Credits

This is heavily adapted from a mix of core rules and many different homebrew ideas I found around the web, most notably Octavian's Guide to Herbalism & Alchemy and The Wilderness Survival Guide.

Art Credits

Cover:

"Alchemy Workshop" by Yaroslav Radeckyi
Interior:

"Solstice Gathering" by Anne Stokes

"Dragon Carcass" by Thomaswivegg

"Alchemist" by Alan Vadell

"Eitri - Berloga-workshop" by Luciano Komorizono

"Bone armor character concept" by jeffchendesigns

"Dwarf-Forge" by Graffiti-freak

Version History

Version 1.5

• Updated saving throw DC of Basilisk's Breath
• Changed the ability check for harvesting creatures parts from WIS to DEX/STR
• Corrected typos and clarified rules throughout

Version 1.6

• Updated results of an Alchemy Check
• Corrected typos and clarified rules throughout

Part 1: Collecting Materials

Herbalism

The craft of gathering, harvesting and identifying plants and ingredients for use in alchemical concoctions. While players are out traveling the world they might want to gather some local flora. Herbalism is used to gather things like petals, seeds, coral, mushrooms, leaves and much more.

The use of an 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.

Finding Herbs

You can make one DC 15 Wisdom (Survival/Herbalism Kit) per day to determine if you can find anything that can be harvested. Compare the result to the Harvest Table to determine the maximum number of Harvest Checks you can make. Each harvest takes 1 hour and you do not need to use the full harvest count.

The base DC is 15, however this can be adjusted, or even impossible, according to the environment. For example, if you are traveling through rocky mountains plant life might be more sparse, or non-existent in a stone basement.

If you are proficient with an herbalism kit but not Nature, add your proficiency bonus to the check. If you are proficient in Nature and the herbalism kit you gain advantage on this check.

Specific Search

Perhaps you know exactly what you are looking for. As an alternative to the regular check you may pick a known ingredient you wish to find from your local Biome. Make a Wisdom (Nature/Herbalism Kit) check with a DC of 15 plus the DC Modifier of that ingredient (p. 20, 22). On a failure, you use 1 hour of time and are unable to find the ingredient you were searching for. If you perform a search for a specific ingredient you only harvest once.

Venturing further out

During downtime you may venture further out into the wilderness to reach far off biomes. Depending on where you are in the world, you may travel to distant environments given that you have enough days of downtime to travel there, gather herbs, and travel back. For each day you spend gathering herbs, you may make up to two Herbalism checks.

Harvesting Plants

Harvest Check

You've successfully found plants. Now you have to harvest them. Make a number of Harvest Checks up to the amount from the Harvest Table by rolling 1d2, 2d6, and 1d12 for each harvest. Each harvest takes 1 hour.

Characters who have proficiency with an herbalism kit have a greater ability to harvest ingredients and receive a bonus when havesting. They receive a +1 bonus to the quantity of ingredients harvested for having proficiency with an herbalism kit and a +2 Bonus if they have expertise with it. 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 who is proficient with an herbalism kit will recieve a +2 to all Harvest Checks using the 1d2. This means they will always be able to find or extract at minimum 3 portions of each ingredient gathered.

Harvest Yield: 1d2

( +1 for Rangers or Druids )
( +1 for profiency with an Herbalism Kit or +2 with Expertise)

• This determins the number of units of the ingredient you found.

Ingredient Type: 2d6

• This determins which ingredient you find. Compare the result to the Terrain Table for your current biome.

Common Ingredient Type: 1d12

• This is for common ingredients and is rolled at the same time just in case your 2d6 come up 6, 7, or 8 on some of the Terrain Tables. 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

Identifying Plants

Unknown Ingredients

What happens when you find an ingredient you don't recognize? Make an Intelligence (Nature/Herbalism Kit) check to see if you are able to identify the plant and its useful properties (passive scores and previously identifying the material allow automatic success). DC = 15 + DC Modifier of that Ingredient.

If you are proficient with an herbalism kit but not Nature, add your proficiency bonus to the check. If you are proficient in Nature and an herbalism kit you gain advantage on this check.

If successful, you know the name of the plant and the formula for how it can be used to create a poison or potion.

