Weird Herbal Remedies(: the Thread)

[Metastachydium]

Fair warning: the plural in the thread title might prove to be a lie on the long run, but I don't want to wake up with the need to add an "and Other Stuff" clause to it later (again), so here we are. What is this about? Well, that's simple enough. Although the notion comes up in official material here and there (some famous examples are notably found in FRCS (or PGtF, I never know which, but I'm pretty sure everyone gets what I'm talking about here)), strange herbal brews concocted by quasi-trained semi-professionals who are neither spellcasters, nor trying to kill someone remains, for the largest part, a ground untouched and unthreaded. Enter the brand new Craft (herbal remedy) skill! (By me.)

Now, this newcomer is supposed to work the same way any other Craft skill would. In a pinch, I would allow for Craft (poisonmaking) and/or Craft (alchemy) stand in for it, even, perhaps, however, only for characters trained in Profession (herbalism). And the spellcasting prerequisite of Alchemy? Shouldn't figure into this at all. This comes with an important side effect, of course: since this is not a magical effect, simply the Extraordinary interplay between a chemical agent and an organism, herbal remedies shouldn't work on anything that cannot metabolize them, which is to say, this is for living creatures only.

This is, naturally, at this stage not quite as a broad concept, let alone project, as I make it out to be. The above (again, naturally) is more a long-winded way to frame my firing up (for now!) a singular tiny little idea, the

Quickseed
Quickseed (or, colloquially, tree-of-life) is a nondescript, evergreen tall bush or low tree, not uncommon on the coastal hillside scrub of many a temperate region. It has a smooth, thin gray bark and pointed, oblong leaves symmetrically arranged along the thin branches. Although many of its parts are oftentimes ascribed medicinal properties, its main claim to fame is its fruit, or, rather, the seeds. Button-shaped and rarely larger than the nail on a human's ring finger, these come in long, flat pods that hold up to eight, if usually no more than five of them. They ripen mid-autumn. Once the pod turns black-brown and dry, it is fit for picking.

The dry seeds, when chewed, are known to produce an effect that might not truly rival the effect of magical healing and is known to induce a certain dizziness, but which, even so, is a strong simulant that also thickens the flowing blood and can keep a wounded warrior fighting just as a potion would. Experienced herbalists, moreover, found ways to further refine this substance. The powder of the seeds is variously brewed into a syrupy draught that is easy to swallow and while not particularly potent, mitigates the lightness of head; or mixed with the resin of firs to make square, sticky slabs for chewing – these, in turn, bolster the beneficial properties of the seeds, while offering the same ease on the mind (if not the same ease of use) as the draught.

Pricing&Specifics:




Effect1
Save DC
Adverse Effect1
Craft DC
Price


Seeds (5)
1d8 temporary hit points
14
Initial damage: 1 Wis; secondary damage: 1d2 Wis
–
15 gp


Quickseed Draught
1d8 temporary hit points
12
Initial damage: 1 Wis; secondary damage: –
15
25 gp


Quickseed Pastille, average
1d8 temporary hit points
12
Initial damage: 1 Wis; secondary damage: –
15
25 gp


Quickseed Pastille, refined
2d8 temporary hit points
12
Initial damage: 1 Wis; secondary damage: –
20
150 gp


Quickseed Pastille, potent
4d8 temporary hit points
12
Initial damage: 1 Wis; secondary damage: –
25
500 gp


1Cumulative per dose ingested.

[Metastachydium]

And inspiration strikes again! Behold:

Quickseed (continued)
An alternate way of benefitting from the stimulant properties of quickseed is brewing a tea or creating a tincture out of the seeds, seed pods and leaves of the plant. Both ward off fatigue quite efficiently; however, the tea does so slower, whereas the tincture's effect is reported to sometimes come with the same dizziness the pastilles induce, as well as an unpleasant if temporary overload of the senses.

Pricing&Specifics:




Effect1
Save DC
Adverse Effect1
Craft DC
Price


Quickseed Tea (flask)
Removes fatigue or reduces exhaustion to fatigue within 1d4 minutes
–
–
20
100 gp


Quickseed Tincture (vial)
Removes fatigue or reduces exhaustion to fatigue
12
Initial damage: dazed for 1 round; secondary damage: 1 Wis
20
150 gp


1Cumulative per dose ingested.


♣

Thorn Cherry
Some woodlands in temperate to cold regions with ample rain over the warm seasons harbour small groves of tall yet slender-trunked trees with a rugged, black bark moss will rarely will grow on and long, nearly straight branches, angling upwards and covered in sizable spines. Of its many names, thorn cherry and gutplum are the most widely used in Common. It bears clusters of tiny, egg-shaped drupes on long stalks which are the sweetest (albeit still quite acrid) when they turn a glossy purple-black in the early summer. Few will eat them fresh or even dried due to the painful congestion they cause, but they are a powerful asset in combatting nausea fast and herbalists of skill know how to counteract the congestion through coating them in a thick glaze brewed from various fruit juices and sugar.

Pricing&Specifics:




Effect1
Save DC
Adverse Effect1
Craft DC
Price


Drupes (5, raw)
Removes sickened condition or reduces nauseated to sickened
14
Initial damage: –; secondary damage: 1d2 Con
–
5 gp


Drupes (5, dried)
Removes sickened condition or reduces nauseated to sickened
12
Initial damage: –; secondary damage: 1d2 Con
10
10 gp


Gutplum Dragée
Removes sickened condition or reduces nauseated to sickened
–
–
25
200 gp


1Cumulative per dose ingested.

[JoshuaZ]

I like this. I would consider including as a rule that these only effect living beings so someone cannot get lots of easy extra hp as an undead creature with no downside.

