Herbalism

Poison occupies a complex, paradoxical place in Zantaashi life—feared, revered, and thoroughly normalized. Herbalists are not an uncommon sight deep in the marshes, braving the wild dangers to find rare ingredients for new toxins. Even children are taught early to recognize the smell of common plant venoms and the color shifts that mark dangerous herbs. Artisanal poisoners, licensed by the local House of Life or Death, operate much like apothecaries. Their shops sell soporific reeds, venom salves, antitoxins, incense that sharpens the mind, and tinctures that—when ritually applied—are said to “brighten the karmic mark.” These poisoners are considered valuable businesses, and many come from respected lineages. Members of the different Houses of Karma are able to cast ‘’’Purify Food and Drink’’’ on certain compounds to draw out different potentials depending on the secret House techniques used. Criminal use is harshly punished, but even criminals tend to use nonlethal toxins. Purposefully crafting a venom with no antidote is a near-sacred taboo. What’s more, each toxin tends to have more than one potential ‘’revector,’’ a compound that acts not just as an antidote, but changes the initial poison into one with a different effect.

Herbalism

The process of gathering ingredients can be a risky and rewarding endeavour. When travelling the swamps of Zantaashi or the forests of Ginwil, a character can attempt to use their Herbalism kit and skills to seek out these reagents to sell or make their own elixirs. Inside encounter areas, a character that sees a potential ingredient can attempt an Herbalism roll to collect the specific reagents. During downtime or travel, they can also attempt (at intervals of the GM’s discretion) to harvest ingredients along their path. In either situation, the roll is a D20 plus their Herbalism Modifier:

Herbalism Modifier = WIS or INT Modifier + Proficiency Bonus if using a Herbalism Kit you’re proficient with.

Identifying Ingredients

After the player has gathered some ingredients, the DM can determine whether or not the character has past experience with it. This can be done either through a quick decision by the DM, or by rolling for the knowledge. If the second option is chosen, the player would perform an Herbalism check at a DC of 10 + DC Difficulty of the ingredient (see below for rare ingredients).

If the player fails the roll, the character does not recognize the ingredient enough to understand its purpose. Another attempt can be made after the player has researched more about the ingredient, or has another party member identify it for them. A player cannot roll again for the same ingredient if they do not already know what it is, or have gained insight on it.

If the player succeeded the roll, the character recognizes the ingredient and has a general idea of what it can do as a Base Effect in a concoction. Additionally, if the player surpassed the DC by 5 or more, the character learns a Reactive Effect or Revector of that ingredient. See the Alchemy section below for more information.

Gathering During Gameplay

Rules for gathering ingredients are from "Herbalism and Alchemy v1.2", by Dalagrath.

In between the dungeon delving, the sword slashing and the spell casting, the players usually have a period of rest. Many occasions call for a short or long rest during these times. Gathering plants or herbs is not considered a strenuous activity, and does not interrupt the resting periods that allow movement.

For these occasions, a player would announce to their DM that they would like to gather some plant life around the area. The player would then roll a DC 15 Herbalism check. Remember, a player can use a Herbalism Kit to increase their total modifier by their proficiency bonus if they are proficient with the kit as well.

Gathering During Downtime and Travel

During periods in between sessions, also known as Downtime, a player can perform an Herbalism check as well. As a general rule, a party can roll once for gathering ingredients per day of travel during downtime, or for every day in game time if the party isn’t going to be traveling. Gathering from the same location, or in a major city, may yield diminished or no results.

A successful gathering check results in the same fashion as if gathering during the session.

Ingredients

Ingredients
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Alchemy

Alchemy Modifier = INT or WIS Modifier + Proficiency Bonus if using a valid tool you’re proficient with.