If you are unable to identify the ingredient, you may perform research to discover what it is (consult books or an expert. XGE 132), or experiment with it. Each unit you have harvested is good for one attempt at experimentation to identify the plant's useful properites (see Alchemy section below).

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 (Poisons or Potions)

The alchemist or herbalist you speak to in the local appothacary may only deal with potions or even more restricted by only knowing ingredients used in potions from the local ecosystems.

Harvesting Creatures

Creature parts are used as alchemical materials and for creating armor and weapons for the adventurers, which some of them gives special features. Others take some of the creature parts as trophies and decorations for their armor and houses.

If you want to extract parts of animals and creatures, you may make an Intelligence (Nature) check to determine if you can ascertain how to safely and effectively extract the part. On a success, you gain +5 on the harvesting check.

You can then make a Dexterity/Strength (Survival) check for harvesting parts (which aility is needed is up to the DM). On a success, you are able to harvest the desired part. On a failed check, the part is destroyed or damaged.

It's up to the DM to determine if different abilities or skills apply, depending on factors such as the desired part, the creature type and how common that creature is in the world.

The DC for both checks is DC = 15 + 1/2 of the creature's CR (Creatures with a CR less than 2 don't add the CR to the DC).

The number of checks you can make and the time used for harvesting all the parts of a creature depends of the size of the creature as shown in the following table.

Creature Size	Max. Harvest Checks	Time Required
Tiny	1	15 minutes
Small	1	30 minutes
Medium	2	1 hour
Large	3	1.5 hour
Huge	4	2 hours
Gargantuan	5	2.5+ hours

Each successful check gives you a number of units depending on the creature size as shown in the following table, which can be used for creating new pieces of equipment or as alchemical materials.

Creature size	Units collected per check
Tiny	1/4 unit
Small	1/2 unit
Medium	1 unit
Large	2 units
Huge	3 units
Gargantuan	4 units

When you use parts for crafting armor and weapons, you need a number of units of the same material depending on the size the creature that will use the item. You can read more about crafting and the materials in the crafting section.

When you use the parts for alchemical work you can use 1 unit per Alchecmy Check. Each potion or poison that can be crafted from monster parts requires 1 unit. Note, some poisons extracted from animals do not require alchemical processing, such as Wyvern venom.

A Sampling of Parts

The following table includes examples of creature parts. Some parts deal damage if you fail to extract it. The elemental damage can be any type of damage as determined by the DM (for example, a character takes fire damage on a failed check to extract the essential organ of a red dragon). You can determine the damage dealt using the same guidelines for trap damage found in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.

Part	Potential consequences
Stinger	Deals poison damage on a failed check
Wings, feathers	—
Fins	—
Chitin	—
Tail	—
Fangs, teeth	Deals piercing damage on a failed check
Organ	—
Horns	Deals piercing damage on a failed check
Ectoplasm	Deals necrotic damage on a failed check
Scales	—
Elemental essence	Deals elemental damage on a failed check
Claws	Deals slashing damage on a failed check
Bones	—
Slime, mucus	Deals elemental or poison damage on a failed check
Essential Organ	Deals elemental damage on a failed check
Fur, hide	—
Blood	—

Part Values

The value of each harvested unit ranges between 1% to 50% of the experience of the creature. You can determine the values of each extracted part in the following table.

Unit Value

CR	Creature rarity	Unit value
4 or less	Common	1% of the creature exp.
5-12	Uncommon	5% of the creature exp.
13-18	Rare	10% of the creature exp.
19-24	Very Rare	25% of the creature exp.
25+	Legendary	50% of the creature exp.

For example, if you harvest some feathers from a hippogriff (CR 1), the value of the feather unit will be 1% of the base experience (200 exp), which is 2 gp. A unit of pseudodragon's scales is worth 5 sp (CR 1/4), and a unit of an adult blue dragon's scales is worth 1,500 gp (CR 16).

Butchering (Foraging Variant)

While characters can forage to survive in the wilderness, they can also hunt creatures to harvest the meat for food. The meat they yield spoils after a single day if left uneaten and unpreserved. Eating spoiled meat might require a Constitution saving throw to avoid vomiting or disease.

