Acknowledgments

Guide to Herbalism & Alchemy

All throughout the world there are various forms of plant life, magical essence, and even earthy substances that you can utilize to create Potions, Salves, Oils and Powders. These concoctions can then be used to heal, poison, enhance ones abilites, or temporarily give them new abilities.

Herbalism is the skill of gathering, harvesting, and identifying the ingredients used to create these concoctions. Your skill in Herbalism is story driven and is up to you how you'd like to explain your basic knowledge of it. Are you an Elf that has grown up in the woods and as such grew up being taught the different plants and how to use them? Or are you a Human Wizard that has spent years studying all the known books on Herbalism and now you want to put your knowledge to practical use? In all cases, every character has the ability to conduct Herbalism with the proper tools and seek out ingredients.

Alchemy is the skill of knowing how to use the ingredients found through Herbalism. This includes what the ingredients can do as well as how to mix them with other ingredients to create stronger concoctions. Just like with Herbalism, every PC has the ability to produce Alchemical concoctions with the proper tools using the knowledge you have. As with Herbalism, it is up to the PC to explain how they know Alchemy, you can make it as colourful as you'd like.

Requirements

For the purposes of this guide, ignore any and all statements in relation to Artisan Tools, the Herbalism Kit, and the Poisoners Kit (found in the PHB pg.154).

To conduct any of the main functions within this guide all that is required are the Tools, Supplies or Kits of that craft be on your person.

Proficiency Requirment

Proficiency with any of the Tools, Supplies or Kits is:

NOT Required

Proficiency, as with any other skill, is not required to do said actions. Just because you don't have Proficiency in Acrobatics doesn't mean you are unable to dive out of the way of a falling rock. Proficiency simply makes it easier through a higher degree of competence in the skill or in some cases Expertise to conduct skill checks using those Tools.

Glossary

Gathering:

The act of searching and finding plant life or ingredients using your Herbalist Tools.

Harvesting:

The act of actually harvesting the needed parts from the gathered plants and ingredients.

Potion:

A Potion is a broad term used to designate a liquid meant to be ingested that can contain an Elixer, Poison, or Enchantment.

Elixer:

A Potion made specficially using Alchemy Supplies that has benificial or healing attributes.

Poison:

A Poison is considered anything that has a negative or harmful attribute created using Alchemy Supplies AND a Poisoners Kit

Enchantment:

These are highly cocentrated Potions with magical attributes that require the use of an Alchemy Laboratory and a very skilled Alchemist.

Prima Materia:

This is your Main Ingredient for Potions and Poisons

Regent:

These are your Modifier Ingredients for Potions and Poisons

Solvent:

This is the liquid used to mix all the Ingredients together for Potions and Enchantments

Herbalism

The craft of Gathering, Harvesting and Identifying plants and ingredients for use in Alchemical concoctions. While players are out traveling through the world, they might want to gather some local flora. Herbalism is mainly used to gather things like plant parts, seeds, coral, mushrooms, bark, and much more. It can also be used to gather very potent magical ingredients like Ghostly Stalks or Elemental Water.

The use of a Herbalism Kit is required to gather ingredients through the use of clippers and other tools to seperate the needed parts from the plants found. Vials, pouches and other containers are then used to store those ingredients for future use or sale.

The following guide will walk you through the three main functions of Herbalism.

Gathering, Harvesting, and Identifying

During the Gathering phase, you must conduct a Herbalism Check to determine if you do in fact find anything that can be Harvested.

Herbalism Check

DC 15

The player rolls a d20 and uses their Wisdom or Intelligence Modifier (whichever has been identified as their source of knowledge for Herbalism) and their Proficiency Bonus ONLY if they are Proficient with the Herbalism Kit when trying to gather ingredients.

Herbalism Modifier:

WIS or INT Modifier + Proficiency Bonus

DO NOT add your WIS or INT Modifier a second time when adding the Proficiency Bonus

During the Gathering phase, the DM will ask for a Herbalism Check when the Player wants to try and find ingredients. The base Herbalism DC = 15, however, the DM can decide to increase this DC for any reason. An example of this would be if you are travelling through rocky mountains and the terrain is more difficult and plant life is expected to be more sparse. As a hard rule though, do not lower the DC below 15 for obvious balance reasons.

Downtime Harvests Table

On the next page you will find the rules for Gathering ingredients during Downtime. These rules require you to do some simple math, however, I have provided the table below to make it much faster to figure out how many Harvests you recieve using your Herbalism Check.

During Gameplay

During a session a player would announce to their DM that they would like to gather some plant life around the area. The player would then roll against a DC 15 Herbalism Check. Remember, the Character has to have a Herbalism Kit on them to gather any ingredients. To increase their total Modifier by their Proficiency Bonus they must be Proficient with the Herbalism Kit.

