Herbs

Herbs and other ingredients found in the wild have long been a staple part of the healer’s toolkit. Indeed, herbalism is linked not just with healing, but also with protection, witchcraft, and—of course—poison. Whether applied as a poultice, infused as a incense, drank as a soup or tea, nature’s power over the world is undeniable, especially when applied by those skilled in its use.

Herbs have predefined uses; herbalism is a practice of following specific recipes.

Herbalism differs from alchemy in that the former is based on existing herbal properties and recipes, while the latter uses more exotic ingredients to create magic. This section lists a range of herbs and their uses.

Anybody can perform herbalism, but those with strong LOG attributes and ranks in the herbalism skill will find it much easier.

Herb Usage Cost (gc) Preparation Difficulty Alternate Skills

Abyssal bloom Happiness 10 Gum Challenging [13] —

Acorn of the pipemold flower Healing 100 Swallowed Difficult [16] medicine

Alfalfa Good fortune 500 Leaf Demanding [21] —

Angelica Protection from spirits 250 Incense Demanding [21] religion, abjuration

Bittervine Pain relief 30 Compress Difficult [16] medicine

Blessed bean Protection from evil 100 Soup Difficult [16] abjuration

Bulb of the goldbark bud Concentration 75 Chewed Challenging [13] Any [magical]

Chamomile Sleep 250 Potion Demanding [21] —

Darkberry Darksight 100 Tea Difficult [16] mining

Death seed Adrenaline 100 Raw Difficult [16] —

Devil’s berry Strong pain relief 50 Salve Difficult [16] medicine

Elder bean Antidote 50 Tea Challenging [13] medicine

Firedrake petals Fire protection 200 Ointment Difficult [16] abjuration

Garlic Repel vampires 250 Worn Demanding [21] religion

Gilly flower Magic resistance 500 Smoked Demanding [21] abjuration

Horsebloom Disease resistance 50 Smoked Challenging [13] —

Lotus nut Remove memories 500 Nut Demanding [21] enchantment

Marjoram Ease sickness 250 Tea Demanding [21] medicine

Mistletoe Enhance nature magic 100 Worn Difficult [16] —

Pepper foil Oxygenation 75 Paste Challenging [13] —

Pipe grass Tranquilizer 100 Oil Difficult [16] —

Queen’s orchid Adrenaline 30 Incense Challenging [13] —

Silver garlic Protection from undead 500 Worn Demanding [21] religion, abjuration

Spiderbulb Sight 100 Under tongue Difficult [16] —

Spirit petal Fake death 1,000 Powder Strenuous [25] —

Sticky graysap Stops bleeding 100 Paste Difficult [16] medicine

Stinkfruit Ward off hunger 250 Eaten Demanding [21] —

Swamp slime Cures blindness 250 Smeared Demanding [21] —

Tanglethorn Mild antibiotic 5 Jelly Challenging [13] medicine

Thunder flower Truth drug 250 Tea Demanding [21] —

Violet mold Quick reactions 100 Brewed Difficult [16] —

Whistling vine Youth 1,000 Ointment Strenuous [25] —

Yellow bark Cures madness 250 Incense Demanding [21] medicine

The difficulty listed in the Herbs table above represents the challenge required to gather and prepare a dose of the herb in the wild. It takes one hour to make a LOG check; success results in one dose. A dose remains usable for only one day before it is spoiled.

An herbalist kit is required; otherwise the –2d6 improvisation penalty is applied.

The herbalism skill can always be used to gather and prepare herbs. For some herbs, alternate skills can also be used; for example, medicine for healing herbs, and religion for herbs dealing with undead and the like. Of course, a herbalist does not need to gather her herbs in the wild. At the GM’s option, they can also be purchased at markets and similar places; the price to purchase one dose of a herb is indicated in the Herbs table. When a herb is purchased, it does not expire in one day—it is already properly gathered, prepared, treated, and stored, and lasts until it is used. The GM should determine the availability of herbs for purchase, but generally no more than one dose should be available except in unusual circumstances.

One dose is sufficient to affect one medium-sized or smaller creature. Larger creatures require more doses. Each size category above medium doubles the dosage requirement. A large creature requires 2 doses, an enormous creature needs 4 doses, and so on.

Using an herb takes one action. No creature can be affected by a given herb more than once per day, and no creature can benefit from the effects of more than one herb at a time.

Abyssal bloom. These common herbs are used to create a feeling of well-being or happiness for four hours. They are used recreationally by many and are easily available, though mildly addictive. Users are immune to the Angry and Afraid conditions while under the effect.

Acorn of the pipemold flower. These acorns are potent indeed. Stored correctly by an experienced herbalist in a vial of vinegar, the acorn becomes brittle and hard. Simply swallowing it is enough to recover 1d6 Health, although doing so is a fairly unpleasant task and requires the recipient to swallow it whole.

Alfalfa. Alfalfa brings good fortune. Using this herb replenishes a LUC dice pool by one die; any given creature can only benefit from this herb once per day.

Angelica. This herb protects from spirits and is used in exorcisms. It grants +2 Defense vs. spirits for one hour.

Bittervine. Painkillers can be used to grant temporary Health—however, the effects wear off, and the temporary Health wears off at the same time. The vine grants 2d6 temporary Health for one hour.

Blessed bean. These beans grant the user a +4 Defense vs. creatures with the Evil virtue for one hour.

Goldbark bud. Sometimes used by student scholars and apprentice wizards, this foultasting bulb can be chewed to gain a degree of mental clarity. For one minute, those who chew the bulb gain +1d6 on all Logic based checks. Unfortunately, there is a side effect: for one hour afterwards, the recipient suffers –1d6 to those same checks.