A character can make a Wisdom (Survival) DC 15 check to try to collect meat as food. The DC for the check is typically 15, but can be modified to suit the needs of the situation. The amount of meat harvested is determined by the creature size and the amount of time taken.

Harvesting meat does not count towards the maximum harvest checks you can make on a particular creature.

Creature Food Yield

Creature Size	Max. Food Yield	Time Required
Tiny	1 lb.	15 min.
Small	4 lb.	30 min.
Medium	16 lb.	1 hour
Large	32 lb.	2 hours
Gargantuan	64 lb.	4 hours

Harvesting the Earth

Materials such as wood, stone, minerals and coral can be used to craft weapons or armor. Each search and potential harvest of these resources requires 1 day.

As a part of downtime, you may travel to distant environments given that you have enough days of downtime to travel there, gather resources, and travel back. Depending on how much you gather you may need to account for a way to transport the materials.

Minerals are divided into two types: Ore and Gemstones.

Finding and Identifying Resources

In order to locate minerals or other materials of the land, make a Wisdom (Survival/Tool) check. Compare the result to the table below. You find materials of each rarity equal to and lower than the DC that is passed. The DM determines which materials are available in your current location.

You make an Intelligence (Nature/Tool) check against the same table to identify these materials (passive scores and previously identifying the material allow automatic success). On a success, you know what the matieral is and its useful properties. On a failure, the material remains unknown to them. They can seek out knowledge of the material, experiment with it, or simply have it crafted and see what effect it may have.

For each of these checks, if you are proficient with an appropriate tool and not Nature, add your proficiency bonus. If you have proficiency with both Nature and the tool, you gain advantage on the check.

DC	Material Rarity
15	Common
17	Uncommon
19	Rare
21	Very Rare

If you would like to search for a specific material, state which resource or type of resource you are searching for and make a Wisdom (Nature/Tool) check against the specific DC corresponding to the desired material's rarity. On a failure, you do not find any useful materials.

Harvesting Resources

Of all of the materials found you choose one to harvest. The base DC for a harvest check for any type of material is DC 15, using an appropriate tool (axe for wood, miner's pick for ore, etc.). This DC may be modified depending on environment or circumstance.

Make an ability check appropriate for the material being harvested and the tools being used, such as Strength (Athletics/Tool) for mining or felling a tree, or Dexterity (Tool) for extracting delicate gems. On a success, collect a number of units equal to 2d4 + your Constitution modifier. Collect half as much on a failure.

If extracting gemstones, the DM determines the amount of the gemstones found, or rolls a d20 and compares the result with the following table. You can determine the kind of gemstones found using the tables on page 134 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.

d20	Gemstones Found
1-10	1 gemstone (10 gp)
11-15	1d4+1 gemstones (10 gp)
16-18	1 gemstone (50 gp)
19	1d4+1 gemstones (50 gp)
20	Roll twice

Material Values

Minerals and other materials can be sold, and in some cases bought, at the value of each unit depending on the material. For more information see the materials field guide below.

Special Materials by Biome

These tables can be used to help guide the DM towards what is available in any given location. Not all locations within a biome necessarily have all resources, even those within the same rarity tier. The DM can choose what makes the most sense or determine it randomly.

Part 2: 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 days 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 magical materials (both plant and monster). This guide explores how alchemy can be used to eperiment with natural materials to unlock the potnetial of these ingredients and discover the formula for magical concoctions.

Once the formula is known and the required ingrediants are available, the player can take the time and cost required to craft the corresponding magical item (XGE 128).

To conduct an alchemical experiment, you must own a set of alchemist's supplies and make an Alchemy Check.

Poisons

One of an assassin's primary tools. The cunning combination of beatuy and leathality.

Each poison must be delivered in one of four ways in order to be effective:

• Inhaled
• Ingested
• Injury
• Skin contact

Enveonming Weapons

A single vial of poison can be applied to 1 weapon or up to 3 pieces of ammunition. A poison used this way retains its potency until the weapon successfully hits a creature or it is washed off.