Due to the time it takes to look for, find, and harvest the material, there are some stipulations when gathering during a Short or Long Rest. First we'll look at the Short Rest Herbalism action.

Short Rest:

Due to the length of a Short Rest being 1 hour, you may only conduct 1 Harvest with a successful Herbalism Check. You DO NOT gain the benifits of the Short Rest towards Healing or regaining a Spell Slot or other Abilities if you spend the time searching for ingredients; whether you are successful or not on your Herbalism Check.

Long Rest:

During a Long Rest you are capable of spending 2 hours being active without interupting the benifits of a Long Rest. During this time you may conduct 2 Harvests with a successful Herbalism Check and then add +1 to the Harvest total of plants found.

While Travelling

During periods of time where the DM tells you that the characters are travelling over a period of multiple days you may ask the DM how many of those days you can spend gathering ingredients.

Because you are travelling together as a group, this time is spent searching for ingredients close at hand (such as by the road or within a short distance of your companions). Going off on your own skipping through the forest doesn't exactly seem like a smart idea now does it? Due to this fact, the number of different plants you will encounter will be limited while the amount of those plants you do find will be increased.

For each day the DM allows you to gather ingredients, roll a Herbalism Check. Consider each day like a Short Rest where you only get 1 Harvest per day; you're travelling/marching/escorting so you do have other jobs to do than to go out looking for pretty flowers.

add HALF the number of Successful Gathering attempts to each of the Harvest Checks (rounding down)

Example: If you spend 6 days travelling, roll 6 Herbalism Checks. If you succeeded on 4 of them, add +2 plants to each of the 4 Harvest Checks you're about to roll, rounding down.

Downtime Activities

During Downtime you have a lot of time to spend how you see fit. In the case of Herbalism you need to consider the local ecosystems and how many days you're going to spend looking for Ingredients. This is something you'll need to workout with your DM and what they have designed for your world or where you are currently staying.

This is when you'll spend the day out in the wilderness looking for ingredients. You can do this in two ways, first is to gather as per normal (rolling randomly on the required tables) and the second is to search for known Ingredients in the local biome.

Normal Search:

For each day of Downtime used roll a Herbalism Check and then calculate the number of Harvests you can perform for each Success:

'Herbalism Check' - 15 / 2

(Round up or use the Downtime Harvests Table on the previous page to quickly see how many Harvests you get)

The DM may ask you to use multiple days of Downtime for one check if you want to venture further into a different biome.

Specific Search:

Pick a known Ingredient you wish to find and make sure it is within your local Biome with your DM first. If it is, then follow the same rules as you would for a Short Rest, however, add the DC Modifier of that Ingredient to the Herbalism Check DC. You only get one chance at a single Harvest for each Day of Downtime spent searching. If you fail the Herbalism Check then that day was spent searching with zero results.

Identifying Ingredients

If you are spending your Downtime in a location that has a Herbalist's Shop, Alchemist's Shop, Apothocary, or any other place your DM deems as a place to research knowledge about Ingredients you may spend one day of your Downtime to research ONE Ingredient. As Downtime is sometimes given frequently it should be taken into consideration how fast you want your players to gain knowledge about Herbalism and Alchemy.

It could be useful for a DM to manage the amount of knowledge the local NPC's have as well (see the note for Restrictions to Knowledge on the next page). This is really gonna be up to the DM and his group based on their play style and how much Downtime the DM gives.

Harvest Check

You've successfully found plants, or multiple plants if you spent mutliple days gathering during Downtime or while Traveling, but what do you do now? Now you have to Harvest them and that means determining WHAT you found and HOW MUCH of it you were able to gather or extract.

Characters who have Proficiency with Herbalism Tools have a greater ability to gather ingredients, but they also receive a Bonus when Havesting. The Character receives a +1 Bonus to the Quantity of Ingredients Harvested for having Proficiency and a +2 Bonus if they have Expertise in Herbalism. Rangers and Druids also receive a +1 Bonus to the Quantity of Ingredients Harvested due to their attunement to nature. These Bonuses are cumulative so a Ranger with Proficiency with Herbalism Tools will recieve a +2 to all Harvest Checks using the 1d2. This means they will always be able to find or extract at minium 3 portions of each ingredient gathered.

Harvest Check Dice:

1d2 , 2d6 , 1d12

Quantity of Ingredient:  1d2

- ( +1 for Rangers or Druids )
- ( +1 for Profiency in Herbalism Tools or +2 with Expertise)

• This determins how much of the plant or ingredient you find or extract (adding any Class Bonus, Proficiency Bonus, and/or Traveling Bonus)

Ingredient Type:  2d6

• These are used with the Terrain Tables to determin what ingredient you find

Common Ingredient Type:  1d12

• This is for Common Ingredients and is rolled at the same time just incase your 2d6 come up 6, 7, or 8 on the Terrain Table. It is only used if you are instructed to look at the Common Ingredients Table.

