[Basic] Skill of the week: Herb Lore

[Not]

How does this skill interact with Plant Empathy?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Not

How does this skill interact with Plant Empathy?

Well, Plant Empathy would almost certainly let you know if a kind of plant that's new to you would be useful for Herb Lore purposes, and maybe give you a hint as to how. Plant Empathy is also often accompanied by Green Thumb talent, which adds to Herb Lore and often Sense of Duty (Plants) or Vow (Use plant material only if gathered without severe injury to the plant), the last of which could be a problem on occasion.

In 3e, Plant Empathy had the Talent and the Sense of Duty rolled in, and the more drastic advantage Tree-Kin (which I think originated in Witch World) rolled in the Vow and a level of Aspected Magery. 4e unpacks the bundles.

[dripton]

Sadly, I don't think I've ever used it either. Never played in a GURPS game with a druid or woods-witch PC, or where herbal healing was more effective than magical or clerical healing, or where mages needed to gather spell components in the wild.

Herb Lore and Alchemy are pretty much the same skill with slightly different chrome. One could argue for merging them. Or for merging Herb Lore with Pharmacy (Herbal). Lots of similar, underused skills. I guess you could introduce the "Herb!" skill, though it would probably lead to boring stoner jokes.

It seems easy enough to make this skill popular: make it an enabler for the cheapest or most effective form of healing available. That would totally fit a low-tech no-magic setting. But herb gathering just isn't that exciting; it feels like something an NPC should do for you.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by dripton

But herb gathering just isn't that exciting; it feels like something an NPC should do for you.

Unlike exciting skills like Accounting... :)

[dripton]

Originally Posted by Anders

Unlike exciting skills like Accounting... :)

Relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1566/

Bringing this back on topic, I think Herb Lore is kind of boring, but when I played Skyrim I was a seriously obsessive flower picker^W^W spell component collector. Even when I had all the spell components and money I needed. So maybe there's a way to make it fun. Like, detail 20 different herbs and flowers, and make most of them dirt common and just drop them into scene descriptions regularly, but make a few of them very rare and valuable. ("Oh yeah, you need buggerwort to cast Steal Youth. That's why it's illegal in 3 kingdoms. Even though it's also useful for Instant Regeneration.")

[Anders]

Originally Posted by dripton

Relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1566/

Bringing this back on topic, I think Herb Lore is kind of boring, but when I played Skyrim I was a seriously obsessive flower picker^W^W spell component collector. Even when I had all the spell components and money I needed. So maybe there's a way to make it fun. Like, detail 20 different herbs and flowers, and make most of them dirt common and just drop them into scene descriptions regularly, but make a few of them very rare and valuable. ("Oh yeah, you need buggerwort to cast Steal Youth. That's why it's illegal in 3 kingdoms. Even though it's also useful for Instant Regeneration.")

The Swedish roleplaying game DoD has a lot of herbs and drugs they can be made into.

[RogerBW]

Rolemaster also had a huge herb list.

The only character with this skill in my archives is Virtue Smith, the "ship's conjure" in my Seas of Dread demo game, based on the setting in GURPS Horror. (The other PCs are straight out of Supporting Cast - Age of Sail Pirate Crew.)

Virtue has the Paths of Elements, Health, Knowledge and Protection at 17, Bad Temper, Impulsiveness, and an Addiction to Tobacco. (Also the quirk Cannot Float.)

[The Colonel]

There's also a Harnmaster fan-made version available here if it helps...

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by dripton

So maybe there's a way to make it fun. Like, detail 20 different herbs and flowers, and make most of them dirt common and just drop them into scene descriptions regularly, but make a few of them very rare and valuable. ("Oh yeah, you need buggerwort to cast Steal Youth. That's why it's illegal in 3 kingdoms. Even though it's also useful for Instant Regeneration.")

i still use the old Dragon article I saved from a million years ago that has something like 100 herbs and their uses on a d100 chart.


I really need to retype it up as it's threatening to disintegrate.

[Anders]

There's also a WotC supplement from ages ago called "the compleat alchemist" or something like that. Contains a lot of useful stuff.