Alchemy Check

Intelligence (Arcana/Alchemist's Supplies)

Alchemy Check DC = 15 + ingredient difficulty modifier

Each attempt requires 1 day and 1 unit of the material being tested. There are three possible results when making an Alchemy Check:

• On a successful Alchemy Check, you have started the crafting process (see below) and learn the formula.
• On a failure, the vial’s contents don’t look exactly like you expected. The DM decides if the character knows that the solution will not work correctly.
• Making progress (the result is within 3 of the DC). You haven't quite gotten it right, but subsequent attempts will have -2 to the total DC.

Reverse Engineering

If you have an existing potion or poison you can attempt to reverse engineer it to learn the formula. Each vial of potion or poison provides three units with which you can experiment on. Make an Alchemy Check with DC corresponding to the rarity of the solution.

Reverse Engineering DC

DC	Solution Rarity
10	Common
15	Uncommon
20	Rare
25	Very Rare
30	Legendary

Any left over part of the solution will have a diminished effect.

Crafting Potions and Poisons

Once you know the formula and have access to the required ingredients, tools (alchemist's supplies for potions and a poisoner's kit for poisons), time, and money, you can make new potions and poisons by using 1 unit of each ingredient you would like to use and the following table (with proficiency):

Ingredient Rarity	Days (Potions/Poisons)	Cost
Common	2/1	25 gp
Uncommon	5/2	100 gp
Rare	25/12	1,000 gp
Very Rare	60/30	10,000 gp

Note that the time to craft potions of healing is different: 1/5/15/20 days for each respective rarity.

See the Formula tables of Appendix A for additional crafting details.

Part 3: Crafting and Materials

During your adventures and travels, you can collect a series of materials to craft special equipment. This section expands the crafting system found in the Player's Handbook and modifies some parts of it.

You can craft nonmagical items, including adventuring equipment. Proficiency with a set of tools is not required to attempt crafting, but it certainly helps. You may need access to a special location for crafting the item as well. For example, someone attempting a smithing project needs a forge to craft a sword or suit of armor.

For each day of downtime you spend crafting, you can craft one or more items with a total market value not exceeding 25 gp, and you must expend raw materials worth half the total market value. If something you want to craft has a market value greater than 25 gp, you make progress every day in 25 gp increments until you reach the market value of the item. For example, a suit of plate armor (market value of 1,500 gp) takes 60 days to craft by you. By the end of this process the total cost to you is half the market value of the item (this represents the common raw materials used).

If you are not proficient with the requisite set of tools, the time and cost of this process increases by 50%. The number of days an untrained person spends crafting counts towards becoming proficient in that tool (XGE 134).

Multiple characters can combine their efforts toward the crafting of a single item, provided that the characters all have proficiency with the requisite tools and are working together in the same place. Each character contributes 25 gp worth of effort for every day spent helping to craft the item. For example, three characters with the requisite tool proficiency and the proper facilities can craft a suit of plate armor in 20 days.

While crafting, you can maintain a modest lifestyle without having to pay 1 gp per day, or a comfortable lifestyle at half the normal cost (see chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook for more information on lifestyle expenses).

Item Types

There are three types of nonmagical items you can craft:

Common items are the items you can easily find in a store, dungeons and most of the artisans make them regularly, like a longsword or leather armor.

Special items are the pieces of equipment crafted with special materials, like a darksteel longsword.

Unique items are completely new creations, with custom forms, qualities and benefits, like a greatsword with a mechanism to transform it into two scimitars.

Value of Special Items

The market value of Special items is calculated as the market value of the item created plus the Unit Values of each special material used times the number of units needed.

For example, a darksteel longsword edged in obsidian = value of a longsword (15 gp) + 2 units of darksteel (2 x 250 gp) + 2 units of obsidian (2 x 250) = 1015 gp.

Hiring Artisans

You can hire one or more artisans to help you create the item or to create the item completely by themselves. When using special materials, you need to hire an artisan who knows how to work that material.

The cost for hiring an artisan depends of the type of item you want to create. In general, for rarer items you will need an artisan who knows how to work the material, has a crafting formula, or something similar. You can see the cost of hiring an artisan in the following table. If you hire an artisan to create a unique item with special materials, the cost per day is 15 gp.