Example Harvest:

You're in a Forest looking for Ingredients and you find:

1d2 = 2

2d6 = 4

You Harvested 2 Emetic Wax from the Forest Terrain Table

Recording your Results

If you have to roll for multiple Harvests, you can quickly record your findings using the Harvest ShortCodes. This is a quick way to write it down without looking up the results right away. This will get you back into the game quickly so you don't miss anything the DM might be telling everyone.

Harvest ShortCode = 2F4

(1d2 + any Bonus') / Terrain Table Letter / (2d6) OR (1d12)

The use of ShortCodes is not only to speed up the time you spend rolling dice and recording your findings, but to also help when you don't know what the Plant is. Let's say you've found 2F4, all you need to do now is find F4 in your Alchemy Book's List of Ingredients and record that you have 2 portions. You're done. You now know that you have 2 portions of the 4th Plant found in Forests and can use this information later to identify those plants.

Herbalist's Journal and other Books

Coming Soon!

The Herbalist's Journal is a way to keep track of what ingredients you find as well as all the information you find out about each of the ingredients. The basic Journal is already filled out with all the information on Common ingredients however I will include the Word document so that you may alter it in any way, such as if your DM decides that you have more than just Common knowledge.

Your Journal will be broken down into 4 parts. First is your time log. This is where you can quickly write down the date, what you found in ShortCode, how much of it and a short note. Second part is your Biome / Terrain Tables. These you will fill in over time and also use to keep track of your current inventory of ingredients. In the middle of the booklet you'll find a small section to write any notes such as tips or hints your DM might give you. The last section is for you to write down any information you may gather on the ingredients or plants you find. This could be where they are found, what they do, what type they are and so on.

As it stands now, give the PLAYERS (not Characters) access to Appendix A so they may know what is possible to make and what everything does. They can use these three sheets in conjunction with their Journal to figure out what they can make.

In a future update I will be including handouts for each of the ingredients that the DM could then give to players. These would contain all the information you would need on the ingredient or plant and would be primarily given as a reward for learning something new from a Herbalist. These would then be put together into their own personal Herbalist's Journal or Guide Book.

- Keep in mind this could all change as I work further on this part of the project

ShortCodes & Alchemy Journal

Once you have your Harvest ShortCodes you can use these to look up the results in your Alchemy Journal.

For the purposes of this guide we will assume you know only the Common Ingredients and nothing else.

Unknown Ingredients

What happens when we find an ingredient we don't recognize? Take for example we find 4M5; we know that we have 4 portions of whatever M5 is... But what is M5? It's entry is blank in our Alchemy Book, so it's obvisouly of a rarity higher than Common. It's now up to you to find out what this plant is and what it can do.

You could just use the ingredient and experiment with creating Potions using it but who's gonna be the brave soul to down the Elixer of Unknown? You could use an Identify spell on the Potion you made to determin the potions effects, but depending on how you used the Ingredient it could have done nothing and thus tell you nothing... Or it could have affected the Potion in multiple ways depending on other ingredients... Either way, you are not simply able to use a spell to determin the Ingredients effects.

Steps to Identifying Ingredients

Step 1

You must Identify the Ingredient's Name. This is most easily done by a Herbalist either in your party who may be knowledgable about that plant, or in a Herbalists Shop. If using a Shop then the DM may decide the price upon which you are charged for them to Identify the plant. Talkative players should not be afraid to spark up a conversation with a Herbalist in hopes they offer you advice for free.

Step 2

You need to find out what this Ingredient does. Does it contain positive effects for Elixers or does it have negative effects to be used in Poisons? Or could it possibly have magical properties that can be extracted for a powerful Echantment Potion? This can be done the same way as with Identifying the name of the Plant but in this case you are more likely to get this information from other Alchemists or Appothacaries (they of course can also tell you the name of plants they know. However, seeing as they rely more heavily on sales of their own concoctions, it is likely they would charge you more than a Herbalist would for the same knowledge.)

Restrictions to Knowledge

It's possible who you talk to only knows a limited amount of information. This can be limited in three different ways.

Ecosystem (Forest Plants, Mountain Plants, etc...) Rarity (Common, Uncommon, Rare, or Very Rare) Usage (Elixers, Poisons, or Enchantments)

The Alchemist you talk to in the local Appothacary Shop may only deal with Elixers or even more restricted by only knowing Ingredients used in Elixers from the surrounding Ecosystems (Hills, Forests and Mountains).

Alchemy

Although a skilled Herbalist could make a salve using Wild Sageroot, it could only be able to heal an adventurer's wounds over a long period of time (usually day's or weeks). And only to a certain degree depending on the severity of the wounds. As is the case for many common folk this is the only healing they can come by, or afford for that matter.

