Herb Basics

Unless otherwise indicated in the description, any cut herbs and preparations of herbs only have a shelf life of 3d6 days. Dried herbs have a shelf life of 1d4 years if kept in a sealed container away from moisture (but not all of these herbs can be used in a dried form). Potions, on the other hand, have an indefinite lifespan - which is why they're more expensive yet still desirable.

A rule of thumb for purchasing is that the chance of purchasing an herb in a large city within its native region is equal to the chance of finding it in the wild (and the price will remain the same); the chance of purchasing an herb in a large city outside of its native region is equal to half the chance of finding it in the wild (and the price will be half again as much); and the chance of purchasing an herb in a large city opposite of its native region (eg., artic vs. desert) is one quarter of the chance of finding it in the wild (and the price will be doubled or tripled).

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

This guide was written in order to allow a more detailed method of using the Herbalism Non Weapon Proficiency than that provided in the PHB. It may only be used by characters with the Herbalism proficiency. The description of each herb contains the following information:

Name: This is what the herb is called. In brackets is the source of the herb if applicable.

Available: This is the time of year when the herb is available, and the percentage chance for a person who searches for the herb for one full day finding it.

Climatic Zone: This describes the climatic zone or zones in which the herb can be found.

Locale: This describes the region or regions in which the herb can be found.

Preparation: This describes how long a herb needs to be prepared before it can be used.

Cost: The cost before the / is the cost of the herb in raw form. The cost after the / is the cost of buying the herb ready to use.

Uses: The number of uses indicates how much of the herb can be found at any one time.

Ability Check: The ability check is the value that must be rolled under on a d20 for the use of the herb to be successful. If the ability check is listed as '?' it means that the herb may or may not have the powers attributed to it. If the ability check is listed as '-' then no ability check is needed for success. The DM should decide what effects these herbs have if any.

Description: This section describes what the herb can do. The DM who uses or allows this guide in their games should examine it carefully before use, and remove or modify any herbs that they wish. This is particularly true for those herbs that have quite major powers.

This material is lifted and adapted from, THE GUIDE TO HERBS FOR RPGs, 5th Edition by Shaun Hately. Please visit the nearest Customs House for points of departure from Hurva to places that house such tomes.