Hiring an Artisan

Item type	Cost per day
Normal (common artisan labor)	2 gp
Special (special materials)	5 gp
Unique (completely new item)	10+ gp (15+ gp w/ special materials)

Crafting a Unique item

Crafting a Unique item is experimental by definition and as such there is an inherent risk of failure. When you craft a Unique item, you must make a skill check at the end of the process to see if you have succeded. The skill check should be appropriate for the task at hand and the materials used. For example, Intelligence (Athletics/Tool) for smithing or Dexterity (Nature/Tool) for woodcarving and leatherworking.

If you are proficient in the tool being used but not the related skill, add your proficiency bonus to the check. If you are proficient in both the tool and the skill, you gain advantage on the roll.

DC = 13 + Material Rarity Modifier + # of different Special Materials used + # of component items

Material Rarity Modifier

Rarity	DC Modifier
Non-Special	+0
Common	+1
Uncommon	+2
Rare	+3
Very Rare	+4

If more than one special material is used, use only the highest rarity amongst those materials.

On a success, congratualtions! You have successfully created a new, unique item! On a failure, you must finish a long rest before you can make the check again. After 3 consecutive failures, the project is irreparable and all the materials you used are lost.

Special Materials

To create an item with special materials, you need an amount of material units according to what you are crafting and the size of creature it is for. For a medium sized creature, you need 3 units of the same material for crafting armor and clothing, 2 units of the same material for weapons and shields, and 1 unit of the same material for 10 pieces of ammunition. The time and cost to craft an item with special materials is calculated using the market value of the type of item being crafted.

For example, if you want to create adamantine plate armor for a medium sized character, it will take 60 days to craft it at a cost of 750 gp and 3 units of adamantine. If you hire two artisans to work with you, it will take 20 days at a total cost of 950 gp and 3 units of adamantine.

For each size increment larger than medium you need twice the amount of materials (for 1 set of armor that would be 6 units for large, 12 for huge, and 24 for gargantuan). For each size increment smaller than medium you need only half the amount of materials.

Crafting an item with two or more special materials is an advanced and delicate process. Such an item is considered Unique for crafting purposes.

In the case of creature parts, you gain an extra benefit depending on the creature's CR:

Creature CR	AC bonus	Weapon bonus
4 or less	+0	+0
5-12	+0	+1
13-18	+1	+2
19-24	+2	+3
25+	+3	+4

For example, scale mail created with scales from an adult blue dragon (CR 16) will give you an extra +1 to your armor class, for a total of 15 + dex modifier (max. +2).

A Life of Learning

Just because you don't know how to use that hammer and anvil doesn't mean you can't learn!

The number of days required to gain proficiency in a new tool or language of any kind is:

50 - 5 x Int mod

(negative modifiers do not increase this amount)

The DM may also decide that a character's other skills also contribute to their ability to learn a new proficiency, such as Strength to reduce the time it takes to learn smithing and Dexterity to help learn forgery or how to become an effective jeweler. Conversely, certain proficiencies may require a minimum ability score. It seems unlikely that a wizard with a Stength of 8 will ever be able to master smithing.

The cost to learn a new proficiency is 25 gp/workweek (5 days). This can be waived for a variety of reasons, such as your language instructor being a close friend or party member.

Materials Field Guide

Here you will find a list of special materials, their unit value and the properties they grant to armor and weapons. Some of this material might have other special features as determined by the DM (for example, armor made with dragon bones could grant you resistance to the dragon's damage type).

Adamantine

Uncommon Material

---

A jet black metal known as one of the hardest substances in existence.

Unit value: 250 gp

Armor: Any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit.

Weapon: Ignore resistance to all nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage dealt with this weapon.

Aerocrystal

Rare Material

---

A light blue, glass-like crystal known for creating lightweight, precise weapons.

Unit value: 500 gp

Weapon: The weapon gains the finesse property.

Asmoroch Oak

Rare Material

---

This hard wood has been scorched black. It is cold to the touch, seemingly devoid of life.

Unit value: 500 gp

Armor: Necrotic damage you take from an external source is reduced by 1d10.

Weapon: When you hit a creature you deal an additional 1d4 necrotic damage.

Beast Feathers

Rarity Varies

---

Hippogriffs, Rocs, giant eagles and other flying creatures have beautiful feathers that accentuate their majesty.

Unit value: Determined by the creature's CR.