Alchemy on the other hand is the process of attempting to purify, mature, and perfect these materials and compounds. This guide interprets Alchemy as a way to harness and extract the magical essense from the ingredients you find out in the world and use it to your own advantage to create far more powerful Elixers, Poisons and Enchantments than what a Herbalist could create with just the raw ingredients.

Alchemy is conducted through the use of one of the three Alchemy Supplies: Simple Alchmey Vials, Portable Alchemy Tools and a Standard Alchemy Laboratory.

Requirement

Just like with Herbalism, Proficiency in Alchemy Supplies is NOT required

You are required to have the proper supplies in your inventory or at hand for your Character, simlpy having Proficiency does not mean you magically have the necessary supplies to conduct Alchemy

Proficiency is simply the extent to which you are skilled in their use. As a player, you can determine how you came about your knowledge of how to use the Supplies.

Just like Herbalism, a player can perform Alchemy either in session or during a period of Downtime. This is done by asking the DM if they are capable to performing an Alchemy action, informing the DM how long it will take to create the Potion(s), then rolling their Alchemy Check based on the DC of the Potion they are trying to make.

It is a good idea for a player to keep track of all the Potions they like to make. Keeping a record of their DC and how long they take in each of the three Alchemy Supplies.

Alchemy Check

Just like Herbalism, there is currently no set Alchemy skill in 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. Towards that purpose, a character would use their Intelligence or Wisdom modifier, whichever is highest, and then add their Proficiency Bonus if they are Proficient with Alchemist’s Supplies. This is rolled against the Potion's DC to see if you are successful in creating the Potion

Alchemy Modifier:

INT or WIS Modifier + Proficiency Bonus

(if you are Proficient with Alchemy Supplies)

The Process of Alchemy

There are three requirements to creating a Potion:

Alchemist's Supplies

Solvent

Prima Materia

To start an Alchemy Attempt, you would select a Prima Materia to work with in conjunction to the Solvent (Distilled Water or Elemental Water). Prima Materia have the Type: Potion or Toxin Base. When crafting, you can only have one Prima Materia ingredient unless it says otherwise, such as Milkweed Seeds.

Once you have your Prima Materia, you can add other Regents that have the Type: Potion Modifier, Toxin Modifier or Special Modifier. You can only have up to three modifier Regents in a single concoction.

For Enchantments, these require Elemental Water as both their Solvent & Prima Materia. You then select the Enchantment Regent for the desired effect.

Once you have all the ingredients you need for your Potion, find the total difficulty number and roll an Alchemy Attempt DC check.

Alchemy Attempt DC:

10 + all ingredient difficulty modifiers combined

On a successful Alchemy Attempt roll, you create the Elixer, Poison, or Enchantment. On a failure, the vial’s contents don’t look exactly like they should. It is up to the DM to decide whether the character knows if the potion will work correctly or not.

Potion Restrictions:

Elixers, Poisons, & Enchantments

Ingredient Rarity Restrictions:

Common, Uncommon, Rare, & Very Rare

Regent Restrictions:

Up to 3 Regents

Time Restrictions:

1 Hour (+30 Minutes per Regent)

Enchantment Time Restriction:

2 Hours

Elixers are the main type of Potions that Alchemists create. These are primarily healing based and can have upwards of 3 Regents added to each Potion. Elixers are made from the more common and somewhat uncommon herbs and plants found throughout the world.

Requirements

Whenever you want to create an Elixer you must first ensure you have the required supplies and ingredients needed to make the Elixer of choice. The following is a list of the four main parts to creating an Elixer:

Alchemist's Supplies

Vials, Tools, Laboratory

The types of Elixers you can create are determined by the set of supplies you use (see previous page). A set of supplies is required to actually concoct an Elixer so ensure you don't lose yours or leave them behind somewhere.

Solvent

Distilled Water, Pure Alcohol

Before you can even start using your ingredients you have to make sure you have a solvent to create the Elixer out of. Grinding up a bunch of seeds and putting them in a bottle doesn't exactly make a potion now does it? Distilled Water is used as the Solvent within an Elixer. This is what everything is added to so that the user can quaff the potion in one gulp, otherwise he's just eating a bunch of crushed up seeds...

Base Catalyst

Alchemist Pellet

Alchemist's Pellets are used as the Catalyst to trigger the process of turning all the combined Ingredients within the Solvent into an Elixer. Pellets are part of your Alchemist's Supplies and are contained within a pouch in each set. It's up to your DM to determin whether or not you have an infinite supply or not.

Prima Materia

Base Ingredient

This is your base Ingredient that makes up the main property of an Elixer. Some Prima Materia can be altered through the use of Regents, though, some do not allow the use of Regents at all.

Regents

Optional - Potion Modifiers

Regents are essentialy ingredients that modify the Elixer to either be stronger, last longer, become more stable and much more. These ingredients are restricted in number by the type of Alchemist's Supplies used and the Prima Materia used in the Elixer.

