playing Ultima recently. :D [/QUOTE]
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