Armor: While wearing clothing or any non-metallic armor made with beast feathers, you have advantage on Animal Handling checks.

Bone

Rarity Varies

---

A series of bones joined together, commonly used by shamans and wildlings. It makes for a most fearsome display.

Unit value: Determined by the creature's CR.

Armor: You have advantage on Intimidation checks. Additional effects may apply depending on the creature the bones came from, as decided by the DM.

Weapon: You have advantage on Intimidation checks. Additional effects may apply depending on the creature the bones came from, as decided by the DM.

Chitin

Rarity Varies

---

The lightwieght, flexible shells of chitinous creatures such as giant crabs and remorhaz make for useful armor.

Unit value: Determined by the creature's CR.

Armor: The dexterity maximum of medium armor increases by 1. The Strength requirement of heavy armor decreases by 1.

Cold Iron

Common Material

---

This iron seems to radiate an unnatural chill. Known for its effectiveness against fey creatures.

Unit value: 100 gp

Armor: Any fey creature that comes into contact with this armor takes 1d4 cold damage.

Weapons: When you hit a fey creature you can roll the damage twice and use either result.

Coral

Common Material

---

Primarily used by creatures of the sea to fashion weapons and armor, this hard material grants boons in the water.

Unit value: 100 gp

Armor: You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

Weapons: Any melee weapon made with coral doesn't have disadvantage on attack rolls while underwater.

Darksteel

Uncommon Material

---

A night-blue metal that is only found in areas affected by frequent thunderstorms. Known for being infused with the energy of the storm.

Unit value: 250 gp.

Armor: Lightning damage you take from an external source is reduced by 1d10.

Weapons: When you hit a creature you deal an additional 1d4 lightning damage.

Darkwood

Common Material

---

This is as durable as the hardest steel, but very light.

Unit value: 100 gp

Armor: Negates any Strength requirement of the armor.

Dwarvenstone

Rare Material

---

This marble-like stone is used by dwarves to create ceremonial armor, even though it is heavier and bulkier than metallic armors.

Unit value: 500 gp

Armor: Heavy armor grants +1 to your armor class, but the Strength requirement increases by 2.

Ellond Hide

Rarity Varies

---

This burnt-orange hide is harvested from creatures that live in arid environments such as the desert.

Unit value: Determined by the creature's CR.

Armor: You can tolerate extreme heat without issue. You do not have to make Constitution checks when spending time in temperatures in excess of 100°F.

Eternal Ice

Rare Material

---

This extrodinarily hard block of sky blue ice resists high temperatures, making it unable to melt under normal conditions.

Unit value: 500 gp

Armor: Cold damage that you take from an external source is reduced by 1d10.

Weapon: When you hit a creature you deal an additional 1d4 cold damage.

Ignum

Rare Material

---

This black, semi-translucent stone has a lava-like substence flowing inside of it, warming the surface.

Unit value: 500 gp

Armor: Fire damage you take from an external source is reduced by 1d10.

Weapon: When you hit a creature you deal an additional 1d4 fire damage.

Infernal Leather

Very Rare Material

---

A reddish hard leather created from the hide of a Hellish beast.

Unit value: 750 gp

Armor: You have a +1 bonus to your armor class and resistance to fire damage.

Infernal Steel

Very Rare Material

---

A blood red metal found in the Nine Hells that exudes heat and hatred in equal measure.

Unit value: 750 gp

Armor: You have a +1 bonus to your armor class and resistance to fire damage.

Weapon: When you hit a creature you deal an additional 2d4 fire damage.

Leafweave

Common Material

---

The pattern of these naturally woven leaves makes them surprisngly durable.

Unit value: 100 gp

Armor: You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks in forested terrain.

Mithral

Uncommon Material

---

This white-silver metal is lighter and more flexible than common steel.

Unit value: 250 gp

Armor: If the armor normally imposes disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks or has a Strength requirement, mithral version of the armor doesn't.

Weapon: Two handed weapons made with mithril lose the heavy property and all other weapons gain the light feature.

Monster Scales

Rarity Varies

---

These come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Some may even hold some risidual magic from the creature whence they came.

Unit value: Determined by the creature's CR.

Armor: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage that you take from an external source is reduced by 1d10. Additional effects may apply depending on the creature the scales came from, as decided by the DM. See page 11 of this guide for additional benefits.