Downtime Crafting

Due to other duties and tasks during the course of a Day of Downtime, you are restricted to being able to make the following amount of Potions for each Day of Downtime used (These are not cumulative. If you make a Rare Potion you may only make 1 more Potion of Rare or less rarity that day):

• 4 Common Potions
• 3 Uncommon Potions
• 2 Rare Potions
• 1 Very Rare Potion

Enchantments are ......

Requirements

Whenever you want to create an Enchantment you must first ensure you have the required supplies and ingredients needed to make the Enchantment of choice. The following is a list of the three main parts to creating an Enchantment:

Alchemist's Supplies

Standard Alchemy Laboratory

Due to the nature of Enchantments and their rare magical properties they can only be created with the use of an Alchemy Laboratory

Solvent

Elemental Water

Before you can even start using your ingredients you have to make sure you have a solvent to create the Elixer out of. Grinding up a bunch of seeds and putting them in a bottle doesn't exactly make a potion now does it? Elemental Water is used as the Solvent within an Enchantment.

Prima Materia

Main Ingredient

This is your main Ingredient that makes up the entirety of an Enchantment

Legendary Enchantments

Due to the nature of Legendary magic items, it is impossible to create them using normal Alchemy means. If your DM so wishes, you could embark on a quest to find an ancient Alchemy Set that can then craft these potions. However, the DM would have to homebrew these recipes.

Poisons are ......

Requirements

One of the main tools in an assassin, Drow, or evil being’s repertoire of ways to kill someone. Poisons. Most of the time these are beautiful, and all of the time, deadly. Poisons come in only one form and that's as an Oil.

Poisons are very versatile in how one can create them. They can target the target’s core and disrupt their body heat overtime to freeze them from the inside-out, or even decide to boil their flesh off using acidic properties. They can knock-out targets as well as make targets unaware they are even poisoned. When an alchemist creates a poison, they decide whether the poison needs to be

• Inhaled
• Ingested
• Contact with Blood
• Contact with Skin

Luckily, for all those wanting to master the art of poisons, all they need to start is a very common ingredient called Wyrmtongue Petals. These grow in almost every terrain, and are the base ingredient for all poisons. Additionally, all poisons can be altered by Toxin Modifier ingredients to customize them to their user’s liking.

Modifying Poisons & Combat Rules

Some ingredients like the Arctic Creeper change the damage type from poison to another. However, although the final poison’s damage has changed, for purposes of Toxin Modifier ingredients, it is still considered poison damage during crafting.

Also, a single vial of poison can be applied up to 1 weapon or 3 pieces of ammunition. Additionally, poisons used with this supplement instill the poisoned condition on their target if they fail a CON saving throw.

Poison DC = 8 + Alchemy Modifier

Selling your crafted potions and poisons can be done either during sessions or during Downtime activities like selling herbs can be. However, finished products are looked for by potential customers far more often then just the ingredients. This is mostly due to the lack of ability to craft such items for most NPCs.

The pricing for all Alchemy items is the total cost of the ingredients in the single concoction combined. However, these are just base pricing, and the charts below go off of the base pricing. The player always has the opportunity to price these items themselves, and the DM can respond at their discretion.

You can expect to sell up to half of your alchemy wares to potential buyers in most cities and towns, and only a small amount to villages. This of course depends on how much money you are willing to sacrifice. However, the more damage, healing, or power a concoction provides, the less often a buyer will be available.

When selling your crafted alchemy items to a potential buyer, the player will need to perform a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to find potential buyers of their products. Just like herbalism, another player in the party can assist, granting the original player advantage on this roll.

On a failure, no buyer can be found for that item type until the player tries again after a long rest and makes another attempt. On a success, the player is able to find a nearby buyer immediately, or if during Downtime, it takes a number of days as per the chart below. Remember, that the more ingredients in a concoction, the harder it will be to sell.

Herbalism & Alchemy Variant Rules

As the DM, you can decide to use any of these additional rulings in your games when it comes to this supplement. However, make sure to communicate this with your players so they understand.

Ingredient Expiration

This variant of Herbalism affects how long an ingredient can go when not used in an Alchemy item or preserved in another way. If the ingredient is in an Alchemy item, it is no longer considered an ingredient for purposes of expiration. Most ingredients can only last about a week in game time before losing their full potential. If used past this week time period, the concoction can have slightly altered effects, or not work at all. However, the rare and very rare ingredients can last almost a month in game time due to the hostile environments they are found in. A good way to preserve ingredients from expiring too early is to use an Ingredient Pouch (25 gp, 1 lb). Every pouch operates differently, but costs the same. Some of these pouches keep the ingredients dry, while others merely remove oxygen from the container. Any style of these pouches extends the ingredient life of ingredients by double.

