Morien
09-09-2013, 09:01 PM
In our campaign, we have a lady healer character. And since I am not a talented enough a GM to always give her stuff to do in adventures, we came up with the Herbalism -skill to give her some modest potion making skills, which supplement her healing skills.
In addtion to the potion-making (detailed below), Herbalism can be used at GM's discretion to identify poisons and brew antidotes for them (with usually negative modifiers depending on the poison). In general, it is less effective against life-threatening diseases, especially if it is an epidemic, but it can help with symptoms such as high fever, breathing difficulties and such, to help in survival. Again, with GM's discretion.
The potions in below are some that I came up with as a selection of what potions the healer had learned. There of course are other potions that she doesn't know how to make.
General system:
When the potion is used, roll Herbalism.
- Critical: Great success! Double effect if beneficial or lessened side effects.
- Success: Potion works as advertised.
- Failure: Potion doesn't work.
- Fumble: Potion does something else (opposite effect?) or does damage
Winter Phase:
Roll 4d6+5. This is how many potion points you have available to brew potions during the year.
(I think we ended up ruling that the player had to select the potions of the next year during the Winter Phase, as many of those potions would actually be needed on a very short notice, even the ones that influence the next Winter Phase's rolls (like +1 Child Survival potion might be needed at any point of the year when a child falls ill, and there might not be time to brew it from scratch).)
Basic potions/salves (1pt, Skill+-0, Fumbles generally not too bad):
1. Contraceptive: prevents pregnancy from a recent sexual encounter
2. Abortion: causes a miscarriage (pretty safe during first trimester, so so during second and very dangerous during third; Fumbles are dangerous!!!)
3. Healing 1: -1d3 infection damage (for a week)
4. Healing 2: +1 Healing rate on a successful Chirurgery (for a week)
5. Healing 3: +1 damage healed (up to maximum) on a successful First Aid
6. Sleep: Energetic -roll or falls asleep
7. Alertness: +5 to Energetic for 24h, then -5 every 8h until collapses and sleeps 16h
8. Lust: +5 Lustful for 1d6 hours
Intermediate potions/salves (2 pts, Skill-5, Fumbles tend to be bad):
9. Fertility: +1 Childbirth roll for the year during which it is used
10. Healing 4: automatic success in Chirurgery (for a week) even if no Chirurgeon is present
11. Healing 5: +2 Healing rate on a successful Chirurgery (for a week)
12. Sleep 2: Energetic -5 or fall asleep
13. Lust 2: +10 Lustful for 1d6 hours
14. Curative: Against common illnesses, +1 Child Survival for one child.
15. Childbirth: doesn't prevent a miscarriage, but gives the woman a fighting chance (50%) of survival on a 'wife dies' childbirth result
Advanced potions/salves (3 pts, Skill-10, Failures tend to be bad, Fumbles are deadly)
As our healer is only an intermediate level herbalist (Skill 15), the 'witch' who taught her decided not to even teach her these dangerous potions. You may also note that there are no actual poisons in the list, as the teacher was 'a good witch'; the closest thing to a poison is that sleep drug, which can actually be fatal on a fumble (GM's choice).
EDIT: The 8 and ) in Lust potion made a bit too suggestive a smiley, so I edited the list a bit. :P Also, a quick word on the potion/salve thing: generally, the healing stuff are salves, as that makes more sense, spreading an ointment on a wound and whatnot. Whereas most of the other ones are drinkable potions: it is much less conspicuous to pour a lust potion into a goblet and mix it with wine than it is to apply an ointment...
In addtion to the potion-making (detailed below), Herbalism can be used at GM's discretion to identify poisons and brew antidotes for them (with usually negative modifiers depending on the poison). In general, it is less effective against life-threatening diseases, especially if it is an epidemic, but it can help with symptoms such as high fever, breathing difficulties and such, to help in survival. Again, with GM's discretion.
The potions in below are some that I came up with as a selection of what potions the healer had learned. There of course are other potions that she doesn't know how to make.
General system:
When the potion is used, roll Herbalism.
- Critical: Great success! Double effect if beneficial or lessened side effects.
- Success: Potion works as advertised.
- Failure: Potion doesn't work.
- Fumble: Potion does something else (opposite effect?) or does damage
Winter Phase:
Roll 4d6+5. This is how many potion points you have available to brew potions during the year.
(I think we ended up ruling that the player had to select the potions of the next year during the Winter Phase, as many of those potions would actually be needed on a very short notice, even the ones that influence the next Winter Phase's rolls (like +1 Child Survival potion might be needed at any point of the year when a child falls ill, and there might not be time to brew it from scratch).)
Basic potions/salves (1pt, Skill+-0, Fumbles generally not too bad):
1. Contraceptive: prevents pregnancy from a recent sexual encounter
2. Abortion: causes a miscarriage (pretty safe during first trimester, so so during second and very dangerous during third; Fumbles are dangerous!!!)
3. Healing 1: -1d3 infection damage (for a week)
4. Healing 2: +1 Healing rate on a successful Chirurgery (for a week)
5. Healing 3: +1 damage healed (up to maximum) on a successful First Aid
6. Sleep: Energetic -roll or falls asleep
7. Alertness: +5 to Energetic for 24h, then -5 every 8h until collapses and sleeps 16h
8. Lust: +5 Lustful for 1d6 hours
Intermediate potions/salves (2 pts, Skill-5, Fumbles tend to be bad):
9. Fertility: +1 Childbirth roll for the year during which it is used
10. Healing 4: automatic success in Chirurgery (for a week) even if no Chirurgeon is present
11. Healing 5: +2 Healing rate on a successful Chirurgery (for a week)
12. Sleep 2: Energetic -5 or fall asleep
13. Lust 2: +10 Lustful for 1d6 hours
14. Curative: Against common illnesses, +1 Child Survival for one child.
15. Childbirth: doesn't prevent a miscarriage, but gives the woman a fighting chance (50%) of survival on a 'wife dies' childbirth result
Advanced potions/salves (3 pts, Skill-10, Failures tend to be bad, Fumbles are deadly)
As our healer is only an intermediate level herbalist (Skill 15), the 'witch' who taught her decided not to even teach her these dangerous potions. You may also note that there are no actual poisons in the list, as the teacher was 'a good witch'; the closest thing to a poison is that sleep drug, which can actually be fatal on a fumble (GM's choice).
EDIT: The 8 and ) in Lust potion made a bit too suggestive a smiley, so I edited the list a bit. :P Also, a quick word on the potion/salve thing: generally, the healing stuff are salves, as that makes more sense, spreading an ointment on a wound and whatnot. Whereas most of the other ones are drinkable potions: it is much less conspicuous to pour a lust potion into a goblet and mix it with wine than it is to apply an ointment...