Obsidian

Uncommon Material

---

This glass-like stone's tones of black to deep purple shimmer in the light. It is known to be very sharp.

Unit value: 250 gp

Armor: When an enemy tries to grapple you, it takes 1d4 slashing damage.

Weapons: Any piercing or slashing damage made with an obsidian weapon deals an additional 1d4 of that damage.

Orichalcum

Rare Material

---

This bronze-orange metal glows warmly when near sources of magic. It is used to absorb the essence of magic.

Unit value: 500 gp

Armor: You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Weapon: When you hit a creature you deal an additional 1d4 force damage.

Plague Koa

Uncommon Material

---

This mossy hard wood has small spores floating around it.

Unit value: 250 gp

Armor: Poison damage that you take from an attack is reduced by 1d10.

Weapon: When you hit a creature you deal an additional 1d4 poison damage.

Shadowsilk

Rarity Varies

---

This semi-transparent silk is carefully made by spiders and spider-like creatures.

Unit value: Determined by the creature's CR.

Armor: You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks in lightly obscured areas.

Shaed

Very Rare Material

---

An impossibly soft material that is only found in the Shadowfell, imbued with the plane's dark essence.

Unit value: 750 gp

Armor: You have a +1 bonus to your armor class and resistance to psychic damage.

Spotted Birch

Uncommon Material

---

The spots of this hard wood are actually small holes that cover the surface of the tree. These holes emit a pungent, stinging smell.

Unit value: 250 gp

Armor: Acid damage that you take from an external source is reduced by 1d10.

Weapon: When you hit a creature you deal an additional 1d4 acid damage.

Stellar Iron

Very Rare Material

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A white bright metal with a soft texture but superior durability. Known for being imbued with celestial power.

Unit value: 750 gp

Armor: You have a +1 bonus to your armor class and resistance to necrotic and radiant damage.

Weapon: When you hit a creature you deal an additional 2d4 radiant damage.

Flora Field Guide

Here you will find descriptions for each of the ingredients gathered by herbologists. Some of the plants are common enough to be instantly recognizable while others may stay hidden for years. Each ingredient provides unique qualities and uses for the alchemically-minded member of your party.

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 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 weapons 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

This mushroom has a dark blue cap with a yellow striped stem. When disturbed, this mushroom lets off a puff of blue powder. This causes no permanent harm to 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 search for the fungi around sources of water, 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, slimey substance is often observed flowing within water as if it had a mind of its own. Often times, herbalist mistake this slime with mercury, as it has the same consistency and look. When attempting to collect the slime, it reverberates and alters any plant life it touches in its vicinity.

Cosmos Glond

This four-leafed plant is notorious for being difficult to find. This is mostly due to the plant growing in the most obscure and unpredicatable places. Its leaves have the uncanny appearance of stars in a night sky.

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, only simple theatrical sparks.

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 often find the sweet, rosey scent alluring.

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. While useful, prolonged exposure can be irritating to the skin.

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 the harsh temperature of the northern mountains.

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 the bushes. The vines also seem to have a reactive, almost 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.

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 followed by a long recovery period. Local law enforcement struggles against the use of this drug as too large of a dose can cause significant harm, or even death.

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 viscous liquid has a colorful kaleidescope appearance and can be extracted from the Hyancinth Flower near damp, humid areas. This nectar is in high demand and is often used by nobility as symbol of wealth when travelling to foreign lands.

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 unlock its potential 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 an 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 shaken from the glowing yellow mushrooms often found in extremely dark environments. It keeps an ember-like glow for about a week after extracted. Many herbalists cultivate the glowing mushrooms in dark cellars in order to always have some of the dust at hand.

Mandrake Root

This tan root has serrated edges all along its body that often cause injury to herbalists who handle it improperly. When stripped of its outer skin, the soft tender center can be eaten with relative ease and is often used by physicians 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 indigestion. When crushed up and diluted these seeds offer powerful resistive effects.

Mortflesh Powder

This dark purple powder is often found inside a flower that grows on top of moss in dark, cold environments. The powder is often used as makeup for young men and women to reduce the look of age from their faces. It is rumored that when infused with a magical catalyst the effect is permanent.