Potion Sickness

Drinking too many potions can have variable consequences if not carefully monitored. If you feel that your players are making and using too many potions, this variant ruling might be for you. If a player decides to ingest more than 8 ingredients worth of potions between periods of long rest, the DM can decide to have some consequences appear. This can vary from DM to DM, but shouldn’t be used to punish the players. The character merely is tampering with the magical essence of the world too fast. Some good examples would be to have a simple consequence where the character gets sick to their stomach and gains a level of Exhaustion, while on the other end of the spectrum, a consequence could be that the magic in the potions created a Wild Surge within the character.

Underdark Treasure

Not many people go looking for a fight in the Underdark, let alone ingredients to make fascinating concoctions. With this variant ruling, any ingredients from the Underdark, and any items produced with those ingredients have a black glow to them. Buyers will buy these at 5x the regular value of a normal version. Additionally, the DM might decide that the potion or poison has additional effects randomly added in the style of an Underdark tone.

Optional Restrictions

Potion Ampule:

Potion Vials hold the completed Elixers, Oils and Enchantments. They are 1" diameter by 3" tall cylinders with an airtight stopper at one end. They are made of magically created unbreakable glass and hold about 1.25 fluid ounces of liquid. Each Potion or Oil must be used in it's entirety to gain their benifit (approximately 1 fluid ounce).

Ampule Pouch

These pouches carry a total of 5 ampule vials and may be worn at the waist, on a bandolier, or sewn into the inside of a jacket or robes. They are sturdy enough to hold all 5 ampule vials securly no matter what the wearer is doing during their adventures.

Ingredients Pouch

A pouch that can hold a certain amount of Alchemy Ingredients for use in Potions and Poisons. This pouch is made up of multiple sections so as to keep different components safely away from each other to minimize cross-contamination.

Plant Life & Ingredient Descriptors

Below you will find narrative text for each of the ingredients listed above. The DM can incorporate these descriptions to allow the player some form of immersion to the world. Each ingredient has a distinct color or quality that is unique.

Also, there are some side-rulings that the DM can use to further the narrative or plot in game if they’d like.

Arctic Creeper

This noxious weed usually grows in extremely cold environments, or at higher elevations where snow tends to accumulate. The leaves of the plant characterized by a pleasant sweet minty flavor, whereas the root is bitter and acidic. The weed is one of an assassin’s favorite plants, due to the root’s ability to freeze a creature’s bloodstream, which leads to a slow and agonizing death. The Arctic Creeper is toxic to many unwary travelers, as it is quite easy to consume the root’s toxins while enjoying the sweet flavorsome leaves.

Arrow Root

This unusually elongated plant can stand up to four feet tall, and is very easy to spot due to its distinctive white and brown speckled pattern. The Arrow Root thrives in desert and drought environments, as the plant needs very little water to survive. When diced and boiled in water the plant creates a frothy silver liquid, which is ideal for sharpening and polishing weapons and armor without the use of magic or other means.

Amanita Cap

This large mushroom is often found growing in clusters near bodies of water, or around other damp terrain. It has a bold blue stem accompanied by a large red cap, which makes this fungi extremely easy to identify. Professional herbalists often cut the head from the root, as the mushroom has the rare ability to re-grow its cap within a few short weeks.

Basilisk’s Breath

Often referred to as Grey Restraints amongst the nobles of the world, this dark grey vine is only rarely found atop the highest peaks of mountainous regions. It is fabled that this vine is a gift from the gods, as a way to test humanity. Often sold for outrageous sums of gold, Basilisk’s Breath can attract unwanted attention to those trying to sell it for profit.

Bloodgrass

The most boring, common plant life found in the wild is this dark brown grass. It has absolutely no remarkable qualities, other than being relatively harmless, and its use as basic sustenance when properly prepared. Herbalists do not find this grass very unique, but still tend to collect it as it occupies almost no space in their packs.

Blue Toadshade

Another common mushroom is this dark blue cap with a yellow striped stem. When disturbed, this mushroom lets off a puff of blue powder. Usually this causes no permanent harm to the surrounding creatures, but it can stain their skin and equipment for a short while. The powder is commonly used to color various inks and dyes. Herbalists usually search for the fungi around small watering holes, where aquatic life often thrives.

Cactus Juice

This usually clear liquid can be found within most cacti around the world. It’s reasonably difficult to extract, as many cacti are dangerous to work with. Brewers love to use this juice in many recipes, as one of its effects is to delay alcohol intoxication, allowing people to purchase and consume more before it hits them.

Chromus Slime

This thin slime substance is often observed to flow within water current as if it had a mind of its own. Often times, scientists mistake this slime with mercury, as it has the same consistency and look. When attempting to alter the slime, it reverberates and alters the other plant life it touches instead.

Cosmos Glond

This uncommon four-leafed plant is notorious for being somewhat difficult to find. This is mostly due to the plant growing about 5 feet underneath the ground, and only peeking out during its final maturity. However, it has an uncanny look of the stars in a night sky amongst its leaves.