Chamomile. This herb can be turned into a sleep potion. The herbalist makes a LOG check vs. the target’s Vital Defense; if he succeeds, the target falls asleep for 5 minutes.

Darkberry. The darkberry is a small, sweet fruit with the ability to endow darkvision on those who eat it. Upon consuming the berry, the recipient gains superior darksight for ten minutes.

Devil’s berry. Painkillers can be used to grant temporary Health—however, the effects wear off, and the temporary Health wears off at the same time. A berry grants 3d6 temporary Health for one hour, but when it wears off, the imbiber loses an additional 1d6 Health.

Elder bean. Antidotes work to counteract slow acting toxins. The elder bean grants poison immunity for one minute.

Firedrake petals. Firedrake is a leafy bush, noted for its almost complete imperviousness to fire. Indeed, many craftsmen try to incorporate it into the walls of buildings, but the effects sadly do not last. When crushed and mixed into an ointment, and smeared all over the body, the recipient gains Soak 10 (fire) for one hour.

Fireseed. Strong boosters which are rare, expensive and addictive. They grant a +1d6 bonus to Agility, but for five minutes only, and that same attribute suffers a –1d6 penalty for an hour thereafter.

Garlic. Properly prepared, garlic can repel vampires. This herb grants +4 Defense vs. vampires.

Gilly flower. A group of very rare, valuable herbs. They are highly addictive, and extremely expensive, but they grant a +4 Defense vs. magic for one hour.

Horsebloom. Immunity boosters are used as preventative herbs; they increase the user’s resistance to disease. Horsebloom gives the user a +2d6 bonus to disease dice pools for one day. These herbs are often used in long-term medical care. Note that the +2d6 bonus is temporary—it wears off after a day (although another dose can be taken at that time).

Lotus nut. Lotus nuts are used to remove memories. Developed for trauma victims to help them forget certain events, less beneficial uses were soon found. The herbalist makes a LOG check vs. the target’s Mental Defense; on a success, the last day’s event’s are forgotten. There is a risk that more will be lost: roll 1d6, and on a roll of 6 the user loses one skill rank from a random skill.

Marjoram. Marjoram eases coughs and similar ailments. It removes the Sick condition; any given creature can only benefit from this herb once per day.

Mistletoe. This herb is used by druids and shamans to focus nature magic. Magic using the secret of plants gains +1d6 when this herb is worn by the caster. Mistletoe counts as an implement, and does not stack with any other implement.

Pepper foil. This herb can enable a creature to operate as if they can breathe normally in a zero-oxygen environment (such as underwater) for 5 minutes, or in a low-oxygen environment (like thin mountaintop air) for one hour.

Pipe grass. Tranquilizers are used to put a patient (or victim) to sleep. These are used by hunters, criminals, and also by customers who have trouble with insomnia. The herbalist makes a LOG check vs. the target’s Mental Defense; if he succeeds, the target falls asleep for 5 minutes.

Queen’s orchid. A basic, cheap herb which grants the user a temporary burst of strength. This herb gives the user a +1d6 bonus to her STR attribute for one minute. Doses do not stack with each other—taking two does not increase the bonus to +2d6.

Silver garlic. Silver garlic is a particularly potent form of garlic found near silver mines. It has powerful warding properties against the undead when worn around the neck in the form of a necklace, although the smell can be off-putting. The wearer gains +4 Defense vs. all undead creatures for one hour; however, the wearer suffers a –1d6 penalty to all stealth related activity due to the obvious aroma. The bonus does not stack with the one granted by ordinary garlic.

Spiderbulb. Spiderbulb grows in the ground, and has a pungent, spicy taste and aroma which can sting the eyes. When carefully sliced and placed under the tongue, it heightens the recipient’s senses of sight and hearing for ten minutes, granting +1d6 to all perception- based checks.

Spirit petal. An extremely potent form of metabolic depressor, this herb completely halts metabolism and life signs for 4 hours. The user appears dead to a cursory visual inspection. The user is unconscious during this time.

Sticky graysap. This sap is made into a paste which is able to stop bleeding. Smeared over a creature’s wounds, it removes the Bleeding condition.

Stinkfruit. These fruits ward off the need for food and water for 24 hours. They are highly addictive, but fortunately they are so much more expensive than actual food and water that there is little risk of them becoming a societal problem.

Swamp slime. A disgusting, foul-smelling ointment, when smeared across the eyes swamp slime can cure blindness. Any creature suffering from the Blind condition due to illness, poison, or other effects, but not including situations where vision is merely obscured, has its sight restored.

Tanglethorn. An antibiotic jelly which can treat small injuries. Application of tanglethorn cures 1 point of Health. However, a person can only benefit from it once per day.

Thunder flower. Truth herbs like thunder flower compel the imbiber to talk truthfully. In reality, they’re not a guarantee—the herbalist makes a LOG check vs. the target’s Mental Defense. The herb wears off after just 20 minutes.

Violet mold. Violet mold increases cognitive processing, awareness, and reaction speed. It adds +1d6 to Initiative checks for one hour, and is mildly addictive.

Whistling vine. Anti-aging herbs are applied monthly, and each application effectively reduces the user’s age by 1d6 years. However, they are slightly addictive. If an application is missed, the user ages 3d6 years (but will not age beyond his actual, natural age).

Yellow bark. The yellow bark of the yewclaw is a wonderful way to ease the strain of madness on an afflicted person. Burnt as an incense, and deeply inhaled, the resultant smoke calms the mind, suppressing a short-term madness completely, and easing a long-term madness for one hour.