Nightshade Berries

These light blue berries can be found in small, clumped bunches among 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 extract and enhance the oily quality of the berry's fleshy center.

Primordial Balm

This thick substance has been observed changing its coloring, almost at will. The balm is unusually warm to the touch, and seems 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 moss can be found growing amongst almost any substance as it seems to ignore environmental standards. Its soft, silky texture is used by small mammals to line their nests. When burned this plant gives off sour, noxious fumes.

Radiant Synthseed

This long black and boat-shaped pod emanates a yellow glow from within. When the pod is cracked open, it emits a pleasant, floral smell. Inside there are a few small seeds, glowing with a soft, golden light. When crushed or blended, these seeds darken and form a purple tar-like substance.

Rock Vine

This dark green vine has a stone-like exterior and can be found growing in the ground near very old minerals, often seeming to feed off the minerals themselves. For many years this vine seemed useless, but arcane studies have since shown this vine to be an important component in defensive spellcraft.

Scillia Beans

These light brown beans can occasionally be found hanging from Scillia Bushes in dry environments. They are often used to enhance flavors in stew and other meals. At full potency these beans offer the ability to climb steep cliffs and rock faces with ease.

Silver Hibiscus

This silver-grey plant looks as though it represents unchecked elemental potential. It often devleops round, symmetrical patterns that share a likeness to spider webs crisscrossing across the surface of the leaves. During thunderstorms it is said that the leaves flash in time with the lightning strikes.

Spineflower Berries

Often found hanging amongst the vertebrae-like flowers, this white berry must be harvested carefully as to not crush its delicate structure. When ingested, these berries provide little sustenance and leave the eater with a slight feeling of vertigo.

Tail Leaf

This very fuzzy, dark green leaf is circular in shape with three thick strands hanging from the center. When held, the leaf itself feels as though it is vibrating with untapped energy.

Verdant Nettle

With its green and yellow speckled mesh-like leaf, this plant is easily identified. It normally grows in forests and can catch a person’s feet when traveling if they aren't watching their footing. Rangers tell of its uses as a way to calm predatory animals.

Voidroot

This dark grey root thrives amongst the most extreme environments. Found in both desert and arctic environments, the growth rate of each root doesn't not appear consistent for the species. Herbalists tend to be very careful when they extract this root from the ground as it seems to defy gravity.

Wild Sageroot

The most common ingredient found among doctors' and healers' 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 normally forms small clusters deep within damp cave environments and forests. The organism is a translucent blue and seems to fade from view at certain angles.

Wrackwort Bulbs

These large white bulbs can be found in swamps, wet caverns, and the damp hold of a ship. The bulbs release a puff of powder when disturbed to confuse and addle creatures nearby. When harvested successfully, these bulbs can be ground into a paste. Oddly, alchemists report that the resulting product always seems significantly less than what they started with.

Wyrmtongue Petals

These jagged, red petals can be found growing on Wyrmtongue Flowers in almost every terrain. The petals shimmer like oil as they shift in the wind. They are a favorite among paladins and seekers of justice.

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 time period, the concoction can have slightly altered effects, or not work at all. However, the rare and very rare ingredients can last 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 doubles the ingredient's shelf life.

Potion Toxicity

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:

Potion Quick Drinking and Toxicity for 5e

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 that are tied to the Underdark.

Optional Restrictions

Ampule

An ampule holds completed poisons and potions. They are 1" diameter by 3" tall cylinders with an airtight stopper on one end. They are made of magically created, unbreakable glass and hold about 1.25 fluid ounces of liquid. Each potion or poison must be used in it's entirety to gain their benifit (approximately 1 fluid ounce).

Ampule Pouch

These pouches carry a total of 5 ampules 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.

Ingredient 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.

Appendix A: Ingredient Lists

Most Terrain

"Most Terrain" indicates that the herb can be found almost anywhere in any biome, should you choose to search specifically for it.

Potion Proficiency

If you are not proficient with either alchemist's supplies or Arcana, the time and cost of crafting a potion increases by 50%. The number of days an untrained person spends crafting counts towards becoming proficient with alchemist's supplies (XGE 134).

Appendix B: Herb Terrain Tables