Devil’s Bloodleaf

Only a few recorded instances of this red and yellow flower exist. This large and bold red leaf can be going back in history to the dawn of humankind. It was once a popular decoration around homes and gardens, but has become one of the rarest plants in the world. It is said to give immense vitality and health to one who can properly prepare the plant.

Drakus Flower

This bright red and pale green flower can be found in both temperate and warm environments. It’s a natural favorite amongst entertainers, due to the petal’s ability to ignite with a moderate application of friction. This ignition does not cause harm, but instead creates theatrical sparks with the ability to light fires and create warmth.

Dried Ephedra

A bush often found in dry environments, it is thorny and hard to harvest without scratching your skin. It has a distinct dark purple hue when viewed at a distance, but up close it looks black. Herbalists love to use this plant when making healing tonics as it has the odd ability to enhance Wild Sageroot.

Elemental Water

This unique liquid shares properties of the planar realms of the 4 elements. At times you can see rocks floating unnaturally in the middle and at other times you can swear you see fire in the water. This special water can be found in all environments as it is not bound to our physical world’s rules.

Emetic Wax

This thick, white wax is often found seeping out of trees near lush and wet areas. It is commonly used in candle making, as the wax melts and re-hardens rather quickly, yet is strong enough to form delicate shapes. Herbalists use it to control how their tonics enter the body, performing miraculous feats.

Fennel Silk

Often mistaken for a spider’s web, this white web like plant grows amongst frigid and dark environments. It uses sharp hooked tendrils to help secure the edges of the plant to nearby rocks or plants. Adventurers that are adept in the use of Fennel Silk will recognize the many applications it has for protecting your extremities from harsh-low temperature environments.

Fiend’s Ivy

These long, red thorn-encrusted vines can stretch up to 3 feet long and have sharp thorns that reach up to an inch or two long. It isn’t rare to find blood stains amongst these vines as many animals and adventurers can easily trip or get caught in a bushel of the vines. The vines also seem to have a sentient quality to them as they relax when prey is near, and contract when captured.

Frozen Seedlings

These small, pea sized pods can be found amongst resilient flowers in very cold environments. Named for their almost frozen appearance, they can be plucked with relative ease and are often used in cold alcoholic drinks. Some assassins have found ways to crush these into a paste and hamper one’s movements.

Harrada Leaf

This huge yellow leaf can often be found near tree tops in lush environments. It is often cultivated and harvested by gangs or the Thieves Guilds to be sold as a street drug. The potent nature of this addictive substance will cause a brief euphoric state coupled with an increase in a specific attribute; followed by a long recovery period in which the user is extremely weakened in that attribute.

Drug Addiction

At the DM’s discretion, they can introduce addiction to certain substances. These plants and ingredients that offer major boosts to a character’s body tend to have traces of themselves cling to the user for an extended period of time. They can even be found amongst the stomach lining or lungs days or weeks after simple usage. Characters that use these ingredients often should be wary of the consequences that come with them.

Hyancinth Nectar

This blue and white thick liquid can be extracted from the Hyancinth’s near somewhat wet areas. This nectar is of high demand and is often used by highly trained guards to counter poisons that evil people attempt to use on them. While it does not cure the mean of poisons, it severely limits its effects.

Hydrathistle

Named for its appearance, this three-pronged blue and black flower is often found in dark and dank environments. When used alone, the thistle has no real beneficial effects. However, skilled alchemists have been able to use highly powerful and natural water to concoct potions that allow them to breath in water.

Ironwood Heart

This gnarled white seed is commonly found in the nooks of Ironwood Trees. These large seeds pulse with a slow repetitive beat when gripped tightly, often referred to as “Nature’s Heartbeat”. It is said that when cooked or properly prepared by a Herbalist these seeds can increase a beings physical size greatly.

Lavender Sprig

These long stemmed purple-petal flowers can often be found swaying in the wind in huge patches. They are very common amongst green environments and have a distinct sweet smell. However, they taste extremely bitter when eaten.

Luminous Cap Dust

This powder can be shook from the glowing yellow mushrooms often found in extremely dark environments and it keeps an ember-like glow for about a week after extracted. Many Herbalists keep the glowing mushrooms themselves in dark cellars in order to harvest this dust every chance they can.

Mandrake Root

This tan root has serrated edges all along its body that often cause injury to Herbalists that do not properly know how to handle it. When stripped of its outer skin, the soft tender center can be eaten with relative ease and is often used by Doctors to reduce pain from poison or disease.

Milkweed Seeds

These small, white translucent seeds can be found when opening up a Milkweed Flower. They are often eaten by children due to their friendly look, but can cause negative digestive effects this way. When crushed up and diluted with other liquid these seeds offer very powerful healing effects.

Mortflesh Powder

This dark purple powder is often found growing on top of moss in dark, cold environments. This powder is often used as makeup for young men and women to reduce the look of age from their faces. When imbibed with a magical catalyst, the effect is said to be permanent when consumed.