[Melayl]

This is a fine and interesting concept.

While the new plants you came up with are neat, I don't know that you need to come up with individual plants, just effects. Many different plants, in proper dosage (and combination) can cause the same or similar effects and side effects. Just come up with the effects you're looking for, and possibly the rarity of ingredients, and a craft DC.

Easy to apply to any campaign at that point.

Just my two cents.

[Metastachydium]

I like this. I would consider including as a rule that these only effect living beings so someone cannot get lots of easy extra hp as an undead creature with no downside.

Thanks and thanks! It was never supposed to work for anything without a working metabolism. I'll make that explicit somewhere!


This is a fine and interesting concept.

And thank you! The appreciation is appreciated!


While the new plants you came up with are neat, I don't know that you need to come up with individual plants, just effects. Many different plants, in proper dosage (and combination) can cause the same or similar effects and side effects. Just come up with the effects you're looking for, and possibly the rarity of ingredients, and a craft DC.

Easy to apply to any campaign at that point.

Just my two cents.

Correct! There might be more in the future where I'll go into fewer details. Writing up mixtures would be a hurdle! But you know how it is: this is kind of the opposite of a soup. It's easier to put more salt in one of those than removing any once it's added; fluff, in the meantime is easier to drop than to write.

[Melayl]

Correct! There might be more in the future where I'll go into fewer details. Writing up mixtures would be a hurdle! But you know how it is: this is kind of the opposite of a soup. It's easier to put more salt in one of those than removing any once it's added; fluff, in the meantime is easier to drop than to write.

You definitely don't need to write up any actual herb mixtures, just the effect and side effect you're looking for. If you wanted to, you could have a listed number of ingredients based on DC or something, but I don't think that's necessary. GM's/players can make up their own fluff of what's in the "soup".

I very much look forward to any more of your ideas and creations in this thread. 😀

[Metastachydium]

You definitely don't need to write up any actual herb mixtures, just the effect and side effect you're looking for. If you wanted to, you could have a listed number of ingredients based on DC or something, but I don't think that's necessary. GM's/players can make up their own fluff of what's in the "soup".

I very much look forward to any more of your ideas and creations in this thread. 😀

Very true and thanks! I expect there'll be more stuff here soon-ish; just make sure you don't hold your breath!

[Tzardok]

just make sure you don't hold your breath!

There's a remedy for that. :smalltongue:

[Metastachydium]

There's a remedy for that. :smalltongue:

What, the air plantStorm? I'm not going to recommend actively killing planties!

[Metastachydium]

Hogscrown
An oft seen inhabitant of warm, semi-arid hills and plains that thrives in the dry heat, hogscrown is a round plant roughly the size of a smaller cabbage with broad, fleshy leaves, their edges serrated. The leaves and the stem sweat a colourless, bitter-smelling, sticky, oily stubstance. The locals skim this "hogsweat", as it is known, off of the leaves, and have the savvy mix it with fat or oil to produce a cream of sorts. This hogsweat balm cools the skin it is applied to, making the heat more tolerable. For some, however, this may come at a cost: once the balm is applied, it might cause the skin to redden and swell, especially on the face, chest and arms, and if the sight is unpleasant, the itching sensation that heralds and accompanies it is doubly so.

Pricing&Specifics:




Effect1
Save DC
Adverse Effect2
Craft DC
Price


Hogsweat Balm (thin; 10 applications3)
Prevents damage and fatigue resulting from very hot conditions for 2d4 hours
12
Initial damage: -2 alchemical penalty to Concentration checks for 1d2 hours; secondary damage: 1d2 Cha
15
100 gp


Hogsweat Balm (thick; 10 applications3)
Prevents damage and fatigue resulting from severe heat for 1d8 hours
14
Initial damage: -2 alchemical penalty to Concentration checks for 1d4 hours; secondary damage: 1d2 Cha
20
150 gp


1Applying more balm before the duration expires might extend it, but the durations overlap.
2Cumulative per application.
3Applying a dose of the balm takes a full minute.

[Metastachydium]

Lowland Slingnut
A sign that where the edges of the warm steppes begin to give way to lush, thick forests cannot be far ahead is the odd, solitary copse of short, thick trees with deep grooves running through the faded brown bark. As the dry season begins, among the large, oval leaves (easily recognized by the rich, bitter smell they keep for long after they were removed from the tree), the fruit of the plant begins to develop, growing larger and heavier for the next four tendays or so, for the thin, green shell to then split open, letting the nut, a smooth, glossy, soot brown sphere drop to the ground.

These nuts are extremely hard and heavy, so much so that local warriors and cattleherds are known to collect them for use as sling bullets, insisiting that they serve better as such than mere rocks. This is not wrong, certainly, but the wise know these nuts can heal and protect as easily as they can harm: if processed correctly, the oil of the slingnut is an emetic of extraordinary potence and a quick, if unpleasant way to counteract poison.

Pricing&Specifics:




Effect
Save DC
Adverse Effect
Craft DC
Price


Slingnut Oil (strong; 1 dose)
Neutralizes ingested poisons
15
Initial damage: nauseated for 1 minute; secondary damage: sickened for 1d2 hours
15
20 gp


Slingnut Oil (mild; 1 dose)
Neutralizes ingested poisons
15
Initial damage: sickened for 1 minute; secondary damage: sickened for 2d10 minutes
20
35 gp


Slingnut Wash (10 applications)
Creature with Swallow Whole must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or disgorge a victim with the wash applied after 1 round1
–
–
20
180 gp


1Applying a dose of slingnut wash takes 1d4 minutes. It remains effective for a day or until the body it is applied to is submerged fully in water for 1 minute or longer.