# Medicinal/Special Herbs



## dontpunkme (Apr 6, 2004)

Does anyone know of any medicinal/special herbs that I can have pcs in my campaign find.  They're going on a mission from a druid to find and collect various herbs and was wondering what options I have.


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## Anime Kidd (Apr 6, 2004)

Well I don't know about whats out there for D20, but there is an old netbook for AD&D floating around that might be useful to you. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't take that much effort to stat a few unique ones. I Googled this link up: The Illustrated Guide to Herbs for Roleplaying Games. Has some nice pictures to go along with some of the descriptions.


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## Calico_Jack73 (Apr 6, 2004)

The Midnight book, Against the Shadows, has a whole chapter dedicated to different uses of herbs as infused oils, salves, gnaw roots, and poultices.  It details the system (skills and DCs) to collect and prepare the herbs as well as the effects of each herb in each form.  Probably the best treatment on the subject that I've seen for a RPG.


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## pyk (Apr 6, 2004)

dontpunkme said:
			
		

> Does anyone know of any medicinal/special herbs that I can have pcs in my campaign find.




Alchemy and Herbalists from Bastion Press is another source.


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## alsih2o (Apr 6, 2004)

ginseng, lemon balm, dandelions, rhubarb, all kinds of local and native herbs have uses if the herbalist is in touch with them.

 Or make something up, Hoversnanky- the only herb that elieves the kings constipation. Except it only grows on fresh ettin poop in the spring. Real fresh. so fresh it is sometimes called "Shadowcrop".

 Tweak and repeat.


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## diaglo (Apr 6, 2004)

1edADnD DMG, revised 1979 by Gary Gygax


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## MerakSpielman (Apr 6, 2004)

There are loads of real-life medicinal herbs, but any druid can find these quickly and without help. Perhaps he needs a rare, magical herb? Or an herb that only grows in the monster-infested part of the forest?


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## der_kluge (Apr 6, 2004)

MEG's Artificer's Handbook also has plants and herbs.

I have this running joke with a friend of mine.  We were in a GNC once looking at all the herbal supplements, and we came across one called "Cat's Claw".  We asked the lady what it was for, and she didn't know.  So, we looked it up on this computer terminal that they had, and after we read it, all we could really surmise from it was that it was "medicine."

I told my friend, "Ok, so I guess when you're playing a video game, and your guy has been shot, and wounded by demons, and you find a secret door, and inside is this white box with a red cross on the top - that's Cat's Claw - medicine!"

A couple of weeks ago, my friend nearly died from aspirating into his lungs, getting pneumonia from that, and going unconcsious from taking too many pain killers for some migraines.  We stopped by and bought him a bottle of Cat's Claw and gave it to him in ICU.  Still groggy, and incoherent, he took the bottle, read it, looked at me and said with a smile, "MEDICINE!"

When I wrote the herb section for Artificer's Handbook, I had to be sure to include Cat's Claw.


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## silentspace (Apr 6, 2004)

If they're on a mission to collect herbs, then they should definitely be of the rare/mythical variety!

Flowers that only bloom once every seven years, with mythical healing properties.  Check out "Bride with White Hair," a kung-fu flick where this guy is living in the mountains protecting one magical flower, the only one in existence, guarding it for his woman (the bride with white hair).  He kills the emperor's men, who come for the flower for the emperor.

Or magical herbs that have sentience, and can move.  Or maybe they can't move, but can dominate other creatures.

Fruits that when eaten have properties like potions, but maybe also some unknown side-effects.  How about fruits that heal hp, but when taken in large quantities, say five or more, they are poisonous?  You wouldn't be able to tell, since they aren't poisonous right away, but become poisonous later, in an hour or so.  Maybe they don't show up with Detect Poison because they aren't poisonous per se, but become so when exposed to digestive juices in your stomach.

Maybe the herbs only grow in a volcanic cavern, filled with poisonous, sulpherous fumes.

Maybe they are addictive, with hallucinogenic properties.

They can also be coveted by other creatures, who will fight to the death for them...


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