Herblore
There are numerous plants with alchemical properties native to Hârn. In addition to the 25 herbs discussed here, there are numerous plants of lesser value, and many more that are merely placebos. Among credulous folk there are many herbs thought to have miraculous medicinal properties. Some such plants are useful. Most are of dubious value.
Apothecaries’ Guild[edit | edit source]
Most folk on Hârn acquire prepared herbs from an Apothecary. Such a person is a member of the Apothecaries’ Guild, and will deal not only in the rarer or more valuable herbs but often in placebos, teas and other herbs of minor effect. Few Apothecaries can afford to carry stocks of rare herbs even at the best of times, although they are usually willing to buy them in their raw form. Even fewer will carry stocks of proscribed herbs and attempts to sell them such plants may have interesting results.
Apothecaries usually depend on guild journeymen and other gatherers for their supplies of raw materials. They are generally reluctant to buy from someone they do not know, as the recognition and proper treatment of raw herbs is not always easy. Many plants on Hârn look alike and the lay-gatherer is as likely to pick weeds as herbs. In general, Apothecaries buy raw herbs for about one third of their selling price, though this is negotiable. A rough guide to selling prices is given below.
- Very common herbs: 3d/oz
- Common herbs: 6d/oz
- Uncommon herbs: 12d/oz
- Rare herbs: 60d/oz
- Very rare herbs: 120d/oz
- Potions and medicines-herb prices X 5
This is a very general guide. Apothecaries often charge more for the products of plants listed here. Prices are dependent on the difficulty of preparing the herb, as well as seasonal and local availability. An unscrupulous guildsman willing to deal in proscribed drugs may charge from 200-1500% of the normal cost.
In addition to Apothecaries some physicians will buy medicinal herbs although they are not (technically) permitted to concoct their own medicines. In addition, various temples have interest in certain herbs, as do some members of the Guild of Arcane Lore.
Gamesmaster notes[edit | edit source]
There is no intention to provide a definitive list of Hârn’s alchemical herbs in this article. GM’s should feel free to add other herbs as deemed necessary, although the introduction of powerful or valuable plants should be done with care, if at all.
Many plants will not be immediately recognizable in the wild state, even to the experienced gatherer. A GM with characters in search of these or other herbs should consider the environment, the rarity of the herb, and the training (if any) of the characters. While it is true that some nerbs are hard to mistake, there are many more that look similar to any number of other mundane plants. GM’s might consider the possibility of using one of the listed herbs as the “Plant Hazard” roll on the Wilderness Hazard Table given in Hârnview.
It should be noted that some potions or raw herbs may have varied shelf lives. This has been left to GM discretion as has the effects of ingesting such ‘spoiled’ herbs. We also leave to GM discretion the effects of mixing several of the herbs listed here.
We suggest that GM’s use the colour plate carefully. Photocopies of the black and white page should only be given to those players who have some training in herblore and additional detail should be given out with care.
[edit | edit source]
- Herblore (1st ed.). Columbia Games: Encyclopedia Hârnica 9. 1984.