Jump to content

Herbs, herbcraft, salves and potions…


Jegergryte

Recommended Posts

Hi,

I was wondering, healing potions are usually magical, based in alchemy, often boosted by spells, to create this healing effect… but what about herbal remedies, herbal salves and potions?

Does any book cover this in any way, I mean in particular the non-magical healing through herbs and such, although the herbs might be magical in nature, they do not necessarily reproduce spells or spell-like effects… any pointers?

I have my all players start with at least some knowledge about herbs, especially the ones from rural and more "wild" areas than the cities… the idea is to let them find and identify various types of herbs, including healing herbs… but I have as of yet no good grasp of how powerful a common to uncommon healing herb would be… once prepared that is, if it is not a herb that can be eaten as is… how many HP would/could one of these heal before it became too powerful?

I was thinking something around 1d2 or 1d3 for common herbs, 1d4 for uncommon to 1d6 for rare… before one enters into the realm of magical herbs of perhaps 1d8… with minuses or pluses depending on season, preparation and such… this is beside the herbs that cure stuns, stops bleeding, repairs muscle and nerve damage and so on…

any good supplements on this? or does anyone have good house-rules or tips?

"What about the future...? We only hope, we cannot however account for the minutiae of the quanta, as all accidents in an infinite space are inevitable."

Jegergrytes Creative Cubicle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heh, I asked about RPG herbalism on another forum just yesterday. "The Guide To Herbs for RPGs" was by far the best recommended, it may not answer all your questions but is a great toolkit on the subject. There's an online version here: http://www.republicofnewhome.org/lair/games/herb5/herb5illo1.html

You can also find the PDF for download, which I kind of prefer as it's a little easier on the eyes and there aren't really too many hyperlinks in the former anyhow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my BRP fantasy game, I allow use of Knowledge (Nature Lore) to gather herbal supplies, which then allows a bonus to First Aid or Medicine rolls as long as the herbal supplies last. A pretty abstract way to do it, but simple.

129/420

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chivalry & Sorcery 3rd Ed has a list of herbs and materials along with how they boosted magic. I used to have a filemaker database of them, I'll see if I can find it. Here's an example of how they were laid out:

Betony Element: Fire, MRF*2, Herb, Healing & Purification

It breakdowns like this; Betony could be used in construct items that aid in Fire magic, MRF*2 means that it's easy to prepare for enchanting (you would make an incense or oil and anoint the item), it's a herb, and also boosts healing and purification (in potions or as an incense).

I may still have in on an old CD. The only system specific stuff is the element and MRF. MRF is Magic Resistance Factor and you can easily convert it to POW.

The sacred sentence of science: "I might be wrong: let's find out." - David Brin

My Blog: http://grevsspace.wordpress.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not certain how I want to do this yet… but the normal first aid skill heals 1d3 hp (with the required first aid kit og herbalist kit), if I remember correctly… so special herbs could then give bonus to the actual first aid roll, for example to stop bleeding or remove impaled objects… it could help mend broken bones and such from a major wound… or some could simply add a flat bonsu to the first aid roll (counting as improved quality first aid/herbalist kit) or maybe just a +1, +2 or +3 to the 1d3 roll for hp healed… depending on the herb found and stuff... I mean some of the real powerful ones might up the die type or amount of dice… either up it to 1d4 or double it to 2d3… hm… of course the should be restrictions to how many types of herbs can be used as once, per wound and so on… arh… stuff dawns on me now…

Is this too powerful?

"What about the future...? We only hope, we cannot however account for the minutiae of the quanta, as all accidents in an infinite space are inevitable."

Jegergrytes Creative Cubicle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...