Nightshade Berries

These light blue berries can be found in small clumped packs among small bushes in lush environments. They can be safely ingested and are often eaten by wild animals for their sweet, but tangy flavor. A skilled Herbalist can enhance the berries natural ability to affect a persons body.

Primordial Balm

This thick substance has been observed changing its coloring, almost at will. The balm is unusually warm to the touch, and can seem to retain heat for weeks on end. Herbalists often find this substance growing on rocks in humid environments. The exact rarity of the substance is unknown, as its constantly changing appearance makes it difficult to identify.

Quicksilver Lichen

This silver and grey silky moss can be found growing amongst almost any substance as it seems to ignore environmental standards. Assassins have been able to use this lichen to quickly administer their toxins into the target’s system without any drawbacks. However, this takes some preparation and is often forgotten by common folk.

Radiant Synthseed

This long black and boat shaped seed emanates a strong yellow glow, and often exerts the smell of flowers. When the seed is cracked open, a person can find a few smaller looking seeds of the same nature. These smaller seeds can often be crushed or blended into mixtures to enhance toxins.

Rock Vine

This extremely hardened dark green vine can be found growing in the ground near very old minerals, often seeming to feed off the minerals themselves. At first glance this vine seems completely useless to mortals, but arcane studies have shown this vine to harden a person’s skin significantly if combined with a powerful catalyst.

Scillia Beans

These light brown beans can occasionally be found hanging from Scillia Bushes in dry atmosphere environments. They are often used to enhance flavors in stew and other meals, but have a much stranger effect. At full potency, some of these beans can offer the user the ability to climb steep cliffs and rock faces with ease.

Silver Hibiscus

This silver-grey plant looks as though it represents madness itself. It often has random patterns and unplanned shapes, but always has a black web-like pattern on it. Although it may look deadly to touch, when prepared properly a Herbalist can unleash a torrent of elemental power representing a breath weapon.

Spineflower Berries

Often found hanging amongst the bone-like flowers, this white berry can be harvested and crushed to enhance toxins made by scoundrels. However, this effect only applies when introduced directly to the bloodstream. When ingested normally these berries provide little sustenance, but do not harm the person.

Tail Leaf

This very fuzzy, dark green leaf looks like a circle with three thick strands hanging from it. When held, the leaf itself feels as though it is vibrating. It is known that a skilled Herbalist can use these leaves in concoctions to create powerful magical effects to enhance one’s speed.

Verdant Nettle

With its dark green and yellow speckled mesh, this plant can be easily spotted. It normally grows in forests and can catch a person’s feet when traveling if they do not have proper footing. Alchemists like to use this plant to create tonics that enhance one’s strength and reflexes.

Voidroot

This dark grey thick root is often found amongst the most extreme environments. It normally grows in either desert or arctic environments and seems to vary in growth rate per root. Herbalists tend to be very careful when they extract this root from the ground, as it seems to defy gravity and want to “fly” away.

Wild Sageroot

The most common ingredient found among doctors and healer’s equipment would be these light pink roots. They measure about 3 to 5 inches in length and have a smooth, fuzzy texture to them. They are used every day by skilled Alchemists and healers to create concoctions of extraordinary healing power.

Wisp Stalks

This incredibly rare fungi has become something of a fable amongst herbalists. It is reported to have a large bulbous cap growing atop a thin stem, and to normally form in small clusters deep within damp cave environments and forests. The organism is usually a translucent blue, and is rumored to render creatures invisible once consumed.

Wrackwort Bulbs

These huge white bulbs can be found on small yellow mushrooms often found in swamps or wet caverns. The mushroom releases a puff of powder from these bulbs when threatened and it tends to confuse and hinder a person. When harvested successfully, these bulbs can be ground into a paste and imbibed within magical water to diminish the size of a being.

Wyrmtongue Petals

The assassins, and many Drows, favorite natural ingredient. These jagged red petals can be found growing on Wyrmtongue flowers in almost every terrain. It’s almost as if the world itself is trying to test humanity by letting these flowers grow everywhere. These petals are used as a base for toxins that can offer extremely powerful damage. For this reason, Wyrmtongue is highly illegal, and in many cases punishes owners of this flower with death.

Appendix A: Ingredients List

Appendix B: Ingredient Biomes

This appendix is used to understand how each of the ingredients work on an ecology basis, as well as used by the DM to randomly determine which ingredient to give the player. These tables are fueled by the Herbalism skill, and correlate directly to that section.

Additional rulings can be found next to each ingredient on the charts below, and each Biome has specific rulings per ingredient as well. For example, Hydrathistle is found in 1 or 2 amounts while searching for it underwater, but can only be found in quantities of 1-2 in a swamp if its raining. Refer to the ingredient descriptions for reasons why.